Haruko made it back to her room, collapsing on the ground, clutching her chest where the seal for the Yonbi was. She curled up in a little ball, fighting another battle with the monster inside her body. Her blood felt like molten rock, and her skin burned, yearning to unleash the power built up inside of her. It took all of her fortitude to hold onto the little control of her body she had left. She couldn't fully shut out the demon, but she could deny it full control over her body and mind. Every time the power surged up inside of her she fought it back with a surge of her own, neither side gaining any ground or losing any to the other, a constant stalemate between them.
The battle inside her head was no less severe, as she fought off thoughts and memories that the monster flooded into her head constantly. Each image or idea fought to sear itself into her memory forever, and she fought back with the few happy memories of her own that she could muster up. It thoughts infested her own and even inside her own head, it was starting to get hard to tell what was truth and what was a trick of the monster. Just stop, please, I'm begging you, just stop. It wouldn't listen to her. It hated all humans, and she was no exception to the rule. It was going to take over her thoughts one way or another, and it didn't care how long it took or at what cost to her mental state it was achieved. She yearned day in and day out for a way to be free of the beast, but nothing she did ever seemed to soothe its rage. And tonight was worse then it had ever been.
Normally they would trade a few thoughts back and forth, but now it seemed to only want to fight. It was most likely due to the Exams it knew was coming up. It wanted to be in control, to taste blood during the fighting, but it wouldn't get a chance in the spot light if it couldn't get control over her body. And she was determined to deny it the chance to unleash its power during the exam, even if it meant her failing them, or having to withdraw. It wasn't worth unleashing the wrath of the Yonbi. The amount of devastation that would be caused would be massive on scale, and who knows how many would die trying to subdue the beast once again inside of her broken and shattered body. In one final push, she put up every mental barrier she could summon and forced the power back inside the cage she had created in her body, locking it away in a monumental effort. She breathed a sigh of relief as she passed out there, on the floor of her room.
Haruko woke in her bed, drenched in sweat. Deep lines sagged under her eye sockets, and her eyes were bloodshot, almost no white left. It was becoming a thing of routine. Fall asleep from exhaustion, thrash about in her sleep, and wake up even more tired than when she had passed out the first time. Most people would call it stress, others a sickness, but none of them knew the truth of it. She wasn't alone, ever. Even when all the people in the world left her and she could crawl into the small room on the edge of her clan's compound, she was never alone. Her hand went to the seal in the middle of her chest, and she wanted nothing more than to rip it from her chest. But it would do no good, the scars around it proved that much. No matter what she did, she was stuck with this passenger. Did you sleep well little one...The monster chuckled in her head, knowing she was powerless to keep it out. The first rays of sunlight began to creep through her window, signaling the monster had won this night, and kept her from sleeping once again. Haruko thought about responding with some flashy comeback about how the demon was the one trapped in her, but it wouldn't be worth the hours of it screaming at her about how it was Son Goku, the mighty 4 tailed beast, spawn of the 10 tails and all its normal nonsense. Instead, she just sat there, silent, defeated. Her thoughts betrayed her and drifted off to simpler times. To a world where she could sleep in peace and were her thoughts were her's and her's alone. But it seemed like a distant dream now, a candle to a wildfire.
Haruko slowly slipped on her clothes, pausing to examine the circles around her eyes. She threw on increasingly thick layers of makeup, making it look as gaudy as possible so people wouldn't notice the bags or dark circles, and dropped a few bits of water on her eyes, in a vain attempt to clear them up, lest people think she was some kind of drug addict. Hmmm, what are your thoughts on drugs?Oh, finally talking this morning are we? I thought I had finally broken you for once, I must say, you are one tough little b***h. On another note, I care nothing for the herbs of humans, I am Son Goku..... Without a second thought, Haruko drowned out another one of his endless monologues of past glories. She stopped just shy of the door leading to the common area of her clan house and put on a smile, pushing away all the darkness, hiding a pain none of them would ever understand.
Haruko slipped past a few of her family eating breakfast and managed to get out the door without an incident. Years ago, it would have been an easy thing, when Yonbi was more tame. But being caged had done nothing but sour him, and make him yearn for freedom. It took a monumental effort to simply keep him in check day to day, let alone when she was asked to preform jutsu. He always lurked beneath the surface, hoping to catch a ride out on a torrent of chakra, fighting against the bars of his cage, seeming to claw at the very essence that made up Haruko soul. At all times, she could feel him, his power seeping into her own, trying to tempt her, sway her... Conquer her. This has to stop, I can't keep living like this, even if you can. You are inside me, I have the power here. The surge of power that followed from the Yonbi brought the young girl to her knees. Haruko clutched her chest as she felt a torrent raging within her as the Yonbi thrashed against the walls of his cage. You will not talk to me in such a way. Who are you but a little worm beneath my might. I would brush you from my arm as a would a fly, stomp like an ant under my feet. I would give you not a second thought insect. Haruko leaned up against a nearby tree, struggling to gain her balance and some measure of control over herself. She was trembling, but knew it was now or never. She couldn't go on living in this hell. She pulled a kunai out of her pouch and steadied it above her heart. We both know how this works. I die, you vanish forever, lost to the void, between here and whatever lies on the other side. Able to see them both, but denied entrance to either. I'll gladly take a place there, but I don't think you will.
For the first time in her life, she felt the Yonbi relax, and sink back into a hole. Woah, woah! Let’s not be hasty girl, you don't want to be doing that. You aren't angry about the no sleep thing are you, I can tone it down, I promise. The kunai inched closer to her chest. Yonbi had given in, but it was only the beginning. This monster was placed in her, and she was going to be the master of it, and rule it. Fine, you drive a hard bargain kiddo. I surrender all of my worldly power to you. That does not mean however, that I like you, or acknowledge you are better, I just admit... That I am not in the best position to be making the choices. There, I said it, now stop pretending to kill us you wanna be scene punk. The kunai stopped and returned to its holster. Why didn't I do this months ago, you are such a little baby. I had you fooled didn't I?You tell me, I'm in your head after all, I can hear most of your thoughts, but you earned this one kid. It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to something you know you can beat, and even more to stand up when you know you can't win. I respect that. Now stand up tall, we have company it would seem. I think he is going to rob a poor girl stumbling on her way to work
Haruko looked up to see a man, clad only in a dark black robe. Darkness seemed to seethe from his cloak, creating an almost dark aura around him. The air grew cold, and the only heat she could feel was the power of the Yonbi, charging, pulsating under her skin, fighting off the cold. All over her body, Haruko felt chills, forcing her to take step back. That is no natural chill young one, keep your guard up... My sages, its like teaching a Gennin with you sometimes. I will do what I can, but you can't fight my chakra, you have to trust me. The man lifted his hand right as the Yonbi finished his train of thought, and an even colder chill filled the air. It was as if Haruko had been thrown a deep freezer. It almost felt as if the very bones in her body were starting to crack and splinter. And then, she felt it. It started off small at first, like a small ember, slowly growing, driving out the cold. Before long, it was a raging wildfire inside her. The air around her warmed up, and the cold was gone. "You picked the wrong girl today" Haruko pointed her palm at the man, just as he had point his at her only moments before, and let the Yonbi do the rest. The ground in front of the man shook for a moment, followed by a moment of calm, before it burst upward, sending a stream of molten lava upwards into his face. The lava swirled around him, engulfing him and slowly dragging him into the ground, as he screamed in agony. In a few seconds, all that was left was a small black spot on the ground where the lava had cooled. Haruko, horrified by what she had just done, dropped to her knees, tears slowly streaming down her face. Kid, get up. This stuff happens in life. It was him or you. It doesn't make it right, but I hope it helps you sleep better at night knowing you just saved some other poor innocent soul from him. What if it had been someone you loved walking this path instead of you? Now pick yourself and get moving, someone will have noticed ths.
It seemed like Haruko had run for days. She put as much distance between her and that spot as her body would allow. She finally stopped, collapsing on a side street in the market, breathing heavily, tears still streaming down her face. And there in that back alley, she curled up and waited. She didn't know what she was waiting for, she just waited. Maybe it was for someone to tell her how to fully control this monster, or to tell her why she had it. She never did figure it out, it just felt like the thing to do at the time. The image of the man’s face, right as the molten earth had begun to wrap around him, was etched into her memories, and nothing she did could seem to push it away. She had never seen someone with that much fear on their face, staring at her like she was a demon herself. Shaking, she brought her palm up and looked it at it. The hand of a murderer, a killer… Her hand now. She struggled to her feet, using the side of a building to steady herself. Her knees knocked together and her whole body shook now. She started walking now, slowly at first, before breaking out into a run. She still had one place she could go. Home.
What a human thing to do. Run home to mommy and daddy when you are afraid of don't know what to do. To think i was starting to respect such a coward. You can't even stand up for yourself or take responsibility for what happened. So you killed a man? I have killed thousands, don't see me running, so stop. I said STOP. It was as if her body was no longer her own. Haruko stopped cold and her legs felt like they were made of Iron, and refused to bend or flex. What do you want me to say? I killed a man, yeah, but I have no right to pass that kind of judgement on people simply because I have this power. Fool, you did what you needed to do. Quit treating yourself like a normal person, because as long as I am in you, you are not. It was his fault for thinking he could attack you, have you already forgotten what I told you? Quit acting sorry for yourself and suck it up. No, I- I can't. Yes you can though, just shut it out. It's as simple as that, if you don't think about it, you don't have to worry about it. But-t, it's not right. It doesn't have to be right, just do it. So Haruko did just that. She pushed out all the emotions, his face, his fear, her feelings. She emptied it all and walled herself off from it. Her hand gently wiped the tears from her eyes, and she set off in a slow walk home, away from all of it.
The Beast’s Story – Day 2
Haruko woke up the next day, finally fully rested for once. The entire night, the beast had slept silently in its cage, or the closest thing to sleep a creature like that could get. She thought for a moment about simply pulling her sheets higher and going back to sleep when it finally stirred as well and spoke in that deep rumble of a voice, almost more of a roar than an actual speaking voice. It sounded like rocks sliding together and she could feel a warmth in her body whenever it opened its mouth. Oh no you don’t. You slept the entire night little human, be glad I let you sleep in. After yesterday, I feel you earned some rest, but it’s the last time I cut you slack. Your kind make me so sick, how can you sleep so much and still try to go back to sleep given the chance. In my case, I’m trying to catch up on over a year of not sleeping a full night, can you blame me. Besides, what else do we have to do today anyway, it happens to by my day off, or have you forgotten. Don’t sass me little human. If we are going to try to get on more…. Even footing, than you must know of my glorious history!
Haruko rolled over and tried to push him out of her head, but he seemed to be on a roll today. He kept pestering her every time she tried to think of something else or any time she tried humming a tune to fill her head with noise. Look, can we just skip to the part where you get beat and stuck in me, I don’t care how you wiped out four thousand different villages. This story isn’t about that little one. This is the story of The Sage of the Six Paths. If I am not mistaken, he is one of your ancestors. It was a low blow. He knew that knowledge on the Sage was rare, and that she would do anything to learn even a little bit about her ancestors. Hold up, I thought you hated all humans big guy. Almost all. He was the one man who ever earned my respect. He was like no other person that has ever lived or will live again. A man worthy of everyone’s respect, even that puissant Kurama has to respect, nine tails and all. ******** spoiled brat, but that’s a different story for a different time. Haruko stopped her efforts to push him out. After all her time with the Yonbi, she had learned one thing: he hated all humans, and considered poop throwing monkeys more intelligent. For him to admit that he respected someone, and that everyone in the world should too was an odd thing to hear.
Fine, but you gotta lay off the whole, big bad demon thing, it doesn’t work when you’re trapped in this little body. Point noted little one. It was odd, Haruko thought silently to herself. Normally a snide little comment like that pushed his buttons and sent him into a raging monologue, but today, he seemed different. Had her outburst the other day really made such a big impact on him? Had it really swayed his opinions of humans? You know, I’m starting to like you now you big ball of… what are you made of anyway? I mean in me, your just kinda… there, aren’t you? Don’t push your luck kid. Now, where was I? Oh yes! Xhu, the original evil. The very entity that brought life into this world, and created the balance of good and evil. When he split his body apart, and filled this pathetic little world of ours with life, he also splintered off all that was evil, and thus we were created, the tailed beasts, 9 entities of the embodiment of the evil within him. It was he who created all Ninjutsu and filled the world with chakra. It was he who shaped and created the world you walk on today. He who created the heavens above and the hells below. It was an incredible story, and an impossible about of information to take in at one time. Even that short little statement filled her with more knowledge than anyone other living person in the world about the Xhu. How can any one man be so powerful? Tha-That kind of power can’t really exist can it? It did once. But man changed. You took his teaching of Ninjutsu and wielded the power he gave you all for war, instead of harmony. The words cut deep and stung her to the core. She had devoted her life to trying to master the ninja arts. But, we use ninjutsu to defend what we care about! Oh really, tell that to the innocent who every day are killed. Tell that to the man you killed yesterday little one. TELL HIM.
Suddenly the rage of the Yonbi was back, shaking the inside of her head, bringing her to her knees. Tears began to well up in her eyes again. The image of the man dying flashed and danced its way across her eyes, over and over again. Admit it, humans are flawed, evil little creatures, all of you! No, we do it to defend what we care about. Even inside her own head, the words did not seem her own. They were hollow, an answer drilled into the head of every young ninja, giving them a reason to justify what they did to others. Up until this time, it had seemed true. They were the defenders of the Land of Fire. But at what cost did they keep the village and the people within safe? How many had died to the hands of a Shinobi? She found herself staring at her own hands again for a moment, remembering the power they had called only the day before. How many more would die by her hands? Now you understand don’t you little one? It hurts, doesn’t it. Those words you tell yourself, all little lies to make you feel better. Every. Last. One of them.
Haruko finally gave in to the demon, and retreated deep inside her own mind. She put up every mental wall she could imagine. The images of the man she had killed, and the dull roar of the Yonbi subsided, and she found peace. Peace in that dark little corner of her mind, shut off from the world. Here, in this little room she had created in her mind, she could be alone. No demon or memory could haunt her mind in this place. And just as she began to relax, she felt its warmth. Through every wall she had put up, past every layer of defense she had manifested, it seeped in. You cannot hide from me little one. I am apart of you, in every way. Run as you might, you have to face me. It laughed now, a deep, rumbling laugh that shook the room she had created in her head, shattering the walls, leaving her face to face with the monster, small tentacles of power reaching out, sliding towards her, reaching out to grab her and take control. NO! Is this what you really want? To take control of my body, living out the rest of your days in this pathetic little shell? You are going to help me become strong enough to bring peace to this world, not over power my mind so you could roam free once more. The demonic looking tentacles retracted and the beast slinked back, bars forming around it. It took me a long time to realize this. You only had this level of power because I gave it to you. I am in control here, and you are the prisoner in this body, not me. It started laughing again, but this time, it seemed much more light. You are truly descended from the Sage little warrior. I grant you my power on the condition you use it to bring peace to this world. Do not disappoint me. And all at once, he vanished, returning to the confines of his cage.
The Bond of Two Beings – Day 3
It was quiet now, an alien thing to Haruko. She had become so used to the daily assaults from Son Goku, and his statements that could drag on for days. Now it was just a lone girl and her thoughts. She wondered if she called his name out in her head if she would even hear an answer from him; if he would suddenly start laughing at her for feeling lonely with a beast to keep her company. For the first time in months, Haruko arose from bed earlier, and went into the main area of her home, able to enjoy a meal with her family. It rejuvenated her, and for the first time in a long time, she felt the joy that simply being around one’s family could bring. It finally dawned on her on just how much she had missed, just how much she had allowed the monster to control her.
As she left, she seemed to have an extra pep in her step, and wore a bright smile on her face. Glad we finally came to an understanding. Oh, the glorious conqueror of Son Goku speaks now? You didn’t say anything to me all morning, I thought you must have forgotten you have a monster inside you, clawing for a way out. She didn’t respond to his little comment. She didn’t need to anymore. No matter what he said, she held the power now, and he was finally caged once more, physically and mentally, unable to do any more damage.
Just do not forget what he talked about last night. You will do what you said, or I will consume you from within, and destroy everything you hold dead in front of your own eyes, using your own body. I mean what I said. What I did is… wrong. Our power shouldn’t be abused or used to do evil, only to prevent great evil. And thus, the two beings became one, fused by a common ideal, in a belief of a more perfect world. The internal bickering seemed to cease after that point. From time to time, he would make a snide comment about humans and weakness, but they seemed dead set on their goal.
Deception of a Tailed Beast – Day ??
No no no, that will never do, try again. Barked the Yonbi. Haruko had lost track of days by now. How long had it been since she had left the village to train? Weeks? Months? Time seemed to not matter with the Yonbi. He was always pushing, yelling, forcing her to strive for more, go further, train longer. Hey in there, you listening kid, I said again. You’ll never master even the most basic of my powers at this rate. Now call it forth! So once more, Haruko cracked open the doorway, and the Yonbi entered. Power flooded through her body. It was a warm, raging torrent whose power was almost intoxicating, even though she knew that at any moment it could take her over, but she didn’t fear that any more. She began to glow a dull red color that grew and pulsed, consuming her entire body in what could only be described as a cloak of chakra.
Haruko knelt down to the ground, placing her hands on flat on it, and began to draw forth power. The first thing that the Yonbi had let her know the importance of was just how devastating his power over lava and heat were. The ground beneath her began to bubble and pulsate, turning a deep red and slowly brighter and brighter as the very earth turned to magma. Finally, now can I take a second to rest? Yes yes, fine, take your break, but don’t go falling asleep, we aren’t done for today yet, that still took much too long, it must be faster, almost instant. Are you even listening to me? The only answer he received were the snores of a tired young girl. Sleep came easy now. She was usually so worn out now by the end of the day, not even an angry rant from a tailed beast could keep her eyes open.
Her dreams were different now. Sometimes were her own, and other times, it felt like she was reliving parts of the Yonbi’s life. At times, she was a rampaging gorilla monster, stomping in a villagers home and other times she would be creating pools of lava. It happened more and more as she let the Yonbi in and accepted his power, as if he was slowly changing her by implanting his own memories into her thoughts as if they were her own. But for a time, she would allow it, and let herself drift into an ever deepening sleep. It was different this time, worse than ever before. It felt like she was moving, almost like she was walking. She struggled, trying as hard as she could to open her eyes, and they refused at first.
When she finally managed to open her eyes, she found what she feared. She was walking, still wrapped in a cloak of the Yonbi’s chakra. I see you managed to wake up, but it’s of no difference now. I am in control now, and no little human will tell me otherwise. Do you know how long it took to finally get you to lower your defenses enough for me to do this? Let’s see, I’ll start with that nice little village of your’s. They were standing on a hill just outside the leaf village now, overlooking most of the village. Struggle as she might, Haruko could not overpower the control he had over her, it ran do deep and he had poured all of his power into restricting her own thoughts and power. Slowly, the Yonbi forced Haruko to raise her hand upwards. Her arm shook and swayed as she fought with all the power she could muster, but every second it moved higher and higher, and she could hear the Yonbi laughing at her attempts to fight his control, mocking her all the while, telling her how much a fool she was to believe that a human could control him. She felt the power welling up inside, the same power she had called earlier to summon forth molten lava. It grew and grew, and it was now or never.
In a final moment of desperation, Haruko attempted to break through the chakra cloak that wrapped her body. From every pore, she expelled chakra, blast it out like a jet, trying to shatter the Yonbi’s hold over her. At first, the cloak held solid, but slowly, she broke through here and there. In one final push, she gave it everything she could muster, and it blew apart, before being sucked back in her, back into the Yonbi’s prison. Haruko smiled for a moment, before falling flat on the ground, having spent almost all of her chakra. She was unconscious before her head hit the ground.
She did not fall into another one of the Yonbi’s false dreams. It was different this time. She was in what appeared to be a large room now. Haruko looked around for a moment, before she saw it. The Yonbi. It was on the far side of the room, chained to what appeared to be a large boulder. It did not appear as it usually did when it invaded her thoughts. It looked almost pathetic, trapped and unable to break free of its bonds. “Where are we? Tell me. Now” The Yonbi lifted his head for a moment. It wore a sad defeated look, just like his body. “Welcome to the prison of Son Goku, Handsome Monkey King, Great Sage Equalling Heaven, the King of the Sage Monkeys. To think my power was bested by such a simple, plain, little human b***h. I would kill you now if it didn’t mean my own death, remember that.” He tugged at his chains and let out a might roar that shook the room, trying to reinforce his point, but it was of little use.
“Now, I’m going to set a few ground rules, and you’re gonna follow them like a good little monkey king. First, you will not trick me again. I understand, haha, you’re a monkey, king of tricksters. No. It is not gonna happen again, so forget it. Two, I have a name, and its Haruko Senju, and you better not forget that one. I’m tired of this ‘little human’ bullshit. You’re just a sour old monkey who is upset he got bested by a couple of humans and refuses to get over it. Three, when I ask for power, you cough it up, no questions asked, and you better not try to take control of me again, I’m onto your little tricks now. And four, I swear on Hagoromo, I will come back into this little prison of yours, and neuter you if you ******** with my sleep again. And quit with all those ******** dreams about you stomping on little farmers, I don’t care, I’m over all of it. Got all that, monkey king? Oh mighty and powerful Sage who equals Heaven?” She raised her hand, and began to mimic a pair of scissors, for a little added effect.
”Yeah, I think you covered it all. Haruko wasn’t sure, but it almost sounded like he gulped out of fear. “Covered it all…..” ”Covered it all Miss Senju” “That’s a good little monkey, now behave yourself, or you know, snip snip.” And so she left that little prison that existed within her. She wasn’t sure if she could hurt something that was only really a manifestation of her thoughts, but it didn’t matter. She had seen what the Yonbi really was, a caged animal, defeated by man.
When she awoke, her face was on the ground, and pain pulsated from her nose through the rest of her face. When she blacked out, she must have fallen face first onto the ground, shattering it. Gently, she touched it and tried to pull out a rag to wipe away the blood as she walked down the hill towards the village gate, feeling like she could sleep for days it not weeks after all she had been through.
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