Recent Posts

A faint tremor, barely felt even by the objects and tables closest to its origins, rippled through the breadth of the dimly lit establishment. No matter how many times he found himself here, he could never understand how Blanche favored such gloomy, somber surroundings; especially when she looked so magnificent in the light.

Standing idle for several moments as he watched her, busy with some device or another, he finally stepped forward from the sheath of darkness encasing him. Of course, she'd already know he was their -- an indescribable "link," of sorts, had been forged between the two of them. An imprint, if you will. Whenever either were within a reasonable amount of distance, it was as if their very souls reached for each other. It was quite handy, in some situations, but terribly unfortunate when he wished to "surprise" her.

But, there were always other ways around that.

"Good evening." His voice was smooth as a gentle river and sweeter than autumnal honey. And while it wasn't entirely odd, considering he was addressing her, it was more joyous than his typical demeanor. "I see you're still busy at work - right where I left you."

He hadn't told her where he was going those hours ago. All he'd informed her was that he would, undoubtedly, return, and that she was to keep their guest-- one Beppin Etsuko --company until he did. The other woman, a dark-haired vixen, was comfortable sitting in a chair not too far from Blanche. Though she could do little to erase the worry that plagued her expression, she did managed to remain somewhat interested in whatever device it was that Blanche currently fiddled with.

Shifting his attention back to Blanche, he extended both arms out toward her, awaiting a proper greeting. This too was somewhat... odd, but not overly questionable. The more time passed, the more of that mysterious armor Blanche somehow managed to pry away from him; the more they bonded, the more he began to look to her for support and comfort. She was, quite literally, his better half -- despite her flaws and malicious desires, she was the only fragment of light that had managed to remain within him.

Once she was in his arms, safe and secure, he teasingly whispered: "Did you miss me?" His gaze slid over Blanche's shoulder, locking with Beppin's. She was fidgeting with her thumbs, nervously biting her lip.

But, she waited in silence.

"That I started?" the masked figured mocked. "The Tsuchikage didn't attack Sunagakure because of anything that I did. She hates you for what you did to her nation -- I simply helped the process along. How long did you truly intend to hide behind that faux alter ego of yours?"

Shaking his head, he pressed on before Nagato could respond. "What, exactly, are you hoping to do? Hiraishin to Beppin as a corpse? You know very well using that technique again, in your current condition, will kill you."

He waved the thought away. "Besides, she's already safe. Once I saw that you'd left Sunagakure, I helped her escape. She's waiting for you with a mutual friend of ours-- Blanche." He stepped closer. "I'll take you to her. Blanche will take care of your injuries, and Beppin's mind can be put at ease."

The phantom's voice had remained relatively cheerful throughout the course of their conversation; light and joyous. However, at the mention of Blanche's name, it turned cold. Cold and sharp, like the frigid blade of a warrior's sword.

A hand reached forward, aiming to grasp Soratsu around his throat and slam him into the wall no more than an foot behind him. A sandal stomped onto the foot opposite to it, ensuring he would not be able to escape (not that he would, in his condition). Whatever chakra he'd hoped to use for a hiraishin had vanished instantly (absorbed), leaving him at the mercy of the former Water Shadow.

"But know that if you ever again try to turn Blanche against me, I will kill you and Beppin without hesitation." The grip around Soratsu's throat would strengthen, almost enough to snap his neck clean in two. "We all have skeletons in our closest; you refusing to accept yours makes you worse than me, not better."

And like an explosion, the intensity of the situation vanished. Releasing him, the masked man would take several steps back to allow the injured Uchiha some room to breathe. Once he was ready, they would leave.

"Oh, and we'll be visiting your sister as well." Though he couldn't see it, a devious smirk was cutting across his face. "I was surprised you didn't reveal who you were when she visited you in Sunagakure. Then again, you always were the one who remained dedicated to a plan one hundred percent."

"She's become quite strong since I gave her control of Taki no Kuni."

Slowly but surely, their dance fell apart, piece by piece, until nothing of it remained. Standing still, as if they were frozen in time, the phantom took his time appreciatively glancing over Blanche's features. From her unnaturally blond hair, radiant like hot, liquid gold, to her hour-glass shape and every curve which he'd come to know quite intimately, he watched. For several moments, he said nothing. He was content simply standing there, relaxing with her body pressed along is so delicately; unfortunately, there were things he had to do.

"I'm sure that we'll have another dance before that time comes, Blanche." He chuckled, breaking his hand away from her own so that both of his gloved hands could cup either side of her face. Pulling her in close, the forehead of his mask pressed against hers; he waited, calmly, closing his eyes. "And should it not, I'll make sure that we have one on the other side-- perhaps, as you said, for eternity."

Opening his eyes, he retreated several steps. "Presuming I'm back in time, I will come see you tonight." Slowly, he sank into the floor. "Be good while I'm gone."

And like that, he vanished.

Even as their dance slowed, becoming seemingly more stagnant with each passing moment, the pair never once lost their rhythm. To and fro, ebb and flow, their steps were perfectly synchronized; it was as if some invisible pair of hands were guiding the two, gliding them across the Compound's smooth floor as if they were floating. For some reason, he held her close; closer than he should have, considering their arrangement. Perhaps, even if he didn't want to admit it, she was more important than even he realized -- his unbreakable love for Ue was unrelenting, but in the face of his sister, it had changed.

Changed into something more potent; changed for the better.

But was she really as irreplaceable as he so willingly said she was? Honestly, he'd never truly thought on the matter. More often than not, words simply spilled from his mouth, leaking from beneath the mask like a venomous mist. However, the phantom found himself contemplating his statements before delivering them; he found himself genuinely appreciating Blanche's talents, from her adamant will to survive to her headstrong personality that had spear-headed Kusagkaure's rise to power. She was more impressive than even he was willing to fully admit, but he would not neglect a compliment when it was due.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, Blanche. You should know me better than that, by now." The truth? She was that special -- that irreplaceable. While he could have quite easily carried out the more intricate details of his plan with a number of people, he'd chosen her; no, something had chose her for him. Like a moth to the flame, it seemed as though any other option paled in comparison to the potential lying so peacefully dormant inside of her. It was a potential that he planned to harvest in full, and then usher into the world in a glorious adisplay.

His eyes, for the first time, were soft. "If we're being honest, Blanche, despite our situation being... rather unique, and unconventional, I don't think there is another woman on the planet who could stomach the raw truth." Then hand he'd placed so delicately at the small of her back appeared once again, cradling the woman's gorgeous face as it had done so many times before that moment. "I am quite lucky to have found you, and quite honored for you to have chosen to aid me in this conquest."

He leaned in closer, so that the mask gently slide against her cheek as he moved to her ear. There, he whispered, "And I don't imagine any woman being able to handle me as adeptly as you do, either." A devious chuckled escaped him, and their dance came to a halt.

A sudden seriousness, albeit light, flowed into his voice then. "But beyond that, I know that you'll do right even when I'm gone; you'll protect our investment, and ensure that it blossoms properly. You have, how shall I say this? Just the right touch -- there's something about you, Blanche, but I have absolute faith in you. Hopefully, I will figure it out for myself before it's too late."

Indeed, walking this path -- living this life had only one ending. He saw no reason to state it explicitly; Blanche was more than capable of reading between the lines. Besides, he didn't want to ruin the mood - it wasn't every day he was able to hold her so closely, to where he could taste her honey sweet breath and feel the warmth of her flesh.

The phantom chuckled. "You give yourself too much credit. You're far less fine than you think, Blanche. Even I can see that." Turning fully to face her, the mask dipped off to the side as his head tilted. "It's taking a lot out of you; I doubt you'd be able to even walk right now if I didn't feed you as constantly as I do." Indeed, the illness was taking its toll, whether she wanted to admit it or not. It wouldn't be too much longer before her closest shinobi started asking questions, of which the two of them would need to assemble believable answers. They were both quite lucky, honestly.

Stepping closer, the glove on his right hand was removed. "These are probably the most important times, Blanche. They will set everything else in to motion. This is where you need to be the most careful; excessive work, especially work that you can pawn off on others, shouldn't be done. We don't need to be taking unnecessary risks." Lovingly, he cradled her face in his palm, stroking her cheek. "If you're tired, then rest."

He noticed something else in her eyes, though. That same, ravenous hunger. "But, at the same time, I can't afford to deny you... Can I?" Another sly chuckle slipped from beneath the mask, all the while his hand shifted. Gliding the pad of his index finger over her lips, he eased the digit into her mouth, resting against the bed of her tongue. "Go ahead, dear. You haven't been fed today, and I know grumpy you can be when you're hungry."

Unfortunately for Blanche, she wouldn't be gorging herself as per usual. He was simply giving her enough to erase the tiredness from her expression; he hated seeing her like that. It was pathetic. The sweet taste of his chakra would drowned her senses for several moments before he would remove his finger, once again covering shielding the hand with its glove. Undoubtedly glancing at the Blanche he'd come to admire, radiant and glowing like one of God's finest angels, he'd nod.

"I'm surprised you haven't developed a handful of techniques involving your magnificent hair, Blanche." Collecting several coils, he lightly rolled and adjusted the silken lengths. "I imagine they'd be rather deadly, especially in your hands."

Fortunately for Kouketsu, his absorption methods didn't come with any addictive side-effects. While it wasn't confirmed or even truly looked into, it was always theorized that those of the Akadou clan had an unnatural... hunger, due to their absorptive nature. Potent energy sources-- or, more specifically, sources that they weren't strong enough to subdue themselves --was like strapping down a drug addict and dangling their vice a fraction of an inch away from them; just close enough for them to taste it, but not enough to get a high.

Blanche had the same glazed, ravenous look in her eyes that Uekyuuchi had. He could see the fire, the desire, burning inside of her; he could feel the need quaking in every bone inside her body. The tensing of her hand around his won simply solidified everything that he'd suspected about her from the moment he laid eyes on her pretty little blond head. It seemed that an insatiable lust for power extended well beyond her power's mentality.

"Perhaps we aren't." Flames and heat attracted each other, no matter the catalyst or ingredients used. The explosion from a jutsu and the explosive from a "note" were, admittedly, delivered quite differently but resulted in the same devouring chaos. Of course, his plans involving Blanche were intricate; more intricate and complex than he was willing to share (for the time being), but he would be lying if he said her drive, ambition, and the ferocity of her will hadn't attracted him to her. While, perhaps, a spitting image of her brother-- in more than one way --she was undoubtedly different in many others.

More over, they both had what they other wanted.

Fortunately for Blanche, on the other hand, the man she'd become quite good acquaintances with had what she needed in such vast supply. Kouketsu's level of chakra was unfathomable - much larger than Blanche's empty belly could handle, even if she ate her fill for several days, to say the least.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" The hand wrapped around her own slipped through her own, pushing forward just enough to entangle his fingers in her mess of silky gold and force her to look at him. "If we hadn't gotten so close, I might've forgotten that you were a leech like Uekyuuchi." Despite his words, they weren't delivered with any malice or intent to hurt her; it was simply what many of the people in the world called her kind. "Your heart rate-- even the blood in your veins... Are you excited, Blanche?"

Then, quite simply, he released her. Turning, he walked off, further into the compound. "I imagine it's been a while since you've had a satisifying meal, yes?" A glance over his shoulder revealed a devious smirk; it was a dark, telling smirk. "Lucky for you, I've no problem with giving you a taste of real power. Just be careful not to bite off more than you can chew... Come."