Tuujaimaa

Natrelmon: Legends

“Lighten up, Trynd!” Kasumi shrugged, pointing a finger at Chelle Lee. Shaking with rage was obviously a sign of the rare disease Tryndameritis, which was especially known to infect Lifanese people - though it could easily infect other people if they were angry enough. At the given point in time, Chelle Lee definitely looked like she qualified for the disease. It was a little scary, to be honest, but given that she had already proven her dominance over the other two in the arts of stealth and generally being a tool, it was not really something she felt the need to worry over. She did, however, keep an eye out for lasers. Even a trained tool like herself could not prepare for the awesome power of lasers - especially not Suzaku’s Sun’s Ray. That was a truly fearsome laser that everybody should be afraid of.

“Hey, fun fact. Pinehearst tried to make drones based on Nakumo. They made them red, and for some reason they were immune to heat and electricity. It was really strange. Now they’re used as portable heat sources and lamps. I heard somebody made a sphere of them and wandered into the crystal forest. Apparently the Red Nakumo would break down the poison particles. They died. Of poison.” Kasumi opined, pointing towards the restaurant that she and Shio had eaten at.

“I bet if we launched a fireball at it, nothing would happen. But it’s probably weak to particle physics.”

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

Hyakune su Jikankizami, Ra

The Empress' visions were like a storm raging through an otherwise peaceful land - promising death, destruction, and oppression. The sights and sounds felt familiar to a woman who had lived out the lives of many others in order to gain their secrets, but the aura of severity that coursed through these visions was something Ra herself had only felt on occasion. The sensations tried to assault her - bombarding her with information that it was assumed she could not begin to understand and process - but for a woman like Ra, the visions were not as dark as they should have been. As they passed over her, and she returned to the confines of reality, her face was unchanged - as were her emotions. She had seen the suffering of her brethren first hand as a child, and those who were weak had died. It brought back memories, not necessarily unpleasant ones, of her childhood struggles - of how she and the others born into her generation had had to live.

To the Hyakune, there was no greater crime than weakness. Their children were expected to steal their own bread to become strong, and the fates that befell the weak and unfortunate were almost horrific - but Ra had always been strong of mind, and she had passed the metaphorical ceremony easily. Her own brothers and sisters had not been so lucky, and she had been trained not to help them. Watching them die had, she supposed, given her a buffer against the recoil of horrifying thoughts and scenes - she had experienced all of her tragedy already, a little more was not going to perturb her. Even as a young child, she had found the suffering unnecessary, but she had also found that she did not care enough to actually help them. Empathy had never been strong in the Hyakune, and she was no exception to that rule.

During her teenage years, Ra had surmised that the world was better off under someone else's control - when left to themselves, humans wrought destruction and chaos upon themselves. They would tear themselves apart for the bread that another had, and wage wars for trivial reasons in order to better their own agenda or find some demented profit amidst the chaos that ensued. It was far better for those destructive urges to be quelled by the soothing control of another. It was the tyranny of thought and free will that brought them to the brink of destruction, that brought them to their hate-filled ways, and it was freedom from that tyranny that could bring them peace. Empress Shoko was one of the few with both the will and power to make that happen, and that had been what had caused Ra to join the Empire in the first place. Another had finally understood the cause of the suffering in the world.

Things were rarely as clear-cut as they seemed, however. There were people who were just, and kind, and proved that they could exist peacefully with their own free will... But those people were far and few between. If they understood the suffering that their brethren caused, the wars that had been started, the families that had been destroyed by the wanton nature of the human condition... They would have joined the movement to strip the unworthy of their basest desires. Surely, knowing what she knew, anyone would come to the same conclusion? Questions that did not have answers. They were for another place, for another time, as the world around her returned to reality and the forms of the people in the room became visible once again.

Shoko, Yakoul and Ryuza left fairly quickly to deal with the Shukaku, and Ra was left again with Namine. It was a familiar situation - but they had been interrupted before, and there was answers to questions that Namine had asked that needed to be said.

"She's right. When left to our own devices, we will allow the less virtuous things to creep into our minds and overtake us. You travelled the world for a time, didn't you? Is there really a spirit of peace and co-operation that binds the masses, that they might take it upon themselves to overthrow the corrupt ones that rule them? In all of my years, I have never seen it. I have seen only the innocent who suffer and can do nothing about it... The Empress has a sense of perspective that we lack - and this lack of perspective casts shadows of doubt upon our resolutions, staining them that they might falter. No matter the sides of this war, is it not the weakest among us who deserve the greatest protection? The Rebels fight for their liberty - for their right to exercise their power upon the world, to make their marks upon history... But they see only the glory of this war. They see liberation from an oppression that would seek to strip them of their glory... They do not see the families that they tear apart. They do not see the children they make orphans, or the elderly that they let starve to death with their needless crusade. I know that you are on the side of those who need the most help, sweet Namine, and there are no questions of where your loyalty lies... But the Empress' methods will be justified by peace. It will be our job to stop the needless suffering where we find it."

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

New Zealand.

New Zealand is more free than America.

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

Your hands will betray your mind when you type quickly. Proven fact.

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

Yuganori, Kinuko

Yuganori, Kinuko

【Full Name】
Yuganori, Kinuko
【Alias】
N/A
【Occupation】
N/A
【Gender】
Female
【Age】
29
【Sexuality】
Bisexual; Prefers Women



【Birth Country】
Land of Fire; Yuganori Clan Compound
【Current Village】
N/A
【Affiliation】
N/A
【Shinobi Rank】
N/A



【Personality】
Kinuko is a person blessed with both an icy temperament and demeanour, as persistent as the harsh winds of winter and equally as frigid. Kinuko initially comes across as a cold, unfeeling person who is willing to put everything aside for what she wants. It seems that she favours a goal-oriented approach and that the end justifies the means, and in doing so, that she does not place a particularly high value on human lives or the pristine code of ethics that societies try to base themselves upon. This, like much about Kinuko, is not necessarily as it seems. Kinuko is as stoic and implacable as a statue, and this steely demeanour echoes deeply into the depths of her psyche - but despite her resolute nature, she is not cold or unforgiving. Kinuko firmly believes in the cyclical nature of all things, that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and despite her goal-oriented methods, what she truly favours above all else is the notion of balance.

While possessed of a determination to succeed surpassed by only the most influential and powerful of people, Kinuko will never violate her core set of principles in order to achieve her goals, as her principles are among the few things that she holds sacrosanct above all else in her life. For every action she takes that brings forth a change in a system, she will take appropriate actions to counteract the shift in balance that she has caused. With that in mind, it is important to note that Kinuko's sense of perspective is far greater than most can ever claim - and while her actions may seem to violate her self-imposed tenets at times, it is likely that she is following a design even more grand than what she lets on.

While balance is certainly the core upon which Kinuko's being revolves, how that equates to her general demeanour is a significantly more demanding question. She appears to be stoic and emotionless, speaking only when necessary, but this is merely a front that her actions and non-actions might not disrupt any tentative balances that she becomes involved in. Kinuko's emotions vary wildly, from deeply passionate and smouldering, to worried for her future and for the balance as a whole, to being utterly consumed by one of the less virtuous emotions - but her front only ever shows the cold apathy that is associated with her in order to preserve her most treasured tenet.

Kinuko will often speak only when spoken to, or when necessary information must be disseminated, but she often feels strongly about situations that she is placed into. She will not reveal how she feels for fear of disrupting the balance, but when an opportunity arises to show her true feelings and keep the balance, or even take appropriate actions to counteract her initial action, she will not hesitate to speak exactly what she feels. Kinuko lacks a certain sense of tact that the more eloquent in the world are proficient in, and rather than act recklessly, she chooses to be apathetic. This lack of tact does not mean that Kinuko lacks the ability to perceive when tact is necessary, however, and Kinuko is one of the most level-headed, tactical and reasonable thinkers of a generation - despite her refusal to say things in half measures, she knows that they are appropriate and have their uses, and is adept at understanding the social subtext that can typically go unnoticed - it is, however, a game that she refuses to play despite knowing how.

【Chakra Nature(s)】
Oriton [Weave Release]

【Abilities and Special Traits】
Kinuko is an exceptionally skilled user of Kenjutsu, having trained rigorously in the arts all of her life. Her introduction to the craft was initially peaceful in nature, as a form of meditation and rigorous self-discipline, and due to this her grasp of the fundamentals of Kenjutsu are extremely high. Later in her life, she began using it as an offensive tool, and has practiced rigorously ever since. The only blade she has ever used in her life is Hanashi, which has lead to a great deal of familiarity with her style, and an exceptional level of comfort with the blade that only the most exceptional of Kenjutsu users can claim.

Kinuko is skilled in her clan’s Kekkei Genkai, having saved several ancient texts from destruction that furthered her knowledge on its usage. She has studied the ancient knowledge diligently over many years, and has achieved a level of mastery in it that few members of her clan have ever achieved since the lost glory days of the Yuganori.

Kinuko has a fairly large chakra pool due to her clan’s way of life - heavily invested in mental and physical discipline, which naturally bestows upon its members a large pool of energy.

Kinuko’s chakra control is extremely fine due to years upon years of constant diligence and practice, aided by the old knowledge that she pilfered from the Yuganori before defecting.

Kinuko is not particularly naturally intelligent, but has gained a rather large pool of knowledge from her constant studies. She prides herself on having a moderate capacity to learn backed with an intense dedication and desire to succeed, which has left her quite wise for her age. Kinuko is, however, a prodigious thinker - her capacity to learn is not overly great, but her ability to analyse situations is extremely strong, and she is logical to the extreme, allowing for impressive displays of tactics not befitting her station.



【History】
The Yuganori clan are one of the few able to claim an unbroken lineage from time immemorial, which has lead them to have a more rich and diverse history than others. Most of this history is too old to be remembered, or too new to truly be history, but there are feats and stories within the clan that did truly make history.

From its initial conception, the Yuganori clan was made of like-minded people who had an interest in perfecting the arts of creating fine textiles - typically with silk - when the world was largely bereft of such finery. As has always been the case, those with power desired the finer things in life to prove their superiority, and so the Yuganori created for themselves a purpose and a niche in the unforgiving world of peasants and nobles. Over time, their fame and renown grew, and more people asked of their silks - but while its founders were masters of their crafts, their children had not yet blossomed into their talent, and the demand posed upon them could not be answered promptly. At this point, however, the clan was renowned enough that people were willing to wait, and the clan realised the power that the avarice of the world had given them.

From these days onwards, the clan became more regimented in how it trained its young, for they were determined not to succumb to the same avarice that had risen them up lest it be their eventual downfall. Their children were given a sense of balance and of purpose, and honed thoroughly in their crafts from a young age that the demands for fine clothing and arts could be fulfilled. The continued patronage of various nobility had made the clan fairly wealthy - but their founders' sense of well-roundedness and balance had managed to persist and the clan was far from greedy - the money was aptly used to secure their place in the world, and to help those beneath them who had not yet found their niche.

The tides of history often change without rhyme or reason, and so did they change one fateful day when the nobility no longer required the Yuganori's patronage. The Yuganori were, by this point, relatively noble in and of themselves, but the change in the world did not bode well for their propensity for large funds. They turned their expertise inwards, towards the clans that surrounded them, and offered their services not for money, but for training. This relationship with the other clans quickly grew strong, and soon the clan of craftsmen were as trained for warfare as any of the other clans.

Unlike in most stories, there was no great dissent between the Yuganori and its compatriots - perhaps why they have an unbroken lineage - but as the clan persisted, the times that had founded it and enabled its existence as it was did not. In time, the pursuit of warfare became more and more important, and the Yuganori began to specialise in this regard. With the help of their allies, innovations the like of which have not been seen for ages were made and stored within silken scrolls, that their knowledge might persevere if nothing else did, and all prospered.

When war struck, the Yuganori suffered very few casualties, though their friends and allies did not share such a fortunate fate. Time once again moved on, thinning the other clans but allowing the Yuganori to remain as they always had been. Still, not all things are as they seem, and poor choices in leadership led to the decline of the Yuganori's persistently high fortune. While the clan had largely been kept free of the impurities of sin that its founders had so desperately tried to avoid, their influence was inevitable. Sin crept through the clan's leadership, and as the ages passed their lineage remained the only thing pure about them.

Yuganori, Kinuko was the first bright light the clan had seen since the golden age of the clan. She was a well-rounded individual who saw the balance in all things, as the clan had done in the past, and the sin that gripped the clan's leadership made her shudder. As she grew up, she made efforts to keep her opinion free from bias, and she studied the ancient lore eagerly. In the light of her studies, the leadership determined that they would sell the few priceless artifacts that the clan had retained in order to bolster the state of their coffers. Kinuko refused to allow that to happen, taking the silk-sealed scrolls and the fabled sword Hanashi from the vault in the dead of night and fleeing with them, to a place where her clan could not defile them with sin.

This is where the written history of Kinuko ends, but there is more history in the world than what is written down.



【Weapons, Tools and Equipment】

Name of Weapon or Item: Hanashi [Death Blossom]
Location: Yuganori, Kinuko
Owner: Yuganori, Kinuko
Rank: A

Description: The Hanashi is a priceless artifact of the Yuganori clan that was saved from destruction by Kinuko when she chose to leave her clan.

Hanashi is a katana that is fairly unique among katana as it does not have a blade permanently attached to it. There is an elaborate seal engraved onto the guard in the rough shape of a spider with curved legs, arranged so that the gap where the blade would be is correspondent to the thorax of the spider, and the legs reach to the edges of the square guard to form its boundaries. When Oriton chakra is introduced to the seal, it forms a symbiotic link with the user that allows the user to weave their Oriton chakra through the blade.

Kinuko is proficient with the blade, and is able to create blades made of her silk that are surprisingly sharp due to their chakra content. The blades are flammable and can be cut by sufficiently well-made blades with a higher chakra content than Hanashi’s.

The primary power of the Hanashi lies within the Yuganori clan’s ability to weave seals into the materials that it creates. The user is able to create blades that are imbued with very specific powers and discard them when necessary in order to create additional blades. Hanashi also has the intrinsic property of being able to weave Oriton chakra into anything that comes into contact with the seal, however, and blades can be created of any solid or liquid material if they are easily permeable to chakra.

A little-known ability of the blade is its ability to combat and harmonise with other seals - it is able to weave Oriton chakra through a seal and create a blade imbued with the same power as the seal, removing it from its source in the process. In the same vein, it can also imbue other materials with seals by weaving its fibres through the object in question.



【Kekkei Genkai】

Oriton [Weave Release]

Name of the Kekkei Genkai: Oriton [Weave Release]

Type of Kekkei Genkai: Bodily Modification; Ninjutsu; Fuuinjutsu

Clan: Yuganori

Rank: A

Description: The Oriton is a complex Kekkei Genkai as it has two aspects to it - the first aspect of the Oriton grants its users the ability to create a unique type of chakra comprised of the Suiton and Doton natures that takes the form of silk or other fibrous materials. The second aspect, by far the more complex of the two, causes its users to have sets of silk glands within their body at key locations, such as the wrists and ankles. The silk glands are infused heavily with the Oriton chakra, and are able to create a vast number of materials and thread them together - in advanced cases, this can be used to mix multiple types of materials together to create a single weave, which contains the properties of both materials used.

Typically, the Oriton is used to create silks, which have a strong tensile strength and are extremely malleable, and can do so with enough complexity that the fibres can be arranged in such a pattern that Fuuinjutsu can be woven into them. By changing how the fibres are woven and restructuring the silk, different abilities and effects can be conferred onto them in order to best suit the user’s purposes.

Weakness: The Oriton is a demanding Kekkei Genkai to use and master, requiring almost constant attention and discipline to be used effectively. For this reason, it is very rare to see its users performing other kinds of ninjutsu or genjutsu.

【Canon Jutsu】

Basic Academy Techniques

【Custom Jutsu】

Name of Technique: Tenchi [Heaven and Earth]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Personal
Nature Type: N/A
Handsigns: N/A

Description: The user becomes adept at sensing the presence of the internal chakra system within a range of thirty feet (radius) around themselves. The user also becomes adept at sensing the displacement of air, and sensing vibrations through the ground, making it very difficult to sneak up on them or otherwise catch them off guard.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Kyōsei Keiyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu [Forced Contract Summoning Technique]
Type of Jutsu: Fūinjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Potentially Infinite
Nature Type: N/A
Handseals: Standard handsigns for Kuchiyose no Jutsu

Description: The Kyōsei Keiyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu is a seal that does not have a specific location or contract with a being, but is essentially a summoning jutsu. Thusly, if the user acquires the blood of a victim they may summon the victim to them or they may reverse-summon themselves to the victim. This costs no more than a normal summoning jutsu and can be used anywhere, at any time. This technique is unique in that it may also form one-sided contracts with objects given they have chakra/are chakra infused, and that chakra is imbued into a seal. Does not require handsigns if the user is summoning themselves to an inanimate object.

Weakness: Requires the blood of the victim/chakra of the ally/object. Cannot summon a person/object if objects are in the way [i.e., the summoning must keep the form of whom/whatever it summons intact]. The blood/chakra acquired can only be used for a single summoning before new blood/chakra must be collected.

Name of Technique: Tenmaru Kanzen [Perfect Heaven Circle]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Personal
Nature Type: N/A
Handsigns: N/A

Description: The user focuses their chakra inwards, manipulating their nervous system in a way similar to that of Genjutsu. The user’s senses become extremely sharply refined, almost as if entering into a superhuman state of awareness, but they lose all ability to perceive anything outside of the thirty-five foot radius range of the technique. The technique can only be initiated on a solid surface, and if the user takes more than four steps in any direction (unless they are reacting to something within the confines of the Tenmaru Kanzen), the state is cancelled.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Kumonosu no Jutsu [Spider’s Web Technique]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Short - Long
Nature Type: Oriton
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Kinuko creates a thick bundle of sticky silk fibres with the 縛る [Shibaru; Bind] seal woven into the threads, causing them to chemically bind to the first item they encounter. Using her silk glands, she is able to keep the fibres attached to her body in order to grab things and manipulate them.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Mayu [Cocoon]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Short-Long
Nature Type: Oriton
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Kinuko creates a mass of Oriton chakra centered in her wrist and launches an orb from her hand. Upon coming into contact with a target, the orb of chakra will reform into sticky silk fibres that are difficult to cut around the hit target, effectively trapping them inside a cocoon of silk. The cocoon will only last for a maximum of five seconds before dissipating.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Kumo no Su-nai Gijutsu [In the Spider’s Web Technique]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: B
Range: 50 feet
Nature Type: Oriton
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Kinuko creates a small ball of highly condensed silken strands, each of which is imbued with a 縛る [Shibaru; Bind] seal. With a single motion, the sphere bursts outwards, causing the strands to cover a large sphere at multiple points. If a target is hit by the strands, the seal binds the silk to their body/clothing/armour. At any point, Kinuko is able to draw the strands of silk towards herself or Hanashi, pulling whatever the strands are bound to towards her.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Sen'ijō Hōyō [Fibrous Embrace]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu
Rank: S
Range: Short
Nature Type: Oriton
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Kinuko unravels the fibres of any material created by her Oriton chakra while it is inside another person, and directs the fibres to sew themselves into the muscles associated with her opponent’s somatic nervous system. After the fibres have successfully done so, Kinuko is able to forcibly control the muscular movements of the affected opponent.

If Hanashi touches an opponent while this ability is in place, Sen'ijō Hōyō is immediately cancelled, but the fibres remain embedded within the muscles. They cannot be reactivated with this technique, but are very painful.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Shōshū no Inkan [Seal of Convocation]
Type of Jutsu: Fuuinjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Variable
Nature Type: Oriton
Handsigns: N/A

Description: A seal woven into the materials created by the Oriton. The seal acts as a temporary summoning contract that does not require blood to be activated, allowing Kinuko to transport herself to the silk or the silk back to her. She can also create the temporary contracts with other people (with their permission), allowing them to use the same abilities.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Hikisaku no Inkan [Seal of Rending]
Type of Jutsu: Fuuinjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Variable
Nature Type: Oriton
Handsigns: N/A

Description: A seal woven into the materials created by the Oriton. The seal is spatially linked to all other Hikisaku no Inkan, in such a fashion that any object that enters into the first will pass through unhindered and be released from the second seal. The Hikisaku no Inkan must be created in pairs in order to be effective.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Fukyōwaon no Inkan [Seal of Dissonance]
Type of Jutsu: Fuuinjutsu
Rank: C
Range: 15 feet / 5 feet
Nature Type: Oriton
Handsigns: N/A

Description: A seal woven into the materials created by the Oriton. The seal releases a pulse of abnormal chakra every three seconds, causing all genjutsu effects or other chakra-based effects that disrupt the nervous system (e.g., not Ranshinshou) to end, and destroying all C-Ranked or below ninjutsu that comes into contact with it. If the seal is inside a person’s body, the pulses will begin to destroy the vessels of their chakra system.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Idō no Inkan [Seal of Transference]
Type of Jutsu: Fuuinjutsu
Rank: C
Range: Variable
Nature Type: Oriton
Handsigns: N/A

Description: A seal woven into the materials created by the Oriton. Whenever kinetic energy is applied to the seal, instead of being applied to the object the energy is stored within the seal. At any point, Kinuko is able to release all of the energy stored within the seal.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Hanashi: Nomihosu [Death Blossom: Siphon]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu; Kenjutsu
Rank: A
Range: Immediate vicinity of Hanashi
Nature Type: Oriton
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Kinuko places the bladeless hilt of Hanashi on a person, chakra, a solid material, or a liquid. By utilising Oriton chakra through the seal on Hanashi, Kinuko is able to create a blade made of whatever material that the hilt of Hanashi is currently placed on (this process removes the material from wherever it last was). If placed on a person, their blood is siphoned off to create a blade, which becomes solid. Liquids will also become solid while being siphoned by Hanashi.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Name of Technique: Hanashi: Henkan [Death Blossom: Conversion]
Type of Jutsu: Ninjutsu; Kenjutsu
Rank: A
Range: Immediate vicinity of Hanashi
Nature Type: Oriton
Handsigns: N/A

Description: Whenever a non-Oriton source is the blade of Hanashi, Kinuko is able to permanently convert this to a blade by binding it with a seal to one of the eight legs of the spider seal on the blade. Kinuko is able to recall any of the sealed blades at any time.

Weakness: Interpret it yourself.

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

<Insert Anime knowledge and opinions here>

Also, Code Geass. That shit is pretty incredible.

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

Scorpion Sage is probably my favourite Sage. Or maybe Spider Sage.

... Nah, Scorpion is cooler.

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

Sorry for the lack of replies recently! I've been ill and it turns out that writing quality posts with a high fever is not as easy as I thought it would be. T_T

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

"Of course, your Grace. I will wait in the prisons until you have use of my talents - if it pleases you, I shall also probe your would-be assassin's mind for reasons. I should have extracted any information necessary by the time you are ready to speak with her." Came the reply, formal as ever, as she gave a brief, solemn nod to indicate that she had finished speaking. With a level of grace that few in the Empire could hope to achieve, Ra turned on her heel and begun to walk down, following slightly after Namine and the unconscious form of Ryuza.

Her position in the Empire was a precarious one at best - but her motivations for having joined them were, in essence, fairly simple: Shoko radiated a raw power and elegance unlike anything she had ever seen in another person, and with that power she had dominated the entire world. It was fitting that Ra had joined her, for no matter what happened in the future, her time spent in the Empire would put her talents to use in more ways than she had otherwise anticipated. Of course, she had mulled over the inevitable thought process of betrayal to achieve her own ends - but deep reflection had found that she had no such desires. The Empress was perhaps not academically superior to her (then again, perhaps she was - it was a possibility she entertained), but she was far more powerful. Her presence inspired a deep sense of devotion, and Ra knew that there could never be another ruler of the Empire, deep down, that could compare to Shoko.

Still, for all of her qualities, Ra did not find Shoko worthy of her complete and utter devotion. She was devoted to the Empire, yes, but not to its Empress as a person. She was the model leader, a being that was truly meant to rule, but Ra's standards for the ever-so-elusive emotion that was often called "love" were even higher than anything that the Empress could have hoped to attain. That fact spoke much about the Empress, yes, but it spoke even more about Ra. It was an obvious vulnerability to those who knew how to look for it - and fortunately, Ra knew how to look for those who knew how to look for it. If Namine was nearly as perceptive and insightful as she seemed to be - and on this Ra had no doubts that she was correct - she had at least briefly entertained the ideas and sown the seeds of future growth in her mind. What that future would be was a mystery, but it would be a pleasant experience to watch it unfurl.

As she began to descend down the stairs, slowly, she turned once again to look at the fleeting scene before her before it disappeared from sight and into memory. Yakoul's mere presence - and earlier suggestions - sent waves of revulsion through Ra. She knew better than anybody alive the thrill of domination and how intoxicating it could be - but the act of taking someone sexually as a display of dominance was abhorrent in all forms of the word. Murder has long since passed having an effect on her, but there were some acts that even she could find no pleasure in - and the thought of that was almost enough to make her want to remove all of the foul urges from Yakoul's mind. It was not something that she would ever do, but the thought was there.

Thoughts, for people like Ra, were rich, complex, and immersive - they were what they had based their entire ways of lives around, and for all of the importance that they held, they were still fleeting; still as ephemeral as a single life among the great vastness of the cosmos. As she turned back around, the thought was gone, snuffed out, and it would perhaps be reborn another day - but she had different things to focus on now. The descent down the stairs seemed to take an unnaturally long period of time, various thoughts flooding into and out of Ra's mind. When her foot hit the bottom step, she was shaken from her reverie, and the world swam back into a lucid state.

After Namine had completed her brief healing of Ryuza, she saw it fit to speak.

"Say the word and I'll remove all thoughts of rape from the fragments of Yakoul's mind."

It wasn't much, but there was a true sense of disgust deep inside her at the thought of such things - and in the presence of Namine, an emotion spoke more clearly than a hundred thouand words.

Naruto: Of Compassion and Tyranny

I suppose I'll post first, then. I've been posting with Sketcher in PMs as well, so I was hesitant to start posting first. xD

If you want to PM me the sort of relationship you think the two of us would have in character, that'd help a lot towards making a meaningful first post, Ouro c: