White Moon, Black Sun [p]

[Jun]

I adapted to the vacuum space promptly, solely because the place before this was just as eccentric. My descent toward the moon came not of my own accord, for my naive mind had yet to calculate that raven liquid and its uncanny effects on me. Therefore I took it to be the wingspan of my ally that propelled us to our next ambition. Hefty talons touched down on its presumably craggy surface, only to find out the hard way that it had the properties of syrup. It sank down, grasping on to the foot of my crow before refusing to surrender it. My flighty friend panicked, sending tufts of feathers to scatter in lingo while its stray movements attempted to dislodge the trapped appendage from imprisonment.

Using a motherly voice I calmed my creation, tracing its neck with a soothing hand. It settled down just in time for me to catch the humanoid enigma standing no more than 15 meters away. I acknowledged this personality with a warning gaze. Still, had they came here with a killing intent they would have attacked by now, so I guessed he was a neutral party for the time being. Furthermore, those eyes, resembling that of the amber demon troubled me for some odd reason. This obscure entity had to be the one that had spoken in the cavern, as his voice resonated again, with the same rubbish language as earlier. I stood atop my production this time ~ a heroine in a league of her own. I couldn't make much out of what he had told me, but I still replied, hoping he could at least understand my concerns. "What was that black creature and where the hell are we? I came here seeking power, but. . .this place is too much for me." I was honest in my speech, pouring the deepest of my worries out to him.

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[Messatsu!]

The glowing white entity was a patient one, knowing full well you had not yet understood the bulk of what it requested. It knew that you would understand in due time, however, it seemed as if it was time you didn't seem to have. He understood your words and acknowledged the sense of distress and worry within your tone. Distorted and demonic, the entity merely laughed. Its head turned to the side to peer off towards the earth, its amber-eyes staring at the planet contentedly. After a brief moment of silence its attention turned towards you and your companion. Its eyes hid behind closed lids momentarily as its body silently exploded into a cloud of white dust.

The dust sped towards you and moved at a speed that not even the famed sharingan could comprehend. This 'dust' forcibly seeped into your mouth and traveled up to your brain, rendering your unconscious. Fortunately not even a second later you awakened face down in a room filled with nothing but darkness. Breathing seemed impossible, but that was merely the result of being face down in a meter high puddle of water. Once you came to, if you came to, that same white entity stood not even 5 meters from your position. Its angelic glow had provided the only source of light within your very own subconscious.

Your chakra returned, you felt powerful, maybe even more so from when you first gained consciousness, but was this power real or had it been nothing more than a figment of your imagination. Without giving you much time to dwell on it, the entity spoke out to you, its words now fully comprehensible.

I hope you do not always ignore those who are talking to you. Very disrespectful indeed. Nevertheless, to answer your question, those black creatures were none other than you! They represent the power within yourself.

What he spoke on may not have made much sense to you, but would you be intelligent enough to deduce the meaning of his words?

[Jun]

A ghastly bystander made mockery of my questions; deeming it appropriate to howl in amusement while I stood around on the verge of a mental relapse. My eyes narrowed in animosity, though for a second he stopped and found relief in the distant blue planet. My own sight followed his at that point, wishing only to return to my homeland even more stalwart than when I had left. It made me wonder how I was even able to draw breath in this atmosphere. But as my mind snapped back to reality, I found my lovely persona being invaded in all openings by an alabaster cloud. I could never have aspired to avoid an advance so fast, and as it breached, I once again found strength leaving me. Sanguine vision blurred ~ then there was nothing.

The next thing recalled was the sound of my near asphyxiation as I came to my senses. I gasped, raising my pretty face from the puddle below. Raven hair discovered itself sticking to my skin, and it seemed as if the only light in the vicinity came from the coma inducing phantom I met prior. He was but five meters away, though I also noted that my crow was long gone now. I sat up, immediately feeling somehow rejuvenated ~ as if passing though the clear rush of a waterfall.

"I hope you do not always ignore those who are talking to you. Very disrespectful indeed. Nevertheless, to answer your question, those black creatures were none other than you! They represent the power within yourself."

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My spectacles widened ~ so he could speak like us humans after all? Though his explanation was ambiguous I sparked a response, breath finally returning to a normal state. "My apologies. . .specter. But surely you can't be serious? I could never accomplish something on that scale with what little chakra reserves I have." I found myself in awe of what he was. "So how could they possibly represent me?" I thought back to my encounter with them ~ how observant, calculating, and adapting they were. All qualities I certainly possessed.

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[Messatsu!]

An apology came to the table, just what he excepted and wished for before he decided ton continue on with his explanation to make sense of his previous statement. As you tried to make sense of what had been said, he noticed the widening of your eyes which screamed with surprise brief confusion. He expected that. He always did. Having clearly heard your riposte, the beaming white entity lowered itself to the into the pervasive puddle of 'water', sitting in what appeared to be a Indian style position. Silence filled the space in-between you and the specter, building up suspense while he acted as if he really needed to gather his thoughts.

"Well. . .

You believe you cannot accomplish such things with a mind like that. They merely represent the untapped power that exceeds all others. They also represent that side of you that you wish to never unchain, that instinctive urge to kill and mindlessly lay waste to all who are inferior to your power. You know exactly what I am referring to, that rush of ecstasy after you've just gained a position of power and realize you stand above others with a uncontested authority. You desire this, yet, you do not embrace it. why? "

[Jun]

"You desire this, yet, you do not embrace it. why?"

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A shining deity must have noticed my apprehension. He took a seat in the pool of water I had once occupied, and studied over my words with an aura of sound judgement. It was like he had been doing this his entire life, though I could never comprehend who or what he was at the root. I'd settle on heeding his words until then, finally sharing my own beliefs once he became idle. "I understand. But absolute power over time tends to foreshadow ones downfall. You've probably heard the tales of such tragic heroes." I paused, also taking up the indian way of sitting. I faced him as a cup half full ~ waiting to be filled to the brim with insight. "And yes, I desire power more than you'll ever know. However there are still more important things. Like love and honor."

I could never betray the ones I cherish for prestige. Could I?

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[Messatsu!]

"I understand. But absolute power over time tends to foreshadow ones downfall. You've probably heard the tales of such tragic heroes. . .

. . .And yes, I desire power more than you'll ever know. However there are still more important things. Like love and honor."

The alabaster entity nodded in acknowledgement to your response, analyzing and silently mulling over your ideals. His hand, slowly and gently reached out a few inches to his front where his leading finger touched the bare surface of it as the entire puddle began to falter with ripples of white light as the water itself seemed to change. The entire room seemed to light up, but only with what surrounded the waters itself - a battlefield! You and the specter remained seated as the place turned into a battle that had taken place along a large, desolate land. It had been a war, the very first war which caused the destruction of all minor villages, a war that a person your age only heard stories of. Shinobi, all gathered from different villages fought against one another, sacrificing blood, sweat, and tears all in the name for gaining power. It was this vision that brought foreshadowed the entity's following words.

"Look and look closely, all of this, all done under the name of some cause, be it religion, revenge, and hate, it all boils down to obtaining power whether intentional or not. How do you expect to balance yourself? Trying to obtain power, yet, seeking the very thing that dampens it. . .

. . .love. Just like the others, 'love can become power', when it is truly false power. It is a power that shortens ones life, not preserve it. "

His tone became aggressive as he went on to say his final words, almost seeming as he their meaning and his ideals held some message deeper than what was overtly shown. Nevertheless, in an instant the room went dark once more, the two, alone again.

[Jun]

It seemed as if my feedback had not been taken lightly. He nodded at me, then took an ashen hand and placed it out over the water. I had seen enough of his abilities, so the rippling effect he created on the waters surface came of no surprise to me. But his actions caused even more of the hollow room to flare up, in turn casting elongated shadows along bare walls and floors. In the midst of it all, trained eyes fell upon the sacred bath before me; now wrapped up in the embodiment of a conflict. My cherry gaze could only watch unbending as the strife endured. I was much too young to have had an adverse effect on its outcome, but it still left me resentful, nonetheless.

"How do you expect to balance yourself? Trying to obtain power, yet, seeking the very thing that dampens it. . .love."

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It was true ~ such faiths as love only weakened ones resolve when it came to achieving raw, unadulterated power. How could one focus on ruling an empire, while at the same time show compassion for competing nations? You were either cut-throat or sparing ~ there were no alternative paths. A silver specter was brisk in his tone of voice, certain that love was just as quick to lead to ruins. The room then reverted back to its dark ways. "Maybe so. But I won't have to balance it alone. I have good people backing me ~ and that by itself will make up for my short comings." No one person could single-handedly achieve everything. And why would they want to? Bonds are what make this life worth living. "Every strong leader needs a right hand." To be there on the bad days. Just as the sun depends on the moon; and land the sea. It was all one grand connection, one that many people oftentimes tried to disturb. "And while uncertain of the future, I can at least try. Otherwise, there's only regret." Whether that power would destroy me in the end was a mystery, but one thing was certain.

It wasn't a burden meant for a single person.





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[Messatsu!]

"Won't have to balance it alone you say? Who are these good people you so contentedly claim to have your back? Friends? Family? Comrades, if you believe they truly have your back you are wildly mistaken and remarkably naive"

With a calm tongue he spoke as his finger reached out to touch the puddles of water once more which thrust them into the past of Bakudon Gai within the Daimyo's office. Behind the white, seated entity sat the previous (but deceased) Daimyo whose face seemed to have been stricken with fear. Behind you, guards dressed in black armour subdued what looked to be one of their own, a traitor no less. Screaming and cursing at the Daimyo for simply being part of a corrupted society.

"This man that you see who is filled with anger and hate was just a guard of the Daimyo 5 minutes before his attempt to on the Daimyo's life. He was a man who passed a strenuous series of test to prove that he was trustworthy of keeping the Daimyo protected from harm. Every leader needs a right hand, but that right hand is something you might not have the power to control which ultimately leads to your life being forfeit."

[Jun]

The loyalty of my allies was questioned ~ and rightfully so. Oftentimes it wasn't the enemy on the other side one was worried about, but rather the traitor in your midst. I hadn't counted out the possibility of assassination, nor the fact that my fame would bring about change in the way others perceived me. With rank comes envy ~ that was nothing new under the sun. A steely gaze watched as the traitor was dragged from the Daimiyo's office, surely to meet a cruel end. I recalled Bakudon Gai vividly, as it was my homeland's capital. I had heard stories of its past destruction, but nothing of mutiny on the other hand. "Then I guess I'll just have to pick my friends wisely. And stay sharp." I smirked, not the least bit intimidated by his story. While anxious about death, I would face it like a true kunoichi when the time came. "Believe it or not, there are still good souls in this world. Though few and far between." I thought back to men like Hyoka and Atlas ~ some of the most talented shinobi I had ever come across. If I couldn't find refuge in them, then perhaps it was better that I'd never gain that power to begin with.

That's what I believed in.

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[Messatsu!]

Once more the entire scene that unfolded before your very eyes returned to what seemed to be the area's natural state darkness. Once more the alabaster lights that outlined this entity's body remained with you still 5 meters across. However, something happened before you very, eyes, so quick, so sudden that it seemed unreal, but after experience everything within this alternate universe the unreal hadn't seemed so unrealistic. Its face and body, began to melt and slowly mold itself into what appeared to be a human being, a man, naked and his skin just as equally bright as the light that surrounded him. He stood up and turned around, giving you his back with perfect, smooth, bare cheeks as he looked back over his shoulder.

"Good souls within the world? With all of the chaos that has been spreading not throughout your own land, but the entire world itself, there is no room for 'good' souls. Perhaps one might perform an act of 'good' merely to selfishly gain the satisfaction of doing something good and productive when it is nothing but an illusion. Making yourself believe that all the sins you've committed will simply be washed away. You ninja are trifling creatures. I've talked to a great many others like yourself who preach about the 'goodness' of themselves or others, yet, they're the very beings who turn around and wage war against neighboring countries.

. . .So, Anemone Umeko, have you also fallen victim to this age-old, self-inflicted illusion? "

[Jun]

The blackout reoccurred, though by now I had grown accustomed to this parallel world. And in turn, the translucent features of the phantom before my eyes began to melt away, only to sculpt himself into a human guise just seconds later. He was nude and proudly so ~ as my sight stayed at the ground, unwilling to face his exposed flesh. With a broad back to me, my civilized counterpart shared with me yet another negative aspect of the human race. He was quite adamant , to say the least, but I wouldn't give in. In fact, I found his opinion to be offensive, and narrowed my crown jewels in spite of a statement devoid of any faith. "You're wrong. There are genuine humans left, you just haven't looked hard enough. Those few who still believe in live and let live. Not everyone longs for destruction, my dear specter." I was just as stubborn as he was, and with a lacy finger to trace through my raven I continued ~ Einsteins like us didn't need visual contact. "And while you speak the truth in evil being more prevalent in the world than good, I refuse to count myself as a delusional victim. . .to be a shinobi is to kill. I only hope that one day there won't be a need for people like us anymore." It was sad to think that my existence as a Kunoichi would eventually come to an end. He spoke of sins but as a human being, were we not all expected to carry with us a certain amount of wrong doings? The alternative was perfection.

And to be perfect was to be a god.

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[Messatsu!]

His back turned and shiny cheeks beaming with angelic lights, he listened to the girls response looking ahead as if there was something to see. Just as she had done he now realized she was just as stubborn as he himself. She reminded him of her. Despite what you may have believe he turned his back because of this; he reflected upon his life and the many debates and arguments the two had. Collecting himself he glanced back over his shoulder once more, his right hand raised up and up in a lateral fashion and snapped his fingers. For only a breif second you'd have found yourself unconscious within your own sub-conscious, only to have awakened standing up, dressed in a gray kimono with decorative crows woven throug its fabrics.

Your hair was well groomed, more so than it was before in the middle of a battle, you could feel a fresh layer of make-up along your face. Once you came to realized this you merely stood within the middle of a concrete bridge, with the white entity sitting along the edge, deeply peering off into the sunset. It was here when he finally responded to this battle where swords and jutsu were dealt no blow, a battle where words were ones only weapon.

"One day where there won't be people like us? Hmph, you sound like her. Simply removing us from the 'equation' solves nothing. Even back when I was alive, we were nothing more than tools of war, crafted to do evil things. By getting rid of us only means we'll get replaced with something far more effective.

But more importantly, I still fail to see why or how you could come to deserve my power. . .

our power."

[Jun]

It was funny, all of this. I was preaching good, yet wasn't it my own desire to see Kirigakure in ruins? If I did by chance attain that final power and used it to destroy that wretched village, wouldn't I be the biggest hypocrite of all? Not when they were only getting what they deserved ~ that was the excuse I had kept feeding myself all these years. I missed Masanori dearly, however maybe it was time I too started to renounce my vengeful ways. Bringing down an entire hidden village as settlement was perhaps a bit overzealous, but I would never give up on searching for the lone shinobi responsible for his death. I'd walk to the end of time to meet that end. And silently I thanked the specter for showing me the truth ~ in us ninjas, that is.

But it was clear that this was all not yet over. With a simple turn of the head and snap of the fingers I began to drift off again, to a place even stranger than this. That raw, self-made darkness reigned briefly; when I opened my eyes I stood on an elongated, cloud colored bridge. Was my mind playing tricks on me? It was becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish what was reality and what wasn't. Furthermore, I hadn't recalled ever dressing myself in the heather kimono I found my sweet frame occupying. Crows flocked across its material and somehow I found it strangely appropriate. The specter was still present, though his attention rested with a salmon colored sky. I brushed through my starless hair, accepting the changes in appearance without the slightest fuss. My guide spoke, revealing that seniority was indeed on his side. Who was her and when was he alive? Nonetheless, I'd reply respectful, after all he did have a point.


"Do I now? And who knows, maybe one day they'll replace killing with understanding. Humans have to get tired of fighting sometime, right?" I said softly, matching his stare toward a sidelined sun out yonder. That last bit he mentioned caught my interest, and I glimpsed down at him ~ wanting. "I may not deserve our power, but my clan does. And I'll do whatever it takes to restore them, even if that means meddling around with old fools like you." I knew he knew that I was speaking on behalf of the Akegarasu. He seemed to be pretty all-knowing and had also mentioned my name before I myself had revealed it. A smirk lingered for my alabaster company if he was willing to note it.

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[Messatsu!]

"Do I now? And who knows, maybe one day they'll replace killing with understanding. Humans have to get tired of fighting sometime, right?"

Impressed by your words, the specter quickly glanced back into your eyes. A faint chuckle escaped from lungs as his lips parted into a quick second smile after having found some understanding within your heart. Gracefully, the long hair that hung from the specters crown began to float like aimless clouds in reaction to the sudden pull of high rise winds. Once again the specter found himself lightly chuckling at your slightly humorous statements. To have been considered 'old' just tickled him considering his young and vigorous appearance. However, by now he figured that you knew it was nothing more than a shell of his former self.

"Heh, old fools like me eh? I guess it really has been such a long time since I've experience the outside world first hand. You'd be surprise how much you miss the little things life has to offer. Feeling the brush of wind, the biting cold rain droplets that smack against your skin, and that remarkably comfortable warmth you get from the sunlight. Do you appreciate those kinds of things Anemone?"

Speaking in a curious tone, he attempted to go deeper and deeper into youf mind. Where one might have registered the specters inquiries as empty questions, another viewed them as a gateway to ones inner mind.

[Jun]

For the first time I saw my shining companion smile, and it was a truly hope inspiring sight. If an elder like him still had laughs for a deteriorating world, then that meant I had at least 10,000 more to share. His pure as snow hair became swept up in a wind created rhythm and so did mine. The streaks of black obscured my pretty face, however I knew that he could see something even more beautiful inside of me.

" Do you appreciate those kinds of things Anemone?"

I nodded, a light smile alluding to the truth. "I do. The world is a mystifying place ~ we're here for a fleeting moment, then we're gone. And a lot of us never really get to open our eyes. It's a shame some people miss out on that experience ~ that bond." It was true that most people didn't miss what they have until it's gone. But wasn't life the most prized possession of all? My guardian was finally beginning to warm up to me, though I felt as if our journey together was coming to a close. There was still so much I didn't understand about him ~ yet he had already told me what I needed to know.

And that was enough.

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