Eye of the Storm

Yen-Li had difficulty sleeping in her new strange surroundings. She always eventually slept, but when she inevitably woke up to sharp pains in her hand because she had bumped it in her sleep, she was always momentarily confused as to where she was. The cabin got a little more familiar every time, and she supposed that if she spent long enough on this island that she would eventually begin to see the place as home.

If home were a mysterious mist laden island with a monster on it.

There wasn’t much that Yen-Li was able to do. She would have loved to properly train, to prepare for whatever Hizashi had in store and hopefully beat him next time she got the chance, but that was not to be. It wasn’t even the pain that was stopping her, although that was a very large part of it, it was that her hand, fingers and wrist simply didn’t obey her commands any longer. At first it was supremely frustrating, which led to several instances of her cursing up a storm as she tried to do something as simple as put on a shirt.

She had given up on shoes entirely. She decided that although the added height was nice, it just wasn’t worth the pain and effort. She couldn’t exactly forgo pants though, so she had developed a convoluted method of shimmying into and out of her pants by pinning them against the side of the bed with her hip and using her good hand to pull them on. It was agonizingly painful and slow, but at least she could dress herself. Everything was so much harder, worse still it was her dominant hand that had been damaged; writing was impossible, hand seals were nearly impossible, and her fashion choices were limited to ‘what I can put on using the power of swearing and my left hand’.

The physical aspects of her time were unpleasant to say the least, but the other parts such as privacy and solitude were actually nice. She felt comfortable being alone, as though she had been born to do it, the same way fish were born to swim. She pined after Omi of course, but his presence never disrupted her sense of peace and solitude. He almost seemed like the source, and every time she managed to catch a glimpse of him in between whatever duties he was taking care of, her heart leapt with happiness.

She had found a type of schedule, a loose one, where she struggled to clothe herself each morning after the battle of the bath and then spent hours meditating. She had found the practice frustrating and difficult at first but as time wore on she began to look forward to the times when she could be alone in her mind. That morning she had followed her routine as usual; left handed awkward bathing followed by the first of multiple cursing sessions as she wiggled into her clothing and then she sat in the lotus position on her bed and centered herself. She had yet to discover the mysteries of the universe, but she knew that with practice it would become easier like Omi said. And if Omi said it, then it was the truth.

An immancutely manicured set of fingers rapped against Yen-Lì's door. If it were not for the dire circumstances, Omi would have ordered her not to answer it. For on the other side, was the Devil. Whereas one might see Hizashi as a God: all-powerful, arguably benevolent in his intentions, and seemingly without concern for mortality; Menza was more akin to a Luciferean figure. Compared to Hizashi, he was quite limited in power and his desire for self-preservation exceeded all other ambitions. Hizashi's designs were of utopia and peace, but Menza had placed little stock in the well-being of others. He was moved by his own self-worship and desire to accumulate all that had been denied him as a child. Freedom, power, wealth, and a sense of importance. He pursued these goals with the tenacity of a mad man and once they were obtained, he re-defined them so as to continue the chase. Freedom from the tyranny of his former master became freedom from the laws of man and god alike. He experimented with sciences so taboo that even Nikuyo soured at their mention. Power to protect himself became the power to do as he wilt with others, no matter how "well-protected" or "strong" they might consider themselves to be. Wealth for the sake of comfort and security became wealth for opulence's sake. And a sense of importance was perverted from a desire to be liked and respected and instead turned into a pathological obsession with being feared.

Like the Devil of Western lore, Menza coveted the throne of "God." Sometimes secretly and sometimes openly. This blasphemy was tolerated because like the Fallen Angel of the Tanakh, his "creator" had found him useful. A servant to work in the shadows toiling to capture souls and sort them as was needed by Elohim's increasingly complex path to salvation. The souls of many an innocent shinobi were ensnared by this Devil. Most were destroyed and the few that escaped would never be the same again. With Armageddon at hand, this Devil had a series of choices to make. Should he attempt to usurp this supposed Alpha & Omega? Should he take his place at his feet and live as the Servant to One but Master to Many? Should he descend back into the depths and rule over his own Kingdom of monstrosities? Decisions...Decisions....Decisions.... The time for tinkering was at an end and soon Menza would have to decide what his role in this grand story would be. Fortunately, there were a few hours left for him to decide. He would pass that time doing what he enjoyed doing: Toying with the weak and ignorant.

Yen-Lì should have expected the knock. Omi had told her that he had decided to expedite the healing process by requesting assistance from the Society's Chief Engineer, Menza Sukiyama. When Omi told Yen-Lì this, his already hardened features grew grave with worry.



Menza knew that Omi had probably given Yen-Lì such a warning, but it would not stop him from trying to prod her. He wasn't sure how he'd do it or to what end, but he knew he would. It was in his nature. If the door was opened, Yen-Lì would be greeted with the sight of a tall and pale young man. He had long black hair, an attractive but disturbingly epicene countenance, and a set of eyes that required a paragraph unto themselves.

The pupil of the human eye is most commonly described as a "circle" or at the very least an "oval." Menza's eyes could best be described as vertical, yet with an obscenely angular character to them. The pupils were dull, unfeeling, and took up most of his eyes leaving only a slimmer of white remaining. They were pitch black and contained no other micro-features that were endemic to humans. In fact, the grotesque nature of his eyes was so alien, that it could not be aptly described as a "doujutsu." Doujutsu usually have a degree of aesthetic symmetry or natural color that makes them pleasant to look at (as is often the purpose). Menza's eyes were an evolutionary aberration. A symbol of his avaricious and corrosive personality. Menza used them to stare down Omi's disciple in hopes of provoking a reaction. Whether or not he was granted entrance, he'd attempt to push his way into the cabin. It was less that he was impatient and more that he wanted to assert his dominance immediately.

"Ah, you must be Yen-Lì!" Menza was smiling but it was similar to the way a hyena might smile. There was no mirth or joy behind the expression, it was purely an attempt to disarm. A fairly unconvincing one at that. "My name is Menza Sukiyama, its a pleasure to meet your acquaintance!" He'd bow respectfully before returning to a standing position. He walked around the cabin aimlessly as if looking for something. "I must say you are the second of Omi's pets to be afforded your own cabin. And the first to have been touched by Hizashi. You must be quite special." Menza's insincere smile faded and was replaced with a neutral expression. It was more off-putting than his smile. Even worse, he hadn't even mentioned or looked at her hand. He was acting as though this were a social visit among friends.

Yen-Li had been expecting Menza, but she hadn’t known exactly what to expect from him. She had listened to Omi’s warning - this time taking it much more seriously after her experience with Hizashi - but she had no memory of dealing with snakes so she wasn’t sure how to prepare. She had been given a similar warning with Hizashi, similar in that Omi had instructed her not to react, which was nearly the same thing in her mind to ‘not letting him get under her skin’. Though Hizashi had done it masterfully and she hadn’t realized just how badly she had fucked that one up until he had cracked Omi’s ribs. This time she swore to herself that she would do better, and that she wouldn’t put herself - and therefore Omi - in another compromising position.

How she was going to keep her cool was beyond her, she figured her best bet was the meditation techniques that Omi had taught her. She knew herself (not as well as she thought) and that meant she was aware that she had a blazingly hot and quick temper. Hizashi had capitalized on this during her ‘test’ quite handily. All she needed from this mysterious ‘Menza’ was for him to heal her hand, then she could get back to what was important; training to protect Omi by killing Hizashi.

When she heard the knock at the door she would open her eyes and carefully uncurl herself from the lotus position. Her feet were bare, her boots sat neglected in the corner of the cabin near the door. She wore her leather pants and a loose white shirt. Normally she would have a tightfitting leather coat overtop of the linen shirt, however putting it on had proved quite impossible so it also sat neglected laying over the back of a chair. Her hair was loose and hastily brushed, she had spent little time primping since it took so much effort and caused her so much pain. Climbing off the bed she would make her way over to the door and open it wide, coming face to face with the Cursed One himself. To say he was off putting would be the understatement of the millenia. There was something about his features that disturbed Yen-Li to her core; he wasn’t unattractive, he had done nothing untoward and yet, she couldn’t quite put her finger on why but seeing him made her uncomfortable.

He stared at her with eyes that were wrong. There was something behind that stare that made her wary, even if Omi had not warned her she suspected she wouldn’t have trusted this man anyway. Her violet eyes met his black ones and she stood there without speaking for a moment, she was most certainly unnerved by him and then when he pushed his way past her into the cabin she decided that she was not only unnerved but also that she hated him. He had a similar type of arrogance to what she had observed from Hizashi and she began to wonder if Omi was somehow the anomaly within the Society and all she was going to meet was arrogant jerks until she died from it. With an annoyed sigh Yen-Li would close the cabin door, doing nothing to conceal her distaste for the man’s rude behaviour - she thought it was only fair to display her annoyance given his rudeness.

As he smiled at her she felt oddly. . . in danger. There was no friendliness in that smile. That was the reassuring smile a predator gave it’s prey right before they consumed it. Even with most of her more integral memories gone, Yen-Li still recognized duplicity when she saw it. His phrasing when he greeted her was almost enough to make her roll her eyes and throw out a sarcastic barb, but she bit her tongue and allowed him to continue with his introduction.

She did not bow.

“I am indeed Yen-Li. Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

She was also not truly thankful, the man had taken his time and now that she’d seen him in person she thought that perhaps his lateness was by design. She did not consider it a pleasure to meet him, and the warning from Omi rang clearly through her head as Menza skipped straight away into the ‘getting inside her head’ part of the conversation. Not reacting was difficult, and in fact she failed miserably. She kept her mouth shut except for a sudden intake of breath as her muscles clenched and a wave of pain and nausea crashed through her. She had unconsciously and quite stupidly tried to clench her right hand into a fist, that she desperately wanted to attach to Menza’s perfectly androgynous nose. The physical reaction to sudden pain was not ideal, but it was better than what she had wanted to do. Something along the lines of ‘I’m no one’s pet’ and a sudden lightning storm aimed at the weasel.

She at least remembered that Menza was here because she needed his help. That was probably the only thing that stayed her metaphorical hand - because what stayed her physical hand was the crushed bones. She would shake her head as she looked towards him. “I’m not special; no more special than you or Omi. And speaking of being touched by our fearless leader - Are you able to fix my hand?” She tried to keep her voice even as she spoke, though it would be difficult for her to disguise the edge of contempt in her tone. As she asked about her hand she would raise it slightly so that he could see it more clearly. Yen-Li was in a hurry and in no mood for games, even though Menza seemed intent on playing them. She was exhausted and in pain and had to get well enough - fast enough - to meet Hizashi’s unknowable expectations.

Menza could have squealed with delight when he picked up on Yen-Lì's discomfort. When that discomfort turned to anger, it elicited a scoff. She wanted to hit him and yet she could not. Menza waited for her to make a move. For her to prove that Omi was just another scrote playing at sensei. For her to give him a reason to teach her what a real descendant was capable of. When she replied in an semi-measured tone and restrained herself, the smirk returned.

This one is well indoctrinated. Although it might say more about Omi's Genjutsu than it does about his skill as a mentor.

Menza could have spoken the sentence aloud and were Yen-Lì another pawn, he might have. Fortunately, this kunoichi was too important to toy with on such a dangerous level. If he peeled back the curtain and revealed the truth about her supposed darling, then she might very well go into convulsions. The dull and depraved never woke from Omi's staged play. Theoretically, however, the intellectually and emotionally attuned could be made to see the puppet strings by the right person and when they did, it often drove them mad. As amusing as it might be, Hizashi would not forgive such an offense. She was Raiun's blood and with that came Hizashi's protection. The way Yen-Lì vocalized this reality piqued Menza's interest. She was saying a lot without saying much and it demonstrated a level of awareness that his previous toy lacked. Yen-Lì's "grace" and "wit" was enough to convince Menza to try a less base approach.

"I see Omi has trained you well. You'll make him a very proud sensei I'm sure." Menza's tone dripped with sarcasm. It was a language that Yen-Lì spoke fluently as per her dig at the Disciple. Menza gestured to the bed. "Certainly. Please take a seat..." If Yen-Lì did as he asked, Menza would walk up to her and take a knee.

She was now face to face with those twin abominations that Menza called his eyes. They didn't gaze at her for long though. The silky haired trickster took to the task of examining the damaged hand. His hands were soft and well-lotioned, now that they were in close proximity with one another, Yen-Lì would even be able to smell his cologne. Or was it perfume? The notes of the scent were as uni-sexed as his appearance.

"Oh my....." he said as he used his free hand to touch his chest. More mock concern. More mirth at this young woman's expense. "My contractor has done quite a number on your hand. I know he can be a bit difficult at times but you have to understand, we see many pretenders in our line of work. People who come to this island thinking they are one of us and....."


"Tch. Tch. Tch" he tutted as he shook his head. "They often end up with more than a broken hand and usually at the hands of someone far less important than our benefactor" Menza gingerly unwrapped the bandages. He doctored with the patience and tender touch of a lover. Each inch slowly peeled back until the full extent of the damage was laid bare. He studied the injury for a while longer and moved his other hand on top of it. A green glow began to emit from his free hand and the work would begin. As the tendons, blood vessels, and broken skin on Yen-Lì's hand began to remedy itself, Menza took this opportunity to do what he did best.

"When rubbish is constantly blowing at your doorstep, it helps to be terse. To separate the wheat from the chaffe. In some cases with words..." Menza winked. "And in less elegant cases....actions" Menza brushed a thumb against a nerve center that he had just healed. Yen-Lì would feel the sensation, but no pain. A testament to Menza's unrivaled skill in medicine. "As impossible as it may seem, I am capable of being honest my dear" Menza paused and found himself looking at the curious charm around his patient's neck. "The truth is that I'm somewhat jealous of Omi. I know why Hizashi allows him to train you, but a piece of me can't help but feel....slighted. I've never had a student of my own and for the longest while I've had no interest in taking one on. Glorified servants and human shields is how I've tended to view them. When one toils in service to another, I see no reason to dress it up in dignified terms. My subordinates work for me and if they have aptitude then they'll learn without me teaching them and if they cannot then they're hardly worth my time."

Menza tossed his head back allowing a strand of hair to fall behind his ear.

"And yet, what Honiko has with Nozomi...and what Omi has with you....I can't help but want" Menza's glow dimmed and he faced Yen-Lì directly. "And I always get what I want Yen-Lì. The question is....do I deserve it?" He was curious as to what her response would be. Menza was well-practiced in analyzing an individual's psychological profile and tailoring his pitch to their unconscious biases. The Devil's sudden display of vulnerability could have been yet another sociopathic snare, a rather obvious one at that. But was it? The ambiguity of the not-quite rhetorical question left it open to interpretation. The hour of truth was upon them. Could it be that in this time of uncertainty the Cursed One was looking for wisdom in a place where no one would think to find it? Despite Omi's warning, Yen-Lì might be curious enough find out for herself whether he was preying on her half-memories or genuinely trying to connect with the Final Descendant.

Yen-Li almost smirked at Menza’s comment about her training. She had to have struck a nerve to get him to bite back, or so she assumed. Fortunately she had slightly more self control than when she had first met Omi, and so she didn’t fire back another sarcastic remark. But oh, how she wanted to. Yen-Li was a sarcastic woman by nature, handling most situations with humour; good willed or malicious depending on who she was dealing with. It was her go to, her ‘quirk’, the thing that no matter what situation she found herself in she relied on to make her feel grounded and more in control. More than that though, Yen-Li truly enjoyed verbal sparring. Not in an academic way, she enjoyed the challenge of an impromptu battle of wits. Those wits in her case were nearly always a bit mean, but she loved the game - and as far as she could remember she always had.

So she was faced with a conundrum, and she didn’t know how to solve it.

She had already decided that she hated Menza, she’d decided that in the first few seconds of meeting him. It was true that she had met him after being warned about him, so her first impression was certainly coloured by Omi’s distrust of the man. But it hadn’t taken long for Menza to prove Omi correct. And despite all of the mistrust and anger and hatred - Yen-Li had found a very tiny piece of the man that she could at least appreciate. Menza, it seemed to her, enjoyed the game as much as she did.

That was her first mistake.

She had no context, no history lesson to point out just how dangerous it probably was to like even a single thing about this man. So when he agreed to fix her hand and asked her to take a seat, she didn’t even question it. A person like Menza never did anything without a reason, or more likely, without expecting something in return. But Yen-Li didn’t ask what it would cost her for this favour. She didn’t consider that she had unwittingly made a deal without setting the terms beforehand. As far as she was aware, she had never been tricked. She couldn’t recall a single instance of making a deal and having to give up something as part of the bargain.

That was her second mistake.

Yen-Li would sit on the edge of the bed, carefully balancing her injured hand on the top of her thigh and tried very hard not to recoil as Menza knelt in front of her. Their eyes made contact once more and she held his gaze until his attention moved to her hand. But she didn’t like it. There was something inhuman about him. She was aware of the concept of aliens, as a former resident of Kumogakure she had more firsthand knowledge of it, what with an Otsutsuki district and all. But this wasn’t as simple as that, this was something far more disturbing. Menza was human, she was nearly certain of it so what made his eyes that much more troubling was that they were the only feature that she couldn’t identify. In an alien it was easy for her mind to explain away the differences between herself and them - but with Menza they were too similar. And it wasn’t just their physical appearance, there was something behind them. . . something. . .

"Oh my....."

The rabbit hole of trying to figure out why Menza was so disturbing was abruptly filled with yet another jab at her. Yen-Li would narrow her eyes in mild disapproval of the jest, but part of her was glad for it. Being insulted or mocked was something she could understand and it steered her away from thinking too hard on the enigma that was the Cursed One. She sat still as he examined her hand, surprised at how gentle he was. When she had first presented her hand for him to look at she had been half expecting another cruel trick, but it seemed that he was sincerely going to heal her. She found it interesting how soft his hands were, by comparison hers would have felt like sandpaper. With him this close to her - actually touching her - she felt even more uncomfortable. Not only because she was in pain, but because she felt off balance.

She would watch intently as his hand enveloped hers and a green glow would emit from his free hand. She had no memory of ever being healed before, she assumed she must have been at some point since she was covered in scars but it was not so uncommon to not remember things from your childhood. She only focused on it for a moment before Menza began weaving his words again. Her anger flared again as he referred to her as garbage, not once but twice. The not so subtle dig was not missed. But her annoyance eased somewhat as he winked, it was almost as if he was letting her in on the joke, so the angry retort she had about what she’d like to do to his chaffe went unspoken.

What she did speak was a quiet “Oh. . .” as his thumb brushed against her hand and she felt no pain. She was pleasantly surprised and didn’t mind showing it. “Thank you.” Her words were soft and trailed off slightly, as though she had more to say. She didn’t have more to say though, she didn’t know what to say at all. It hadn’t occurred to her until she felt his thumb on her hand that he might just actually be a good doctor. A terrible everything else, but a good doctor. She wasn’t sure she could get away with saying that out loud though. And then he pushed farther.

She listened to his confession, his truth. She saw him stare at the pendant on her neck, she imagined it was just something to focus on, as Yen-Li had no attachment to it - that attachment came from Yenn. He spoke of being jealous, of wanting a student. When she listened to him describe how he normally treated and viewed his ‘subordinates’ she couldn’t help but feel that there might be a reason he’d never had a student. She sighed as he kept speaking, wrestling internally with herself. She was trying to hold on to the warning that Omi gave her, and she was failing.

Any version of Yen-Li; scared and abused Yenn Inazuma, strong and devoted Yen-Li or any other version of her that could exist - they all had one impossibly large flaw. She had a heart. It was what drove everything she’d ever done. No matter what situation she’d found herself in, it was always her heart and not her head that led her decisions. It was what fueled her storms, it was what helped her to believe in Destiny and had her willing to go halfway around the world to meet someone who crushed her hand. And it was that heart that allowed her to feel sympathy for the devil.

That was her third mistake.

Raising her eyes to meet Menza’s she would give him a half smile, one filled with empathy and understanding. She knew what it was like to be alone, that had been her whole life before Omi had saved her. As misguided as Menza was, if he was telling the truth and truly wanted that connection, she could understand it. Being alone and disconnected from others wasn’t good for anyone as far as she knew, she doubted that it was good for him either. But then he asked her a question. Her head would tilt slightly to the side and her smile would fade to a look of confusion. “Why are you asking me? I don’t know you at all, how am I to judge whether you do or do not deserve a thing?” She would shake her head gently side to side in disbelief. “I don’t know if it matters whether you deserve it or not to be honest. If you want my actual opinion; no one deserves to suffer. And being without people; a student, a friend, a family member, a lover - that’s true suffering. Being alone. So I guess. . . I. . .” She didn’t want to answer his question, it felt like there was no way to answer it correctly. She regretted everything she’d said up until she stopped and she wished she could take it back. She tore her eyes away from his and stared down at her hand again, suddenly worried that she had spoken too much. “I don’t know, I’m not your judge.”

Menza sighed a sigh of satisfaction when Yen-Lì thanked him. He enjoyed it when people felt gratitude towards him. It usually preceded them being in debt to him. Given her birthright, he couldn't trap Yen-Lì as viciously as he might otherwise but that would not stop him from cultivating her as a potential resource for his own designs. When she thanked him it served as an additional data point that he could use to refine his manipulation. He pressed on and much to his surprise, she gave an answer. She was still cautious as she had every right to be, but she had humored him. Omi can only teach her so much. He could only take so much. He understands the human mind but I understand the human brain. It would be wrong to say that Menza's intentions were entirely nefarious. He had done much thinking in the lab during the war. Now that he was away from the chaos of ninja like Yui, he had time to reconsider his approach and his methods. The path of honesty was one he never traveled, but the more he considered how people like Honiko and Hizashi got what they wanted, the more he learned that the best deceptions used the most sincere of intentions. Honesty provided knowledge. Not just of a target and how to extract rent from them, but knowledge of self.

Credit where credit is due. Hagoromo's Ninshuu babble was not just a feel-good philosophy.

When Yen-Lì gave him a smile of empathy and understanding, Menza returned it. This grin was no less sinister than the previous one, the only difference was that like watching gore, she might become desensitized to it. In spite of better judgment, Yen-Lì was reacting positively to this angle and the scheming scientist knew that it was only a matter of time before he had her. She wasn't like Yui. Yen-Lì had more restraint and had little in the way of family. She was too well-schooled by Omi to fall for bargains and deals. But even if she did fall prey to them, the bald oaf would interfere or she was liable to do something extreme to extricate herself from the situation. He had no patience to replay that scenario. This mechanism was more clean. It was more efficient.

She expressed shock that he was even asking for her opinion and she felt she had no grounds to give it. Fairness. Yen-Lì fundamentally believed it was improper to judge him without truly knowing him. She had to have had at least a cursory knowledge of the fact that he was a terrorist. Omi had also poisoned her assumptions about him, and yet, she felt that she could not condemn him to suffering in solitude. It was an interesting personality trait that Menza would file away in his head. The green glow grew even dimmer. Menza was intentionally slowing the healing process. Not because he needed to, but purely because he could. It was subtle and someone unschooled in Ijutsu wouldn't even know that something was amiss. He was enjoying this and it would be a shame to cut it short. Yen-Lì looked away in shame as she realized she had said too much. She remembered that she was to be cautious and she had let her guard down for a moment. Like an experienced hunter, Menza knew when it was time to give his prey space and when it was time to give chase. For this little cub, he opted for a middle ground.

"You are one of us, are you not?"

Menza raised his eyebrow in the way a teacher expected a student to answer "yes." Yen-Lì was a descendant. She was born to be more than a mere warrior. She was born to be a ruler. Menza wasn't inclined to believe such propaganda but he could not deny its impact on one's psyche. Everyone longed to be destined for greatness. Even Menza.

"In time you will judge the world. As will I. As will Honiko." Omi was conspicuously absent. "We were born to decide what others deserve. We were born to rule over them. Its what you are being trained for Yen-Lì my love. We might as well practice before that time comes. I certainly have. So I ask you again, knowing what you know about me and what I've done, do I deserve to have someone?"

Menza would never really ask another person permission for anything. The whole point of this adventure was to be permanently free. However, Menza did recognize the value in putting your fate in another's hands, especially someone with a strong moral compass. He knew what the likely answer was, but he wasn't entirely sure, and that made things interesting. He was giving her the gift to decide for him. Menza was not above such charity. He had given Yui a gift and expected nothing in return. The information that was yielded by what the person did with the gift was payment enough. Unlike the Iwagakure Kinjutsu grafts though, Menza would not name this as a gift. It would only poison the moment and draw suspicion. He would need to draw her out of her distrust with reasoned compassion and not with trinkets.

Menza’s next question surprised her. The truth was that while she had a vague understanding that she was a ‘Descendant’ and what that roughly meant, no one had explained it thoroughly to her. She didn’t know the plan or how she fit into it, she only knew that she had a Destiny and that Omi was there to help her fulfill it. And that was honestly good enough for her. Omi was her guiding star and she completely trusted that if she needed to know something that he would tell her. And if he didn’t, it wasn’t relevant. This was not a conscious thought of hers, but it was a dangerous belief for her to have.

Against her better judgement, Yen-Li decided to answer honestly. Perhaps it was the slow relief from pain, or how she was gradually getting used to his mannerisms and starting to interpret them in a more positive light, or the fact that she’d begun to humanize him. Whatever it was, it led her to making a terrible decision. One that she didn’t even have the foresight to consider if she might regret it. She most likely would.

“I am a Descendant, so I’m told. Although other than knowing what that word means, I have no context for it. Supposedly I am the Descendant of Raiun and somehow that’s important? I don’t know what it’s important for mind you.”

She didn’t mention anything that Omi had told her about Destiny - she didn’t trust Menza as far as she could throw him, and she couldn’t throw anything with a broken hand. As Menza explained what the Descendants would do, she noted that he left out Omi’s name. She didn’t press the issue, she had seen what her attachment to Omi had wrought with Hizashi, and she didn’t think it would be much different with Menza. It was a struggle to hold her tongue, and the slight pursing of her lips may have been noticeable as she let him ask his strange question once more.

With a sigh of resignation she would return her gaze to Menza again, as long as she had to sit here while he healed her she didn’t see much harm in talking with him. Otherwise it would have been a very awkward scene - him asking her philosophical questions and her sitting there stubbornly refusing to answer. It didn’t sound like a fun scene. She stared at those mysterious eyes for some time before she finally answered. She wanted to say ‘no’. The impulsive and less introspective part of her wanted to just tell the bad man he couldn’t have what he wanted. But her heart told her otherwise, her heart told her that no one was beyond redemption and that no matter what a person had done, being made to suffer as a punishment was unfair.

“Yes.”

She had not been told. This was a novel situation. At one time or another, Hizashi had explained to each of the descendants who they were and what their purpose was. They were to be his junior partners in a new civil society. Either this information had evaded Yen-Lì by pure happenstance or there was a deliberate consensus to keep her out of the loop. Menza considered outright telling her, but he ultimately decided against it. How much more glorious would it be for her to get to bear witness to Hizashi's fruit rather than be told about it? Menza grinned.

Great minds think alike.

Yen-Lì was being given a blessing that none of them ever had. They had all come into this thing at various stages in their development. All of them hard worked so long and hard to bring about this reality. Each had their own reasons but their blood, sweat, and tears were shed all the same. Hizashi had been doing this the longest and he might have thought it clever to allow the Final Descendant to see rather than hear. Hizashi had his own perverted sense of generosity and this was perhaps it. He would not trouble her on this point. For once, he'd let "destiny" take its course. Menza's minor act of grace was in turn rewarded with the answer he sought. Menza's smile grew wider and he felt a bizarre impulse to hug this "sister" of his. It was possible that he'd have acquired a student whether or not she gave her blessing, but the fact that she did somehow made it all the more sweeter. It was like getting something from someone who did not know the value of what they had just given.

"Its settled then." Menza looked down and focused on his work. The healing was still progressing and he was tempted to break out a scalpel and take a tissue sample. Unfortunately, that would only have the effect of ruining what little gain he had made here. Yen-Lì still did not feel comfortable conversing with him and if he did not take this win in good stride, she'd shut down or run to Omi. The aftermath wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but it would be troublesome. By now Yen-Lì's hand would start to feel much better. The pain would almost entirely be gone and functionality would be close to 80%. "We're almost done my dear" he said softly. He allowed a strange silence to fill the space between them. Having gotten what he wanted, Menza was quite the happy camper.

She was a bit surprised when Menza didn’t immediately throw in some sarcastic remark about her admitting she didn’t know what it meant to be a Descendant. She wondered if him not commenting on it meant something bad. Probably. But she answered his question anyway with a simple ‘yes’. His reaction to her answer was also worrisome, and that worry would show on her face. Like most people when faced with the unknown, Yen-Li’s mind filled in the gaps so that the world around her made sense again.

“So you’re going to take a student then?”

It was about the only thing that she could think of regarding his words. She wasn’t sure what she had just done, but it seemed that this wasn’t a philosophical discussion after all, he had actually been asking for her opinion. As if her opinion held real weight. It was an odd feeling and one that she probably should have looked harder at, but the strange sensation that came with her opinion being valued made her like Menza a little bit more.

More than zero was still not very much, but it was something.

When he called her ‘my dear’ it occurred to her that was the second time he had referred to her affectionately. She had been so distracted by answering his actual question that the term of endearment ‘my love’ had gone largely unnoticed. She would sit in silence as she stared at him and considered her options. Of all the Descendants she had met, Menza was the most puzzling. Hizashi obviously wasn’t a Descendant, but she didn’t truly understand that and so she lumped him in anyway. Omi she trusted implicitly; she knew that everything he did was with her better interest in mind and that she had nothing to fear from him. Hizashi was cruel and needed her for something but was not particularly concerned with her well being - since apparently whatever he needed her for did not involve her hand. She had never met Honiko, although she had heard the name mentioned often. And Menza was. . . unknown.

Finally she would break the silence and sate her curiosity. She could have sat there all day and pondered the mysteries of the Cursed One, but Yen-Li wasn’t afraid to just ask. “I can’t tell if you like me or not. I had assumed not initially, and I have been sitting here minding my words and trying to play whatever game this is. But I don’t play games, not like that. I’ve heard some not so nice things about you, but you’ve also shown me kindness, so I’m conflicted. If what you say is true, and one day we’ll all be ‘ruling’ together or whatever, I’d rather. . . I don’t know. . . get along? Reach an understanding? Something? I said I didn’t know anything about you, so I couldn’t judge you. And that’s still true, so tell me something about yourself, something I’m unlikely to hear elsewhere.” She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, to give him a chance to show her that he wasn’t the snake that she’d heard he was. She knew it was dangerous, but she also knew she was right. She needed to understand the people she would be working, training, ruling with.

Menza did not reply to Yen-Lì's follow-up question. He had already made his position clear and he saw no need to repeat himself. Menza also reasoned that Yen-Lì wasn't actually asking the question because she didn't know the answer. She was trying to fill the awkward silence that now permeated the room. All of the insults and banter were now gone and that likely left her rather uncomfortable. She had gone from not wanting to communicate with the mad scientist to trying to restart the conversation. Menza continued tending to his work. Even at a reduced pace, he was able to heal Yen-Lì's hand in short order. 80% functionality grew to 85% then to 95% then to 97%. He was just about done when Yen-Lì broke the silence again, this time insisting on an answer from him.

She was perplexed by his contradiction of character. He had a less than stellar reputation yet was capable of kindness. He had insulted her moments prior, but now appeared to be praising her. She couldn't decipher his personality nor his intentions and it was driving her crazy. She did have a valid point though. Unlike his other toys, Yen-Lì was actually someone of importance, or rather, she was "destined" to be someone of importance. Regardless of his opinion on the organization's spiritual mumbo-jumbo, Hizashi was a powerful man and if he was going to give Yen-Lì political authority, then he simply couldn't blow her off. She was interested in getting to know him. If not to become friends then at least to develop a proper working relationship. Menza slightly moved his head side to side the way one might when going back and forth as to the merits of a particular choice of action. It was the universal expression of mentally considering the pros and cons of a proposal. By the time she had finished her request, Menza had finished healing her hand. The glow faded and disappeared. Menza rested both arms on his knees and sighed before making eye contact with Yen-Lì.

"The first thing you should know about me darling is that from a young age I was forced to be unfailingly polite and inoffensive..."

The honesty track had yielded results and now that his prey was coming to him, he decided to give her a bit more than he would otherwise. Menza's past was not per se a secret. In fact, given that he functioned as the Second Tsuchikage's personal assistant there were individuals who knew him before he became a menace to shinobi society. Fortunately, those people rarely spoke on his time as a lowly secretary to Nee-san Tetsudashi. Menza had a reputation for appearing where he was least expected and his penchant for slipping past a village's defenses made him a specter to be feared. Few if any went on the public record about his pre-Society life and that was just the way he liked it.

"The man I served at the time was courteous but also cruel when it suited him. I learned from then on that placing a premium on personality was foolish. How kind I am, what I believe in, and what I've done to others not connected to you, should be as irrelevant as what I ate for breakfast this morning. I have vowed to heal you and you have been healed. I have maintained productive working relationships with Honiko, Omi, Hizashi, Nikuyo and others within our command structure. Do I like them? Do they like me? Almost certainly not. But I don't care either way. Its irrelevant. I do my work, I keep my word, and together we have accomplished more in the span of a decade than most shinobi institutions have in a century. My talents come with a price, if you pay that price, then we will be in accord. If you don't, then we will have an issue."

Menza grinned and reached forward. He touched a strand of Yen-Lì's hair and tucked it behind her ear the way a boyfriend might.

"But I don't think I have to worry about that with you. Omi will train you well." Menza changed the subject and abruptly re-focused on her hand. "Now please do me a favor and make a fist" If she did that then he'd continue with a few more exercises to test her tactile sensations and tensile strength.

"Okay now touch each finger to your thumb...Ah very good yes"
"Tell me if you feel this pressure..."
"Resist against my push. Good!"
"Pull on my hand. Wonderful..."
"Does this feel hot?"
"Does this feel cold?"

Menza's shift in demeanor might have been scary, but to the observant eye, it was not as shocking as it seemed on paper. Menza had entered Yen-Lì's cabin and treated her like a dog. He even referred to her as a pet. Menza still saw her that way. The only difference was that rather than treating her like a mutt, she was a prized chihuahua. He was her vet and though he wouldn't hesitate to skin her for his own needs, for the time being, he was enjoying her company. She might grow into a fierce terrier in time or she may need to be put down to fulfill his own agenda. Even he did not know what the future held, but as far as Yen-Lì was concerned, it was better for him to see her in a paternalistic light than in an antagonistic one.

Yen-Li felt like she was on a rowboat in the middle of a maelstrom as she spoke with Menza. Just when she thought she had pinned down some aspect of him or how to deal with him, the metaphorical rowboat was battered by an unexpected crosswind. It was dizzying and unsettling and she was starting to have trouble knowing what she should think or how she should react. Dealing with Hizashi and now with Menza were both new experiences for Yen-Li and she was floundering.

As he answered her question he used another affectionate term for her, but she couldn’t help but feel that he wasn’t using the word ‘darling’ like a lovely grandmother type might as she made you some soup while you were ill. There was still the medical professionalism that went along with caring for someone, he was undeniably good at what he did but there was a subtle sinisterness to everything that he did and said. Especially when he told her that he had always been forced to be unfailingly polite and inoffensive. She was in a storm without a rudder, but she was not a complete idiot, and realization dawned in her eyes. What she had viewed as kindness was, in fact, not. It was a habit - a trained behaviour - but not true empathy or compassion. She had never met anyone like him, though she had heard stories and had seen the effects of people like Menza. Smiling and pleasant, charming even, people that should you cross them or worse - get in their way - you would end up on the receiving end of their malice.

Now she was scared. With Hizashi there had been fear, but not in the same way. If anything it was a fear for Omi’s safety that had tempered her reactions. She didn’t remember being afraid for herself, even as Hizashi had been cruel to her. With Hizashi and his infernal apple tree she had been furious, not afraid. With Menza she knew fear. She was quickly going over everything he had done since she’d first laid eyes on him and she felt disturbed to her core. His kind words, winks and gentle touches, even the somewhat enjoyable verbal sparring. . . She now had reason to believe that  all of it was by rote and did not in any way represent what type of person he was.

As she listened to his practical explanation of his life and how he interacted with the other Descendants - including mentioning a name she did not recognize - she forced herself to look at him. She sat perfectly still and tried focusing on her breathing in order to keep herself calm. Even as he reached forward and seemingly lovingly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, she would not move. In order to make it out of this one safely she suspected she was going to have to resume playing his game. “I see. It seems you’ve had a hard life, at least when you were younger and I am truly sorry to hear that. Though it appears you’ve done quite well for yourself since then.” She still had genuine compassion for his apparent suffering, even if she was now terrified of him. She knew that he was most likely being truthful, his words were too disturbing to be anything but. So she thought that showing gratitude for his candidness would at least not harm anything. “Well, thank you for sharing that with me. I don’t intend to have any issues with you, so that leaves just one thing. . .” She smiled nervously, the nervousness was not an act, and asked the question she knew she should have asked to start with, and was afraid to hear the answer to.

“What is your price?”

His testing of her hand at least gave her something physical to focus on, and she answered his questions honestly, and allowed him to manipulate her hand. She was genuinely pleased to have full use of her hand back, though now she worried about what she might have just given up for the privilege of being the proud owner of two working hands.

Menza's revelation had produced a fear so thick he could taste it. The Devil licked his lips. Delicious. If she was disturbed by him then all the better. If he decided to be a part of this new Kingdom then it was best to establish himself as high as possible within Hizashi's pecking order. She tried to placate him by offering his condolences for his hard life. She said she was sorry for his hard life which was funny because Menza wasn't. If he had not been a captive, he would not have known how sweet freedom tasted. It was a perverse way of looking at his past, but for the Cursed One, it was just another eccentricity atop a mountain of eccentricities.

Menza stood. Now that his work was finished he could return to his lab. Years of unrelenting and grueling work were about to come to fruition and before the show began, he needed to get all his proverbial ducks in a row. He was about to bid Yen-Lì adieu, when she asked him what his price would be. He tilted his head to the side in confusion but chuckled and shook his head as he realized that Omi had declined to share that bit of detail. Probably for the best.

"Its already been paid my dear. Now if you'll excuse me I have to get back to my la-"

Menza froze. It was as if his mind was no longer in the cabin but in some far off distant place. The scientist's extraordinary intellect allowed him to predict and forecast major events before they happened. At any given moment, millions of details and pockets of information were churning in his brain. When all the pieces clicked in a certain way his mind cleared and a vast picture was laid out before him. The picture he was now seeing was both unexpected and shocking.

He held up a finger. "Excuse me for a moment" Menza then teleported away. From Yen-Lì's perspective, it would seem as though the Cursed One simply winked out of existence. He was there one second and gone the next. Within two minutes time, Menza returned minus his amused and playful demeanor. The Earth Descendant flickered through a series of handseals and stomped the ground of Yen-Lì's cabin. A large hole just barely big enough for two people rapidly opened. It was rather rude for one to remodel their host's floor without permission. Fortunately, Menza had good cause to rip open a giant hole under Yen-Lì's cabin.

"Please get in"

Menza's voice was even and calm but there was a subtle tension in it. A level of impatience that indicated he would resort to violence if she refused. If she hesitated, he'd follow-up:

"There isn't much time. So I won't ask again." he smiled politely, gestured once more to the hole and prepared his chakra in case he needed to disable Yen-Lì's nervous system. As if to punctuate his sentence, a massive explosion thundered in the distance. It was followed by a series of additional blasts each increasing in proximity.

When Menza licked his lips Yen-Li felt an involuntary shudder run through her small frame. This man was taller than her, but they were roughly the same size otherwise - and yet in that one subtle act she somehow felt so much smaller. She had no illusions about what she was to him now; prey. Omi had been completely accurate in his description of the man and now she felt trapped. She didn’t think he would actually hurt her right then and there probably, but she now understood Omi’s warning fully. And she deeply regretted attempting to develop a rapport with Menza before she had that understanding.

She breathed a quiet sigh of relief when Menza stood as that meant he was slightly further away from her. She had seen what he could do with healing, and she was smart enough to understand that with that kind of medical expertise came a deep and intimate knowledge of how the human body works. That thought alone evoked another small shudder as she felt her skin crawl. When he answered her question about the price however, her heart simultaneously sank and lit on fire. The dichotomy of courage in the face of fear. She knew that Omi had set up this meeting between her and Menza, so if the price was already paid. . . then that meant Omi had paid it. She stood immediately, her expression shifting from a meek ‘please dear god don’t kill me’ to an accusatory ‘what the fuck did you do?’. She heard him begin his polite parting words and she cut him off. “What price? What did you do?”

Her own words trailed off though with his as he abruptly froze and held a single finger up. . . and then vanished. Yen-Li stood still for half a second and then screamed angrily at the spot now devoid of his presence. “What in the actual fuck is going on?!” In the two minutes that he was gone, Yen-Li angrily messed up her hair, wanting to rid herself of the memory of him gently touching it. She stomped over to the door and pulled on her boots, now that she had two working hands there was no reason for her to go barefoot. She considered pulling on her jacket - it was the only other piece of her equipment she wasn’t wearing, since she hadn’t been able to remove her melody arm due to the pain - but she decided she didn’t care enough at that moment. And when he popped back into existence she actually jumped and snarled. “I don’t understand you. . .” she muttered in frustration. Her love of Omi and supernatural need to protect him had momentarily overwritten the terror she felt in the face of the Cursed One. She was now back at where she’d been when he first arrived; utter contempt.

Then Menza performed a series of hand seals and stomped his foot on the floor of her cabin. . . and a whole appeared. In the middle of the floor. In her room. Yen-Li actually rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe that he was resorting to petty vandalism at this point. She wasn’t above it, but she sort of assumed someone like him might be. Her annoyance faded to quiet confusion as he asked her to get in the hole. “What? Why?” Was all she managed to get out before he informed her there wasn’t much time and he wouldn’t ask again. She knew a threat when she heard one, and this one was directed at her and so with a resigned glare she lowered herself into the hole. She didn’t know what horrible thing he was about to do to her, but she desperately hoped it wasn’t burying her alive. As her feet touched the bottom of the hole she stumbled a bit as the sound of a massive explosion rocked the ground around her. It wasn’t very far away, and it was followed by several more blasts that seemed to be getting closer. “What is happening?”

Yen-Lì's protectiveness over Omi had tickled the lanky scientist. She immediately assumed that the "price" in question was something nefarious and it may well have been. He might have told her what it was but he was fond of guessing-games. He would have let her stew on the dark possibilities before informing her of the bargain. He considered the transaction fairly benign, although what was benign to Menza was sickening to the next man. Menza did not have the opportunity to play this little game, however, as the Isle of Whispers suddenly found itself torn apart by a series of explosions.

Menza had seen what the commotion was about and while he wanted to join the fun, he had been told that his presence was not necessary. He was left to secure Yen-Lì, who unlike the other denizens of importance, could not fend for herself. She had a greater purpose in their organization beyond being collateral damage. Menza had thus returned to keep her safe. And how was her true savior greeted? With suspicion and questions! Menza found it irritating and before he could move forward to disconnect the nerves responsible for her insolence, Yen-Lì started moving. Once she touched the bottom of the hole, the fireworks started. Menza sighed. How he would have loved to join the chaos.

Once Yen-Lì had gotten in the makeshift foxhole, Menza jumped down and landed right next to her. There wasn't much space in the dugout and while he could have made it slightly bigger, he decided not to. He would amuse himself by making her uncomfortable. Menza struck a wall and a wave of earth shifted above them effectively sealing them in. They were now trapped underground together, alone and in the dark. Yen-Lì asked what was happening and Menza tossed a strand of hair back. He uttered a single word:

"Betrayal"

Menza would not speak to Yen-Lì for the remainder of their internment. If she continued speaking, he might tell her to be quiet. If she refused, he'd threaten to sever her vocal chords. He was mentally calculating possible outcomes and stratagems. The drama above was unexpected. The participants had managed to sneak past his foresight and by the looks of things even their target was surprised. The battle continued to range on the surface and the kinetic shockwaves could be felt even underground. Their bomb shelter shook, teeth chattered, and bones vibrated as the ordinance continued to pound the dirt. Fortunately, Menza's skill with Doton and his engineering expertise allowed him to construct the ideal defense despite the limited time he had. The shelter would hold and it contained micro-perforations that would allow them to breathe. Menza crossed his arms and patiently waited for the orchestra of death to finish its piece. After what felt like hours of waiting, the conflict subsided, the shaking ceased and the war came to an end. Menza perked up after a few minutes of silence and left the shelter. Yen-Lì was once more alone. She would stay in that hole for roughly twenty minutes before the terra-firma above her head rolled back once more. She'd be greeted not by the roof of her log cabin, but by the open sky above. And of course, one Menza Sukiyama. The ground beneath her feet elevated upwards. It was like a moving platform carrying her from the bottom to the surface. Menza would reach down and help Yen-Lì out of the pit. He also handed her a fresh set of clothes.

When she looked around, Yen-Lì would see that what was once a cozy home was now rubble. Menza looked around the ruins and shrugged. It couldn't be helped. The insurgents had put up a fight and it was foolish to think it'd be contained to the initial battlefield. Yen-Lì was safe though and that was the most important thing. A cabin was easily rebuilt. A body, however, was much harder. Not impossible, but much harder. Menza looked Yen-Lì up and down to make sure she wasn't harmed nor had harmed herself. He went to the same ear he had touched prior and ran his thumb alongside it. In doing so, he removed the Flying Thunder God seal that he had originally planted there.

"Glorified janitor..." he grunted to himself in annoyance. In a much louder tone he said "Well, I could explain to you what just happened but perhaps its better if you see for yourself. Hizashi has summoned the leadership of the Society for a conference and our attendance is expected. I think all will be made clear at the meeting." Menza pointed in the direction in which she should go. "Now if you'll excuse me Yen-Lì....I have a new student to collect." Menza grinned mischievously and then teleported away. He had left Yen-Lì with some clothes, a working hand, and a direction to walk in.

[Menzit]

Once Menza jumped down into the hole with her, Yen-Li was at least no longer worried about being buried alive. She was however infinitely more uncomfortable as the hole was only barely big enough for the two of them. Had she known that Menza had made it that size just to make her uncomfortable she might have even appreciated it, while she wasn’t exactly a sadist she could appreciate the game. But instead she would just press herself into the dirt ‘wall’ behind her, attempting to give herself an inch or two more space away from what she now believed was undoubtedly a monster.

He answered her question with a single word and then that was it. No followup, no context, not even a sarcastic remark. His silence was definitely worse than his politeness that veiled ill intent. At least with how he was speaking earlier she had something to occupy her thoughts and give her purpose. Now all she had was the dark and whatever was happening outside the dirt prison to keep her mind working. She didn’t bother speaking to Menza after his one word response, in the dark and cramped space she had no way to gauge if she might be in danger from him so she just stayed still. Even she didn’t feel like poking the proverbial bear right at that moment. Yen-Li tried to control her breathing as the earth shook and bits of loose dirt and dust fell onto her. In her mind she thought of Omi; her only reason for being here, and as far as she was concerned, the only reason she had for existing. She prayed to the aether that he was safe from whatever was happening outside. She also hoped that whatever was happening had somehow hurt Hizashi, though she doubted it.

The chaos outside seemed to go on for hours and as time wore on, Yen-Li’s patience wore thin. The pit they were squished into at least allowed them air to breathe, but that air was growing warmer and was filled with the smell of Menza’s perfume. It was not a scent she could pin down, but she knew that she would be able to recognize it again in an instant. At first she had stayed still, but as time wore on she had taken to minor fidgeting as she tried to find a more comfortable position to stand in. It was no use of course but she needed something to do. Yen-Li had never been comfortable with just waiting, the meditation had been helping with that, but this didn’t feel the same to her. Meditation was her choice, she was comfortable when she started each day; but this was something she was nearly literally thrown into. Or so she imagined, she had been told to get in the hole ‘or else’. The or else was implied, and she didn’t want to dwell too long on what that may have entailed should she chosen to be stubborn.  

After an eternity of waiting the noise above finally ceased and Yen-Li felt, unsurprisingly, less calm for it. At least while there was a cacophony of explosions above ground she didn’t think Menza would do anything terrible. But in those few seconds between the last explosion and Menza disappearing from the hole she held her breath and tried to put herself in a less vulnerable position. Which meant that she just placed her arms in front of her vital organs as best as she could. It took her a few seconds to realize that Menza had left, but as soon as she did realize it the hole felt more like a grave. This was the one thing she had been afraid of when she’d first jumped in it - that she would be left here to die. She had come to this island with Omi fully prepared to die. But this was not how she imagined it. After the first couple of minutes she felt the panic begin to rise. “I am not dying like this.” She refused to perish alone in a stupid dirt hole, so she did what any reasonable person would when buried alive with no evidence to support the idea that she might not die. She panicked.

She clawed at the dirt, trying to find footholds and handholds, to make some grand escape. It was dark enough that after a time, and with much dirt falling in her eyes and hair, she found she couldn’t quite tell which way was up. Nearly twenty minutes of this mad scramble for freedom would play out, and her cursing and clawing would be interrupted by the earth above her rolling back and Menza standing there. Yen-Li glared up at him, but did accept his help out of the hole. She was very short and without his assistance she might never have gotten out. There was no cabin. What had been her home was now nothing but rubble and a tiny part of her was actually saddened by it. This cabin had been her sanctuary on the Isle of Whispers and now that was gone. The irony was that she had no idea that any form of sanctuary had long since been taken from her, and was far worse than she knew.

She backed up slightly as he reached for her again, not realizing what he was doing, but he would still be able to remove the Flying Thunder God seal. She raised an eyebrow at his comment, suspecting he had just referred to her as filth, but didn’t say anything. She just wanted to be away from him now. When he handed her the clothing she would take it tentatively, nervous of the man’s intentions in all of his actions now. She would even rifle through them quickly just to make sure there wasn’t anything suspicious about them. She didn’t care if he saw her doing it, she was sure that he was aware she didn’t trust him. He probably even enjoyed knowing that. His explanation was vague and cryptic, just as Hizashi’s explanation (or lack thereof) had been. Honestly just as everyone’s had been. Yen-Li was at a severe disadvantage with the incredible lack of knowledge she was burdened with. But she didn’t care, it was somehow unimportant to her. The only thing that was important to her was Omi. And as her eyes scanned their surroundings her gaze settled on where Omi’s cabin had once stood. She gave Menza a dismissive, “Fine. I’ll see you there.” and then rushed off as he teleported away.

She was no longer concerned with her own safety or comfort. She didn’t care about the splintered wood and burned fabric that was her former home, the only thing she cared about now was Omi’s safety. She knew he wasn’t dead. She didn’t know how she knew that, it was likely just wishful thinking, but in her heart she knew he was still alive. That didn’t mean he was unhurt however and so she ran over to the other destroyed cabin and set down the clean clothes she held to begin sifting through the rubble. After a minute or two she realized she was an idiot and stood up and sighed. With minimal effort she activated her Sensory and within seconds saw there was no one there. Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked over to where she’d put down her clean clothing and sank onto the ground next to them. Yen-Li wasn’t a crier, she was very emotional but the emotion that she ran with nearly all the time was rage. She still felt that rage bubbling just below the surface, but realizing that Omi was at least not trapped beneath the fallen building gave her some sense of relief. That relief was short-lived as rain began to fall, and with a sigh she would pick herself up from the ground and clean herself off. Changing her clothing in the rain seemed pointless, but she did it anyway, her previous outfit was so dirt laden that it was hardly worth cleaning. Putting on the fresh clothing she would pull her boots on once more and secure her gauntlet. She tried to make her hair cooperate but after her messing with it earlier and then the dirt bath it had gotten there wasn’t much to be done. She did want to look her best though, for Omi’s sake, and so she ended up combing it through with her fingers and piling it on her head in a loose bun. The rain had washed all of the dirt from her and she now stood in wet clothing. She left her previous outfit on the ground, but kept her pendant tied around her neck. Menza had pointed in a direction but hadn’t given her much else to go on so for all she knew it would be a twenty kilometer walk to wherever she was expected. She trudged off in the direction she had been given, focusing on why she was doing any of this in the first place. “I’m coming, Omi.” She prayed again, for the second time in her life, that he would be there and be unharmed - she didn’t know what she would do if he wasn’t.

[Exit Thread]