Sunėkuaizu, Kiryuu

NAME: Sunėkuaizu, Kiryuu
ALIAS: N/A

CLAN: N/A
RESIDENCE: Kita

AGE: 16 [18th of October]
GENDER: Male

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Asexual
BLOOD-TYPE: AB- APPEARANCE: The silver-haired boy whom we all know to be named as Kiryuu, is the progeny of both a vigorous father and a youthful mother; hence those whom know the truth would have undoubtedly expected that the teenager would be one of the most youthful and vigorous people in terms of appearance alone. Such an assumption would have rung true, seeing as when he were younger the teenage male could have certainly been regarded as naturally handsome due to his fine youthful features. Both the beauty of the father and the mother had been, without a shadow of a doubt, passed down to their child; despite not sharing any other distinguishable features of theirs. The alabaster-topped teenager had not been born with the fiery-crimson hair of his mother, nor had he been born possessing the deep brown coloring of his father; strangely enough, he had been born with the deepest-blackest colored hair reminiscent to that of an Uchiha, rather than that of his parents' lineage. In yet another similar way, he had possessed neither of his parent's eye colors; instead his own eye had taken a stormy-gray pigmentation rather than his parent's respective black eyes. However, despite clearly appearing different there were some similarities between himself and his parents; as an example, he had inherited his mother's pale skin, alongside of his father's facial structure. Though as a result of these overwhelming differences between himself and his parents, they often jokingly referred their child as adopted. Regardless, he had always been considered to be a rather handsome fellow from way back when.

One should have taken note of the usage of the past tense from the above mentioned text, as such a description would no longer fit the bleached-hair teenager. For he, at the present moment in time, had been anything but the word "good-looking". There is no longer any physical appeal upon that once-been delicate face, having been lost to the ravages of time and the various circumstances which tagged along. The narrow face of the shinobi had once been covered in pale skin; never having possessed a single blemish as to mar the clarity of such beauty... various parts of his face were now layered in a rough, dark-grayish color, and was now littered with an innumerable quantity of faint scar tissue. Once originally possessing smooth-to-the-touch skin, now laid rough and dry; it had been almost as if had a leathery-scaly feel to it. The skin he had once possessed now stretched tightly across his visage; and as a result of this stretching, the indentation of facial bone were now quite prominent throughout his features. To name a few of these alterations: his jawbone and high cheekbones were now quite prominent unlike before. Along with all of this, the face of the shinobi had now been completely devoid of any and all forms of hair. His natural sharp and narrow eyebrows, and his head of voluminous wild black hair were both gone; replaced with hairless patches of skin, his onyx-colored hair, turned white as a result of some unknown force. There is no possibility of any form of hair that may grow upon his face any longer, as every fiber of a hair follicle upon his facial region had been burnt off from battles past. All in all, his face resembled that of a human skull with decaying skin rather than that of an ordinary human's face.  

As if the face of the shinobi had not been repulsive enough as it had already been described above, he has under his possession yet another deformity that is more disconcerting than everything else combined. Ever since he had first "awakened", the eyes, once of stormy-gray pigmentation had undergone a rather drastic change in appearance. The change that accompanied during this awakening is strictly cosmetic and retains absolute no beneficial or detrimental effects on the functioning of his eyes. The generic gray eyes which the shinobi had long once possessed, were of at this point in time a crimson-red color. It had not been just the iris of his eyes that had been changed, even the sclera itself had turned pitch-black in terms of color. These eyes of his give off the illusion of being luminescent in nature; particularly within darkness, akin to that of a feline. Furthermore, the eyes which he possesses as of now contain an almost lifeless look to them, staring unblinkingly ahead of him and barely appearing to ever move at all within their respective sockets; suffice to say, even the most open-minded and tolerant of individuals would feel absolute disgusts whenever this peculiar shinobi looks at them with said eyes. In summation, he is a man whom possesses such a hideous face that even a mother would find it difficult to love; it is quite ironic that the son of two people whom are noted for their looks would end up looking as revolting as he is. Though fortunately enough, the ugliness only extends from his face to the base of his neck; the rest of his body possessing an infinitely more bearable appearance.

Indeed, the rest of the shinobi's body is completely normal whenever compared to his face; though still possesses a few scars and burn marks blemishing the entirely pale skin, with some bone and vein indentations. As he is a shinobi, the teenager is most certainly fit when compared to the vast majority of people; though he is hardly the burliest amongst the ranks of ninja. The physique in which he possesses takes upon a slim and rather slender form, and it as thus that the general description of his body is primarily of an ectomorphic nature, naturally meant to be wiry. Though luckily, bulging muscles have never managed to appeal the young shinobi as he primarily relies on technique rather than brute force; hence his skills revolve around remaining as swift and agile as possible, such a thing would prove to be quite difficult should he possess a sturdy form. Despite his thin build, the shinobi known as Kiryuu is in good physical condition despite possessing such a thin build; which is naturally a necessity for just about any whom find themselves in his occupation after all. Whilst he appears to have no toned muscles as to be able to boast about, they are in fact present, merely only visible when they are flexed or otherwise exerted. Even then, they are hardly all that impressive of a sight; as normally his chest and abdomen appear flat whenever he is relaxed, and his limbs are thin and bony. Once again, bone indentation may be seen at certain places upon his frame, and even a few veins manage to make themselves seen throughout his body; but still, even when his body is relaxed, the toughness of his skin implies that a certain level of physical fitness is present. In a certain sense, his build merely acts in order to deceive others of his actual physical capabilities; something that had more-than-once came in handy.

In all likelihood, as a result of his slender frame, the masked shinobi appears to be much taller and lankier than he actually is; also, his posture may also be yet another factor to take into account, considering that normally he stands with a perfectly-straight back. He has yet to have grown to his full height, though at this current point in time, he stands at a height of exactly five feet and eleven inches; roughly the length of a hundred and eighty centimeters. From a set of rather broad shoulders would one find the man's arms hung, said arms are both long and slim; ending in thin and rather bony hands with equally slim fingers. Those fingers, coupled along with the bony structure of his hands and his arms, have a tendency of appearing insect-like more than anything else. The same holds true for his legs and feet, both of which are just as thin and skeletal as his upper limbs. In fact, the obscured shinobi possesses very little meat upon his bones in a general sense, and as such, one should not be surprised that he weighs very little; his body mass remains at an unfaltering one hundred and forty-three pounds, or rather sixty-three kilograms. Whilst the young shinobi does not usually alter the dress code he had grown up with, he had eventually grown tired of the previous attire which adorned his body' opting to swap the old line of clothing for something else. With that being said, his personal preference for dressing in a manner unorthodox is still quite noticeable, perhaps even more-so with his current outfit. With his strange sense of fashion put aside, the masked shinobi is unlikely to alter his outfit on a day-to-day basis; with the current style of clothing serving as the official uniform of sorts.

To start off, said uniform consists of a pair of black leather boots, rising halfway up his lower leg. Aside from these black-colored articles, the majority of his clothing is of a black shade. His trousers, which are loose-enough to enable easy movement, are held up by a utility belt; it is here that he attaches his ninja pouches and most of his equipment. A thin, long-sleeved shirt covers his upper torso, the bottom of which is tucked under his belt and trousers. The shirt also sports an attached hood, one that is large enough to obscure the wearer’s entire head, if pulled low enough. Above all of this, our young friend is clad in a snug, form-fitting coat, the outside of which is the aforementioned black color, while the inside is a dull gray. This single-breasted coat is usually buttoned up completely to its collar, but is left open from the waist-down to enable unhindered movement. The collar in question has wide, flat lapels that lay flatly on the wearer’s shoulders. The coat stops just a few inches above his ankles. The thing that had perhaps made the young shinobi most well-known for, not that he was all that famous anyway, is the mask that he wears. It is an extraordinarily rare sight to see the fledgling without this accessory equipped on his person, and he often treats said mask as if it were his actual face. He even wears this article during his slumbering, and only requires to unzip the lower-region of the mask to eat and drink; hence having absolute no need to ever take it off. The mask - existing to hide his extensive injuries - is made of a flexible-leatheary material, covering the whole of his face except for the upper-left region; the better part of his face.

The mask is rough, colored black, and has the peculiar characteristic of a mouth in the appropriate section. No nose-shaped protrusion exists on the mask’s leather surface, as it is meant to lie comfortably across the wearer’s face. The thin slit of an opening in the bottom of the mask is carved in the shape of a small smile, giving the face wear a constantly smiling look. The inside of the mask is lined with a soft, cotton cushioning, meant to make the mask more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. Clasps hold it in place.

All in all, the shinobi's entire attire serves the purpose of covering every inch of his skin, as well as hiding his repulsive physical traits. The result is that most, if not all, people him by his mask and clothes, and not by his actual face; which is precisely how he prefers it to be.

SPEECH PATTERNS: His manner of speech is often accompanied with cynical or pessimistic inclinations masked as sarcasm - all in an attempt of exposing the "true" nature of others. Hence his words often bear an underlying meaning which - correspondingly - conceal his own "true" nature.

HABITS: Whenever experiencing a sense of anxiety - he often represses such emotion with pain. He would covertly inflict pain upon himself whenever experiencing any sense of nervousness - the most common: biting his tongue, pinching the underside of his arm, or clutching his neck.

ILLNESSES: Schizoid Personality Disorder
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil
PERSONALITY: The vast majority of the shinobi world hold themselves in high esteem; even if such beliefs are quite inaccurate. There are few shinobi whom, on the other hand, are not as confident in their skills and thus covet the same confidence and self-assurance than their more "self-assured" fellows possess. But there exists a rather rare breed such as the deformed youth whom are neither conceited nor lacking in their confidence in themselves. Unlike most people, the being known as Kiryuu does not think of himself as just as good than, nor any better, than someone else. The young boy possesses quite a humble impression of himself, both in relation to his skills and overall personality. In fact, he has a sense of modesty that could be considered to be special; since he not only avoids saying anything positive about himself, but takes it a step further by focusing more upon on his negative qualities and traits - even if such things do not even exist. One could say that the young ghoulish human being does not overestimate himself, but rather underestimates himself; as he would always downplay his own various achievements and talents. Either he would act as if they were of no extraordinary value, or otherwise would point out some sort of flaw within them. One will quite literally never hear the youngling boast or brag about anything, and should he ever, it would have been an extremely rare and special exception. He seeks no actual praise or acknowledgement of his worth, which he personally considers himself not to have much. He is the sort of person whom does not desire any sense of public recognition, much more wishing to stay out of the light and in the shadows; like any sensible ninja ought to do.

One might expect someone who bags about himself so much to have an inferiority complex or low self-esteem, but such is not the case with this man. The fledgling is one-hundred-percent confident about his strength, and has no wish of changing who he is. In other words, he fully believes everything that he says about himself. When he trains, it is not to better himself enough to become the strongest shinobi in the world, or rid himself of some weakness; he simply trains to keep his skills sharp, and for other, more selfish reasons. This man is convinced that he is neither an exceptionally talented shinobi nor a failure of one; in his eyes, he is a mediocre ninja, someone who can easily be overshadowed by more spectacular people. He will even go so far as to sometimes attribute his accomplishments to luck or chance than any talent on his part, even when such was clearly not the case. In his opinion, the only remarkable and noteworthy factor about him is the fact that he is a genjutsu-user, and as he further adds, a rather mediocre one at that. Whether or not this is true, very few can say, primarily because most people who encounter the shinobi have doubts whether he is strong or not, especially since he keeps remarking that he is not. His habit of self-deprecation can have some unintentional benefits, though. To elaborate: everyone has a tendency to exaggerate some aspect about himself or herself, and the young gentleman is no different. Funnily enough, in Kiryuu's case, his claims are not exaggerated because he could be weaker than he says he is - he might be stronger than he says he is. Some people, when exposed to his self-deprecation, might be led to believe that he could be as weak as he claims; even the most skeptical of people might be the tiniest bit convinced of this.

The above peculiar trait having been mentioned, here is a more believable part of the wanderer's persona. Having lived the life of a "rogue ninja" for many years now, the masked one is hardly the most optimistic of people. To put it bluntly, the individual is cynical and pessimistic, seeing the world through a lens tinted black. Having lived a rough life fraught with difficulties, he knows that the world is not all gumdrops and lollipops, particularly since he has not experienced much happiness throughout his life. Along with his cynicism, he also does not have a very good opinion of Mankind, harboring near-misanthropic feelings towards his fellow humans. That’s not to say that he hates humans or feels ashamed of being one; he merely believes that they are performing disappointingly as the dominant race of the world. This is connected with his general mistrust for all people, no matter what kind of mindset he or she has. Every human has darkness within them, thus, one must be wary around all of them. Coupled with his dark outlook on life and his distrusting nature, one might be hard-pressed to gain the trust of this peculiar ninja. Lately, this has become an even harder feat, since the man has slowly become more cautious and untrusting towards others. Both past and present, the fledgling of a shinobi gives very few people the courtesy of his trust and friendship. This anti-social behavior is because he believes that placing one’s trust in too many people can be more detrimental than beneficial to a person; he sees this as a logical belief, and thus adheres to it. Something else that he finds logical is control over his emotions and desires. As he sees it, one’s emotions have the power to manipulate and control a person’s mind and actions. Many emotions can cloud a person’s reasoning, and a man without reason is no longer a man.

Therefore, it is a necessity, particularly for a shinobi, to have complete control over their emotions and maintain a collected mindset. As such, he makes an effort to not give into his emotions or desires, or at least not frequently, thus allowing him the advantage of a cool head. He is remarkably calm and composed, rarely showing any form of extreme emotions. In fact, he is seen more with an amused demeanor than anything else, often addressing others with a sarcastic and mocking manner of speech. It can go without saying that his dry, dark sense of humor makes him a difficult person to get along with sometimes. As of yet, the sixteen year old has not displayed any kind romantic affection to anyone, and seems unlikely to do so at all; he has no interest in sexual activities or eros, appearing to be psychologically asexual if anything, and is more or less contemptuous towards such things. However, for all the control he may have over his emotions, the one that causes him the most difficulty is anger. Causing this being to lose his temper can be a remarkably long and arduous endeavor; he may display signs of irritation, an emotion that he can often feel very easily, but making him snap and lose his cool is not so easy. Despite the fact that getting himself angry is a stunningly difficult task, he considers his rage to be the biggest bane of his existence. This is not because he flies into a blind, murderous rage when he loses his tempter; rather, when he remains as cool and level-headed as always when angered. The only difference is that he becomes even more vicious and cold-hearted, thus making him more likely to perform acts that he may not when he is calm; such as say, viciously maiming someone when there is no benefit in doing so, simply because he is angry at that person.

Sunekuaizu’s major goal in life was, and still is, to be in control of his life, mind, and body. Even now, he despises the idea of someone else being in charge of his life. This belief has been the primary reason for why he is as apprehensiveness as he is - to become a shinobi belonging to a village; he has no desire to be used like a puppet by some selfish politicians. Being a - as he would describe - dog of a village, would mean that he would become nothing more than tool to be used by the Elders of the village as they see fit. The thought of being used by someone else, even if it is “for the greater good”, absolutely sickens him. Such people can certainly expect malevolence from the him. His belief in his own freedom is so strong that he would rather die than have someone else manipulate him. Selfish though it may be of him, he considers his freedom as one of the most important things in his life, and will do almost anything to ensure its continuation. There is, however, something else that he regards to be just as important as his freedom, perhaps even more so: his survival. To Kiryuu, his survival is one of his first priorities, and just as with his freedom, he will do almost anything to ensure his safety and survival. This is not to say that he is afraid of dying. Rather, he does not fear death as much as one might expect, knowing that shinobi, as well any other human, could die at anytime and anywhere without warning.

There is no complex reason behind his wish for staying alive. He does not wish to keep living so as to achieve a dream or objective; it is not because he made a promise or anything. Instead, he tries to stay alive because, having been gifted with life, he will do his utmost best to make sure he protects this greatest of gifts. As he puts it, “When I die, it will be because I’ve done everything I can to prevent it, and failed.” It should be noted, however, that boy has enough sense to know that just because he considers staying alive as his primary objective in life, other people will not feel the same way. The would-have-been Nukenin does not expect others to understand or agree with his ideals, and would frankly be astounded if someone did. This idea of the preservation of his life has led to him becoming a very rationale being – or rather, even more rationale than he was before. He approaches everything with a logical and sensible outlook. If an act has no beneficial result or significant meaning to it, he will not perform it. Being a pragmatic person, he will do anything he can to accomplish a task, or ensure his continued existence. Both in and outside of battle, he will resort to any tactic, no matter how underhanded or dishonorable, to complete his objective. He understands that, being a ninja, deception and trickery can be his greatest weapons. This opportunist has no qualms about manipulating or deceiving others for his personal gain, even willing to resort to sadistic acts to achieve them. Truthfully, he always hides behind a mask - a mask of lies and deception. When coupling his “assholeness” with his self-preservation, it goes without saying that Kiryuu will go to great lengths to advance his own interests. He is not above back-stabbing someone should it be beneficial to him, or even fleeing a battle against an opponent that is clearly more powerful than him or may just endanger his life.

All that being said, though, it should still be remembered that he is a pragmatic individual. Whatever he does, he will only do if there is actually something to be gained from it. For example, he will not needlessly inflict pain on a defeated enemy, or even kill them, if the opposite would be more sensible. If there is more to be gained by abandoning a mission than completing it, or vice versa, then he will go with the more beneficial route. This is why he is so displeased when he loses his temper; when angered, his logical thinking can be hampered, and may result in him performing unnecessary and often violent acts. Put simply, while he may be a despicable character because of his practical nature, he is not unnecessarily malicious. He could kick the dog if he wanted to, but if there is no benefit in it, then he will not bother. Despite all his negative traits and faults, deep down, he is still a good person. The lessons he was taught by his deceased mentor have been embedded so deeply into his heart that no amount of corruption or evil can seem to remove them entirely. In spite of his selfish ideals, he is still a kind-hearted soul. While he is not the most compassionate or affectionate of people, he is not a complete monster either. Sometimes, he will help someone without any care for whether it will reap any profit for him... though, he will often tell himself that having someone indebted or grateful to him might come in handy one day. More often than not, his acts of kindness are done out of good intentions, and not because of any sinister motives. He has not forgotten his manners and etiquette, traits that can make him a very likeable person. He knows how to behave in public and around others. All in all, while his approach to living his life and accomplishing his objectives has changed notably, there has been very little change in how he appears in public and to others. In fact, Kiryuu remains the polite, good-natured individual that he has been for years. If someone were to interact with the young shinobi in a friendly manner and not in a hostile one, then they might discover how “good” he is as compared to other shinobi; though he may still come off as a jerk. Only those closest to him and who have known him long enough would be able to detect the subtle changes in his personality – those changes being his increased sense of self-preservation and subsequent pragmatism.

As a concluding note, some of his likes and dislikes could be mentioned. Naturally, the two things he treasures the most are his survival and freedom. While he is not the most materialistic of people, the eyepatched shinobi acknowledges the worth of money, and its necessity for his survival; as such, he can often come off as a greedy, money-obsessed person, especially since his main motivation for completing missions is the reward. He does not have any noticeable hobbies, unless one counts roaming around aimlessly as a hobby; he does, however, have a keen interest in books, having been an enthusiastic reader for many years. In regards to favorite food, he has none, as he sees the act of eating as nothing more than a requirement for living, rather than something done for pleasure. However, the closest items he could have to favorite food and drink is, respectively, peaches and fizzy drinks. In the list of dislikes, it would naturally be topped by anyone or anything that is endangering his life or restricting his freedom. Items placed lower would be alcohol, since it does an excellent job in making one lose control of their senses and reasoning, which is something that he is not loath to doing. Another subject of dislike - or “hate” in this case - is the shinobi's feelings towards fire. After having suffered terrible burns due to fire, he more or less distrusts Katon users as much as people who oppose his two main ideals in life. If anything, it shows how much he detests fire.RELATIONSHIPS:GENERAL: A man once said that the opposite of love is not hatred - but apathy; a perfect description of those blackened eyes of his. Unwavering before the suffering and blessings of others - they bear a disturbing lack of emotional depth: as if they were unable to perceive others as human.

PARENTS: Shirayuki Saito; Shirayuki Naomi
MENTOR: Shinji

BACKGROUND:
PLACE OF BIRTH: Undisclosed location within Yuki no Kuni

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

 

BIRTH OF A MONSTER

 

Our story begins with the introduction of a man by the name of Shirayuki Saito; a high-ranking officer of one of the earlier settlements. Just like any other of his rank, he had indeed been a fine shinobi whom displayed immense skill through his line of work. Though, his aptitude as a shinobi paled in comparison to his undying love and loyalty to the village: including comrades. He would later become a prestigious researcher whom furthered the technological advancements of the shinobi world. In reason of this, he had been one of the more respected men of the village. He, unlike many of his peers, had a friendly rivalry with one of his former Genin squad-mates; an esteemed kunoichi by the name Kimura Naomi. It had been since their first training session, where the two would constantly compete against one another; she wishing to prove that kunoichi are as good, if not better, than their shinobi counter-parts, and his sole goal had been to impress her. As the fates would have it, through thick-and-thin, they would survive their harsh occupation; watching each other's back as they completed mission after mission. It had therefore been no surprise that the both of them had ended up falling in love with one another; granted, it had taken them quite a while for either to realize this fact. Or come to terms with it. When the word spread that the two of them would be engaged to one another, there had been a great deal of approved nodding among the older folk; you were not able to find a more perfect match, they would say. It had taken but a few months before the two would marry, the entire village were happy for those two; wishing for them to lead a happy life together. As a result, the newlyweds had eventually decided that it would be best to leave the village and move into the countryside, desiring their lives to be spent in peace in an attempt of raising a family together. Many of the villagers had been saddened and distraught over the news; considering such fine ninja were leaving the village and the military; though cheers and congratulations were still fresh in the air nonetheless.

Hence, upon the arrival of the destined day where they left, they would settle themselves in a small village; making a small cottage their new home. Saito had managed to find himself a satisfactory job in no time at all, whilst Naomi spent most of her days mingling with the other folk, focusing on enjoying everything that life had to offer her. They were as happy as could be; and a cynical man would have stated that certain tragedy was dying to strike at them, but nothing of the sort had ever occurred in the couple's life. It would have taken them but a few months after settling in their new home when Saito had came home to great news; Naomi excitedly declared that she were with child. Delighted to hear this piece of news, it had not been long before they were telling their friends and relatives alike that they were expecting a child. From then on, the days went by with great anticipation and excitement as they awaited; planning and fantasizing about the aspect of being parents. However, happiness unfortunately never lasted forever. The news of a great tragedy would have reached the loving duo, said news consisted of the deaths of numerous shinobi during an important and clandestine mission; many of the casualties, if not most, were the closest friends of Saito. As per the request of his dying friends, he had been informed of their passing. Hence, upon learning of the deaths of his beloved comrades, the retired shinobi had been horror-struck and promptly hurried back to his previous life as soon as he could. Upon having returned home from the shinobi village, he had came back as a slightly different man. The loss of his precious comrades, the thought of not being there to help them in their hour of need (and subsequently the village), had greatly wounded his very soul.

He had found some sort of comfort by being together with his wife during their mourning whom would try her very best to cheer him up. After a while he had indeed seemingly felt better in reason of his wife being there for him; thanking her. With the knowledge that he would soon become a father, he had been quite aware that it would do no good for his soon-to-be expanded family if he had spent his last days sulking and in mourning. In reason of this, he had returned to his normal self; much to his wife's relief. However, she had sensed still that her husband had changed to a certain degree; though what, she did not know. At that point in time, she had not known just how accurate her womanly intuition had been. Days would come to pass, flora turned from green to autumn colors, all appeared to have returned normal. Right. But there had been something different in the atmosphere. Saito had not been behaving as per his usual perky-self; at times, he had been rather distant and inattentive, it had been as if his mind were somewhere else rather than the current present. From time to time, he would leave for long periods of time, a fact that Naomi had more than once observed. He hung around mysterious people, or spent hours alone at his study; something had definitely been amiss. Naturally, Naomi would wonder as to what had been wrong with her husband, starting to worry that he had started to involve himself with some sort of bad crowd. It had been shortly after that, that the fated day, had at long last arrived.

Naomi laid in the hospital ward, and in her arms, was a small baby boy; Saito was found beside her. Upon first glance, the child did not appear to belong to either of them; he had not possessed the red crimson hair of Naomi, nor her green eyes, or of Saito's muddy-brown hair and eyes. Instead, the eyes of the youth were a stormy-gray color, his small strands of hair had clearly been of a black coloring. Though the lack of resemblance between child and parents did not bother either parent; they were just happy to see that they child was alive and in good health. The mother had remarked that she had hoped that their son would grow up to be as handsome as Saito; which the latter gave a nod in response, along with a smile as he looked down unto their newly-born son. They had already picked a name beforehand, seeing as they had awaited for this day for a long time. Hence they had named the child Shirayuki Kai. A part of Naomi had desperately hoped that her husband would soon return to his regular-self now that he were a father. To her immense relief, he had done just that, reverting to his playful and joyous demeanor; as judged from his playing and loving of the child. The sight had naturally pleased her, for she had been glad that the Saito she had known and loved was finally back. The days would pass by pleasantly, life just seemed perfectly beautiful. It would only be two months later when disaster had struck.

It had been after awakening in the morning that they had discovered that their son had been kidnapped in the middle of the night. The two parents had been horrified by what had happened, hence they began searching everywhere so that they may find their boy, they would ask for the other villagers to help them look; they were desperate to find Kai. Naomi looked as if the world had come to an end; she was terrified for her son, worried that he may have been in grave danger as they searched for him. This time, it had been Saito that would be there for her, helping her get through the mess in which they found themselves in. In the end, it had been his confidence that they would find their son that had stopped the mother from doing anything drastic. One night, whilst laying in bed attempting to fall asleep; she had heard someone sneaking out of the house, which she surmised that it must have been Saito. She had, for a long time, been worried about the changed personality of her husband. Though she had cast behind that worry with the belief that they were erroneous. Though said worry arose once more. She had begun to follow Saito; recalling her training as a kunoichi, specifically how to shadow others. She had no idea as to where her husband hurried along, but she had been more than determined to find out. Despite harboring suspicions, she had yet to distrust her husband; regardless of that fact, a part of her had been telling her that something was wrong. Hence, she followed him through the dead of night; which ultimately lead her across the land until her husband had reached the entrance of a small cave, at the base of a mountain. His cautious nature had made her all the more suspicious that something was wrong, and without a second thought, she had followed her husband into the cave.

Upon having stepped into the tunnel, she had found herself reaching a large stone cavern; seemingly crafted by hand into the mountain. Inside, she had then shortly spotted her husband speaking to a number of cloaked figures. She surveyed the dank room, which was lit only by a few braziers, revealing various pieces of lab equipment. Her eyes had then focused upon a peculiar sight atop of the ground, noticing that there had been a large and intricate seal; and in the center, a large barrel was suspended above by a few meters. With her presence hidden, she gawked from a distance as her husband and the mysterious men scattered to stand at various points around the seal. One of the cloaked figures stepped forward, depositing a small object wrapped in numerous folds of cloth above the center of the seal. Her being an expert on all things fuuinjutsu, had known immediately that this had been some sort of sealing ceremony; albeit she had no actual idea as to what was currently being sealed. The aforementioned cloaked figure had then positioned outside of the seal, just like the others had done, and as one they (including Saito) began forming a string of handseals; too quick for her to determine or memorize the set of seals being done. As she watched from the shadows, the markings upon the floor which made the seal, began to snake toward the object in the center; slipping through the cloth which covered the unknown object. Immediately when the last marking had vanished underneath the folds, the barrel suspended above, had begun to shake in a violent manner; swinging from its chain in an unstable manner. None of the figures had reacted in the slightest, continuing to perform the necessary handseals as to complete the sealing ceremony. Whilst they continued, a dark-gray smoke began to seep out of the barrel; flowing smoothly into the object located directly underneath. Just as it had been with the markings, the gas would slide underneath the bundle of cloth until it finally vanished from sight.

All of the cloaked figures have formed the final seal, which then one of them had stepped forward as to collect the object situated upon the ground. Said bundle of cloth would then be passed into the arms of Saito; the latter looked down upon the object with a content look, and of fiery determination. He would proceed to lower the cloth from atop the object, which upon the reveal, Naomi would loudly gasp as she came to the realization that the object... was Kai. More confused than she had previously been, she stepped out from behind her cover and proceeded to call out to her husband. Startled by her presence he would stare at her, clearly shocked by her being there. Slowly, with a stunned voice, she had asked Saito as to what had just happened, and more importantly, why was their son here? With the lack of a response, Naomi advanced toward and grabbed her son out of the clutches of the still-stunned Saito. She had been close enough to her son to realize that there had been an intricate seal tattooed, or rather etched, unto the center of her boy's chest. A look akin to that of fierce fire was directed toward her spouse; said look caused the cloaked figures behind her husband to automatically step back a pace. It had taken a few seconds of silence until Saito had finally spoke up. He, with an unnerving sense of calm, had told his wife that Kai had not been kidnapped; confessing that he himself had taken him away one night, bringing their son to this place. Whenever he had been asked by the distraught wife as to why he had done so, he replied with a content look that it had been all for their village; all in the pursuit of safety of the village and citizens. He proceeded to explain that the barrel above contained the pinnacle of his research - specifically the genetic mutations which all kekkei genkai derive from. For many years, he had been researching disparities and similarities until he eventually came across the answer. After much time and effort - alongside help from his comrades - he had successfully created a physical embodiment and sealed it away into a barrel for later use. Immediately afterward he brought Kai in order to become the host of the it, he had brought their child here so that he could be turned into the perfect shinobi, a warrior unmatched by any other - the first with an artificial kekkei genkai.

As she listened to the narrative, she had backed away from her psychotic husband; her face horrified, yet furious, as to what he was saying. She had been unable to fathom that her loving husband would do something like that, to their newborn son no less! She would yell at him as she asked how he could do such a thing, how the hell he thought that he had the right to do such a thing. A chuckle escaped his lips, repeating once more that it had been done for the village; all for the safety of the village. Kai would be raised as the head of the ultimate army, so that should they ever need it, they would have unbelievable power at their disposal. They would be able to crush anyone who stood against them, and never again would anyone in the village have to suffer or feel fear. A strange looked had taken place upon his face whilst he spoke, a strange glint in his eyes as well. He had looked like a completely different person now, his mind broken as a result of his obsession for his desire of avenging his fallen comrades. Once having finished his speech the mother would proceeded to shake her head, and with a sense of defiance told her husband that she refused to allow her son to be a monstrous result of his obsession. Hence she had ordered Saito to undo whatever he had done from Kai immediately; and snarled as she made yet another comment that, if he had felt that the village needed this as badly as he claimed, then he should turn himself into an abomination instead. She loved her son too much to allow him to suffer or have his future tarnished as a result of this monstrous experiment of his father. Such words had surprised Saito; he had honestly believed that his wife would understand, that their shared love for the village would have her agree with what he had done. A minute of silence passed as he glared at the woman he loved, seeing her in a new light. Finally, he had stroked his hair; looked around him distractedly as if he were lost in thought.

He had then looked at his wife, his expression was then cold and dark. With a flat tone, devoid of any emotion: if she was to stand in the way of his protecting his village, then she was an enemy; and if that were the case... then he had to perform his duty and rid its enemies. With those hateful words of his, he lunged at her, a kunai had suddenly appeared within the grasp of his left-hand as it swung toward Naomi's throat. Naomi had managed to dodge just in the nick of time, managed to maintain her grip on the unconscious child which laid in her arms. With a terrifying look in his eyes, Saito had then turned to face his wife. It was all-too obvious that he had been beyond reason, so she turned tail and ran out of the cave as quickly as she could manage. With no wasted movement, Saito had followed closely behind her; those two figures would dance throughout the night, Naomi doing her best so that she may lose Saito. Normally she would not flee, she would have fought; but such action carried risk as of the moment, lest she risk injuring Kai. So she had simply ran as far as she could, recalling her training she had used a few tricks; managing to lose her pursuer, even if only for a short while. She had taken advantage of the moment, quickly taking refuge in a small town. It was still the middle of the night, hence the inhabitants of the village were fast asleep; no need to worry about anyone questioning her or taking any notice to her. She had known that Saito would shortly track her down, hence she figured she had to find a place to hide her son before Saito returned to hunt both of them down. The very thought of bearing such a curse in such a little body had made her heart ache; longing to find some way as to rid her beloved child of this monstrous thing. As she scurried and searched throughout the village for a safe spot to hide her baby, an idea had suddenly struck her. Upon finding a secluded spot, she had set down the child and placed yet another fuuinjutsu atop of the other; a technique created at the spur of the moment to negate or otherwise seal the insane mark left behind by his father.

With her expertise in the art of sealing, it would have been an extremely difficult task for just about anyone to break the seal without her help. Once she had successfully placed her mark upon her child, he had been left behind at the town's orphanage as she ran off; trying to not think about her son. All she could do now... was pray that he would lead a happy life. That he would not suffer for what she and Saito had brought upon him; a cursed fate..

HUMBE BEGINNINGS

 

Kai, or rather Kiryuu as he was named at the orphanage, had grown up without any recollection of the above-mentioned events. Nor had he known any actual information in regards of who his parents were, or whom he was. Strictly speaking, the orphanage which he found himself living in had been far from the best in the business. The village itself was small, poor, not well-developed, and littered with obnoxiously large families whom barely had enough money to feed themselves. The orphanage was just as small and packed with more children than it could possibly ever handle. The orphans lived in sub-standard conditions; receiving a great deal of neglect from the staff in reason of their numbers. Since the village was not well-known, and most families within the village had more members than they probably wanted... you could concur that not many adoptions have ever taken place; thus it had been a common sight to see children as old as fifteen living in the orphanage. Assuming that they had yet been kicked out, or ran away from "home". As he had grown up in a rough and neglected environment, Kiryuu had been far from the happiest child one could run into. He had no one to teach him about good ethics, though that is not to say that he was a delinquent. While he indeed had several bad habits which often lead him into trouble, he had never done anything severe from his lack of guidance. He had managed to procure some good qualities for himself, though he had no one to help that part of him grow. He had never been bothered with the fact that he was an orphan, unlike the vast majority of the other children at the orphanage. It was true that he had no idea whom his parents were, nor why they had abandoned him, but to him the word 'parent' was just a meaningless word. As he had never received any sort of love and affection, which every child needs as they grow, he had never understood the importance of having a family. Or for that matter, any form of relationship.

Even his friends - which 'acquaintances' might fit better - were not that close towards him; this was mostly in reason of the fact that they had found the boy to be a rather odd character. And odd he was. For one thing, he had refrained from ever showing himself to others; except on the rare occasion whenever someone had came to adopt one of the children at the orphanage. Another thing was that he refrained from spending time with people; whether in his age group or not. Instead, he would often wander in an aimless manner throughout the village and surrounding areas by his lonesome self. Merely taking in the beauty of the world around him. He loathed the orphanage, his gut turning every time he returned; or even looked at it. And it was not just the orphanage... he disliked most of the people around him as well. It had not been because he thought that they were idiots, or that he was any better than them, but rather in reason that he knew that they disliked him. The adults would often murmur between themselves, catching them telling one another about how the boy gave off an odd feeling; as if there was something "wrong" with him. In reason of this treatment, he had grown to be rather quiet and cold around others; snubbing them rudely or simply ignoring them. With the bad impression he had given others, it had been no wonder as to why he remained in the orphanage for almost eight years without ever being adopted. During said seven years, all he wished was that he could find some way to leave the orphanage. If he had given the people who wanted to adopt him a chance, he may have received his wish earlier. He disliked the idea of having a parent, not appearing appealing whatsoever in the least; as such, it was unlikely that he would ever leave through adoption.

Eventually, he had indeed received his wish. It had been a day just like any other, or more accurately, it was just before sunset; yet this day would forever be etched into his memory. At the current point in time, the boy had been sitting upon the branch of a tree at the park when he had heard a loud explosion behind him. Immediately followed by screams of pain and fear. As he looked behind himself, he had seen a horde of strangers clad in black running amok the village; knocking down doors, setting buildings on fire, massacring people left and right. The mysterious group would ransack the town, killing any found. Every single building had been burnt or knocked down. Kiryuu ran through his burning village, through the bloodshed. Anywhere he looked, he had seen the people he had spent so many years with dying before his very eyes. The boy, though terrified, ran as fast as could from the carnage; knowing full well that if he stayed, he would be found and killed. Wanting nothing more than to live, he had ran and ran, longer than he had ever ran in the entirety of his life; longer than he thought he could possibly manage. When he could go no longer, he had finally collapsed inside an empty cave as he rested; frightened and alone, he wondered as to what he was going to do from now on. He had remained in the cave for a few hours, only emerging from the cave when he had begun to feel hunger. He had scavenged what he could, making away with some fruit and having discovered a nearby river as to quench his thirst; once he had satisfied both hunger and thirst, he had set out in a random direction. Hopefully toward some form of civilization. He had no concise plan as he was just a seven year old child, though he had figured that it would be infinitely better to search for something rather than wait for rescue that would never come.

He walked, hours and hours still, he walked. He would climb over fallen logs, zigging and zagging around streams and rivers that he encountered along his path. It had taken him nearly three hours before he had finally come across an open road; which lead to a fork. As he had been illiterate, he had not been capable of reading the signs at the junction in order to select the best path. Instead, he had been forced to pick one of the forks at random. Fortunately enough, his decision had brought him to another village, and as soon as he saw said village, he had known that this had been much more developed than where he had grown up. He entered the village, and upon doing so, began to look to procure some form of sustenance for himself. As he was but a child of seven years, he had no money in his possession. Nor was he skilled enough in any particular domain to earn himself a living. Hence he had to resort to stealing from others, naturally this did not sit well with the people he had stolen from. As a result of this, his bad reputation seemed to persist even in this new village. He lived on the streets, stealing and struggling to survive. It had not been that much of a change from his previous life as one might have expected. In consideration of the lack of any proper comforts at the orphanage, his current lifestyle, whilst it was in no way an improvement, was nonetheless bearable. The days would turn to weeks, and weeks to months... and soon enough, Kiryuu had spent about a year living the life he was.

He had never stayed in that one place, as he had eventually been forced out by the inhabitants; and in other villages he happened along, he often grew tired of the same place rather than be chased out. As a result of leading such a life, he had learned a great deal about fending for himself. At times, he would not stay at a town or a village; instead required to camp out in the woods. Through this, he had managed to develop his survival skills. Not much of anything occurred during his life since then, it was dull and repetitive, but as he had very little to compare it to... he managed to bear it. At times, he would take upon smalls tasks for money or food; which helped him learn about the world, even if only a little. He had taught himself to read as to pass the time, which upon successfully have done so, procured books for himself. This would later develop into a passion of his. As the years rolled on by, he had grown a considerable deal since he had left his home. He had grown both in body and mind, being much more mature than people of his age, and much psychologically tougher in reason of his rough lifestyle. When it came to ambitions, or plans for the future, he truly did not have a single one. It was not in reason of his lack of trying, or laziness, but mostly because of the fact that he had no one to guide or point him in the right direction. Thankfully, he saw issue with this. He did not want to live his entire life without goals, other than finding some way to feed himself, hence he sought to take any chance to change his future that would come his way; and such an opportunity did indeed make its way toward the young boy.

It had been during one of his visits to another village that he had been mugged by a gang of older teenagers. Unfortunately for them, Kiryuu did not possess anything of any value; hence why they proceeded to beat him up as to make up for his not yielding anything of value. In reason of his younger age, and genetics, he was much smaller and weaker than those boys; no way was he able to stand up for himself in a proper sense, which resulted in his being severely pummeled. He laid upon the ground in a fetal position, bruised and beaten, with the older children kicking and mocking him as he turtled up. Needless to say, Kiryuu had felt completely helpless. Fortunately, the beating would soon be interrupted. It was an old man which would come to his rescue. An old and hunched up man had stepped up toward the group, politely asking them to cease the beating they were dishing out unto Kiryuu. They laughed in response, mocking him for what he had just said; in an attempt of intimidating the old man. Though he had stood his ground and repeated what he had previously said; the polite tone was nowhere in sight. The group of teenagers would advance toward the elder, readying themselves in attacking the man. The first punch thrown toward him had been effortlessly countered, much to the surprise of all whom found themselves there.

Surprised even more when the older man had swung his hand to release a gust of wind at the group of boys; instantly knocking all of them off their feet and straight into a dumpster. Frightened by this strange power, the boys climbed out of the dumpster and ran for it. With the hoodlums disposed of, the old man had then walked over toward Kiryuu; helping him unto his feet. He would place his hand over the injured boy's wounds, immediately healing him using his chakra. Once he had returned to his full health, Kiryuu had thanked the man before exploding into a sense of awe and wonder as to how the man had performed those feats he had displayed mere moments ago. With a smile, the man had taken Kiryuu to a restaurant and brought him something to eat whilst he explained everything. Revealing his name to be Shinji, he would explain to the youth about shinobi, chakra, ninshu, and many other things. Kiryuu naturally listened in awe, during his ventures he had seen ninja before, but he had never thought much of or about them. To him, they were just another group of people. Though by listening to Shinji, he had become aware that there was more to being a ninja than he had first thought. Once having finished his explanation, he had then asked the youth to tell him about his life. Kiryuu would then summarize his past in as few sentences he could manage; the white-haired man listened with a sympathetic and pitying face. When finished, Shinji had asked the boy if he wished to become his apprentice; if he wanted to become a shinobi. The offer had surprised the young boy, prompting him to reflect in silence whether it was a good idea, and after a few minutes... he agreed.

With that, Kiryuu had been taken under the wing of Shinji; the latter whom began teaching him the ways of ninshu. From that moment onward, Kiryuu's life would become much more exciting. For the first time ever, he had realized that he now possessed an actual goal. It felt good. He became studious, working his hardest so that he may become a shinobi. He had tried his best to master everything that he had been taught; which pleased the older gentleman, as Kiryuu was sharp and talented, and able to adapt to this sudden change in his life quite splendidly. With the knowledge that he would have to start with the very basics, Shinji was both patient and considerate with the boy, giving him confidence and making sure not to lose the youth's resolve. Sooner rather than later, Kiryuu had begun to regard his mentor to be a friend; someone he could actually turn to for help. For the first time in years, he had finally felt like he was happy with his life. A few years would pass, and appropriately, Kiryuu had learned a great deal about being a shinobi. His travels with his mentor had helped promote his growth as a person, granting him various experiences. Shinji had not been only helping his protege become a better shinobi, but was even helping him become a better person. Good manners, a moral compass, politeness, all those lessons which a parent ought to teach their child. With his having ended up learning under the tutelage of Shinji, the boy had often wondered if this had been what it felt like to have a parent. Though the time came when his training with his mentor would come to an end. Kiryuu knew all too well that Shinji had been a very old man, whom despite his great strength, was nearing the end of his life. Eventually he would be gone, and Kiryuu would yet again be by himself. Upon being at his deathbed, the old man had told his pupil that it was all up to him now. How to live his life. How he lived. What he did. It was all his choice to make.

Ever grateful for all he had done for him, Kiryuu had thanked Shinji, staying by his side until he had died..

A NEW LIFE

 

Those six marvelous years made his future appear bleak upon the death of his beloved mentor. The loss of Shinji, his only friend had left quite an emotional blow - only then did he realize the insufferable feeling of loneliness. He could no longer experience any sense of warmth from another, nor could he feel as if there was a sense of purpose in life - everything came crumbling down. Reminiscing on memories past, Shinji had once told him of great villages which housed many shinobi and kunoichi and his deepest desire that Kiryuu could find such a home. With his sense of purpose lost, as well as his wish to honor his friend, he had decided to pledge allegiance to the village which his mentor had once served - Kita. His past travels with Shinji procured him the location of the settlement and thus he knew how to get there. He had traveled from one land to the next - the roads were fraught with danger. He encountered shrewed merchants, cutthroat bandits, and such folk along his journey - more than once was he forced into combat. Whilst he may have trained a significant amount under the tutelage of Shinji - he had not been by no means a skilled shinobi - thus he would gather injuries as he marched forever onward toward haven. A variety of scars, burns, and other defects dotted his body as he continued to survive - leading to the body he now possesses.

With danger looming at every corner, he had grown significantly stressed and paranoid - eventually finding himself in situations in which he should have died. Promptly weakening the seal placed upon his stomach, creating an influx of odd chakra for him to claim as his own - with renewed strength he managed to survive through every ordeal. Though with the weakening of the seal, his body had underwent a metamorphosis of sorts. His abyssal hair turned white as snow, his eyes painfully changed colors and seemingly of composition. His monstrous appearance worked to his favor - easily inciting others to stray from the disfigured boy. Along the way he had brought along a mask which would serve as his second face - hiding the various defects upon that once-been delicate face of his. It would be then that he would have found himself at Kita - having underwent any regulations regarding border control and found himself becoming a citizen of the village - to which then he would shortly join their military.

The story turns blank here, leaving all to wonder how his tale will come to an end.

FACE CLAIM:
CHARACTER CLAIM: Kaneki Ken
SOURCE: Tokyo Ghoul