The reckoning of requisition [Atlas]

[Apple]

It was the last day that my party and I would spend in Kumogakure.

And, even that was shortly growing short, nightfall beginning to reclaim the once brightly colored sky. It had been a good day, even for Kumogakure, but that was soon to end as the heavens above would be turned dark with a lack of light, the streetlamps of the village already put on for the sake of allowing its citizens to see through the darkness that would soon fall upon them. Having taken so long to come to the village in the first place, whilst I’d been tired upon arrival, as the hours had gone on meeting the Raikage, I’d come to notice just how tired I truly was. Henceforth, I’d requested to stay a few additional days to regain my strength before setting off elsewhere. I had a few places in mind – Kirigakure being the prime suspect for my curiosity to be satisfied. It wasn’t that I expected that they had the answers to what I expected, just with Iwagakure having been so conspicuous with its attack on Sunagakure and on my friend, I figured that Akira may perhaps have an idea as to who could have been behind the entire unfortunate event – if it wasn’t his own village that was to blame, of course. I was aware that it was a bold move, but my thirst for curiosity was as potent as the one that I had for chakra, and it had been that way for as long as I could remember. Gossip, secrets – I knew everything, and I wasn’t going to allow such an important event to go forgotten. But unlike the growing addiction to chakra that I’d succumbed to, the denial of information didn’t exactly harbour the same despair that the other did.

But – even with such notions tickling the back of my mind temptingly, I walked along the streets of Kumogakure, just another face in the crowd to the majority of people who didn’t recognize me as the Kusakage. Despite the close relationship our villages had, there were many that didn’t recognize me, which, in a way, was comforting. But at the same time; I was sure that if you were to place the Raikage in my own village, people wouldn’t instantly know him as the leader of our allied nation. Henceforth, I was allowed to weave between the crowds to the best of my ability, gazing around at the sights and sounds of Kumogakure before the night took its hold back on the village and I’d be returning back to the hotel that I’d booked myself and my entourage in to. It was the last night we’d spend here – and although I’d never thought of myself as a sentimental person, I was sure that, in a way, I’d miss it here – the air, the soft glow of the streetlights against the many cliffedges that helped to protect the village, the shadows that spread far and wide across the streets. There were many aspects of Kusagakure that I missed at the moment, but it was simply .. different, to be in a different village and see how different everything was there. And so, passing off in to a quiet side-street that led towards the hotel I was to stay a final night in, I was soon bathed in a strange combination of light and shadow, before the soft white, almost billowing fabric of my dress was submerged in what faint streetlight that guided me back to the home I’d adopted across the last few days. I'd have stayed out later, as I was sure that Esei was enjoying the nightlife of Kumogakure, but even with the much-needed rest I'd acquired over the last day or so, I yearned for sleep and the comfort of the bed that I'd paid for.

[Estilo]

-- Enter.

Set after MDP.

As I walked past the street lamp, the light slipped across my features quickly, like the caress of an uncertain hand, afraid to linger. From this brief glimpse of illumination, the woman (Blanche) walking in my direction could see that I wore a black raincoat over a two-piece black suit, fitted to my body just as perfectly as the day when I had purchased it. Seconds away from intercepting Blanche, I stopped, my profile sharp against the intermittent lights lining the street. I was sure she had noticed me after passing through that last spotlight. My mane of cardinal red, and the small gleam of porcelain on my half-mask, were dead giveaways. 

Yet, did she believe it was actually me?

Under the influence of a grey mist that slowly washes over the village, the artificial lights of Kumogakure no Sato are beginning to cast a ghastly glow. To someone who hadn't seen me in nearly a decade, and surely heard rumors of my demise during that length of time, I wouldn't be all too surprised for her to imagine I was some sort of imposter, or copy, or-- under a more preternatural aspect-- spectre in the night. Considering the last time we'd seen each other in person-- the stalactites falling down all around us, the mountain roaring as it unleashed its chaos-- it was only reasonable for her to believe I'd been buried under all of that rock.

But, while I was skeptical as to whether she trusted it was me or not, I couldn't help but stare at the radiance she emanated. It was then that I realized it. She was... and I... I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before. Standing five meters away from her, my exposed green eye slightly widens, my face struggling to feign just a "mild" surprise. Her figure, from afar, gave no hint of a protruding belly. I was, utterly and completely, caught off guard. But... I was happy for her. She'd found someone, I presumed. And the warm beauty that came with being an expected mother fit her vibrantly.

My voice is dense and baritone, a suave rumble along the spine, "You're pregnant." I speak, issuing a small, but prim smile. She was dressed just as brilliantly as she had dressed in the old days. A dazzling creature, one of those women whose sleek beauty makes one feel ungainly and dim. Her presence is almost palpable, inviting admiration, and then resentment, and then a kind of hopeless surrender. But it was different with me. We'd known each other at the peak of our appeal and, after that extended period of time we'd spent in the mountains during the Great Cataclysm, we'd known each other at the nadir of it. 

... I'd kissed her then, just before I'd helped her out into the sunlight of the new world. Out of grief, or appreciation, or complete admiration... I didn't exactly know. Perhaps, a combination of all. But I could see that we had both put that past us long ago. For now, we could simply marvel at the fact that the two of us were actually alive, reunited under seemingly impossible circumstances.

"You look lovely."

[Apple]

It was a cool night – the air crisp enough for my breath to only subtly float before me like some kind of nearly translucent mist. Despite this, it seemed also.. warm – although I only had the different climate of Kaminari no kuni to place the blame for that on. However, it wasn’t all that much of a problem, but I was merely used to much warmer countries, but fortunately, dressed in the white gown I’d adopted as of late, I was warm enough for now, although the skin of my face had since begun to feel the gentle pinch of the cold. Step, step, step. Flat-soled shoes brought me further and further in to Kumogakure, and towards my destination, my eyes meanwhile scanning around me, not in paranoia that someone would launch an attack – although there was that thought – but instead in order to pick up on the area around me. I wasn’t sure when I’d be returning to Kumogakure next, so even at times like this it was good to explore the place as much as I could. We were, of course, allied villages, and yet it was only a few times that I’d visited the place. Although, I couldn’t really say that any of the village leaders from Kumogakure had visited my own, or as far as I could recall. Then again, with the turbulent change of leadership, I was waiting for everything to cool down first. Gazing up ahead, I closed my eyes briefly to allow the sounds of the village after nightfall to overwhelm me, although as I opened my eyes, I couldn’t have expected him.

Right before me – before my very eyes.

I abruptly stopped in my tracks, as the color steadily drained from my face.

And he stood there – almost sarcastically, mocking all of the years that I had spent wondering where he’d gone, what had become of him. And then I blinked albeit too many times, just to make sure that the being before me was here in the physical sense and that my mind wasn’t merely playing tricks on me. It.. it was dark, after all, and I was in a foreign village. I didn’t know what to expect – I was delusional, that had to be the case. But he continued to stand, his own gaze, locked on me, just as mine was on him. Smothered in one of the rare streetlights that decorated this particular street, it seemed neither of us were capable of doing much other than look. Was he real? Or was this simply a figment of my imagination gone wild? I was in his home village – and I had heard things about him – but he, a ghost? I couldn’t have imagined anything different to what I’d have imagined. My left eye twitching slightly as I attempted to make sense of this entire situation, I then made the first move, simply allowing my arms to drop as I sought to remove myself from the frozen position that I’d been rendered to. And yet as I now moved; he didn’t budge.

"You're pregnant."

Such a familiar voice - and one so inviting, too. Merely the sound of him brought me years back.

”.. A—“
My mouth opened to respond; but barely anything came to be.

"You look lovely."

It was him – it had to be. But regardless of whether or not I saw the truth before me of an ignorant lie formed from my own guilt, I soon found myself crossing the short distance that was between the both of us, my mind currently uncontrollable. My arms then opened, pulling him in to a tight embrace – or, as tight as I could with the child that I carried being a minor setback. ”..Atlas..!” I spoke, my eyes viewing nothing but the long, crimson coloured hair that he had always flaunted as I held him close. It had been too long. ”..T-They said you were dead–” I commented. ”..I knew – I, I knew that you hadn’t –“ With my tone rushed and emotional, I blurted out my words. I could clearly remember the last time that I’d seen him, and it was so long ago, now. I’d heard that he’d become Raikage, amongst other things, but his death too was another rumour that I’d picked up on, but here he was, alive before me, and I wouldn’t have wished it any other way. Releasing a single deep breath, with my arms around his back I began to compose myself, steadying the somewhat erratic breathing that had taken over me. He was warm – the longer I spent merely standing by him, the more memories seemed to come flooding back that confirmed that it was, indeed, the green-eyed man that I had missed all of these years. His voice, his scent – everything. ”..What ..” I paused, allowing my grasp to weaken as I then pulled away, but only enough so that I could allow my eyes to gaze in to his own – or at least, enough beyond the mask that he wore, my own frantically studying him. ”..What happened to you? -- All these years – I –“ We hadn’t been constant in our meetings as they’d always seemed to be spaced across time but – nothing had changed. Of course, I was sure that our lives had, mine especially and that being now almost painfully clear, but, to me, with the severity of the situation that had last torn the two of us apart, I felt blessed to see him again.

It made me realize just how much I did miss him.

SPOILER: Click to show

1 Infuin stack gained.

[Estilo]

My eyes widened when she'd embraced me so suddenly, then warmed over as she spoke. I gradually returned the hug with as much passion as she, my arms wrapped firmly around her otherwise slender frame. "Blanche..." I muttered, listening as she expressed her bewilderment over my presence here. She'd seen me disappear within a rock slide that should have killed me. She'd been told I'd perished during battle years afterward. But she hadn't believed it. Just as I, throughout all these years, held the belief that she was still alive and well. Happy. Now that I was here, locked in our embrace, I honestly didn't know how to explain myself. I was at a loss for words, and all my mouth could mutter was her name. For, since that fateful day in Kami no Shima, my life hadn't gone long without bumping into her from time to time. Never had I gone more than a few months without her. Not until the Great Catastrophe hit. And here I was, years later, holding her close, never again wanting to see such a dear friend leave.

I could feel her shoulders rise and fall as she caught her breath, straining to compose herself. Reaching up with a gloved hand, I gently held her head closer to my chest, the warmth between each of us blending into one. When I felt that she had something to say, and was in a state to say it, I'd, too, loosen my grasp over her. Our eyes met, my one-eyed gaze peering cheerily into her translucent baby blues, coinciding with a somewhat sad smile forming at the corner of my mouth. She'd soon inquire after the events that had transpired since our last meeting, and I was in no position to deny her my own recollection of what had happened. With the events that took place in Taki no Kuni, and the pool of memories I'd regained since then, my past was no longer a mystery to me. Some of it... some of it I would have rather kept forgotten. But other things, like Blanche, I was overjoyed to have back.

"It's... a long story." I answered with a smile, affectionately adjusting a stray lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. My gloved hands then landed gently on her shoulders, my bright eyes examining her radiant countenance, as if searching for imperfections, or some sign of foulplay. But, sure enough, this was my Blanche. The Blanche I knew and loved, the only one I'd care to know. Issuing a brief sigh, I'd continue speaking. "I lost my memory." I admitted, my green-eyed stare adopting a slightly stern mien. "And, as you can see, I haven't died. Not yet, at least. But I've been on the brink on more than one occassion since then. It wasn't until recently that I... that I regained everything that I'd lost." My eyes shifted away, reflecting on all I had done since then, on the manner in which I'd lived, oblivious to a majority of my past. Which, unfortunately, had included some of the most important people in my life. "I remembered bits and pieces about you, you know. And... I'm only sorry I didn't go looking for you sooner. I should have, even if it was just on a whim. I just... I didn't know."

Upon returning my gaze back to her, I tried to gauge the expression in her eyes. It was overwhelming, to finally get a chance to tell her all of this. Even if the memory of her wasn't completely there during a majority of the last decade or so, I'd always felt a strange and empty feeling at the heart of me. A longing to see her, and a few others, again. I had missed the blue-eyed gal, more than she would ever know. And to see her, pregnant, no less, was surreal. All that perturbed me at the moment, was the thought of ruining our long due reunion with news of my deteriorating health. The thought of having to ask her something no loved one should ever have to ask another. And, as good as I masqueraded looking healthy, the truth would come out sooner or later.

[Apple]

Even as these moments passed as I hooked my arms around him, I still couldn’t believe that it was him. I hadn’t believed the news of his death – he’d always been too.. intent on staying alive to allow himself to get killed so easily. We’d met quite a few times in the past, and all of those had been in times of war and bloodshed, but we’d survived them all. Or, perhaps it wasn’t my mind’s eye that had channeled my thought but my own stubbornness. I’d become so close to him – trusted him with all that I had and knew. But to lose him, it was something that I didn’t want to think about. Taking in a single deep breath, I then released it through my slightly open mouth, allowing the shape of my head to conform to that of his chest and upper shoulder. And I waited for him to speak – every word that he uttered simply clarified to me who he was, and I was still trying to make sense of what had happened. The years that we’d spent apart was simply too much - well beyond a decade, I was sure, and yet – he looked the same, to a certain degree. However, as he soon revealed to me just what had happened to him, my expression changed – not to shock, but instead, to anguish. Had I been one of the causes of this? I could recall the damage dealt to him in Kami no Shima and the many injuries he’d sustained, one of which I could remember the Kumogakure medic in Atlas’s team saying that it would surely effect his memory – whether it had been temporary or permanent I couldn’t remember, but that didn’t stop me from feeling as if I was to blame for it all. ”..I’m sorry, Atlas.” I wasn’t too sure about what to say. He hadn’t detailed about how it had come on, but it was a fair guess to say that it was surely something to do with the first time that we’d met, and I regretted each little bit of it. But.. perhaps he’d become injured after the rockslide in Mizu no Kuni? No matter what the terms could be, each one was somewhat related to myself, and I felt horrible.

Closing my eyes, I swallowed the lump that had grown in my throat, and allowed myself to bask in the silence for only a moment before thinking of rekindling the conversation. There was so much to speak of – I was sure that a lot had happened to the both of us across the time that we’d been apart, and I was curious as to what had happened to him. I could see clearly from the mask on his face that he still hadn’t had it removed, which merely made me remember the surprise on my face the first time that I’d seen him with such an item – the night that we’d spent attempting to find his sister in the destroyed village of Shi no Mori. Opening my eyes again, I gazed around us at the quiet streets for a moment before reconnecting my gaze with his own. ”..Do you need anything fixed? I know how stubborn you are - let me take a look at you.” Breaking away the embrace that I’d pulled him in to, I instantly began to change my position, now encircling him, and unlike the last time, my latest tone seemed almost.. chipper. Of course – ever since we’d first met, I’d always felt it my duty to make sure that he was healthy, given the damage that I’d dealt to him all that time ago. Perhaps it was still the guilt, I wasn’t sure, but I was sure that it would be an all-too familiar procedure of mine that he’d have become used to. As I moved around, I attempted to pick up on every little detail that I could find – he seemed fine, but as far as I knew he could easily be hiding bloody bandages beneath his coat. Returning back to my original position before him, I turned to face him once more, my right hand perched upon my stomach as I breathed in the nighttime air. I was exhausted by this point; but I had all of the time in the world for a spontaneous reunion with an old friend of mine.

"I remembered bits and pieces about you, you know. And... I'm only sorry I didn't go looking for you sooner. I should have, even if it was just on a whim. I just... I didn't know."



A tired smile.

"..Atlas, it's fine. Don't worry."
"All that matters is that you're here, now -- and I'm so happy to see you again."

I remained in my position, closed blue eyes briefly opening to pay a momentary gaze at the red-maned man.



"Despite your memory, I hope all has been well."

He was a good man, and I hoped that he'd been treated as one across the several years that we'd spent as strangers. He'd spoken of nearly dying several times - the same had been for myself, although I was sure that he and I both were aware that we shared many similarities. Keeping my right hand held comfortably against my stomach, the thumb of my hand gently caressing the soft fabric that covered it, the other then rose to flick away a few blonde hairs from my vision. He seemed.. different somehow, although I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I merely hoped that he was alright.

"..I'd hate for it to have been otherwise for you."

[Estilo]

Theme: "Little Black Submarines" - The Black Keys.

---

"Don't be sorry."

I answered, having heard her murmured apology. "It's not your fault. Not at all." While I had indeed suffered a potentially life-altering injury during our encounter at Kami no Shima, I was almost certain that it wasn't the cause of my memory loss. No, what I whole-heartedly believed had triggered it was the rock slide, and the injuries I had sustained then. It wasn't her fault, and I didn't want anyone (including herself) putting the blame on her. And such a notion only bolstered the sincerity in my statement.

I let a small smile slip as she proposed an evaluation, proceeding to encircle me as a concerned mother would her rambunctious child. She'd been right, about my stubbornness, and so I stood in place, eyeing her as she made her rounds. I wanted to tell her I was fine... but then I'd be lying to her. And I couldn't bring myself to do that. So, instead, I kept quiet. Remembering how often she'd performed this routine before, and admiring the care. It wasn't until she stopped that I spoke, my breath appearing as a light fog.

Sure enough, she took what I had said with that same tired smile she had given me years prior. A smile, though expressively fatigued, brimming with the youthful glow she'd had since we'd first met. But at the very same time... a mother's smile, so timeless and precious to see. It convinced me, due in part to her latest statement, to forget what I had (and hadn't) done (or remembered) in the past. At the very least, we could be appreciative of the now. So, gently cupping her chin with gloved fingers, I warmly replied.

"I am, too."

I slowly dropped my hand, arms to my sides, as she inquired after how life had treated me since the memory loss. And as I struggled to form an answer, eyes admiring her pregnant glow, I found myself in a strange place. I had become a very different man since that night we'd met. My life was now riddled with the pain of loss, and guilt, and hopelessness. And even for a man who, despite all the burdens he carried on his shoulders, practiced optimism on a near-frequent basis... I found myself... broken. 

I couldn't lie to her. And I couldn't carry on with it any longer. She had a right to know. And, whether this turned sour or not... I was glad to have seen her so. With child... a child I was sure would bring her all the happiness in the world. Softly, I spoke:

"Birdie... I'm dying."

[Apple]

Just as I’d expected, he’d gone against the whispered apology that I’d given him, saying that it wasn’t my fault for it all. But how was he to know? Perhaps.. perhaps it had been a contributing factor, an accomplice of whatever injury to his head the rockfall would have undoubtedly given him all those years ago. Maybe it was only me; but I’d always felt responsible for him and his health. Even now I could remember back to Kami no Shima with the wounded Atlas lying in a glossy pool of his own blood, the  faint tips of his own crimson hair seemingly molding as one with the liquid. The smell, and the deathly pale that had overcome his usual healthy appearance. I’d caused him to suffer for no reason, and to this day, despite the fact that he’d always dismissed it, the guilt was unimaginable. It was this reason as to why I was sure that I was so intent on making sure that he was alright. I’d nearly costed him his life from my own ignorance; and so the least I could do was seek to preserve it for years to come. Burabiya, Atlas was a good man, and he deserved better, not only from myself, but from life itself, too. Continuing to stand in place  after having encircled him in search to find something that I could heal or take care of (Having found nothing) I resumed my position with my right hand still gently resting atop of my stomach, allowing him to gently take ahold of my chin, his agreeing bringing that same soft smile to my lips. I was glad to see him – our meetings had always been staggered. In the time between when I’d last seen him and now, I’d often found myself wondering when I’d be seeing him again – convinced myself that maybe it was next week that he’d suddenly make his appearance – but had I known back then I’d have to wait several years, I’d have probably been upset. Whilst Soratsu had been one of my closest friends, Atlas had been another, although in a whole entire context. With Sora.. I could remember clearly simply sitting around and talking, irritating eachother ceaselessly for mere fun. However, with Atlas – it seems like action and adventure had always followed us, and each of our meetings had been almost like something out of a movie, come to think about it. It made our situation now, simply standing and .. and talking seem incredibly mundane. However, obviously, I didn’t see it as that. I was happy for whatever amount of time I could have with him.

But then, refocusing my attention on the half masked man, I’d watch as his face would seem to contort only slightly, as if he was unsure of what to say, his expression having become considerably more serious than the one that he’d past used. ”..Atlas? – Atlas, what’s wrong?” I asked, my tone concerned as I allowed both of my arms to drop to my sides, moving only an inch closer as I studied the peculiar expression that he’d adopted. Something was wrong. I knew it. I’d known him too long to dismiss such an obvious change in attitude – he’d said nothing, but the look on his face said it all, and naturally, I had begun to worry as to what it could be.

"Birdie... I'm dying."








Time seemed to stop, just for that very moment.


He was joking, right? He had to be.

And so I now studied him again, continuing to watch the all-too serious expression on his face as I desperately tried to find some ounce of respite from what he’d said. One hidden smirk or laugh beneath his solemn front to signify that he was kidding – that it was only something to parody my words, to make me think of the worst situation before revealing that all had been fine with him. But there was none – no cheeky grin, no enthralled laughter from the drained, almost horrified expression that I now wore. Nothing. And that terrified me the most. I could feel my breaths become heavy as I struggled to contain what he was saying and actually understand it. I’d never met a man as alive as him before – so animated. To hear that he was quite possibly dying was just .. an impossibility, and as my chest heavily rose and descended, I could only gather that even thinking about what he’d just said begun to make me feel sick, a few undecipherable noises emitted from my mouth as I tried to steady myself, almost as if I was trying to say something. I wasn’t even sure myself, but I then rose my right hand to place the back of my hand against my mouth, blue eyes staring at the man’s feet. Silence had overcome everything, only the sound of a stray cat or two fighting elsewhere in a nearby alley audible, and the soft how of the wind passing through holes and breaks in nearby buildings. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know what to do.

”..Atlas..”

It was all that I could muster myself to say as I then slowly moved my gaze back to him, almost as if I was expecting to see some kind of grotesque corpse in his place. He looked like the same Atlas that I was used to, my friend Atlas, just – tired. I could see it now. Whilst it wasn’t an incredibly notable change, he seemed that little bit weaker, and inching forwards slightly more, wanting merely to embrace him more than anything – to lie and  tell him that everything was going to be alright – I found myself frozen, my mouth open, but my lips passing no sound at all except for heavy, flustered breaths. In that very moment, a cool breeze passed through, picking up some threads of hair from both my own head and the man before me, allowing it to float aimlessly along it, my spine twitching slightly from the chill. But I stood resolute, unmoving. ”..How – Why?! ..Why does it have to be you..?!” I finally spoke, my tone distraught as I questioned just what ailment he was suffering from – and why it had to be him who was suffering from it. Of course, I was sure that he wouldn’t be able to answer the latter, but I needed to vent my frustrations – I was angry. Not at Atlas, but at life itself. How could he return to me now, with life having dealt him such a horrendous card? How, in any way, was this fair? Not on me, mind you – but him. He deserved none of this, and as I focused in on him, I could feel my hands easily becoming fists, the sound of leather being contorted and stretched sounding.

”..Why is it always you?!”

I was frustrated at the matter, and my irritation was merely growing with each passing thought, my body shaking slightly from the sheer amount of anger that was beginning to gather up. He was the one to suffer during our first meeting in kami no shima. He was the one who’d lost his sister within the battle plain that Shi no Mori had become.  He’d been the one who’d been assumed to be crushed by the devastating rockfall in our last encounter. He’d been the one to loose his memory. I’d had my own fair share of bad luck, but each of our meetings seemed to have some kind of melancholy tied to it – and always in his way. It was rarely mine, and that infuriated me. Was it me? Had I tainted him with the same bad luck that I’d previously suffered from? After our first meeting in Kami no shima, my own life had steadily become better – had our lives inverted? He seemed to be so happy back then, and now – on death’s doorstep? I uttered some kind of choking noise as I tried to speak again, my eyes sore. ”..Atlas --“ I didn’t know what to say. Realizing just how riled up I’d become, I closed my eyes once more, and breathed out, slowly unfurling both of my hands. Placing one back on my stomach, I maternally held it there to comfort myself more than anything, and to try and draw myself away from the moment of rage that had overcome me.

My blue eyes met his single green, in a tragic embrace of color.

"-- Please don't die."

I whispered, my tone much softer.
I knew, as a medical practitioner that my request wasn't one that he could fulfill.
But, I was ready to do all I could in my power to prevent it from happening.

SPOILER: Click to show

2 Infuin stack gained.

[Estilo]

The cloudy late night fog swept through the open air at a snail's pace, drowning the lonely side street we were on with patient conviction. But I paid it no mind, too lost in my own thoughts-- until I dared glance back into Blanche's baby blues. I... I wasn't expecting her to take the news lightly. Not after all that we had been through together. Hell, even I was still coming to terms with my seemingly inevitable death. But, as her breathing grew erratic and strained, I grew concerned, my countenance absorbing her reaction with stern apprehension.

"Blanche... breathe."

I whispered calmly, placing a gloved hand reassuringly on the side of her shoulder. The state she was in genuinely had me worried for not just her, but the current state of her pregnancy. I wouldn't have her falling, or fainting, or gasping for air, or otherwise jeopardizing her unborn child's health on account of anything I'd said. This baby... he meant the world to Blanche. Such a passion was hard not to go noticed-- her hand caressing the surface of her belly, an aura of love, absolute and eternal.

A moment passed in silence, her horrified eyes looking me over, then slightly widening, as though she'd just realized something. Then, without warning, she voiced what had been brewing in her mind during our brief interlude. My gaze remained focused on her own, solemn and near lifeless, taking in her passionate response with disciplined evaluation. But, truth be told, I wasn't prepared to answer. I didn't have an answer-- only a collection of theories and musings born from the tragedies I'd lived through.

This was my punishment. This was fate's cruel hand, delivering its final scar to the soul, forcing me to repent on all that I had done before and during the war. I had been a killer... I had been charmed into thinking it was the right thing to do. For country, for home, for family. That, sometimes, even good men had to go to war. Even good men had to don masks. But, in the end... it didn't bring me peace of mind. I'd neglected my wife and son, and paid the ultimate price for it. But these... these awful and gut-wrenching goodbyes to the people that I loved and cared for... they were a new kind of torture.

"I... I'm trying." I muttered, eyes shifting down to the ground between us. "And I came looking for your help, Birdie. I just..." My green-eyed gaze returned to meet her own, my stare unwavering but sincere. "I can't put you in that position... not again." Another soft breeze swept down from the mountains afar, tendrils of cool air rustling my coat tail in the silence. "The only life you should worry about now is the one inside you. Not my own." I offered a two-inch smile, dropping my hand, and releasing her shoulder from my reassuring grasp. 

[Apple]

His soft suggestion to breathe and the delicate touch of his hand on my upper arm had seemed to be sufficient enough to bring myself back to reality from the angry plane that my mind had escaped to. Taking his instruction, I swallowed, and then took in a single, long breath before then releasing it shortly thereafter. Of course, I was still furious – furious at life itself for allowing such a thing to happen to a man who I had been waiting so many years just to see a glimpse of again. A man who I had been forced to even think was dead. But I tried to calm myself down, not for my own sake, but for that of precious Yuuchiro. Continuing to brush my hand softly against his nestled form beneath the almost waterfall-like cascade of my dress, I managed to calm myself down somewhat. Opening my eyes to look back at him, my expression, however, was still one laced with sadness, although it was understandable given the news that he’d just expressed to me. Everything that the two of us had been through - I couldn't imagine it just stopping. I couldn't imagine him just stopping, being so.. silent and encased beneath the earth. I didn't want to even think about him in that way.My comment on he being the victim in each of our meetings lay unreplied, and it only made me wonder just how much of Atlas believed this notion that I’d gathered.

Silence continued to pass through, the two of us seemingly unsure of what to say. I’d since then managed to calm myself down considerably, although heavy breaths still emitted from my soft lips, my heart almost pounding out of my very skin. However – He knew better than any the exact potential of my anger, and as long as I was in his company with such a tragic topic at hand (that I had already expressed my thoughts towards) I didn’t doubt that I’d have to call upon all of my strength to control myself. In the past, it had been so simple to just swing my fist in to something to release such fleeting rage, but as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I’d grown weak. Not only was my own chakra system compromised by my current condition, but the chakra that I did have I was hesitant to loose. Of course – where Atlas was in the question, I was more than prepared to spend as much was needed if I was to treat him, but I didn’t want to have to show him what had become of me. Beneath my skin; a chakra engorged monster, and that in itself had weakened me, even with the seemingly endless supply that I’d gathered.

And then – breaking the short silence that had engulfed our meeting, he spoke. My ears twitched slightly to this change of sound in the air, and my eyes refocused in on him as the two of us stood close. ”….” it was almost as if I expected for him to drop dead after he stopped speaking – I had no inclination of exactly what was the cause of his illness or injury that would soon result in his death, and that’s what pained me the most. But what he said next, the things that he said slowly brought back each little ounce of anger that had affected me previously, although this time, I wasn’t to simply stand here and let it pass.

"And I came looking for your help, Birdie. I just..."

"I can't put you in that position... not again."

"The only life you should worry about now is the one inside you. Not my own."

”..Is that all you have to say for yourself?”



A small twisted, almost malicious smile emerged from my face.
And I laughed – only for a moment. Even I wasn’t sure about what I was doing anymore.

I began to move, lumbering steps allowing me to turn my back to him momentarily, before starting to encircle him just as I had previously. Taking a breath, the very moment it was released, so came forth a stream of words that even I hadn’t the power to stop.

”..You, Atlas Burabiya, come here to tell me that you’re dying..” I speak, pausing. Standing a few meters away from him, I turned my head to gaze at him directly. My tone was steadily rising – but I had long since lost myself. I wasn't even sure about how I felt, but all I could feel at the moment was pure rage, rising up from the depths of my heart and releasing itself in a torrent of bitter words, all directed towards the red-maned man before me. "Do you know how torturous it is to hear you reveal to me those words after having not seen you for so long? Having thought that perhaps, just maybe the rumors of your death had been true? I--" I was cut short as my own capabilities limited me, requiring for me to take a breath before continuing my rampage. "-- I knew you were alive -- I knew that you wouldn't allow your life to be taken away so easily, and now - now, after finally coming to me you want me to walk away from this all peacefully with no regrets or negative thoughts? Do you know how much of a burden that places on me?! Do you?!" I asked, almost screaming my words, my hands having since dropped to my side, each one balled in to tight, aggressive fists. "To leave me suffering for a lifetime knowing that I could have saved you?" Although the layer of my gloves protected my hands from being stung by my own sharp nails, I could feel them bluntly digging in to my skin. He had often been audience to my anger, but it was different this time. I was gifted with the ability to ground people to nothing more than dust with my words, and whilst my intention wasn't to terrify him, each passing moment that he hid from me the truth behind his ailment killed me, and that above all things became clear.

"..And now you come here, saying that you wanted to ask for my help --"


I spoke with choked words, my tone still as distressed as ever as I struggled to hold myself upright from the sheer amount of potent emotions that were rushing through my head at the moment. I could feel my own heartbeat having since transferred to my brain in this heated moment, and it was growing unbearable.



"..But instead, suggest that I focus my concern on this child – this child that.."

My eyes fell pitifully downcast.

"..That I'm already terrified of losing?!”

"..If my incompetence won't prove to be the death of him then I sometimes believe that my own people will be in due time.."

I admitted to him shakily as I stood in place, my emotions clearly getting the better of me as I unleashed my words in hysterics, unable to contain myself at all. I had told him everything that day, but what plagued my mind now, such common knowledge in Kusagakure, was something he wasn't aware of. And whilst I understood that he was trying to be well-meaning, I had already succumbed to eight months worth of worry through the child that I carried. From the moment I'd become aware of its presence I'd feared the worst, and for a short while I'd even rejected and dismissed what was happening to me for the sake of making it easier for myself. And then, from the corners of my eyes soon came trickles of what could only be described as tears, that rampantly began to make their way down my red-tinged cheeks. And I then slowly opened one of my hands, bringing it up to my mouth to cough. My throat felt raw. At that very moment it seemed my anger had awoken my little Yuu, and with he having made his presence known, I was swiftly brought back down to earth as I silently murmured my apologies to him, although regardless of this, tears continued to stream down my face. With so many varying emotions scrambling my mind, I didn't know what to say any more - or how to feel, after I'd expended all of my energy on passionately furious shouts, leaving me tired and weakened for the time being.

..The calm after a storm..

..Everything seemed so ... still..

"..You had never struck me as a cruel man, Atlas."

I whispered. I'd lost Ue, Soratsu, and Akatome too, in a way.
I was sure that after what I'd done, I was dead to him.

I couldn't lose Atlas. Not now.

"..Tell me what's wrong."

"Let me help you."

"Please."

I asked, helplessly gazing back at his emerald eye as I gave him another chance to speak to me.

[Estilo]

I couldn't say that her anger confounded me. She had every right to berate me, to challenge what I had said, and speak for herself. Even as she started encircling me again, I knew that the nature of her statements was built on a foundation of care and worry. And I sincerely appreciated her for that. She was one of the dearest friends I'd ever had... and it crushed me to see her this way. So, when she spoke of the toll this burden would have on her, I was struck with a sense of mournful stupor. I didn't want to have this effect on her, I didn't want to be responsible for something like that.

To let such burdens ruin her, as they had long since done to me.

The statement hit me with a pang of guilt, that much was certain. And my thoughts couldn't help but to see all the faces of those I had failed, those burdens I had been incapable of carrying, that continued to slip through my fingers like grains of sand in an hourglass. Lucky. Hei. Chaima. Mal. Vera. Sam. Anemone. Eiichiro. Countless Kumogakure no Sato citizens. Comrades of war, and friends I'd found in casual life. I was shattered... but I didn't care to show it. For, as long as I had left on this world... I was determined to stubbornly stagger on. Perhaps it was all for the best, my death. But I didn't want to be remembered as the man who'd spirit had been broken under the pressure of this massive responsibility.

As a shadow of who I once was.

I snapped out of my stupor, only to see her form trembling with distress. The child... was in danger? I hadn't fathomed it, but as she continued to speak, the pieces steadily began to fall in place. She wasn't just an envoy of Kusagakure no Sato, was she? And the fear she had of her "people"... I was almost afraid at my own want to find out what was happening in that distant country. What was happening with her. I didn't know. And what I had said seemed to have struck a chord with her. But this clearly wasn't a time for inquiries of that nature. Not in her state, and not in my own. So I reached out, gently grasping one of her hands, a gesture of firm reinforcement. 

As speechless with trepidation and shock as I was, I was here for her. 

I'd always be.

That trembling soon turned to a cough, however, which then slipped into a state of silent tears. She had driven herself into exasperation with her words, both mental and physical. And I knew that, coupled with the confession of her child's life expectancy, I was to blame. So, without another moment's thought, I swiftly embraced her, my countenance rigid with wide-eyed aghast. I didn't want to see her cry. I couldn't stand it, and I wanted to correct it. And if there was anything in the world that I could do to fix it, I would do it in a heartbeat. It was then that I realized how similar we were in that aspect. And I understood.

So I slowly backed away from her after she'd finished speaking, allowing the moment to linger as our eyes met, hands sliding down her arms until they made a firm grasp with her own. I took a breath, eyes downcast towards the meeting of our gloved appendages, her protruding belly a reminder of how real all of this was. "I'm so tired, Blanche..." I remarked in a hushed tone, sharing thoughts that I had only since shared with Hirihi. "It feels so long since I just... sat down. And sometimes... sometimes I wonder whether it's all worth it." I kept my eyes on our hands, my one-eyed gaze shimmering with the indication of a half-formed tear. 

"I can show you what's wrong."

"But you have to promise me one thing."

I looked up at her, carefully thumbing off a tear from her cheek, a small sorrowful smile forming at the corner of my mouth.

"Don't you cry. Not a single tear. Not for me."

[Apple]

How long had it been now since I’d first noticed the characteristic sheen of his red hair in the dim streetlight? All sense of time had left me, and it felt strange. I’d since become aware that I wasn’t dreaming – that the Atlas before me was real, and that his words, as painful as they were, were true. But it still sometimes felt like it. Perhaps it was simply because I’d anticipated that I’d never see him again. That it had been too long since our last encounter for him to suddenly return, but with his form stood before me, our eyes meeting, I was required to take a step back and distance myself from this entire situation to just make sense of it all. He was dying. But I didn’t want to believe it. But, given how adapt I was in the medical field; my abilities surely rivaling few others in the world, I knew that I could help, and it was all that I wanted to do. Could he truly decline me this simple request out of pride? I didn’t want him to die – not now that he’d returned. I could remember all the words we’d exchanged; all of the jokes, all of the stupid grins that we’d worn at more relaxed times, sitting in bars. Life had never been easy, but it was times like those that I looked back on with fondness, and I would gladly repeat them for a lifetime. His expression shifting, I was soon caught in his grasp once more, his arms wrapped around in some attempt to comfort me, but due to both the positioning of his grasp and the anger that had overcome me, I couldn’t bring myself to return it at the moment, and instead I merely burrowed my head softly in to his shoulder, closing my eyes for the time being as I processed everything that had happened.

I would have apologized for allowing my emotions to overcome me so easily; but he’d have only forgiven me. It had always been in his nature – or at least, to me. There had been times wherein we’d fought, argued – but it was usually swiftly dealt with with no further repercussions. Feeling the anger that had overwhelmed me cool down as I continued to be held in his arms, it simply became more apparent to me that I needed this. His words, the simple act of an embrace –and merely that made my lip quiver with the same fraught emotion I’d previously shown. Whilst it was true that I did love Kouketsu, there were few other people in the village other than himself who understood exactly what I was feeling, and whilst another truth was that Atlas was oblivious to it all, I felt safe as I was at the moment. As if nothing bad could come to pass to me. However, breaking away from the embrace he’d drawn me in to, I then returned my gaze back to his uncovered eye, my own expression considerably more calm as the thumb of my left hand softly caressed his interlocked right in some attempt to try and comfort him. Drawing both of his hands closer, I continued this small action as our fingers stayed entwined, my eyes continuing to study his countenance as his expression seemed to become almost weary. With sympathetic eyes I watched on, and listened to his silent words, my gaze growing tighter. ”….” I didn’t know what to say. Despite the unfortunate undertones of the times that we’d spent together, I’d not once seen him.. seen him like this. It was almost as if he’d lost hope, and that was something that I couldn’t bear to think of, let alone see. ”...Atlas –“ I paused, momentarily choosing my next few words. The tears from my eyes had since gone, but a soft tinge of red remained around them. I wasn’t sure exactly what he was insinuating, but whatever he was suggesting, I wasn’t going to have any of it. ”..I don’t want to hear you say anything like that again – or think of things like that, either.” I voiced my words to him, blue eyes ablaze with meaningful ferocity. Clasping tightly in his hands, I drew them closer, allowing both sets of joined hands to meet between the both of us. ”I’ll do anything to alleviate you of this.. – this thing that plagues you.” I spoke, swearing my allegiance. Around the village, I wasn’t known as a particularly forgiving woman, nor an approachable one, too. But when faced with those I cared about most, I found myself changing. ”..Anything that you need – Please, Atlas.” I spoke, almost begging for his compliance. All I wanted was for him to be alright, and even in my own condition, I was prepared to do all that I could to ensure his own safety and health. Night was now falling upon us, and the sky had since turned in to an inky black, hiding most of the village from us - and us away from the village, in turn. The streetlights, despite radiant against the black, had become almost dulled from my exposure to them, making me realize just how dark the street had become. I shook the feeling off.

Our once joined hands soon broke off as his own escaped to wipe away whatever lasting dampness there was on my face as a result of the tears I'd shed. However, what he spoke of now seemed to try and answer all that I'd been wanting him to reveal. But with his request for me to not cry; I wasn't sure if I could promise him that. I'd never been the kind to cry over anything, but given how sensitive my emotions had become as of late, I found myself becoming slightly less resilient.

"......"






".... Show me."




I whispered, pulling his hand back down as my eyes stared intently in to his own and the half-mask that covered a single side of his face. Giving his hands one last squeeze, I stood patiently my heart beating quickly as I waited for his response to my request. Allowing his hands to then leave my own, I moved mine back to either side of me, and kept my gaze fixed on him. I was prepared for anything - I had to be. I couldn't lose him.

SPOILER: Click to show

3 Infuin stacks gained.

[Estilo]

The strong-- almost frightening-- resolve in both her voice and eyes had a profound, albeit silent, effect on me. I was quite aware of the fact that what was going through my mind wasn't a healthy way of thinking. I regretted allowing myself to fall into such a calamitous state. To ponder such thoughts. But it was true... and it had been true for a while now. And I couldn't have imagined being anything else with Blanche other than honest. Thankfully, she was still here to set me straight.

With the sky tainted black, the radiant white moon cloaked behind mantles of dark grey clouds, the orb of pale light that came from the nearby streetlamp was the only source of illumination striking our forms. And, although I remembered where I was, the surrounding became strangely alien to me-- the periphery of my vision dancing with tendrils of shadow, the darkly silhouetted buildings foreign and foreboding. It was then that she spoke once more. Blanche, uttering the two words I had since been dreadfully expecting. 

In the darkness of this cold and unforgiving plane, I found myself hesitant, suddenly filled with the many fear-stricken doubts that had been lying in wait at the edges of my mind. It was such a simple request, but it had been so long since I'd shown anyone what remained hidden behind the porcelain shield of my half-mask. The soundless whispers of uncertainty and caution attempted to push me against it. A defensive habit I had formed since those days of long ago-- trying to conceal the shame, and the sorrow.

She's going to expect you to explain it. 

She's going to hate you for it. 

And you'll lose her.

But, despite the incessant and innate aversion, desperately trying to exert the caution that ensues when facing the prospect of calamity, I found myself incomprehensibly swayed. Perhaps I was just too tired to put up a fight anymore. Perhaps it was that underlying need to end it all. Or maybe, I truly found myself believing Blanche could help. That this could all turn out all right. That there were no repercussions, and that I'd live to see the day where she was finally at peace with a family.

I found my right hand tentatively rising, going through a motion my mind didn't recall issuing. Pressing my palm against the smooth surface of my Victorian half-mask, my gloved fingers dug into its sides. I took a deep breath. Then, with a steady hand, I slowly removed the piece of headgear from that side of my face. That half was drowned in shadow for a moment, my hand dropping, holding the white mask I was perhaps best recognized for. But when the shadow receded, the moon up above parting from the invasive clouds, she'd be able to finally see that nothing was visibly wrong with my face.

But my eye...

SPOILER: Click to show

Sickly. A drop of crimson in a pool of black.

My eye belonged to a devil.

[Apple]

At this point in time, I remained with my hands caringly grasped around his own, just as they had been before I’d spoken. Had anyone stopped and seen the both of us, they’d have surely wondered if there was something happening between the both of us; but we were closer than that, and yet at the same time, I wouldn’t bear idealize the notion of myself being more than just friends with him. A truth? Perhaps .. perhaps I had loved him, when all had become so turbulent many years ago, but it hadn’t been the time nor the place for such a thing, although back then, I liked to believe that he’d felt the same, too. However, despite this small shift in emotions I’d past felt towards him, I was glad for what we’d had. It was a friendship unlike any other; One which was able to persevere and stay strong despite the fact that our meetings were few and far between, and one which was free from the corruption that a relationship brought. Perhaps best friends was too childish of a word, as each time we’d met it had been serious in some way or another; the devastating effects of the first shinobi war burdensome to what average run-ins we would have experienced. But at the same time, even as I stood here, waiting for him to unfold to me the news of his unknown illness, I couldn’t help but smile softly at the notion that he could have perhaps been a best friend of mine, to bring back the innocence of childhood and simply wonder what life would have been like perhaps had I met him sooner. Something told me that everything in this world that I called home would be different, but at the same time, I wasn’t sure if I’d want to change my current situation any more. I was so very much in love; with the future, with my darling Yuu, with him; he and his onyx hair, and I loved Atlas, too.

Just in a different way, now.

And I continued to watch as he seemed to pause, almost as if he was unsure of revealing to me what was wrong – what I could potentially save him from. And although I spoke no words, the look in my eyes; those that bore the expression of an almost pitiful please, stared back in to his own. I wasn’t sure what to expect; given the irregularity that our meetings seemed to have, I wasn’t prepared for anything – let anyone the news that he was dying, news of which I still had yet to truly understand. He was here, now, and I couldn’t imagine him being any less than his usually animated self. I could tell even from the look in his single eye that he’d lost.. some kind of spark that had once been so bright within him. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I wished I could take it all away. Even wish it on myself. I cared for him more than he would surely ever understand, and it pained me to see him this way. So.. unsure, not only of the decisions that he was making right now, but of himself, too. A motion of his hand soon dragged my attention away from his eye, as I carefully followed it up to his head. ..The mask. He’d never explained to me what it was. I’d asked, of course, but I’d had no reply. As far as I could tell, it cut his vision in half, and I’d always figured that he’d had some good reason for having it there. I’d made up several ideas about why he’d begun to don it; a notion as simple as he having become blind in one eye after some kind of incident having sprung up, but he’d been almost.. against telling the truth. He’d said nothing, and even back then where the two of us had known everything about eachother; that was one small part of his life that I’d never truly managed to grasp. Then again; at the time, we’d had much more pressing matters to attend to.

But now; we had all of the time in the world, even myself, currently feeling drained and wanting sleep more than anything else. Hesitantly, it was then removed, and blue eyes curiously looked towards the section of .. unmarked skin that it had once covered. It was fine – no scars, no blemishes, perfect.

And that’s when I saw it.

"-- ..Oh my god."

I choked.

"..A-Atlas -- y-your eye..!!"

I'd blurted it out without thinking. Of course; I was aware that he fully understood the severity of what had seemed to take over his once covered eye, and yet I pointed it out; almost as if he'd been unaware of it this entire time. But, I couldn't help it. It was.. almost grotesque, just how unhealthy it looked. But of course, it wasn't simply that it showed traces of the sharingan, from what I could tell past the sore, red rims of his eyes, but the eye in itself seemed almost like some kind of broken creation; And at that very moment, I became enraged at the very thought that it could have possibly been some kind of transplant attempt by a unqualified medic. Had it become infected and spread about the body, attacking his system? I couldn't decipher exactly what to make of it. I was curious, of course, as to where he'd gotten the eye from, as it and its explicitly darkened sclera with the inclusion of the sharingan itself reminded me of the one that Kouketsu himself bore, but at the same time, it was so much more different. The edges of skin that surrounded the eye seemed almost burned not from fire; but from sheer pain, and my expression was understandably horrified. Though having already been in close proximity, I moved even closer, invading his personal space to the best of my ability as I tried to get a better look at .. at it. "..How did this happen? This.. this isn't normal, Atlas - did you get a sharingan transplanted by someone you found on the street? Why didn't you come to me --" I paused, too many things running through my mind currently to voice all of it. I wasn't aiming to belittle him with my last comment, but my guess did seem plausible, in a way. Allowing my hands to coil around his shoulders, I, as gentle as I could, pulled him closer. Of course; I knew the dangers better than any of getting so close to a sharingan, having been the victim of it both by Kouketsu and Soratsu amongst others, but I trusted that Atlas had enough control to stop anything from happening. And I continued to peer, trying to understand what I was seeing. "..I can treat this; I'll find a way -- There has to be a way --" again, I was cut off by my own train of thought as I realized I'd seen something similar a long, long time ago.

And he had, too.

But I couldn't be sure if it was that.
I wasn't too sure just what it was.

Realizing that I'd been steadily coming all too close to him, I finally allowed him some breathing space, and pulled back, although my eyes still studied his own; a single, healthy eye, and the other looking as if it had been dragged through the depths of hell itself. But then I moved, starting to pace madly around the empty street that we were in, thinking intensely. My eyes changed with this process as they lay wide open, processing everything, but at the same time, reflecting nothing.

"Tell me all that you know about it; I'll try and remember if I've read anything. Or I can read -- I have plenty of books, it's bound to come up in one of them somewhere, just let me help, Atlas -- Please.."

"..Please don't stop me from helping you."

"I can do this, I --"

My words came short. I couldn't bring myself to finish them.

I'd taken then news of him being on deaths door quite badly; although it was expected. But to see just what was killing him devastated me. I had to be able to treat it; there was always some way to do it, and I wouldn't sleep well knowing that I was unable to do so. Although I was aware that all of this news was doing more bad to me than good, I couldn't help myself nor change the situation at hand. But I was sure I could work it out; that much I was certain. But right now, although I had a few ideas about just what was wrong, I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. And so because of this, I now stood with both arms held lifelessly to my side, my face pale as his own. And yet; despite this moment of weakness, I was more ready than ever to devote my time to his cause. Where timing was concerned; My visit to Kirigakure was still scheduled, and I merely hoped that he could perhaps come with us; back to Kusagakure where I could install him as a patient within my own quarters; the compound. Ideas were flooding to me, and yet I hadn't the voice to speak them. Now standing away from the crimson haired man, I turned to look at him again, my arms crossed as I had to call upon what little patience I had.

[Estilo]

The eye-- it burned.

Pulsating with erratic beats of pain, an unseen force pushing it to attack, and expel whatever horrifying terrors it sought to unleash. Underneath all of this torturous agony, my sheer force of will was the only barrier between its evil intents and the woman I'd come to admire for so long. Yet, I could almost feel the crimson pupil twirl and spin its shuriken-shaped center, acting as a rabid dog would-- chained, and violently attempting to lunge out and bite. But I would, just as violently, hold back its savagery. I'd end myself the moment I knew I couldn't control it.

And absolutely no harm would come to Blanche.

As she expressed her concern, her worry, her bewilderment, I was half-lost in the process of building the mental fortitude required to contain this affliction. This... venom. Already I felt so vulnerable, so uncomfortable without my mask on, shifting my eyes away from her own-- a guilt, a shame, cloaked within a practical reason for precaution. I still worried, I still struggled. But at least I'd worked up the resolve to show her-- to finally show her. And, what little relief the loss of the burden allowed was just enough to inspire a momentary glimmer of strength.

"Birdie, I--" I didn't know how to respond. Where to start. She asked me why I'd had this happen to me. Why I hadn't come to her about it. But I couldn't utter a word after all-- the mere act of showing her having already crossed a line I had never thought I would cross. Her embrace, however, and more importantly, her words, calmed my worries of explanation. She didn't seem to care much for an immediate answer. She only sought to diagnose the problem and fix it, as she had done so many times before. 

"I trust you..." I muttered.

We parted our bodies once more, my good eye evaluating her as she spoke and moved, a pool of shimmering green captured in solemn thought. When she finished speaking, a momentary silence coming between us as I waited for her to finish a half-formed sentence, she'd come to a slow and paced stop. I could see the anxiety. I could see the concern. And it made me uneasy seeing her like this, fueling the raw hate I already had for the devil's eye even more. But, the crux of my worry lay in one haunting detail:

I saw in her what I'd once seen in Vera.

Not just the exuberant beauty. Not just their fervent passion for life. But a stubbornness that rivaled, and triumphed, over my own. Like Vera, and like Hirihi today, Blanche was, in my eyes, the ideal woman. And I had indeed held her in exceptionally high regard in the past. To say that our relationship hadn't approached romanticism its fair share of times would be a lie. And to say that I'd never actually loved her would be absolutely ridiculous. I had loved her, and I still did, to a certain extent... but time had a way of changing things. And, with Hirihi in my heart, I was comfortable with just the thought of 'what could have been'.

"There's a symbiote inhabiting the entire eye." I spoke, my gaze turning down to the half-mask I held in my hand. "The only possible solution is surgery. But that would involve replacing this sharingan with another..." I steadily placed the half-mask back on, my face once again drowned in a light shadow. "Otherwise, my body will reject any transplanted organ that isn't as molecularly strong as a doujustu." With my mask back on, I turned up to look at her, my gaze gauging her expression. 

"And I'll most likely die."

[Apple]

Having had momentarily paused in order to speak to him, my eyes still looking at the.. thing that had overcome the eye of my friend, I soon began to resume my pacing; It wasn’t uncommon for me to do so, especially while thinking, but – there was so much to consider. His eye – it seemed almost infected beyond belief. But at the same time, it wasn’t like anything that I’d previously seen. The moment I’d seen it one of the first things I’d felt was not merely disgust, but pity, too. I could tell that it hurt, that it was undoubtedly the cause of whatever affliction which now threatened to take him away from us. Near-blackened eyes; bloodshot and painfully raw, and merely the extent of the damage made me want to figure out the cause of what had happened and neutralize the threat to him. It wasn’t a way for anyone to live – and, if things continued this way, then there wouldn’t even be a life to live, and perhaps that’s what hit me the hardest. The notion that after having regained his friendly presence in my life once more, he was soon to depart again, but this time, permanently. As the dull moonlight fell upon us, night having since closed and the once bright sky now blanketed with darkness, what also came was silence – or, silence bar from the sound of my feet padding against the ground. I was sure – I was sure that I’d seen something similar to what he was now suffering from in the past. I could recall such familiar eyes (And not a considerably more healthy pair that belonged to Kouketsu – the ones that I tried to remember were different, in so many ways) but nothing came through, and frustration reigned. I’d read so many books in my lifetime; performed so many surgeries; saved so many people. But what use was it all if I couldn’t save one of my best friends? What use was it all if I couldn’t save those who truly meant the world to me? Even with my successes, I’d failed all too many people already. All too many who I should have been able to save, and I was adamant that I wasn’t going to let Atlas join their ranks.

He wasn’t getting away that easily.

The soft breeze carried through equally gentle whispers, the unwelcome cold that came with them pinching at the sides of my face as I kept moving, my mind wildly relaying every inch of information that I’d gathered in the past that could have had something to do with it. But, my train of thought was disturbed as the red-haired man began to speak again, my frame turning instantly towards him as I waited to hear what he had to say, hoping that he could say something – anything that could help explain just what was wrong with him. I wasn’t sure if he was in full understanding of what was happening as it wasn’t uncommon for victims of things like illnesses to be oblivious to just what was wrong, but all I could do was hope that this situation was different. Quieting my thoughts and zoning in on him, doing my best not to stare at the inflamed eye that he bore, I found it quite hard not to be drawn in to it. Perhaps it was merely the qualities of the Sharingan itself, but, I soon broke past such an impulse, focusing on his entire face as a whole. It wasn’t long until he revealed to me just what I could hear, and although I was relieved to know that he was aware of just what it was, or what it could be, I knew that it wasn’t over. Not yet. But recognizing the problem for what it was was the first step.

”..A symbiote..”

It was barely a whisper, but it was simply a mindless reflection on what had been said.

Of course, given my experience in the medical field and with biological science too, I had an understanding of just what that meant – it was, in essence, a parasite. But, all of this merely made me want to know how he’d come in to contact with such a thing. Its incompatibility with his body and the violent repercussions that created for him made sense – but how had he come in to contact with the eye? Who’s was it? Or, why did he want it? Pushing such thoughts out of my head, I stood at a short distance, my arms still fiercely crossed. His words made sense; and for that I was thankful as it gave me an idea of what to research in to, what to think about and what to consider while planning out how I was going to potentially save him. Had it become more powerful across time, taking over the once healthy eye? Was Atlas at a risk of having it overwhelm not only his eye (that had already been claimed) but his face? His skin – his body? There were too many possibilities, and it only made me want to get rid of it quicker. Raising my right hand and pushing back my blonde hair; not out of a necessity, but moreso to keep myself awake, I could feel the soft, almost powdery dampness on my hand generated by pure concern and fear for what had happened to him. But, since then, I’d become much more controlled; allowing myself to gaze on at him. Of course – I had a thousand and one thoughts running through my mind at breakneck speeds, each little space of thought filled with ideas. The only thing that I could think about that could stop it would be --

"The only possible solution is surgery. But that would involve replacing this sharingan with another..."

I knew it.

All through this, I stayed silent. He needed a sharingan to replace the one that had become host to the infectious symbiote, and I found myself instantly reeling through my mind the names of those who I'd known with such an ability, from those within Kusagakure itself, to people around the world that I'd met on my travels. For the latter, I wasn't sure if the majority of them were still alive, although given the state of the world I wasn't too confident on whether that answer would be positive. I could easily perform a transplant; I'd done it many times in my medical career and despite the nature of this one, there wasn't anything that I hadn't seen. In fact, the experience I'd had when transplanting Soratsu's--

..Sora..

I became frozen; suspended in time as I recalled that memory of me transplanting an eye of another in to his own, having removed it. He'd convulsed, and I'd almost believed it to be my fault, but it had only been his body trying to take ahold of the newly found, almost godly power that I had artificially bestowed him. The way that his face had contorted in pain, he writhing in agony. It made me uneasy merely remember it and the fate that he'd suffered. He'd been one of my best friends, too. He still was. He was in this world somewhere, hopefully aided by Beppin as she had done for years. Despite his condition, I didn't want to see him leave. And through this thought I was soon reminded of the parting gift that he'd left me. Or; it wasn't a gift, exactly. His eye, given to me for safekeeping after I'd replaced it with another more powerful, was still within the compound in Kusagakure, preserved for an eternity within the labs that I had once called home. I felt horrible for the thoughts that were running through my head; that I could offer up the last piece of Soratsu that reminded me of him to another, that I could give away something that he had entrusted me with. It was a moral dilemma, although remembering all of this merely made me recognize just how much I hadn't thought of him, and guilt spread through my body like wildfire, enveloping each little piece of my mind that it could take ahold of. My eyes fell downwards as silence surrounded the both Atlas and I. Swallowing, I closed my eyes. I had to give it to him. I'd lost Sora; I couldn't lose him, too. Apart from Kouketsu, apart from the child that I was due to have shortly after the coming month, Atlas was the closest thing to family that I had, and I was sure that Soratsu would understand my reasons. I softly smiled, despite it being one filled with sadness. He'd been a pain at times, a complete waste of my time and energy; but Soratsu had become a brother to me. Reconnecting my gaze with Atlas, I began to whisper, albeit shakily.

"..I "



"..I ..have an eye that I can give you.."


"..It should work."

I paused, unsure of where to take things.

It was hard for me to say those words; but I knew that what I was proposing was the right thing to do.

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