Kurai Niwa Meets King Taishou, the Kirikorosu no Juu Chi Tonogata

Kurai sat under a sakura tree at the top of the hill with her head leaning back against the trunk. Her eyes were half open as she looked at the horizon. It was one of her few days off and she was taking full advantage of the free time she had been given. She loved nothing more than peace and quiet with breathtaking scenery like this.

She heard him approching before she saw him and sensed his confident attitude. Whether he was there to pick a fight or merely passing through, it didnt matter to her. She wanted to relax, and she was going to do just that, whether she was disturbed or not.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "No. Not at all," She replied politely, shaking her head. She stood up and held out her hand. "Kurai Niwa. And you are?" She treated him, as she did with most others who showed politeness towards her, with respect.

She nodded and smiled brightly. "I've heard rumors but i never expected to be fortunate enough to finally meet you. Its a pleasure, really it is," She nodded at him, making a mental note to bow to him as soon as their hands were dropped.

She bowed and smiled again. "Of course. It's not very often that someone earns a title such as yours. People never forget those sorts of stories," She shook her head. "Well, at least i certainly wouldnt,"

She laughed. "Well you and i have a pretty big difference then," She said with a grin. "People have called me an 'angel'...Boy are they wrong," She rolled her eyes. "Just because i help lost souls does NOT make me an angel by any means,"

She chuckled. "Yes i suppose they do. Some people do it out of fear, others do it out of admiration or respect. Sometimes all 3," She nodded to herself. "All 3 are probably appropriate in your case if you dont mind me saying so,"

She nodded. "I'm sure you're somewhat of a role model for people in all villages. Something i aspire to be to my villagers as well," She smiled.

"I'll try," She smiled brightly and, for the briefest moment, she looked like the carefree teenager she couldve been without all of her burdens and responsibilities. She looked...Normal.

She tilted her head. "What is it..?" She said as she too reached for her katana, her body immediately tensing.

"Hmph, this is gonna be easier than i thought," She muttered as she activated her kekkei genkai, staring directly into the eyes of one of the swordsmen and making his soul seize up, which in turn did the same to his body. "Now you cant move...Not nice, is it?"

"Hmph," Was all she said, but kept her eyes the way they were. She was so used to it now that she didnt even notice when it was activated.

She shrugged.
"Some people never learn,"
She said as she leaned back against the trunk of the sakura tree, avoiding all contact with the bodies if possible.

She sighed heavily and kneeled down beside the corpses. She rubbed her hands together and held her hands over one, a bluish-silver sort of light appearing from where their heart was.

"Thats their soul..." She murmured as it emerged in a sort of orb, falling into Kurai's upturned palms. She shut her eyes and nodded once or twice, as if listening to what they were saying. She muttered a silent prayer and nodded towards the soul again. It then circled once or twice around her head before disappearing into the clouds.

"They were innocent. They were forced into hunting you down, therefore they were pure enough to pass on to the next world," She explained as her eyes scanned the clouds.

She shook her head and spoke softly. "They didnt say...I didn't want to ask too many questions. They couldve had their family held captive or anything,"

She nodded and kneeled beside the next body and, before her hands even touched his soul, she pulled her hands back to her chest. "This guys bad all the way through...Even i cant save him,"

She sighed. "I'm afraid i'm going to have to...Ugh, i hate it when i cant help them," She growled.

"I believe in second chances, maybe thats naive to you but i just cant bring myself to feel true hatred towards someone. Sadness, yes. Anger, yes. But never hate,"

"If your daughter fell in love then thats a wonderful thing. If she's happy then thats what you should want as her father," She murmured. Its certainly not what my father wanted..But still..

"Did it really...? Or is that just what you thought?" She asked calmly, ignoring his tone and standing up.

"Actually," She said as she turned to face him. "Its been proven that those of full-blooded families experience more illnesses and genetic weaknesses than those who add more links to the gene pool. Since theres more diversity in the genes, the risk of disabilities and babies born with diseases is reduced,"

"Correction, theyve been perfectly healthy SO FAR," She raised an eyebrow. "There's a weakness in every clan, and when its passed down by parents who both belonging to the same clan, it only gets stronger in the offspring,"

"How about your own health? You can't possibly be this youthful when you're at the age you are through sheer force of will and training,"

She rolled her eyes in a playful manner. "Ah yes, a magician never reveals his secrets, as it were,"

"You dont snatch bodies...But you stay young..." She pondered on the thought for the moment. "So...You steal their soul? Their youth?"

"I wont question your methods, it's not my place. But let me say this...If you do such a thing...How are you different from Orochimaru? Both cold, both thieving people of their lives...Both power-hungry..." She murmured.

"Give me examples then. Thats another thing you share. You both think youre of a higher standard than other people."

"There it is. Right there,"
She snorted.
"You're only 'royalty' because of a wealth your anscestors had. Theres nothing special about the blood you carry. It's red, just like mine and everybody else. Your body has the same organs and functions as everybody else. Theres nothing special about you, and youre wrong to think so,"

"You have no real proof about yourself to prove so. You're not even a shinobi. You just THINK you're special because you're used to a cushioned life. All you see if what you WANT to see. Your mind is so clouded you cannot see when your own daugher falls in love! Instead of being happy for her, you throw it in her face! I bet she was nothing but loyal to you, and you spat in her face,"

"Selfish. Selfish, spoilt and arrogant. Not to mention completely deluded. I was wrong, you ARE different from everybody else. Because of all those reasons. Deep down, you ARE youthful. Yes, a spoilt child who isnt getting his own way," She muttered.

ooc:gtg

"Hmph! Blue blood!? Your blood is of the same calibur as anyone elses. Blood is blood. You just THINK youre higher up. Like i said, you're delusional,"

"If you say so,"
Was all she said, shrugging her shoulders.

She made a few handsigns and placed a palm on the ground as soon as his sword was beginning to be drawn.
"Spirit Shield Jutsu,"
She murmured as a wall of souls emerged from the ground, forming a protective layer around her which forced back the attack. She began making handsigns inside the shield.

The souls didn't budge, but a hole appeared in the top. Kurai smirked.
"Archangel jutsu..."
She murmured as a pair of blinding white wings emerged from her shoulder blades, spreading out to an impressive diameter. She flapped them once before taking off into the sky.

She stopped in midair, looking down at him plainly.
"Who said i was going anywhere?"
She ruffled her feathers and sighed comfortably, not taking this battle seriously at all.

She smiled and looped around it in a graceful ark, letting it whip off a few feathers which then gained a razor sharp tip, as if the tiny pieces of feather turned into tiny needles. They rained down on Taishou, targetting his chakra.

She saw an opening when he led with his left leg and twisted, letting another wave of feathers rain down as she dived down towards him and aimed kicks at his shins, stomach, throat and head, one leg after the other in a stepping patter before pushing backwards and gaining height again.

She saw his eyes darting over certain points on her body and gained a speed that was very hard to keep track of. She, surprisingly, kept low to the ground before pushing upwards with great force, causing a surge of wind to try and knock him off course.

She didnt defend since she couldnt, but she crossed her wings over her body which acted as a trigger. As soon as his sword came into contact with her wings, they shattered like glass and all of the feathers went straight for him. In that act, she wasnt completely defending since the sword went through the wings but the damage was reduced majorly.

She landed on her feet, crouching down to her knees to make sure her knees didnt break since she bent them before standing up. She rolled her shoulders to get used to being without her wings before loosening Peacocks seal a tad in case he continued to fight.

"Training. Years of it. I'm not the Yukikage for no reason,"
Was her strained reply as she made the appropriate handsigns for a medical jutsu to heal the deeper wounds she had.

She bit her lip, not wanting to tell him about the 3 different spirits she had sealed within her. "Those wings are one of my best lines of defence. You didnt push the sword in deep enough since you were in shock from the feathers,"
She put across logically.

ooc: gtg to karate, be back soon

"Well you better start believing. Shinobi can do surprising things,"
She replied.

"Well i'm not the Kuaskage, am i?"
She replied, getting tired of his attitude.

"Then take my word for it, i lived because i've been through a hell of a lot worse,"

"Yes, seems like you were. I hope you learned something here.."
She replied as she disappeared in a swirl of snow.