A Late Night Request

He was looking for one woman in particular.

Specifically, he was searching for Shimiko Chinoike. As odd as that might be for him she was the shinobi he needed to speak to at that moment. Because frankly, he needed her help. Normally, he would avoid her on account of her Jashinist beliefs. A religion that he quite frankly despised. He didn't listen to their schtick about their god, he didn't associate with them if at all possible. Frankly, he didn't even know what they believed and quite honestly didn't care to. The fact of the matter is that Tamwyn truly and fully believed that it was the Jashinists that had killed his parents when he was young. That it was them that had caused their disappearance. Was Shimiko responsible for that? No, Tamwyn knew that, she would have been far too young. That didn't change how he felt about those who practiced within the religion though. He never really liked being near them, and definitely didn't trust the vast majority of them.

Shimiko was a bit different though, at least in that based on her reputation alone she would do what she thought was best for Kumogakure. She was also, bar none, the strongest shinobi in the village, and that made her the one he wanted to talk to. For he had learned what the strange wolf that came to his thoughts wanted. Knew what he desired of him. What it wanted to do. It was a source of power, a primal one. It embodied the very soul of lightning, which was Tamwyn most powerful, well, only, element. However he had a reputation within the village by now. As being the single greatest lightning user within it. His capability to do them with no seals was well known within the village proper and utilized the advantage to vicious degree in combat. The wolf, Raijū , how he knew the name he did not know, wanted to give him even more power with the element. Wanted to partner with him, to be his companion creature.

All Tamwyn needed to know was that the wolf wanted to give him power. For now he knew Kumogakure was on it's way to war. He also now knew, that the woman he loved was carrying his children. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't do to protect them. Not a thing he wouldn't do to ensure they lived in safety. Even if it meant going to a woman that he did not know, that he instinctively disliked and stayed away from, for help. Raijū would give him full access to it's power, so longer as he bested the embodiment of lightning in a fight. He was allowed to bring help though, and that was why he was looking for Shimiko. If anyone could help him take down the divine beast it would be her.

The only thing would be getting her to agree to do so. Her life would be very much in danger during this fight, as would Tamwyn's own. At the end of the day Raijū wanted a companion who as willing to risk their life for his partnership and he wouldn't hesitate to take that life away if the challenger was found wanting during their fight. However with the war coming, he hoped maybe she would be willing to risk giving him a hand for the sake of the potentially massive increase in power it would give him and by extension the war effort. If that wasn't enough though he was prepared to do whatever it took in order to secure her assistance this night. If she still wouldn't, then he would simply have to fight the great beast alone.

He'd tried the woman's apartment and she hadn't been home. This wasn't particularly surprising as she would have a great many responsibilities to see to as well. He tried the palace, with no luck, and he was on the verge of giving up and trying again sometime tomorrow when he had a feeling about the training fields. So here he was, moving through them and searching for the woman who was Kumogakure's ANBU Commander.

Shimiko had been training all day and all night. She hardly ate, she hardly slept, she hardly spoke. ANBU had almost entirely run out of options when it came to training her. They had tried everything and she had run through it with such speed and ferocity that they were beginning to wonder if there was a limit to her drive. When they proved useless, she created her own training regimen and stuck to it. Ryuko's disappearance had hit the village hard but not as hard as Shimiko. Training was the one thing that was keeping her sane. Just when she believed that her world was becoming stable and that she might soon be able to close the final chapter on her life as a ninja, a new hell was unleashed. Shimiko's best friend and sister was gone. She couldn't lash out recklessly though. Ryuko wouldn't have wanted that. She needed to use her wits and experience to fulfill Ryuko's last order and she'd do whatever was necessary to bring it to fruition. So instead of turning her anger on others, she turned it on an invisible enemy and one that was quite far but very real.

Tamwyn would find Shimiko briefly resting after a particularly brutal session. The field was littered with pools of blood, dead bats, and a red glow of electricity seemed to dance in the air at random points. The girl had her Ketsuyrgan active and was sitting on a rock. She was wearing her usual personal effects including all of her typical weapons. There was a haunting look in her eyes as the young man entered her training space. She wasn't wearing her hair down anymore, they were back in their pig-tailed style. It was a rather telling choice.

When Tamwyn approached, she held up a hand and spoke:

"That's far enough"

She wasn't in the mood to be close to people right now. If he got any closer, she wasn't responsible for what she might do.

"I know who you are. What do you want?"

She wanted him to get straight to the point so she could go back to resting. Talking expended energy and wasted energy was joules she could have spent sharpening her already prodigious abilities. Tamwyn was Ryuko's disciple and from what Shimiko had heard the young man was rather skilled with Lighting although she wasn't particularly impressed. She hadn't even bothered to pull his file. The kid was Ryuko's responsibility and while she had heard of his strength, she had yet to see why the Queen had thought him to be so special. Perhaps he was about to say something that'd give her that insight.

Well, he found her.

As he moved through the various fields he came across one that was jam packed full of fun shit. It had blood, it had bats, about all it was missing was a wooden rafter for some pale dude with larger than average incisors to hang from and go 'bleh'. Instead of some guy in a bad halloween costume of course he would find the pig-tailed blonde known as Shimiko Chinoike, exactly who he had been searching for. When he closed to about ten meters or so she would hold up a hand and he would stop immediately. Her personal space, her rules. Nodding at her statement of that being far enough he would listen to her question. He could by the tone of her voice that she wasn't interesting in joking around. Her eyes would have white sclera, black pupils and pink irises that were of a horizontal design. The training field was absolutely laced with electrical energy. He could feel it through the air around him and it made the hair on the back of his arms stand on end. She was clearly pushing herself hard as hell since Ryuko's disappearance earlier that day. He'd just left the chamber when it occurred and the word had spread fast.

Taking a brief moment to look around the field, he would note the general effort that would have to have been put forth to cause such havoc and he would nod before turning back to her. His bright yellow eyes met her Ketsuryugan without fear as he spoke. Although there was a certain melancholy to his tone when he spoke, a certain softness in his eyes. He had come here expecting to find a woman who he would hate for he religious beliefs. But what he saw here seemed more like someone who was trying to deal with the loss of a friend. "You miss her terribly don't you.." He would say, his tone calm, he would continue quickly. "I can't say I knew sensei as well as you. Never would more than likely. Normally I wouldn't come to you for this..I'd go to her, ask her for her advice, for her help..but.." He would trail off, the statement going unfinished. He didn't think he needed to say that she was gone now.

"I'll do my best to explain this quickly, but bear with me please..You see, I've recently come into contact with a spirit creature who has for some reason chosen me to be it's potential companion. The best way I can describe him is...potent..He appears in my mind at times, staring at me, and when he does I gain instinctive knowledge of him. His name is Raijū and from what I can gather he was the divine companion of a long since forgotten god of lightning. The creature himself wasn't a god though, so he didn't simply fade away. I've already become accustomed to some of the capabilities he's given me, but in order to progress further I need to defeat him in combat." He would say, giving her as much information as he could while also getting through things quickly. "I have to meditate and enter my own mind, and fight him, if I win, I prove myself to him and we become partners. If I lose..well, I die. I want to fight him, because I want to try to get my hands on as much power as I can for the war, and to protect my love and our unborn children..Raijū understands the concept of fighting with others. As such I'm allowed to bring in others to help. I was going to ask Ryuko-sensei, once the shock of Moonspire settled....failing that I figure I'd find the biggest, baddest help I could find and ask them. That list only has one name, and that's why I'm here.." He would say, pausing as he took a deep breath. "Will you help me fight him, Lady Shimiko?" He would ask, his tone respectful. To be honest he'd use the same tone normally with the woman. He might dislike those of her religion, but treating others with respect was simple decency.

"I won't be offended if not..I'm willing to try to do it myself. I just figure if there's a chance you can get help, why not try, right?" He would say, a smile grin dusting his features at the comment. Pragmatism at it's finest, besides, the worst she could say was no. If she did he'd would simply find a secluded place and try to throw down with the wolf himself. He wasn't so unconfident that he wasn't willing to try it alone. It just didn't make sense to do so when you might not need to. He had armor on him already, it looked exactly like his normal attire only Ryuko had made it for him. Now it was even more precious to him. His trench knives were in twin sheathes at his side that made it easy to equip them. So he himself was ready to go if she wasn't willing. Of course he expected he would probably owe her for this, but he would pay it. For the power to protect his family? There wasn't anything he wouldn't pay for that.

He was smart enough to respect boundaries but not smart enough to read the room, or in this case, the training grounds. Shimiko didn't need to be reminded of the hole in her heart and if he weren't Ryuko's chosen disciple then he'd have been gored twice over. Shimiko didn't move from her perch but her expression indicated that he ought to get to the point quickly.

Shimiko listened as Tamwyn explained that he had been contacted by a lightning entity. The boy's story was fantastical but she believed. A time of great tribulation was among the shinobi world. Any and all of the greater spirits of this world were choosing their champions. She didn't know anything about this Raijū but if he was bringing this to her then he really did have no one else to turn to. What he was asking for sounded vaguely familiar. Ryuko had asked the same of her and she agreed to it without question except in that case she wanted help with a Lightning Dragon. This boy wanted help with another Lightning creature. Was everyone in Kumo going to have to fight a Lightning monster at one point or another? The thought would have made her laugh if she was in better spirits.

From the way he spoke, he must have known more about her than she did about him. He was saying all the right things and it made her wonder if Ryuko had talked about her to him. When he mentioned his unborn child, Shimiko's features softened. She could empathize with that. She had a child of her own at home. One that she'd do anything to protect. It was a noble cause and he was fighting for all the right reasons but that didn't mean she needed to risk her neck against an unknown entity. Ryuko had planned for her fight meticulously. They had drafted listed of potential fighters, talked out strategies together, they had crafted entire sets of weapons and armour specifically for this battle. Did Tamwyn do anything of those things? Was he just going to rely on Ryuko's tactical planning and skill to help carry him over the finish line? If so then Ryuko had chosen wrong.

The flattery was cute and that managed to get her to smile but he wasn't making the case he needed to make.

"My sister...your Queen....disappears today and you come to me with a half-baked plan to fight an unknown entity? Do you know the level of preparation that such a fight would require? Are you aware that if either of us fail...Kumo will be that much weaker? Your reputation precedes you and I have too much respect for Ryuko to believe that she'd chose an incompetent ninja as her favorite student but I have to wonder if all of that is simply a testament to how dry our current talent pool is. You have a kid on the way and you're willing to die to protect them. I can sympathize with that as I have one of my own. But love isn't enough to overcome certain death."

Shimiko fell silent for a moment. She was curious if her words would discourage him. If he turned away and left after she had finished speaking then she'd know that he was all hype and no substance. If he stayed then she'd continue:

"I've listened to you out of respect for Ryuko. This is normally the point where I'd send you away but we lost one of our best warriors today and I can't afford to have you punching at 50% power. I'm going to help you Tamwyn but know this. That power won't be just yours...it will be Kumo's and I expect you to use it in her best interests. If I have need of you in battle, you need to come running and without hesitation. You laid low while your employer was slaughtered by Kiri-Nin...Ryuko didn't blame you so I won't but going forward there will be no excuses. Vengeance will be ours."

Shimiko hopped down from her perch and bridged the rest of the gap between them. She was now uncomfortably close to Tamwyn and peering deep into his eyes.

"Speak to my ANBU contact Mr. Deero at this address and tell him everything you can about this being. Spare no details. Once you do that we'll be in touch."

Shimiko would take his hand and right down an address in blood. The woman's superhuman dexterity making the crimson super legible and easy to read. If he didn't have the intelligence to memorize it or the skill to keep it from running then he wasn't going to survive this fight anyhow.

"If there's nothing else....get out of my sight soldier. Can't you see I'm mourning?"

Shimiko could feel her energy levels returning. It was time to go again.

The small he managed to get out of her with the flattery seemed like a good sign, but the first words she spoke countermanded it almost immediately. He listened, intently, his eyes never breaking contact with hers as she lambasted him about the entire idea. Even going so far as to say that perhaps if he was Ryuko's favorite student, that perhaps the villages talent pool simply didn't have any real 'keepers' in it anymore. The insult stung, but he let her speak, when she mentioned him have a kid on the way he momentarily flashed two fingers, but not speaking otherwise. He had said 'children' before, Yenn was carrying twins. He wasn't aware that Shimiko herself had a child as well. Although he probably wouldn't either, she was a high profile shinobi in Kumogakure and keeping her pregnancy lowkey would be an equally high priority. It was a time she and the village would be vulnerable. After a moment of silence she would continue, and he would continue to listen, patiently. When she spoke of him 'laying low' while Damien was killed his yellow eyes would flash with unconscious lightning chakra, and his anger would rise.

He wouldn't comment on it though, she didn't know about the seal Damien had placed on him. She didn't know that the moment he was ordered to stay there and protect Yenn, both legal orders under the contract seal he was under, that he wasn't able to leave the room they had been in. He sympathized with her greatly over the loss of Ryuko. She was her friend and colleague, someone she respected and admired. His own sense of loss would come, he felt some of it now. But it came too soon after having to watch thousands of men, women he had worked with, and their families, be slaughtered and not being able to do a thing to stop it. Now however wasn't the time to bring it up, now wasn't the time to set the record straight. Frankly, he wanted someone to hate him for it, or distrust him for it. There was only so much self-loathing one could do before it faded but he felt he deserved it, even if he hadn't been able to help. So instead of speaking on the matter, he would speak of what she expected of him instead. "Kumogakure is my home, our home, and it will be the home of my children, and the woman I intend to ask to marry. Protecting it is protecting them and it's what I was always intending to do." He would say. When she hopped off her perch and closed the distance he wouldn't dudge, and when she gave him information of a contact named 'Mr. Deero' he would nod minutely. "I'll tell him what Raijū can do for me and what I know of what he can do." He would say before she wrote the address on his hand in blood. He glanced at it, memorized it immediately and looked back to meet her eyes.

At her words of dismissal he would nod before leaving as quickly as he had arrived. He began to consider if there was anything else that he could do to prepare for the upcoming fight. He wasn't a crafter of arms or armor, all he had the ability to do was fight. That he could do reasonably well. He had the ability to use any lightning jutsu without the need for seals and he was had some pretty large and impressive lightning technique in his repertoire. He needed 'more' though, Raijū as the best example of what that 'more' could be. However he wondered if there weren't even more options for him to use. As he left the field, heading toward that address Shimiko had given him, he would consider. Damien had done a lot with his ability to create, his own armor was created by Ryuko. He wondered then if he could create something that would help his capabilities even more.

[Exit]