Without You



Date: May 8, 2013


None given.

"Without You"

Unknown location

Well into the night, Akuro rides a merchant vessel toward Kirigakure.
It'd been some time since he last heard from Kanrai, and there have been
talks of rebellion and such there, so he decided to take a trip and check
on her himself. As he sits in the bunk he rented for the trip, nearly
rocked to sleep by the waves, a commotion starts to ring out up on the
deck. He blinks a few times, wondering if it's worth checking out, but
curiosity takes its toll, and he hops up and walks out to check things

As he steps out, a group of men are pulling a rope on a pulley to hoist
something in while another group pulls in whatever it is they're lifting.
He steps around to the edge of the deck near them for a better look to see
that they appear to be bringing up the body of a young woman, adorned in a
blue kimono and bloody.

"Looks like she's already dead," one of them says before they turn the
body over and reveal her face.

Search for the answers I knew all along.
I lost myself. We all fall down.
Never the wiser of what I've become. Alone I stand, a broken man.

"Sh-Shiva?!" Akuro's eyes widen in horror as he sees Kanrai's face, her
body bloody and covered in bruises and wounds from a deadly fight. He
lunges forward, pushing the men out of the way to kneel by her, placing a
hand on her face as he shakes his head, trying to wake himself like this
has to just be a dream… A nightmare. "… No… Why…."

All I have is one last chance. I won't turn my back on you.

As he looks her body over, obviously in a complete state of shock, he
hears the voices of the crewmen.

"There have been talks of rebellion in Kirigakure."

"Poor girl must have gotten in a fight with the wrong person."

"What a shame…"

Those voices, however, fade away as the voices in his mind begin to
speak louder than they ever have before.

'There is nothing left.'

'Only we can help you.'

'There is no meaning to anything.'

'Kill them all.'

'Their lives are just as meaningless.'

'They all deserve to die.'

'Free them from this life.'

'Free them from their pain.'

'Kill them all.'

Take my hand. Drag me down.
If you fall, then I will too.
And I can't save what's left of you.

Kneeling by Kanrai's body, Akuro clutches his head and growls as the
voices seem to only get stronger and stronger. His mind is falling apart
worse than it ever has, agony and rage washing over him in wave after
wave. Is this what his life is meant to be, everything ripped away from
him? There is no sense to it, no reason, no meaning…

"Hey, kid, you okay?" one of the crewmen finally asks, tapping Akuro on
the shoulder.

Strangely enough, Akuro looks back up to the man with three playing
cards in his hand. "Pick a card," a strange, growling voice rings out from
underneath his mask. When the man touches the middle card, the odd shinobi
growls out, "Good choice!" He reaches with his other hand and grabs the
card, yanking it out if his hand and igniting the fuse attached to it. He
tosses it over and behind them to the center of the group that was
operating the pulley, causing an enormous explosion of fire that sends
some flying and skidding on the deck and some overboard.

Sing something new. I have nothing left.
I can't face the dark without you.

Leaping up, Akuro slashes the man's throat with his claw-like weapons
then kicks off him to do the same to the next guy then the next. One man
attempts to grab and restrain him from behind, only to be met with an
extreme showing of flexibility as Akuro slashes up his throat by swinging
his arm backwards.

There's nothing left to lose. The fight never ends.
I can't face the dark without you.

Reaching into his pouch, Akuro withdraws his deck of cards and grabs
several cards, each's fuse igniting as he throws it and causing explosions
all over the ship. As billows of smoke rise, he seems to disappear in the

Swallow me under and pull me apart.
I understand. There's nothing left.
Things so familiar and close to the heart.
No more, no less. I won't forget.

As the chaos ensues around the ship, crewmen attempting to put out
flames as well as watch out for the crazed Jounin, Akuro becomes visible
perched on top of the mast like a cat, his mask now one that looks like a
demented clown. He looks around, spotting Kanrai's body amongst the
flames. As it is surrounded by flames, he lets out a growling sigh and
clenches his fists. "I'll join you soon enough, Shiva-megami…"

Come back down. Save yourself.
I can't find my way to you.
And I can't bear to face the truth.

From his perch on the mast, Akuro begins to toss cards at every person he
sees moving, creating more and more explosions and fire on the deck. "Run,
run, or you'll be well done!" his growling voice shouts put as he picks
the crewmen off one by one. Screams ring out with each blast, more and
more lives lost with nowhere to run as the ships burns down around them.

Sing something new. I have nothing left.
I can't face the dark without you.

Grabbing a rope attached to the mast, Akuro leaps off and swings around.
As he swings, he tosses cards at the hull of the ship, creating more
explosions and create holes where water can enter and begin to bring the
ship down. More screams ring out from those dying in the rooms attached to
the walls that are hit by the explosions.

There's nothing left to lose.
The fight never ends.
I can't face the dark without you.

Once has put a hole in each side of the ship, Akuro swings over the ship
and drops down in a spiraling flip directly in front of the last man alive
on the deck, the captain, as he attempts to crawl away.


"It's all a game. There is no meaning to any of this," Akuro growls out
as he reaches into his pouch and draws another deck of cards and holds it
in the man's face. "Pick a card or die slowly." After some hesitation, the
captain points at a card then Akuro grabs some rope and binds him in
circles around his body and slaps copies of the card he chose all over his

I wanted to forgive.
I'm trying to forget.
Don't leave me here again.
I am with you forever, the end.

As water begins to wash onto the deck with the sinking of the ship,
Akuro stands takes a bow. "Looks like you fail. Adios, losers!" As the
tags activate, Akuro leaps off the ship and starts to run on top of the
water as lightning shoots up from the tags all over the captain. Then, it
becomes apparent he planted more tags around for flare as several more
fire and lightning tags go off around the ship, creating a bright and
devastating display while he runs away.

Say something new. I have nothing left. I can't face the dark without you.
There's nothing left to lose. The fight never ends. I can't face the dark without you.

"Let the games begin."

Holding the hand that holds me down.
I forgive you, forget you, the end.
Holding the hand that holds me down.
I forgive you, forget you, the end.

(Yes, Akuro has finally lost it. If anyone would like a related mission
or plot scene, shoot me an @mail.)
