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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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Velorien said:
Interlude: A Warrior Falls​

If there was anything more beautiful than the sunlight streaming through the branches, nobody had told Keiko about it. If there was anything more peaceful than sitting by her master's side, watching the cherry blossoms fall, she had yet to discover it. She had only recently found out that cherry blossom viewing was something noblemen and clan seniors traditionally did, and, the season being right, had suggested it at once. Now, here she lay back on the picnic blanket, sipping cool barley tea while her master gazed at the falling blossoms and silently composed haiku, his deep black fur a perfect contrast to the gentle colours.

A shadow fell over them abruptly, blocking out the sunlight.

Oh, good. Other people.

"What do you want, Yumi?"

Yumi (probably) smiled at her.

Keiko was good at recognising smiles—Ami made them all the time—but apparently a smile could mean just about anything, from "I like you" to "I'm thinking about how best to hurt you". Other children knew how to tell the difference and react in time.

Why the whole thing was necessary, Keiko didn't know. If you had something you wanted to say to someone, why not simply say it, instead of doing this complicated dance to which everyone but Keiko knew the steps?

"Hey, Keiko. I see you've got not being in people's way down to an art."

Like many people, Yumi assumed that because Keiko couldn't easily recognise when people were lying by looking at their face, she was an idiot who took everything she was told at face value. As if Keiko couldn't learn from experience. Sometimes other children hurt her for no reason, and sometimes they were smiling or laughing when they did. She didn't assume goodwill anymore.

Besides, insults weren't people. Insults were information, and every Mori knew information was there to be analysed. Keiko already knew whether she was stupid (no Mori was stupid), ugly (Ami assured her that she wasn't), or mean (she didn't hate people, she just wished they weren't there). If people were saying those things, they must be lying—no matter how they were saying them—and understanding why they were lying was a matter of thinking rather than of perceiving.

"We've been watching you and Mewramasa strutting about like you owned the place," Yumi said. "Lord Masamewne is worth ten of your Mewramasas. Go play indoors."

Keiko and Mewramasa leapt up in outrage.

"Excuse me? Lord Mewramasa comes from the proud lineage of Ami herself. He's practically a daimyo. Besides, Masamewne's no real samurai—he has white fur. Haven't you ever heard the saying that a warrior must never let his enemies see him bleed?

"That," she added, "and he must need washing three times as often."

Yumi snorted. "Lord Masamewne is elegant and refined. He doesn't mind having a bath every day."

She stepped closer to Keiko, uncomfortably close.

"If you two aren't backing down, then there's only one way to settle this, warrior to warrior."

Keiko didn't need telling. "A duel."

"Noon tomorrow, after chores. I'll see you in the Spiral Garden… if you're not too scared to come."

"Never," Keiko said fiercely. "We'll show you what a warrior's soul is worth."

She hesitated. "Wait, a proper duel needs seconds. There are no other kittens active in the Mori compound, much less honourable felines of noble pedigree."

"Way ahead of you," Yumi said, giving another probably-smile. "I've managed to get Meowmoto himself."

"Meowmoto?!" Keiko gasped. "I thought he had been retired."

"I've persuaded her to bring him out one last time. No accusing me of cheating after Masamewne beats down your so-called samurai."

Meowmoto himself. The ginger legend. Constantly challenged. Never defeated. Retiring only when his injuries had become too heavy to repair, and Satoko's parents gave her—shudder—a collie for her birthday.

"Mewramasa, Devourer of Unworthy Souls, bows to no one," Keiko declared. Then she hurried away (in a dignified manner). They had less than twenty-four hours to train, and none of her other toys had live battle experience. Worse, she had to find someone who liked her enough to be Mewramasa's second.

-o-​

A cool wind blew across the Spiral Garden. Cherry blossoms rained down as two warriors faced each other in silence, one black, one white. Their fangs were sharp, their claws ready for battle, and each knew that there was more at stake than being forever exiled to their retainer's room. This was a battle for samurai pride.

Meowmoto and Satoko stood behind Masamewne and Yumi, their presence alone a vote of confidence and a source of moral support.

Mewramasa was at a disadvantage from the start. Keiko had had to beg one of her Academy classmates to come out, and Yoshitsuneigh wasn't even a kitten. Still, Mewramasa was the Devourer of Unworthy Souls. He would not fall to some mangy upstart.

The judge, standing off by the side, was Shion herself. A mere human should not have had the right to interfere in the affairs of kittens, but Shion's grandmother had been a civilian seamstress, one capable of making new toys, and that made Shion a quarter-goddess in all matters feline.

"On the count of three," Shion said.

Keiko and Mewramasa tensed.

"One.

"Two.

"Three!"

Mewramasa and Masamewne flew forward. They slammed into each other dead in the middle of the garden, swiftly engaging in the time-honoured samurai art of rolling around on the ground trying to force the other into submission.

Keiko forgot herself in the thrill of battle. Mewramasa thrust and clawed for all he was worth, accepting every hit as the price of his inevitable victory. His fangs tore at Masamewne's throat even as Masamewne tried to roll over and crush him. His paws batted Masamewne from side to side, denying him the chance to rise and counter.

But Masamewne gave no quarter, seizing every opening and opportunity to do damage, however small. He pulled at Mewramasa's weak points, headbutted him to push him off-balance, and once even used his tail to capture one of Mewramasa's paws.

No mercy was asked for, and none given. The loyal retainers' hands gained countless accidental scratches from each other's nails, and bruises from slamming against the ground. At the time, neither noticed.

"Enough!" Shion finally called out.

The two warriors disengaged and bowed to Shion, waiting for her judgement. Masamewne had one ear torn nearly in half. Mewramasa's tail was close to coming off. Both limped, their fur had been scraped off in places, and their retainers panted in exhaustion.

"Victor: Masamewne!"

Mewramasa bowed his head dejectedly. True, Yumi was a year older. True, Keiko wasn't particularly strong even for her age. Even so, Mewramasa had fire in his soul. He had been a gift from Ami herself, a champion of darkness summoned from the very depths of Sagami's Toy Shop to bestow judgement and consume the weak. It was the cruellest of jokes that he should be exiled to become a pitiful housecat.

"We lose," Keiko said reluctantly. "The compound is yours to rule."

"Not so fast," Yumi said with another smile. Keiko didn't need telling that this was one of the bad ones. "Your samurai has been dishonoured. You know there is only one way to wash away dishonour."

Keiko would forever regret the seconds it took for her to understand Yumi's meaning. Seconds in which she and Mewramasa could have run. Yes, it would have doubled the dishonour, but anything—only playing with him outside the compound where the other girls couldn't see, or even giving him away—would have been better than what happened next.

Shion tore him out of her arms. She took out a penknife.

"No!" Keiko screamed, and lunged forwards.

Yumi pushed her down. Held her there. "No one can interfere with the ritual."

Keiko struggled with everything she had. But like Mewramasa, she wasn't strong enough to fight for what truly mattered.

Yuriko brought down the knife, and slashed through Mewramasa's stomach. Keiko gasped.

But Mewramasa was still alive. Of course he was too powerful to be killed with a single wound. He was a plush kitten, a superior species Keiko was honoured to serve. He could suffer no injury that a good enough sewing-nin couldn't heal.

Except that the blood of a seamstress ran through Shion's veins. She knew the extent of Mewramasa's power, knew what it would take to utterly destroy even someone like him. She kept slashing over and over as if she'd gone mad. Before Keiko's eyes, stuffing spilled out, limbs came apart, button eyes were torn from their sockets…

The sight took away whatever strength Keiko had left.

Minutes after the girls were gone, she finally lifted herself from the ground. There was only one more thing she could do for her fallen lord, and she was the only one who could do it.

A funeral pyre (for which she would later be grounded for a week) burned in a corner of the compound. After one last prayer to Mewramasa's ancestors, the Sagami family line, she placed his body in the flames, and watched until it burned to ashes.

Only then did she run sobbing to Ami.
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Well you can rock me to sleep tonight, you cruel bastard. I'm all verklempt, and suddenly I want to write an Interlude about something truly horrific happening to a young girl named Yumi that teaches her not to be so mean.
 
Everybody's confused about the toys fighting, what im confused about is Keiko engaged in somewhat physical activity with her peers.
Was this before the fear of physical contact? I don't actually remember how that started.
(Or is just a look into an AU where Mori kids maintain a complicated toy hierarchy that dictates whether or not the owners can be allowed to play with them inside the compound)
 
eaglejarl said:
Well you can rock me to sleep tonight, you cruel bastard. I'm all verklempt, and suddenly I want to write an Interlude about something truly horrific happening to a young girl named Yumi that teaches her not to be so mean.
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[] Action Plan: Hazou Shows "Yumi" the True Meaning of Chaos
 
ContextBot said:
Now I want to know what Kurosawa kids do, dance off? Debate club?
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Mock Hazou behind his back for being a traitor to the clan and by doing a lot of other really really mean things to a kid in his circumstances that in a Just World would result in instant retribution via divine lightning strikes.
 
MMKII said:
Mock Hazou behind his back for being a traitor to the clan and by doing a lot of other really really mean things to a kid in his circumstances that in a Just World would result in instant retribution via divine lightning strikes.
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Lose bets to Hazō, making him known as the Legendary Gambler among his generation.
 
Falconis said:
Everybody's confused about the toys fighting, what im confused about is Keiko engaged in somewhat physical activity with her peers.
Was this before the fear of physical contact? I don't actually remember how that started.
(Or is just a look into an AU where Mori kids maintain a complicated toy hierarchy that dictates whether or not the owners can be allowed to play with them inside the compound)
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She's always been okay with taijutsu. That's expected, and all about exerting control.
 
Kiba said:
There are a thousand things to do and ask! I don't think biosealing is really worth it without ethical biosealing testing methodology.
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It would definitely be a longterm idea but the very concept of biosealing is just way too tempting to not look into. Plus between Jiraiya, Kagome, Hazo, and probably Tsunade if she's interested they could make serious strides in a whole new direction.
 
faflec said:
OK I'm gonna be honest, for a second there I thought they were making actual cats fight and I just watched Keiko's get slaughtered for children's amusement.
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It was a bit ambigous for me as well until I remembered that not even ninjas could tell cats to do something they don't want to.

eaglejarl said:
Well you can rock me to sleep tonight, you cruel bastard. I'm all verklempt, and suddenly I want to write an Interlude about something truly horrific happening to a young girl named Yumi that teaches her not to be so mean.
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Just have her fall into the tournament arena during Keiko's match and have one of her massive Pangolins catch her. No collateral damage, just lots of reason for Yumi to remember how she treated Keiko back in the day to fuel her subsequent panic attacks.
 
Tua said:
No collateral damage, just lots of reason for Yumi to remember how she treated Keiko back in the day to fuel her subsequent panic attacks.
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People tend to rationalize their behavior a lot more than I think you realize. I doubt Yumi would go to thinking about her past mistreatment of Keiko, she's more likely to think that Keiko would have her killed just because she's evil.
 
faflec said:
OK I'm gonna be honest, for a second there I thought they were making actual cats fight and I just watched Keiko's get slaughtered for children's amusement.
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I thought the exact same thing. Even with the seamstress bit I just assumed it meant making new toys for cats to play with. Still pretty depressing forcing a little kid to watch their favorite toy getting ripped up like that.
 
faflec said:
People tend to rationalize their behavior a lot more than I think you realize. I doubt Yumi would go to thinking about her past mistreatment of Keiko, she's more likely to think that Keiko would have her killed just because she's evil.
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Alright, fine.

What do you think about leaving decapitated plush kitten heads in her bed instead?
 
Tua said:
Alright, fine.

What do you think about leaving decapitated plush kitten heads in her bed instead?
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She'll be really confused due to the lack of context? I don't think someone like Yumi will remember her actions towards Keiko's stuffed cat and draw the conclusion that quickly.

Or someone else does, and she has some leverage to push against us for vandalism/breaking and entering, I dunno.
 
faflec said:
She'll be really confused due to the lack of context? I don't think someone like Yumi will remember her actions towards Keiko's stuffed cat and draw the conclusion that quickly.

Or someone else does, and she has some leverage to push against us for vandalism/breaking and entering, I dunno.
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OK, you convinced me.

Lets find out who her friends are, get blackmail material on them to force them to abandon Yumi so she will be isolated and lonely until the day she dies.
 
I'm just waiting for the day she makes her first Shadow Clone, looks at the world with qualia free of the Frozen Skein, and truly comprehends what it's like to not be a Mori.
 
Inferno Vulpix said:
I'm just waiting for the day she makes her first Shadow Clone, looks at the world with qualia free of the Frozen Skein, and truly comprehends what it's like to not be a Mori.
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SC KEIKO: What is this feeling? I feel lighter than air and the dark shroud of pessimism creeping over my thoughts about the future has been lifted... it's as if despite my knowledge that our existence is screeching towards oblivion at an ever increasing rate.... that contemplating those brighter futures and best case scenarios that surely will not be... is putting me at ease?

HAZOU: Keiko, I think you're experiencing 'hope' ...?

SC KEIKO: How do I make it stop? It's making me uncomfortable.
 
MMKII said:
SC KEIKO: What is this feeling? I feel lighter than air and the dark shroud of pessimism creeping over my thoughts about the future has been lifted... it's as if despite my knowledge that our existence is screeching towards oblivion at an ever increasing rate.... that contemplating those brighter futures and best case scenarios that surely will not be... is putting me at ease?

HAZOU: Keiko, I think you're experiencing 'hope' ...?

SC KEIKO: How do I make it stop? It's making me uncomfortable.
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*Compel taken! +1 Fate Point*

HAZOU: You could always just stab yourself.

SC KEIKO: A good point. *stab*

KEIKO: ... *takes out explosive tag*

HAZOU: Keiko what are you doing?

KEIKO: Optimizing your suggestion.
 
Evenstar said:
Hazou made skywalkers without a reference library, and didn't think about a counter. He's also demonstrably terrible at OPSEC. Do you really want to give him more resources? The phrase "smart enough to be dangerous" pops into my head, here.
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Of course! He made skywalkers without a reference library imagine what kind of goodies he could give the village with one! Plus, he can give his new inventions to Jiraiya and Shikaku to hold onto until he thinks up a counter to them. He may even be able to think up a counter for Skywalkers if he gets access to a sealing reference library.
 
Not to ruin the mood but I actually worry about what Keiko is going to do if her Shadow Clones really don't have the FS.

She might want to keep using it for prolonged time, which would be bad for the sustain cost alone but it also doesn't sound like it would be a healthy coping mechanic.

Heck, SC actually could even be like an addictive drug as far as Mori are concerned.
 
Tua said:
Not to ruin the mood but I actually worry about what Keiko is going to do if her Shadow Clones really don't have the FS.

She might want to keep using it for prolonged time, which would be bad for the sustain cost alone but it also doesn't sound like it would be a healthy coping mechanic.

Heck, SC actually could even be like an addictive drug as far as Mori are concerned.
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Plot twist! 'Mori Ami' is actually the shadow clone of the real Mori Ami who became self sustaining and killed her creator!
 
Tua said:
Not to ruin the mood but I actually worry about what Keiko is going to do if her Shadow Clones really don't have the FS.

She might want to keep using it for prolonged time, which would be bad for the sustain cost alone but it also doesn't sound like it would be a healthy coping mechanic.

Heck, SC actually could even be like an addictive drug as far as Mori are concerned.
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I know, it'll be great. We'll have one member of the Goketsu addicted to women, one to explosives, one to lists, one to Shadow Clones, one to self-deprecation, and one Goketsu Noburi keeping his clan together.
 
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