| abstract
| - Words jumbled together that constructed the Dark Slayer at his core, his body cried for it, begged, pleaded for the blood of others as he took in the breath he lost for becoming an Arihant. Days, months and years put into a body of work led to years of chakra shed. This chakra took form of it's own becoming the very extension of the Dark Slayer. He never died, he simply stayed way. The murder that followed his soul is what allowed Yama to gain a piece of his life, as the vanquisher, the Last Arihant at one time. Yet years in the making and several children later he watched as his first love, his Eldest Child and Grandson stood on the cusp of his home. A place he pu sweat blood and tears into, a place his chakra called home and found peace, but lso where it found it greatest source of hate and conflict, yet his own first love made plans to take on the test. He Quickly gathered himself to reappear as a man she would not have know the man he had become he would appear. However greater and stronger than this love he sensed, a hate was among them. Strong enough to reach out and grab. Suddenly he was thrown back to vanquish this sense. His chakra quickly gathered before Kanmi could even begin her own trials. The Raido X Raido wanted Kanmi to see what faxce to face with his first love and he source of the discontentment.. ot came from his ..... daughter? "Eihei?? You ain't suppose to here"Raido uttered confused as now physical he looked left and right and up and down for good measure. Kanmi sure, but Eihei no , hell now His own flesh and blood who was smiling moment ago watching her mother now was angered beyond and highly triggered leaving a false dead father in physical form to ask. What the hell are you doing here??!!. The question in his voice as rife with fear as he faked his death for his children sake and the most temperamental of them all caught him in him in his lie.... Anger was weak. Wrath was deplorable. Hatred was meek. They were the best vocabulary she had to describe her sentiments even as stronger words rose to her lips. Acrimony that peaked the moment she sensed him. Her burning hazel eyes turned into a murderous, molten gold. "So you're here. Hiding, waiting. A cow before the slaughter. What are you so afraid of?" Eihei responded. Each word lethally sharp; her voice didn't rise but it was venomous. "Finished gallivanting yet? Any other children I should know about? I'd love to see what record you've broken. Perhaps you're Zeus's son, taking a god's advice to be fruitful and bountiful beyond comprehension." Lines streamed all over her frame, the Cursed Seal run amok by her torrent of emotions. All of them ugly, each with a viciousness honed from experience. She took a step forward, the second level of her seal complete as the hate rolled off of her in waves. "Nice to see you're alive and well. Care to tell me what the fuck you've been doing all this time? I'm sorry, I forgot I'm addressing a coward. In case you didn't know, AMERYUU AND OUKA ARE DEAD. DECEASED. NO MORE. GONE." her tightly wielded control of her tone of voice broke with the seal's completion. "DID IT OCCUR TO YOU HOW VULNERABLE EVERYONE ELSE IS? AMEYA IS BRAIN-DEAD AND CURRENTLY REBOOTING LIKE A FUCKING COMPUTER. THEY AREN'T SHENRON AND THOSE SNOTNOSED BRATS AREN'T ME. THEY LACK THE EXPERIENCE, THE HELL WE BOTH ENJOYED DURING OUR SEPARATE CHILDHOODS." her yells turned into a ripping snarl as she finished that sentence. "Though I don't know why I worry about them. They enjoyed a father's presence and affection for more than enough time. It made them soft and pitiful little shits. Just like their deadbeat son of a bitch father. If they want to die on their time so be it. I hate them all." she laughed, the sound heartless and broken. "Yet they put their trust in you. Your reward was pretending to die only to waft around like a goddamn ghost. A cunt, a piece of trash that some neglected to pick up. Maybe I should dispose of you. A hindrance, a stain, an impediment. You're a bastard who disappeared for 20+ years of my life. My siblings and I were alone. I put everything I had on the table so they would be fine. To this day, I wonder if that was a mistake. Maybe they're worth it. But neither of you are." Each word was rage-filled, overflowing with antipathy. One could wonder if Yama realized just how close Eihei had been to saying yes. Why should she protect the rest of that miserable lot? They had a stable blended family upbringing, were loving and innocent. Naive little heathen that she should have never met. Her mind recalled every gathering, how she didn't feel as if she should be there. Too brooding, too dark and filled with a bloodthirsty temperament that both broke her and pieced her back together. They were a happy little family with each other in tow. No, she didn't belong. Perhaps she never will. A thought that galvanized her from her stationery position. This Killing Intent was different from what Dark Raido experienced. That one was a raw, uncontrolled, chaotic mess; this was evil, ruthless, antagonizing, enough to make even the Devil wonder how one individual could hold such undying animosity. All of this was trained on a single entity. "I HATE YOUR EXISTENCE." she roared, the area quaking under her wrath. A woman ready to embrace her destiny was initially confused. "What are you doing here? Raido?" Kanmi asked in rapid succession. Tentatively approaching him before stepping back. The guilt of moving on crashing down on her; why couldn't she have waited just a little longer? She invested her love and time into him for years it seemed. Yet she was unwilling to extend him just a bit more time. Not realizing he didn't understand she already loved him. Even as she implored him to stay. Even as the regret crushed her, a small smile graced her expression. "You grew and changed. Having many children and a growing list of grandchildren to call your own. I'm sorry I didn't wait a bit longer-" her thoughts were interrupted by a malevolent presence. She turned, seeing a woman that was her daughter, yet wasn't her daughter. Her bowels were gripped as the scene unfolded. A maleficent being entered as Kanmi staggered from the ferocity of her child's antagonism. Never had she seen her baby girl's face twisted in such hatred. Those deplorable lines soon encompassed her eldest, transforming a girl from a devilish entity into a satanic plague as the shrine felt Eihei's alterrations. She watched the sheer potency effect her first love heavily, as he struggled to reform. Words that started out as daggers became carving knives, before turning into butchering utensils. They poured out of Eihei's mouth like poison, Kanmi terrified that she would be washed away in the tide. "How long as she been holding on to this?" the woman wondered. Unable to move as she watched Eihei take another step forward and another before facing Raido. "I don't know how my mother could ever love a shitface like you." Eihei spat, the words reaching her mother's ears while only adding to Kanmi's horrific burden. Her failure personified. The Dark Slayer stood before his first love in the completed version he always wanted to show off to her, a man in shape physically as the physical specimen he was. The man with a mind was sharp as a blade and manners and attitude to swoon her when he returned. Show her his growth and becoming a man for her. He was tempted to walk over there and hug her and love her forever.. One look at her was enough to remind him of why he was in love with her after all these years even after her passing, but in reality while he felt he looked cool. Eihei made it very clear to him his failures and there was no way he could ever hope to get back with Kanmi in this type of situation. If he made a move to hug her Eihei would surely stop him, basically stating more than once he didn't deserve Kanmi, she was too good for him. "Funny how the world huh babe? Here I am now helping you the same way you helped me, freeing your self of whats troubling you the same way you did me for me. You did nothing wrong here, if anything I am to blame, Eihei can attest to that just look at her, listen to her. This all happened under my eye and my care, but mark my word Kanmi I will make this right and this time.. I aint going nowhere". Raido kept his emotions in check to remain as cool to her as possible, he wanted to start over with Kanmi and right many wrongs, but after so long did she still love him? It did hurt to be replaced like that, and he feared now that while his love for her burned as strong, did her still burn as bright as the fire in her eyes. before he turned his attention to Eihei. The Daughter given too much too soon. her rage was really something and he started to see exactly why Yama had a growing interest in Eihei, she looked more like he mother but by God she had his early rage, the same kind he had in the Playground and he knew Yama was trying to Weaponize it, he wouldn't have it. He wasn't giving Yama another of his children. Eihei had changed but he got to know his daughter well in the last few years of their time together. He knew how to stoke the raging Beast inside her. Kanmi's expression was hurt and Raido's old defense mode came back and he promised to protect her joy... and he failed. That joy was Eihei and lets just say loving her father was not on her to do list with that hate speech she spewed. "Sheesh!! You kiss your mother with that mouth?? Eihei You wants answers fine. Yama was tethered to my soul via becoming an Arihant a Vanquisher, now considering what you now know of our bodies and mostly being living chakra, this means so long as I was around so was Yama. I became a Siddha to rid myself of my body and in doing so free my soul. Yama being tethered to him this would have cut him loose and he wouldn't have been able to interact in our physical world. Long story short no me no Yama. Rather before our final battle Yama revived the Dark Buddha something I thought I made impossible for him. I dont think I need to point out how that went. I only found out later everything once Takashi started carrying my old weapon". Raido didn't dare mention to Takashi that his mother and father was that Yama now used in his schemes. He planned to do the same thing to Takashi he just did to Eihei.... "Now about those lovely compliments you gave me earlier. Baby girl you are too kind, I dont know if I deserve all those accolades from you, but I see whats happening here you are living my life in reverse thanks to Yama's machinations so much so even a curse mark can resonate with you as such". Raido sauntered forward, inhibited by fear knowing what Eihei was likely going to do to him and it wasn't nothing he either hadn't done to someone else, or something he deserved. "Like me your child hood was taken, like me you became a weapon and did what you needed to do to get by and just like me. You can set yourself free. I left you along in this world cold and put more of a burden on you than what you deserved. Blindly dropping even more of a family on you than the one you spent your life raising, you were a adult as a child to the point you never felt the love of anyone but your siblings. And I know how lonely that can feel. I never knew my parents, never saw them, my brother, family, clan nothing and when I had the chance I didn't wanna know. Because the family I had was right in front of me. Today just like your mother we set you free today. Yama ain't laying hands on another person in my family or someone that I love. That goes for you as well Kanmi, ill admit I still love you, I hope that maybe one day I can regain your love as well as I hope the same for you Eihei". Raido continued his walk before he stood close enough to Eihei to tower over her in height. To free yourself however, you gotta be willing to break some holds. "The question is what are willing to give to get it". Raido knew damn well Eihei was not in a joking mood and his attempts to make jokes in this situation was likely a lethal consequence, but he knew he quell the rage he needed to let her vent it all, even if it meant getting physical. He wouldn't raise his hand to her, but he knew exactly what she needed. Peace of mind and a fathers love, something he always had for her, and he was going to make sure it was shown. "Now, why dont we pick up where you left off, I know that can't be all you had to say to lil ole me. I know you aint weak or scared, I mean its bad enough my daughter relies on a curse mark, uses such colorful language and is so hateful. But to think she has fallen so low as to embrace these qualities and in her blind and fanatic hate for me, assist Yama in doing and adding more damage to her mother by destroying everything she taught her to be piece by piece. Now see that Baby girl, that hurts. You Wound me, is your willingness to hate me worth hurting your mother for? If so lets hear it? lets hear what other hate you wanna spew at me, or maybe how you wanna what was it dispose of me since I am a Stain, piece of shit and a oh yea a Cunt. R"aido flipped everything on Eihei looking to show her exactly how Yama had her all twisted out of shape, doing damage accidentally to one while trying to hurt the other. He opened is arms out to embrace her with a hug. Raido told Eihei exactly how she hurt him and it was basically destroying everything of what her mother built. Was Eihei too far gone to care, or was there but a piece of a daughter who simply wanted to love and understand her father as he loved and understood her. Kanmi turned towards Raido. Her first love. Unphased, unbroken, with the wit and confidence to match. Everything that she saw in him when she worked with each day in those early years. Learning how to read and write, how to string together phrases to form sentences; even how to joke. Indeed, the foundation of his toolbox could be found in those daily lessons. They were her favorite part of the day because it gave her the opportunity to unearth the Raido that she knew was in there. The Raido that never had the opportunity to live because of early circumstances. Now facing her was the result she never lived to see, the fruit of her labor of love. Even after all the perils that were wrought upon her family, she was certain that she would do it all over again. This focus allowed her to stand firmly as the choking hatred of her child polluted the area. It allowed her to recover at least some of the fire that she held in her earlier years. Remembering how even in her second marriage some part of her never stopped loving that gentle giant of a man. The only person who could match her ferocity with his insufferable yet lovable quips. She took a step towards him, a sense of protectiveness from their earlier years resurfacing. "You blame him for what he is now my daughter, but that is by my hand. I was the one who softened those lethal edges, who guided him through letters, numbers, and human interaction. If you have a problem with the efforts he made in my stead, then take them up with me. Understood? I didn't raise you to be a hate-spewing entity; I wish I had more time during your childhood to be there for you. To let you enjoy what it was like to be carefree. I accept full blame for everything I inflicted upon you with my monumental failings." Kanmi stated, her voice cracking as closed the gap between the three. Eihei's murderous gaze fixated itself on her mother. Her mind drifted to that scene Yama showed her and Takashi. A young Kanmi sounding out words with Raido, teaching him all she knew about the world. Simple yet heartfelt lessons that served as the catalyst for his efforts to improve himself. She remembered Yama's boast about keeping Kanmi and Raido separate for longer than the latter anticipated. The Hell King playing upon Raido's one-track desire to improve himself and be worthy of Kanmi's affection. Not even realizing that the love he sought was already there. She could feel the rise of her mother's scorching aura as she stopped weathering Eihei's foul Killing Intent and began wading through the pungent substance. When Raido sauntered forward, Eihei's arm blade clicked into the place. It had been doused in the blood of many enemies, it was more than ready to bite into another one. "Don't come closer," she snarled, her body coiled like a predator ready to spring on its prey. "So is this some feel-good trip where you go about writing your wrongs so you can check of your problems? Then go about your business like 'Ok, I fixed that. Now back to my days of rest.' Guess what? It's not that fucking simple." Ei continued, addressing both Raido and Kanmi before attacking the former. She stepped into high speed as she melded the chakra enhancement with the further endowment of her cursed mark. Despite his giant frame, she grabbed Raido by the collar before pressing him against a wall, her sword at his throat. "Where the hell do you get off leaving like that? Leaving me behind, mom behind, even my hopeless siblings behind?" her voice cracked as she said this pressing the blade harder in an attempt to draw blood. "Are you a fucking idiot? She loved your shithole ass already. Did you think she did all that education crap for shits and giggles? NO. Everyone else would have tossed aside the murderous heathen that you were. But she didn't; she saw who you never had the chance to be and went about helping you be that person. She loved your bastard self regardless of the circumstances." Eihei whacked his entire frame against the wall, causing it to shudder under the depths of her rage. "SHE LOVED YOU. AND YOU LEFT HER. JUST TO STROKE YOUR OWN EGO AND BECOME SOME MANLY MAN WHO WAS POLISHED AND READY TO BE LOVED. WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THE SAME TASK BY HER SIDE?" Eihei roared, tossing him aside before moving to his location. "NEWSFLASH. SHE STILL LOVES YOU. EVEN AFTER MOVING ON SO THAT I WOULDN'T BE STUCK WITH AN ABSENTEE FATHER PART OF HER STILL HELD OUT THE HOPE YOU WOULD RETURN. Yama knew this, I knew this, even my stepfather and siblings knew this....." Eihei's voice faltered. Her childhood returned, remembering her mother's faraway look when gazing out the window. As if she was waiting for something, or more specifically someone. Only now did she realize who this person was. "It took you over 20 years to return and it was simply a 'happy' coincidence. You could have come and left the village without ever knowing of my existence. Continuing about in blissful ignorance while that hell bastard smugly recounted the weapon he was making." she said, her voice continuing to crack. "I hate you because for all your wit and 'sharpness' you're as blind as a bat, dumb as a doornail, and as dense as a dam." Eihei said while shaking Raido. Part of her realizing that this was hurting Kanmi, the one person she loved despite her flaws. An image of her mom was what convinced her to take that Root job so that her siblings could be taken care of. "Don't you understand?? She couldn't wait any longer. She had a child to take care of and provide for, one that needed a family. Not just one person sorting through her own emotions and half-there at times." Ei whispered before dropping Raido like a sack of potatoes. Curbstomping him in the process. She saw her mother's face shift into horror once more at how easily Eihei brushed aside everything. "See? This is what I become. A monster who lashes out at anything and everything. Particularly trash like that. Sometimes I'm afraid of myself; its why I leave Satori in the care of Aka." Eihei continued, mentioning her daughter's name for the first time; Kanmi and Raido's granddaughter. "She's your true successor, not I. A fiery leader who is Eikage, mother of two who is getting her own priorities in order. I'm the regrettable second chapter in a trilogy. I've tried and I've failed. Can you really love something this demented?" Ei's question was rhetorical in nature yet it was aimed at Kanmi. Perhaps Raido as well. Despite his size Raido resembled a Ragdoll before the fury of his daughter, her physical strength was no joke, but the dark slayer put himself here purposely fighting back would have proven nothing. Even the curb stomp that dented the ground under him. His body healed as if nothing happened and he simply laid on the ground getting comfortable for a hot second before he sprung back to his feet. Dusting the dirt off his fitted black coat and suit, his gloves patting down his body yet his shades never once moved or left his face. "Someone's been doing their heavy lifting training I see, though I think we should try another ride. The kind that doesn't end up with me taking a tumble". Raido mentioned lightly before focusing up and getting back into conversation here. "Lets review we and uh Kanmi babe feel free to take notes with me as well. So leaving your child behind for extended periods of time, slowly and surely lashing out in anger at the circumstances, considering parts of your life as a failure due to experiences that were less than satisfactory, forced to grow up faster than most children. A apart of Root and having the blood of lord knows how many others on your blade and hands and to add some icing to the cake a power that is responsible for it as well. Did I miss anything? No?? good. And you say I am as dense as a dam. Eihei Yama is simply unmaking you. Think about it, What would bring him more joy in that he would finally get back at all of us than taking a child Eihei raised one who was given the same lesson and understanding as the weapon he lost. And making her hate and refute them at every turn, peel back each layer of her mind and clothe it in hate and acrimony. You're smarter than this to allow yourself to be played by him. Or did you learn nothing from my situation and the Dark Buddha all these years. Ill admit I should have taken you with me Kanmi, but I didn't know what love was back then, no Sharingan or Rinnegan can help you see that, It wasn't like fighting and learning what works and what does not. I Left because I wanted to take those qualities and come back a man and show I could support her as she did me. Was it arrogant of me in some regard, yea it was but I planned to earn the right to be her man, I thought she pitied me then. That was my drive. Had I have known love a little bit better than we wouldn't be having this conversation, but its hard to learn values of life when you live in a test tube. Its not like they feed your mind, they just feed the lust for combat and survival. So when you ask if we could come to love you for all your flaws my answer is simple. You Damn right I can. Nobody out here has ever lived their life and always had success everyday, everyone has failed at one point or another whether it's themselves or someone else. I have failed, you have failed, Kanmi has failed, Takashi and Yama too. But unlike Yama, in our failures we got the opportunity among each other to regroup and make our success. Not just any success, of some schemed plans or underhanded thinking. Nah, our own success and we do it our way. We can't do that if we gonna be at each others throats. I have much to atone for with you, and Kanmi included". Raido said before removing his shades revealing both of his eyes. "You fooled yourself if you think I came back simply to do correct my wrongs. No can do, I came back to make sure I took full advantage of a second opportunity and in freeing myself. I can do the same for Kanmi, You, Takashi, Ouka, Ameryuu and Ameya, everyone. However' I can't make you do it, ball is where it always has been and thats in your court babe. You want Satori to grow up and become the Next Eihei? while Eihei becomes the next Dark Slayer? That's the trend your making. Kanmi has a second chance, here right now, I have a second chance here right now. Eihei you gotta a second chance right here right now. So, are you gonna blow that chance by giving into hate, or ae you gonna give into harmony and we free you of that curse". Raido once more opened his arm to her, to embrace her he knew there was still wrath in her heart for him, wrath where love could be refused given time, but now was too raw. He just hoped his daughter had fallen so low as to continue to piss off her mother. While he found her extremely attractive when she was upset the way her eyebrow would raise and that wrinkle that would appear above her nose. Little things his sharingan remember. He also remembered her temper and the last thing he needed was these two coming to blows drowned in their own emotion. That aura from Kanmi was no joke To think on top of all that hatred her daughter had become self-hating. Her own admittance of being afraid of herself was all the confirmation Kanmi needed as she closed the gap between them. Her fiery nature calming as she glimpsed the depths of her child's brokenness. One wouldn't simply have time to fix themselves if they were busy caring for others. While pretending that all was well and they had returned to themselves. "You did better than I ever could my daughter. You raised two younger siblings, combatted your own growing hatred, and looked out for a family that was growing in tandem. We placed a burden on you that no child, no single person should bear on their own. Yet you shouldered it anyways. No one asked you to do it; many would have simply turned away and found more fruitful endeavors with larger rewards and less work." Kanmi responded, pulling her eldest into a hug. She felt Eihei stiffen initially, before relaxing her guard ever so slightly. As Kanmi embraced their daughter, she mouthed these words to Raido; "Give her time." While she felt that she had no right to make such a request, it was one she asked for anyways. This was an issue that had been set aside for decades, left alone to marinate and boil, stirred occasionally by its chef. Her own anger grew; in Kanmi's eyes Eihei had become a child once more who needed to be shielded from such vices. She needed parental love for she had lacked it for too long, left to deal with the massive construct of problems and children constructed by her family instead. "Your father is right you know. Yama would like nothing more than to have you at his beck and call. What better way to spit in the faces of those who threw a wrench into his plan by snatching and molding their child into something unrecognizable? I love you my child; I always have and I always will, regardless of what you think about yourself." she continued. Eihei tentatively placed her arms around Kanmi. Her blade, crusty and slick with the blood of her father, retracted into her forearm. "You didn't have to earn the right to be hers....she already granted it to you...." Eihei murmured half-heartedly, addressing the purpose of his endeavor. "I know my mom well. She loved you and she still does to this day." In response, Kanmi blushed before hugging her daughter tighter. This girl didn't deserve all that had happened to her. "Well, that hellish bastard did a really good job of inverting me then," she continued. The rage was still there, but it was seemingly subdued in comparison to the malevolent wrath that preceded it. Her seal reflected this, retract its hold as the lines became present once more, crisscrossing her body as they slowly returned to their resting place on her neck. While not completely back to her normal appearance, it was an improvement. "I still hate you by the way, you're too soft. It's like looking at a marshmallow. If I wanted smores I would make my own," Eihei retorted; yet even this lacked the bite of her previous remarks. She attributed this to her mother; Ei couldn't remember the last time she had been held like this. The woman felt like a child once more though she didn't mind being treated this way for a little while longer. "The curse mark stays. It's a part of my history and a part of me. The thing serves as a reminder of what I am and what I refuse to let my child become." Ei warned. Satori was her most precious and beloved. The girl already showed signs of her cousin's and her grandfather's wise-cracking demeanor. A sharp mind and a witty nature that was already giving Eihei headaches. She loved her daughter to death anyways; something told her that Raido would spoil the little girl rotten while teaching her all sorts of mischief. The thought of that caused her to smile faintly, a fact that was not lost on her mother. Who immediately knew the person that was on Eihei's mind. "You will see her soon enough. We all will." Kanmi soothed, knowing a mother's angst all too well. "I'll do it. Not for you but for her. She's my one and only. I will not let that depraved piece of shit have her. Or me. I actually enjoy the fact that he cannot die because I have plans for him." Eihei said finally. Dark Buddha was just the start for her; those abilities she used to destroy him were just the tip of the iceberg; even now she could feel the fabric of space-time calling to her. However, her earlier nostalgia reminded her of something. "Wait, where is that insufferable nephew of mine?" she asked, realizing in all of her acrimony she had left him to the wind. Breaking apart from her mother, the curse ridden girl stared down her father's outstretched arms, making no move towards them. While she was aware that her mother wanted them to make up, she just couldn't. The lacuna was too wide right now. Even though the real gap in understanding was much smaller than she realized. Regardless, her thoughts shifted to Takashi, who was likely sitting outside bored out of his mind. Wondering where everyone went off to. Kanmi chose to intervene on her daughter's behalf. "We should probably introduce you to him, since watching over him like some patron saint doesn't count as formal introduction," the older yet stil youthful woman said while winking. A hint of the playful banter that the two indulged in during their earlier days. She knew Raido would understand the gesture and its meaning. Time... The Dark Slayer thought on the words and while he always realized how little of it was afforded to him ever. He never complained. Six Months of Capoeira Training sharpened his body and mind and the added Arihant training did as well but Cost him Kanmi. Years of leading Yama astray, fighting PTSD, sleeping with weapons in arms reach, with clones around him with gathered chakra to allow him a decent 4 hours, sharpened his prowess greatly, but cost him half his family, his stability, and Kanmi's death. Wiser and deadly years of crafting the confrontation, endless adventures to corners beyond, and it cost him his son and daughter in law within 3 years of his "Freedom". No action of his whether for good or worse came without a price tag, one that was paid in time. Time was never given, it was taken. Whether by him or Yama, this game of chess of both opponents clearly was them giving time. Still when the words left Kanmi's lips his gaze focused on Kanmi. The crimson light that follows his sharingan was the key to his past. That three tomoe iris that held countless battles, murders, gains, loss, and more importantly the mystery of the name Raido X, Dark Slayer, Last Arihant. Regardless of title it defined him, but behind that one left eye, an entire story was written, yet despite it so much of Raido was lost he was never truly found, he was simply a well crafted man dressed in black whose many stories were told and changed as his so called legend grew. No birthday, no parents, no prior family, no prior history, a mystery in flesh but to those close, to others he simply appeared and made a name for himself, one that no one knew the meaning of, but everyone at some point heard.. he didn't even know the color of his own eyes beyond his dojutsu neither did anyone and it was just how he liked it. Raido X, it was the X that gave him that attractive mystery feel, the all black down to the shades that enveloped his body with such mystery, his personality. The stages of life he would grow to pass, the eye that recorded his history. Project Rebirth, Warring Demon Child, Dark Slayer, Last Arihant. An Eye of Horror yet a mirror that reflected the very ideals of what he gained and what he lost. Yet strangely he was so guarded he never truly gained a Mangekyo Sharingan. His right eye was his eye of the Future, the special Rinnegan granted only to few. One possessing tomoe similar to that of his sharingan. A fusion of his former sharingan and new eye, and it held the keys to much of what he become. The eye looking forward blazing the path while the other eye recorded much of what is and was. This eye stemmed new powers but new problems, new visions, new threats, but the same damn cycle of what life was to become. A joyride that allowed him to dig and dive deeper in lore and myth beyond what he believed possible. Yet it to was rooted in time, and he never complained. He rolled with the punches healed and dished them out. The purplish gaze of this guy offset his red sharingan giving him that awkward Heterochromia iridium look. Didn't help both eyes had a powerful light in them. His gaze was never intimidating, evil dark, nothing, simply covered behind shades for so long it became hard to see through the poker face, a look of control, confidence and mystery. This eye also connected with Kanmi as she was once more flesh and blood. That left eye could read his daughters lips well as could He see into the memories of Kanmi with both eyes as his right eye still retained the sharingan's powers. Yet to see, hear and read stuff like You didn't have to earn the right to be hers....she already granted it to you or SHE LOVED YOU. AND YOU LEFT HER. JUST TO STROKE YOUR OWN EGO AND BECOME SOME MANLY MAN WHO WAS POLISHED AND READY TO BE LOVED. WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THE SAME TASK BY HER SIDE? and NEWSFLASH. SHE STILL LOVES YOU. EVEN AFTER MOVING ON SO THAT I WOULDN'T BE STUCK WITH AN ABSENTEE FATHER PART OF HER STILL HELD OUT THE HOPE YOU WOULD RETURN. As he said no rinnegan and sharingan could see love, it was not even something he knew of or understood at his age at that time. He didn't even love himself, he just made sure no one took the last thing he had left and that was his life. He had no parents that he could remember to teach him love, no guidance or love as a child to soften him and teach him. He had his life and his weapons, friendship got people killed, he watched mothers and fathers gladly murder each other, hell he himself killed plenty. Before he even grew hair on his balls he had scored well over 150 kills and that was one game alone that was hosted everyday nearly, then back to his pod and chamber, tests and more games, or survival puzzles. He never his age so he couldn't ever say when but love? that wasn't apart of that. He didn't learn that until he lost Kanmi to another man at the time that's when he felt it, his mind was opened. These thoughts crisscrossed into the dark slayers mind yet never reflected in his eyes, and with the confident grin he quickly put on his shades to shield his eyes from Kanmi, he always tried to hide them from her. "Agreed, they don't pay me enough to remain a guardian angel, beside kids probably tired of hearing about me and not seeing me, who knows we just might make his face crack and bring a smile to it". Raido joked knowing good and well Takashi never smiles, even when happy, Takashi just seemed pissed and given what Yama planned Raido knew he likely never would. "Oh and Kanmi while we are alone. The Dark Slayer put his shades on fully to one more have those reflective frames gaze into Kanmi's eyes fully hiding his eyes from her own, he always wondered if that creeped her out. "Thank you and from me to you, gimmick and jokes aside". The dark slayer stopped to find the words, something not lost on him ever, yet here he wasn't quite sure how to say this and it bothered him. "Knowing what I know now, Thank you for never giving up on me and tossing me away, you were all I had and I was too blind to see even with the greatest eyes. I don't know how much truth is behind the whole she still loves you thing, but if there is any inkling left, this resolved and your soul freed I wish to start a new and this time.. unless you get tired of me for leaving the toilet seat up, I will never leave you like that again. Its my turn to help you as well as Eihei, so keep in mind Ill be grading you and watching you closely. I expect you to report to class on time and with that same smile. Yama has stolen too much, but what I wont allow his him stealing your joy, not on my watch". Raido Said tapping the cuff link of his sleeve, despit eno watch being there. He was serious, but jokingly so as he sauntered in tow behind to find this nephew as well. Kanmi sighed, "I doubt that, his face looks set that way. Though who knows? Maybe your wise-cracking demeanor could break the trend." She turned her attention back to Raido. "Must you always wear those shades? Your eyes are your eyes. Own them and be proud of them. God knows what you went through gaining them. Besides, I like the contrast, it's distinctive." she continued, standing on her tiptoes to take them off once more. Her gaze settled on the crimson red and deep purple, studying the complexities of each design. "Sometimes she knows me too well. Then again, I was never good at hiding things." Kanmi thought aloud as they walked. All those times when she believed everything was hidden under lock and key. Though seeing herself through her young daughter's eyes, she saw the same wistfulness that Eihei readily diagnosed, pinning it on an absentee individual that refused to grant her mother peace. "I missed you those years. Moving on was...difficult. I didn't want to leave you behind..." Kanmi finished lamely. Seeing her oldest child running around alone, fatherless and without the comfort of siblings. She held out for four years, hoping her instincts would be correct, but seeing her three year old alone, she could not allow her to be that way any longer. The affections of another led to marriage and two more children; while cold at first, Eihei warmed up to the idea of a larger family when feeling her little sister kick and squirm in her mother's belly. Her sentiment was cemented upon holding Aka for the first time. Kanmi saw that her daughter badly desired to wipe away the sadness that haunted the older woman at times. Hence, she sought to love and protect her siblings as a big sister should. "Though if I'm being honest, I never did. My baby girl could read me like an open book. Apparently, she still can even after all this time apart." Kanmi continued, still holding the shades in her hand. Her emerald gaze turned to her daughter, who continued ahead to the entrance. Even now, there was an intensity about her that struck with Kanmi with a pang. Innocence dashed; even when not enraged there was a guardedness to Eihei. She smiled as she remembered Raido's last comment. "I'll report to class on time if you promise not to be an absent-minded professor." Kan retorted, regaining some of her fiery nature from past years. Yet it was a warm feeling, akin to a hearth where family gathered around to exchange stories. Moved to place a kiss on the tall man's cheek as it a confirmation. A promise that she wouldn't throw him out, even if he left the toilet seat up. Perhaps it signified that yes, the flame that was their love had weathered the cold winds that threatened to engulf it, reduced to a small spark. However, with the onset of favorable summer breezes, it roared to life once more. Part of Eihei listened to this conversation unfold between her mother and father. She winced as she thought of the second word, not wanting to acknowledge the small fact even though it was undeniable. Bristling when she sensed Kanmi's gesture. Even as the burning ceased, her hazel gaze remained hard and unforgiving. She didn't like what Raido had to say about Yama unmaking her and turning into some wrathful heathen; Eihei already knew the conclusion to that story as far as her daughter was involved. Eihei forbid Satori from becoming like her. How else could she justify everything she was doing? It was to tear apart those who threatened her love. They wanted Satori to become Eihei the Second just as Eihei became a new rendition of the Dark Slayer. The woman would not allow it while she was still breathing. Ei saw the same flippancy and joking mentality in Satori as she saw in the girl's grandfather. As irritating as it could be at times, it was what Ei loved about her daughter. The ability to shrug off the seriousness of the world and simply poke fun was an ability to often ignored. "I miss her." Eihei thought for the perhaps the third time today. However, she didn't allow herself to wallow in some pity pool. Pushing open the doors as she expected to find Takashi where she had left him, sitting peacefully if bored in the wide-open expanse around her father's home. Eihei winced again at that word. "Where's the belligrent child, I have the mind to smack him if he doesn't show up." Ei said, gritting her teeth as her eyes shined a luminous royal purple, searching the undergrove for the lad. Who likely felt his aunt's simmering temperament. The kiss felt like a hot shower after being in the mud during a long ass fight. Renewing and as if not a day or beat was lost between them whatsoever. It was natural for him to hide his face behind the shades but kanmi had them in her hand still and thus he was exposed, he fought the urge to smile allowing a small grin and chuckle to escape his lips. This was how it was suppose to feel as a kid, not the warmth of the blood of others. "Hmm I see, well even so I think if we put some extra credit in not even Yama will be able to stop you babe, Mann id hate to be him when we get you focused and ready to deal with him, we gone get you right babe always trst youe teacher. Raido said thinking to reach for them shades but remembering her words he put his hands in his pocket and trailer to find Takashi as well. "Yoo Ei, what you yelling for I just went to grab some popcorn figured since this was turning out be a sitcom of some sort with you and Gramps getting into it id grab some popcorn or something, to bide the time". Takashi said sitting on the ground, his hand deep in the bag of popcorn , his long black underneath him having small crumbs from his eating constantly over the course of the conversation. "By the way, you got one hellluva throwing arm, Raido isn't some little guy. Thought I think you were kind of rough on him but hey must be a father daughter thing". Takashi stood up and it was then that his missing arm appeared, still heavy tattooed like his face and other yet arm and his back, use to be a struggle having to do everything with one arm but not he was a seasoned vet. Looking over he saw the bigger Dark Slayer and Smaller Kanmi. Eihei resembled a close mix of them both, but leaned more toward her mother, but she certainly had some of him in her. "So we have here the father of the House of X and the first mother of the House, the progenitors of my dear Aunt. Not sure if I thank you both or blame you both". Takashi said, knowing it was no point in hiding his left arm, Gramps had the sharingan and Kanmi likely spotted it already. He just hoped there was no questions. She grinned as she pulled back. "Obviously, why do you think they didn't want us together in the first place? We're too good as a team. A thorn in Yama's side since we came into existence. A general pain in the ass that isn't going away anytime soon." Kanmi said. There was a confidence that returned with each moment they stayed together. Still holding his shades in one hand, she linked her free hand with his, finding strength in the gesture. Eihei fought the urge to gag at the image of them. Yes, she wanted her mom to be happy, and it was clear this made her so. Still, Eihei couldn't simply discard decades of pent-up emotion, most it negative in nature. Hell, she could tell Raido wanted to return the favor. However, she wasn't too keen on allowing it. Part of her wondered when the roles switched; her mom the lovestruck young adult with the dapper (if he could be called that) young man. Eihei, on the other hand, played the stern and resolute mother who was unwilling to have someone who hurt her child return to the fold. Ew. I've definitely been a mom for way too long. Eihei thought, noting just how often she had served that capacity. First her siblings, then her House of X siblings. Next was the apple of her eye and now her mom. Either way, her protectiveness was second nature now; some might even call it overbearing. "Gah, can you two give it a rest? Fucking love nest in here," Ei sighed. Glaring at her nephew as he chewed away on popcorn. "Nice to know we're an entertaining soap opera. I'm pretty sure that hell spawn laid out enough of the history for you to fill in the blanks. So excuse me if I wasn't feeling cuddly." she continued. Kanmi stared at her grandson's missing appendage. "Care to explain what happened to your arm?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity. It wasn't everyday one encountered a person missing a hand, and something told her she wouldn't like the story behind the affair. Especially as she sensed the dodginess disposition Taka was displaying. "Taka." she stated, making it clear there was no room for equivocation. "Will you tell them or should I? Nephew who can't decide whether or not I'm a blessing or a curse." Eihei retorted, receiving the same signals her mother had picked up on. She discreetly leveled a stink-eye at Raido, the glare holding just the inklings of Killing Intent. Perhaps her mother had forgiven him. Eihei was in no hurry to do so however. He had to earn her trust: a daughter's love was far in the offing as far as she was concerned. For now, he was to remain in probation; it was difficult to trust someone who walked away. Especially if you felt like they could walk away again at any moment. Maybe the Dark Buddha shit was right: Eihei had abandonment issues. Takashi found himself caught in the crossfires. Here he stood in front of the two progenitors of the House of X. Kanmi Uzumaki, mother of Eihei and if she was anything like how Eihei was she was as much of a bad ass as her if not more. She looked soft and gentle, beautiful didn't have the same frown type of look Eihei had, but damn if they couldn't pass as twins. Eihei favored her mother but you could see her father in her too. And to mention her father. The Dark Slayer stood before, so many stories and myths surrounded this guy he couldn't even begin to start of the stories he heard first. Even his foster grandparents knew of him. Eihei clearly had some issues with him, but from the eye test alone. Raido X looked the part of how a legend should be introduced. He was even bigger than Takashi, smooth, way to smooth, he had the look. He didn't look like a man who grew up and learned how to fight and kill before he learned how to read and write, but you dont get the name Dark Slayer for nothing. More importantly, Takashi wanted to know what the hell the X stood for. Even that name itself grabbed attention. "Oh my arm, lets just say I was in the business of taking and I took something that led to my arm getting taken from me". Takashi kept it short and sweet, truthful yet no detail of how it happened. "In hindsight id say this event gave me a character building I needed and finally got me back and set on the right track. Not my finest moment but its whatever. Man you two look so much alike it crazy, Eihei just looks like a different version of you, if you throw in some Raido in her of course. And you, your the Dark Slayer in the flesh?, Bro ive read stories about you, your skills how you look, everyone always said something different but to see you, its crazy. You live up to the legend looks wise. Eihei throwing you like that kind of ruined it for me but not that much, I would hit her either, not healthy." Takashi was extremely interested to meet some of his family. For so long he lived and looked for validation, stole, created fake aliases, lied and stole some more. All because he believed money and fame would make him tangible. Finding out he was apart of something bigger, well it was like opening your eyes for the first time after being blind for years. However he also saw a trend happening here, Raido from what Eihei told him grew up with no mother and father. Kanmi, her mother was everything to Raido, teacher, guider, provider, lover and guardian. Eihei grew up fatherless, while someone did fit the bill of a male figure in her life she had conflicting attachments to him knowing it was not her true father. Here Raido Stood before her and Takashi could see the stink eye Eihei gave him, she wanted to love him but there was much he needed to answer for, the few years paled in comparison to the decades he missed, and if their argument was anything he actually and maybe his eye played tricks saw Eihei cry for a moment, softly. Not something he was accustom to seeing. Even Kanmi's reaction to Raido was. different. Takashi realized he was still young and could bridge the gap that was skipped for so long. "What can I say I could never raise my hand to my own daughter, beatings dont always build character in the right manner, trust me I would know". Raido put his arm around Kanmi for a brief moment. "The deal is that I am here and back to help guide everyone and deal with the problem that once more comes to the surface. Yama, he was an issue in my life, and it seems the sins of the father are passed down. think of this as baptism is you will and we are here to cleanse you all of him in the soul and then we can deal with him in the spirit and flesh. See, now we finally have something that will allow us to take the fight to King's Throne, it took me a while to learn it but I learned Yama is invulnerable in all planes except one. Lucky for us this one plane we can hurt him in is also the one he is strongest, but its the best chance we got of sealing him off.. for good. TK, ive been around as you may have heard, I've seen you, watched you come up, not ideal but you made it your way, and we got much to prepare you for as well. This wont be a summer vacation for you , you got skills, you got the mind for it, but you're still too green. You wouldn't even beat Eihei in hand to hand combat and that won't cut it. Oh and its nice to meet you formally and officially". Raido looked deeper at Takashi and it was crazy how much like his mother he looked, the skin tone, the eyes, yet everything else was Ameryuu, the body, the size, the sharingan itself. It would have been easy to tell him of his mother and father's fate, but the time was too raw, Eihei was already an issue with her run with the Dark Buddha and Yama, he already affected her one level, Takashi he couldn't read as well currently. Kid always did seemed pissed and he didn't wanna send him over, yet if this waited he would likely lash out. Takashi was very smart, more so than he was at his age, but stil young and prone to emotional rages likely. "Takashi, I need you to do me a favor and pick up a few things for me, I understand you are a Kamui master, quite the jutsu. I need you to find my daughter Suiren and pass a message along to her concerning Yama and the things to come. I know your not mail service but for what we are gonna need, she needs to be in on this too. She is also living on earth, meaning she is likely a target and I don't like the idea of her alone too long. Also bring Ameya here as well. Raido said looking at Takashi, he honestly just wanted TK out of the way for a second to talk with Kanmi and Eihei alone. "Sure thing Gramps, I know where Ameya is already, Suiren moves around a lot but I know where to start with her completely, her weapons shops. Back in a second". Takashi's distortion quickly snatched him away from the the area as quickly has he finished his sentence. He was gone. "Now with kid gone. Eihei question. Does Takashi know anything of his parent at all yet. I say this because if I know Yama he is planning to use them against us and at some point reveal to TK the origin of his parents and likely set it up where Takashi will kill his parents just as he finds out who they are. He's building a conduit here, See me I didn't know my parents, but I had my own story coming up. His Weapon Dark Slayer failed thanks to Kanmi here. By the way babe im I gonna get those shades back at all? Second, Eihei here was you see Yama is already trying to make his next Dark Slayer and turn Satori into another Eihei and keep his little cycle going, using the house of X as his weapons due to our abilities. Which leads me to believe that between Satori and Takashi he is planning to indoctrinate them both at some point and I believe he has already started. Given what I've heard and seen here today from Eihei and her conversation with Yama earlier". He started as early as me and Kanmi. "I don't make it a habit of being the fool twice and Yama is clearly an opponent who is among the highest order of evil and enemies we will likely face. I don't think I need to tell you the caliber of the opponent we are facing here. Given how Yama has bragged to both you Kanmi and you Eihei, he is clearly smelling himself but even roses smell like shit after a while and its time to show him up. How far he is willing to go and how dangerous he and this Revelations is. However he is arrogant and that is what can take advantage of, by taking away his prospects. Satori, Takashi and even you Eihei. Kanmi and I have already been cast aside, we are living witnesses of his plans and that shit ends here. Kanmi we free you here and now and you Eihei... you're gonna have to be freed as well, Satori and Takashi can still be prevented. However this all hinges on what we do here and now, I understand you pissed at me and im going to be honest baby girl. I dont care, not when only thing I can do about it make a difference in your and my grandchildren's life today and tomorrow. I can't change the past, not even the Rinnegan and all my power do I have a jutsu to do that. The Dark Buddha and I are connected he represents everything I was when I lost Kanmi and thats why Yama took it when I became an Arihant. However I heard what yo said to him regarding this family and the House of X, I wont repeat them for your mother's sake but ill say this if you wanna do if for me fine, for your mother fine, even for your siblings fine. That's just fine, dont then. Do it for your daughter, our granddaughter. Raido said shifting his hands between him and Kanmi. Now he was dropping truths. "The road your walking, you are bound to relive this and if and when you do relive this for you it will be worse. You are a product of the love Kanmi and I shared but in Yama's eyes you can very well wind up the tool by which both of our pains are brought together. The mother in you watches as your daughter hurls the hate and disgust that you feel for me now at you and it hurts you because you saw the very same thing in yourself and now you have become everything you hated in me. And Satori has become everything you hated among yourself and what Yama has done to you. My pain and your mothers pain will become what you have to show for it. and now Satori lives as you did and do now. And you.. you become everything that embodied the name Dark Slayer, the title you hate so much. What sd is that you are already walking in this direction, and the hate you have for me seemingly trumps that of your daughter, leaving her with your sister is not so different from how I left you with your mother, though unknowingly, leaving is leaving. You see where that got you and me right. Sure you can talk about all the quiet sacrifices you made that Satori didn't see same way I can with you. But you know what she will remember the most you know what she will see..... The same thing you remember about me.. You.. weren't there.. You left me. "Raido repeated the same words mimicking Eihei's same voice as the words were said. Not so much for grand effect but to wake Eihei up see the forest for the trees. "Wake up and smell the coffee and taste the bacon for how it is, I suggest you get right now while you can before you see more of me in you than you would like. Unless you wanna be playing catch up like I am now fighting for a comeback from the behind victory hoping she will come to love you, if so than by all means proceed. I can't stop you and im sure you have every reason to not listen to me, but if you ain't heeded me before you should keep this in mind now. That's just real shit babe I plan on protecting my granddaughter even if that means from you..... Dark Slayer 2. Raido finished as he reached for Kanmi's hand to guide her fully into the shrine and first test. When Takashi comes back we are bringing Satori here, Shinra and Aka too, we cover all angles all fronts and sides. They are my step children and I love them s if they were my own. Yama gets no more of them. Raido basically laid down the get with us or get run over by us speech but one thing he would do is protect his grandaughter and his step children from The King of Hell and if it meant it. Eihei the Future and New Dark Slayer. "I think you remember how I told you as a kid I protected my gift and that gift was life. Now that gift has extended into the lives of family I created or am close to". Raido left it at that, he didn't need to threaten Eihei or make a us against you speech. Just the thought of her becoming like him was likely enough to kick her into the right state of mind long enough for her to work with him on this. Then they could deal accordingly. "So you stole from the wrong person. You lived your life with a prince of thieves mentality and a penchant for mercenary work." Kanmi responded, shaking her head at the thought. It was too much to think of a grandson going through all of that on his own. Whether he believed it or not, she understood his mindset. Ambition, respect and influence. It was something that she herself wanted when she was a hot headed young woman. However, the presence of Raido mediated that to extent. He was someone who needed protection, love, a guardian. They became the driving forces for her existence and why she continued to live each day with a purpose. It became her ambition to teach him, love him, and care for him. Otherwise, she may have very well found a different outlet while reaching the for the highest office in her land. Nevertheless, it was something that she was afraid had taken hold of her child. Ambition find its home in a vindictive temperament. She looked at her eldest, finding the common traits Taka pointed out. The red hair, the distinctive yet beautiful face. Perhaps she looked soft now, but the fierceness and intensity Eihei displayed found its origin in the young woman's mother. Kanmi herself held that same fire at a young age. She also noticed differences; emerald eyes replaced with a hazel-green, the burden of a woman who was a maternal figure to many. A sister, a mother, an aunt, and many more nomenclatures she juggled with her own rage. Kanmi desired to remove that Cursed mark, knowing just how dangerous it was and how it only added more fuel to her daughter's ire. Yet it was clear Eihei was loath to part with it. Kanmi knew power played a part in its persistence, but so did the physical reminder of what she had been through. Either way, the mother find the mark irritating, wanting to wrench it away from her joy and beloved. Eihei shook her head at Raido's initial conjecture. "Of course not. As much as I loathe him, Yama is far from a fool. He'd want the one accessible domain to be also his place of strength. It's a rational decision that generally works out well. Besides, no one expected this to be easy. We are technically battling with what is equivalent to a sovereign deity. Hence, what your noting is anything new. Also Taka, he's right, your hand-to-hand combat is terrible. How many times have I told you to stop spamming the Kamui? You need to broaden your skillset. If it helps, the very act of doing so can help make your space-time ninjutsu that much stronger. You never know what your may glean from other abilities that could inform your own cup of tea." Eihei noted, her voice turning to a scold at the end. She watched him leave, off to run errands and return her beloved baby sister to her side. Eihei wondered how the young woman was doing after her and Takashi's earlier intervention. She could tell her mother noticed a softening when Ameya's name was mentioned; despite her latent wrath, Kanmi knew for certain that her child loved her family. It showed in the overbearing nature she had, the guilt she felt at times. How Ameryuu's and Ouka's deaths ate away at her. Kan could see the hope that Eihei felt that with her increase in power, she might people to find the place where her niece and nephew were stored away. However, Eihei wondered if perhaps they were better off where they currently resided, away from the grasp of those who could hurt them. Namely their own parents who were now firmly under the thumb of Yama. She came to upon hearing Raido's question. "He knows who they are and their names. He knows that they are no longer alive, being the victims of the Dark Buddha with their death being one of the reasons for my vehement wrath. However, Taka doesn't know about their involvement with Yama as subordinates. Though given how much he already knows, particularly with what Yama did to my mother, I wouldn't be surprised if he put two and two together soon enough. I know you're worried about him going off the deep end, but as much as crack on him for acting like a child, he's far more mature than you think he is. Taka is aware of his limits and strives to exceed them, he knows what is necessary and what must be done. You can thank the original chakra bearer for that. Though you may know her as Kaguya. As for his relationship with the former, it probably gave him a good taste of arrogant, lording figures." Eihei said, before bristling. The idea of that swine laying hands on her nephew and her daughter made the ground quake under her anger. Perhaps she had begun to think of herself as a weapon. She was the sword and shield of the House of X, its matriarch in all the time that the previous generation had left behind. Now she knew with indubitability that her nephew and niece were better off in the place they resided. Less prospects for that devilish bastard, while allowing her to focus on those who threatened her loved ones. It may become clear to Raido that she was not used to sharing the burden, having shouldered it for so long that she became comfortable with managing it on her own. Stuffing her emotions down a well that now threatened to overflow with misery and anger. It became more and more of a challenge to set them aside. "It will be prevented, he isn't touching them. Not ever." Ei stated with a vehemence. She quieted when he began taking a hard-line approach. Ei didn't want to admit it, but he was right. He gave voice to fears that plagued her each day, of whether or not she was doing right by leaving her with her sister. She thought that given how young Satori was it would prove to be the best decision. Part of her also didn't want her precious beloved exposed to the necessary evil her mother became. All the insults she hurled at Raido for not being good enough for Kanmi reflected upon herself. A projection of her own fears and insecurities. "I'm not good enough for her. She deserves better than a deranged mess like myself. A real mom. A real dad." Eihei murmured. For all her own quibbles, she saw her younger sister as an ideal. Someone Ei could be proud of, and know that she had raised her to the best of her abilities. Gave her everything she could so that she would learn how to deal with her own problems and issues. Doesn't that mean you have a right to raise your own daughter too? Surely if you did well with one you can do the same for another. a voice in her head responded. "But that was before the corruption, before this thing on my neck. Hell, it was still in its infancy when I was taking care of them." Eihei whispered back. As much as she would like to think Yama hated repeating himself, he would likely ensure that this cycle happened. Infuriating her. Raido was right; she hated that he was right. However, that wasn't important. What mattered was Kanmi's well-being, Satori's well-being, Ameya's well-being. The House of X's prosperity was of the utmost importance to her. Kanmi could see her child warring with herself; her heart broke at the thought of what was going through Eihei's mind. She separated from Raido, attending their child. Their hope and dream that entered the world sattled with expectations. Pulling her close, she placed a kiss on Eihei's forehead, feeling the anguished woman soften in her embrace. "We'll talk later. All of us. After this over and we've laid Yama to bed, we will lay this to bed." Kanmi said before following Raido into the shrine. "I'm not the Dark Slayer 2. That's your name and your rep. I've always been the Survivor. I survived Root and the tribulations sent my way. I will survive this King of Hell and his posse. My survival will be my family's survival. Where my loved ones go I follow. When they fall and stumble I will help them up. They will survive this because I will survive this." Eihei called to them. It was a promise that she hadn't given up, that the darkness was there but it would be hers to own and shape. Her past experiences may have shaped her, but she held the ability to shape the future. Kanmi dipped her head in acknowledgement as the door closed.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)