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Kensaku

Kensaku


D-rank
Kensaku closed the book, which covered minor theories of doton application, with a sigh escaping his lips. While the book was entertaining, giving him new ideas to potentially work with, his mind was focused elsewhere. A day ago, he and his twin were assigned a mission to deal with bandits who were raiding a nearby town within one of Iwagakure no Sato's province. The parameters of the mission gave them discretion in handling the offenders. They could deal with them in any way they saw fit. Nothing of importance happened on their way to the village, but things got interesting upon arrival.

They had got there at the right time, for bandits were circling a woman and child. The thoughts of what would happen to the woman and her child crossed Kensaku mind, at the time, but was fleeting when Niala took control of the situation. There were many ways Kensaku had thought the particular mission would have gone, but, never did he think it would be Niala to draw first blood and kill a bandit during their first unsupervised field excursion. The little sister who he had sworn to protect from everything that would cause her harm was the one who took another's life.

At the time, he did not think much on her actions. No, he had to deal with the other bandits who threaten to harm his sister. He remembered how, upon unraveling his puppet, everything changed. He no longer spoke, speaking through his puppet instead, building a personality for the demented creation right then and there. The blood. He remembered all the blood which his puppet spilled, and the screams which came from the men being slaughtered, or, in the last one case, having his throat ripped out, by the puppet. The image of gore and viscera would not be something he would forget anytime soon.

"I wonder how she is holding up.", He silently mused to himself. When they returned, other things took precedences, with both parents questioning how the mission went, and if there was any difficulty while handling it. The two answered the questions truthfully, omitting nothing. The reactions received being what was expected, both parents feeling relieved and proud, along with making sure they were both okay with what they did in the name of a village. Once they were satisfied with the answer, the family went about their normal routine, eating dinner later that day, and eventually went to bed.

He did not know about Niala, but, sleep for him was sparse. The memories of those who he killed weighed heavily on him throughout the night. The screams of the men and the excessive amount of pain he caused to them woke him up several times throughout the night. It is thanks to the dreams that Kensaku was up at 4 am this morning and finishing the book over doton applications by 6 am. He could not sleep because of what he did that day, and he wondered how his twin was holding up.

Stretching and yawning, Kensaku got up off the bed, and made his way towards the miniature bookshelf, and placed the book back were in belong. “I wonder if she is up?”, He questioned, opening the door to the bedroom and walked to across the hall to Niala’s bedroom. Along the way, he heard their parents’ voices talking before hearing the door closing, their father heading off to work. Dressed in a plain white t-shirt and black sweatpants, Kensaku knocks on the door, “Niala, it is me, Kensaku. Are you awake? Want to talk to you.”, He spoke, patiently waiting for his twin to answer him if she was awake.


616

Niala

Niala


D-rank

She had known how her actions were going to affect her, but she hadn’t thought it would be like this.

Taking a life wasn’t easy for everyone. Some people could do it without a second thought: there were cold blooded killers who could take another life with a smile on their face. While Niala had not hesitated to strike down those who were her enemies she hadn’t done it with coldness in her heart. Each one of those deaths had weighed heavily on her - though it hadn’t seemed that way at the time. Taking a life hadn’t been easy for her, but she knew there was no other option. Those bandits would have just kept on attacking, kept on trying again, had they not been stopped the way they had been. The fact that her brother had also taken the lives of those he faced had likewise affected her: she hadn’t realized until that point in time just how much she had blinded herself to what they’d be doing in their careers. It had given her a lot to think about.

Which, was precisely why she hadn’t slept at all. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to. The night before had been easy enough, her mind still switching between the cold hearted killer mode she had personified last night back to adorable and sweet little Niala. She had found herself able to pass off simple responses, ones which seemed to appease her parents and cut back on their worry, but half of the words that had left her mouth at the time were half truths. She wasn’t as fine as she had projected last night, and the longer she had spent alone in her room, and the further that facade she had been using earlier had slipped, the more disturbed with herself and her actions she had become. She felt like she had done something wrong, what’s more she felt like she had gone against the oath that every doctor or medical professional took: first do no harm. She had done a lot of that: she had caused a lot of pain and a lot of suffering. Sure, she had tried to downplay it: she had done what was right, she had saved that woman and child, she had saved the other villagers too. But, no matter how she tried telling herself that what she had done could not be avoided she couldn’t help but kick her own ass over it.

Sleep is for the innocent, but I’m no longer innocent.

So, for the young female, sleep had eluded her all night long. She had simply spent the majority of her time on the window bench, her back resting against the window frame, staring out at the moon and the stars: curled up in thick leggings and her favorite long sleeve turtleneck sweater: hoping that the familiar smell and feel of the fabric would make her feel better and bring her some kind of comfort - it hadn’t. In fact, around two o’clock in the morning the tears had begun to fall, her mind absolutely destroying itself, breaking her down over the acts she had committed. So, by the time she heard the knock on her bedroom door and looked up and towards the wood that blocked her from her twin on the other side her face was red, eyes bloodshot, and there were dried tears streaked down her face.

She sniffled softly, bringing the tissue that was crumpled up in her hand to her face to wipe away the fresh tears - flinching against the pain from her raw eyes. Glancing around the room she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, realizing that she looked like a mess - there was no way she could fix herself from looking like such a mess, and yet she didn’t have the heart to ignore her twin and pretend she was still asleep.

What are you going to think of me now, brother? I’m such a mess, and it was only my first mission.

Niala battled with two choices in that split second, to either call her brother into her room or to get up and open the door herself - the door being unlocked as per usual. She knew their parents were awake, the quietness of the house making it easy to hear their discussion, though it was muffled to the point of being incomprehensible to her. Standing up from her comfortable position Niala crossed her room lined with shelves of built in bookshelves that were filled to the brim with books. She paused at the other side of her door before pulling it open, finding herself staring more at her brother’s chin than at his eyes. “Talk to me about what?”, she asked softly, her voice hoarse, and barely above a whisper.

As she waited for a reply she took a step back, shifting her arm in a gesture for him to come in - and closing the door behind him if he did. Whatever he was going to say she didn’t want Hanae or Genki to over hear it - they had acted so proud last night, and she didn’t want to let them down.


Word Count: 885

Kensaku

Kensaku


D-rank
Waiting for his twin to answer the door, Kensaku thought about what he was going to say to her? If the mission affected her as it did to him, what could he say to soothe her mind? He could go with the typical and generic response of “it will be okay” or “try not to think about it too much,” such responses that someone who did not experience what did have done would say. The types of answers which he had given to himself late last night, and which did nothing in helping him. How hypocritical would he be if he told her words that himself did not even believe? Could he really tell her those words? Lie to his twin’s face in hopes the words would help her more than they had him?

The answer to his unspoken questions revealed itself when Niala’s door open, and the person on his mind was standing right in front of him. “You have been crying.”, The words coming out before his mind could register what he had said. It was not a question, but simply a fact. The dried running streaks of tears down her face. The crumple, and probably wet, tissue in hand. All of the aforementioned were signs that his twin had been trying. Seeing her like this broke his heart, and made him regret allowing her to go on the mission. The regret paled in comparison to the other emotion he felt at the time.

She looked so small and tiny now. The vibrant, happy-go-lucky girl from two days ago, before their mission, having disappeared leaving behind this shell. Looking at her, his eyes soften considerably, as he closed the distance between them, stepping into her room to wrap his arms around her. For a few moments, nothing was said as he simply held his sister in his brotherly embrace, “I want to talk about what happened yesterday.”, He spoke, finally letting go of her to look within her eyes.

Closing the door behind him, Kensaku guided Niala towards her bed, gently sitting her down and sitting beside her. Silence descended in the room as he tried to figure out what he was going to say, yet, nothing was coming to him. Having no idea what to say, he decided just to start talking, hoping something would make sense, “Despite what I told mom and dad about our mission, I am far than okay what happened. What occurred, the people killed haunted me thoroughly throughout the night. I kept on seeing the faces and screams of the men who live I took. Last night was far from peaceful for me, nor does it seem it was peaceful for you either.”, He paused, allowing his words to sink in. He did not know where he was going with this speech, only saying whatever was coming to mind right now. He just hoped it made sense. “I tried telling myself that everything will be alright, that I will eventually get used to taking the life of another. But, I do not think none of that is true. For better or worse the mission has changed us, and it is up to us to determine that change. Killing should never become an easy and meaningless task. The moment it does is when, in my belief, we lose who we are as a human.”, He spoke, sighing softly. Why was this so hard? If they had told their parents the truth, he knew they could have to give them the advice they needed. “While things have changed. I think we should never forget who we are; that we are the proud children of Koizumi Hanae and Genki, and that, whenever we take another's life, it is to protect those who we care for at home. Having a reason why we are killing, asides from the village safety could help with us dealing with the aftermath of the act."

Did he believed the words spoken? Honestly taking to heart what he just now told Niala? Yes, he did. The words might not have been something their father or mother would have said to them, for nothing can be advice from experience shinobis, but, it was the best Kensaku could do for now. He had spoken what he felt was right, saying words that came from his heart. Looking at his twin, Kensaku’s right arm wrapped around her shoulder, bringing her against his own, “What do you think, Niala?”, He asked, wanting to get her opinion on what both of them was dealing with.



765 |1381

Niala

Niala


D-rank

Oh gods, just how much did I need that hug?

Life felt like it was in an uproar, it felt chaotic and broken. Yet, the moment her brother wrapped his arms around her it was like the very world was once again grounded. Things felt right, perhaps not perfect but much better than the past twelve hours had been. She found herself exhaling slowly, as if breathing out all of the heartache and tension that she had been feeling. She felt strong for the first time since the sun had fallen, as if she weren’t as alone in the world as she had been.

In fact, safe with her twin she felt almost silly for the way she had been feeling - not silly for being upset over taking a life, but silly for spending all night crying when she could very easily have gone across the hall to her brother’s room and talked to him about how she felt. She didn’t have to spend the night alone, crying all by herself, unable to sleep.

How could I be so stupid as to want to hide how I was feeling?

When her brother spoke about wanting to talk about what happened yesterday she found herself nodding. She sat next to her brother, pausing a moment to wipe her nose with the tissue, before looking towards her brother as he began speaking. Just like how she had told their mother and father that she was okay, it seemed her brother had done the same, though neither of them truly were. The people he had killed, the deeds that had been done, they haunted him too. She hadn’t been the only one who had to go without sleep, and when he inquired about her having a rough night too she nodded her head in agreement. Knowing she wasn’t alone, that she wasn’t the only one facing this, it made her feel less weak - less unworthy to be a shinobi. She always saw her brother as a strong person, and she knew that if he too was going through this then this wasn’t a sign of weakness: it was simply something that some shinobi had to cope with.

In silence she listened as he continued on, hanging on the words that he spoke. It seemed that her brother had tried doing exactly what she had done: telling himself that everything was okay, that one day he would get used to killing. He didn’t believe himself anymore than she had believed herself. She found herself breathing a sigh of relief when he mentioned that killing was something he believed he could never get used to: she felt exactly the same way. He believed that the moment killing became a meaningless task that they would lose themselves as a human being, their humanity would be gone, and she found herself nodding her head in agreement automatically.

You’re right, dear brother. We are their proud children, and we won’t lose who we are.

As Kensaku continued on she nodded her head again, taking his words to heart and wrapping her mind around them. As she did so she felt her eyes drying of tears, and her sniffles slowly fading away. He was right: this was so much more than just protecting the village. While they might not like killing, while they’d likely never enjoy it, they were doing this to keep each other and to keep their parents safe.

As her brother’s words came to conclusion she found a soft smile forming across her face - it was light years away from where her smiles normally were, but it was a step in the right direction. She found herself nodding yet again before hugging her brother tightly. “I think you’re right. I also think that mom and dad could have said the same thing and it wouldn’t have made me feel better like it does coming from you. Thank you. You’ve made me feel a lot better. You’re right, I’ll never get used to killing - I don’t want to. To do so means to lose our humanity, our good nature. But, knowing that I’m doing this to protect you, to protect mom and dad, and my friends… that makes me seem easier. I know it’s either them or me, I know that if left unchecked my enemies could end up causing harm to those I love and care about. I know I have to stop them.” Her smile grew a bit bigger as she released her brother, and looked down at the tissue in her hand. She wiped her nose one last time before tossing it in the small garbage can next to her bed. “Come on… let’s go get some breakfast - I’m starving which is weird but I’m not going to knock it…. Maybe I should wash my face first…”, she said with a pause, catching her reflection in the mirror over her dresser as she stood up from the bed: she looked like a mess, and she definitely didn’t want to see their parents looking like this.


Word Count: 865 | 1,750

Kensaku

Kensaku


D-rank
Waiting for Niala to comment on what he had said, Kensaku’s thoughts started to analyze the words which he had spoken only moments ago. Logic had no place in the words spoken. Nothing that was said could be backed up by facts or some statistical data somewhere. Everything he spoke to his twin about came from his heart. It being the thing guiding his words, more like ramblings, as his brain was trying to make heads or tails with what was being said subconsciously. Throughout out the entire speech, there were times where the words came out of his mouth before his brain could properly register them, and once the words were said, he just went with the flow of them. There was no way he could take back what he had said, and it was not like he wanted to take them back, to begin with. The words steadily became easily as the more and more of them was spoken, and before he even realizes it, he had finished speaking, and now was just waiting for his twin’s comment.

Who knew silence could be so heavy? Kensaku did not realize waiting for his twin’s comment could be so nerve-wracking. Niala’s opinion was invaluable to him, and he knew that, but, never did he realize waiting for her to say something could be so nerve-wracking. Luckily, he did not have wait long before something was said. There it was, that soft smile of hers. Even before she began speaking, Kensaku knew his words made sense, and they had been validated by such a simple gesture from hers. Arms wrapped around his twin, returning the hug which she had given him, “I am glad that I was able to make you feel better. I was worried about you.”, He confessed. “Indeed, knowing that I am doing this to protect mom, dad, you, and my friends is a good enough reason for me to continue on this path. I will do what I need to protect those precious to me.”, He spoke, the smile on his face becoming bigger than what it was previously. Letting go of the hug, Kensaku stood up and stretch, a few joints popping from doing so, and chuckled at Niala’s comment of being hungry, “Haha, I am too. I know mom was cooking breakfast when I came over here. So, she might be done now.” Looking back at his sister, he nodded in agreement, “Yeah, though I would not be surprised if she somehow knew about this. Anyway, I will be waiting for you downstairs.” With that comment, he would wait to see if Niala had anything to say before exiting her room and heading downstairs. It is here where he greeted his mother before taking a seat.


Exit Thread | Finished


468 | 1849

Earth Release: Earth Shore Return | 900 out of 900 words | 150 ryo
Silhouette Technique | 900 out of 900 words | 150 ryo
Words discard: 49





Last edited by Kensaku on Mon May 14, 2018 11:58 pm; edited 3 times in total

Niala

Niala


D-rank
Why did I ever doubt I could come to my twin over something so important?

Really it made no sense to her at all why she had ever doubted going to her brother with her issues and concerns. It made no sense why she had sat in her room, alone and crying, all night long without seeking out comfort from her twin or their parents. Now that she was looking at it from a rational point of view it was complete and utter nonsense to have held back and suffered in silence, and that was something she knew she would keep in mind if they did another mission or had another task put before them that caused her to struggle in much the same way. In fact, she was quite certain a situation like this would present itself again – and while she now had her brother’s wisdom which she took to heart and mind she knew that killing would still be no easy feat for the young puppeteer: it just simply was not in her nature.

I’ll be right down! I’m suddenly starving.

With a nod to her brother’s words she hurried into the bathroom, splashing water on her face and washing it gently: doing the best that she could to hide the fact that she had spent the evening hours crying. She felt better now, and considered this a closed chapter of her life. She wanted to move forward instead of dwelling on it, and that’s exactly what she planned on doing. With her face dress, and her hair thrown into a hasty but neat ponytail, she headed downstairs, her growling stomach announcing her arrival as her mouth watered at the smell of the delicious food that assaulted her nose so pleasantly. “Mmm! I’m starving. Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious!”, she’d speak with a smile as she took her seat next to her twin at the table, ready to dig in for breakfast!
-Thread Exit-


Word Count: 330 | 2,080

Training
Puppet Style: Healing Chamber 1,000 / 2,080
Medical Style: Sensory Pulse 1,000 / 1,080

Discarding 80 Words

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