〚Syy blinked, a little caught off guard at Minowa's enthusiasm, but nodded a bit as he filed away the multiple tasks he was now accumulating Masahiro-san, Senju, plant and Mokuton technique ideas. he stood, dusting off his pants, and followed Minowa out of the room and back into the kitchen. He stopped at the sight of the Anbu, his head tilting as he watched the Anbu nod to Minowa ...and ask why Minowa has a guard. he stepped back as Inka moved past him, taking something into another room, before returning to the kitchen. Seeing the table, Syy glanced around before going back into the kitchen to rinse his hands, wincing as the water hit the bite on his thumb Ah...when? he frowned at it but it wasn't bleeding anymore so he dried his hands off before turning to Inka's greeting to the two "Ah, th-thank you." he stumbled over the words, frowning a little, but Inka's smile made him a little less awkward as he looked at the seats. Cautiously, he took a seat across from Minowa and one other chair, allowing Inka to take the spot next to their son, so that he was sitting on the same side as Itoko "I didn't realize how long we spoke." he said carefully, his tone mildly apologetic. He'd wanted to help cook but it seems like he had only contributed very little. Glancing down at the utensils, he felt a mild rush of panic I haven't used actual utensils... he swallowed, hoping that it would come back quickly.〛
Inka hummed at Syy's reply but was otherwise preoccupied, also grabbing some cloth napkins for everyone before returning to the table, amber eyes catching Syy's hesitation and almost immediately a memory came forward of Minowa, barely tolerating being forced to sit at the table and eating the food he was given with a close-guarded posture, hands as his spoon. Minowa's hands weren't damaged, just his development but Inka had seen Syy's scars. Handing out the napkins, he returned to the kitchen and grabbed some spoons, giving one to Syy and Minowa but otherwise none for himself.
Even from the table, they could see the saucepan was still full of food, while the bowls sat in front of them were quite dainty in comparison, full but not overflowing. There was also definitely more ingredients than rice. Inka began eating without prompting, Itoko and Minowa having dug in as well as soon as it was within reach. Minowa ate with a calm, calculated pace, obviously savouring and taking his time to chew. Itoko scoffed right in. When the spoon was offered, Minowa took it without hesitation, preferring the scooping utensil.
"What did you catch up about?" Inka asked, casual and relaxed now that he was able to sit down.
ch 885 // 1,030 | 920 // 950 st ⧼ Father ⬘ Mizukage ⬘ Godaime ⬘ Bukijutsu ⬘ Performer ⧽
T e c h n i q u e s :
• Speed ► Slight [Moderate Buki] [Heavily when drawing Small Weapons] [Moderate in smoke] [Heavily Buki in smoke ] [ Supreme when drawing Small Weapons in smoke ] • Reflex ► Supreme
〚Accepting the spoon with thinly hidden relief, Syy began eating when Inka did. How he ate was different from the others, though, hesitant and unsure. He would dip the spoon in and take out very little, eating it slowly. His features were concentrated, as if the act of eating was a challenge or a matter of will rather than choice "Min told me what he liked. And his interests in the Mokuton." he said, his tone a bit distracted as he lifted a piece of meat out of the dish. Syy frowned just slightly before eating it, chewing carefully "The man I was with, the one at the shop," he said, speaking to Inka directly "His name is Masahiro-san, and his father was a Senju. Orphans are not accepted within the Senju clan, as we cannot verify our parenthood. But Masahiro-san's father was. So I told Min I would ask Masahiro-san if he could provide information on the clan." he took a small mound of rice and ate about half of it, leaving the rest on his spoon as he paused to swallow "And...I will think of ideas for Min's other interests, in plants and growing things with the Mokuton." Syy ate the rest of the rice, rubbing his nose slightly with his wrist as he struggled with the food. It wasn't that the spoon made it more or less difficult to eat. It was certainly better than any other utensil. But...food itself was... he dipped his spoon in the meal again, having barely made a dent in the portion, this time taking a piece of mushroom to eat.〛
"Minowa the botanist." Inka agreed, the only thing stopping him from smiling a full, toothy grin was the fact he was still eating. He didn't say anything regarding Masahiro though, deliberately remaining silent regarding the other Kage. For several reasons, and not all of them professional. "Already figuring out goals and pathways..." He paused, staring across the table at Syy. "If its too rich, don't force yourself. There is still some rice set aside on its own if that would be better?" He asked. "Minowa isn't a fan of sauces, so most of the flavour should just be the ingredients but I know we can be a bit excessive." He tried to lighten the mood, worried pointing out Syy's trouble would upset the man.
ch 900 // 1,030 | 935 // 950 st ⧼ Father ⬘ Mizukage ⬘ Godaime ⬘ Bukijutsu ⬘ Performer ⧽
T e c h n i q u e s :
• Speed ► Slight [Moderate Buki] [Heavily when drawing Small Weapons] [Moderate in smoke] [Heavily Buki in smoke ] [ Supreme when drawing Small Weapons in smoke ] • Reflex ► Supreme
〚Syy paused, the spoon half way into the bowl, the tips of ears turning red. He swallowed and let go of the spoon for a moment "Min the botanist. He'll make a good one." he repeated, to cover up his shame at not being able to eat. It didn't matter what the food was, whether it was the sauces or not, it was himself. But "I'm just...unused to having food at the moment." he took the spoon back up and stirred it around a bit "I only...." He stopped, frowning. Again, he struggled with what to say to Inka. To Min. "I didn't eat much at the hospital when I arrived. That was also the first time I'd eaten since...before. I'm still just relearning how to eat. The flavor is fine." he said finally, shrugging one large shoulder to indicate that he wasn't upset. At least, not with Inka. His internal shame, however, just continued to grow as he made a greater effort to eat larger spoonfuls. He didn't rush though, simply made sure that every time he did eat, the spoon was clean when it went back into the bowl. Looking at Minowa and then at Inka, Syy decided to address one thing he was curious about "Min mentioned that he was guarded. And I have seen that there are many Anbu. Around him and you." he tilted his head, his eyes curious "Why?"〛
"Don't force it." Minowa spoke up at almost the exact same time, looking up at Syy with empathy in his blue eyes. Itoko continued to shove a berry into its mouth, juice dripping down into the food dish. Inka huffed a small laugh, his lips twitching but otherwise neutral now.
"Hospital food does the job in all regards except flavour." Inka continued on, content to divert the topic - but Syy beat him to it. The brunette swallowed his bite of food, amber eyes drifting off to the side, contemplating how he was gonna explain this. Well, it would certainly be a distraction from the food... Inka sighed as he leaned back in his chair, a wry smirk pressed onto his lips. "Technically you've only seen two." He tried to delay answering the question directly. "Minami you met at the hospital, Kishi with me at the stand and again just now." He explained. "They are two of Kirigakure's elite, specifically," He looked down at his meal and pushed the bowl a little further away from the edge, chopsticks resting on his napkin. "They are part of the guardians selected to protect the Mizukage." He glanced up at Syy - but found he couldn't look away once he had. "I was elected the Godaime after Jack."
ch 900 // 1,030 | 935 // 950 st ⧼ Father ⬘ Mizukage ⬘ Godaime ⬘ Bukijutsu ⬘ Performer ⧽
T e c h n i q u e s :
• Speed ► Slight [Moderate Buki] [Heavily when drawing Small Weapons] [Moderate in smoke] [Heavily Buki in smoke ] [ Supreme when drawing Small Weapons in smoke ] • Reflex ► Supreme
〚The dual comments sparked a sudden and unexpected smile from Syy, a little crooked but a true and honest smile. Surprised once again that he could still smile at all, he touched his mouth slightly, confused, before putting his hand back in his lap. Inka's comment on the flavor couldn't really be dismissed and it kept the smile on Syy's face even as Inka explained that he'd only seen two Anbu. He listened attentively as it was explained to him, taking care to try and remember the names of the Anbu so he could at least try to identify them later and thank them. Inka seemed to be trying to avoid something though and he waited patiently as the other man eventually got around to it. Their eyes met, Syy feeling a bit startled at the sudden connection as "Ah...yes? I know." his tone was as confused as his gaze, blinking "When I arrived here, the first thing I did was ask to speak to the Hokage. I knew that if you were here in Konohagakure, the Hokage could tell me. When I told him I was looking for my family, he told me you were the Godaime." he said, clearly not sure why Inka had been speaking around the subject. The memories he had of his time as Kage were as blurry and distorted as any others that were not directly related to Inka and Minowa. Even so, he didn't recall if he had ever made any derogatory remarks towards Inka becoming a kage. Certainly, he would not have wanted Inka to be under the same stress and exhaustion that Syy had suffered under but "You are...more level headed than I was. More able to determine your limits. I am sure you are a good kage." he kept Inka's gaze a moment longer, enjoying the amber color that warmed his chest, before looking back down at his food. He took another bite, cleaning the spoon again despite the cautions against forcing himself, before he spoke again. This time, his tone was musing "Was there always such a group?" he asked, his gaze on the ceiling as he tried to remember "I feel I was unguarded most of the time." then again...Syy had been a living weapon of mass destruction at the time. He would probably have refused any guards purely because there was no one stronger to protect him than himself. Such as no longer the case...〛
Inka dropped his head in his hand, elbow resting on the table and face obscured. He didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned. "... I thought you'd be angry." He said, lifting his head enough so only his mouth was covered by his fingers. "I remember you getting angry when I told you how I'd be Mizukage one day so you could breathe again." He reminisced, eyes glazing over for a moment. "You were always so stressed." He blinked, looking at Syy once more. "And we both know I was an utter hot-headed idiot." He stated flatly before regarding Minowa. "I would always get into fights and run my mouth off-"
"Run your mouth off." Minowa finished alongside his Papa, causing the brunette to grin. Minowa kept eating, unbothered by the conversations happening around him. Amber eyes snapped back to Syy, inspecting now, watchful.
"Still do sometimes." He said, flat-toned and watching. "Dunno." He finally responded. "Maybe they did, but it was an internal thing. I've been the first Mizukage in some time to have a child to also be concerned about so I reached out, made sure schedules were aligned." He explained, still analysing the man opposite him. "Minowa's been good at keeping them on their toes." He joked.
ch 915 // 1,030 | 950 // 950 st ⧼ Father ⬘ Mizukage ⬘ Godaime ⬘ Bukijutsu ⬘ Performer ⧽
T e c h n i q u e s :
• Speed ► Slight [Moderate Buki] [Heavily when drawing Small Weapons] [Moderate in smoke] [Heavily Buki in smoke ] [ Supreme when drawing Small Weapons in smoke ] • Reflex ► Supreme
〚Syy watched Inka's reaction to his words, a bit startled but also "Maybe...I would have been." he said thoughtfully "..." he set the spoon down fully this time, feeling his stomach tightening in objection to all the food he had put down it. Looking at his bowl, however, he'd only eaten half of his meal. He leaned back into his chair, trying to remember that argument Did I get angry? he brought a hand up, rubbing his forehead as he struggled to remember. He briefly recalled raising his voice in the Kage's office, at Inka's irritation, at the stress...but it was all like holding water in his hands. What little he could grasp was distorted and slipped away before he could fully recall everything "Was?" the tone was distracted, teasing just a bit, but it was clear that something had happened. He closed his eyes, tightly, then blinked his eyes open when Minowa mimicked Inka. He gave his son a warm expression, a ghost of a smile before Minowa went back to eating My head... he closed his eyes again before looking at Inka, noting the change in his tone. Syy wished he could say what he needed, something to soothe Inka's suspicions. But he couldn't. He couldn't. "Perhaps I simply didn't want you to have to deal with the same stresses." he said softly, sadly "If neither of us were Mizukage, we could live quietly." Syy's gaze came back up to meet Inka's, his eyes openly sad. Acknowledging that Inka was suspicious, and also knowing that he had nothing he could say to ease those feelings. He took a deep breath then stood, quietly taking his bowl up and back into the kitchen I don't know how to make things right. I don't know what to say. he set the bowl on the counter, moving carefully, and set his spoon in the sink. Syy returned to his seat, sitting back a bit farther from the table, his body slightly bent forward, protective "I'm sure Minowa and Itoko both are good at that. I saw the vent when I left the hospital." he said finally, not mentioning that he had pushed a window out of it's frame in order to leave the hospital.〛
"I know you didn't." Inka assured, referring to the stress of the job. He leaned back in his chair once more, his gaze no less intense. "I was still a hot head when Jack was in charge - I only had Minowa and Itoko to be responsible for, outside of secretarial work. But then Jack disappeared too." Inka sighed, still upset at the man, but knowing he didn't have much choice in the matter surrounding what happened. Amber eyes looked to Minowa as the blonde boy got up from his chair, bowl empty, and grabbed both his and Itoko's dishes to put in the sink.
"Min?" Inka called over his shoulder to his son. "I'll take care of the dishes tonight. Okay? Give your dad and I a moment to talk." Hearing Minowa's hum of acceptance, Inka watched him pick up Itoko and return to his room, closing the door behind him and leaving the two adults at the table. There were a lot of things Inka wanted to talk about, to yell about. And it was only Syy's stilted withdrawals every time something reminded him about his captivity that Inka decided to go onto the other most pressing topic he regrets never having asked about. "I mostly cleaned up because I was terrified Minowa's mother might try to take him from me." He revealed, voice a little quieter now. "Or her family." He frowned down at his bowl, barely touched.
"I hired someone to get all the paperwork ready just in case. Character witnesses, health care checks, psych checks. Everything that would prevent her - or them - from taking him away from me. Because I'm not his blood. And we never married." He shook his head, lips pursed at the resentment he stills about it because "despite all that I knew I had little hope for winning in the long run. And if Minowa wanted to get to know them, I wouldn't have been able to say no anyway." He revealed, one tanned hand fiddling with his chopsticks but not eating. Amber eyes looked up, pinning Syy with a stare. "Do I?" Inka asks. "Have to worry about that."
ch 930 // 1,030 | 950 // 950 st ⧼ Father ⬘ Mizukage ⬘ Godaime ⬘ Bukijutsu ⬘ Performer ⧽
T e c h n i q u e s :
• Speed ► Slight [Moderate Buki] [Heavily when drawing Small Weapons] [Moderate in smoke] [Heavily Buki in smoke ] [ Supreme when drawing Small Weapons in smoke ] • Reflex ► Supreme
〚Syy listened to Minowa move about, waiting for the young boy to leave as Inka asked to speak with Syy privately. He was quiet as Inka spoke about Minowa's mother, a confused cloud coming over his features "Wait...." he stammered, raising his hands, his eyes closed tightly as he tried to sort where Inka was coming from. He pressed his palms into his eyes, breathing before "There...there is no mother." he said finally, dropping his hands wearily to the table, palms spread flat "I..." his fingers tightened on the table before he continued "Do you remember these...?" he reached gently into his pocket and drew out two bright blue ribbons. Without waiting for Inka to actually respond, he continued on "Her name was Septima, a friend from Kumogakure. A friend." he emphasized once more, tightly clenching the ribbons "She died before I came to Kirigakure, of a lung disease. She didn't want to be seen dying like that. So she left." why was he telling Inka this? Because it all had to do with Minowa "When I found Minowa, I didn't...find him. I found Septima's corpse. Someone had...had brought it to Kirigakure and reanimated it. Used her corpse as a womb having...stolen my DNA to impregnate it." the disgust in his voice couldn't be faked, his throat as tight as the grip he had on the ribbons "When she...when she died, again, in my arms, there was something strange. And then her..." he put a hand to his mouth, feeling the food he had just eaten rebelling against him as he spoke "Her abdomen burst. That is how I found Minowa. A living baby boy, my child, born from a corpse." he had one hand over his mouth, meeting Inka's resentful gaze with his own distressed one "Did...did you never check his register?" he asked hesitantly, "The only legal names of Minowa's parents are mine and yours...Regardless of whether we married...he is YOUR son." this memory at least was agonizing in it's specificity, in it's detail. But he knew this much. Minowa was theirs. There was no mother "As soon as I knew you loved him as much as I, I took steps to ensure he would never be parted from either of us. Except in...in the case of our deaths." Syy put his face in his hands, feeling intensely worn out from this "I left instructions. I...I swear."〛
Inka felt his jaw tighten and eyebrows lift at the mention of there being 'no mother,' wondering if that meant she's dead or unknown. Syy continued on, pulling out two ribbons, much to Inka's confusion - and a visible tick of resentment at the revelation that they belonged to a woman. Even with Syy's assurances, Inka's eyes showed his utter lack of amusement at the situation and how this topic was going. If it was the truth, the the timeline didn't match up; her dying years befor a newborn infant was placed into Inka's arms. So why bring her up?
"..." Amber eyes flashed to Minowa's bedroom door. What a story. Why couldn't he have a normal childhood, even in his infancy? Bad enough he's singled out being the son of two Mizukages. And again for not having a mother. Having went through the Sero. Now to find out he was born some a years old corpse? Inka leaned back in his chair, too many emotions to properly pin one down and name it. So he rubbed his hands over his face instead. "******** Jack." He grumbled before putting hands down and staring at Syy. "You left instructions?" He asked. "To tell me all this?" He indicated with a hand, waving it between to emphasise 'this.'
"Why couldn't you have just ******** told me from the start?!" He hissed, low and desperate. "You come home with a ******** baby in your arms and you don't expect me to just assume you..." He slammed his jaw shut, hating to even say the what-if scenario as though it would give it substance to still be true. He was leaning forward over the table, hurt and anger roiling in his eyes. "I know we barely talked about anything back then but..." Inka paused, the sadness leaking through, remembering how much he had to swallow down the feeling of being betrayed back then. Of not being enough. "******** hell, Syy!" He hissed again, the only thing stopping him from yelling.
ch 945 // 1,030 | 950 // 950 st ⧼ Father ⬘ Mizukage ⬘ Godaime ⬘ Bukijutsu ⬘ Performer ⧽
T e c h n i q u e s :
• Speed ► Slight [Moderate Buki] [Heavily when drawing Small Weapons] [Moderate in smoke] [Heavily Buki in smoke ] [ Supreme when drawing Small Weapons in smoke ] • Reflex ► Supreme
〚"I didn't expect you to have to read them! I didn't expect to get eaten by that damn tree!" Syy snapped back, a shadow of his old temper rising as Inka raged at him "Inka." he said carefully, his own anger showing as he clenched his fists "Someone IN the village stole a CORPSE, experimented on it, brought it back to LIFE, got a hold of my DNA, and made a child out of it. I..." he brought his fists up to his temples, trying to speak "I didn't know what to do. Someone in the village was capable of bringing corpses back to life and they had access to my DNA. To pieces of myself and they could get it whenever they wanted it seemed. What if this was just a big experiment and they would come and take Minowa from us? What if they could do worse?" he stood carefully, leaning partially over the table so he was equally close to Inka "How was I supposed to tell you all of that? How was I supposed to tell you that I was suspicious of our home?" Syy asked, his expression clearly conflicted but also...angry "If I had told you all of that, how would you have reacted back then? Would you have gone tearing off through the village?" his head drooped suddenly and he dropped back into his chair "I was never unfaithful to you. I have never been unfaithful to you. I made the foolish assumptions that you would know whether I said it or not. And for that, I'm sorry. " that Inka thought he had cheated...that hurt worse than being yelled at "And you're right. We didn't talk about the things that were important back then." they never had. Why hadn't they? Living in the moment? Expecting that they would have time later? "I'm sorry." he put his face in his hands, trying to breathe through the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him "I can't change my decisions from then. I can't. All I can do is try now, to answer what I can."To answer for the pain I've caused. he dug his hands into his hair, pulling it back from his face.〛
Inka felt his lips pull back in a snarl as Syy threw heated words back, their tempers matching in intensity for a brief moment, though Syy was obviously trying to hold it back a little more than the brunette was. Shoulders tense and one hand pressed tight against the table, Inka listened, but everything he heard only fuelled his confusion and outrage at the whole situation.
"I don't know how I would have reacted, Sypher." Inka spoke, his tone cold and enunciation more sharp than usual. "But you don't get to assume how I would have reacted either." Ancestors above he had this exact same conversation with Jack about telling Minowa about Syy maybe being alive. His head leaned forward, knowing it was only because of the table that he wasn't crowding into Sy's space. "But letting me go around the village acting as if everything was okay only put Minowa in more danger. You cut me out of knowing what I needed to know to keep that boy safe!" He hissed, catching the volume of his voice and leaning back. "You say his yours by blood and you think I wouldn't have assumed you cheated on me?!" He asked, incredulous and offended. "Last I checked the only other ways he could have been yours - besides sex - is by being a donor via other means, which, by the way, the idea of you being a sperm donor was the least likely reasons I had to go by but human experimentation was never on that list."
"T'cha!" He hiss a noise of frustration, throwing himself further back into his chair as his hands pressed hard against his face, trying to reign himself in. He breathed in through his nose, out through his mouth, and repeated till his shoulders didn't feel like they could cut stone. Hands returning to the table, amber eyes regarded the other man cooly. "What else should I know." He asked, but his words showed that his temper was close to breaking through again.
ch 945 // 1,030 | 950 // 950 st ⧼ Father ⬘ Mizukage ⬘ Godaime ⬘ Bukijutsu ⬘ Performer ⧽
T e c h n i q u e s :
• Speed ► Slight [Moderate Buki] [Heavily when drawing Small Weapons] [Moderate in smoke] [Heavily Buki in smoke ] [ Supreme when drawing Small Weapons in smoke ] • Reflex ► Supreme
〚Syy felt...he didn't know what he felt. But his temper was rising again though he had a firm hold on the fury that normally would explode out of him when he was angry. So maybe it wasn't anger "You do not get to judge me for my actions at that time." his voice was like frost, cold, but also miserable. He already held enough self-hatred in him for both their sakes "I did then what I thought was best. For myself, for you, and for Minowa. No, I didn't consider your feelings on the matter at the time." Putting his hands on the table as well, pressing them hard into the wood, his fingers felt frigid "I acted in the manner I felt, at the time, was appropriate. That doesn't mean it was right or that it was the best option." His jaw clenched as Inka threw venomous words at him, speaking around clenched teeth " I said what I did to prevent those who created Minowa from having any idea their horrific abuses and experiments were successful." To say anything else, to even admit anything else, was to encourage the madness to continue. Because next time, it would have been someone else. As to what he thought Inka would assume "..." he jerked his head away, breathing deeply. Those memories were still distorted, moments together, but...I thought you would trust me. but he didn't say that. And he banished the thought as soon as it came to his mind. Trust was built on shared words, on speaking, on experiences. Both he and Inka were guilty of sharing little of that.
"My soul loved you before I even knew how to love." he said finally, still not looking at Inka, the ice in his voice softening just a little "I...I didn't know what else you needed. And I didn't understand how to give you what you needed either." Syy had never loved anyone before. Not even those he had held deep in his heart. Until Inka. He hadn't known, probably still didn't, how to share his thoughts or his feelings with anyone. That he had felt in his very being that he was meant for Inka had made everything else... "Anything else, my past or yours, secrets, none of it...it didn't matter to me. I acted the way I did...because I did not know any other way." it wasn't an excuse. That much was clear as he turned his gaze back to Inka who had thrown himself into his chair. His gaze was sad and wary, unsure "..." What else should Inka know?
His gut told Syy that Inka should know everything. But it wasn't like that was easy to share either He deserves it though."What else should you know?" his tone took a distance to it, trying to put as much emotion out of his body as he could. He wouldn't be able to do this otherwise "Fine." the word came out flat but what followed was everything "I was born in Kumogakure but I was abandoned by my parents when I was a day old. Left in the gutter to freeze. A shinobi took me to a care home. They beat me. When I was seven, one of them threw me out a window. I broke my left leg and six ribs and caught pneumonia. I was saved by Sol Jaeger." his gaze went hard on Inka at this point "Yes, the same Jaeger that is Minowa's last name. Because he took me in. He saved my life. And when I enrolled in the academy, I took his last name as my own. My first name was Calsypher Jaeger. He died the year I became a genin and I honored him by giving Minowa his last name. Which, incidentally, is now my middle name because the Senju name carries more weight in villages than some unknown baker." the words kept coming, cold and devoid of attachment.
This was his history. Inka wanted to know more? Here it was "The Senju clan rejected me when I manifested my Mokuton during the chuunin exams. They called me mongrel and b*****d. So I stole their scrolls to learn and took their name to spite them. When I was a jounin, I was part of an expedition to explore ruins in Kumogakure. I was exposed to a viral agent that turned my mind into a prison and used my body as a puppet. Instead of helping me, my Kage ordered me killed. I was abandoned, again. And when that virus used me to try and kill her, my student used her katana to cut me down." Slowly, the history came up to the present "That same student brought me to Kirigakure, slapped a piece of paper on my wound and left me. The viral agent robbed me of mind and my memories. I became someone else. Another name." he knew that Inka knew this already but he kept going "I lived in Kirigakure after that, until Kumogakure came hunting for me again. Did you know that? They attacked me in the streets and tried to murder me. Mi Young Roo kept them from that. And she gave me the title of Kage to protect me. So I gave Minowa his first name to honor her." his throat hurt but he wasn't finished, leaning forward slightly to meet Inka's eyes "I decided that I would do anything to protect that place. My home. I would drink whatever the Raikage wanted me to drink. I would hide my past, from everyone, because it was dangerous. Because it had already shown it would come back and try to take everything away from me. And because I couldn't trust myself." and finally... his voice faltered but he refused to stop there.
Taking a quick breath, Syy spoke fast "I made the Sero with the intention of creating a safe haven, a protected space that would unify the villages against the UHV. And I sent you and others away to start building a bridge with all the villages. But it went wrong. And it took me, killing an Anbu who tried to save me in the process. And the Sero kept me for six years underneath it and in the roots and the dirt and it fed on me. And I locked myself in memories to stay sane. Because I knew that this village, that Kirigakure, wouldn't abandon me." his hand formed a fist, the white knuckles once more showing the scars "And it didn't. It didn't." the last of the words were said softly, as if to remind himself that he had found his way back. Even if "None of my actions were acceptable. I was...desperate. To protect everything. So I did what I had to do." To finally say it all...it wasn't relief. It was sickening. Syy felt nothing but shame about his past. About all of his choices. But now "I have nothing else. That is everything I am." he said finally "You know it all."〛
