A long while ago.

Thunder boomed across the heavens sounding to all the world like hammer strikes in the forge of the gods. This was, however, no portent from Takamagahara but a sign from the underworld. The dark-skinned man's muscular form crackled with arcs of barely contained lightning as he faced off against a gigantic apparition. Emaciated and vast it resembled a massive human skeleton through the number of bones comprising its form would put to shame all but the greatest of ossuaries. A titanic fist crashed into the ground near the swarthy warrior throwing him a good ten meters

Rising shakily to his feet the man raised a hand towards the apparition closing his palm in a crushing motion. Chakra was expended and from the tortured sky bolt after bolt of lightning struck the grotesque apparition. Even as the haunt was wracked with countless volts of electricity colossal jaws opened and the bleached skull came down to crush the man between
jagged teeth made of sharpened ribs.

With a scream, the warrior called upon yet more chakra and with a flash of energy so bright all was hidden from view the monster was finally shattered to pieces. Mighty as he was the man had spent his energy and collapsed to the ground exhausted. The bones now coating the mountainside began to rattle as if readying themselves for a second round.

A second man, this time one garbed in the traditional robes and pointed hat of the onmyodo mage rushed onto the field and began chanting as he cast fuinjutsu ready to seal the undead monstrosity. This creature had almost killed the Raikage it must not be allowed to roam free.

Now

It was not the first time Di had been hired onto a case by a ghost. That probably said something about the nature of Di's clientele but the detective didn't much care to examine that train of thought too closely. This particular yurei had once been an onmyodo mage in service to the raikage. In life he had assisted the lighting lords family in any number of magical crises and even in death, he watched over his descendants as something of a tutelary deity.

Payment had been arranged in the form of a book on fuinjutsu. The spirit would show Di the location of the tome under the proviso that he fulfilled the ghost's wishes. Di had accepted gratefully since he had been meaning to brush up on his sealing techniques for a while now.

The trip to Kumogakure had been undertaken in Di's true form as ascending mountains was much easier when you could fly. A little way outside of the city he had returned to his human guise and drawing a map from under the folds of his cloak Di combed the parchment for the location of the Raiu clans manor.

Finding the place was not terribly difficult. The building was of prestigious size for a human dwelling and surrounded by immaculately kept gardens. Di was somewhat reminded of Izumi's family home though it seemed this place was even larger.

Di checked his appearance before coming to the door. Neat black hair under a peaked cap, a black overcoat over formal wear. His skin like all dragons was extremely pale in his human guise and his eyes a stone grey color. Looking at the front door Di was almost certain that no one in the manor was even haunted let alone the fact that the ghost had their best interests at heart. It would make explaining his presence here a little bit tricky which was unfortunate as the information the haunt had given him suggested that if something wasn't done quite soon the members of the Raiu family could be in considerable danger.

He would just have to hope that whichever members of the family were present had an open mind regarding this sort of thing. Reaching out to the bell that hung next to the door Di rang twice signaling that the mansion had a guest come to call.

(672 words)

At first an attendant, dressed in the formal clothing of the Raiu clan, answered the door. She is a woman of middle-age, with just enough wrinkles lining beneath her eyes to denote her age, without taking away from her moderate attractiveness. She is a bit on the tall side, with her hair done up in a neatly ornate bun. Her own complexion is just a shade darker than Di's and her mannerisms pleasant, formal and an overall credit to the clan. However when Di broaches the subject of meeting an actual Clan member she pauses, becoming a bit hesitant before giving a small, respectful bow and closing the door with a polite.

"Just a moment....."

There is the distinct sound of shuffling feet that grows dimmer and dimmer as the attendant shuffles off into the Raiu compound. A few moments later and the distinct chatter of two voices, one young and slightly vibrant and the other a distinctly humble, respectful tone Di would easily be able to discern as the attendant who just spoke to him. As the voices grow closer and closer, the thick, embossed doors of the compound keeping the exact content of their conversation hidden, the voices would stop after a moment or two and likely to Di's surprise a young boy would open the door and greet him with a warm, more-than-formal smile.

The boy before him was short, pale as he was and skinny to a degree that bespoke frailty. Whether due to health issues or other causes, likely to do with the multitudinous bandages he had wrapped firmly around his mid-section, nevertheless the boy seemed able to move and operate on his own. The boy's eyes are an odd, distinct pattern and coloration. Around the iris of each eye they are a striking, stormy blue that, between blinks, almost seem to swirl like clouds themselves only to still when attention is paid. Creeping into the edges of his coloration are tinges of deep, rumbling grey that would normally signal a torrential downpour if one saw it in the skies. With jagged, lightning-like lances of grey and steel coloration protruding closer from the fringe of grey to the center of his eyes.

The kimono the boy wears is incredibly ornate and obviously very finely crafted if, also obviously, too large for it's current occupant. Causing the fine garment to slip and slide along his thin arms, off his equally thin shoulders and hang in an overall precarious position at any one time upon his frame. Whether or not the boy before him purposely keeps just enough tension on the kimono to keep it ON his frame or if he has simply gotten so used to it he does it instinctively is not something that is obvious from his movements.

As the boy smiles up at Di, smile still gracing his lips, he folds his hands into the too-large sleeves of his kimono and gives Di a small, respectful bow before straightening himself and speaking.

"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Nil of the Raiu... though...." Nil pauses to laugh softly, smiling all the wider. "... I suppose that is already obvious isn't it?"

Behind the bowing, polite, Raiu boy the attendant is wearing a smile Di would likely be familiar with. One of forced placation and false politeness, obvious worry just beneath the surface and body tense.

"Nha Zhen says you wished to speak with one of us?" Nil pauses, chewing on a pale lip for a moment while averting his eyes before finishing his thought "I may not be old but I AM a Raiu so.... I will gladly take any message you have for my Clan." The eager, want fueled tone in Nil's voice would perhaps remind Di of himself at one point in his past. A tone that bespoke a yearning to prove one's self and a reason to, perhaps, escape looking at the same finely-groomed foliage and immaculately cleaned floors all day?

Confirming that he was, indeed, yearning for a bit of freedom Nil glances back Nha Zhen and nods to her. "I will speak with our guest in the garden. I won't go far and I won't leave the compound."

This phrase and assurance of safety sounds much-rehearsed and is likely a phrase Nil has used on more occasions than can be counted. The attend, Nha Zhen, bites her lip for a moment, eyes shifting about in worry before she sighs and gives a slight bow.

"As you wish, Nil-Sama. But... well.... if your family asks I never let you out of my sight."

Nil pouts a childish pout that only serves to emphasize the truth of his next words as he looks up at Nha Zhen. "I'm no "-Sama" to anyone Nha." This makes the stressed woman relax a bit as she returns her own small, though strained, smile and nod. Answering with a soft "I know, now go and don't be gone for long."

Nil grins, widely and childishly at that, and chuckles before nodding. "I won't and don't worry I... don't think I'm NOT going to be watched, wherever I go here at home." Nil sighs, before turning back to their guest and stepping out of the house beside Di. His arms folding in a passive, non-threatening gesture into his sleeves. For a moment he almost looks... worn down by the constant surveillance. Not-quite wrinkles forming on his young face as he begins to walk to one of the side gardens in the front of the compound. Eager to hear what their impromptu guest had to say.

Word Count: 960
Word Count Total: 960

There was almost something eerily familiar about the boy's expression and posture. It was like Di had been shown a portrait of himself at a younger age. To bear the weight of filial expectations upon one's shoulders was no easy burden. Whether one lived in a palace beneath Kiri's ocean waves or in a manor in the mountains of Kumo the Confucian edicts that governed the behavior of nobility were the same. The thing about nobility, however, was that it often came with violent origins. It was no coincidence that it was the sons and daughters of generals that would eventually come to be crowned as kings and queens.  

Looking at Nil's slight frame it was somewhat difficult to believe that he was descended from a long line of warriors who harnessed the brutality of the storm. This Di mused was much like the garden that surrounded them. It's outwards beauty was merely a manifestation of the control the scions of the Raikage and to a greater degree humanity as a whole exerted upon nature. It required a mailed fist hidden somewhere in order to prevent chaos from encroaching upon it's manufactured order.

Taking a breath as he collected his thoughts Di replied to the young lord.

"Thank you for the gracious welcome. My given name is Di and I am by trade a private detective. I was recently hired by an associate of your family to locate a certain item that he believes to be cursed. Forgive my presumptiveness but from what I understand the Raiu are descendants of the Raikage line. This associate of your family has lead me to believe that a long time ago your ancestor vanquished a vengeful spirit known as a Gashadokuro. The Gashadokuro constructs itself a form made of human bones but at its center, it has a central or key bone which it uses as a core to build the rest around.

My contact seems to suggest that this bone was sealed with fuinjutsu and kept hidden somewhere in this very manor. However recently members of an infamous cult have used dowsing techniques to ascertain the location of this artifact. It is possible that they have infiltrated your household under the guise of servants in order to ferret out the object. My client wasn't exactly sure what the cult intends to do with the Gashadokuro when they have it in their possession but it is highly likely that the creature, when freed of its seals, will do it's best to track down and murder the Raikage's descendants.

If you have any idea where this artifact might be hidden it would be a good time to get ahold of it before it falls into the wrong hands. While I know have given you little reason to trust me it might also be wise to direct some suspicion to any new servants your family has hired recently."

While Di had given a good enough overview of the situation he had neglected to mention a few details that could have been cause for consternation. First was the fact that the Gashadokuro had formed from the souls of a farming community who had starved due to one of the military actions of the Raikage. Second was that the cult who were looking into the Gashadokuro was none other than the yellow priests currently aligned with the current Raikage Miyamoto Hastur.

Learning that a supernatural evil had decided to target you from beyond the grave was enough of a shock for one day without that extra bit of knowledge only furthering to upset the scenario. Di already had enough problems if Nil didn't believe his words and required a demonstration of his sincerity. With time he could probably get the onmyodo mages ghost to manifest and confirm the story but by then it could already be far too late.

(642 words)

Nil was not entirely sure what to expect from the family's unannounced guest. It could have been, honestly, anything. Whether it be a message from the Raikage, an invitation from another noble house of Kumogakure, even just a more... well.... normal mission. But when his compatriot mentioned a spirit that may have been possessing an artifact of his family Nil had to pause his leisurely pace to a halt and look up at the older Shinobi inquisitively. Di was certainly right about not giving Nil any real reason to trust him, but Nil was a naturally trusting person, and so he took what Di had said seriously. Nil was aware, more than perhaps anyone else, just what lengths others would go to to harm his family.

A cold twinge emanated from the scar on Nil's sternum beneath the layers of bandages. This chill arced up his spine to the base of his skull and then down to the very soles of his feet. For a brief moment Nil could see a flash of a memory, eyes searing into him with murderous intent, his sternum being ripped open and warm, coppery blood splattering across his small body. Nil blinked, for a moment seeing the past as clearly as the present, before blushing softly and averting his gaze from Di to look out over the garden. While not the formal or cultured response he had been taught to give Nil was still recovering from the flashback as he nodded softly and answered with quiet, trepidation filled "I-I see...."

Taking a moment to compose himself Nil gave another small shudder before once again smiling and turning to face Di. One of his hands moving out of his too large sleeves to motion to the compound and surrounding grounds all around the two of them. "Well, Di-Sama, you may consider yourself officially invited to stay here in our compound so you may conduct your investigation and assist the Raiu in any way your deal with our associate would allow." Nil's smile grew just a bit, ruining how slightly he may have sounded professional with childish enjoyment of the fact. "After all, it's always great to meet new friends."

Somewhere deep down Nil knew that it was foolish to trust a stranger like this. Indeed his family would likely be very upset with him for this but now that his word, and by extension his family's, was given it was not something they could simply revoke without reason. Di would be their guest during his investigation. However Nil held up a finger towards Di, giving an accidentally childish pout at he continued to smile. "But... I would like to assist you. It's my dream to become a great Shinobi and to do that I need to make as many friends as I can and learn everything I can. So.... do we have a deal?"

Nil dropped his finger as he once more concealed his hands and arms within the sleeves of his kimono. Still smiling childishly up at Di as he awaited the answer to his proposition. He was hoping, and expecting, Di would accept the bargain. While to others it may have been obvious Di was withholding information from him, and perhaps it even was to Nil, his naivety compelled him to simply leap up another opportunity to pursue his dreams. No matter how ill advised and foolish trusting this complete stranger may or may not turn out to be. In the event that Di did accept the bargain Nil would only smile more widely, his stormy eyes twinkling with childish excitement before Nil would give a respectful bow to the draconic detective before asking "Where would you like to begin? What else can you tell me about this Gashadokuro?"

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Word Count Total: 1,594

Di watched the emotions play across Nils face. Was that consternation at the mention of the dead? Perhaps trauma relating from some old incident in the boys past? Di's instincts as a detective urged him to learn more but unless it related to this particular case it would be impolite prying to say the least. Then the surge of excitement, something that Di knew all too well. The adventure that the boy had always dreamed about being brought right to his doorstep.

Damn, Di wished it was in a more pleasant set of circumstances. An adventure was all well and good but as the dragon had found out crisis scenarios in real life tended to play out far differently than they did in the imagination. What the boy had been dragged into unknowingly had potentially lethal outcomes and could also land him in the sights of some extremely unpleasant people who had recently come to infest local ledaership. Little could be done about that however so it was best to focus on the matter at hand.

Di rubbed his chin between two fingers as he recalled to mind what he knew about the particular spirit.

"While I have probably had more experience regarding haunts and night creatures than most this is one I haven't ever actually encountered before. Gashadokuro are a kind of Yokai that have a chance of forming when a great many people starve to death in the same area. The spirits fuse together and come to inhabit some kind of vessel - usually a bone belonging to the person with the strongest personality among them. From there on the creature draws hundreds or even thousands of other bones towards itself and creates a towering form roughly resembling a human skeleton but on a colossal scale.

Some old accounts tell of these creatures sometimes reaching over one hundred feet in height. Driven by hatred these behemoths are drawn to destroy and consume anything and everything till they are driven by exhaustion into a state of dormancy. When fully rested the cycle continues again with predictably tragic results. Thankfully with famines being not nearly as common as they were in the olden days the formation of such a creature has become an extremely rare occurrence.

Powerful sorcerers and ninja adept at the arts of fuinjustsu can put their arts to use in controlling the creatures making for highly mobile siege engines and weapons of mass terror. The cultists who have infiltrated your manor will be looking for the Gashadokuro's center bone so they can perform their magic on it. While I am of course familiar with the inside of your family estate I would ask that you might try to remember if you could remember seeing an odd piece of bone around anywhere. It might be part of a decoration or integrated into a statue. It is probably located somewhere where it blends in but is also safe from damage."

It was quite possible that Nil had unknowingly seen the artefact every day of his young life without noticing it. The old adage of the best hiding place being in plain sight certainly had an element of truth to it. At the moment Nils world was a small place restricted as he was by his lineage and it's expectations but this could be an advantage in this situation. Chances are that Nill knew the inns and outs of his family dwelling intimately and was of yet undistributed by affairs in the wider world.

Nil had been given a chance. Only time would tell if he was able to rise up to meet the challenge and avert disaster.

Di's description of the Gashadokuro served to properly dull Nil's naive eagerness at least. His smile falling at the rather grotesque description of the towering bone monstrosity Di described to him. His features tightening at first in apprehension, then considering, as Di proceeded to describe some of the more intricate specifics of the creature. A small tremor running down the young Raiu's spine as he mentioned that this cultist would be attempting to control something so vile. All Nil could utter in response was a soft, rather worried. "I see......"

At Di's prompting Nil's expression turning from attentive and receptive to pensive and thoughtful. Some sort of bone? Nothing immediately stood out. It didn't help that his family preferred colors such as white, blue or silver when decorating their compound. Whereas in a more darkly decorated estate the stark white of the bone may have stood out far more. Nil sighed, paused, and looked around the family garden. Noting the gleaming silver-white pagoda that sat in it's center, Water flowed in small, intricately dug rivulets throughout the garden to water it properly and that same water flow first ran through the center of this pagoda, creating a place one could sit and wash their feet if they so desired. After all, it's not as if plants were picky about whether someone had put their feet in the water they drank.

Nil turned back to Di, regretfully informing his companion. "I am.... afraid not. Unfortunately my family is very fond of the color in our decorating so it... does not exactly stand out." Nil motioned to the off-white, not quite silver color of his own kimono as an example. before giving Di a small, reassuring smile. "Even so, I'm certain if we keep our eyes open we can discover it before any cultist." Nil made a face, like he had just bitten into a lemon, before chuckling and motioning to one of the side entrances of the compound that would take them from the garden to one of the small training dojo inside. "Would you like to come in. It is nearly time to eat and though my mother and grandfather are absent, I don't want us to seem rude...." Nil shrugged, sheepishly, only for his stomach to give a rather loud rumble. A faint, rather embarrassed salmon creeping onto his cheeks.

With a soft, polite cough into the sleeve of his kimono he decided to add, softly, now that he had been found out. "Also I.... may not have eaten in a bit...." Nil turned, wanting to do his best in impressing the older Shinobi without seeming..... like he DID want to impress him. Deciding to then suggest something that he thought would be useful, in lieu of simply suggesting food due to his own hunger, Nil turned back to the older Shinobi before suggesting. "I do know of a few heirlooms the family keeps around the compound however, though only one is really..... umm.... well it's not an ornament like the rest are. But it doesn't possess any parts or pieces that could be made of bone. Some of the others are more ornamental and, well, just for show, so it's possible something was added to them to make them look more impressive. We could look at them after lunch, if that would be alright with you." Nil timidly shuffled from foot to foot, looking up at Di with an expression that all but screamed he was trying to be helpful, while also being incredibly hungry and distracted by not only the idea of food, but of the adventure Di had all but dropped in his lap.

Word Count: 623
Word Count Total: 2,217

When was the last time that Di had eaten? Possibly a week ago. Dragons tended to eat infrequently, but when they did break their fast they ate a truly prodigious amount, as was befitting a creature many times the size of a human. While the pair may not have a huge amount of time it was clear that Nil was hungry and an empty belly would simply serve as a distraction. Nodding his head in ascent Di replied.

"I'll be happy to take up your gracious offer. Perhaps a good meal will help you to remember places around the manor where the bone might be hidden "

Without so much as a motion from Nil servants came to lead the pair off to the dining hall. What awaited them was a table stocked with a veritable cornucopia of dishes. In addition to the Nabe hotpot that was considered to be a specialty of Kumo there were also plates of horumon innards fried in black sauce and steaming bowls of rice. Thanking the seven gods of fortune (Daikokuten in particular since his aid would be useful in their Gashadokuro hunt) that taking large portions was a sign of appreciativeness Di tucked into the meal with gusto.

The next course was a spread of seafood dishes. Shashimi cut into thin strips and stacked high on plates was tempting as was the still living Ikizukuri octopus but there were also rarer dishes such as anko-shirako the testicles of non-parasitic male angler fish and even kujira- whale meat. As expected from one related to the Raikage Nils family was quite well off to be able to afford fresh seafood all the way up in the mountains. Having lived a good portion of his life beneath the waves waited on by his own team of excellent chefs, Di was quite familiar with all these dishes but it was a nice reminder of home.

It was the third course consisting of noodles that Di found something to be wrong. There was a slightly bitter taste in the back of his mouth. For a few seconds, the detective wondered if something was off with the food but it all seemed to have the utmost care put into its preparation. No if not the food then it must be the tea. Di looked at his cup and saw the faintest hint of a purple haze towards the bottom of his cup.

Taking a napkin Di circumspectly spat a mouthful of saliva onto the cloth. As he expected the white of the fabric was stained purple. Di looked to Nil but thankfully the boy didn't seem to have touched the ocha yet. this was poison and if Di wasn't quite mistaken it was from the shikiscap mushroom. The fungus was deadly to humans, but it seemed that of the seven lucky ones Jurojin god of health was watching over them as the compound didn't affect dragons.

"Don't drink that tea Nil!”

Di had time to exclaim before one of the waiters had drawn a tanto and rushed at the young dragon. Hurling his teacup at the attacker Di managed to take the mans knife hand and flip him using an old judo method taught to him by his brother. Before he could properly knock out the undercover cultist another waiter had drawn a similar weapon and was charging at Nil. Di hoped fervently that the young heir had some of his family fighting spirit lurking inside.