The ghost of a smile fluttered across Jihi’s face at Simi’s compliment at the shot she had made: the arrow having pierced true and straight through Kurai’s throat. She gave a nod in response instead of a verbal reply, making her way down the hallway just the same. She watched with absolutely no remorse on her face as Simi leaned down and pushed the arrow deeper through the now dead man’s throat, ensuring that he was in fact dead instead of unconscious, before pulling it free and handing the bloodied thing to her which she took without hesitation. She glanced over the arrow to ensure it was still in good condition while Simi heeded her words of caution and concern, heading inside to help the slaves within the room the dead man had just left. She lingered outside, not only waiting but watching the hallway: a sort of guard of sorts to ensure that no one got the jump on Simi should they have missed someone or should someone have returned from wherever their operations were being moved to. The entire time she kept her bow and the bloodied arrow ready, prepared to strike out and fall anyone who should pose a threat to either herself or Simi.

Even through the door she could hear his voice: listening as he spoke words of comfort and caution to the girls within, as well as explaining that their nightmare would soon be over without going into details that would endanger them or worse herself and Simi. She didn’t have to see inside of the room to get a gist of what it looked like especially as she had caught more than a whiff of the smell when Simi had opened the door and stepped inside, and what the women within did as well. This whole place was horrible, and she had been left in similar conditions herself. Chances were there was more than one broken female within that room, and so Jihi practiced the up most of patience when it came to Simi working his magic, or jutsu rather, to help those in need.

As the door was opened she stepped back into the shadows for but a moment, being cautious to ensure it wasn’t a slave attempting to leave the room - she still didn’t want to risk being spotted after all. Seeing it was none other than Simi, however, she stepped forward once the door had been shut again, listening to him as he explained about the two girls that Kurai had got to, and had apparently forced others to perform acts on him as well. As he went on to explain that none of the girls would leave the room until he came to get them, and that they could move on to dealing with his mother she nodded her head.


Jihi couldn’t help but to feel apprehensive at the idea of Simi having to kill his own mother. She knew the vile things she had done to him, the vile things his mother had allowed to happen, and yet she still was his mother. She had still carried him for nine months, had still given birth to him, given him life. No matter how horrible of a person she was there was and would always remain that connection or bond between the two. Nothing could destroy it. It concerned Jihi: it was a burden of extreme measures to kill one’s own family, let alone one’s mother. Yet, she wouldn’t and couldn’t bring herself to stop him - she could only advise him, and offer her support. She would not rob him of that task, she would not take from him the kind of security and closure that would come from him killing his own mother and ending the cycle of abuse she had caused. ”Before we go in there… I want you to know I’m here for you. If you can’t do this, or if you don’t want to, I will. We both know she needs to die… but it’s one thing to kill a stranger, it’s another to kill someone you know. She hasn’t been much of a mother to you, I won’t even pretend she was, but she is still your mother and there’s no telling the kind of affect that’ll have on you, Simi. But, I’ll back up whatever decision you make, and help you no matter the outcome.”, Jihi spoke softly, wanting to make sure that there was no doubt in Simi’s mind that she supported him fully and completely in this.

She would wait for him to respond, giving him time to think and decide on what he wished to do, before following him to the same room that he had left the vile woman sleeping in. Jihi steadied herself, not knowing what to expect, and yet trying to be prepared for anything.


Yet, when the door opened she found herself face to face with Simi’s mother, not sleeping or passed out as Jihi had been hoping - and perhaps praying for - but completely awake and dressed. What was worse? She was armed. As the woman looked at her and spoke her name in greeting Jihi felt her skin crawl, but it was nothing compared to the violent emotions that had her hand twitching when the woman looked towards Simi. Vile and dark thoughts crossed through Jihi’s mind in that moment: gouging her eyes out and making her eat them being at the most forefront of her mind, along with the woman’s tongue so that she could no longer speak.

Even though she had left Simi to make his decision on how he wished to handle his mother Jihi couldn’t help but ready her bow with the same bloodied arrow she had brought down Kurai with moments before: she wanted to be ready in case Simi couldn’t do this, or on the chance that he hesitated: she would rather Simi be angry at her for killing his mother than him dead because he hesitated and his mother took full advantage of the situation.


Jihi could only wait and see, hoping that this situation would play out in a way that would have her and Simi, and the slaves still held captive here walking away by the end of the night. Of course, she knew it wasn’t going to be easy: Simi’s mother was no civilian after all, so this was not bound to be easy. Who knew what tricks Simi’s mother had hidden up her sleeve? She could only watch, hope, and pray now.

Word Count: 1,145

For years, Simikiel had thought about what he would do to his mother if given the opportunity. If given the chance, without fear of being caught by the guards or her husband, what exactly would he do to the woman who had brought him so much pain? There have been plenty of nights where he thought about exactly what he would do. Some of the atrocities entail him becoming just like her. But, instead of owning slaves, he would own only her. Degrading and treating her in the same manner which she did to him - paying her back for the years of abuse she did to him tenfold. It did not matter that she was his mother, and certain lines should not be crossed. Those proverbial lines had been crossed, destroyed into nothingness the moment she took his virginity. Any semblance of them being mother and son was erased each night she came into his bedroom, wanting to have him in a manner no mother should. It was not the bed of her husband she woke up in, but his. So, to say what he thought about doing was taboo, disgusting even, would not be, for she did the same to him. Is it only fair right?

Nevertheless, never did he have a chance to act upon such a twisted impulse. There was not a time where the guards were but a shout away. Oh yes, they knew exactly what she was doing behind her husband’s back, but, none told. For she allowed them to play with some of newer merchandise before her husband could, righting the bruises and soiled girls off as damaged goods. She even allowed them to keep a few to hush them up. It was this reason why Simikiel could never act on the impulse. Of course, there was another, and bigger reason, that being in the form of Jihi. His Snowflake, and the woman who will he will ultimately have to answer if he ever did something so twisted. How would she deal and react to knowing he was treating his mother in the same manner that he was treated? Would she be disgusted and sick at the turn of events? Would she leave him, seeing him as nothing but a monster like the rest of them? Or, would do what was required, killing him to give him escape from the pain? He did not know what she would do. But, because of the love, he holds for the woman, he did not want to be the one who caused her any pain.

Returning the abuse his mother did to him was only one way he thought about repaying her. There were moments where he thought about disabling her body and giving her to the guards as a plaything. They surely would have enjoyed getting their hands on such a mature specimen. He wonders how long it would take them to turn her into a dumpster for their own sick enjoyment. Would her mind snap with a few days? A week? Two weeks? Three weeks? Would she be able to keep her sanity a whole month before succumbing to the damage being done? Would her husband save her from the torture? Or would he find a new wife, leaving the old one to her fate? So many questions, that would never be answered because Simikiel would not do that to his mother. The reasoning not being out of obligation to her, but, just like before, because of Jihi, and how she would view him afterward.


He had come to the conclusion if, given the chance, he would kill his mother. He would not inflict onto her the same things she did to him, nor would he allow others to break her. No, Shizuka would die by his hands. Now, how she would meet the Shinigami was still up to debate. There were many ways he could handle the woman if given the chance. He could treat her like a fine wine, taking his time in savoring it, listening to her screams and shouts of pain as she was tortured before finally finishing her off. Or, he could simply kill her, no torture or anything, allowing the Shinigami to deal with her twisted soul. Ending her life would be the humane thing to do, no matter how drawn out it might be. It would bring closure to both of them, and that what he ultimately wanted. Speaking on his Snowflake . . .

He smiled warmly, it is out of place considering the cooling corpse not too far from them, and the gravity of the situation. “Thank you for your concern, Snowflake. It means more than words can describe.”, the words being sincere, “While there is a difference between killing a stranger, someone with no emotional attachment to, then killing a relative, someone who you at least have some relationship with, I must do this. She was not the greatest mother. But, she had her moments, the rare occasions where she shielding me from others and allowing me to remove you out of their grasps. It does not change the fact she caused us an untold amount of suffering. Nothing she could do would be enough to erase the damage done already. And, I have come to grips with the fact she has to die, and that, if possible, she dies at my hands. She took something from me that could never be replaced. It is only fitting I take something from her, but, unlike with her, I won’t be alone this time. I will have you by my side.” Closing the distance between the two, Simikiel planted a light kiss on Snowflake’s cheek, on a patch of flesh untouched by blood. The gesture is a quick and fleeting one as the pair made their way to the final destination.


Stepping through the door’s threshold, Simikiel had expected to see his mother laying down on the bed, where he had last seen her. He did not expect to see the woman standing up, greeting them both, brandishing a menacing sword with a wave blade like pattern in her right hand. His eyes widen in surprise from the turn of event, something which received a chuckle from Shizuka who just stared at the pair with clear amusement. Nothing about her was guarded. It was if she did not view them as a threat.

Despite the situation they were in, Simikiel brushed his hand against Snowflake’s own, whispering something only audible for her to hear. At least, that was the idea till Shizuka cocked her head to the side, her lips parting as she spoke, “Telling little Jihi here to remain calm, eh?.”, her eyes focused on the girl. The amusement within them twisting into something vile, “She always was quick to anger. I heard she was even like this when she had sessions. A feisty little thing who only kept on fighting even when bruised and stuff. You would think she would know better given all the fun she had with at the other place. But, it seems like she hasn’t. Guess I will need to break her. I have -”, Shizuka tilted her head to the right, allowing the shuriken thrown by Simikiel to harmlessly sail pass her. “Oh, what is this? Are you getting mad there, Simi-fun.”, she cooed out the words, licking her lips in a seductive manner as she stared at her son.

Raged. Unbridled and unfiltered rage burned through his views like lava as he listened to the woman speak about his Snowflake. The rage has caused him to throw the shuriken at the woman’s head, not to kill her, but to get her to shut the hell up. His knuckles were turning white from how tightly he was holding the kunai. Rage was something he was not known for. It being unheard for the teenager to rage over anything. Raging was something he did not do. However, the words of his mother, no, this thing, had made him experience it for the first time. “You know.”, his voice was chipped and cold, if he was an Aisu, ice would surely have formed in the vicinity, “Despite saying I accepted the fact that you need to die, I still had some reservations about going through it. Now though, I do not. I am perfectly content with killing the bitch that is you. ”

Shizuka eyes narrowed briefly at what her child called her. After everything she did for him, he dared to call her that!? He dared to talk back to her!? “You ungrateful piece of - - -”, she stopped herself, eyes going back to shining with amusement as she looked between the people, “Seems like I will need to teach you both a lesson in manners. Starting with the little slut” With that said, she blitzing Jihi. closing the distance rapidly, her sword coming up for an upward slash, and then a downward slash which was also blocked Simikiel did not hesitate in stepping in the way of the attack, kunai clashing against the slab of steel which threatens to cause him harm. “When you have the shot take it! Do not hesitate!”, he spoke loudly enough for Snowflake to hear as he gritted his teeth and struggled for dominance as their weapons grind against one another, “I trust you!”

Simikiel, using his left hand attempted to bring it down on the wrist of Shizuka’s sword-wielding hand but missed as she disengaged by jumping back from where she was. Fuuton lace chakra was breathed into Shizuka’s left hand, a spiraling ball being formed as she tossed it towards at Jihi, and formed another before charging at her son. Forming another downward strike, it being blocked once again, she attempted to thrust the ball of wind into Simikiel’s exposed chest. The action being futile when his left hand knocked her hand downward, causing the sphere to destroy the wooden floor underneath them, sending debris everywhere, obscuring his vision. Because of this, he did not see the kick aimed at his stomach, the fuuton laced kick launching him back into the wall, spider-cracks forming from the impact.

A scream of pain tore through his lips from the impact of the wall. His back was killing him. Yet, he could not stay down, he had to fight. And with that in mind, he took up and charged at Shizuka who shifted her attention to Jihi.

---

1756

Jihi saw the warm smile on his face, one which she returned just as easily despite their circumstances as she listened to him speak. While he acknowledged that there was a difference killing a complete stranger and killing someone you knew and had emotional attachments with he was still determined to be the one who ended his mother’s life. While the woman had done some questionably good things in the way that she sheltered Simi and through her will kept Jihi from suffering a far worse fate than she had, she still needed to be punished for the things that she had done - Jihi agreed completely. There was nothing that Simi’s mother could do to redeem herself from the deeds she had already committed, and Simi had come to peace with the fact that his mother had to die. The woman had taken from Simi something that could never be replaced, something that wasn’t hers to take in the first place, and so it was fitting that Simi take her life from her. Thankfully, Simi would have Jihi by his side for this, and she would have it no other way.

She didn’t pull away as he leaned in and kissed her cheek, his lips lingering so briefly and yet leaving behind a sort of radiating heat on her otherwise icy flesh. Her brief smile appeared once more and yet concern remained apparent in her gaze: she had no idea the kind of affect this was going to have on Simi and she was concerned it would only further taint him. Still, if he was determined to do this then she was going to make sure she backed him up, and was there for him during the aftermath.


Judging from Simi’s reaction she was not the only one surprised to find Shizuka up and awake, fully dressed, and armed. However, unlike Simi her face slowly shifted into a mask of emotionlessness - locking down her emotions that otherwise would have been running rampant. She felt Simi’s hand on her shoulder, and heard his whisper, and it helped box away her emotions to deal with later. She knew she had to keep focused in case this started to go badly, and from the way Shizuka seemed to confident she definitely was expecting things to go in her favor.

It was clear that Shizuka was attempting to get a rise out of her and Simi, and yet those words did no such thing. Oh sure, Jihi could have acted like a hot head and rushed at the woman, but she knew better. She had to play this safe, not for herself but for Simi. It was a bit surprising though to register the flash of metal nearby, a thrown weapon that Shizuka tilted her head to avoid. As the woman spoke again, licking her lips as she eyed Simi like a piece of meat she wanted to try Jihi didn’t so much as twitch in anger. Instead, it seemed that Simi was going to be the one to show anger this time around, the words in which he spoke seeming to do the trick in angering his mother - apparently she didn’t appreciate being called a bitch.


She had been expecting it, the attack to come her way. It made sense, really, for Shizuka to exploit Simi’s open weakness: herself. Just as Jihi had been expecting before she could move, before she could dodge out of the way of the oncoming attack, Simi was placing himself in front of her, blade meeting blade. But, regardless of Simi’s attempt to reach Shizuka’s wrist it seemed the woman wasn’t going to be fallen so easily. Instead, she jumped backwards, launching some kind of wind attack first at Jihi herself and then at Simi. Jihi didn’t bother standing around to find out if it would hurt or not, or specifically what the attack was, instead she dove out of the way, hearing the sound of impact behind her as the attack hit the wall behind where Jihi had been standing. Jihi did a front roll, tucking herself in and readying her arrow by the time she was properly on her feet again, aiming directly towards Shizuka’s back - though at an angle that would allow her to hit the woman without risking Simi should Shizuka move. With the words Simi spoke during his struggle with the woman Jihi didn’t hesitate to fire: knowing that Shizuka stood a **** all chance of getting out of the way of the projectile fired in such close proximity. The arrow flew true to its destination, embedding itself in Shizuka’s back… just for her entire body to go ‘poof’ in a puff of smoke. A clone. It had been a damned clone. Not the real Shizuka herself but a falsity.

Jihi immediately readied another arrow, her stance shifting in preparation as she looked around, half expecting the real deal to come bursting out of the closet or perhaps through the door, ready to finish the fight that had only begun to get started. When no one emerged her focus shifted instantly onto Simi, taking in his appearance from head to toe, having heard his scream only seconds before she had fired her shot. ”Are you alright, Simi?”, she asked softly. Her darkened gaze darted around the room once more, and then back to him: much like an animals would who was had stayed trapped for a long time and had their first real chance at freedom: as if she didn’t trust the silence for exactly what it was.


”A damn clone… I suppose we should have suspected that, all things considered. She’s never seemed the type to openly fight someone: always hiding behind others.”, Jihi muttered after a moment, realizing that no one was coming out of hiding. The house was filled with nothing more than Simi, herself, and the slaves who would need to be freed and taken to the nearby village - where they would then become the villages task to be dealt with: at least they’d be in good hands, that much she trusted and believed. ”Doesn’t seem like she’s going to show up here either… “, Jihi added as she made her way across the room where a note resided, written in a handwriting that Jihi didn’t recognize - not that that was saying much, she hardly was near Simi’s mother the years she had spent in this damnable place. After glancing it over to make sure it wasn’t a hidden tag or somehow dangerous she’d hand it over to Simi with just a glance, giving him a chance to read it for himself.

Meanwhile, she placed her unused arrow back in its quiver before picking the one up off of the floor. She glanced it over, noticing it’s considering, before cleaning it off with her already blood soaked shirt and adding it too to her quiver. She glanced around the room then once more, her eyes lingering for a moment on the bed while her gaze flashed dangerously, before she forced herself to look away, refusing to allow her mind to wander down a darker path. Instead she turned and headed towards the door to the room and out into the hallway beyond: she couldn’t stand being in that place another minute, and wanted to finish their task. ”Split up, or stick together while we free everyone?”, she inquired softly, knowing Simi would hear her just the same.

Word Count: 1,320 | 2,465

Understatement of the century right there. Simikiel did not expect the kick to launch him back. His body slamming into the wall with enough force to cause spider cracks to form, with him being the epicenter and causing picture frames to come crashing down, glass shattering everywhere, and a scream of pain tearing through his throat. A couple of vulgar words were spoken as his back and abdomen throbbed in pain. Already, he could feel bruising forming, and if it wasn’t for his shirt, Snowflake would have seen the purple coloration forming as well. Gently, he pressed around the area which was hit, making sure nothing was broken or shattered. With nothing apparently broken, he pushed against the wall, pieces of it crumbling to the ground, as he lifted himself out of the small indention


By the time he was out of the wall, his eyes focused on the one who launched him there in the first place. He should not have been surprised by the strength of the kick. Shizuka, his mother, was a strong woman despite what her appearance might suggest. There have been a number of different times where she had manhandled him, either when they were doing certain activities, and she wanted to be the dominant one or doing the few training sessions she allowed with him. He could not count the number of times he finds himself bruising and hurting after a taijutsu sequence. Not only that, she handled unruly slaves, and guards with the same relative ease as she handled him. And while many who she handled were mere civilians, it did nothing to take away from how easily she made them submit with strength along.


It was because of his intimate knowledge of his mother’s strength that Simikiel came to a realization all but too late. Though while she acted normal, taunting them, and trying to provoke their anger, something she accomplished by getting him angry, something about her was off. Replaying the fight back in his head, Simikiel thought back to the clash between him and his mother. Knowing the strength which she held, the struggle between the pair should not have happened. He should have been overpowered. He should have received a grievous wound on his chest from her sword strike, but none of that happened. Not only, that, the jutsu she used, Wind Release: Spiralling Wind Ball, was a low ranking technique. He only knew this because the scroll for it was within his room. A gift from her when he did exceeding well at his task.

The jutsu itself was something apart of her arsenal, but no one near the strongest thing within it. There was an instance where she had demonstrated her jutsu prowess, and needless to say, it was destructive, more so than what she used against him. Of course, one could assume she simply did not want to destroy the house with stronger jutsus, however, Simikiel still felt like something was a missed. She hasn’t even used her other elements yet either. So, what exactly was happening!?


A thought occurred to the young Kotone, his mind putting together the puzzle pieces that were Shizuka. Reasoning why she could not overpower him during the clash began to come together. Other pieces, like why she had only shown a C-rank jutsu, clicked into place. The moments where she could have taken the hit in order to get a fatal one on him moved into place and finalized the realization. Simikiel eyes widen as everything clicked. And just as he was about to warn Snowflake of what he expected, he watched as Shizuka disappeared in a poof of smoke. He did not flinch when the arrow fired by Snowflake barely grazing his neck, a trickle of blood oozing from the wound, and embedded into the wall behind him.

His eyes were too focused on what he had witnessed. Before Shizuka’s clone, something he had come to expect, popped, there was a look of amusement in those eyes if saying, “You got tricked”. All this time they had been fighting a clone!?. Everything that was said about Snowflake was said so by a clone. The rage he felt, the smoldering anger as he listened to Shizuka’s words, and the resolve he made to kill that bitch, it was all for naught. It was a goddamn clone! This time around, he did not let his anger cloud him, gripping the kunai in his right hand, and scanning the room in a similar manner as his Snowflake was doing. There is no telling if the woman was still in the room, and waiting for their guard to be down before strike. And, he was not about to give her the chance of doing that, if she was close by.  

While looking around, Simikiel’s thoughts drifted back towards the woman who had just poofed. He was not thinking about the woman in general, but rather, when did she switch position with a clone. He was sure, when he left the room, the woman who was naked in his bed, was indeed his mother. The roughest of their activities surely be enough to pop a clone. And, if his memory served him right, doing said moments, he did make her bleed, she had wanted it particularly rougher than normal. Therefore, the only logical explanation was she made the clone sometime after he had left. But, the question is why? Why did she allow all of this to occur? She could have stopped them both whenever she wants, but why didn’t she? Such questions would not be answered though as his musing was cut by the voice of Snowflake.


“Yeah, I am fine. Just sore. There will definitely be some bruising tho.”, he spoke, moving closer to Jihi. The sound of broken glass underneath his feet being heard as he ambled over. A few times he had to hold back a wince in pain, making sure Snowflake did not see his discomfort. It would do no good for her to worry about him like that. “Are you okay?”, he asked, being more concern about her well being than his own.


Simikiel shook his head in disagreement with the assessment, “While I agree she is the type to openly hide behind another person. It is not because of weakness. She just rather have others to do her dirty work instead - even when she is perfectly capable of doing so.” Taking a look around the destroyed room, furniture being destroyed, walls cracked. His eyes glanced in any crevice she could be hiding in. his senses, an innate ability, was telling him the only people in the room was the two of them. His mother was nowhere in sight. Telling his attention back to Snowflake, “Yeah, she is not here. Asides from us, I am not picking up anyone in here with my sound waves.”


He watched as Snowflake moved about the room, picking up what appeared to be a note of some kind. Before he could ask what was it she found, the letter was handed it to him. It only took a glance for him to recognized his mother’s writing. Instead of reading it silently to himself, he read it out loud,

The Letter wrote:
“Hello, Jihi and Son,

If you are reading this than you and your little girlfriend have managed to defeat my parting gift. And if you did? Well, I have all the time in the world to make another son, and I can always find another plaything for my men. Though, knowing you, I know you would survive. You are my precious son after all. I do look forward to seeing you and your girlfriend later. Oh, and I do hope you like my parting gift.


Love,
Mom

After finishing the letter, Simikiel looked towards Snowflake “Wha - - “, the sounds of screams of help cut whatever he was about to say off. He snapped his head towards the direction of where they left the slaves and ran out of the room, knowing Snowflake would follow, and towards the room where they left the slaves at. Before he could even reach the room, he was blown off his feet as an explosion occurred within it. The fire roared loudly as it licked out of the room, the sound drowning out the screams of slaves which were being burned alive. “No!”, he screamed, scrambling up onto his feet, wincing slightly, as one girl emerged on fire. Her terrifying screams being something he would remember as he watched her stagger towards the stairs, before ultimately succumbing to her injuries.


“We need to leave.”, Simikiel spoke, noticing how the flames were now spreading to other points of the room. With his sense, he noticed a few slaves, those in the kitchen, had already left the house from the front door. At least they managed to escape, because of his injury, he could not drop down to the bottom floor, less he wanted to make his energy worse. The only way out is, “Go back to the bedroom. We going to burst through the window.”, he spoke, remembering there is a balcony and some trees in arms reach. He could make it down that way. No sooner as he spoke those words, the house rumbled as the flames attacked the interior.

---

1570[3326]

Jihi couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on than just Simikiel’s mother not wanting to fight, or not feeling up to it after what the pair had obviously been doing - an anger that still burned just beneath the surface of the emotionless ‘working’ mask she had on.It made no sense for Shizuka to leave behind a clone when she could have just as easily dispatched of the pair herself, likely with both hands tied behind her back. Hell, that was the whole reason Jihi had fully expected this to be a death sentence for herself: she had no intentions of just laying down and playing dead of course, and she had vowed to take every last one of them with her, but ultimately she had ended up expecting to be either grievously wounded or killed by the end of the evening. For SImikiel’s freedom though it had been more than worth it. Yet, here they had been facing a clone the entire time.

She was drawn from her thoughts by Simikiel answering her question, mentioning that he was alright, but there would likely be some bruising come morning. She was half tempted to tell him to heal himself, something he had done more than a time or two for her, but knew he would likely just shrug it off - figuring he either wouldn’t bother at all, or not while they had work to do. When he turned the question back on her, the concern in his voice showing he cared more about her own well being than his own, she nodded her head before verbally responding, ”I’m fine. Just don’t want to be here longer than we have to. Place gives me the creeps: just doesn’t feel right.” Not that it ever felt right to her - considering it was a den of sin and evil - but there was something in that air that just generally did not feel right. Only, it was a different kind of wrong, and she couldn’t explain it.


From the doorway Jihi listened as Simikiel read the message out loud, refraining from gritting her teeth in the process or punching the wall next to her - not that she cared about the pretty little wallpaper, but she’d rather not end up breaking her hand because she knew Simi would insist on healing it.

Hello, Jihi and Son,

If you are reading this than you and your little girlfriend have managed to defeat my parting gift. And if you did? Well, I have all the time in the world to make another son, and I can always find another plaything for my men. Though, knowing you, I know you would survive. You are my precious son after all. I do look forward to seeing you and your girlfriend later. Oh, and I do hope you like my parting gift.


Love,
Mom


Her gaze focused onto Simikiel, watching as he opened his mouth to speak, only for the words to be cut off abruptly by the sound of screams: screams coming from the room that held the girls they had just promised to rescue. Jihi took off right on his heal, the pair heading down the hallway and towards the sound of the screams. The explosion that occurred before reaching the room blew Simikiel off of his feet and knocked Jihi back as well, causing her to land hard on her right side with a grunt of pain. Yet, it was the least of her worries as she looked towards the room, watching as the flames licked their way from the doorway, spreading their path of devastation quickly and without hindrance. From the fiery blaze, as Jihi stood back to her feet once more, she watched as a girl emerged on fire, the flames covering almost every inch of her as she made her way towards the stairs, barely making it before succumbing to death. The smell of her burning flesh filled the air, mixing with the nauseating smells already present while smoke filled and choked the air.

Jihi nodded at Simi’s words, following him back into the bedroom, heading out onto the balcony, coughing from the smoke. She glanced over the railing at the fall they were looking at and then at the nearby trees. With the house rumbling beneath their feet she knew they didn’t have a lot of time, and so with the pain of what were likely bruised or fractured ribs tearing through her side, she reached out and grasped one of the tree branches, shifting and moving like a cat as she made her way carefully onto the branch and began to make her way down - her breath catching on more than one occasion when she had to utilize her right arm. She moved carefully knowing that one slip up could result in an even worse of an injury, while also attempting to be as fast as possible for fear that the flames might reach the outer wall and spread to the trees. Once on the ground she turned her focus towards Simikiel, not budging until she knew that he too was safely out of the tree.


Even though Jihi knew there was nothing that could be done for the girls who had been in the room when the explosion had gone off it didn’t make her stop cursing herself any less. This by means had not been a rescue mission for any but her Simi, but that didn’t mean she didn’t value their lives. They had been so close to the freedom that some had been waiting years for and now that had been taken from them along with their lives. The only solace she could give herself was the fact that now they would never face pain or torment again - a thought that wasn’t as comforting as it should have been.

Yet, as Jihi threw a glance behind them it seemed that all was not lost, as huddled nearby and staring at the burning building with a mixture of fear and relief on their faces were the slaves who had been in the kitchen when Jihi had arrived. They were shaken, but otherwise all of them looked as if they were uninjured, and Jihi found the smallest ghost of a smile spreading on her face as they caught her looking at them and nodded to her while mouthing ‘Thank you’ as the sound of the building beginning to come down was too great for long distance verbal communication. Jihi returned their words with a nod of her own. ”Come on Simi… let’s get out of here before we end up breathing in anymore smoke…”, Jihi muttered, not bothering to mention the injury she was nursing - they could sort it out later. All she wanted for now was to be as far away from this place as possible, especially in the off chance that there were any more surprises left in waiting for them. She would wait for Simikiel’s response before making her way over to the small huddled group of women, all who were confused and worried as to where they would be going now.


Jihi reached out, laying a gentle and kind hand on the nearest of the woman’s upper arm, putting as calm an expression on her face as she could muster. ”We’re going to the village nearby where you will receive help and medical attention. You’ll be taken care of properly there, all of you. You’ll be given help to set up housing, and help to find a job so that you can support yourselves or return to your families if that’s possible. I know it might become tiring but give them all the information they ask of you, and hold no details back, just because you don’t think something is important doesn’t mean it’s not to someone else. If they offer to let you speak to a therapist I’d suggest doing so - you might think you can handle it now, but the past is a horrible thing when you close your eyes at night, and having someone to talk things out to can really help.”, Jihi explained, wanting to give the woman as much information as possible. Of course, she was speaking the same words printed on every brochure in every hospital or clinic, advice and information that she herself never took hold of and never used. She didn’t want to tell a complete stranger everything that had happened to her, and cared that only the few who actually knew the truth knew it. She didn’t want to live in the past and instead wanted to move forward - she wanted to continue on with her quest for vengeance, she wanted to see every slaver put down like the dogs they were. It was a long and winding road, one Jihi knew she couldn’t travel on lightly, but it was her future and she was damn sure going to embrace it.


There is something to be said about how quickly you approach things that you’re dreading: how no matter how long you take the trip towards something you fear facing or doing always feels as if it is gone and done in an instant, yet how things you’re not dreading seem to take forever to reach. The trip to the mansion had been short, each step marked by her rapidly beating heart and her fear that had threatened to over take her. Yet, the trip back was a much slower process. Every ten steps felt like only one, the journey itself slow moving not just because of the slaves that came with them, causing Jihi to move at what would be considered civilian speed, but because of where she sat mentally at that moment. Her mind, like her emotions, were all over the place: a jumbled mess, chaos incarnate. She was joyful that Simikiel was free, along with the few slaves they now traveled with, and yet she felt torn to pieces on the inside over the fact that so many sitting so close to freedom had just been robbed of that chance. She was lividly pissed off with Shizuka, and yet she felt the same way towards herself - putting the blame on herself for not having expected such a thing from the conniving woman. It was like a whirlwind within her, each emotion battling for the forefront, battling for control. But, she held herself in check even though it was hard. She kept the impassive mask upon her face that hid all that she felt, wanting to not scare those in such desperate need for a strong leader in that moment. She needed to hold it together not for her own sake but for the sake of Simikiel and the others - perhaps later, when she could take a moment to herself, she would allow the breakdown to occur if only to get it over with.


Upon reaching the village once more Jihi set about making the appropriate arrangements for the women, ensuring that they were well taken care of before leaving - she didn’t want to leave them feeling scared or abandoned after all. Even though her heart was now laced in shades of gray it wasn’t yet tainted entirely black with evil and cruelness.

Then and only then did she focus her near silent attention onto Simikiel, slipping her hand gently into his as they left the hospital - Jihi having refused treatment for the side she had fallen on during the blast. She didn’t bother breaking the silence even now that she had maintained, instead she poured into the hand hold all of the emotions she felt: freedom, love, hope for the future: hoping that by doing so he too could feel these things as well.

Thread Exit

Word Count: 2,075 | 4,540

Training Jutsu (With 10% reduction due to Quick Learner)

Weapon Art: Fleeting Ghost (C-Rank): 4,540 - 900 = 3,640
Weapon Art: Slipstream (C-Rank): 3,640 - 900 = 2,740
Weapon Art: Submitting Resistance (D-Rank): 2,740 - 675 = 2,065

Training Spec

Bukijutsu from C to B: 2,065 - 2,000 = 65

Remaining: 65.

Moving towards the bedroom as quickly as possible, Simikiel’s thoughts were not only preoccupied with escaping but also what he had just witnessed. Having lived with his mother, he has been exposed to a lot of horrible things, from being forced to watch brutal sexual sessions with unwilling participants to seeing a spy having their faced degloved with a precision that made any animal skinner green with envy. Yet, none of that compared to the scene of someone burning. The sight of their skin bubbling from the intensity of the flame, and the prudent smell of the skin as it is thoroughly cooked by the flames. The sight of their charred muscles being exposed from the force of the explosion. Their lower jaw having been blown off, allowing him to see the inside of their mouth, and their tongue, which was frying like a morbid piece of bacon. None of the sights which he had witness would leave him anytime soon. Though, by far, what was worse, was the sounds of all the slaves begging to be saved. Wailing out to anyone who could possibly save them from being burned a lived by the spreading fire, or being crushed by the falling debris and beams. He would never forget the sounds of the slaves who called out to him and Jihi, their voices growing weak as their strength waned, and becoming one with the roaring flames of the fire.

Dodging some falling debris, the fire had spread to the roof above them, Simikiel made it into the bedroom along with his partner. His eyes glancing over at the woman who came for him, making sure she was okay. Though he did not know for certain, he figured she had some form of injury, if not from the fight with his mother’s clone, but from the explosion which rocked the house. If he had time, he would deal with healing the woman’s injuring before continuing on. However, time was not on either of their sides with the house crumbling around them. Making it to the balcony did not hesitate in jumping towards the nearest tree branch. The force of the landing being cushioned slightly with chakra, but, did not stop him from gritting his teeth, the slight jostle aggravating an injury sustained. Tossing a glance at Snowflake, hoping that she did not catch the grimace of pain on his face. Moving down the branch with some gracefulness, as much as one can have to give his injuries, Simikiel joined his companion on the floor level.

Now on ground level, his eyes briefly stared into Snowflake’s, “I am alright.”, the words coming out barely as a whisper, but loud enough for she to hear them amongst the roaring of the flames. The words did not need to be said, they were intuned with one another to know general feeling of each other. As easily as he could read Jihi like a book, so too, could see read him. Admittedly, apart from his mother’s possessiveness over him is due to the relationship shared between him and Jihi. The way they could understand, and instantly know what the other might be feeling at the time without speaking was something that his mother wished she shared with him. Hence why, she tried her best to keep him to herself, in a vain attempt to break such a relationship. Unfortunately for her, it did not work.

Looking at the surroundings, Simikiel allowed a small smile to appear on his face when his eyes fell onto a group of slaves hurdle under a tree nearby. It would seem not everything was lost. That, a few managed to escape the house with their lives in tack. As he scanned the faces, there were noticeable people absence, mainly those who he had helped prior to the confrontation with his mother. Seem like none of them was able to escape from the death trap. At the thought of those, his mind drifted to the image of the burning slave and said the image was ruthless snuffed out, as he tried to prevent it from surfacing at the moment.

A distraction would come in the form of Snowflake speaking to him, his eyes turning to look at her. “Yes, let's get out of here.”, even as he spoke, his voice was laced with medical chakra, and was working on healing, or lessening the impact of the wounds, the pair sustained from their ordeal. He did not know how badly she was injured, only knowing that she was. It did not matter that he was still suffering from injuries, only that Jihi’s own was lessened. Following her towards the hurdle group of now freed slaves, he remained quiet as he allowed his companion to speak for the both of them. Everything she had said was something he would have told them. They could not leave out any detail of what occurred to them once they made it to Kirigakure no Sato. it would do them no good to omit any information for it could be used to lead to the arrest of some of the others within the organization. Not only that, it would do some good to talk to another about the ordeal experience, it could help them to move on with their lives.

With that done, Simikiel followed Snowflake back to the village which she had called home for some time. His eyes looking at the surroundings as they neared closer to the village. Though his eyes did not have the normal shine to them, not surprising considering what had happened, there was still something there. His thoughts were a jumbo mess as the images, which he tried to keep from surfacing, began breaking through. So many different ‘what if’s’, and ‘if he did this’, replaced in his mind as he thought about how things could have turned out if another action was taken. Each thought cause a series of emotions to pass across his face, and the aura around him shifting, all which would be picked up on by Jihi. Simikiel. Such thoughts continued till they reached the village, going through the motion of helping Snowflake with making sure the women were taking care of.

It was Jihi’s touch, as they were leaving the hospital, which broke him out of the thoughts which were plaguing his mind. His finger interlocking with hers. Eyes looking down at their connected hands, “Forever.”, the single word being whispered without any context given. Looking at the woman, a small smile appearing on his face.

”Yes, forever.”

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