[Q] Sending Letters.

Laying softly on her side within the sleeping bag, Yoshinee's only reaction to the gentle touch to her forehead was a slight shift of balance going through her body. In doing so, a soft sigh also left her soft lips. The outside world was slowly fading away as she entered the deepest sleep...


Welcome to the Furnace!!![/size]


Opening the crimson eyes, Yoshinee found herself lying face-first on an obsidian colored rock, easily as hard as titanium. Just from having laid on it her back had gotten stiff and hurt a slight bit. Pressing her hands against it, the young kunoichi got up sitting. The body was giving off signs of having slept for a while, and it took some time for everything to get adjusted. An overpowering heat..? Where on earth had she woken up..? No, this place couldn't be earth, could it..? Stretching out her back and various limbs, Yoshinee's crimson eyes looked around in disbelief. Horror slowly painting itself over her face.
Everywhere, this place had been colored by a dark shade of orange, likely from pools of melted stone just outside her vision range. Everything that wasn't colored orange, had a dark shade of obsidian or black. The darkness above the orange-enlightened obsidian blocks appeared to take on a gastric form, almost indicating that toxic fumes could be in the air all around her. Creeping slightly together and pulling her knees up in front of her body, the girls breathing had gotten heavier and faster. Uneasyness was settling upon her like a creeping plague, making it hard for her to think of anything logical. Find reason! Analyse.. analyse.. analyse..

Looking upwards, Yoshinee was able to identify the lack of a ceiling. At least if there was any ceiling at all, it would be farther up than she'd be capable of reaching by hand. Regardless of which direction she stared, the barren wastes continued on for miles. No walls, no structures, nothing. This place... This loneliness, helplessness, fear. It was all far too real to be written off as a nightmare. This was the closest one would come to a living hell..

Slowly gathering that she'd have no other choice than to make a break for it and continue moving in one direction, Yoshinee got herself together. With trembling steps she started walking, knowing not where this journey would take her.

In a dress of scarlett..[/size]

The more Yoshinee woke up into the dream, or nightmare, the more this place took shape and direction. The more she woke up, the more she could feel the heat and sense details. It wasn't till then she noticed. Deep scarlet colors adorned her body in the shape of a tribal-esque promenade dress. The dress seemed to have been made from a soft kind of silk that was almost kissing her body. From both of her ears, a pair of half-moon earrings with scarlet gems were dangling back and forth from every step she took. Her hairstyle had been changed into a deep-knot bun, held together by the assistance of ritualistic chopsticks. All in all, it appeared someone had prepared her for a series of rituals.. or as a sacrifice.

As a voice pierced the veil, Yoshinee looked aroudn with a startled expression. It meant this place was indeed in the world of the living. At least, if she was to believe what she was told. The crimson eyes met his, before widening to their maximum. His eyes...! Those are the same eyes!? Even when he shifted out of reality, the young kunoichi could still feel him. Even when he didn't speak, she could still hear him. In this place, he appeared to be everything - and nothing - all at the same time. Compared to being alone, Yoshinee welcomed him with a gracious manner. Even if he had been the one to cause this ruckus upon her.. at least she wasn't alone.

This world is..

While continuing to walk, Yoshinee's head was lowered slightly, as her gaze was directed onto the ground she was stepping upon. A strange question to be asking, yet one she didn't have an immediate answer formulated upon. What is life? Time passed, steps were taken. It was clear that the wheels were grinding inside of her head. "Life is, technically, objects capable of metabolism.." Yoshinee started, having finally reached an answer as her face lit up in a warm smile, almost capable of battling it out with the surrounding heat. "..People often say that inanimate objects come alive in certain conditions.."[/b]

With that, Yoshinee stopped and looked at the stranger who had decided to accompany her in this lone hell. "...I think I've found an answer... Winther changes to spring, spring changes to summer. Summer changes to autumn, and autumn changes to winther. While that cycle is not based on metabolism, it still comes alive, no? The planets turn, spin and change. Do they not have a life of their own?... I think life is simply change. When things do no longer change, only then can they be said to be truely dead."[/b]

The chuckling sent shivers down Yoshi's spine, making her feel slightly uneasy. Even so, it didn't appear to her as if the figure in front of her was threathening her directly. Constantly speaking about the will of the divine. In other words, he was likely testing her for whatever he may believe her purpose to be. The crimson eyes watched his every move.. Why did he have the same eyes as she..
...Never before had she met anyone else with crimson-scarlet eyes.

Let us see if change is within you, child.

The words echoed with a strange power, before the entire world around her started resonating with each and every echo, changing its own form and shape. What had former been obsidian rocks slowly became fluid while changing color. From the core of their darkness a crimson red began bursting forth, almost bringing life to what had been lifeless. Exactly like the power of pure divinity. Like the power of a god. The scent was also changing, and it didn't take many seconds before she figured that she was standing on top of a pool of crimson blood. Wearing no thing such as sandals, she could even feel the sticky substance against her feet.

Twisting and turning, just like the rocks had done before, a figure started to take shape and color at the surface of the pool. A little creature, fragile and pale. The hair was without life, hanging from her head as if it had been quickly stitched on. The arms were thin and boney, barely able to be called limbs. A sorrowful state for a little girl. However, it wasn't just a little girl. It was Yoshinee herself. The young kunoichi was even able to precisely date which day of her memory this image had been taken from.
Sickness was still evident in the body. Despair and suffering painted over her face. The bloodied feet and the irritated skin over her neck, where a tatoo had recently been implanted into her skin. This image was from the last day she had seen her parents alive. This image was the day she chose to fight and live on, rather than give up and die in the ruins of their house. The image was far too clear. It made Yoshi tremble. The sense of justice was screaming at her, making it clear that she could not gather the resolve to fight this weak girl.. To fight this weak image of herself...

Trust only your eyes, child!

The voice echoed within Yoshi's mind, calling out to her, waking her from the paralysing state that the vision had brought upon her. The crimson eyes sharpened their gaze upon the figure that was supposedly herself. There was something off.. The eyes of the little Yoshi..?..
"...Your eyes.. they're not the same as mine." Yoshinee spoke to the child, slowly taking a stance where she'd be prepared to fight, even if she knew that this wasn't real. "The flame of life.. It doesn't burn in your eyes, for you do not change.."

Sharpening further, a slight flame of crimson appeared in Yoshinee's left eye. A slight spark, that had the same color as the man who she kept seeing in her vision. It was a flame that had begun burning when she had first chosen to live so many years ago. A flame that had always been burning, but never able to turn into a true fire. Now, as she was finally paying attention to what her eyes saw, the fire had started, although still a spark. Yoshi could see.. "..You do not change, for you are the memory of who I once was.".. As she came to that conclusion, her right eye gained the same flaming spark.

The aura around Yoshinee changed. There was something building inside that she couldn't control. It seemed to be almost involuntarily controlling her. Almost like an undiscovered nature that had never revealed itself until now. The voice in which Yoshinee spoke had turned to a commanding and echoing roar, accepting no defiance. "Stand down. A memory should not stand in the way of the present."
The crimson eyes with the scarlet flames were locked on the past Yoshinee, watching everything...

The eyes of scarlet that opened in the childs eyes.. It was sending cold shivers throughout her entire body. Like a demon looking at life itself. This memory. A memory so deep, yet so forgotten. Those demonic eyes.. Everything slowed down at a rapid pace all around Yoshinee. The pool of crimson was being parted as the memory charged forwards. The strenght and speed was unlike anything Yoshinee posessed. The force was unreal, yet everything was moving so slow. The crimson drops had completely stopped in mid air. The charging appearance of her memory moving at snail speed. A voice was echoing. No, her own voice was echoing...



A strange feeling emerged in her body. It started in her centre like a warming fire. It was comfortable, soothing... protective. All the while, her memory kept getting closer. What was it that she had so solemnly forgotten..?

The lifeless corpses of her parents.. Their limbs lay scattered across the floor as they had been decapitated by the band of thieves. The wooden floor painted in a dark bloody red. The sensation of stepping on broken glass..

The warming feeling was slowly climbing through her body, from the deepest pit of her soul towards her eyes. The flame was flickering stronger than it ever had before. The raging waters from the crimson pool was enveloping the strike from the child, threathening to drown Yoshinee and forever claim her in the deepest darkness of her own mind.. The crimson eyes got closed..

Bending down, she could see the broken pieces of glass that she had stepped upon. With a careful movement she attempted to remove them from her tiny feet. There was no fear in her body, only an instinct to survive. An instinct to do the neccesary. Painted in the broken pieces of glass, she could see the dark phoenix that had been tatood on her skin. In the reflection of the mirror, something was blurry. There was something she had forgotten.. As the memory sharpened, a bright scarlet hue was apparent in the glass.. Those eyes! Yoshinee remembered! They had lead her from the darkness of her home, through the deepest corners of the forest. They had shown her the way, and allowed her to hide from anything that would cause her harm. They had saved her life, and she had forgotten..

"I remember.."

As Yoshinee opened her eyes again, the same color of scarlet met the memory of her past. The world around her expanded. Nothing would hide from her vision. The eyes had awakened, as soon as she had remembered... The world was resuming its pace, and she'd have to take action.

Gathering around Yoshinee's own arm at a pace that would seem almost instantaneous, the crimson waters formed into a giant fist. Smashing it forward, she had no intentions of backing down to a mere memory. The two opposing sides collided. The crimson water was thrown into every which direction.. who had come out on top.. The present, or the past..?

Just in as chaotic and powerful manner the unyielding resolve had found roots in her body; Just as silently and solemnly did it disappear. The commanding aura around Yoshinee slowly lowered every second as the remaining drops of crimson liquid returned to the pool. The head of the young kunoichi slightly lowered, as the glinting in her eyes returned to being but a spark. The vision prowess returned to being but something she could sense in the distance. Being so close, yet so far away. It was a stinging sensation, making her almost unable to see. The burning was beyond comprehension.
"I'll always move forward.."[/b] Yoshinee said with a soft smile through the pain, as the broken body of her memory disappeared into the waters below. Finally released, Yoshinee would've started to walk forwards, looking for that strange man in these once more barren wastes. Though, before she had managed to take more than a few steps, the broken body turned into a gently swirling red liquid. Entering her eyes, it felt like a cooling sensation, removing the pain and once more sharpening her vision. It could be compared to opening your eyes for the first time.

As the man returned, his light caressing of her cheek felt strange. Almost as if he was nursing for an infant that was only just learning how to live. It was the strangest of sensations, yet one that she couldn't linger on for too long; Nor one she could respond to, as they walked forwards, without looking back to what had just transpired.. All his talking was something that she just noted in the back of her mind. The last time, having carefully listened to his words had brought her out of a pinch.

They came upon three stands, and it was almost as if she was asked to pick up one. First however, Yoshinee was having to make a decision.

..What is sacrifice?

The scarlet eyes slowly turned to look at him, as every moment in her life where she had done a sacrifice flickered before her eyes. One especially coming back to her. The day she had chosen to steal for the first time. Slowly her lips turned, this question was easy. The resolve in Yoshinee's eyes were always the same. "A sacrifice is merely a choice."[/b] The time which she had taken to speak had been almost instantaneous..
"..A choice between two valuable things. Once you're forced to make that choice, you will always experience sacrifice. Wheter it will be something as harmless as sacrificing feelings for a loved one, or wheter your sacrifice will be in blood."[/b]

It was the same here. Regardless of what she chose, she'd be sacrificing the benefits of the others. Regardless of what would happen, she'd only be capable of fighting with one of these. Nearing the first stand, Yoshinee did a slight bow before the sword. If instructed to do so, or if allowed to do so, she'd reach out and pick up the sword and sheathe. While the two other weapons had their advantages, it didn't matter. Regardless of the task, her spirit would always have the shape of a sword.

The ground underneath her started to rumble, as a staircase started to move upwards, much like a pillared snake from below her. It was moving upwards slowly, gently, yet intently. Carrying her tiny frame upwards towards the heavens, the only thing Yoshinee could do was to lean her head backwards and allow her scarlet eyes to take in everything that this world had to offer. As vile and demonic as it seemed, it no longer felt hostile towards her pressence. Maybe the change had actually happened inside herself, how she viewed the world. The eyes she viewed the world with had changed, and so had her perspective upon it.

As the ascension came to an end, Yoshinee was standing upon a pillar with a free fall in every which direction. A free fall that seemed to go on forever, yet she knew that there was a bottum down there somewhere. Slowly lowering her neck region to view ahead, the staff and shield gathered themselves. Instinctively, she placed her left hand onto the sheathe, while placing the right hand on the hilt of the sword, taking a defensive posture. The movement of the objects seemed to indicate that something was happening here. The crimson eyes watched, carefully.. Though, even before she could see anything, she was losing breath.

The body of the young girl shivered as the mighty being slowly appeared onto the platform. It was a gigantic cat. No, not just any cat. This was a Lynx. A rare pristine feline, so specialised and unique that it had no equal. One pair of crimson eyes met the other, and Yoshinee was struck with awe. Perfection, there was no other way to go about it. Lowering her head, with a deep respect. The roar made her hair fly into every which direction, before the silence laid upon the two of them.

Though it was a roar, it was speaking to her. The voice of the man completely faded, Yoshinee knew what was expected of her. From the corner of her eyes, tears of crimson started to run. Fear. The limbs of the young kunoichi shaking, as she slowly knelt down on top of her pillar. With shaking hands, she presented the sword and sheathe to the lynx, holding them out in stretched arm, allowing the feline to inspect her every action, which she performed with utmost care, although shaking. Sacrifice never came easy. Especially not this kind.

Slowly drawing the sword from the sheathe, she placed the sheathe on the ground and presented the sword to the lynx. The sharpness of the blade could almost be seen, as the divine light from the feline was reflected in the edge of the blade. Holding the hilt of the sword with her right hand, she held the tip of the blade with her left hand, to guide it and keep it as steady as she could. The trembling was slowly coming to an end, as she had come to terms with the choice she had made. Sacrifice is a choice.[/color]

Slowly changing the angle and direction, Yoshinee soon found herself sitting in a position that was anything but comfortable. The breathing that had been fast and deep because of fear was slowly calming down. The flickering in her eyes slowly fixated upon the blade. The tip of the blade had been aligned against the center of her chest. The lenght would easily pierce her entire being. Sitting like that, she was presented to the lynx, no, the god, as a sacrifice herself.
There, one word the stranger had spoke reached her, as she gently parted her lips. This could very well be her final words.

"I acknowledge the will of the Onigami."[/b]
Raising her head, she met the crimson eyes of the Lynx. A soft smile came upon her lips. The tears in her eyes had dried up. The decision was made.
"..Please accept my sacrifice... Please accept........ my love."
With the last words leaving her lips, Yoshinee pulled the blade through her being. Over her lips the darkred blood dripped to the corner of her mouth, before running over her chin. The bloodied blade stuck out from her back, as she slowly sank down on her knees. The crimson flame in her eyes started burning more violently than it had ever done before, as the flame of her life flickered. The sacrifice had been made. Nothing would change that now. Though, as she was sitting there, and her blood was running from the pillar she was sitting on, her eyes were allowing her to see glimpses through the nightmare that had been created on her.. was all of this just a dream?