Post by Fieryfly on Mar 26, 2014 20:47:21 GMT
The Start of a New Purpose
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A week after Soru's Capture
Beginning of the Timeskip
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With the Great Help of Fox
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A week after Soru's Capture
Beginning of the Timeskip
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With the Great Help of Fox
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He was soaked. Soaked to the bone. Soaked and cold, but it did not matter. He was dirty too. Mud had creeped into his clothes together with the water. That's what you got from lying on the ground. He knew that, but it did not matter. The icy rain was hurting his eyes everytime a drop hit his eyelits directly. The drops ran from his nose, over his cheeks and past his chin. His skin had been numb from the cold for a while now. It did not matter. He could barely move his hands and it had long since become impossible for him to feel his toes. His headband felt even colder against his skin, the metal was like ice.
But it didn't fucking matter.
Nobody cared anyway, that included himself. Nobody would care if he would lay here in the cold, in the rain, in the mud. Nobody would come and he didn't want anybody to come. That was why he had come to this abandoned field after all. To be away from everything. From the people and the talking and the happiness that everyone for some reason was feeling. Screw happiness. What did that buy you anyway? Absolutely nothing.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he did register that he was hungry and that he was shivering. But what did it matter? Everything was just so useless. Everything was so nothing. Everything was stupid. Everything was gone.
He had taken it all away.
His father had always been a object of hatred for Sho, everyone knew that. It wasn't hard to figure out. But especially his father had always seemed to encourage this hatred. He had never attempted to stop fueling the rage that burning deep in Sho's soul. Rage. It was the only thing Sho knew and the only thing he trusted. Soru had always been toying with it. With the rage and with him. His thought shot back to a meeting they had a long long time ago it seemed.
Abduction, Drugs and Torture.
Deshuga Family Bonding.
Sho was out on the street. Not because he had overly much to do, but more because he felt like being out on the street. Being home was frustrating and even though everything had seemingly gone back to normal, he still didn't like it there. So he spend his time in the rain. He had gotten a jacket somewhere, it was too big and broad for him, but it kept him dry and didn't smell that nasty at all. He sneezed when a couple of raindrops landed right on his nose and walked on. There was no-one around in the streets that he knew. When he passed some street he saw a couple of familiar faces but decided not to engage. Today he just wanted to be alone or something sentimental like that. He hated being sentimental like that, but seriously the world sucked and was extremely boring.
The man in the azure coat stood at the corner of a street, leading into an alleyway. His arms were crossed, and he was leaning against the wall. One could barely see him because of the rain, making it hard to figure out his detailed featues. However, the man was focused. He had his eyes peeled on something. His eyes showed that the man had a smirk on his face. As the red-haired genin would walk past him, clearly the genins mind were someplace else, as he didn't notice the Jounin.
Untill he grabbed him by the collar of his oversized jacket and pulled him into the alleyway, that is. Soru held his hand against the mouth of Sho, and signaled with his finger for the younger one to be quiet. "You shut the fuck up. Middle of a mission. You are now, too." Soru told the younger one, whom he knew wouldn't be too excited to be dragged into missions. Naturally, Soru didn't give a shit.
What th- Before Sho could even finish that thought he was dragged away by the figure he could stand the least. If it had been that asshole fri- enemy of him then it would be fine. But this was, of course, his fucking dad. He squirmed in his grip, trying to get free, not at all happy with the fact that there was a hand on his mouth. He tried to yell against it, but found out that that was pretty much impossible. So he proceeded with shooting angry glances at his dad. Giving up on that too, he proceeded with trying to kick Soru against his knee caps, hoping that the man might move away.
As Sho kicked at Soru's knees, the Jounin let out a sigh of disappointment. Letting go of his grip of the boy, he lowered his hands. Only to reach back up at Sho, grabbing him by the right arm, and holding the arm behind the boy's back, pushing the boy into the wall they were facing. "Quite done with fucking around yet, kiddo? We have work to do." Soru asked, twisting Sho's arm some more.
"Fu- Ouch!" Sho's cusswords were cut of by the sharp pain in his arm. Angry he stared at the wall, his toes curling in his shoes. Well this was just a wonderful day. Though, in the back of his mind he had to admit that going on a mission was pretty cool and the fact that Soru actually wanted him on that mission was also in some way okay. But he would never admit that to himself. "Fine! What do you want?" Sho snapped.
Soru smirked. "Done with the dick-measuring contest, are we now? Like I said. We have a job to do. So behave and follow orders." Soru said as he let go of the boy, and then walked back to the corner of the street, moving his hand as to signal for Sho to follow him. Soru leaned againt the wall again. "See the man in the black robe, silver sideburns in his hair, cane in his right hand, currently buying fruit from the stand?"
"He's got connection to the Mob. Some of them are remnants for the whole anti-shinobi dickfest. Anyway. The mob are doing bad shit. Shaking people down, cutting hand and eyes out. Personally, I think they're a fuckng party-crowd. Regardless. Our mission is to follow the man, and find out what he knows about a shinobi of ours that's gone missing in action." Soru informed the other Deshuga.
Sho snorted but kept his mouth shut. Following his father out of the alley he laid his eyes on the target and studied him. He didn't look like much. Couldn't he just beat that guy up and be done with it? He didn't feel like spending more time then necessary with the man next to him. "Sure, whatever. What the fuck do you need me for?" Sho asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets while he kept staring at the guy. "Can't handle something this simple on your own?"
Soru scoffed. It did amuse him that his son had the balls to be cocky to him, despite knowing full well that he could, and probably might snap the boys neck for doing so. "It's not about what I need you for. You're slowing me down as it is. Now shut the fuck up and focus. He's on the move." Soru said, as the man began walking. "Get up on the roof and follow him. Speak into the communicator if you see something from up there." Soru told the boy, as he handed him a ear-piece, Soru put one on his own ear, as he walked into the streets, blending into the mass of people.
Again Sho had to resist the urge to attack the man again, but it would probably not work. He hated the fact that he knew that his attacks would not work. So he snatched the earpiece out of Soru's hand and put it in his ear before jumping up and disappearing out of the other Deshuga's sight. Maybe he should just run away now, he thought, but decided against it. It actually felt pretty good to be doing something that he was trained for again. On the roof it was quiet and quietness was nice sometimes. "On the roof, he is moving west." Was the short sentence he spoke. He was pretty sure that Soru didn't want to talk much so he wouldn't talk either. He would just do it and get it over with.
Soru pushed through the crowd, not forcefully enough to attarct attention, but still moving quickly up to the target, Sho spoke in his ear. "Roger." Soru just said. Catching up with the guy walking with a cane, just outside of a place the Anti-Shinobi activists had been using as a storeage space. Being pretty large. "Come down." Soru told Sho, just as he walked up next to the target. With a sweep of his leg, he swept the cane out from under the man, making it look like the man fell, Soru caught him and pressed his thumb into the man's neck, knocking the man unconcious. Soru carried the man on his shoulder into the former storeage room.
Soru waited for Sho to jump down and approach them before he'd walk into the warehouse with the man. Soru' put the man down on the floor, where he'd tie up his arms and his legs.
When Sho would get into the warehouse, Soru' toss him a full-face black mask. " We can't just beat him up like he's some kind of cheap prostitue. He knows how to handle that. We have to scare him." Soru explained to Sho. The jounin opened a pouch on the inside of his coat, where he get out a syrine, and a scroll.
He handed the syringe to Sho. " Needle an inch deep into his jugular vein in the throat. Empty the syringe in one soft push. Think you can handle that?" Soru ordered Sho.
Do this, do that, follow me, go there, Sho didn't like all those orders. But a ninja had to follow orders of superiors, that was the rule he had learned. During a mission he had to follow them at least, and this had suddenly become one. Sho caught the mask Soru threw to his face and looked at it. "Scare him? Just show him your fucking face," Sho mumbled, but he put the thing on never the less. It felt weird against his skin. "Guy is probably a wimp and will run away screaming at your sight." But then his words stopped when Soru handed him a syrine. He stared at it in his hands and back to Soru and then to the man. He probably couldn't but... "I can handle whatever you throw at me." he said scoffing and took a step towards the man. Without giving himself time to reconsider he placed his hand on the man's neck and plunged the syringe into his skin, pushing the thing to empty it. Then he shot a deadly glance back to Soru. "Happy now?"
Soru scoffed, he figured there was a 40/60 chance that the kid would try to use the syringe on Soru, and not on the target. But everything went smoothly. Sho gave the dose to the guy.
Sho looked at Soru, and Soru scoffed. "You can't even imagine the things that would make me happy. Now get over here. I have something to show you." Soru said, opening up the scroll he carried with him.
"I don't want to know..." Sho snapped right back. "And what was this whole thing for? What is going to happen to this guy?" Maybe he should have tried to attack Soru with that thing after all. Probably better use of it then sticking it in that guy. Hesitant and on guard Sho took some steps towards Soru. Most of the time these meetings would end with him on the ground, and that was so not going to happen this time. "Show me what?" He asked.
Soru scoffed. "You're on a need to know basis. And you don't need to know what happens to that man, kiddo." Soru stated, as he opened up the scroll.
" I'm gonna teach you something. A rather powerful technique. You ever hard of the term 'Waterboarding'? This, well, this is waterboarding jacked up on fucking crack " Soru told the boy.
" I'm gonna teach you the water prison jutsu. And you're gonna use it on that man." Soru told him.
Soru was teaching him a jutsu. He was actually doing his job as a teacher. That was, to say the least, a bit surprising. Sho thought about this. He had heard about the waterprison technique before and it had seemed pretty interesting and useful. Maybe then he could finally get what he wanted. "Where do I start? And why the fuck did you start teaching me that now?"
"You start by shutting the fuck up and do as you're told." Soru shouted at the boy. He got out a lighter from his pocket. and with it a piece paper attached to a kunai.
He lit the paper on fire, and threw the kunai up into the roof, right to the sprinkler system, so the sprinklers would start pouring water all over the floor, to allow for the technique to function. The water poured down, and the man was beginning to come to, the drug would've started working now. " Prepare for the technique. Make sure you have plenty of water. Then you focus. Bind your chakra. Focus it out into your hands. Once you've got that covered, you weave the handseals. And there sure as shit are a lot of them." Soru said, not telling the boy which seals to use, but he instead choose to show him. Making the seals way slower than Soru would've done in an actual fight, the Jounin still wouldn't have been surprised if the genin couldn't keep up.
The seals were weaved, and as Soru clabbed his hands together, and pushed his left arm forward, a sphere of water sorrounded the area infront of Soru. Soru let go of the jutsu, and turned to Sho, the water falling to the ground wih a loud splash that woke the prisoner out.
"Use it on him so we can get fucking done."
Angry Sho shut his mouth, but not for long. He got the first part of the technique, it was just like the basics for the other water jutsu. Focussing, binding chakra, he could do that. It was what he did when using the Gunshot or Wild Water Wave techniques. He took a breath and then Soru flashed him the seals way to fast for him to keep up with the first time. "You can't expect me to fucking get that." Sho snapped at his dad, lowering his hands. "Show me again, or just do the whole freaking thing yourself if you are so impatient."
"Oh. What's that? Too fucking slow to get it? I did at at a quarter of the regular speed. You'd be dead if this would've been a battlefield. Focus. I didn't expect you to follow the signs. I expected you to use your brain and look at the fuckin' details of what I did, you fucking halfwit." " Soru told him, as he kicked the scroll to Sho's feet, on the scroll the exact sequence for using the technique was written down.
" Whenever you're ready Princess."
"Don't call me that!" Sho spat before dropping his eyes to the scroll. Agitated he formed the seals once to get the feel of them. Why were there so freaking many to form this thing? Shouldn't be that hard to create a ball of water. He took a deep breath and focused. Soru might see this as a battlefield or something weird like that, but this was a new technique, he need some concentration. Though concentrating with someone watching you was freaking annoying. Focusing, binding chakra. There was water on the ground he could use. He pushed the chakra to his hands and formed the seals before clapping his hands together like Soru had done. Then he trusted his left hand forward. The water on the ground did some attempts to move and then decided that staying on the ground was a better idea. Sho cursed. Now his dad would no doubt make a comment about him failing, which would not help to calm him or anything. He had to get it right.
Soru scoffed as Sho made the water move. "That's your best, kiddo? Guess I'll have to do it myself." Soru taunted him.
Sho pressed his lips together. Now that it came to it, he rather wanted to do it. Some kind of, impressing his father, or something like that. He didn't know, he didn't care. He just didn't want Soru to taunt him. "Shut the fuck up." He mumbled, but forced his eyes away from the man and to the water. Concentrate, chakra, seals. He clapped his hands again and the water came up and stayed up for a second before it was way to tired and fell back down, drenching the left arm of his coat. "Fuck this shit." Sho snapped at the liquid before doing it again.
After a couple of times of trusting his hand forwards he finally managed to get the water to stay there. He was breathing just that tiny bit harder, but never the less he allowed himself a glance to Soru. He figured this was about right.
" Great. You got it, mostly. It only took decade and a half. Now stop slacking and get to working." Soru ordered Sho, nodding at the man on the floor whom was now coming too, shaking from the effects of the drug, and the cold water.
"Fuck off.." He got it, and pretty fast to. Soru could just fuck off and do whatever. He dropped the technique and walked past Soru towards the man. He took a deep breath and formed the seals, thrusting his arm towards Soru, attempting to form the water prison around his father.
Soru scoffed as Sho turned around, to be met by the clapping of Soru's own hands, Soru's hand in his face, and the water encasing the boy. " Like I fucking said. Dead. " Soru told the kid whom would be captured in the water. Soru raised his left hand, as lightning shot from it.
" You know what happens if you put electricity into water? It gets magnified ten times, at least. I could fry you right now. Watch as the water inside of our body would boil up, your skin would charr, your eyes would burn out. All while you'd feel the worst possible pain imaginable."
"Long story short. You. Ain't. Shit." Soru told him, as the water collapsed around the boy. Soru kicked the boy in the ribs, towards the man. " Now fucking do your job." He said, his voice was cold and harsher than before.
For a moment, there captured in that water, Sho really thought that Soru was going to fry him alive. Soru had had a lot of chances to kill him before, but they had never seemed so... close as now. As the water collapsed around him, Sho fell with it to the ground and coughed his lungs out only to be met by a kick in the ribs. He rolled over and flipped up, forcing himself to keep standing straight even though he felt like bowing forward to spare his ribs. He spat some water on the ground and stomped over towards the man. He was so angry that it took him two tries to get the water prison up around the man. He looked at his features through the shimmering over the water and then back to Soru. "Done." He snapped.
" Fan-Fucking-Tastic. Now we can get some actual work done. " Soru said, as he walked over to the man in the cage, whom was currently struggling to breath. " Yeah.. Doesn't feel so good. Does it? I've heard that drowning is the worst way to go. Since your brain doesn't stop functioning until your body's been dead for more than 30 minutes. A lot of pain. Of course, I bet that the nerve-enhancing drug you've been injected with isn't helping, is it now. I'll cut you a deal, cocksucker. " Soru said.
" You tell me all about your bosses business, and I'll kill you quickly. Just snap your neck. You won't feel a thing. Else, well. We're gonna keep doing this." Soru said, as he poked his finger into the water, sending a small dose of electricity into the water, making the man spasm or a second as he cried out in pain.
Being fried alive really didn't look pleasant and Sho watched both with distaste and with interest to the spasming man. His first reaction to the lightning had been pulling his hand back, but apparantly the electricity didn't affect him. He wasn't sure how that worked but he was glad. Because if he had been hit he would have dropped the technique immediately. "How can he answer when he is submerged in water?" Sho asked, partly because he felt his control slightly weakening.
Soru scoffed. " Yes. How could he? " As he'd move around the bubble a little. He'd scratch his chin. And then poke more electricity into the bubble. " Well. Shit, I don't know how he could talk if he'd be submerged in water. " Soru said, his tone lighter than usual, almost as if he was joking. " Guess I got a little too excited with this whole electrcity thing. " Soru said as he poked more elctricity into the bubble, the man still spasmin and letting out muffled screams for help.
Soru glared at Sho, his eyes clearly saying that Sho should let go of the technique.
Sho didn't like this happy sounding version of Soru. He disliked it even more then his normal way. It gave him the idea that Soru was laughing at him. Loud and hard and not nice. Never the less he dropped his arm and the water fell with him. He answered Soru's glare but said nothing.
The man crawled to his knees. Vomiting water. "You fucking psychopath!" The man shouted at Soru, vomiting up water and blood. " Was it the fucking noodles that got you all riled up, buddy? " Soru taunted him, as he kicked him in the ribs, making the man roll over on his back. Panting.
" Hey. Dickwaffle. You decide if you wanna go back into the pond for another swimming tour. Or if you wanna talk. " Soru asked the man. He man stuttered as he spoke. "F-Fine.. Just.. Just please kill me." He said, as Soru dragged him off a few meters away, pressed him up against the wall, as the man spoke in a low-key to Soru, whom smiled, and finally drew the kunai and stabbed it into th man's chest, killing him.
" Well. Bleeding out to death isn't so painless, after all. Guess I lied. " Soru said as he walked away, towards the door. He'd make sure Sho followed him, and as they'd walk out of the building, Soru looked over at the genin.
" Good job, son. " He then walked off into the crowd of people where he vanished, blending into the crowd. " Bastard got the technique done in half an hour.. Took me a day and a half to learn it at his age.. Hah.. " He mumbled to himself.
Sho followed his father, fully intending to ask him about the man, but before he could do so Soru actually managed to make him halt. "Good job, son." Sho almost felt like staring with an open mouth to the guy that was disappearing in the crowd, but he didn't because he had to keep some of his dignity. He had never heard Soru call him son before. Deep somewhere it felt really nice. "Wait the fuck... Wait! You didn't fucking tell me anything. You can't just go and pick me up when you want to and-" Sho tried to locate the man in the crowd, but Soru was long gone. "Fuck you!"
Sho's hand came up and crashed into the ground next to him. Mud spat up and splattered on his face. He hated his dad. How could he say that?! Good work son?! "Don't make me fucking laugh." Sho muttered through his teeth. His lips were frozen too and it made talking difficult, but he forced the words out. His fingers clawed in the ground. It was what Soru always did, screwing with his mind. He would pull Sho up and then make him crash down violently.
But now... Now everything was lost.
It had been a week since Soru had been taken prisoner. It had been pretty clear that the man would never get out of prison again. That had been the day that everything was lost and Sho knew so, so sure that it was Soru's fault. It was all about denying him everything. Denying him that one right. That one fight.
His fist crashed down in the mud again. With Soru in prison Sho could never reach him, he could never battle him, he could never get any revenge on the guy. Oh, Sho could just see his father now sitting in his cell, laughing at his miserable pathetic son that would now never achieve what he had lived for since he was born.
To kill Soru.
He hadn't been home for 2 days now. What was the purpose? There was no reason to do anything anymore. He could never furfil his goal, never reach what he had sought. There was nothing left. His hands lay motionless in the mud now. The rain was beating against his body. The coldness was gone. There was just numbness now.
Ryoku was sitting on a branch overlooking the field where Sho was laying on the ground for a long time now. He was wondering what his thoughts were - the man who turned his life into living hell was now gone, locked up, most likely never be free again. Ryoku was wondering it it was really worth it for him now, that he was locked up away - he knew Soru would never feel remorse or regret for the things he had done in his past. And that made him bother - not because of the old man himself, but because of his only son.
With a deep sigh, Ryoku stood up and leaped down to the field, landing with a splash to signalize his arrival. Since his return from the march, the weather was constantly changing - pretty much as the mood in his village. Taking a few more steps towards the boy laying on the mud, he looked up to the sky." I like taking walks during rainy weather. It soothes my mind and calms down my often raging thoughts. But you, my young friend ... this is a whole new level of doing it. What ails you, Sho ?"
Sho didn't even bother to look at the man. He had heard him coming, his footsteps rang loud over the field as the mud would cling onto his shoes. "Go away." The boy said. His tone was just as cold as his skin was at the moment. He didn't want to talk to Ryoku. He didn't want any pity from the man. He didn't want the man to be around. He didn't want anything. "Go. Away." He repeated with his eyes turned away from the man.
Ryoku was ignoring the words. He even walked closer to Sho, bent on helping the boy with solving whatever ailed him." Maybe you should address those words to your feelings, Sho. Or listen to you body, addressing you the very same words. Your state has something to do with the arrest of your father. Of that I am sure. Now, do you care to tell me how exactly ? There might be a way to do something about it."
Sho's hand clenched into a fist. His eyes shifted towards the new Amekage. "Fuck off." What did Ryoku know anyway? He had no clue about anything. He would only offer words of pity, or encouragement. Sho didn't need those. "I don't need your help. Or your pity. Or whatever else you want to offer me because you feel sorry. Leave me alone. Everything is over."
Ryoku took another deep breath that he let out with a sigh. So it was indeed Soru´s fault. Even locked away and about to be sentenced for his crimes, he was still making the boy´s life a living hell. He walked even closer to Sho, standing on his guard." You know I can´t do what you asked of me Sho. But I believe you are now being a bit self centered - though, I can´t blame you. I have no idea what really happened between you and Soru, but you are right - it is, indeed, over. I am doing all in my power to prevent such a disaster again. Accept my apologies for being late when it came to you."
Ryoku took the last few steps and knelt down next to Sho." But it is not over for you - unless you accept it. Just look at your village - it did not gave up, no matter the hardships. Your father is a detestable man, and he will get what he deserves. But by being catatonic, by getting lost in nothingness, you will achieve nothing. Tell me, why do you feel that everything is over for you, Sho. And we might be able to give you a new beginning.
Rage. It was burning inside Sho and boiled over when Ryoku spoke. The boy shot up, both his hands still clenched in fists and tried in one fluid move to plant one of those fists straight in Ryoku's face. He didn't want the man's pity. He didn't want the apologies. Ryoku didn't get it, he didn't understand anything. New beginnings? Yeah right, not for him. For him it was just the end.
Ryoku saw what was coming for his face, but he did not move. The boy´s fist hit him straight to his face, but he just accepted it. Stumbling a step or two back, he was again looking at Sho." This is your father´s legacy to you, Sho. Anger, hatred, rage ... but those things lead to an inevitable desire for revenge. And revenge only leads to emptiness. Something worse then being dead. If you feel like beating it out on me might help you in any way, I won´t stop you. But I want you to think about every single hit you´ll land, Sho. Search your feelings when you try to hit me."
"I DON'T CARE!" Sho yelled. "I don't care about... anything that you say... I don't.." He stood before Ryoku now. His limbs were stifff from the cold, but he willed them to move. They had to move, they had to fend away this man. This man who was nice. It was something Sho could not comprehent. What was someone to do with 'nice'? He raised his arm again and send other punch to Ryoku. And other one. He knew he hit and in someway it felt good to hit. But there was something missing.
Ryoku let the first blow hit but blocked the second, holding his fist in his palm." You know, Sho ... when top class shinobi exchange blows, it is believed they can read each other´s thoughts. Tell me ... can you read my thoughts? Can you see what is inside of me ? Your attacks don´t lack strength or ferocity. They don´t lack the intent to hurt, to kill me. But they lack purpose, Sho."
Sho's head hung down as he stood before the man, his fist caught, his other arm hanging next to his body. His breath was quivering. "I.. I know that! It is because you took my purpose away!" His other hand came up to hit Ryoku, but didn't even reach him properly. It bumped against Ryoku's side and fell down again. "There is no purpose now. There is... I'm..." He didn't even know what to say. It was silent for a moment. "I am so useless." He finally uttered as something dripped down his cheeks onto the ground.
Ryoku easily deflected the last blow, and then the confession dropped from Sho." Useless in the eyes of your father. A man who paid the price. He is locked up ... and now, I understand what you mean by taking your purpose away. You wanted to avenge the life filled with anger and hatred your father forced you into. Now, you feel that you can´t find your place. Now that you can´t exact your revenge on him. That´s what your blows are telling me, Sho."
"I wanted to kill him." Sho said. His head still faced the ground. His tone was dark. "I needed to kill him. I was going to kill him. That was only... That was the only thing there was. I don't care what my blows are telling you. It is all your fault. You took it away from me. You, with your nice words and fancy talk... What can you get from that?" His shoulders shook. "You never get anything from that. Ever."
" No, that´s right. But look at our village - it was not liberated by my words. It was liberated by actions. My actions, the actions of everybody who fought beside me. Action is spurred by words. Words are born from thoughts. Pausing for a brief moment, he was contemplating is next words." Thoughts are born from what is inside of us, Sho. They shape us, they shape our paths. You are bent on revenge. But have you ever thought about other things? Imagine this - you can be something your father did not want you to become. Now, he´s gone. He can´t stop you. There are alternatives to revenge, Sho. Ones not ending with such tragic ways. Think about it."
Ryoku's words hit things that Sho didn't want to bring up. Because if he didn't think about revenge or his dad then what should he think about? How his mother never looked at him? How he had basically no friends? How he would walk alone on the streets? No. It had been so easy to use Soru as that shield. A shield to keep the rest away from him. But now that shield was gone and Sho felt so naked. Naked and cold. He suddenly realized that he was freezing. "There is nothing else." He said with slightly chattering teeth now. "Nothing else for me..."
" There are, you just don´t want to see them, Sho. There is always something for any of us. You are filled with hatred and anger. Nobody can blame you. But, you can do something about it - it is in your power. And it is something that will ... that will hit your father worse than any kind of revenge, Sho. Think about it !"
Sho pulled away from Ryoku and stepped back. His eyes were red. "You don't know anything about me." His eyes had something defiant. "You don't know how I live or what I do." His voice faltered. He suddenly felt very small and pulled his shoulders up as if that would protect him from the cold and the things that were thrown at him. Ryoku's words sounded so nice, but he couldn't understand them. He couldn't phantom what they actually meant. What could he do? His mind as blank as he looked back to Ryoku. "I... I can't read your punches."
" That´s because they had no intention to harm you, Sho ! I raise my fists only when protecting the things I cherish and hold dear. I am sure you have things other than revenge that you care about. Think about it - you can become happy! You can live a life filled with positive things, free of your father´s tyranny! Nothing will destroy him more then seeing you living a happy life! There are alternatives to revenge. I said it earlier and I am saying it again. You are filled with energies that are urging you to do your revenge, but have you thought about using them ... for a real ... purpose ?"
This brought a frown to Sho's face. Using his energy for something else. But those energies were only there because of the revenge. How could he ever use that? It was silent for a while as Sho thought about this. Becoming happy was out of the question, he didn't desire that. He didn't know what that actually meant anyway. But using his energy created by the revenge, that was doable. Probably. At least he could show everyone and everything that he could not be messed with. He could kick all of their asses and he would never be belittled again. He could be strong for that. He nodded to himself. "What alternatives are you talking about?" He asked Ryoku.
" Alternatives to your current life ! I am placing all my energy into leading the village! Protecting it! There are alternatives to your energy being spent that are superior to your father, even to me! Spend your energy wisely, Sho - and no one will be able to treat you in the manner as your father before. Look at it from a different view - I did not lock away your father to deny you revenge. I did it to protect you from revenge, Sho! You can use that energy you want to spend on your revenge for creating a new Sho! A Sho free from his father´s destructive influence! A Sho everybody will respect and treat with respect! Not because of your strength to exact your revenge - because of your strength to overcome revenge!"
Sho's eyes narrowed. "I didn't ask for protection." He said. "I don't want to create a new Sho." But as he said that Sho knew that he was lying. Though it was not what Ryoku said either. Respect did buy you anything it seemed. Nor did being nice. But changing was a good idea. He would changed, redirect his energy in a way he could use it. His punches had lacked purpose Ryoku had said before. That was why he failed. He would give them purpose again. A new fresh purpose that could not be destroyed by anyone because it didn't rely on anyone. No one would matter for this, no would be able to stop it.
He would never take crap from anyone ever again.