• Welcome

[Tosatsu]

Someone from the squad sent to retrieve Goh's body speaking.

A higher scientist speaking.

A lower scientist speaking.


It was dead silent in the chamber that the Otonins had built for the purposes of reanimating dead bodies, and al of the scientists there were waiting. Waiting for something, though it wasn't obvious what. In fact, at first glance, it didn't even appear to be a room for reanimating corpses. "Oh god, it took some doing, but we got his body to regrow the skin and organs, and here he is!" The silence was broke by the labored grunts of three shinobi, carrying a large, black, oblong box that was decorated with slash marks and paw prints.

The scientists were now excited and running about, mumbling to themselves, but in all the chaos, one scientist just stood still in the middle of the room. He motioned for them to lock the oblong box into place beneath the rather large spine coming down from the ceiling, and after they id so, he motioned them away. The room was cleared of all shinobi, and now only the scientists were in the room, and the calmest one slowly made his way to the main console.

"Alright, how much energy do we have?" The man asked, and almost instantly, he received a response. "Thirty-six percent and counting!" One of the men working at the various other consoles said, and the man at the main console slowly smiled. "Good... Good..." He whispered to himself.

"Forty!" The man said, and every so often, he spoke up again. "Forty-five! Fifty!" The man said, clearly eager to see how it would all turn out. "Seventy! Seventy-five! Eighty! Ninety!" The man said, and then the man at the main console rested his hand on the large green button in the center of it. "One-hundred!" The man yelled, and then the man at the console became ecstatic.

"Contact!" The man screamed and then pressed the button down, and as soon as he did, all of the lights went out, and the consoles all dimmed. The spire coming down from the ceiling began to glow a deep purple, which eventually turned into an electric, neon purple, and then the gem at the tip of the spire began to throw purple jolts of lightning at the box. After a few moments, a large surge of pure, purple energy blasted into the box, literally ripping the lid to shreds and tossing wooden scraps in every direction.

The purle light in the room became blinding, and as quickly as it had began, it was over, the room going jet black. The lights slowly flickered back on, as power re-found them. A quiet groaning filled the room as a figure slowly rose out of the coffin in the center of the room. Shredded up clothing barely covered his lower body, holes and rips being most of the pants the figure wore, the shirt it had had on missing almost entirely as well.

The man behind the main console slowly made his way to the coffin, only to be met by a hand around his throat. Deep black eyes stared into his own, and then the most horrifying noise filled the air. A deep-throated scream erupted from the figure before he lifted the scientist off of the ground, holding him by his neck in the air. A low groan was the only noise that was hear coming from the man, and no one else in the room dared to move, a few didn't even breathe.

"Why... Why does this hurt so fucking bad!?" The figure screamed before applying full force to the man's neck, crushing his windpipe and then tossing him across the room and into the console he had been using. The man's back made a loud crack, and was most likely broken, as he flipped over the console and landed on the ground, gasping for air and looking a bit like a fish before he ultimately died.

"Ugh... My bones... My skin... IT HURTS!" Goh Hinogami screamed as he fell to his hands and knees, tumbling out of the box in a painful mix of stepping out and slipping. The scientists left in the room began to scream and run, and eventually they all left the room. Goh Hinogami just sat there on his hands and knees, breathing heavily and slowly as he stared at the ground in disbelief. Alive... Alive... Was all he could think as he was there on the ground, and eventually, he began to scream again.

"Weapons! Bring me... My swords! Bring me... Something..." Goh screamed in agony before he fell onto his side, and curled into the fetal position, growling deep within his throat as he laid there.

[Harlequin]

Perhaps the worst part about missions around the village was the utter lack of respect shown by any of the normal civilians. It was humiliating in itself to have to perform menial grunt labor, but it was even worse to be ordered around by people who never knew what it was like to risk their lives on a daily basis. And what was it all for? Moving a goddamn box. A freaking box. If Rook had had the option of skipping yet another mission, he would have gladly taken it; however, the lack of money in his bank account was currently an issue, and since the job paid fairly well, he was stuck lugging around boxes for a team of scientists with overactive imaginations.

He wasn’t sure what the process they were preparing for was even supposed to accomplish anyways; it seemed as if the men didn’t believe that the three chuunin assigned to work with them were able to comprehend anything more then “take this and put it there”. It was an incredible insult to the Oto-nin’s intelligence, but he held his tongue and followed the orders, his eye twitching when he was ordered away as if he were nothing more then a pet dog.

Outside of the room, his two associates, Ryo and Tama, chatted; he had been unlucky enough to get paired with the Furiyama twins, and he edged away from the two, uncomfortable with the awkward situation. He had nothing against the two, but the social setting made him rather edgy, and he closed his eyes, leaning against the wall, being careful not to let Euterpe get crushed between his mass and the concrete. Several minutes passed by, and he was lulled into a light slumber, completely ignoring the light conversation going on around him; suddenly, however, a piercing shriek drove his eyes open, and moments later the men that had been left in the room came barreling out, fleeing down the hallway.

Rook shot a look to the twins, then after receiving a confirmation nod, the three made their way back into the room. It was dark, the electricity that had been sustaining the consoles seemed to be shorted out, and one of the men, the one who had appeared to be the leader, was lying at an awkward angle. Ryo made his way over to the still form, while Tama cautiously examined the control panels. However, a low growling moan caught the harpist’s attention, and he glanced over his shoulder, raising a pale eyebrow at the figure of a barely clothed man.

That was definitely new.

With little disregard, he approached the pale man, stopping just out of reach and looking down. It was evident that the newest arrival was in pain, but the chuunin had no idea why or even who he was, let alone what to do about the situation.

“…quiet.” It wasn’t the optimal thing to say, but the screaming and growling was giving Rook a headache, and it was growing rather annoying. “What the hell happened here?”

[Tosatsu]

Goh had noticed the three come in, and when one commanded him, he got a little irritated. The irritation mixed with the pain actually made him sour, amazingly sour. He slowly and shakily rose to just his knees, and then to his feet. His gaze was downward, at his hands. "I'm.... I'm alive..." Goh whispered before going silent entirely, and then a wicked grin crossed his face. "Cheshi Nentou, the beast of bear... Is alive..." Goh Hinogami whispered, grabbing the scarred up headband on his arm and pulling it of, looking at it. "Who... Where... Where the hell am I?" Goh slowly asked, and then his grin turned into a malicious one.

He slowly straightened his back, the vertebrae popping as he stood up to his full six foot height, his new, pigment-lacking skin glistening pure white in the dim lights of the room. He reached into the pocket of the tattered, ancient pants and pulled out what appeared to be a tongue ring. He slowly reached up to his lip and simply rammed it through the middle of the lower lip, screwing the ball on, and then focusing on the three who were now in the room. He almost groaned in pain again, but forced himself to stifle it, ignoring all of the pain from the reanimation process.

He slowly looked himself over, losing focus again, before noticing a very small tattoo on his upper right arm. It appeared to be a music note, but he didn't know what it meant, or where it came from. He shrugged it off before he focused on the one that had tried to command him. "You. You'll answer my questions." Goh said slowly before his breathing became steady, and calm. The pain was lessening, but was still there, and it was evident in his newly black eyes. "Which country is this, which village is this, who brought me out of oblivion, and who are you? Try to keep it in that order..." Goh said slowly, staring straight at the man, as if staring into his soul, which very well could have been done if Goh had known what he now was.

Sore... But alive. I was burned to death, but I don't have the scars from it. My heart is beating... I feel... Different than before. In fact, I don't feel like Goh Hinogami at all... But I know that that is who I am... Hm... This is... Strange. He thought as he chuckled quietly, shaking his head slowly, but keeping his eyes locked on the male, unblinking as he awaited a response.

[Harlequin]

The chuunin’s eyes narrowed and he shot a look to the other two men in the room; Ryo gave him a grave nod, confirming that the lead scientist was indeed dead, and Tama shrugged, apparently unable to figure out what had shorted out the electricity in the room. The three of them were probably going to be blamed for what had happened, for chrissake, and the growling of the man in front of him wasn’t helping any bit.

“You. Shut the hell up,” he replied, slightly mocking the man’s tone, standing up and walking back towards the door. “They don’t pay me enough to deal with shit like this, so you’ll just have to wait until the Otokage comes and deals with it, alright?”

It wasn’t as if he had any actual qualms against the man, but there was no point to doing more work then he was originally required. The longer it took for the scientists to sign off on the mission completion form meant that there would be less time for him to practice, and there was no way in hell that Rook was going to spend any more time then necessary here. Let other people figure out what the hell was going on, it wasn’t as if he was important enough to do anything about it anyways.

Just as he was about to exit, Ryo caught his arm, pulling him back in, looking worried. He muttered a few things into the white-haired man’s ear, and Rook looked at him incredulously. “How the hell are we supposed to get this thing done then?!”

The other chuunin just shrugged apologetically, then nodded to his brother who was still trying to get the control panels to function. With a sigh, and more then half a scowl, the harpist turned back, all but glaring at the half-naked man still standing in the corner of the room. It took a moment, but he managed to swallow his pride, and with a grimace he trudged back again, making it ever so clear that he would’ve liked nothing better then to have just left.

“Alright, whatever, the guy that signs me out is dead. Great. You want your bloody information, fine, but then you tell me what the hell happened here so that I can get out and get on with my life, alright I don’t know who the hell you are, why you’re here, but if you were in that goddamn box that I had to lug, there’s no reason why you should be up and talking to me right now.” Agitation had leaked into Rook’s voice, and he shook his head once, glaring dully at the taller figure in front of him. “This is Rice country, you’re in Oto, I don’t know what the hell is going on with you since they never tell any of us shit like that, and I don’t feel inclined to give you my name, get it?”

[Tosatsu]

Goh watched him start walking away, and almost went after him to throttle him, but when he man came back and spoke, he couldn't help but look perplexed. "My name is Goh Hinogami of the Bear Country. What the fuck is an Oto?" He asked, looking the guy over as if he was a complete and total idiot. "Ok, look. That box, I was in it. I was dead until I woke up in some kind of purple light. That man was the closest to me, so I crushed his windpipe and hurled him across the room, being brought back to life hurts, trust me." He said, looking him over again before grinning.

"Wiry frame... You're a genjutsuist, I'd say. Hm... Yeah, Genjutsus are probably your forte... Those two... I don't know. Probably incompetents, the both of them." He said, gesturing toward them and chuckling quietly. "Am I right? Useless?" He asked them, looking at them and giving a 'touch me if you dare' look, in the form of a vicious smirk.

"And by the way... You're lucky I don't rip out your damn tongue." Goh said, just before laughing once. "I would like to know who dug me up. Deep under Blood Claw. Owe them a thank you, I suppose... Even though my freaking nerves are screaming in agony right now." Goh said slowly, glancing over at the other two in the room again.

"Well... This is growing... Tiresome." Goh said slowly before he shrugged it off and simply began to walk forward. His steps were calculated perfectly, so he didn't fall over, as he had taken the fact that he was hurt in and compensated for it. He placed a rather large, whiter-than-snow hand on the boy's chest before giving a light shove and simply walking past him. "Alright, I'm just going to head out of this room now and find someone who isn't... Well, useless." Goh said, throwing up a peace sign on his way out of the room. "Nentou out." He said in his rough, deep voice as he went out the door and turned right. "Now, where the hell do I go..." He muttered to himself as he walked slowly through the building he was in.

[Harlequin]

“Oh hell no.” A flash of gold illuminated the harpist’s eyes for a moment as he was pushed out of the way, and he shot a glare at Goh’s retreating form. The man’s story seemed like complete and utter crap, but there was an eerie possibility that perhaps he could have been telling the truth; it would have explained quite a bit of why the details of his mission were so hazy. Still, it was hard to believe, but the destroyed coffin lid and the dead man across the room lent the tale a bit of believability. Which of course meant that there was still no one to sign off on the mission completion slip that he was carrying.

With a curt wave he motioned for Ryo and Tama to come closer; the two looked just as displeased as he felt, and a moment of silence passed before the white-haired man finally sighed. “Alright…so, we’re stuck for now, right?”

”Yeah, I guess we are.”

”Not like there’s anything we can do about it now. Shit, this was supposed to be one of those easy in and out jobs.”

“Yeah, it was.” He sighed again, “alright, best case scenario is to grab the Otokage and have him deal with this, yeah? Just gotta keep the freak from running around too much so he can give his little story or whatever so that we can get signed off and on with our lives.”

”Yeah.”

”Mhm.”

“Alright then…you think you can get a hold of the Kage then? I might as well run around with the bastard for a while. Dunno how well that’ll work out, but eh, can’t be too bad.” The two nodded and departed from the room, leaving Rook to his thoughts. After a few seconds, he followed suit, padding down the empty hallways, listening for any sign of the gaunt man that had fled minutes earlier. It didn’t take long, and soon he fell into step behind, quietly contemplating his next course of action before he managed to catch up.

“You’re not going to get anywhere just wandering around, you know. It’s not too hard to find someone who looks pretty out of place, and you’ll probably get picked up and taken away if you draw too much attention.” It was a rare show of concern for Rook, though he didn’t actually care about the man himself. No, it was his paycheck that he was worried about, and without a reliable witness there was no way of collecting the precious money that he was owed.

[Tosatsu]

He had heard someone coming up behind him, and had assumed it was the white haired man coming to retaliate for the mildly impolite leave and insult. He didn't care, he would destroy the boy if he got too close. Just as Goh prepared to spin and deck the boy, he began to give more useful information. What the hell is with this kid? Goh thought before he stopped entirely. His bones hurt, hell, every single cell hurt. "I'd pity anyone who tried to take me in for anything other than meeting a higher up. In fact, I'd pity them almost enough to not rip them to pieces and eat them." Goh said before chuckling and starting to walk again.

"Well, anyway... I don't know your name, and so I don't think I can trust you in any way at all. As I have often seen, one can not trust someone with a mask on, especially not when they don't inform you of who they are." He said slowly before glancing around slowly as he made his way through the halls. Where the hell do I go... Where the hell is the one who did this... He asked himself before he grinned slowly.

"You carried the box. I owe you one for that... So I guess I have no choice but to trust you at least a little bit, even without a name. Thank you." Goh Hinogami said, pausing for a moment. "Take me to whoever the hell ordered this done. I owe them... Well, my life." Goh said, stopping again and turning to face Rook. "And... If you're hung on it... Sorry for pushing you out of the way..." Goh said reluctantly. Yeah, sorry. If I had thought about it, that hand would have been a foot. And your chest would have been your face. Goh thought, but didn't let it show at all, not even in his vocal patterns.

"Oh, and if you don't mind... Help me get some clothes, I'm sure no one in this... Place wants to see a naked, half-dead, Jounin." Goh Hinogami said quietly, leaning toward Rook slightly, and then locking eyes with him in an intense stare. He waited for an answer as he stared at the other male, hoping the man would at least help him get some clothing, that, or take him to a high-up. Both of them would be choice, but either would get the man more thanks.

[Harlequin]

It was becoming rapidly apparent that the gaunt man in front of him knew little of the concept of subtlety, and Rook’s eye twitched slightly as he merely listened, mentally sighing. Just his luck that the seemingly simple and uncomplicated mission would turn out to be such a lengthy ordeal; he could only hope that Ryo and Tama would hurry back soon so that everything could get sorted out. Every minute that passed was a minute longer then he had hoped to be there, and time just standing around was completely wasted.

“Not a lot I can do right now, but I sent people to get the Kage in order to get this figured out, alright? Nothing really more to do but wait for them.” It was hard to admit his own helplessness in the situation, but truthfully he had just graduated and hadn’t been on enough missions to know what type of protocol to expect. The only thing he could think of was to wait for the others to return and keep the apparent jounin in front of him from causing any trouble, which would be easier said then done.

Goh’s gaze made him rather uncomfortable, and he looked away, pretending to be preoccupied with removing his mask. He pocketed the accessory, then turned away, his golden gaze focused on the end of the hallway. He was still for a while, as if contemplating something, then shrugged off his jacket, tossing it back to the gaunt man. “I don’t know where they’d keep any of the extra uniforms, so that’ll have to do for now. Might be a little small for you, but it’s all that I’ve got.”

“Look, I’m not going to lie. I need you to back to that room, since it shouldn’t be long before Ryo and Tama bring the Otokage back, and there needs to be someone to confirm our stories, otherwise I don’t get paid and I don’t get to eat this week. It’d be really nice if this could just go smoothly, get it?”

He looked back, raising an eyebrow and looking dully at the other man before he shrugged and began to head back down the hall. There wasn’t much he could do if the jounin decided that he didn’t want to follow, what with his utter lack of taijutsu or ninjutsu skills. He didn’t want a fight anyways, it had been a long day, and all that there was left was to go home and relax.

He continued on his way, then stopped for a moment; pausing as if an afterthought had struck him, he closed his eyes and nodded slightly. “Rook. Like the chess piece. Now c’mon.”

[Tosatsu]

He took the jacket after listening to the other male, slipping it on and chuckling. It was... Tight, to say the least. "Another thanks I owe you." Goh said slowly, pausing briefly before he spoke again. "I see. You need me... In there." He said, with a small tinge of disgust. "Alright, let's go." Goh said reluctantly before he began walking back towards the room, passing Rook after he mentioned his name. "Rook... Simple, I like that. Well, you'll get paid for what you did... And well, if not, I'll kill someone and give you all their money." Goh said, waving a hand in the air carelessly as he said it, as if it were nothing at all.

He got back to the room rather quickly, his joints loosening up and losing rigor as he spent more time in the realm of the living. He couldn't help but grin when he saw the man with the crushed windpipe and broken back again. It was priceless. He slowly knelt down beside the dead man and patted his head lightly. "Uh... Sorry about that... Too bad you can't just come back to life, hm? Bahahaha!" Goh said, standing up slowly as he made his way back to the rather large coffin.

He gripped the side of it before chuckling lightly. "Might as well see to what extent I'm alive, or at least, if I'm still as... Capable as I once was..." Goh whispered to himself quietly before his grin turned into a look of determination, his muscles slowly flexing as he applied force to the box and lifted it up. He held it above his head before tossing it up and catching it longways, slowly lifting it up as high as he could, and back down.

He did so several times, slowly and accurately as he waited, and mid-lift, he turned to face the door. He watched it closely as he lifted and lowered the oblong box, over and over. "Hurry..." He whispered, getting impatient, just before dropping the box on the floor, causing it to split into several pieces.

[Harlequin]

As the minutes dragged on Rook became more and more impatient, his gaze nearly boring a hole through the door. His eyes had faded back to a brilliant green , and though he was feeling calmer, it didn’t help his anxiousness any bit. The sheer monotony of having to wait for the return of his teammates was trying his nerves; he was sitting on the edge of the counsel system, watching as the man across from him precariously tossed around the remnants of the coffin that was still laying awkwardly on the table.

Strong… He was glad that things hadn’t come to blows, because it was obvious now that he would have probably been beaten within an inch of his life. After watching for a few moments he quickly became bored with the spectacle and turned his thoughts towards something more productive. He shrugged Euterpe from his back, running his fingers over the wooden frame. Ignoring the other shinobi completely he began to absentmindedly pluck at the strings, frowning and adjusting them every so often; it wasn’t typical of him to keep the instrument in its small form, but there was no point in enlarging it right now, what with the fact that the Otokage would hopefully arrive soon.

A soft melody filled the air as his fingers danced across the strings, and for the moment, nothing seemed important anymore; boredom had been replaced with the raw urge to just play, to create, and the presence of the other man had been completely forgotten. Minutes passed, perhaps hours as time had little meaning anymore, but a large crash interrupted his music, followed by the click of the door opening. At once Rook was on his feet, hastily replacing Euterpe into its leather carrying straps. No sooner had he finished but a distinguished, elderly man strode into the room, filling it with an unearthly aura. Ryo and Tama followed behind, appearing suitably intimidated. It wasn’t often that the Otokage felt charitable enough to answer the requests of his lower leveled shinobi, so it was either a very slow day at the Kage tower or there was something very important going on.

Huan nodded once to the chuunin, then focused his attention on the more important matter standing just in front of him. He observed the craftsmanship with a critical eye, noting the few imperfections and wounds left on the reanimated man’s face. However, observing the dead man in the corner and the remains of the coffin that were now littering the floor, it seemed as if the process had been a success, despite any aesthetic issues.

“So this is the famous Chishi Nentou then…good.” He moved across the room, examining the man’s structure, checking for any possible weaknesses that could have been produced when he was brought back to life. ”They did a decent job. You’re confused, correct? No matter.”

With a wave of his hand the two chuunin flanking him retreated, wandering off towards the their other team member. ”You’ve been revived to serve Otogakure. We have need of your…talents, and you’re not in much of a position to disagree. We’ve spent over six months recreating your body using…unique methods which should serve you well.”

As if remembering that there were other occupants in the room, Huan turned back, looking with distaste at the three chuunin who were currently conversing amongst themselves. ”You. Bring the mission completion forms over here and I’ll sign off on them.”

One of the two from before made his way forward, handing over three pieces of paper, which the Kage hurriedly signed. He shoved the items back at the boy before nodding to the man in front of him. As soon as the chuunin was away he closed his eyes and turned back to the recently animated man.

”You’ve got a monster in you. Use it well,” he muttered, out of earshot of the three younger shinobi. With the final statement, he strode away, nodding once to the boys before exiting the room, presumably to deal with other pressing issues.

[Tosatsu]

Goh had listened to the music for a few minutes before the old man came in and then Goh couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself. Monster? Bahaha... Yeah, right. I'm a monster! Oh god! Ha... A freaking living corpse, perhaps, but a monster I am not. Goh thought to himself before he remembered he was in Rook's coat. He slipped it off, though it wasn't all that fast, as it was rather tight on him. "Rook, catch." He said before tossing toward him, following behind it slowly. "So, now do you get it?" Goh asked before he peered out the door.

"Well... You see, I'd love to chat... But, you know, I need clothes. I also have to go to fucking Blood Claw... Dammit. You didn't get my swords, by chance, did you?" He asked before sighing. "Eh, of course not. No one ever thinks to get the old swords. Screw it, I'll get new ones. As for clothes..." He said, trailing off before going dead silent for a few seconds. His eyes scanned the halls before he he simply ripped the remnants of the shirt off entirely, tossing it behind him. His pants were tattered, but he'd manage.

"Well then... Unless you need someone assassinated, I guess this is where I head out. The need for clothing and weaponry are... Greater than the need for company. So, look me up if you need someone... Silenced." Goh said, slowly looking them over before stepping out into the hallway. His steps were still a bit shaky and painful, but they were nowhere near as bad as the second he had stepped out of that coffin, the oblong box decorated with paws and gashes.

"Clothes first..." He whispered to himself. "Clothes definitely first... Then I need to get my hands on some... Hardware." Goh said quietly to himself before he looked left and then right, deciding to go left after a couple of seconds of contemplation. His slow steps echoed lightly in the hall, even though he was barefoot, because there were no other sounds to cloud up the air.

At the end of that hall, he turned left, and right at the next, and eventually, he found himself outside. After a few minutes of walking, he found what appeared to be a training facility, and when he got inside and looked at all of the lockers in the dressing rooms, one of them had his name on it, or, his alias. 'Cheshi Nentou', it read, and when he opened it, he found clothing, and his old sword set. "Perfect..." He whispered before slowly get dressed, and suiting up with his swords.

"I think I like Otogakure..." He whispered to himself with a light chuckle before he walked back outside, and disappeared into the streets.