Chiheisen's Cell

Chiheisen's Cell

Spoiler:

Chiheisen floated aimlessly in the center of her cell. The only thing keeping her from floating up to the ceiling was the myriad of A-Grade chains that were wrapped around her arms, legs, neck, and torso. The apparatus holding it all together was like a straitjacket and it afforded her no comfort or freedom of movement. A series of needles had been threaded through the chains and were buried into her skin. Occasionally, they buzzed in a pre-determined pattern. Ijutsu enhanced electricity coursed through her body to ensure her neuro-muscular system would not entirely atrophy. They did need her somewhat mobile for their experiments after all. On her head was a bondage contraption that prevented her from seeing, hearing, smelling, or tasting the world outside. Chiheisen wasn't even aware of what her cell looked like and yet she had been confined there for what felt like centuries.

The feedings were the worst part. It usually came in the form of thick viscous sludge. It poured through her nostrils and her mouth causing her to convulse with pain and discomfort. They had found that the source of her power was connected to her head (more specifically her hair, but testing hadn't officially confirmed that yet). The contraption on her head was inter-woven with seals that strangled her ability to reach out to her other selves. Once in a blue moon, she'd fight past the blocks and would muster enough strength to rip out the force-feeding tubes. Once she had done that, they'd beat her, subject her to horrid Genjutsu, and then fed her directly through her stomach in a process that was excruciatingly painful.

That was her existence.

Chiheisen sometimes found refuge in the lives of her other selves. They were off doing other things with people she had never met nor would ever. These other Chiheisens had the fortune of not being locked in the Blood Prison. On days when she could get a link, she watched the world through their eyes. It was the only source of comfort that she had in the Prison. When she couldn't get a connection, she stewed in the darkness with rage. She cursed her captors and waited for the day where she might be set free.

Gin had left the warden's office at an accelerated pace with Akihiro behind him. At least he hoped he was. Time was very delicate and he could not waste the fragile minutes they had to prepare a solid defense before the attack had begun. He couldn't jeopardize the whole defensive plan if Akihiro did not keep up with his pace. A pair of black combat boots covered both feet leaving no open weakness to his feet. He wears a pair of common synthetic black pants personally having the bottoms wrapped in white bandage wrap to prevent it dragging or getting snagged. On right his thigh is a blue rectangular holster secured and backed by white tape. Gin wears a black single utility belt tightly secured to his waist. It holds one blue holster on his right side as well as two beige carry pouches around the back side of the belt. To his left was a short, studded club. The right of his belt was a Chokuto in a red lacquered scabbard. His torso is covered by a sleeveless black shirt. Under his black shirt he wore a set of titanium mail. It was light and was worn like a T-shirt. It provided a layer of protection which would most likely be needed. Among this he was suited in a set of plated armor. A breastplate, set of arm guards, pauldrons, and faulds dyed red.

Over all of this was a thick, black cloak which concealed the majority of what he wore making everything more of a surprise with the hood drawn over his head. Covering his face is a simple black mask up to his nose. A radio headset was worn in his right ear with the mouthpiece inches from the corner of his mouth allowing him to communicate through the predetermined frequency. This was a backup method to speak to Akihiro as they both temporarily had a slug in their possession. This summon allowed them to communicate without the distance regulations with the radio headset proving to be more efficient. Gin is a tall, lean male standing at 6'2 and weighing 175 lbs. He has a broad, moderately toned figure. He has a tan skin tone accompanied with rich hazel eyes and medium length brown hair stopping briefly past midway down his neck and shortly past his forehead.

The warden send a message out to the gate keepers of Chi's cell to activate the "chakra passage", whatever that was, allowing the two to gain brief access to her cell. Gin would slow down being outside of the long passageway which led to Chi's cell. The outer door was locked as Gin attempted to turn the handle. Equipping the key he inserted it into the keyhole and turned. It was a stiff turn as heavy bolts moved and gears clicked. He'd open the heavy steel door inwards towards the inside of the tunnel. The passage was roughly fifteen meters long and five meters in width and height before reaching another door which actually led inside Chi's cell. "Come on, let's hurry up and get set." He said jogging over to the far end of the passageway and unlocking the door to the prisoner's cell. After that Gin would reach into one of his hip pouches. He'd grab a stack of blank tags dividing the stack in half and handing it to Akihiro. His hand reached back retrieve a large ink well roughly the size of a hand fruit which was sealed with a cork, and a paint brush. "I know you're familiar with the Five-Seal Barrier technique. Get that placed on Chi's cell door when you're finish doing whatever else you have planned inside of her cell."

Gin's hand went into his hip pouch to retrieve three small scroll. Two of them had a red trim while the last one was blue. He'd unravel each of the red scroll three-fourths of the way leaving a quarter of the seal still concealed. Taking a blank sealing tag he'd fold it in a manner where both sticky ends would touch leaving the non-stick surface facing inside the tag while the sticky surface was on the outside. He'd stick one on the far side of the cell, one on the left upon enter and one of the right. Grabbing his steel wire from his pouch he'd tie a bit to the main body of the scroll before running it along the corner of the cell and finally to the door handle of the cell. He'd tie it there ensure a snug fit. The contraption was simple: pushing the door open forced the scrolls to open completely. The Fuuinjutsu was rigged to activate when pulled opened releasing a powerful fire technique flooding the cell with fire. Chi's location was the only safe spot as she was suspended.

This was only a distraction to the real trap. Using the same blank sealing tag folding method he'd open the water scroll and secure it above the door opening it completely. He did not activate that trap yet as he wanted to get Akihiro out of the cell first. His job was just about done. Gin needed Akihiro to clear the area before he could officially activate the traps. Gin would reach to his headset and communicate with Akihiro through there instead of yelling across the cell in attempts to not provoke Chi. "Akihiro, this is Gin. I need you to double time it and get back here as soon as possible. Over."

Gin Stuff:

Akihiro took a bit longer to reach this place because he needed to meet up with one of the Mockingbird's squads along the way. These men were going to be the cell's guards and would need to be prepared for any eventuality as well a be briefed about proper protocols. Most of this information had already been passed along to them well before they set out for this mission but now that their hour had come Akihiro wanted to make sure they knew exactly what they'd be doing. He spoke with them in whispers on the way to Gin's location.

Thus the group of four arrived. Akihiro, two kunoichi and a shinobi. They arrived just as Gin turned the the handle and pushed the door open. It was time to lay down the traps they had planned. The five of them, including Gin, would go through the fifteen meters which led to Chiheisen's floating cell. Akihiro glanced at Gin as he pulled out some gear for Fuuinjutsu. It wasn't absolutely necessary for the Sparrow to use ink, but he was glad to see Gin had come well prepared. Akihiro had come to expect no less from the man. He had went through the trouble of learning about Akihiro's fuuinjutsu abilities and had come equipped to aid the young Jonin in securing the cell. He nodded at Gin's comment. "Aye, I'll get it done as soon as possible." and with that comment he went inside the cell while Gin got to work on the corridor.

Being inside Akihiro couldn't help but admire the fuuinjutsu prowess which had been set in place in order to bind Chiheisen. The anti-gravity kind of Fuuinjutsu were extremely complex and to add an incredibly strong barrier on top of that was truly the work of a genius. The Sparrow couldn't help but wonder just how many people had been involved in designing this sort of technique and then applying it. From the moment he entered the cell Akihiro noticed a sudden lack of...gravity. Truly he could easily float around just by jumping slightly. "Beware of the lack of gravity." He whispered to the three ninja who had come inside the cell with him. Then he signalled the shinobi to get started on their job. He then pushed the ground with his feet to "jump" back and as soon as he got out of the doorway back into the hall gravity went into action and brought him down. It truly was a strange feeling. The three ninjas inside the cell were now floating up to its ceiling. The cell was a 5 by 5 meters cube which meant that while there wasn't a whole lot of space to move around it was good enough to hold 4 people comfortably for  few hours. Well, 3, since Chiheisen probably wasn't all that comfortable in there.

Akihiro's clone would then arrive at the scene, carefully going through the hall and passing by Gin. Luckily none of the traps were active yet or he might've fallen for them. Standing outside the cell, the clone whispered a command. "Go.".

A venomous cobra slithered from the inside of his cloak, down his feet and to the ground. It looked at both Akihiros, seemingly confused. But when both nodded it went right into the cell, floating up to one of Mockingbird's ninjas. It was trained not to harm them, and it knew they would feed her well if she behaved properly. The ninjas knew the command to make the snake attack. Finally Sparrow's clone would dissipate and he would regain most of his chakra back while he closed the door. With the door closed Akihiro finally took the Fuuinjutsu tags Gin had given him and placed it on the door. He used his fingers and chakra to draw the final seal of the Five-element seal barrier. With a single hand-seal, he activated both techniques.

Then he turned back to Gin's position and followed the hall until he was out of the actual hall. "Everything is ready, you can activate traps." he confirmed it. "Also check this out." he signalled the men inside the cell with Chiheisen. One of them made a set of hand-seals and the cell seemingly vanished from thin air. It was the Sparrow's Mirror technique, a camouflaging technique. It was a very cheap technique in terms of chakra cost but extremely useful for these kind of situations. A barrier had been created by one of the kunoichis inside the cell. It had a 7 meters radius, enough to cover the entire cell. The barrier would make everything inside it invisible to the outside. Since it worked with light reflection instead of messing with a victim's tenketsu, using Kai to dispell this barrier was impossible. Of course there were downsides to it, but since the cell was floating they weren't so bad. Akihiro was wearing a mask so his smirk wasn't really noticeable, but he was truly proud of his jutsu. "Hidden in plain sight."

"Sparrow, phase 1 nearly complete. Get ready for phase 2, over." he radioed his squads with a whisper. Then he opened his cloak and whispered to the slug hiding in one of his pockets. "Please inform the warden that the cell's 'disappearance' is our camouflaging abilities in place. Wouldn't want him panicking over it."

USED:
Chakra Reserves: 87.5
Mirrored Sudden Attacker Technique -15CP
Five Sealing Barrier -10CP
Shadow clone dispelled: +87.5

Chakra left: 150

SQUAD:
3 Scouts, A B and C.
A: 110 Stamina
B: 110 Stamina

C:
Used: Sparrow's Mirror D-rank -E-cost -1 CP
109 Stamina

By the time Gin had called out to Akihiro he was complete. He had followed Gin to the corridor saying he was finished and that he could activate his trap. Nodded to himself he half a half Tiger seal and rigged the water scroll. He'd be surprised if the attackers managed to get that far, but he knew one thing that they sure as Hell were going to have a tough time getting in. Gin was a bit impressed with what the boy was capable of. He trusted his ability to set up more than his own seeing as he was designated Konoha's strategist, and at a young age all things considered. But his intelligence is where his effectiveness ended. He lacked skill in all other areas considered. Charisma, wisdom, and physical prowess. That is where Gin felt his role came into play. All the traps were rigged as Gin shut the door to Chi's cell and inserted the key locking it shut.

"They have that girl stringed up like a side of beef. They risk the integrity of this prison all for what? Experimentation? The Warden should've ended her the moment he caught wind of an attack." He was unsure what experiments they were even conducting on her. But from the looks of it she was incredibly dangerous. Perhaps even more than himself. She was a constant lure for the Society. The extreme precautions they practice just for them to enter her cell and set up even more traps was a bit mind boggling to say the least. If he were the Warden of this prison he would have sent her severed head to her posse long, long ago. "Come on. Let's head back to the Warden's Office." Gin would exit the cell chambers leading back into the main prison before shutting the door behind them and locking it again. He'd stash the key in his left hip pouch.

Without another word he'd follow the same path they took to return to the Warden's Office. He planned to wait there for further orders, but if shit went off in the process he would change his direction to address the threat and keep communication using the slug provided.

[Exit - Block C]

Gin Stuff:

Akihiro thought he'd heard the sound of an explosion in the distance, although this deep inside the castle it was hard to tell. As he ran from the interior of the castle to the outside walls, the young Sparrow radioed his squads. "Sparrow here, was that what I think it was? Over."

"This is Delta unit positioned on Wall C. Affirmative, they're through. Incredibly large numbers, too many to count. One of their squads flew over the first wall while riding a dragon. Over" Wait what? Akihiro frowned. Did he hear that correctly? "Come again Delta unit, what are they flying on and what was that sound? Over." Akihiro ran as fast as he could, he needed to confirm this with his own eyes despite trusting his units. They were trained in the art of Genjutsu and would not be easily fooled, yet Akihiro knew even the greatest of minds could be tricked at one point or another.

"A dragon, I repeat, a dragon. The explosion was the gates of Wall Rose being compromised. Wall Maria has also been breached, they're pouring in huge numbers, over." If there was any way Akihiro's expression could turn even more serious, it did. So they weren't going for a quiet infiltration but rather a full frontal assault? They had balls, he would give them that. But Akihiro wasn't about to let this go unchallenged. He made a single seal and created a Kage Bunshin, who knew exactly what he had to do and ran in the opposite direction of the original Akihiro. The young Sparrow was genuinely surprised at the choice of tactics they had made, but this could still be a decoy for a less flashy operation and he wasn't about to be fooled by that either. He liked to be prepared.

And so the original Akihiro rushed towards the Warden's quarters while the clone rushed towards Wall Sina. Akihiro had a feeling he knew where they would strike next.

[EXIT]

USED:
Kage Bunshin -10CP

Aki reserves: 70
Clone Reserves: 70

The Warden's clone activated the chakra passage into Chiheisen's cell. He utilized his key to open the cell and stood inside the room. He hoped the men had the common sense to disarm any traps that might fuck up the clone as it would only screw over their interests to prematurely activate said traps. The clone walked or rather floated to where Chiheisen was and stared down the Mockingbird-Nin.

"Regardless of any order you receive, you are not under any circumstances to harm Chiheisen unless this cell is destroyed and she is freed of her bonds"

The clone would then activate the Gastropod Technique and antennae would sprout from his forehead. He'd slowly begin to gather Sen chakra to himself as he patiently waited.

Gathering sen-chakra via Gastropod Technique

Nozomi had been walking through the command castle for a little while, taking her time and no longer rushing. Part of it was that she wasn't familiar with the layout of the castle, and needed to find Chiheisen, but that wasn't the only reason. She had used quite a bit of her chakra throughout the assault on the prison, and she knew that she was going to need to use more before she left, to completely demolish the prison. For now it was okay to give herself some rest.

She had taken the time to properly use the transformation jutsu to make herself look like Gin, in order to fool anyone who may have been left behind. She didn't need to have long interactions with anyone, just enough to cause some recognition, and due to that, some hesitation. That would be all she'd need for a quick take down of almost anyone.

While she went through the castle though, she had some down time to finally sort through the items she had looted from Gin's body after beating him. Without having to carry him and make sure he didn't wake up, Nozomi's hands were all free, so she flitted through the belt and pouches quickly. He had some pretty interesting items, which was nice enough for Nozomi. She'd been meaning to restock her supplies anyhow. Multiple kunai, shuriken, and different types of bombs. Some military ration pills which would refill her supply. Some blood pills, which were probably better, since Nozomi didn't want to rely on Bijuu healing too much.

The scrolls were interesting, Nozomi wasn't sure if they stored anything themselves, or were just empty. That would have to be a later discovery. Some random potions and gems were also interesting. Then there was the ink vials and stuff for sealing. It appeared that Gin was a fuuinjutsu user. Given his tools and such, Nozomi came to the conclusion that he had probably trapped the area around Chiheisen's cell. She'd need to watch out for any last attempt snares.

There was an additional item that Nozomi had found. A single key. It was either a personal thing, such as to his home, or it was for Chi's cell. There wasn't any harm in checking when she found the cell, in case she was right. The worst that could happen would be it wasn't the key and she'd need to bust down the cell herself.

She set her eyes on the cell, unaware that there had apparently been a genjutsu placed on it earlier by Akihiro, since the clone of the Warden who had entered the cell earlier had in fact dispersed it by doing so. It was out in the open and Nozomi could clearly see that there were people inside the cell with Chiheisen, who was strung up and hooked up to monitors. The sight made Nozomi's blood boil, but she was super close to freeing her. The cell itself was suspended in the air with no real passage to get to it.

Nozomi wasn't quite sure what to do about that, but from the ground, she could jump up to it without too big of a deal. Since she didn't know about the chakra passageway, that's exactly what she did, using her strength, coordination, speed, and shinobi skills to get herself up to the door of the cell with a powerful jump. She could easily now make out some traps, having been expecting them. Tags, tension wires, and men with backup. It was just like Gin had told her. There were people here to kill Chiheisen if she had made it through. Her blood boiled more. She was glad she had killed him.

Peering in so that they could get a good view at her, transformed into Gin, she waved at the men inside, placing the key into view. "Mind disabling the traps? Threat's been dealt with for now, we can leave." With the combination of her having the key, being familiar with the fact that there were traps and guards, looking exactly like Gin, Nozomi doubted there would be too much question about the situation before it was too late. She was banking on these men not being actual guards of the prison, but given their clothes difference, she doubted they were. Besides, Gin had said they were ordered to kill Chiheisen, which she doubted the Warden was okay with.

Assuming that it worked, the traps were disabled, and Nozomi put the key in the lock, turning it. She was happy to find that the key was in fact to Chiheisen's cell. Opening it up, she dropped down to the ground, letting the Mockingbird soldiers exit to join her. With their guards down, Nozomi made quick work of them, dispatching them with speed, a quick turn and the kunai blade flashing with blood, having slashed their throats in a single blur of movement.

Her transformation faded away, and her true face showed, anger and disgust for these men evident. She saw movement from one of the cloaks, and her kunai launched towards it, pinning the cobra to the Mockingbird mercenary. Tricky men, tricky men. Nozomi wasn't one to be fooled like that though. Stripping down the smallest of them from the basest of the clothes (leaving underwear on), just to give Chiheisen some mostly clean clothes and a cloak, Nozomi bundled the clothes up. Now alone in the room, Nozomi leapt back up to the cell and she entered in to see Chiheisen.

The cell's anti gravity was strange. Nozomi moved towards Chiheisen slowly, looking over the things she was hooked up to. The head piece, the straight jacket, the chains, the needles. Nozomi's body prickled with anger once again. She could feel the Bijuu's chakra boiling in her, eager to rise up to the surface, but she suppressed it for the moment.

Taking off the helmet first, Nozomi eased the feeding tube out of Chiheisen's nose and mouth, letting her breathe on her own for the first time, and finally see and hear everything around her. "I'm here to free you. Hold tight for a little longer." Nozomi said calmly, placing a gentle hand on the back of Chiheisen's head. Moving to the chains, Nozomi put her key into it, but frowned. It didn't appear to work. Scowling, she dropped the key, which floated away from her, forgotten and useless. She'd have to brute force it.

The girl herself was very cute and innocent looking. Nozomi found herself comparing herself to Chiheisen. They were both slim and small framed, conventionally attractive. Chiheisen looked to be a few years younger than she was, which added to Nozomi's frustration that she was locked up like a monster. None of this was okay to do to anyone, no matter the danger. It was more humane to kill them than do such things.

Nozomi grabbed the cuffs where they met, and tried to pull them apart, but the metal was incredibly sturdy. Growling slightly, Nozomi shifted to be under Chiheisen and then flitted through handsigns, building up the suiton chakra in her stomach, and gathering the chains into a single bunch. Holding them together, using her body to keep Chiheisen from floating into the stream, Nozomi launched a thin stream of water, the Water Severing Wave biting into the metal for the chains. It took a bit, a testament to the strength of the bonds, but eventually Nozomi wore through them to the point that she could pull them apart.

The chain's snapped, leaving the cuffs still attached to Chiheisen, but those could be removed later. At the very least, she was freed from her bonds. Nozomi undid the straight jacket's clasps and handed Chiheisen the clothes and cloak she took. "If you want them."

-
OOC: I'll calculate stuff if I have to, but I don't want to currently.

Jutsu used:
Henge no Jutsu
Water Severing Wave

Chiheisen floated aimlessly in the center of the prison as she had done for many many months. To her, it was just another day. The prescence of the Mockingbird-Nin and the assault on the prison were all very far off matters that were beyond the scope of her day to day. That was until Nozomi hit the building. When the woman's jutsu struck the structure, Chiheisen could feel her prison rock violently. The girl raised her head but dare not make a move. She peered into her sister realities and noticed a definitive change in the environment. People whom she never knew or met began to appear in the lives of her parallel sisters. They exchanged, words, bonds and actions with one another. A kaleidoscope of possibilities opened up and in that instant Chiheisen knew that today would not be like all the others. The wild child gave a feral grin as she prayed for a speedy release.

More changes.

The cell was compromised. The traps disarmed. The guards disabled. Chiheisen could not see or hear any of this. But by looking through the eyes of her alternate versions she could tell something major was happening. Her first taste of freedom came when the helmet was removed and the feeding tube with it.

*gasp*

Nozomi was as gentle as one could expect her to be but the pain of having a long tube removed from one's nostrils and throat lingered.  The pale and dark haired alien coughed and wheezed. She blinked furiously as she tried to adjust her eyesight to the blinding light. She was being "freed" but years of transport and abuse had affected her senses. She had no way of knowing whether her liberator was truly a friend or foe. This stranger could just as easily be her final doom. Chiheisen understood little about the world and how it worked, but she did know one thing. Strength mattered. And for those with it, it was imperative they use their powers to subdue and destroy those that threatened them. Unable to endure the sudden influx of stimuli, Chiheisen shut her eyes and screamed as she struggled against her chains. Nozomi spoke words that were reminscient of a friend. The alien did not understand but by viewing different worlds, she got the general gist. She ceased struggling if only to conserve energy. The helmet was removed and she could feel the full weight of her power pouring back into her.

Chiheisen's red eyes glowed menacingly as she drew strength from countless versions of herself. She balled her hands into fists and the second the chains were snapped, she escaped via flight. Merryweather's daughter ripped the chains away from her and floated to the top of the ceiling. She was blind, disoriented, and angry. This person sought to free her but at what cost? The feral child knew better than to trust a stranger such as this. Chiheisen let out a deafening scream once more as she flied around the cell aimlessly. She had no use for the clothes and she could not find her way out given all she had been through. Between fits of creaming, coughing, hacking, and crying. The child began to physically lash out. She could sense Nozomi's location in the cell and she rapidly flew towards the girl. Swinging punches at her head and body in an attempt to knock her out cold.

Used:

Neo-Amenominaka

Stats:

Strength: C - B
Constitution: B -A
Stamina: B - A
Speed: A -> S
Coordination: A
Intelligence: E
Perception: D

Nozomi's eyes narrowed as Chiheisen began to react violently. The girl was more or less feral, which wasn't something Nozomi particularly enjoyed dealing with. Beyond that, she was fast, and strong as well. It wasn't necessarily a problem, Nozomi was used to that sort of speed and strength, but she was slightly more limited, since she couldn't fight back herself. Well, she probably could, but doing so would probably result in injuring the girl, and that wasn't the goal at this current point in time.

Luckily though, Nozomi was fairly durable herself, and wasn't exactly caught off guard. Not only that, but the only thing she had going for her was sheer strength and speed. There was no finesse, no dedicated martial prowess. Nozomi noted an equal amount of baseline power, but the two were worlds apart beyond that. Chiheisen was a blunt instrument, wildly swinging. Nozomi was a precision tool, with calculated movements. If that girl learned control, she might have been more of a threat, but Nozomi was a taijutsu master. Equal strength wasn't enough to overcome skill at her level. Making due with simply blocking the strikes, using her forearms and simple misdirection of the attacks off to her sides, Nozomi launched herself backwards, and out the door without making any moves of aggression towards Chiheisen. While moving backwards, Nozomi spoke again, louder so as to reach the girl with her words over the sound of her screams.

"I'm Nozomi, I'm here to rescue you! Your mother sent me, Chiheisen! Merryweather?" She said the name, uncertain whether or not Chiheisen would recognize that specific one. However, she wasn't certain if Merryweather was a code name, and if so, whether the girl knew it at all. At the very least, she had said Chiheisen's to attempt some level of recognition. Still, having exited the cell, she was leading the girl towards the exit.

All the while, Nozomi had been analyzing the girl. She exhibited the ability to fly, which was incredible on it's own. Even weakened as she probably was from being in prison, she could immediately call upon her abilities after being freed. Not only that, but she had an impressive amount of strength and speed for someone so small, something Nozomi could relate to. There was no doubt about it, this was Honiko's sister. It was a shame that their family wasn't likely to work together much, if at all, after this. She would have liked to have gotten to know them a bit more.

The enemy was quick and just as strong if not stronger. Chiheisen's black hair splayed out into the air, snaking out around the space near her head as she continued to draw on her other selves. Combat and violence came easy to her kind. It settled her in a way that words and reasoning could not. The opponent dashed away from her before a single solid strike could land. Chiheisen squealed in anguish before aimlessly flying around the cell for another few seconds. Nozomi spoke her name and then her mother's name. The young Ōtsutsuki recognized the words and paused momentarily. She wracked her brain and that of her other selves to find the right words to communicate. The girl remained stationary for awhile as she begun to form words in her mouth. Chiheisen's voice was not too dissimilar to Merryweather's. It had an echo-like effect that was very alien to this world. The main difference being that the throat which produced the words were untrained and young. A cherub trying to mimic the words and intonations of its elders.

Rescue? Friend?

"F-Friend?" she whispered. "Or liar?". The word "liar" sounded more like a hiss than a whisper. Chiheisen continued to fly around her cell before finally finding the exit. The blinded girl began to slowly open her eyes a crack. The world was still too bright for her to tolerably appreciate but at least now she could get a glimpse of her rescuer's visage. Chiheisen had calmed down but the rage of her captivity still boiled within. She drifted slowly towards Nozomi with her fists balled up. She had been tricked before and she had no intention of being tricked again.

As Chiheisen slowly floated towards her nemesis, the building rocked again. Now that the Warden had fallen and his allies dead or on the run, the guards and his deputy wardens were on their heels. Those who had known him for years fought until their last breath. The few that had only just joined the ranks of the Blood Prison fled for their lives. All manner of unspeakable horrors had been unleashed as a result of Hozuki Castle's breach. Shinobi and entities from other worlds were freed from their cells. Chiheisen stopped occasionally as she sensed presences, beings, and malicious persons leaving the prison. They only provided a momentary distraction before she continued her course. When she reached about ten feet from Nozomi she drastically increased her speed and raised a fist.

"Liar!"

Chiheisen's eyes glowed a brilliant red as she closed in on the jinchurikki but just before the distance could be closed, a sea of locusts came between them. Chiheisen stopped and floated backwards as the locusts flooded her throat and nostrils, incapacitating her. The insects swarmed her hair and began to chew her roots causing her to thrash this way and that. Between hacking, coughing, and fighting off the numerous bugs Chiheisen was no longer a threat to Nozomi. Not that she had ever really been one.

Now that the Warden was deceased and his defenses destroyed beyond repair, Merryweather could enter the Blood Prison proper. With the help of some allies and careful planning, she was able to create a Yomotsu Hirasaka portal into this very room. The room's temperature fluctuated wildly and more locusts spilled out from the portal and attacked Chiheisen, driving the little girl into a corner. At this point, Chiheisen was overcome with joy despite the pain and anguish of her mother's sudden assault. A feeling of familiar helplessness and pain entered her spirit. She knew of this punishment and she had experienced it countless times at Merryweather's hands. It was her mother's way of bringing her to heel. It hurt but it meant that she was now truly free from this wretched prison. Chiheisen's eyes widened when she saw Merryweather step through the darkened portal.

The locusts slowly drifted away from Chiheisen and stored themselves into a device attached to Merryweather's hip. When the black mass of insects had left the feral child's form, they left a shivering and bloodied Chiheisen in their wake. The girl was covered in welts and bites, the ends of her hair were chewed beyond recognition and instead of floating she was now crawling.

Merryweather for her part was soaked in blood. Not her blood, but the blood of the countless "reinforcements" that had tried to assist in putting down the jailbreak. The Space-Time portal closed behind her. She gripped her once silky white hair and rang out a fairly healthy amount of blood. Chiheisen made her way over to her mother and Merryweather smiled at the little girl as she rubbed the little one's head. In that moment, Merryweather could tell her daughter had regressed in age a few years as she often did when cowed and chastised.

"Sweet Chiheisen...is that any way to treat your savior? This is why you can't stray from me sweetheart. Now that you see what the savages on this planet are capable of, you must stay close by."

Merryweather gave Chiheisen a few good smacks (backhanded and fronthanded) before grabbing her by the forearm and forcing her to her feet.

"You've been through a lot so consider that your punishment for getting caught and making me come all this way. Do it again and I'll just replace you."

Chiheisen normally didn't understand other people, but she always understood her mother. Maybe not in the same precise terms and words, but she understood. There was nothing that passed between them that wasn't clear. When the alien lowered her head and buried her face into her mother's stomach, Merryweather knew that her daughter understood. With that matter settled, she turned to Nozomi and smiled.

"Thank you. You also killed Tenma which is rather surprising....it also makes my life a great deal easier. I imagine this place will be destroyed, looted, and abandoned."

Merryweather looked around the dark and filthy prison. The cell that had been floating in the air suddenly feel to the ground with a clash. The Blood Prison was being dismantled, destroyed, and stripped down by the army of criminals. In a few months time, it'd be a relic. A failure of colossal proportions. A warning to the shinobi world that the Criminal Underworld was a force to be reckoned with when it was united.

"There's nothing more for us here Nozomi...." Merryweather called forth another portal and walked through it, gesturing for Nozomi to follow. The Winner of the Shinobi World Tournament had fought her way through the heart of the Blood Prison and in doing so she had etched her name in the annals of history for a second time.

QUEST COMPLETE

Her words actually reached the confused prisoner girl. There appeared to be a moment of hesitation, where some recognition and thought was actually happening. However, it appeared that she worked herself back up into a frenzy, and was about to attack again. Nozomi was about to go back on the defensive when Merryweather's Locusts began to interfere. It appeared that she had been aware of the exact moment that Chiheisen was freed. This worked out in the blonde's (and Merryweather's Daughter's) favor. Nozomi would have at this point had to resort to knocking the girl out otherwise.

Nozomi's arms dropped back down to her sides as she relaxed, Merryweather's portal finally opening up enough for the woman herself to enter into the room. Nozomi's eyes trained onto her for a second, and then onto her daughter, who was cowering in a corner, surrounded by the bugs. A twinge of pity entered Nozomi's stomach. A moment of anger rising up. She had save that girl from this prison, but Merryweather was also harsh and cruel. Nozomi's hands curled into fists at the woman's words to her daughter. It reminded her of her own father, and the hatred she felt for him was trained onto Honiko's mother.

She felt Isobu stirring inside her, eager for another chance to break out, but Nozomi quelled her anger for now. Now wasn't the time. The Society still needed payment. "Treat her better or you might find yourself ending up like Tenma." Nozomi said. Whether she was the one who showed that vengeance or not, the warning was there. She herself wanted to kill her own father. Chiheisen seemed to have a similar upbringing, and a vast amount of potential. One day she might take it upon herself to kill Merryweather. If she didn't, or Honiko didn't, Nozomi certainly would.

Entering into the portal, Nozomi put the prison temporarily behind her. She would return to level the place once business was concluded. She had made a promise after all.

-exit-