Splinters of memories [Complete]

[lingeringscent]

Characters: Mio Amakura, Zetsu
Setting: Fairy Bedroom
Time: Day 003, post-Exploration
Summary: Mio explains her ghost hunting tools to Zetsu and prods him about his past.
Warnings: Possible cuteness and fluff.

Comments

[weeatbodies]

Zetsu hadn't been troubled at all by the change; not many people would want to sit and talk about things like this in a graveyard, after all. The room hadn't really changed much since he'd last seen it, and the fairies were still vaguely creepy, but they were rather easily ignored in the daytime. Zetsu sat down next to Mio without hesitation, glancing at the crystal curiously as he settled into a comfortable position. "I'm glad you feel like you can trust me with it."

It really was a privilege--he knew plenty of people did things they would rather not share, whether because of the painful memories the activity held, or because they were ashamed of it, or people would think they were crazy, or.... well, just about anything. It was a big leap of faith, he knew, and he was grateful that he was able to be there to catch her on the other side. How many other people would let him be there and share something with them like this?

[lingeringscent]

Mio waited until Zetsu was settled before she took a deep breath, probably mentally preparing herself for what would follow, before she inserted the crystal. The small glass lid, stuck inbetween two knobs for tuning, was held open for a moment as she explained, "...This girl died by drowning

[weeatbodies]

Zetsu nodded and watched carefully--you never knew when something like that might become useful, after all. It could be that both camera and radio needed to be operated at once at some point--he wanted to ensure that he could be at least marginally useful, if Mio needed him to act in her stead. He didn't really have too much experience even with normal radios. That was the price he paid, he supposed, for being born in a poor country....

He remained silent as the voice began to play, eyes averted--somehow, it seemed more respectful that way. Kinder, not to gawk at their fate, the last remnants of their lives sealed in little gleaming crystals that in no way should have become bearers of such pain at all. As bad as the first crystal was, the second--Chitose, it (she) had a name--was worse. So desperate, so terrified and helpless, so young.... It tore at even his heart, and he barely knew anything about her. Certainly not as much as Mio did--he could only imagine what it must be like for her to listen to these, over and over, trying to

[lingeringscent]

Mio felt his arm slip around her, drawing in another deep breath. Chitose was probably one of the most tragic ghosts she'd encountered there, certainly the one that'd tugged at her heartstrings the most. She'd done what she had to do, but that didn't make it any easier. She sat there for a few moments, hesitating before deciding to give him a little more information on the girl in the red kimono, "I felt bad for her...she was a passive ghost, even when it came time to exorcise her, she spent most of the time crying...and begging for help...and saying she was scared

[weeatbodies]

"I'm sure." Zetsu agreed, raising an eyebrow. "What sort did they give?" It did sound good.... auxilliary, certainly, and difficult to carry.... but probably nice to have, when she could afford to bring it with her. Sounded like it was something along the lines of a visual counterpart to the spirit radio.... Zetsu nodded at the question, a little sheepishly; he wasn't really used to talking about the full extent of his visual capacity with people. He wasn't actually sure if anyone besides his family and the Akatsuki knew about it all, really.... "It's one of the things my eyes do.... Other people can watch what I remember, too." When it came right down to it, he was almost like a camera himself, in that sense. Granted, closer to a video camera than one who took snapshots, but it could be used to that effect

[lingeringscent]

"It would show things on the film reels that couldn't otherwise be seen, much like with the camera. Part of the Cutting ritual...Chitose in the closet...the Crimon Sacrifice ritual..." Most of those things she saw at different points during her stay at All God's Village in a more clear manner. A part of her regretted that, but she knew that there she had no choice, not then or now. Take the painful feelings, the memories and work them to your advantage or get killed...Those were her options

[weeatbodies]

He nodded in understanding at that; again, it sounded interesting and enlightening, and certainly helpful.... but still, Zetsu had no doubt that Mio could have done without it, if she had needed to. "I see." He raised an eyebrow at how Mio flushed, a hint of concern and confusion obvious in his expression; what was wrong? Was she embarrassed, or flustered, or upset, or....? He wasn't even sure why, considering up until this point, she hadn't really seemed to consider being able to empathize strongly with ghosts a bad thing.... In fact, it had seemed quite useful. Then again, depending on the ghost, considering what he had heard..... well, it sounded like such empathy could become extremely disturbing, as well. "It can't be easy...." He wasn't sure how else to sympathize, save the slightly vicarious living he sometimes did, experiencing someone's--even Naruto's--joys and sorrows with them as he watched their life from afar, without interfering directly

[lingeringscent]

Mio felt the embarrassment (and the guilt) grow a little as she noticed the guilt on Zetsu's face. It really wasn't right to keep what she'd done from him, but she wasn't sure he'd even want to associate himself with her once he realized it. She might not have wanted to associate with herself if she'd done that and Zetsu, for as kind as he was, probably would appreciate it even less given the nature of what'd happened. She kept fidgeting, grateful that at least he hadn't caught on...or if he had, he was really good at hiding it. She somehow doubted anyone would want to hide that, however. "It...has it's downsides, both during and after," she explained, "When that happens...it's like actually living it. Every action, ever feeling

[weeatbodies]

Zetsu looked soberly at Mio, then the unmarked bedroom door, which bore no signs of the monster hammering on it from before. "The doors were unbreakable the first night we were here. The second night, they weren't. I don't think we'll have that kind of protection again." He remembered all too well the way the hellhounds had broken the library door; it was an unnerving thought. "If you're going to be staying in for a while at night, barricade the door with whatever you can." It was serious advice, and something he'd taken to doing himself at nightfall

[lingeringscent]

Mio leaned her head slightly to one side, "Is it just the monsters that can break down the doors?" Their ability to do so had been startling at first, but she accepted it gracefully. Last night's drama had been enough for her to do so. "My roommate and I had something try to break the door down last night...well, it started to. She killed it. There was a lot of blood." That last part was probably irrelevant, but it was the part that bothered her the most - the blood that had gotten on nearly everything. Living with that all night...Well, she hadn't wanted to stay in her room that much anyway. She nodded to advice, wanting to question what happened if something appeared inside, but...There was a downside to everything, wasn't there? "A-Alright...I'll talk to her about it, too

[weeatbodies]

Zetsu blinked, puzzled. "Just....? Well, I haven't tried myself, so I don't know if people can or not. And wouldn't ghosts just be able to pass straight through the doors anyway?" He wasn't sure what else Mio might be getting at. He grimaced at her summary. "I'm sorry to hear that.... but I am glad you're both okay. What sort was it?" He considered the last statement with a little frown; he knew that the smell of blood was unpleasant to most people, and the sight of it as well. And it was probably hard to do things if the blood had sprayed everywhere.... "Let's get some towels to keep in here before night falls again. You should be able to at least clean up some if a mess like that happens again

[lingeringscent]

"Of course," Mio responded, head cocking a little more to one side, almost sounding puzzled. "I was just wondering if the house would let it's guests break them down..." It would and wouldn't make sense, she thought. After all, it could be used to their benefit, especially in the rat bedroom or when rooms like the study were locked. On the other hand, it would be inconvenient if they were battling around their room and doing things that might cause it to sustain damage...still, it somehow seemed more practical to let the monsters do their work and keep the residents at bay

[weeatbodies]

".....It figures. Being able to hear it would just be too easy." Zetsu sighed, shaking his head. He accepted Mio's hand gently, the other one moving to cover it; he knew it must be absurdly frustrating, probably even moreso for Mio than it was for him. "Not being heard as a punishment? That's possible.... Whatever it's punishing must be pretty severe though, to warrant that

[lingeringscent]

Mio looked a little guilty for not having had been able to hear it. Maybe if she had listened a little longer, she'd had to listen carefully for some of the ghosts in All God's Village, but this seemee different...she tried not to well on it too much, "Do you think so...? The Repentance occurred all because Yae wouldn't preform the ritual with Sae

[weeatbodies]

"....I think it probably did." Zetsu agreed, recalling the skin suit and the faucet that ran with blood. It hadn't been the most pleasant sight, but certainly far from the worst he'd ever seen. He'd even taken a taste of some of the blood; it wasn't especially flavorful, but it was blood nonetheless, and he'd had some just to have some. He definitely hadn't gotten the amount of meat he usually did in his diet, lately, and it had been satisfying. No need to mention any of that, though

[lingeringscent]

Mio shivered as she thought on it more, for the moment not wanting to even think on how that happened or why the facet had blood come out of it and especially not what the notes with implied. If Zetsu were willing to accommodate, which he had been up until this point, she would save that nasty piece of conversation for later. For now...they would talk about him. She nuzzled against him a little more as he continued, having a hard time comprehending such a person. "How terrible...but that's good that he's better

[weeatbodies]

Zetsu blinked, only now seeming to realize that she probably had barely understood a word he'd said. Well, it figured.... He'd need to explain other things before he could explain those, too. "The ANBU are an elite force that handle the.... special missions that the village won't entrust to normal ninjas." Special, of course, in the black ops sense.... It was an awkward, touchy subject to explain, considering that it was so highly confidential. "If things are too difficult or dangerous, or too sensitive for anyone else, they take it. They're known specifically as a group, not as individuals, and wear masks to secure their anonymity." And to depersonalize them. And to protect them from people holding a grudge, or asking too many questions

[lingeringscent]

The words special and sensitive were enough to make her want to press the issue, but also enough to make her quickly back off of it. For as socially inexperienced as she was, she was sensible enough to know not to even try and delve into such subjects. He'd already explained enough for it to make sense, nodding slowly and then frowning at the explanation for the respective nins. "I see..." Mio said, nodding once. That did shed a little light on what she'd seen before. The concepts presented didn't settle well with her, although she kept quiet about that as well. "How...did you become one?" She asked quietly, hesitantly. She wasn't sure how to word a question like that. Why might have been more proper, but somehow that didn't feel right either. Just what had he done to deserve that...?

[weeatbodies]

The irony of his contrasting positions hadn't been lost on Zetsu by any means; still though, it felt a little awkward to talk about. He'd managed surprisingly well with Koizumi, when they had discussed the subject; Koizumi was smart and perceptive, and willing to pry, and Zetsu had been.... defensive, he supposed. Pushing the boundaries of their relationship. At that point, he hadn't been sure just what would happen, and had tested Koizumi's willingness to tolerate him with the story of his (in his mind, at least) biggest crime. He was more comfortable with Mio now than he was with Koizumi then, enough so that he didn't feel the need to push anything

[lingeringscent]

Mio'd never seen a venus flytrap herself, but she knew a little of how they worked. Her eyes were drawn as his leaves twitched, a temporarily distraction, but otherwise gave his story her full attention. It took her a moment to get what he was hinting at and her eyes moved down as she did. Still, she listened, ignoring the urge to become sick as the mental image worked it's way into her mind, forcing herself to reserve judgment. But really...was it so bad? She'd already seen corpses, countless corpses crammed into a large room. So many bodies