Animus Vox

[Gentlemanne]

''Jeez, zhis isn't going very good.."

As the screams and terror crashed around behind Gentle's back, he cared not for anything but the erection in his pants and his ever diminishing stamina. Had he taken too much? ''Nein, I can handle zhis, I don't need any help. YES, I VILL TAKE CARE OF ZHEM, AHAH-AHA-H-.." As he followed his own internal monologue, Gentle would also watch with curiosity as the boy seemingly walked towards him. Was he offering him help? ''Ah, you heed my call, herr titan?" Gentle teased as he watched the small pill fly through the air, his gloved hand catching it with ease. ''Mm? Vhat's this?" He questioned as he stuck it in his mouth and immediately chewed and swallowed. This wasn't the weirdest thing he had stuffed in his mouth.

''I..I feel incredible. Vhat is zhis feeling? I can see GOD, nein, nein. I AM GOD. MY POWERS ARE WITHOUT LIMITS, I--..vhat are you doing?"

Looking up in awe as the large monster in front of him armed his fist, Gentle knew something was going to happen. What else happened when giants raised their fists? Gripping the hilt of his blade, Gentle would begin to run to the side, roughly five meters before he noticed his problem: he wasn't aiming to crush him, he was aiming to unsettle him. ''NEIN, VHAT ARE YOU DOING? FIRST YOU THROW MY LOVER AT ME, AND NOW ZHIS?" Slamming his claymore into the ground firmly, Gentle would buckle his knees and hold onto it tightly. As the quake was large spread and big, he assumed he could take most of the force by anchoring himself to the ground.

[Sorry guys, just made a quick post to move the thread along.]

[sachi]

They couldn't compete with this beast anymore, their time had simply run out. With their greatest efforts they had barely been able to damage the monster, one tail cut off with another damaged, and some wounds opened up across its face due to the snakes. This was all they had been able to do to it, meanwhile the Bijuu had killed one and injured multiple others - Kain himself included. His wounds weren't life-threatening, but they hindered him greatly and basically cut his battle ability in half, probably even more than that. He could only rely on his snakes and his one good arm, but all he cared about right now was rescuing his friend, arm stretching as quickly as it good, covering the distance in an attempt to save her.. but when the fist of the Hachibi came down his heart dropped in his chest, fearing he was too late.

"No..."

The impact was terrifying, and if it weren't for the fact he was too desperate to save her, he would have stopped stretching his arm right there, but then something happened.. what could be described as one of the - if not the most - happiest moments in such a long time. The fist of the bijuu was seemingly halted, and it would be amidst the destruction of the terrain that Kain would catch a glimpse of movement, it took him a second or two, but he would recognize that web anywhere, and it was headed directly at him. He reached out frantically with his hand, arm stretched and fingers tightly grasping the webbing, quickly twisting his hand and wrapping it around his wrist, and then with all of his might he would pull, his arm simultaneously retracting. He could feel weight at the end of the string, and in just moments after tugging he would see Coco emerge, her body flying through the air headed for him, and he'd never been so glad to see her safe!

"Of course I'm alive!"

He screamed at her, almost as if he was mad, but he couldn't just blurt out like 'you scared me, don't do that ever again!'!. He didn't need the glory of defeating a Bijuu, he didn't need to hunt the most dangerous creature, he just needed to get out of here alive with Coco, and despite being in a battered state he was going to ensure they got out of here okay, one way or another. Right arm was raised upwards, hand planted on Coco's shoulder, his still-functioning eye staring directly at her - and while he hoped to maintain a mean facade, he was half smiling, happy to have her back,

"Okay, we're leaving."

He dipped down, right shoulder pushing into her stomach quickly and posturing up immediately afterwards, effectively throwing her over his shoulder, meanwhile his right hand unbuckled the weights on each of his ankles. It wasn't often he took them off, but he couldn't afford not to be at his best, especially with him being as hurt as he was! He was quick beforehand, but when he hit his peak by removing these weights, he could move twice as fast as normal - for a brief while, anyways. And with that, he would run, just simply run. He sprinted as fast as he could, partner over his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her legs to keep her steady, his destination not being to run towards or away from the bijuu, but to the side. He didn't want to be anywhere near this place when that monster finished charging its blast, and he would do his best to cope with the rumbling of the ground, but he wouldn't ever stop.

"I.. got.. this!"

He spoke roughly between deep breaths, the broken ribs in addition to moving at an incredible pace taking its toll on his body. He was running on adrenaline, his desire to live and to save her being the only thing keeping him moving. He could only hope something could be done about that monster...

[/justify]

[sakaki]

"If I am to die, it will be upon the soil of my home.
My life shall end only in the name of that which I stand for.
Not in some foreign land, or for no reason.
But fighting to defend that which I love."

Sakaki darted around boulders, rocks, and what remained of upturned trees..... anything that the Bijuu had disrupted in its path. The debris littered everywhere, but it had no place in the mind of the eight-year old child. She was determined, focused on doing whatever it was she could do to defend her home. For now, that simply meant fleeing.

She was abandoning the others who fought the bijuu, yes, but.... They had all joined this fight, knowing what to expect. Already they had seen a fatality, a life that none could save. The male's body had been blasted into nothingness... if none there knew his name, then he may as well have not existed... Such was the way of things when dealing with these enormous creatures.

Even if she was running, it was not because she cared not for the lives of those fighting. It was simply that... what choice did she have? She had managed to aid them in their efforts for stopping the first enourmous blast from wiping them all out. But there was no possible way for her to do that again. She was already tired, her small body incapable of summoning enough chakra to fire another arrow. She hadn't even damaged the beast, but merely caused it to flinch.

But.... if she could make it to Kumogakure.... If she could manage to secure reinforcements, and if the brave fighters could hold on long enough.... That was what she could do. That was what was in her nature. She was weak.... she could see that now. She was truly the epitome of weak.

"Mrah!" she said quietly, but fiercely, she kicked up her pace, leaping forward as the wheels in her boots unfolded. When she hit the ground, she would begin to soar, leaving a small trail of dust behind her. The bijuu, too distracted with crushing the lone girl.... too distracted by the Inuzuka drilling into its head... too distracted by the snakes that tormented it... it would not catch up to Sakaki before she was already gone, on her mission to warn her city... her village... her home.

[/Confirm Exit thread]

[Axcel]

A maddened bellow escaped the Hachibi, rocking the very earth around it. Those puny shinobi that had made their attempts to escape couldn’t move nearly fast enough to escape the carnage that awaited them. Black and white chakra continued to coalesce within its maw, forming tighter and tighter still. Behind it, the creature’s eight tails squirmed and thrashed with a life all their own—even the short stub of a tail that had been cut off by one of the shinobi before it continued to wreath. However, the toxic chakra that surrounded the Hachibi began to condense upon the stub, and visibly the tail began to regenerate. At the same time, the Bijuu clawed wildly at the ground, unfazed by the earth titan’s quake.

A single noise tore through the air, overtaking the silence in between the Hachibi’s rage. The neigh of a horse, rearing upon its back legs and kicking at the air upon a nearby cliff overhang. Upon it’s back, silhouetted by the sun shining brightly behind, was a man. His hair was a deep red, tied back into a ponytail and left to hang behind him; at his side was a katana sheathed in black. Despite his extravagant entrance, the clothing he adorned were rather simple: a plain, blue scarf over a deep blue kimono, lined with white, and white hakama. On the back of his black gloves was a crest, ornate and immaculate, bearing a nine-tailed fox resembling a blazing sun. Fear did not light his gaze—instead, only determination and unhindered ambition filled his amethyst eyes, and without hesitation he pulled on the reigns, and leaped with his horse from his place atop the cliff. In that moment, many more men rode horses over the cliff, though their identities were all masked by armor that signified them as samurai. Like the man before them, their armor bore the crest, only these samurai each carried a kusarigama in addition to their standard equipment. Ten men in all followed the first, charging toward the Bijuu and quickly surrounding him from a distance using their horses. They paid no heed to the broken, battered shinobi struggling around the creature—not a single glance was given to them. Instead, their attention was entirely on the Hachibi itself.

Once in position, every armored samurai launched their kusarigama toward their target. As they flew, the blade and chains began to glow a pale red, and in that moment they extended forth, ripping into the skin of the Bijuu despite its destructive aura. Another roar escaped the Hachibi, and it raised its head in anger and frustration, though the chakra within it continued to form at a steady pace. Instead of dealing with each chain separately, the Bijuu simply released a pulse of chains moments after they had pinned it down.

However, it had been pinned and distracted long enough. Just beneath the Bijuu was the unarmored samurai, his hand pressed against the ground. A seal spread forth beneath the Bijuu, and almost instantly, eight pillars sprouted from the ground at each point of the seal. From these chakra-birthed pillars came ethereal chains, manifested with pure chakra, and they snapped around the Bijuu, crushing it to the ground. The beast roared and squirmed, struggling against the chains, pulsating chakra in short intervals. Despite this, neither the chains nor the samurai budged. More and more chains continued to constrict the Bijuu, pinning its tails and legs down, and snapping its jaw shut with immense force. As it did, the chakra built up within its maw could not keep its form, and instead exploded within. A fierce groan escaped the beast, and it thrashed wildly against the ground in pain, though it failed to break its shackles.

Meanwhile, the unarmored samurai stood silently vigilant, slowly and patiently unsheathing the blade at his side. He remained still for a moment, the blade pointed out at a slight angle, until the sword took on a pure, white glow. The Bijuu continued to thrash furiously, though the samurai remained stoic. Lowering the sword to his side so that the blade faced behind him, he leaned forward and took a single, painfully slow step. His eyes flashed across the form of the Bijuu in an instant, lit up with an unnatural fire, and his entire being radiated power. Then, he disappeared in a blur, and the Bijuu suddenly ceased its mindless flailing. The man appeared behind the Hachibi, taking slow steps and spinning his blade twice over before quickly sheathing it, bringing the sheath up the blade rather than pushing the blade into the sheath. In the moment the blade was fully sheathed, the chains enveloping the Bijuu’s body shattered. The Eight Tailed Beast itself thrashed a single time. Clean, white blades appeared across its form, slashing both the Bijuu and where each chains had been, twisting and spiraling in a tempest—a whirlpool. Then, as soon as they had come, they were gone, vanished, and all the life fled from the monster’s eyes. Its body first began to seemingly dissolve, disintegrating along a seam where it had been cut, down the center of its body. The toxic chakra began to fade as the many pieces of its lifeless body fluttered into the air before consuming themselves altogether.

As if on cue, the ashen clouds above began to part. A zephyr fell across the broken field and rich, golden sunlight burst through the clouds, falling in luminescent rays. Like spotlights, they grew larger and brought a sort of peace to the previously chaotic scene. It would take a while for it to sink in, but soon, those who had been on the battlefield would realize that the Hachibi, at least for now, had been taken care of.

[/justify]

[daisy]

♥; where i stood

I could feel the tears, wet on my cheeks, and i knew that they were tinged with black. That was the problem with eyeliner and mascara, they made it painfully obvious when you'd been crying. I felt dazed, rather out of touch with my own body as Kain hoisted me over his shoulders. Wait... he was hurt, wasn't he? He sounded in pain. Even as i had looked at him before, him trying to conceal the smile that mimicked my own...
"Sweetie, no... I'm okay, i can walk, please..." I said, dangling from his shoulder. However, he kept going, and as i watched my hair sway back and forth, marvelling at the speed with which he ran, i heard something. Squirming round awkwardly, i made out the form of a man on horseback. Barely even in the frame of mind to call him a cliche, i just watched as more and more of these people arrived. It was so surreal. Being bumped around as i travelled via a manly shoulder, trying to keep my body upright enough to watch the scene behind us.

I was too intrigued. I wriggled out of my companion's grasp, tumbling awkwardly to the ground. He really could run fast... My body hurt as if i'd just jumped out of a moving car. Legs askew as i knelt in the dust, i nursed my bruises and watched with wonder as the eight tails was surrounded. My blonde locks framed my face, tousled and free from the grasp of hairspray. With a great deal of my makeup wiped and smeared away, and my usual decadent outfit mostly bedraggled and torn, i could tell i looked like a shadow of myself. A lady of the night, found crying the morning after... A celebrity who had locked themselves away for a night, only to creep out in the morning for coffee. Unnatural, unnerving. But there i sprawled, battered and bemused, head cocked as i watched the eight tails and his new opponents. There was scarcely a shred of glamour about me, barely a touch of the airs and graces that i was so dependant on.

I was hardly Coco, and i didn't care.

"Kain," i called, "hey, Kain... i don't want to be apart again." My hands were lifeless in my lap, my terribly expensive throws and wraps drifting from one shoulder, and i couldn't take my eyes of of the eight tails. He had been so strong, and so full of life... And now he wasn't. Now he was dead and cold. Only moments ago, he could've crushed me. He would've killed me on impulse, without a grudge or a vendetta. And, i guess, it's good that these people stopped him, right? But why did it make me so sad to see him fade away?

I reached out a hand in Kain's direction, limp and needy in the air. My eyes still stared hazily at the spot where the beast had stood, seeing nothing but the imprint of his form on the back of my eyelids. I guess the prettiest flowers bloom for only a while, after all, before they wither.

[Kii!]

My chest rose and fell more heavily than I could imagine, aching with every breath but driven by madness. I’d forgotten about everything around me. Blood splattered against the darkened ground as I ran, sprayed from my pumping arms. My entire body protested my actions, yet my rage-fueled will forced me to act. I pressed on.

Then, I was caught off guard. The ground shook, and I barely had the energy to continue running. The earthquake violently shifted the land; I didn’t have the stamina to prevent myself from falling. I landed hard on my skinless shoulder, and rolled a few meters ahead. Without warning, immense pain erupted within my body and I was closed in darkness. Something closed around me. A cry of agony escaped my lips, but I no longer had the ability to even struggle. Instead, I could only lay, willing my motionless body to move, to resist, but I only found myself filled with pain and immense fatigue.

Gritting my teeth, I ignored the pain of the rough grasp against my wounded arms, and realized that I could hear a familiar voice. Despite the clawing of rage at my mind, this voice didn’t speak of death. It was different, and somehow I seemed to understand. My eyes opened wide. Just like it broke through my earthen prison, it seemed to shatter the veil of emotions that clouded my mind. What had I been doing? Masuerta . . . I tried to rise, but realized he was still holding tight onto me. Groaning in pain, I didn’t have a choice but to lay where I was, concealed in darkness. I knew we were moving, probably away from the Bijuu. I coughed roughly, painfully.

”Sh-shit . . .” Then, I heard something new. The cry of a horse, and I couldn’t help but be intrigued. My eyes darted back and forth within the darkness as I tried to decipher the direction it had come from, my only hope being that no one else died. A weak smile crawled onto my face, realizing that I’d somehow broken out of my maddened fury. Still, I wasn’t over it. In the back of my mind, I realized, I still wanted it dead. I realized that death was probably the only answer in this situation, but I only shook my head in response to my own thoughts. I’d have to sort out my feelings later. I could hear the sound of hooves against the ground.

”O-oi, open up!” I called out, hoping that he would oblige. Even if he was afraid I would run off again, there was no way I could jump from the height I was at. If I did, I’d be nothing but a stain against the black scar beneath. Assuming he would open up, I'd slowly rise to stand atop the palm of the Earth Titan to view a multitude of men surrounding the Bijuu. I wanted to help them, wanted to stop any more deaths, but I knew it was hopeless. I'd already used every bit of chakra, and my panting was a testament to my fatigue. So I could only watch as they pinned the creature down using their weapons, which shattered soon after. What surprised me more was the unarmored man, who constrained the the Bijuu with what appeared to be a seal of some sort. Not long after, I was watching the death of the Hachibi. It began to dissolve, to scatter into pieces until it vanished altogether. With a weak laugh, I fell back onto the palm of the titan and sat, supporting myself as I leaned back on my hands.

I couldn’t help but notice the sky. It was as if the sky, too, was happy that the Bijuu had gone. A single ray of pure sunlight fell down in front of me, and I extended my hand to pierce the luminescent veil, drowning the limb in golden light. Although my arms, my lungs, my entire body ached and burned, all I felt was a deep satisfaction. A bliss quite unlike any other, and I fell onto my back and looked up at Masuerta from my laying position, upside-down.

”Hey . . .” I said, though paused to consider what it was I wanted to say. After a moment, I sighed and spoke. ”. . . Thanks.”

[KID GAMBINO.]

RED FANG

THE WILL OF THE SHIROKIBA BURNS RADIANTLY

ANIMUS VOX

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,460,true][atrb=style, background: url(http://i52.tinypic.com/2zzoz60.png); padding: 5px; text-align: justify; color: #202020;] Emotionless pupils stared into the white-furred canine, refusing to witness death approach him as he cursed himself for being so weak. Raishin's unconscious body laid several meters away from Goh, lifeless and empty of chakra, and it had been all because of Goh. Even when the chaotic Inuzukan was nothing but an innocent child, even then he couldn't save the one who brought him into this world from the afterlife, and throughout those many years that he trained vigorously to become strong, even now, he hadn't progressed at all. Arrogant actions of the human forced the loyal canine to remain by his side, even against the stature of such an almighty beast, and this proved that this creature's resolve was sound. But for the human, he bit his tongue as he realized that everything Raishin had sacrificed for him had gone to waste. In the end, the strength of the Inuzukan paled in comparison to those who surrounded him, those who could actually damage the Hachibi, despite the fact that their efforts barely did much either. But, to endure so much just to understand that he couldn't protect those who protected him, even against an immovable foe, that is what truly hurt the "red fang". The golden pupils became invisible as the Inuzukan's eyelids sheltered them, his soul too scathed with embarrassment and anger to see anymore. The only thing that he waited for now was the villainous sound of the murderous beam to to crash against the ground into his direction, ending the lives of those that came before him, the cries of agony coming before it, and just as he expected, those exact cries entered his dome. However, these cries was not normal, they couldn't be the cry of a human. His eyelids burst open as his head jerked to it's opposite side, his face full of confusion as he observed what appeared to be the capture of the Hachibi. Fatigue and the absence of consciousness began to overcome him, but Goh forced his slanted eyes to see this, refusing to drift into stupor without witnessing the downfall of this once-thought-to-be unbeatable creature. The endurance of the boy did him justice though, a group of unidentifiable beings surrounding the Eight Tails, mere seconds passing before the massive creature let loose it's final outcry, before it's bodied crumbled into dust. And before his mind drifted into the darkness, Goh scuffed at the thought of the Hachibi actually being capable of defeat, returning him to his own personal angst, conclusive that he was truly minuscule in this world. Eyes closing slowly to accept failure, even such a weak mind couldn't help but think: "Can it be...that I have truly grown...only to be...so insignifigant...?"

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Table made by Laz. Do not use without permission.

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[.DEVIOUS]

Really lame post incoming. No muse. >:

I sat upon my earth titan with Kii enclosed in my hands. Finally, I heard him proclaim that I should let him out. I pondered only a moment before commanding the creation's hand to turn so the palm faced the sky and the fingers to open, creating a platform several tens of meters within the air. Neither of us spoke after that until we had witnessed the actions of the Samurai, and I found myself slightly in awe, and wondered what exactly I should be doing.

I heard Kii's thanks and found myself smiling. "You're a mess, you know. We need to find a way to get you cleaned up. I can't fight and beat you if you die from bleeding out."

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Gentlemanne]

''Vhat zhe fuck?"

It had been a long, arduous fight. Atleast, it felt like it. Gentle was already bored with it, however. And after seeing his ex-lover bested so easily, he couldn't care for him anymore. ''You fucking suck!" He yelled as he threw a rock at the clouds, his arms crossing over his chest like a grumpy child. ''Stupid sexy Hachibi, it's not like I liked you or anyzhing.. dummkoph."

''Man, I would fuck zhe SHIT out of zhat Hachibi."

Brushing his suit off yet again, Gentle began to stride off towards the direction of his comrade from earlier, his mind paying no attention to the vaporized man. ''Hey, snake boy, over here!" Gentle yelled at the top of his lungs as he moved onto a fast sprint, his claymore wagging in the air behind him as he headed in his direction. ''AH, AND TRANNY, YOU ARE SAFE TOO, JA?" Waving his hands in the air, Gentle hoped to gain the attention of the two, to either exit or to figure out what to do next.

[chirujo]

Zephyr winds blew across the land no longer innocent, whipping in my sleeveless overcoat before dying down. My hood covered my frowzy white hair as emerald optics took in the devastating results of a recent, grand battle. Rocks and debris were torn apart, scattered into the distance as my feet moved across it, kicking a few to the side. The Gaia cried as I could feel animosity in the air—the taste of bitter defeat. I readied myself for any surprises that might await me as I mentally prepared myself. My tanto blade that lay horizontally across my lower back; it was ready to be utilized at any moment.

It seemed like the girl was telling the truth as what lay before me was quite evident that a something massive or equal to that of a Bijuu marred this ground. Shinobi, warriors, and fighters alike scattered across the land, their bodies and faces badly wounded as I looked around for the people of my village. But my attention was quickly grasped by a group of warriors up ahead as I took it in my best interest to try and see what exactly was going on. It became slowly apparent that as I walked towards the warriors that they were the fierce warriors known as the Samurais.

Known to be unrivaled with a emotionless demeanor, they followed a strict code as I was cautious of them. Another matter that became noticeable to me was the fact that the beast had vanished. It was as if the beast did not exist, leaving not a single trace. I wanted to know more of this strange battle, and why these warriors were here—out of thin air it appeared to my perspective. Nevertheless, once I was within a reasonable distance of ten meters; I spoke, my voice cutting through the pungent air, reaching the ears of those who wished to acknowledge me, “Hey, I’m a ninja from the Cloud Village. Do you mind explaining to me what happened here?”

I awaited their answer.

OCC: I have permission from Axcel to join this thread.

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[sachi]

Truthfully, Kain couldn't help but hear it too, but he didn't want to stop, he didn't care what was happening and who was here, he was only pressing his luck by continuing to stick around, and he was in no state to defend himself, let alone Coco as well. But when he could feel her wriggling and squirming around, he knew she was too intrigued to let this one pass.. but wasn't that exactly what had gotten them into this mess in the first place? He kept moving, but with just a single arm used to hold her he couldn't maintain his grip for long, not while injured and running so fast, anyways. She slipped from under his arm, and as a result went tumbling right off his shoulder, Kain's reaction of course being to immediately stop. Thick boots skidded in the dirt, body lowered and his palm was slid along the ground behind him to halt his movements as quickly as possibly, his face wincing in pain.

"Coco.."

He rose upwards, stepping towards her quickly, feeling light as a feather without his weights wrapped around his legs. Everything here was kind of an eye-opener, and anybody that knew these two even remotely well knew that they were hardly themselves right now, for whatever reason. The threat of seeing eachother get killed just became too real, and if the Hachibi were half as smart as it was powerful, he would have crushed the both of them without a second thought; their insignificance now put into perspective. It pained him to be made to feel so small, but this would only serve to fuel his ambitions, and he would emerge from this encounter stronger than he ever was, he was going to head straight back to Iwa and set things straight. What exactly he was going to do he wasn't certain, but well, he supposed he'd make up the rest as he went along, all that mattered right now was healing up and actually surviving, huh? While most others were focused on the Hachibi being defeated so easily, Kain would only manage the occasional peak, his eyes were for the most part fixated on Coco and the dirt underneath him. Why was she such a big deal?

"Yeah.. I'm here."

His voice was low, pain causing his speech to sound somewhat strained. Had it been any other day or situation, he would have scoffed and told her she was stupid and to stop saying things like that, but there was no hiding how protective he'd developed to be. His arm reached out, smeared in dried up blood from his face, but he opened up his hand and grabbed hers, tugging lightly to pull her to her feet. It'd be when he was pulling Coco up that he would hear that familiar shout, then realize that he'd forgotten about his cooking friends and how they'd been with him. And now that he thought about it, it was the other one that was slapped with the tail and killed, huh? It wasn't as if Kain was going to mourn over it, but it was unfortunate, seeing as they had barely met up before one of them was taken out like that.. he supposed him and Gentle were just a bit more lucky.

"You're alive, huh?"

Kain would begin the process of using his shirt to tie his left arm in a makeshift sling, but he knew he needed some medical attention. He was still bleeding and he had broken bones, the adrenaline wasn't going to keep him from feeling this pain forever.

"So what now?"

[/justify]

[Axcel]

With the Hachibi gone and done away with, the samurai had sheathed their weapons and began to gather around their leader: the red-haired fellow. Though it looked like they had taken down the Hachibi with ease and little effort, that wasn’t the case at all. The chakra beast had been severely weakened already, having taken all sorts of attacks prior to their arrival. Not only that, but its chakra, although immense, had been withered down through the use of several regenerative abilities and bijuu blasts. The fact that it had taken the full amount of damage from its own tailed beast ball only furthered weakened the chakra beast. The previously grim and serious ronin seemed to be in lighter moods now that the monster had been dealt with. . .

“Hey, I’m a ninja from the Cloud Village. Do you mind explaining to me what happened here?”

One of the heavily armored samurai turned away from his comrades and took a few steps towards the shinobi who had approached them. “You’re from Kumogakure and you want us to explain what happened here? Your entire country and village has been on the brink of destruction and the shinobi from your village don’t even know what’s going on?” The sound of metal clanging against each other would echo as the samurai pressed his palm towards his armored forehead. “You shinobi are incredibly inept. . .”

As the samurai expressed his disappointment, the red-haired man who had been the one to deliver the finishing blow on the Hachibi broke free from the circle as well, walking towards the shinobi from Kumo. “Oi, oi, don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh?” He said with a single brow raised. The armored samurai lowered his head and apologized as if what he had said was a direct insult to the red-haired lad himself. The leader then directed his attention towards the one who had asked the question earlier, a single hand still resting on the hilt of his weapon as he parted his lips to speak.

“The Hachibi appeared here and was causin’ quite a ruckus. If these people hadn’t been here. . .” He spoke, his eyes scanning the horizon and glancing towards the wounded warriors who had fought the Hachibi. “. . .then you probably wouldn’t have a village to call home. They’re all heroes, basically,” he continued to speak, his demeanor nothing short of casual. “Thanks to the time they bought, we managed to to get in here in time and take the Hachibi out. Unfortunately, I’m not as versed as some of my elders are when it comes to sealing, so all we could do was get rid of it, for now.” Although it looked like the Hachibi had been killed—it was unfortunately not the case. As an entity composed of just chakra, it would only be a matter of time before the tailed beast would respawn as a creature of malevolence with its sole mandate being to destroy.

[/justify]

[Kii!]

”Heh, don’t worry,” I said, giving Masuerta a weak grin and flexing my skinless arm, though grimacing as I did at the sharp pain it caused. ”I won’t die,” I grunted, sitting up. ”Not that easily, at least.” Still, I gave a wary look down at the patches of deep red on the titan’s palm.

From my high spot, perched on the hand of an earthen titan, I could see the entire clearing that had so recently been a battlefield. My ashen eyes darted this way and that, taking in everything I could--and most importantly, everyone I could. It had all happened so fast, though I couldn’t deny that it felt like ages while it was happening. My memory was a bit fuzzy, too, probably because I lost control. Even then, I wasn’t sure what happened. All I knew was that I couldn’t resist everything building up inside. It was hard to recall how many people had been there at the start, though I knew--I knew so well that I’d seen only one person die. I wasn’t going to forget it, a memory frozen still in my head like some nightmare buried in my psyche. With a shake of my head, I looked to the spot where he’d perished, then cringed and turned away. I hadn’t even known him; he had a name, a past, friends, a family, and most importantly, he had a future. But in that moment, it had been taken from him. I knew now how naive I’d been to consider ever bringing peace to the world without death, but I still just couldn’t swallow it yet. I knew I would soon, though. I had to.

Eventually, my gaze settled on a person I hadn’t recognized as a participant in the fight, apparently speaking with the unarmored man that had so easily destroyed the Hachibi. I couldn’t tell where he was from, but my guess was Kumogakure; after all, it seemed that had been the Bijuu’s destination. Either way, I wanted to thank him for saving us. All of us. If they hadn’t come, I knew too well, now, that we’d have died. Yet, I knew I needed medical attention--but my chakra was all but dried up, and there was no way I was going to be able to repair a wound of this magnitude. So I’d simply do what I could. Unfortunately, the bandages I wore around my arms were destroyed by the Hachibi along with my skin, and so I could only use whatever clothing I had on me. Removing my blazer, I simply tore it in two and began wrapping it around my arms, tight as I could to stop the constant blood flow. Luckily, I’d taken a blood increasing pill, or I’d likely already fallen unconscious. Sighing, I tugged at the tie around my collar until it came loose entirely, holding it in my right hand lazily.

”I want to thank them,” I said, glancing up at Masuerta, then to the men who’d destroyed the Bijuu.

[KID GAMBINO.]

RED FANG

THE WILL OF THE SHIROKIBA BURNS RADIANTLY

ANIMUS VOX

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,460,true][atrb=style, background: url(http://i52.tinypic.com/2zzoz60.png); padding: 5px; text-align: justify; color: #202020;] The unconscious mind slipped into retirement, the ethereal feeling being reminiscent to that of the dream world, but much more real. Darkness surrounded the being as he walked through the barren lands, nothing but an empty void appearing in the distance. What was this place? Malignant entities such as hatred and disappointment took over the boy's body, walking him through the valley of self-loathing, memories of this past battle plaguing his mind. The shadowy figure halted in the nonexistant field, an evil aura bringing light to it's figure before revealing it that it was truly... Goh Tendo. He hadn't realized it before, but the broken being that he was seeing was indeed himself. Golden pupils shifted from side to side as he finally saw what he thought was another being, but it nothing but the ominous air. Something had granted him the vision he needed to in order to realize that the entity that he came to hate was himself, some type of luminosity taking form behind him. Curiousity would soon become another trait that infiltrated his mind, turning to observe that this very "light" was not light at all. A light was something that radiated faith and happiness, but this was much darker, consisting of rage and the lust for destruction.  Goh's eyes finally adjusting, he finally could see that this growing sphere of darkness was the same demonic ball that ended the life of the shinobi he had questioned before, the creature feeding energy behind it being the damned Hachibi itself. The aura that surrounded the Eight Tails was much more devious this time, Goh understanding that he and the Hachibi was the only visible beings in the area, meaning that this almighty assault's target was no one other than Goh himself. His body trembling with fear, the image of the wandering shinobi who originally met his death at the hands of the Bijuu Bomb was now replaced with the wild Inuzukan instead, his body shifting into the opposite direction as he ran for his life. Solitude. Cowardice. Death. Each attribute could describe what was becoming of the teenager in this dream world, and it was truly a nightmare. His head shaking from side to side as he prayed to every deity he could think of, the realization that he was imagining this refused to come, sheltering the shinobi in this recurring state, each step feeling more real than the last. The phantom creature continued to terrorize the boy, even in his dreams. Such traits was once frowned upon by the Inuzuka, but it appeared to only be the work of a hypocrite, his mind shattered into pieces of weakness as he bolted into the endless darkness. What would become of this shinobi?

Table made by Laz. Do not use without permission.

[.DEVIOUS]

"Are you sure that that is a good idea, Kii?" My voice dripped concern, and he would have known why I was so concerned. After all, he was close to dying for sure, his body heavily exsanguinated, and if it weren't for the pill he had taken earlier he probably would have been dead already. To be frank, my current main concern was taking Kii to someplace where he could obtain intense medical treatment. Those 'bandages' he had wrapped around himself doing very little to block out the blood flow after all of his skin had been ripped away.

After thinking a moment, I shook my head. "No, we really need to get you aid. I won't allow arrogant pride to kill you." Instinctively, the hand of the titan which held Kharashi began to close, although it didn't shut all the way instantly. At the same time, the Titan would begin to turn around and make its way towards the nearest town. Maybe somebody there would be able to offer medical assistance. However, I felt bad for denying Kii his will. "If it means that much to you, we'll come back and find the people and thank them later. You know, when you're not close to kicking the can."

With Kii hopefully in tow, I would continue to move away, maybe making our way towards town.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

-exit?