[b][i]Death...[/i][/b] It was so unfathomable that in one moment she could be standing here observing the beauty and danger that is life and in the next the conscious independent soul that claimed her identity could no longer be tethered to this realm. Her skin crawled as the battle ensued, an uneasy tension overtaking her. The number started at over five thousand; over five thousand unique individual souls moving toward their position. They may have been hired goons working for the highest bidder, but they were human beings with a soul. Namine sensed it all. Every inch of the battlefield was hers, from the surges of electrified water to the Senju's crushing roots to the tentacle monster rambunctiously impaling everything with a heartbeat. The Empress would be pleased, but Namine was sick to her stomach. She sensed the light of every soul disappear as it happened, she sensed the painful desperation of the wounded survivors trying to free their half-dead comrades who were crushed in between the Senju's roots. Another part of the forest was lit ablaze where Namine felt each and every moment of intense agony felt by the mercenaries as they burned alive. 

All of this death, all of this pain, all of this hatred, and those who served the Empire were made to believe there was a jsut cause behind all of this? Namine was simply following orders, and had grown so accustomed to dealing with scenarios of this nature that there were no indications from her facial expression or body language of her discontent toward the situation whatsoever. She looked over to the Empress and searched as deep as she could... just what were her intentions behind all of this? 

The affection the Empress displayed toward Yakoul, was it even real? Did she truly value this sick beast as anything more than a simple bodyguard? The question flowed through Namine's mind as Shoko seemed more focused on Ra and her suggestion. Namine marvelled at Ra's ability to manipulate others, not to say she was manipulating Shoko in any form as such efforts would go wasted, but her ability to turn the hearts of men to their side was a very potent ability indeed. Namine wondered for a moment why Ra was so complacent where she was in life... 

Shoko glanced over at Namine and for a brief moment the two locked eyes, almost as if the Empress was sending a clear-cut message to Namine about the depth of her sensory abilities. Namine's bright blue eyes held a deep seated love for this world, though this love was buried in sadness. Namine turned away from the Empress's gaze and felt a strange presence coming their way. [i]"Catapults?"[/i] The Empress assumed as a large boulder appeared to be coming their way. Shoko already had her hand out to block it before Namine could get a word in. 

"That's not..." Namine began but stopped herself. It was too late and her words would fall on deaf ears anyway. She could sense the intense feelings of revenge coming from the boulder before it transformed back into the kunoichi. What stood out most was the fact that boulders didn't usually come with the will to murder the empress, though the young girl lacked a true intention to kill. Namine allowed the situation to play out with the Empress until she gave the order for Namine to bring her to the prison. Yakoul had been quick to guard Shoko who had never lost her full control of the situation even for a moment. Namine quickly sensed the displeasure from the beast as thoughts of sexual perversion floated through her mind, obviously coming from Yakoul. As it lifted the poor girl by the neck it gazed into Namine's eyes. Namine firmly believed that eyes were the windows into the soul, and within Yakoul's soul there was an ocean of pure, unbridled malice that was met with an unconditional love from Namine. Her eyes moved away from Yakoul's onto the girl. 

The sick creature's open invitation to rape the poor girl's unconscious body repulsed Namine, though again she made no visible expression of her displeasure. "I'll be fine by myself. Thank you, Yakoul." Namine stated as she retrieved Ryuza's body, looking the creature in the eyes as she did so before carrying her through the castle to the prison. There she placed the girl's body inside one of the cells atop a cot. Namine rolled up her right sleeve to reveal an intricate tattoo full of seals. She could sense the pain and dissatisfaction coming from Ryuza even though she was not conscious. Namine waved her right arm over the girl, covering her in a warm, white light. The girl would awake feeling refreshed and healed. The pain and physical damage Yakoul inflicted would be gone entirely. Namine's Shiyuuto no Uwan was a marvelous technique. 

"How are you feeling, Miss Ryuza?" Namine would ask the young girl once she awoke. Namine maintained a warm smile and a very pleasant, genuine tone. Though the circumstances were grim, Namine manageed to keep up a compassionate aura wherever she went. And although this girl was jut on the side of the mercenaries and trying to assassinate the Empress, none of that mattered to Namine. She simply saw a young girl in need of guidance.