Tool... or something more? (1x1 with Saia Kakaru)

[Saia Kakaru]

Sulking, Haku had quickly set up a general outline of a human body upon several trees before she began practicing. Taking a deep breath, she collected her senbon in her hands, pausing before she began. Twisting her body, she shot a few at the target behind her. Not pausing to see if she'd hit the target, Haku flicked her opposite hand, sending a few other needles into the other trees. Arching her back, she released more, twisting and turning through the air as she continued to practice. Coming to a halt, she panted a bit, observing her handiwork. Not too bad, but I could do better. Haku criticized, moving over to the trees to retrieve her needles. Plucking them skillfully from the trees, she restored them and was about to begin again when she heard an odd sound ring out in the air. What was that? she couldn't help but wonder aloud. It was so unlike anything she had heard before in her life, and yet, it sounded so… so… indescribable. Snapping out of her reverie, Haku chastised herself. What am I doing, spacing out in the middle of practice. Were this to happen during a fight, I'd be done for. Turning back to her practice, she decided to try her kekkai gekai again. No one seemed to be around, and when else was she going to practice it? Certainly not in front of Gato and his band of creeps. Sucking in another lungful of air, she went over the handsigns with one hand before the ice mirrors appeared. Merging into one, she took off.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Zabuza blinked when he too heard the odd tone, wary of what it was.Alric let his fingers flicker over the strings rapidly, the tone shifting and swirling in the air. He slid out of the trees, noticing the dome of mirrors as he glanced aheadwith half lidded eyes. Zabuza turned as the sound faded slightly. He wasn't sure what it was about that odd way the sound was shifting and twisting, but the effect it had was pretty clear to him; he could feel adrenaline surging through his body as he bounced slightly on the balls of his feet. I'm not sure why that sound sends more adrenaline through me than the idea of a good brawl, he thought.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Pausing, Haku felt the adrenaline course through her veins as she realized that the odd sound was not too far away from her. What should I do? If they're from Kirigakure, they'll kill me for just having a kekkai gekai. And if it's anyone else, it's just plain dangerous for me if they know my technique. What was I thinking, practicing out here?! I'm so stupid! Falling out of the mirror she was in, she merely stood in the middle of the ice mirrors, waiting for what was to come.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Zabuza shivered as a chill shot down his spine. He couldn't shake the feeling that the tone of the music held a secret behind it. Alric looked up as he paused, meeting Haku's eyes through the mirrors. "So ice manipulation is your mutation, interesting," he said simply in a quiet voice, unaware of the effect his music had on anyone nearby. He had no idea that he could create different physical or mental effects through music, similar to a Genjutsu in some ways, though his current choice had a side effect of a jolt of adrenaline and an almost hyper awareness of one's surroundings. Zabuza, curious, walked towards the sound, letting his chakra hold Kubikiribōchō to his back.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

"A mutation from where you're from, perhaps, but it's almost like a curse here." Haku said quietly. Stepping out of a mirror, she stood away from him, the mood quite solemn. Due to the effects of his guitar technique, Haku was now debating if she should flee or just stay where she was. Maybe he would understand her and this kekkai gekai of hers, since he also had his mutations, but maybe he hated what he was and anyone like him. Maybe he would turn out to be just like the Kirigakure villagers, who would kill her at any chance they got. There's only one way to find out. she thought to herself, forcing herself to calm down and stand her ground.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Zabuza shifted his weight, pausing as he saw Haku and the kid. He remained where he was, but didn't speak. Alric grinned. "I like the ability you have... I mean, I'm as far from 'normal' as anyone can get, as would be Kirai and my other two 'siblings'.... but you aren't cursed. Trust me, I've met someone who really was cursed, and he became something... startling, when it came to being around true evil," he said thoughtfully. "Beleive me when I say you are not cursed... personally, I think those who feel that Kekkei Genkai are 'dangerous and uncontrollable' ought to pull the damn tree outta their asses before someone pulls it out for 'em and beats 'em with it," he said, not really noticing that his voice held a more rolling drawl to it. "You know, the guy that wrote that song I was just using actually died before the song was made and was brought back?" he said idly.
((Actually is true... see for yourself here))

 

[Saia Kakaru]

"Really?" Haku asked, her voice filled with awe and wonder, but a hint of sad hope tinged her voice. It surprised her, actually, that Alric knew someone who actually was cursed. Sure, here in the ninja world, it wasn't odd for curses to exist, but to actually know someone was something different. Oddly enough, it's sort of… comforting to know someone has it worse than me. she thought to herself. His comment about having trees up their asses made her laugh, bringing a smile to her dampened mood. It sounded alien to even Haku's ears, since she hardly ever laughed. It wasn't that Zabuza wasn't good company, just their line of work didn't call for much humor. Clearing her throat, she smiled up at Alric. "Thanks. For more than you know." she said to him, kind of glad he had chanced into her world. Picking up on Zabuza's presence, she sent him a hand sign to tell him everything was alright.
[[Wow, did not know that. That's pretty cool :3]]  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Zabuza cocked an eyebrow slightly, but nodded, remaining where he was. Kid's got secrets that are surprising, and that friend of his is interesting... wonder who these 'siblings' he's referring to are, he thought. Alric shrugged one shoulder. "Sometimes it isn't how long one lives that matters... sometimes it's living every moment like it's your last... it's why I enjoy music... it tends to show parts of people they don't even realize are there regardless of whether they're the one's creating the music or they're the one's listening to it," he said as his fingers plucked at the strings, creating a soft tune. "This one always reminds me that no matter how screwed up life can be or is... it can always get better," he said quietly.Zabuza blinked, his eyes narrowing fractionally. I think I know something of what the boy's referring to... I once heard a rumor that the Sandaime Mizukage gave away his soul... thought it was a wild fantasy, but what if it wasn't? he thought.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Kaosujin Ryu

Haku gave a small smile and shrug of the shoulders. "I haven't had much opportunities to listen to music here… and it's quite different from yours. Not quite as appealing to the younger generations… though, I guess from personal experience I can say your statement holds true." she observed. A flash of her past popped into her head, though she quickly dismissed the memory. A terrible memory at that. "How'd you learn how to play?" she quickly switched the subject, obviously wanting to get her mind off of her darker thoughts. Not to mention she was curious when he had gotten the time to practice.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Zabuza shifted his weight, thinking. Alric smiled slightly. "Practice, usually... when I wasn't assisting some of the other... superhumans; it's what they were known as where I came from, or when I wasn't in school," he said with a shrug. "Just like anything, there were people who used their talents to protect others, and ones that abused their talents. Ironic that one of the guys I've beaten in the past knocked me off the damn bridge," he said softly, his voice almost too low to hear near the end. Kid can't be referring to the old bridge builder Gatou's so interested in... but from his stance, it couldn't have been pleasant, he thought.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

"A bridge?" Haku asked, her ears still sensitive due to the effects of his music. Expression perplexed, she was also wondering if the bridge he was knocked off was the one Gato had taken interest in. Personally she had nothing against that old bridge-builder, but if it was his fault that Alric had been hurt…

"But… I'm guessing you're alright, even from that fall." she stated hesitantly, slightly afraid she would be wrong. Just what was this kid made of? To survive a fall off of a bridge, he's gotta be made out of steel or something.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Alric smiled faintly. "Most of the injuries I had were from Gargan anyway... and I usually heal fairly fast," he said with a shrug. Zabuza shifted his weight as he saw Alric flick a hand before he was engulfed in a burst of what he recognized as chakra smoke. He blinked as a long green tendril with a barbed blade on the end swung out before it revealed a guy in green body armor with what he thought was a tank of some sort on the back. "This is the guy I was fighting, a man known as Mac Gargan..." he said, his voice a deeper hoarser growl before a second burst of chakra smoke engulfed him, the Henge disguise dissipating almost immediately as Alric rubbed the back of his head. "Considering I skidded probably a good five or six feet on the back of my head from Gargan's tail slap, I'm surprised I only ended up with a headache from it," he said wryly with a sheepish grin.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Taken by surprise, Haku jumped back at the sight of Gargan, hand flying to her reserve of needles. It took a few seconds for her to register that it was only an illusion, and only then did she relax. Still yet, the sight of the man didn't sit well with her, as if he'd take out anyone or anything to get his way. The hairs on the back of her neck still stood up, indication her uneasiness.

"I'm surprised that you didn't end up with a concussion from something like that." Haku commented. Slowly, she edged her way back towards Alric, after he had cancelled the illusion. "You're not bleeding from that?" she asked, though since he did mention he had a fast recovery rate, she wouldn't be surprised if he had healed from it already. Another mutation of his?  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Alric shifted uncomfortably. "Am I right in guessing that mutations run along family lines around here?" he said quietly. He smirked ever so slightly at Haku's reaction to Gargan's form. Her reaction was the same as mine the first time I saw him, he thought. Zabuza flinched slightly, knowing Haku would likely react the same way. What does that have to do with it? he thought warily. "You see... where I came from, mutations weren't stable... almost always they were unique to each person, and my siblings and I were meant to be weapons. We were genetically altered, though each of us were born technically from the same material, hence the healing... unfortunately each of us were also infused with other material, giving each of us unique abilities such as Kirai's chakra and memory absorption skills and shapeshifting and my strength, reflexes and agility. Some of our talents only activate under extreme stress, like that kinetic energy burst that happened when I disarmed that a** before," he explained. "As to what happened with Gargan... I was wearing a helmet of sorts, though it shattered a few seconds after he slapped me in the head," he said with a shrug. "I'm not sure how I'm able to manipulate the metal that was implanted within me, but I do know I was the only one infused with it... it's denser than steel, and when it's in a blade form, could probably cut through that zanbatou of Zabuza-san's," he said idly. He didn't reveal that he and Kirai had a telepathic link, hence he was able to learn Haku and Zabuza's name through Zori's memories.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Haku flinched at his question, and the look of pain and sorrow was obvious on her face. "…Yes. Kekkai gekkai are passed down throughout families over generations. These cannot be recreated or copied by anyone else. And even if someone were able to attain the power to recreate it, it would take a great strain on their bodies and eat up their chakra faster. At one point, kekkai gekkai users were merely used as weapons in the war. Just one of the reasons why we are feared and hated." Haku explained, but the memory of having to kill her father was still fresh in her mind. Steeling her heart, she only felt the emptiness within her chest with the memories. She would not, could not cry, not here, not anytime. Swallowing hard, she took a small step away from Alric, more just because she did not know him well enough to share her pain with him.