The True Question. (Private/Kas!)

Atop what seemed to be an eight storied mansion sat a woman. Of course, the building was not a mansion but an office building. However, the top floor did consist of a home with multiple rooms. The rest of the floors were strictly for village business. The roof was constantly guarded by at least four guards, even if there was no sense of a threat. The reason being the top floor belonged to the village's leader, Mother Akira, the woman currently on the roof. The roof was a long rectangular shape. Akira sat directly in the middle of the front edge of the roof eight stories above the buildings entrance. Her bear feet hung over the edge, her arms rested on the metal railing that surrounded the rooftop, and her chin rested on her arms.

The woman would sigh as she looked out upon the village. Of course, it was her duty to check up on her village regularly, which was ok with her. It gave her a chance to think alone and breathe. Although, she would being to miss Neo, since she was away from Wonderland. However, that wasn't necessarily what was on her mind at the moment. She was soon to be married, she was pregnant, and she had multiple responsibilities. There were many questions that came to mind but there were a few that stood out from all. Was she really ready? Why did she have such a terrible feeling? Who really was she? Akira had simply went along with what she was told her whole life. She couldn't help but feel she was missing something. She felt a but empty but so full at the same time. Something felt wrong.

The demon would sigh as she looked out over the village. The sand seemed to glisten in the sunlight. Then she began to wonder... where was Sahara?

"Peasants." he thought to himself. he looked over each and every human that seemed to wander this sand filled wasteland. Whatever hope existed here must be dried up and lost by now. He could taste the dryness of the earth. It was thirst quenching, and he did not enjoy that one bit.

He looked at everything from his seat. However, his seat wasn't really a seat, but more of a crate of something. He didn't care enough to know what he was resting upon, or who it belonged to. He was growing bored with this place, but alas, he felt drawn to it. "She called this place the other Yamigakure." he wondered, staring at his sword that he had stuck into the ground. He knew no mortal would come near an armed man, much less one who wore what looked like chains on his hands. If he could keep up his false prisoner appearance, then perhaps he could learn about why this place in particular was brought to Pandora, seeing as everything that appeared was connected to him.

His cloak seemed to take in every bit of sunlight, yet he did not sweat. The light was his food source, but even with light, he needed water. He was still a plant in nature, even if he was structured like a human. But he was an animal instinctively, with one wrong move, he may as well kill the humans here. They all seemed so pitiful. Perhaps death would be the answer to their salvation.

Sahara, why did she think about the girl so m-.. What the? Purple eyes would squint at one spot within her village that people seemed to be avoiding. That was odd. Her people never seemed to act in such a way, except for around her and that was quite a while ago. The village had become rather accepting since her younger days. Something different had to be frightening them.

Akira would stand and make her way to the stairs. She would descend down the multiple flights raising the hood of her cloak when she reached the last step. Her feet were still bear, yet when she walked across the hot sand she wasn't bothered. The woman tried to keep a mental map of the direction the problem had been. Perhaps, it was all in her head. There wasn't anything Akira knew of that her people needed to fear. Everything was normally peaceful. Akira seemed to move slower as she came upon the area. That's when she noticed a shining light. Purple eyes would lock on a man in a cloak, with a sword, and chains on his hands. Akira would approach him and slowly remove her hood. "Hello, Stanger," the demon would give a small smile.

"Oh, this makes sense. . . " Kaseki said to himself. He always wondered what kind of person would fall in love with Neo. He wondered who could put up with his insane antics and random ideas and spur of the moment events. But now it made sense. It was someone crazy enough to live in a sandy wasteland.

He looked up to face the girl, only to have his eyes meet hers. Only that the bandages on Kaseki's face would hide what humans who call eyes. "Ah, Akira." he would say, "Nice. . . weather?"

He wasn't sure what to say. This place was odd, very odd. There was just so much sand. Did. . . did they eat sand? The sand seemed to be everywhere, so why not food? No, that would be TOO crazy. But they were crazy. Everyone here had to be crazy. Who would want sand constantly beating them down, and a heat that never went away? Crazy people. Everyone here was a crazy person.

Akira would tilt her head as Kaseki seemed to speak to himself or something. She wasn't quite sure what was making sense but then again she didn't really know if she wanted to care. Then again, as he looked up, She noticed his face was covered in bandages. Did he even have any sense at all? Could he really even see or anything with those things on his face? Oh well. If he had a problem with them, surely he'd do something about it.

Purple eyes would look to the sky and then down to the ground. Was he serious? The weather? Did he even know anything about deserts? "I mean. I guess you could say that. The again, this frying pan does't really get any other kind of weather so.. this is really the best we have. " Akira would say this with a quick and light laugh. Then, she would look back to him.

Akira still wasn't quite sure what to say to Kaseki. They just were so different. He was someone of real importance and she didn't even know what she was. However, he didn't seem to know much about the desert, which must have meant he wasn't used to being in such a place. Plus, bringing up the weather must mean was noticeable for him. "Would you like to go somewhere cooler? Somewhere with beverages perhaps?"

He could feel the words burrow into his body, his soul, his being. To have her compare this place to an object that was used to cook meals could only further prove the insanity that engulfed this world. Neo had surely picked the perfect bride. He had no fear, she lived in Hell itself. And her name was Akira.

But his thoughts would be cut short. Was she telling the truth? Was it a hoax? Perhaps she was testing him. Maybe she wanted to see how much he could endure of this painful world. He could not show his weakness, not now, not ever. She was a mortal, and he was a monster. He would prove that his species was superior. He was not going to be bested by sand . . . flowing, messy sand. . . hot. . . sand . . .

"Yes." Kaseki would say, his feet sliding before him. He would take his weapon in hand as he got up. "Perhaps somewhere to discuss matters of this world." He stood tall, smiling. But of course, his expression would be hidden under movements of bandages. No one would know what he was feeling, if he felt at all. But we know what he was thinking.

Kaseki really hated sand.

It had been a few moments now. Akira had begun to wonder just what could be so hard about two questions that were basically the same. It was only a yes or a no. She wasn't exactly sure what went on inside that head of his, then again she didn't really think she wanted to know. It was so odd being around Kaseki.

After the few moments of silence had passed, Kaseki would speak. He seemed to be rather eager to get out of the heat, considering how quickly he would stand. Akira would nod and smile, "This way." She had the perfect place in mind.

Akira would lead the way to a small shop that sold quite the menu of food and beverages. It was most famous for having a variety of teas, which was very humorous considering the heat. The Demon found this her favorite place since it was normally empty during the day. Although the place was empty as Akira had thought, the owner's daughter would motion to the back room, which was Akira's normal spot.

"Would you like the usual tea, ma'am?" The young girl would ask with a smile. For a moment, Akira would have to think about it. Her face would show an expression of confusion before she would sigh. "No, thank you. I'll take water. Also, this is a very important guest. Treat him better than you'd treat even me, alright?" Akira would say as she stared at the girl. "You can have whatever you'd like," Akira would say to Kaseki with a smile before moving to the back room.

Kaseki would follow in behind her, finding little amusement in the little things in life. "Anything I would like?" he would think to himself. "Hysterical." He nodded his head as he looked around for a menu, or pictures or something.

"May I have water? Or Tea? Or chicken broth. Actually no, do you have soup? Just soup, like without things in it. Just soup. May I have soup?" He followed in, a bit confused at what he just did, only to take a seat silently at one of the seats in the back room. Sand was weird. Could a tree grow in sand? No, there was no foundation in sand. Sand flows like water, and thus cannot be fully contained. Did that mean Akira was a wild person? ". . . Does that make her more crazy than Neo?" he thought to himself. It was a nightmarish though to think about. Was it even possible?

Akira would listen to Kaseki order and she had to say it was quite amusing. He seemed rather indecisive, which she could see coming from him but not quite. Although he couldn't chose, his choices were quite interesting.

After Kaseki spoke, he followed to the back room and took his seat. Akira would sit simply staring at the carvings marked into the table. She didn't exactly know what they were but they had been there since before her time in power. They were pleasing to look at and held a mystery. Mysteries were always the most intriguing to the woman. She seemed to have to solve a new one everyday.

After a moment of silence, the young woman would enter with the glass of water and the soup. As Kaseki had asked, the soup had nothing in it. It was simply... soup, which pleased Akira for the moment being. The young woman would then smile and turn away quickly exiting the room.

"She won't come back in unless I call for her. She's quite the introvert. She's very afraid of messing up. It's really quite adorable. Even though she is quite shy, she seems to know quite a bit about who she is and what her purpose is. That's more than I could say for myself..."

Kaseki would nod at Akira's words as he reached out to his bowl of soup. He would continue to hold his sword in his left hand, and his right would find its way into the bowl of soup. His hand seemed to hover above it, but his fingers pierced the surface.

"That's not at all rare," Kaseki would say. "Normally people try to go off what they do know about themselves first. They start with dislikes, and go into fears or phobias of some kind." he spoke, his body absorbing some of the liquid in the bowl. As a plant, he had roots. It's only that not many expected the roots to be in his hands, and so so much his feet. But who was to say, no one really wanted to see Kaseki drench his feet in liquids.

"For the longest time, I could not remember my mortal self. I remember going off the few things I knew were true to me. I grew up with spirits, I was a frail human, and I always had a natural affinity with fire and water." He sighed, "To this day I do not know names of where I was born, my parents names, or what the place I grew up in looked like. I only know that I grew up in a remote village of some kind, and my magic was used more as my own personal medicine. Something prized among my people, to which I left, and soon became who I am today." His eyes darted over towards Akira, his head without change, "Do you remember your family?"

Akira would sip her water, as Kaseki reached out to place his fingers in his soup. Purple eyes would soon lower to meet the sight. What was he doing? Why would he do that? Was it not to his liking? Was he testing something? Purple eyes would drift up to look at Kaseki's facial area as he spoke. Akira would look down at the table with a saddened expression and begin to trace the carvings with her right pointer finger. Then, she would freeze, "phobia..." she would whisper a moment after Kaseki had said it.

[Flashback]
Everything was blurry. Muffled screams filled the air. The muffled sounds of crunching and slicing could be heard. The outline of a man and a red splash flashed into her face. Then, she turned. Blue eyes stared at her through darkness. They were.... Crystal blue. Beautiful Blue... but... they were sad? Why?

[Reality]
Akira sat still eyes staying at the table seemingly lost. It was easy to tell she wasn't in the room anymore. It was easy to tell her mind had been focused on something else but only for a short time. A matter of seconds before Kaseki spoke again. Purple eyes darted to his face a bit startled to hear his voice. 'phobia...' Akira would think as she stared at him. She listened to his story. She listened to his past. She listened to him and understood. His story was sad but weren't they all? At some point, in every story there is a piece of sadness. Some just end up better than others.

Kaseki's last question hadn't really caught much of Akira's attention. Did she remember her family? "Of course, my mother and father despised me. They thought I was a monster. Treated me as if I was. That's it. That's all I had," purple eyes had once again moved to look at the table as she spoke. Her expressions only showing more sadness and confusion. Her mind replayed the one word, 'phobia.'

Kaseki scoffed at the comment. "Sometimes I wonder if it would be different if I could remember my parents." He said, with a bit of laughter. His fingers stayed in the bowl, his hand lowering to be the same depth with the depleting liquid. "I remember when Death Himself adopted me. I was so lost. I was in an emotional hysteria, I didn't know who I was, but I knew I should have feared him. But oddly, I was filled with joy." He smiled, "Not everyone's roads are paved, not all are well lit, but eventually paths that cross once, will cross again." He looked at his hand, the soup now half gone, his fingers still piercing the surface. "Maybe I will meet them again one day. Maybe it will be for the best, or for the worse. But, I would at least like to know who I used to be."

Soon, his fingers would press against the bottom of the bowl, the soup gone, vanished. As a plant, he fed of nutrients in liquids and the soil around him. As a breathing organism, he had many ways to take his meal and get the required amount to live. He didn't need food, he didn't need many of the things he had. He chose his meals and company carefully. He wanted to be reminded that he once was something like them long ago, but even so, he is lightyears away from normality.

As Kaseki wished he could remember his parents, Akira wished she could forget them. They were nothing to her. They would have killed her if they had the chance. They would have killed her but they couldn't. Why? Akira didn't know but they couldn't. Of course, that didn't mean they couldn't beat her or scar her. Emotionally she was shut down. Physically she was in pain and agony. Mentally she blamed herself. She blamed who she was. She blamed what she was. At that time, she believed those were the same. Of course, she was wrong.

Kaseki continued talking. Akira continued staring at the table. Her mind playing the word over, 'phobia... phobia... phobia...' Why did a simplified such as that one make such an impact on her? She didn't know what it meant but based upon clues it had something to do with fear. Was she afraid of something? Did those pictures show her phobias? Did the word trigger a sort of fearful emotion?

Kaseki spoke more. Speaking more of his past. It was still quite sad. Akira had just begun to listen again when Kaseki said the word "hysteria."

[Flashback]
"Hysteria. Hysteria. Hysteria...." the voices rang through her head. There were so many. They all spoke the same word. At first, they were kind and gentle. They sounded so friendly and full of trust. They sounded faithful and kind. Then, they grew more fearful. "Queen Hysteria! Hysteria, Stop! Please! Please!" What was happening?! The blurry scene played once more. It was full of pain and sadness. "Hysteria, Love..." A voice would say very softly, barely audible. Then, the red splash. What? What happened? Again, Blue eyes flashed out of pitch darkness. They were sad. Was it them? Did they do it? "How could you?! Hysteria! Traitor! Death! Death to Hysteria! Death to the Queen!" The voices were angry. There was no more picture. Everything faded out.

[Reality]
Purple eyes began to fill with tears. "Hysteria... that's a person isn't it? It has to be. They called her Queen right? Who is she? Do I know her? What did she do?" Akira would whisper and look up to Kaseki. Honestly, some of his story she hadn't really heard. Some of his story was just a bunch of muffled words as she had seen the pictures in her head and heard the voices. Akira hoped he could give her answers. She hoped she could find something. The pictures... they were blurry but they seemed so real. The voices... she had heard some of them before. Where were they? Who were they? Did she know them? Hysteria... who was she?

"Worry not." Kaseki would speak, the bowl pushed aside, and his body sat just a bit closer. His hand would rest on her shoulder as her words seemed to drip out of her mouth, confused, lost, and attached to nothing.

He pieced together what few things she said. Her parents wanted her for dead, and probably left her for dead. If Sunagakure was her hope, so happy, so sandy and desolate, then this what not her home. She too, was a portal jumper. With no memories of who she was, why did she remember a queen? Kaseki knew. Kaseki knew nothing about her, yet knew everything.

"People used to tell me I could never do evil." the hooded man spoke, "Then I met myself from the future. It wasn't until I bested him, that I learned of the genocide, the murders, the chaos. From then on, I swore to only do things to better the world, and not myself." He looked at her face, the tears that seemed to fall down her pale skin, "White is a color that reflects everything around it. Black is a color that absorbs all of the light around it. Sometimes, it's not the lights that shine bright, but the very shadows we cast." He looked into he eyes, hoping she would understand. "In Pandora, no one faces their troubles alone."

Akira stared at Kaseki as he spoke. She listened to his words and was somewhat surprised by them. The demon had never realized how wise he was nor how kind hearted he could be. Then again, she didn't really know much about him other than the fact that he was odd, he ruled this world, and he knew Neo. Even still, she was glad he was here in this moment. Her mind in a state of confusion began to have many questions that she needed a second opinion on.

It seemed the purple eyed woman had felt a strange connection to the pictures and voices in her head. They felt very close to her heart but so far away. They felt very familiar to her mind but very foreign as well. She couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be looking through the eyes of another when they happened. She wasn't herself but she felt comfortable in that person. She could feel pieces of emotion. Anger, Sadness, Failure, and Depression were all there but none of them stood out more than the other. There was one that stood out over all of them... Fear. The fear was overwhelming but why? What was she afraid of? How did Akira feel all these things? Why did she feel so attached? Could she have been... No, she had lived in Sunagakure her whole life. How would that be possible? Then again, her whole village had been transported to this world somehow.

Akira would blink once as she looked at Kaseki her mind looking for words to say. Then, she would speak, "What if... This Queen I was talking about... was... let's say.. me? What if I did those bad things? What if I killed those people? What if I didn't know it? What if something happened to me and instead I'm here? Is that even possible? I mean.. I don't know. What would you do in a situation like that?" Purple eyes looked at Kaseki for some kind of answer. She didn't know if what she was saying was utter nonsense or not. However, it was better to ask than to dwell over it for such a long time. If nobody else, Kaseki should know what to say right?

"Hm," Kaseki begun to think to himself, bringing his right hand to his chin. His fingers still wet would drip a bit, discoloring the fabric on his face as he pondered the choices and paths one could take.

"People don't change." Kaseki would say after a few moments, "We learn to wear masks to protect ourselves from the world around us. I'm sure, if you were this murderous queen, that you did it for all of the right reasons. You did it to survive. After all, you can't expect a mouse to allow itself to die when backed into a corner. Even the kindest people have breaking points." He smiled, parts of the bandages unraveling, showing the jagged fangs of the man, all unknown to he, himself. "All parents love their children, Akira." He said, "You may think your parents saw you as a monster, but I'm sure deep down they loved you." He gave a slight chuckle, "That's why they call you Mother, no?" He smiled, the fangs of a true beast revealed.

But in the back of his head, the same through hung at the tip of his tongue. He could not shake it. "Sand. . . . I hate sand."

Akira would stare at the carvings in the table before her. Kaseki's words were kind and almost seemed rather innocent in a way. Akira just couldn't seem to accept them. People did change. She knew so. Sure, what he was saying seemed logical and right. However, it didn't seem to be telling case here. Akira couldn't tell what made he feel this way or why. She just didnt feel it was right. Maybe, this kindness was her mask. Maybe if she was this murderous queen, then that was her true identity. Maybe, Kaseki had it backwards.

What Kasekis said next would have Akira believing 100% that even the most wise had at least a small bit of innocence. He believed deep down all parents loved their children... WRONG! Her parents never loved her. They didn't love her one bit. They never cared for her. Did he just tell himself that out of hope? Did he tell himself that for comfort? Maybe Kasekis was blessed with loving parents. Maybe Kaseki was blessed with people that loved him and cared. Maybe...

Despite her negative feelings towards Kaseki's words, Akira would look up to him and smile, "Thank You, Kaseki." Oddly enough, she hadn't noticed his fangs. She hadn't thought different of them. They seemed normal to her. Then again, why would anything not seem normal?

"You're very welcome Akira." Kaseki would say, "But it is I who should be thanking you." He smiled, his eyes disappearing behind folds of metal. He would hold up his hand, "In other worlds, this single hand has killed, enslaved, and murdered millions upon millions of people. In this world, it only holds the hands of children who need a parent to guide them. In a past world, in a future time, I am a killer, a murderer. But here, here I make my own destiny. Here I am kind. Here I love. And here, I have made a friend." he continued to smile, setting his hand upon the table. He would begun to laugh, a bit unnerving, but  more out of nervousness.

Everything he said was true. He was innocent, he knew it so. He put on the masks of beasts, monsters, demons to protect not himself, but his dream. He didn't know why he helped people, but someone did. Someone knew why he was so kind.

Kaseki wanted to make a family. He wanted the childhood he never had.