| abstract
| - The forest was still and motionless with a small breeze casually blowing the dead leaves around. The trees were naked, the bark falling off of the trunk; all life was gone from the living creatures. Taking the place of flowers around the dead forest were poisonous mushrooms which would emit a poisonous gas whenever someone stepped within its reach. Upon that, carnivorous plants would sprout up from the earth around these mushrooms and devour the person entirely. This forest was called the Forest of the Dead, a forbidden place for any traveler to enter for only a few have escaped its deadly nature to tell the story. Demons plagued the forest, murdering any person who dare step foot into their domain. Even during the day, the forest was dark, and at night the forest was absolutely pitch black. Only the light of the moon gave way into the forest, illuminating some structures but generally masking the dangers of the forest. Demons, deadly plants, and flesh-eating animals worked in conjunction to take the lives of any brave humans. However, one traveler actually has made the forest his home. He hunts demons, the plants, travelers and consumes them all. Even among the dangerous animal and demons that plague the forest, he is recognized as the strongest, merciless of them all. He scurried along the dirt, carefully weaving inbetween the enormous oak trees of the forest that he was in. He had been asleep when the traveler entered, but he smelled his blood from miles away. An AB blood type was unique among people, the most unique blood type of them all. Such a treat would not escape his grasp; he wouldn’t let it escape for he had never tasted such blood before. It HAD to be delicious. Only a few more feet, he thought to himself as he increased his speed. He was running on all fours, his nose extended slightly. He took the shape of a wolf, a humanoid wolf, more than an actual person. It was his hunting transformation, his one of a thousand forms. He crawled up a tree, scaling the large oak with his powerful, ragged claws that clamped the bark with every moment. Jumping from each tree to another tree, he soared through the leaves, the scent of the traveler getting closer and closer until it simply disappeared. “Huh? No,” the hunter cried, increasing his speed as flashbacks ran through his mind. Arriving at the scene where he last sensed the man, the hunter spotted one guy on the ground and another towering over him. A boy, perhaps around twelve years old with crimson-red eyes stood before the man, smiling as the guy crawled. “Another prey?,” the hunter inquired, whispering to himself, before feeling an ominous feeling. Suddenly, he found himself standing before the man, towering under his body just as this man lay before him. His blood was spilled onto the ground in the same manner, lifeless as the teenager simply laughed uncontrollable, his crimson eyes seemingly reflecting the color of his blood. Pulled back into reality, he fell from the tree, incapable of moving from fear alone. He hit the ground, landing a few feet from the crimson-eyed child, reverting back to his normal-human form as he tried to stand, but found his body irresponsive. “M-My meal!,” the hunter cried, looking at the guy. “You’re stealing my meal!” The hunter was simply a regular child with lavender hair, soft features, the complete opposite of his brute-like nature. On his right eye, he wore an eye patch, a single eye patch. The demons lurked around every corner, within a pure soul, and even in an innocent looking young boy. It was just a mere year since he, Kokutō, had decided to wander the lands alone. It felt amazing, so free, able to do anything he liked, what he wanted to do. No longer were his instincts and desires restrained by the woman he adored, he favoured and savoured. Many had fallen before that kind child, who helped them back on their feets, but in fact, that lovely smile was the end of their lives. His eeriness never gone but clouded by the emanating innocence he possess, and oh, the boy knew how to use his teachings to his advantage. His thirst to see the red liquid pouring out of the wounds he gave them, and if he admired what he saw, gouge out the eyes as prize, although… he burned them to ashes, yet it did not satisfy him, it did not vanquish his thirst. It only made it worse, and worse, and the killing sprees only increased when the full moon neared, as if it influenced his insanity. The darkness had subdued the beast before, while the light thrilled the slumbering fiend, it had awakened it. It seemed that the birth of this demon could not be prevailed, which shall be a disaster to any, who comes in his way. The man he sensed, a teaching from his saviour, was nearby, and surely, he felt the presence of one another. Kokutō surely is in luck; two flies in one, that would make one… two, no, three kills for the day. Before he had come across these two, Kokutō had an easy kill before, not even worth playing with. His eyes morphed into the infamous crimson eyes, an inheritance, as what Kurami had told him. The three tomoe took place, no more hollow, as past events forced a permanent redness in those eyes of his. He did not need direct eye contact, his master had taught him the ways of illusionary casts, and so, the matured symbols spinned, the beginning of the illusion. He was trapping his prey, before he would decide what method he was going to go with. The man swayed on the balm of his feet, panting as he moved forth. He didn’t see the boy that stood still as he passed him. “Sir,” the boy called out, yet, he did not hear. What he heard was a terrifying scream, the screams of agony around him. And that one voice called to him, telling him to not stop running, that he would be the next… the next that would be skinned alive. He pushed forth, but, it was as if something had chained him. When the man looked down at his feet, he didn’t see anything, as he suddenly fell forward. His eyes widened, what happened to him? His eyes widened as the realization hit him, he had been running, no he was crawling all the way to here. Why? He had no feet. He had been tortured, limb for limb, and he knew he had to get away. But how did this happen in the first place? Why… why had it to happen to him? A soft hand touched his shoulder, and he was about to swat it away, in a response. The man paused, however, upon meeting the piercing red eyes of a young boy. He looked so gentle. “Sir, I saw you collapsing. Is everything alright?” The boy smiled and the man tried to speak, but failed to do so, he was so shocked. “Ah, what’s wrong Sir?” Wait, the man thought. He was a ninja himself, this is no ordinary kid. The man tried to voice himself, but only grumbles came out, “Sir, I can’t understand you… but I will help you, if you allow me.” The boy still smiled, his one hand outstretched to him as the other pulled out the katana that was formerly sheathed. “I’ll have to do something about your weight first, though. Otherwise… I cannot help you properly.” His eyes were narrowed, those eyes glowing darkly, a dark schemer appeared and the man would have screamed if it was possible. “Yada, yada… I sure made a mess,” Kokutō complained afterwards. In all that fun time, Kokutō had forgotten about the other individual, which is odd. Kokutō never lost track of people, unless this one was an interesting one. “Huh?” He merely answered to the somewhat taller boy. “Your meal? I do not eat humans, feel free to eat whatever is left. I don’t care.” Kokutō had no need to play around with an odd being, he was satisfied with what he had accomplished just now. Ah, the satisfaction, it always felt good to him. With that, Kokutō turned around to walk away, no longer concerned about the corpse or the odd child. Without hesitation, Katsumi leaped onto the fallen man. With his powerful hand, he gripped the fallen traveler's arm and ripped it off, tearing apart the cartilage. He devoured his arm in seconds, followed by the other, followed by the rest of his body until not a trace of anything was left. He looked upwards at the shorter, younger male who watched without interest. He had just devoured a guy and he didn't flinch at all. No, he just stared off into the distance, examining the world. Was this kid as fucked up as he was? Katsumi had to find out for himself. "Why do you not run? Why did you just sit there? Aren't you afraid of me?" Katsumi inquired. Kokutō was about to walk away, but the snapping sounds of bones made him stop. "That's sick," he complained in his thought of train. Even more so, the very details carved in his mind as the stranger devoured his victim. "Gruesome," the red-eyed muttered quietly with disgust. Kokutō watched for another silent second, the munches of the older male irked his ears, and with that, he just stared off at something else. It wasn't long before the teen got interrogated by the stranger, of which he just glared at. "You've something on your cheek. It annoys me." It's all what the boy complained about, not even bothered to answer the ranting questions of the cannibal. He wiped his cheek and looked at the chunk of meet on his hand. Without much hesitation, he threw it up into the air like a piece of popcorn and caught it in his mouth. “You know, you should really try this stuff,” Katsumi honestly suggested, scavenging the body. Finally, he pulled out a bone with some accumulation of meet. “Ribs are my favorite part,” he claimed, throwing the bone towards Kokuto for him to catch and eat. “Just, try it. I promise it taste better than it looks!” Standing up, he shot a small grin the Uchiha’s way, one that present friendliness. Never in his lifetime had he come upon someone who hadn’t tried to kill him, enslave him, or even hated him for his cannibalism. But more importantly, the guy wasn’t afraid of him…..maybe he had found a friend. “...” Kokutō scrunched up his nose in silence as the older teen ate the piece of human meat, the one he pointed out. It wasn’t his cup of tea, not at all, but the red-eyed boy could care any less about the preferences of the boy. Despite that he found it disgusting in his own way, his expressions and words did not display it. “I pass.” Kokutō dodged the thrown rib at the last second, before turning around and started to walk away. “I prefer to kill, rather than eat the prey.” Katsumi picked the rib up and ate it, leaving nothing including the bone. He sucked on the tip of his fingers and then proceeded to use his fingers to pick the stuck meet from inbetween his teeth. In a muffled tone he inquired, “Where specifically are you headed? You know the villages don’t like people like us, you and I. They call us murderers, but who are they to call us murderers?” Katsumi paused to take a breath before continuing, “I mean, they kill deer and geese and ducks so they can eat them, so what makes them any difference from us? We hafta eat, right?” Those blood-shot eyes of Kokutō morphed into a deep crimson, three symbols carved in the seas of redness. “What?” The younger male halted his movements, those curvy symbols beginning to spin; a wheel of black in red. “Being a murderer… means you can mess well with your prey.” He started his lecture, the skill of his murdering. “If you act out of place, being abnormal, you’ll be looked at with distaste.” The words, the teachings, it was what he learnt from the woman. “Unlike you, I eat normal edibles. I go to town from to town to get it, and perhaps a prey to enjoy.” The spinning wheels stopped, his eyes still glowing through the shadows, and those symbols intimidatingly staring down at the older male. Katsumi looked into Kokuto’s eyes, watching as it spun into life. The redness of the eye was infinite. He could get lost looking into such an organ. Katsumi could feel the killing intent radiating from the eye’s being. “The eye….,” he muttered to himself. Suddenly, his facial expression changed from a close examination to a large, grin. “Your blood is cursed too. That eye of years is one that tells the story of suffering, death, struggle, and sin. My body speaks that cursed story too. That story of suffering and death..You and I, we’re cut from the same thread,” Katsumi preached as he began walking towards the Uchiha. “Show me how your kill, and I sha’ll show you. Then we will decide who is the better killer. Deal?,” he inquired, extending his hand for a handshake. Kokutō sighed at the older boy, his eyes smoldering at the hand. “I’ve no interest to compete. Killing is joy to waste my time in this pathetic world.” His eyes blazing with a certain emotion, yet, his facial expression remained cool, as always. That pair of crimson reflected his feelings, nothing else of him showed that directly. “It doesn’t matter to me either, … whatever you are.” He didn’t accept the handshake, his arms still folded together in front of his chest. But, Kokutō’s eyes narrowed back to the other’s pair of eyes. "Oh, I see you're a feisty one eh? I like you!," Katsumi exclaimed, drawing his hand backwards. He looked down the younger boy and grinned. "So, where is our first destination?" He walked ahead of Kokutō, expecting the Uchiha to follow in his direction. "We're going to go places, kid. I've taken an interest in you, so I'll follow you and see how you wound up" Those crimson eyes’ pattern faded away, leaving a softer shade of that colour. He reluctantly allowed his arms to fall to his sides, following the older boy’s footsteps. Kokutō briefly sighed softly again, exhausted of his lone travels. It even made him block out some words that the blue-haired boy said to him, “Oh. I don’t know.” Kokutō quietly replied as he slowly caught up to the other one. He sharpened his tone, glancing at the other. “Kokutō, Uchiha Kokutō, that’s my name.” Kokutō uttered his names with pride, albeit him unknowing that he wasn’t officially part of the cursed kin. "Rule number one, Kid. Never reveal your surname. This is a cursed land we dwell in and everyone here is cursed as a result. We get people from all over the world that wound up here, exiled from shinobi villages, etc. They may have a grudge against your lineage, so just keep that in mind. Especially someone who hails from your clan," Katsumi advised, trucking through the forest. The dead leaves crunched under his foot, trees fell over whenever he decided a nice, hard punch was needed. He tore through the forest, making every possible loud noise he could make as if he was trying to draw attention to himself. Kokutō grimaced at being lectured by the stranger. "A trivial matter. And neither do I have to be one." He watched the older boy's rage towards the trees. "I feel for them." Is what went through the Uchiha's head. Yet, he had been lectured for telling his last name... the stranger is making a lot more noise than needed. He pressed three fingers against his temple, massaging it and attempting to block out the loudness. "Quiet down... or I will make you." Katsumi glanced back at Kokutō and shook his head in disappointment. "Ah, you're no fun kid." Despite his complaint however, the man walked ahead silently...almost too silently. He put his hand out in front of the Uchiha, signaling him to stop before calling out, "Who's there?". His voice was filled with a rather serious tone. Six shinobi jumped from behind trees and leaves allowing themselves to be seen. "Well, looks like we have a good o--" The head shinobi suddenly stopped, finding his face gripped by Katsumi's hand. Black Seals radiated from his body, jumping from his skin to that of the attacker. "You little!" the captive ninja fought back, escaping the grasp of Katsumi, but not before his face was covered in a black seal. "What the hell is--" Boom. His face was there, then gone in an instant; pieces of his flesh littered the ground. The other shinobi watched in horror. "H-He blew it up!" each one of the shinobi screamed in horror. One of the men hunched over and drenched the ground with bile, while other's sat paralyzed by fear. Katsumi turned back towards Kokutō and grinned. "I'll be taking the rest of them, okay?" and with that his a seal appeared on his body: Curse Seal of Fire. Steam emanated from his pores, burning the dead leaves until they were nothing. His body temperature had risen to incredible levels. He charged at the other shinobi who did their best to combat him. The first ninja charged towards him with a kunai, until his own eyes were baked by the steam from Katsumi's body. His tears absorbed the heat from the steam and thus boiled his eyes on their own. He shrieked in pain, but that didn't stop Katsumi. He charged to the man, who was blinded, and placed his hand on his face, melting the flesh until it resembled the liquid that flowed from his damaged eyes. The second shinobi formed a few handseals and used his index finger and thumb to make a ring. He put this against his mouth to focus the energy and spew out flames of fire that traveled enveloped Katsumi. Suddenly, the Jugo Clansmen leaped out of the flames and used his heated body in conjunction with his strength to melt right through the shinobi's skin and bones. He grabbed his heart within seconds, and yanked it from his body, devouring the blood, oozed organ. He let out a maniacal laugh and turned towards the third shinobi, who was running, with crazed eyes. "Marvellous." The young Uchiha serenely articulated, watching the horrific death of two with a bored expression. This man is certainly no ordinary human -- cursed blood, wasn't it? His thoughts that complimented the older teenager forged a little satisfied smile. It has been a while since Kokutō expressed such physical thing. "How irksome." His arms still crossed together, yet, slowly, they fell to his sides. Those fearsome and natural crimson eyes blazing at his prey. He took a step forward before using a single hand seal to preform his dashing, utilising it to near his first target. "What should I tear off first?" He whispered in the ear of the shinobi. He shrieked before he turned around and regained his composure. "Hah! What bragging rights does a child have?" The shinobi formed a reeks of hand seals: Snake → Rat → Snake → Tiger. Surely, the eyes of Kokutō did not miss that... it was too easy. He didn't even need the wheel to mimic the same fist of seals. However, Kokutō used a different hand seal 'horse' to compel against the opponent's technique. "I've been wanting to test this against that technique." Kokutō dispassionately answered to the incoming technique of the opposition. A small breath of fire escaped his mouth, widening on an enormous scale size at a sudden point... engulfing the fallen trees in scorching flames that waved through. The technique of the opposition was dominated, easily. As Kokutō stopped fuelling his technique, he breathed softly out. "Your pathetic flames are nothing to those that embrace the fan." His bored expression had returned. "I've sure made another mess, again. Mah, he is burned good... the smell is delightful too." Suddenly his eyes detected the incoming kunai that successfully scratched his cheek. The woman breathed loudly, her eyes stinging with the droplets. Kokutō narrowed his eyes at that, before a genuine smile replaced that expressionlessness face of his. With that surfacing... the kunoichi met the worst enemy of her life. "Milady, is there something troubling you?" His eyes had morphed in that of the wheel, the moment that she had wounded that smooth skin of Kokutō. Her eyes reflected something in confusion, what is she doing? "A beautiful lady shouldn't be wielding a weapon." The boy easily took the weapon out of her hand. Why did she simply hand over her weapon to that boy? "I-I will kill you!" She managed to hiss out. "Oh?" That boy... his eyes, she froze in fear when realisation hit her. But it was too late, already. "Then allow me to do that as a favour, reversibly." ...The kunoichi should have never glared into his eyes from the beginning...
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)