The Valley of The End {Yami vs Lunar Knights}

[Natas/Alvaro]

"But--" Alvaro went to argue, but didn't have the chance. His partner had already left. He snaps back to Kurai and snickers loudly. "Lucky you, Kurai Horo. My Master needs me now. But don't think this is over. Not by a long shot." He claws his way completely up from the shadows and stretches big, his hair turning green as his hands reach the max potential.

Natas turns around and smiles at Kurai. "Thank you for the fight, Mr. Kurai. I recommend being prepared when you go down there. You never know the mess of a corpse Itami-san will leave." And with that, he salutes him off with two fingers and dissipates after Itami.
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After catching up, Natas gives his smile to Itami. "So. How dead is she? Is it even identifiable as human anymore?" Alvaro had taken over halfway through that.

[Kodoku Itami]

"What's done is done." He said bluntly, not in the mood for the two at the moment. Why had he let her live? The thoughts kept swimming back to that same thing, he would need to sever more ties to make up for it. But they couldn't do it with just the three of them... They needed more... Especially if he wanted to fulfill his revenge as he so wished...

"They'll expect us to leave, make for some distant camp... We'll do the opposite. Circle back and camp near them, we'll follow them to wherever it is that they're going, I have a feeling that our destinies are intertwined with theirs now." He crossed his arms against his chest, only now turning to Natas/Alvaro.

His face was a mess. It was grubby and dirty, streaked with two lines of blood from his eyes and then two separate clean streaks from the tears he'd shed. His body was battered and bruised and his expression was serious. 

"You'll take point. I'll follow behind. Don't waste time, let's go."

[Natas/Alvaro]

Natas forced control. "I see. You let her live." It didn't need to be said. It was all over his face. Well, his body. His entire being suggested that he let her live. Natas only closes his eyes and puts on his smile. "Right, then. I'll get going." He walks past Itami and stops beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It sure is an honor to work with you." And then he fades from vision, moving to his commanded point.
He's a weakling, Natas. Don't compliment him!
Alvaro, you're an idiot... Natas chuckles. It's harder to let someone live than to kill them. Even you know that. He's stronger than us both....

[Kurai Horo]

Rin. No!

He had already lost one student now... He couldn't lose another, what sort of teacher or Sensei was he if he let one student go down a path of blind revenge and hate, and then let him kill the other one. Not even paying attention to the others, he disappeared, leaping down towards the water to find Rin.

"That's right... Now channel your energy into it... No- almost... Yeah! Like that." Kurai was stood before Rin and 'Guo, teaching them the Lunar Rasengan. Rin had picked it up the fastest, but despite the length of time it took him, 'Guo's Rasengan's always looked to pack more of a punch... "Alright... We'll call it a day, guys!" He smiled as 'Guo cancelled out his current attack. "Alright! Donut time" He cried before sprinting off, laughing. He was so naive... Innocent...

"Can't stop, Blindfold. Need to get stronger." Kurai had been walking away, but stopped at Rin's words. He turned to see her forming another Rasengan and smiled. If anyone had it in them to be a better student than Tami... It was her... "Here..." He said, walking back towards her. "'Guo's attack is stronger than yours, but you're closer to Ryn. Let me show you how to use that link to your advantage..."

Kurai came to a stop a few feet from Rin, from his position, the sword seemed to be...

"RIN! NO!"

He started sprinting towards her.

[Rin Tezuka]

I think I'm asleep. Am I asleep? I'm tired...

"RIN! NO!"

That's Blindfold's voice... Is he already here?

My body wasn't really in my control. It felt limp, like a noodle. A cooked one, though. I couldn't open my eyes, either. But I felt my breathing. And there was no metal. Well. I could feel in my arm the "R1N" still there, but it was fragile.

I just lay there and accept this. I wasn't dead. And we will see each other again. That was enough... to let my mind rest. With my body. And with that, the silver light from behind my eyelids faded, and I slipped into rest.

[Kurai Horo]

Kurai skidded to a halt onto his knees beside Rin. Unbelievably grateful that the sword was stuck in the earth and not in Rin, he couldn't lose another student. Cradling the girls head in his lap, he noted the headband on the sword. A sad smile spread across his face, it seems that he'd let Rin live, but had severed their own bond in its stead. Tami was no longer his student, he was his own man... Taking the headband, he folded it into Rin's hand before looking upwards.

"Thank you... Tami..."

[Kato Shin]

I watched it happen; I'd been too stunned to do anything but watch the fight. Watch... Rin. Kurai-sensei, I'd already known was amazing, but despite the fact that I'd always acted like she was like everyone else, I still couldn't help but feel like I had to protect Rin. Her lack of arms was only a tiny portion of it; it was her... naievete? No, that wasn't the right word. It wasn't innocence, either... she was always not quite of the world.

Seeing Rin, I realized, suddenly, that I didn't exactly need to protect her from the world anymore. And... in a way, my entire view of the world was shattered with that. Because it wasn't just Rin. I could no longer deny my own strength, or that I'd been holding myself back.

Perfection. Control. She'd been everything that I was in those times I couldn't remember, and done it all by her own will and with her own hand and mind.

I was being beaten by the closest thing to a little sister I'd ever had.

I had to get stronger, I decided. But strength of the body wasn't what I needed. I needed strength of mind. I needed to learn courage.

You're braver than you think, the flames within whispered to me. Since I'd begun training, I'd begun to be able to make out their voice.

You're stronger than you know, said that other fire, through them.

I clenched my fist, and realized - I wasn't... quite so afraid anymore.

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

This hadn't been a fight I could have stepped into; I could only step forward now and try to help with the aftermath. Rin was still alive, but she'd exhausted herself completely of energy, and Kurai... well, Kurai was dealing with more than physical drain.

I put a hand on his shoulder and crouched next to him.

"Brother," I said quietly, "I'm sorry."

It was all I could really think of to say.

[Kurai Horo]

Kurai shook his head, smiling through his mask.

"No... It's- It's fine, Vash... Really..." He looked up to the sky and closed his eyes as the sun broke out over the grey-cast sky formed by Itami's Kirin. He had grown so much stronger, he had matured, developed his own style rather than following Kurai's. He truly was no longer his student anymore... Pulling out a scroll from his pouch, he unraveled it and placed it upon the floor, laying the Sword of Kusanagi across it, he made a few hand seals before touching two fingers to the blade. It disappeared in a puff of smoke, sealed within the scroll for later use.

Placing the scroll back in his pouch and picking Rin up, he nodded across at Vash.

"Let's get back to the others, we need to set up camp and move on as soon as possible."

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

Elsewhere, two figures slipped quietly across a border, carrying with them tainted magic and ill intentions. Both far off and very near; both miles away and within the very heart of one of those present. Sending ripples across space and time, touching invisible strands that resonated within him....

----

I felt.... it's impossible to describe to someone without the capability of feeling it. It shivered trhough me, like a wave of nausea, only... nausea of the soul. Something sick and twisted touched the mana that had been woven together to form the being that was me. I am Guasto, in a way, and something just plain wrong had entered my lands.

I fell to my hands and knees, trying to hold back the waves of sickness coursing through my being.

Sickness.... and anger. I felt my energy pulse wildly, wishing to leave this body behind and go right the wrongs plaguing the land it was bound to.

[Kurai Horo]

Kurai sensed the sudden flux in power and turned to face Vash, frowning slightly as his Sharingan picked up all the little signs in his body language, everything hinting towards anger and nausea. Looking back towards the statues, the others were two far away to come and take Rin from him. Setting the girl onto the ground, he almost calmly approached Vash.

He was perfectly unsure what was happening, he was prepared for a number of precautions as always, ranging from using Fuinjutsu, sealing techniques, to place a temporary limiter on his power, or to simply talking to his friend.

"So..." He started "What's up..?"

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

I closed my eyes, battered the power I held back under control; it wasn't very good control, but it was control. I stood, fists still clenched against the twisted feeling in my gut. When I turned to Kurai, the power I was holding back glinted and sparked in my eyes.

"Someone," I said, "is messing with my lands," I said. "Take Shin - and Dai, if he'll go - on to Ignis via boat; I'm taking the long way." I closed my eyes, whispered, "I've business to attend to at home."

I took a deep, shuddering breath. "It's not safe for Shin to be around me right now. I need to borrow Rin and 'Guo - 'Guo's powers will be useful once we cross the border, and Rin is a good, calming influence on me. With their help.... I won't lose control."

[Kurai Horo]

"I see..." He shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets with haste after pulling his headband back over his left eye, no point in needlessly draining energy, was there?

"Alright. It gives them chance to catch up to the others in terms of connection and link..." He looked down at Rin, the blue headband still clutched in her hand. "He'll be there, Tami. He'll follow her over me, there's no doubting that... I doubt he's involved in what's happening in Guasto, but... Well, I wouldn't put it past him in his current state..."

[Vash, the Angel's Moon]

I shook my head. "Only if he's involved with those wells. I saw one in one of the places we passed through - this feels like the same taint... only..." I closed my eyes, anticipating and suppressing another flare of my power. "....this one is specifically designed for me. Well... not me, but... you know what I mean."

[Kurai Horo]

Another shrug.

"Either way, it's important, right? He made a few hand seals, nowhere near as many as he'd make for an aggressive attack.

"Katon; Signal Flare Jutsu!" Pointing his forefinger up into the sky like a gun, a short spurt of fire burst into the air, signalling the others to his position. It shouldn't take them too long too arrive at his location.

"Like I said... It's possible he's somehow gotten involved in this... Although... It seems he has his own agenda for the time being, I can't decide if that's a good thing or not."