Kyohaku 'Kyo' Takara-Al'akir - Memory Adept

.: Origins :.

The palace of the Kazekage is always alive. Someone is always awake, up, business, pleasure, it did not matter. Vitality thrived. In the airy chambers of the Kazekage and his wife Akykyo Al’akir remained awake. He had done so for years, for he no longer slept. That he feigned sleep was normal, that he ‘awakened’ at all times he attributed to insomnia or work when his spouse asked. It was one such night that he rose from their bed and headed to his workroom. It was a habit long established and his wife would not worry much when she found him absent from their rooms. He had adjoining doors from his chambers but he never used them on his nighttime excursions. The sound of the seals releasing always woke Kiyomi. Thus the scenic route.

Akykyo walked the halls as a shadow. When he did not wish it he could not be seen. The short trip to his workroom was uneventful. He released the seals with a soft hiss and pulse of light and entered the cordoned room. He wasted no time before twisting his chakra and pulling himself to one of his markers. When he arrived at the cavern alcove the others were already there. Like always, they would be, for they were him and he they.

“About time you got here” one figure harped, cloaked in shadows. “Calm yourself” Another voice responded in a soft tone. “I am exactly on time.” Aky said before gesturing to the cave entrance. “We have much to do, lets be on our way.” He exited the cave and strode purposefully into the sands, as though he expected his companions to cease their bickering and attend to him. They did.

~.~

The sands of the Land of Wind are treacherous at night. Baking heat upon golden grains under a blazing sun are frigid and frozen under the light of the moon. Terrible storms whip the sands into vicious clouds that scour the flesh from the bones of lesser men. The Shadow Lord of Sunagakure ignored it all. Akykyo Al’akir. The Herald of the Brigade and Guardian of the Sands. And to only three The Harbinger, bringer of the apocalypse. It is for purpose he walked the dunes tonight. Bereft of his ANBU guards, in the dead of night with no one aware of the actions of he and his. So well concealed by the shifting sands.

Dune Walkers, The Trinity made their way through the cavernous ruins of their old domains and into the strange places in the depths of the earth that housed their current workshop. The true place they worked their secrets. Through seals and barriers, locks that required blood, suffering, and mystique they moved.

Deep below the sands, beneath bones, graves and death The Trinity began their work. In a cavern the size of half the village lit up by lanterns and globes stood three figures amid table and row after row of equipment, the latest cutting edge technology for gene manipulation. Genetic engineering. The first stage of the plan had been set and now was the time to ensure the continuity settled. “How much base component do we have?” A soft voice whispered from one of the figures, tall and pale with silver and soft blue tones. The man was striking, handsome in a young way. “Enough for marginal error, however not much.” Said a deeper voice. A man with sun kissed skin and vibrant violet hair. Extremely handsome with a full mouth in an ever present grin Akykyo Al’akir was a walking invitation.

“Then we better get this sh*t right the first time huh.” A bright strong voice issued from the last figure. Tanned with crimson hair and liquid blood red eyes. “Patience Cervantes, one wonders how much of myself I programmed you with” Akykyo murmured as he moved to the first station. “Clearly not enough of intelligence. “Balthazar, the pale one commented with a serene thoughtfulness. “To your stations boys. I want to see if this version of splicing will hold.” Cervantes and Balthazar moved to the other tables. Though they bickered by design they knew when to focus, and Akykyo’s current project was far more important than anything else he could be doing right now.

“Are you certain you extracted the proper code?” Balthazar questioned as he measured out Base compound. “Of course I did, its why I was put into this body.” Cervantes hissed quietly. Akykyo ignored them both. This was the last step in a sequence of experiments designed to create the perfect shinobi. A body capable of vast skill and intellect. “Our son will be perfect, from the womb to life he will be the most complex puppet we’ve ever created. And when the time comes he will be the perfect host.” the trio murmured in unison. They worked long into the night, another day blending into the myriad of months spent crafting their plan.

.: The Birth :.

Akykyo stood next to his wife in a state of anxiety. The usually unshakable Kage was little more than a bundle of nerves as the med nin and nurses tended to Kiyomi. Her pregnancy had been a point of apprehension for him and now that she was due the feelings only intensified. The exact details of the birth process faded from him, or he erased them he wasn’t sure and didn’t wish to pry at it. The results were what held his attention. A beautiful baby boy with a shock of white hair and far to intelligent eyes. Strange orbs that seemed to shift from silver to blue. Those eyes above everything told him their plan succeeded, the genetic engineering done to his DNA had taken and bloomed into his next body.

Silence. The sound, or lack thereof erased the shadows from his thoughts and alerted him to the official entrance of his son to the world. “What’s wrong with him?” he asked the nearest med nin. The perfect amount of concern and apprehension coloring his tone. “Why isn’t he crying?” The med nin moved to clean the baby and administer the proper tests. Though the child protested the sharp smack to his rump with a soft squeal he still refused to raise his voice. Akykyo would have been concerned had he been capable of it, or perhaps worried his creation was already deteriorating. However those eyes, those far to intelligent eyes and an expression of serene calm reassured him. If not, he could always try again, time was of the essence now, but he ultimately had forever.

As the child was cared for and given to his mother Akykyo played the proud father and supportive husband. His other’s tended to their adopted mother and performed all the functions excited elder brothers did. For the first several hours Akykyo allowed no one but Kiyomi to touch the baby. He maintained visual the entire time, studying and observing. Unlike any puppet before him, this one would be out of his immediate control, if only for a little bit.

~.~

It was a quarter after midnight. Akykyo Al’akir forgone any precedence of sleep. He would claim it was to his sons benefit. Kyohaku. His little star. Earlier, he had waved away the nanny or offering to place Kyo in his own rooms. He wanted his child close to him for reasons of his own. Kiyomi had been asleep for some time. It was four days since his birth and he had never once cried. Whereas this worried his mother it only intrigued Akykyo.

To him his son was perfect, exactly as he is supposed to be. He turned his head and murmured a soft phrase, a light song pitched to his sons ears alone. “All thing’s shall be peace.” If the gleam of intelligence in his babies eyes unnerved him he did not show it. He simply continued to sing to him, he would do this every night until his son reached the age of five. He was an unusual child, he never cried, Kiyomi simply knew when he was hungry, or sleepy, or needed to be changed. He rarely made a sound, preferring to gift those around him with warm smiles and expressive eyes.

.: Terrible Twos :.

Kyohaku Al’akir sat in his room surrounded by toys. Handcrafted dolls and action figures, all made by his father. The child’s to intelligent eyes studied his surroundings carefully. Even at such a young age the boy preferred order to chaos. Clean to clutter. Unseen and unknown to the boy he was watched, always, he knew this, he could feel the, the guards, ANBU looking ever him. Except now, sometimes they would be gone, and he would allow himself small graces, like now. He sensed nothing beyond himself and deemed it prudent to clean while he could.

One by one, at the child’s gaze the dolls rose into the air, some danced and spun while the others drifted to their respective shelves. It was slow and halting, long and tedious, and when the boy completed the task he curled up where he sat and promptly fell asleep. Unbeknown to the boy someone was watching. Out of sight and senses, veiled in shadows so potent none could pierce them Akykyo Al’akir watched his son. His suspicions were well founded, the boy could sense those around him, those with patterns of course. Nothing could sense Akykyo. Silently he glided to the middle of the room and carefully picked up his son. Whether by habit or a lingering memory Akykyo smiled at his boy. The small child that depended on him to survive. For a long hour he simply held his son. Eventually matters of office pulled him away and he transferred the boy to his bed. As he left the nanny’s replaced him. ANBU specially trained, the best bodyguards in Suna.

~.~

“Mine.” Little Kyohaku said as he stared into his mothers eyes. “Now Kyohaku, that is not yours, it belongs to your brother.” Kiyomi responded patiently. She held her son in her arms and was conversing with him in measured clear tones and a level gaze. Her soft brown eyes were quietly amused as she stared into her sons silvery gaze. “Mine!” he repeated, squirming slightly. The object of his desire was a kunai no less. One of his elder brothers that he decided to claim as his own. This was a terrible phase for poor Kiyomi. “Kyohaku, listen to me” The Kunoichi spoke firmly, laying one hand on her sons face to gain his attention. “It is not yours, it belongs to your brother, now you have to stop taking things that are not yours. Do you understand?” She maintained eye contact for long time. This was the third time this kind of situation happened and she wished to firmly squash it before it got out of hand.

After several minutes Kyo nodded, relinquishing his hold on the kunai. Kiyomi smiled and cuddled her child. He was brilliant, grasped concepts far quicker than he should have, but he was hers and she would love him regardless. Though times she did wonder, like now, Kyohaku would watch her intently. Expression devoid of life, so much like his father at times. Shaking it off she set her son down and headed to the kitchen. Kyo was hungry, she always knew what he wanted or needed beforehand. Mother’s instinct perhaps, or something more.

.: Awakening :.

“Kyohaku, stop right this instance!” Geki’s voice rose above the din of crashing objects.” The ANBU assigned to watch over the Kage’s son was desperately trying to extract the boy from the hurricane of flying objects. The child sat in the center of his room amid what looked like a hurricane. He was staring directly at a wall, the whites of his eyes gone to make room for a rolling darkness. His toys, furniture, and bed were rushing around the room, clanging into each other with definite smashes and bangs. The ANBU was at a loss, he did not know what was going on and half his attention was diverted to avoiding the obstacles. Had he really pressed it he could get through but what effect would that have on the boy. First and foremost he had to keep the Kyo safe.

Deep into thoughts on how to rectify the situation Geki did not hear the Kazekage approach. Though in truth he most likely would not have heard at any rate. “What is the meaning of this” Akykyo inquired in his soft measured voice. Used to his Kage’s silent steps Geki turned and gestured to the vortex. “I do not know Lord Kazekage, he was upset at something and things began to move.” Akykyo’s lips pursed and he walked forward. Geki remained back and observed as the objects halted in the air, each one paused or dropped, held by a thread, several eventually the sheer number began to frighten Geki. As a unit the village understands their Kage is an extremely powerful shinobi, to see it is one thing.

Kyohaku’s gaze shifted to study his father. The cool silvery blue gaze had long ago bled to a solid black, pupils vibrating and expanding. They watched each other for some time. Eventually Kyohaku’s gaze returned to the balmy silver blue and they objects lost resistance. With a small nod Aky swept out the room, pausing once to address Geki. “Inform Kenshin Shimura I will require his service. Inform him his latest sealing jutsu will be required.”