[Q] Sending Letters.

[yoshinee]

Journeying by foot wasn't exactly the most relaxing way of travelling about. What it did allow however, was time to think and reflect over past choices. It allowed one to truely experience ones surroundings. The crimson eyes were carefully watching every detail of the landscape as she continued her travels.

..Twilight was slowly settling in, and Yoshinee had made her ways towards a minor village on the outskirts of the area she was supposed to be arriving at later. The mission description had been quite vague, but she knew that she'd have at least fourty-eight hours till the children would be at their posts at the abandoned city. That would give her plenty of time to do an important thing that she had missed before leaving Yukigakure, having already spotted the mail-centre.. Turning around, Yoshinee started to walk away. Instead of entering the village, Yoshinee aimed to find a peaceful place where she could be by herself.

Gathering dry wood and easily flammable leaves, the young kunoichi started a campfire, circled by rocks. Then, placing her backpack against a tree, she leaned herself against the backpack. Folding up her knees, she unpacked everything she'd need to write a letter. Pen, paper and the letter itself. With careful hand, the first few words were scrippled down. Dearest Tetsuya.... Wording the letter carefully, Yoshinee ended up being quite content with how it had panned out. In the morning she'd be posting it.

As the dark had encroached entirely upon her, Yoshinee knew it was too late to get a comfortable room at the town. Instead, she pulled out her sleeping bag and tugged herself slightly away underneath a bush. The fire had been put out, and she was preparing herself for a cold night in the wilds. Nothing that she hadn't been doing before, so it wasn't worrying her even the slightest. The darkness was so thick that seeing anything would be near impossible anyway. The immediate perimiter around her little camp should have probably been marked with strings and bells, warning her if anyone or anything would come close. The matter of the fact was that she had run out of such equipment, and needed to visit a shop for resupplies.. hopefully, nothing would approach her in the dark.

The crimson eyes got closed as she let out a soft yawn and fell asleep...

[Umehara]

.Bondage.

The very darkness that surrounded her watched with careful manner. A rueful grin crossed the features of a lone figure as he approached, complete silence taken up before he knelt down. The robes upon his person completely veiled him, almost as if he were a shadow....a wraith. And upon touching the woman's forehead with but two fingers, her very slumber would increase one-hundred fold. Her very subconscious would be pulled like the contents from a jar, twisting around his hand until molding into the fabric of his own chakra. Such enigmatic actions seemed veiled to the outside world. None would feel the shift in her chakra. No scream or plea for help would reach the ears of those who stood within the outside world.

And So Begins Purgatory.

[/u][/color][/size][/b][/right]

The world around her would inevitably change, twisting into the realm of the nether. Heat would slowly rise from the depths of darkness that painted the outskirts of the oblivion, her form still peacefully sleeping in lieu of his action. The wraith would paint a picture over her ability to see the truth - only when she awakened and attempted to take a step forward would her sense of reality shatter, revealing to her the world that he had birthed her into. "Such simple constructs that man creates. The poor soul of a wretch, and yet the gift of god has not been bestowed upon you. Fear not, child - I will be the hand that feeds you this day. Arise, and walk among the damned...

....your master commands it."

[/right]
[/font]

[yoshinee]

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.

[Umehara]

"You live, child."

The words of reassure were almost dead in tone as the figure emerged from the shadows, following her every footstep as if stalking his prey. The same crimson eyes that filled her vision were also within his own, and yet these appeared to be more refined....more luminous...more lethal. The cloak of shadows embraced him like succubus as he moved in circles. He seemed to hover in and out of existence; a corporeal body that was haunting every sense of her being. He lived in her thoughts, was tangible upon her tongue. He was the warmth between her thighs, and yet the chill of loneliness that hung in the air. His seduction of her was altogether absolute.

"This world is my playground. And I intend to share the will of god with you. But first....you will face the nightmare of deities and set forth on a right of passage. Tell me - what does it mean to live?"

From beneath his robes, his arm reached out to rub his chin. His hand appeared to be pale white, almost akin to that of a leper. The scarlet of his occuli appeared to reflect her own gaze back at her. In the distance, the howl of beasts could be heard echoing across the plain. The edifice upon which they stood shook slightly every minute or so, every obsidian construct that dotted the environment a greater sense of being caged in. He would allow Yoshinee to continue moving. In truth, however, it did not matter the direction she chose to run. East, West, North, South - they would all lead to her first trial.

The anticipation was delicious.

[yoshinee]

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]

[Umehara]

An interesting answer.

The entity appeared to chuckle for moments, the audible sounds of it echoing across the plain as he stopped his movement. Coming to stand upon the ground like that of a normal human being, the end of his clothing would manifest shadows that swirled and nipped at his heels as he walked forward. Arriving only a few meters afront Yoshinee, he bowed slightly as the very environment around them began to shift. Upon close inspection, the woman would now find herself standing atop a pool of crimson. The stench of blood filled the air, the wraith of a man silently fading into a nothingness. "Let us see if change is within you, child. For if not....then you will be my marionette for all of eternity. Trust only your eyes, for all else is an illusion. The clock is ticking, and time will wait for no man. Let the grace of god be with you.." the voice echoed out.

Action..

From the beneath the crimson pools did a child begin to rise. Very much existing within the pool itself, it appeared to manifest and be the spitting image of Yoshinee when she was but a child. Tattered clothing hung from her shoulder as her ribs peaked out through her epidermis. Scarlet eyes of purity hesitantly and meticulously looked at her more developed counterpart, the pool's essence causing her hair to lay matted along her face. "Th....they told me that if I could kill you, they would let me take your place..." the little girl spoke. There was an air of innocence, even in the midst of the grim foreshadowing of her words. The child hugged herself, almost as if she was threatened to come apart at the joints if she let herself go.

All around them did the obsidian constructs morph and twist into dead trees that seemingly rose into the heavens. Leaves of brilliant amber and scarlet danced around them as the little girl kept her eyes on the much bigger Yoshinee. A chakra signature was apparent as blue spheres pooled around her feet; she had the skill to manipulate her chakra to stand along the pool's surface. What other tricks awaited the captive of the twilight?

[yoshinee]

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...

[Umehara]

There was a twitch at the young Yoshinee's lips, and thereafter her eyes would snap open with the birth of the scarlet. Without so much as a grunt, the proximity between herself and the older Yoshi would come to quickly close to a minimum. The blood below rose into the air in parting waves as she moved, an almost tangible malevolence emanating from her very vessel. "I will have my freedom! I can rewrite what you've done!" she screamed. Her will seemed to be exerted with full force as her right arm pulled backward, bent at a slight angle. Upon reaching the Yuki shinobi, she'd unleash a full scale wave of blood as it curled around her arm. A fist of scarlet aimed toward Yoshi, threatening to knock her into the depths below to be taken by the sea of pain.

But the true Yoshinee had been correct - the flicker of life was nowhere to be found. So often did the past attempt to define the present, but to what extent could it do so? The young girl's expression held a rueful smile, a void vessel that once belonged to potential. Now there was only the promise of a tomorrow that truly did not belong to her. The Wraith that had summoned Yoshinee watched from the distance with mild interest. The woman held an intelligence that he had not seen before. Her outlook upon life was almost completely void of carnal reason, chosen instead to embrace the threads of fate instead of admiring the tapestry of deception. He would have to keep an eye on this one.

The first remnants of the Onigami Eye would awaken. "Unleash your mind's eye, child. The will of god implores the blood of your sacrifice..."

[yoshinee]

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...

Remember..

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..?

[Umehara]

The first vestiges of fear had been eviscerated by her occuli, the secret prowess of the Kekkei Genkai awakening as if coaxed to consciousness by her hidden potential. The youthful Yoshinee's offensive maneuver had been grand, and yet it was lackluster in the face of the true Yoshi's capabilities. Like chaff to the wind, the younger version of herself would succumb to the crimson fist. Its knuckles crashed into her vessel, effectively lifting her from the pool of scarlet and causing her body to gracefully careen heavenward. "So....strong...that resolve....is that what I've become...?" the young one spoke. Her body was broken; joints ached. She struggled to breathe as her lungs began to fail. Her locks veiled her countenance as she slowly began her descent back toward the edifice of liquid upon which they stood. And upon collision, Yoshinee would be freed from the entrapment of flora.

The Wraith once more descended upon her, the tendrils of his being reaching forth and barely caressing Yoshinee's skin as he chuckled. "Remember this faith, child. It is the grace and mercy of your blessing that delivers you this day. The past is no more than a dead weight. And as such, you should pay homage to the deceased by not visiting their graves more than necessary. Come."

As the wraith would began to jettison across the obsidian edifice, the blood of the body of liquid beneath Yoshinee would slowly rise and come to inhabit her iris. The audible and echoed sound of locks disengaging could be heard, but only from within Yoshinee's ears. She had unlocked the first traces of her god-given abilities, and yet she had not scratched the surface of what this enigma of a man had in store for her. If she were to follow his "footsteps", she would eventually happen upon three tables.

• Upon the first? A sword.
  
• Upon the second? A shield.
  
• Upon the third? A staff.
  

The Wraith turned to face her, that skin of leprosy jutting forth as he rubbed his chin. Scarlet eyes regarded her for moments, before his lips peeked out from beneath a veil of shadow to form a sinister grin. "Tell me, child. What is sacrifice?"

[yoshinee]

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.

[Umehara]

She had chosen the sword, and thus the second of her tests would come to greet her in the form of the shield and staff rising from the table to crash one into the other. A staircase of ascension would rise from the obsidian beneath her feet, bringing her to rise toward the heavens as the wraith vanished slowly. Sacrifice would play a vital role within the next few minutes, and soon the staircase would stop its spiral toward the heavens. She could survey the world for all that it was. The same environment she stood upon loomed for as far as her eye could see. But before she could take in every ounce of the scenery, the shield and staff would move toward the central point of a circular platform. Composed of glass and obsidian, a single burst of energy would ring out from its focal point.

And there, from the remnants of power, a gargantuan lynx would step forth from the nothingness.

Its majesty was held with the utmost respect as the heavens above parted, beams of light cascading all about the animal's impressive stature. Muscular appendages pawed along the ground as crimson eyes stared forth and met her own. Its fur, a mahogany color that appeared to be the very epitome of durability, lined its body. Obsidian claws clanked against the platform as its ear pointed upward, the maw of the giant opening to release a roar that would shake Yoshi's very vessel slightly.

The wraith appeared at her side, his hands folded within his robe as he spoke. "Is your sacrifice worthy? Much like Cain and Abel, will your sacrifice fall upon deaf ears....or will you be received unto the will of your limits so as to surpass them. The will....


.....Of the Onigami"?

[yoshinee]

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?

[Umehara]

Her sacrifice was admirable. The revered acknowledgement of the lynx would be more than acceptable, the large animal stalking about her frame before gently lowering its head so as to nudge her. Yoshinee's body was slowly lifted from the edifice and rolled onto the beast's back, the blade embedded within her now shattering into what appeared to be a hundred shards before swirling with great intent around them. The wraith lingered above with little more than a malevolent grin, his hands clasped together through the shadows of his robe.

"The will of god now acknowledges your faith. Your eyes are now alive, my child. I shall remain ever vigilant. Now....show me your devotion and train meticulously. I will be watching.."

It was as if freedom was now hers, though she would still exist within this world. The lynx carried her bleeding frame for a great distance, its eyes flickering with a newfound power of commandment. The pillar slowly lowered itself toward the ground, the sacrifice of her blood illuminating the entire area and casting it into a sea of red rose petals that now showered down upon them. Eventually, a corporeal form of the lynx would slowly vanish into nothingness, coming to rest inside of Yoshinee's very soul. She lay where she once did, seemingly none the wiser that she was still confined to the wraith's bondage of illusory magic.

He would reserve his judgement for now, intangible and without the ability to be sensed as he followed her until further notice. If she so much as failed to truly appreciate this gift, then he would eviscerate her soul and cleave her flesh in twain. Such was the will of god, and such would he carry out until he was no longer necessary.

-- Onigami Officially Unlocked --