[Action Thread][Illusions of Truth][Closed to Kabumi and Kureno]
It was early morning when two anbu guards escorted Yakushi Kabumi from her cell. Of course, in the Torture & Interrogation cells, there's no clock or daylight to tell you what time of day it is. Here, it was as though time did not exist, but rather the imprisonment and torment stretched into a slow, unchecked eternity. But it was early morning
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She was keeping as much poise as she could despite her state. That was fine with him. It wouldn't all mean much soon anyway.
He followed her lead in politeness however, and at her offer first inclined his head asking for a moment. He stepped up before her, in-between the two circles on the floor--Kabumi was likely aware by now that the five kanji surrounding her each stood for one of the five senses of the body--and crouched down, placing the flowers in a swirl of words that seemed reserved for them. Reaching back into his pouch, he produced a match.
"No doubt by now, you're aware of what this little 'visit' is going to be about." He nonchalantly twirled the stick between his fingers and thumb. "We can avoid the whole messy business entirely however if you agree to become more cooperatable than you've been so far and tell us what we want to know. Just remember," he said, looking directly at her, "we do have ways of knowing if you're lying. ...But I'm sure by now you're aware of that as well."
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A difficult task, considering how much pain her body was in at the moment. The tie between the body and mind was something that was exploited by skilled genjutsu users.
"Of course I am," she said, smiling fondly at him. "Hinaji would be useful that much for you, wouldn't he?" If she could distract him, even a little, it would improve her odds. "But I have no more desire to cooperate than he had, Kureno-san."
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Everything was to his advantage to pull off this genjutsu, and even then a precuation had been taken to dull Kabumi's sharp mind with incense. There was no need now for panic, or worry, or emotions. In fact, Kabumi's mention of Hinaji's name only seemed to add to Kureno's assurance that she recognized she was in a tight bind. He knew all the tricks there were to gaining advantage in a contest of will and illusion, and also knew there was nothing for her to do now but grasp at straws.
In the surreal moment of it, it was amazing to him--at how sad it all seemed.
"While I could have gone without exerting the chakra today..." he began, and the match came to an immediate stop between his thumb and forefinger. With a sharp flick of the nail against the head, the match flared to life. "...I was hoping you'd say that."
The flame fell onto the dried plants, and a few seconds later a thick smoke rose and snaked toward Kabumi.
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Her best chance was to allow him to get her inside the illusion and to fight it from there.
"So confrontational," Kabumi said and breathed the smoke in.
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My, he was thinking darkly today wasn't he? It wasn't often Kureno had to be like this--a keen, sadistic mind that would have been able to identify with Ibiki's on many points--but he certainly hadn't forgotten how.
He stood watching her without a word until he was certain she was actually breathing it in and not trying to play a trick. When he was satisfied, he silently turned and walked the few paces to the other clean circle. He sat in the midst of the kanji for Body, Mind, and Spirit and stared again up at Kabumi with pure focus and intent.
And then began a seemingly ridiculously long series of seals...
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Kabumi tried to focus inward, but the movement of Kureno's hands caught her eyes and she had only a brief thought that she needed to look away, but his hands were there and the drug was in her she was in the drug and the lines in the room swirled and bled together until it was just his hands and then there
and then
and
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