Lore: Training at Armara

[Soran Nightblade]

Thread started by Kyosuke on January 5th, 2005.

Kyosuke:

Kensei stood at the edge of the town of Armara, looking at the piles of rock in front of him. Several boulders looked like they had small pieces of rock torn right out of them, which is actually what was happening. The man's chinese shirt was sitting, folded, with his two liquid-metal looking forearm bracers sitting on top of them.

Kensei stood in front of the rocks, his bare muscular torso covered in sweat, yet his chest rose and fell at a fairly normal pace. He flexed his fingers lightly looking at them and noted the number of lacerations on them as well as his nails that seem like they were breaking and almost tearing out. The pain did not bother him and he just assessed exactly how much more training he could do before the day ended. Satisfied that he would be able to continue without permanent injury to himself he prepared himself to continue his training.

The man walked up to another boulder and gripped it with his fingers, trying to tear trenches into it with each of them. Instead, a piece of rock just came off in his hands. He had to gain enough conditioning in his fingers to be able to create the trenches. Kensei had recently discovered a style of martial arts that the practitioner used his fingers to rend the flesh and even bone of his opponents. It was a family art so they refused to teach him of course, but it didn't mean that the martial arts genius could not figure it out on his own. He was sure that at this point, he would be able to tear chunks of flesh and bone out of humans with his fingers, but he would only be satisfied once the rock gave way.

Kyosuke:

Kensei stopped training for a bit. He closed his eyes and recalled some other parts of the family's martial art. He recalled that they encorporated a special type of fire into their techniques. When he asked about it, they had responded that the flame was something that only members of their family could use. So Kensei had to do the next best thing. He used his chi to mimic fire. It wouldn't be nearly as effective as the actual flames the family used, but it would suffice.

Besides, the half divine half demonic man didn't plan on using their style by itself. He would eventually adapt it into his own style of martial arts. Too many of their moves depended on takings hits but delivering full forced blows of their own. He could do that, but Kensei prefered to avoid getting hit.

Kensei opened his eyes again and looked down at the rock in front of him. He once again started working away at the slowly shrinking boulder. Preparing himself, Kensei positioned his fingers on the rock.

(OOC: If anyone is actually reading this thread, feel free to join. Plus I wonder if anyone's figured out that the style I'm talking about is the Yagami style from King of Fighters ^^)

Emora:


Cassandra walked with her usual solemn expression. How many places she had searched and found no cure for this wretched disease that had turned her into such a monster. Maybe this place would hold a necromancer powerful enough to bring her soul back and purge the sickness.

Three hundred years of searching and not a blasted one had succeeded in doing what she wanted so much. Life, a heart that would beat, that would feel. She missed loving and missed caring. She missed it all.

After some time of studying in many libraries Cassandra became completely convinced that a necromancer could bring her back from the undead. So she began her search and had found no one that powerful.

Cassandra stopped just as she came in view of the town. There was a person conducting some kind of... magic? Well, to Cassandra it was magic and she watched with her expressionless face, trying to figure out just what it was he was doing...

Kyosuke:

Kensei blinked as another chunk of rock just broke off under his hand. He let the piece drop and just stared at the rock for a few seconds, then turned his attention to flexing his hand. He reconsidered the training methods. The rock obviously wouldn't hold well enough for him to claw at it slowly.

He looked at the two, his hands and the rock, then shrugged. Pulling his arm back, fingers bent into a more clawlike shape he lashed out at the rock, creating a small trench in it. He ignored the pain his fingers now felt and did it with his other hand. He repeated it over and over again, tearing larger trenches into the rock, ignoring the chips of nail that flew off as well.

Emora:



Cassandra tilted her elegant head in intrest, her deep red curls spilling over her shoulder and slightly in the front of her face. She wondered what he was doing, but seeing that it seemed to be his nails doing all the work, she ruled out that he was doing magic.

"What is it you are doing?" she asked in a dull even tone that held no life or soul in it what so ever.

She got the feeling he was more than he seemed, a strange aura around him. It was mixed with good and evil. She guessed this man must have a horrible internal battle. She smile coldly, how interesting in deed. But, her smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared and she acted as if it had never happened.

Kyosuke:

Kensei turned his head around, not having been startled at all. The woman standing in front of him was an undead, and didn't emit any chi for him to sense. Of course, the complete lack of chi coming from areas also set off his senses, hence notifying him of her presence. "I'm just training," he responded, voice flat and emotionless.

He turned back to the rock and took another swipe at it with his fingertips. More nail flew off, but his fingertips managed to gouge out another trench from the boulder. "Anything you want?"

Emora:



Cassandra's yellow eyes looked at him as he said he was only training. He began again and she watched with interest wondering how far he would go before he actually hurt himself.

"Anything you want?" he asked her.

"No nothing at all," she said with a distance in her voice, the same emotionless tone that he took.

Kyosuke:

He grunted slightly, though it would be hard to tell whether it was a grunt of pain as he gouged another 5 trenches or an acknowledgement to the woman's statement. In either case, the man decided his progress on finger conditioning was too slow and started cutting over and over again at the rock with his fingers. The half angel/demon finally stopped when more and more blood started flying up in addition to the shards of rock.

He turned towards the town, noting that the woman was still there. "Are you sure there's nothing you need?" he asked. "You're still there after all."

Emora:


Cassandra stared at his bloody finger nails and hand the urge to suck on them... She hated these impulses that this curse gave to her. She find herself biting her bottom lip, a hunger growing. She instead tore her eyes away from his fingers and to his eyes again.

She tilted her head slightly and looked to the wrong. "Is there a crime for watching?" she asked, this time with just a tad bit of amusement. "But, if it annoys you so, I have better things to do..."

Kyosuke:

Kensei shrugged. "It's just somewhat odd to have someone watch me train. All the townspeople leave me be when I do so, finding it boring," he said. The fighter made a snapping motion with his hands, flicking the blood that was dripping off. He picked up his Chinese style shirt and slipped it on before walking towards town.

Emora:


A spot of blood hit Cassandra on her cheek. She rose an elegant pale finger to it and wiped it off. She put her finger to her lips, finding the blood to taste very different from what a human's blood would taste like. Frankly she hadn't expected him to be human.

She watched him as he walked away and a strange curiosity took her over. She followed him discretely, after all she had been heading into town as well.

If he was more than human then he would realize she was there. She turned down an alley and practically jumped to the top of a roof, from there she would follow him.

Kyosuke:

Kensei knew that he was being followed. He chose to ignore it. He felt the area of undead chi rise up to the rooftops and following along with his slow strides. He didn't really care, whatever it was she wanted, it wouldn't matter much to Kensei unless she were to attack him, or to join him in traveling.

The man soon found his way to the inn he was staying at and walked in, nodding to the innkeeper in greeting.

"Another bath for you sir?" he asked in a friendly manner.

"Of course," the fighter said in the same emotionless tone he spoke to the woman in. "Thank you." With that said, Kensei walked up to the bathing room.

Emora:



Cassandra stopped at the inn. She was on its roof looking down and watching the strange man enter through the door. With out a fearful thought of what might happen to the bones in her body she walked off the edge, spinning in a motion so that when she reached the ground she would be facing the door.

She landed with the grace that came with being a vampire. Her eyes looked over the door and then she walked towards it.

Kyosuke:

Kensei sat in his room, waiting for the bath to arrive. Hearing a knock on the door, he opened it to see a few servants carrying a tub and buckets of hot and cold water into his room. They set the items down as Kensei reached into a pouch and tipped them well. "Sorry it's a bit bloody, but as you can see," the man apologized holding up his hands and showing the nails on it. The servants nodded and walked out, leaving Kensei with his bath water.

The man leaned slightly out the window and making sure that there weren't any people walking below, started washing the blood off his fingers. His blood had already clotted, a quality of one of the races he was born from, but he wasn't sure which one. Pouring the cold water into the tub and adjusting it with the hot water, he found a comfortable temperature to bathe with. He stripped down quickly and slipped into the water.

Emora:


Cassandra walked into the inn and up to the inn keeper. He looked at her once and then had a second look when he realized she was a beautiful woman that he hadn't seen around before. "Can I help you?"

"Yes... I am looking for a man who came in with hurt fingers..." she said with out the least bit of emotion in her voice.

"He's bathing at the moment," the inn keeper replied and before he could say anything else Cassandra was walking towards where the baths were. She smelled his sent in the air and it led her to a door upon which she opened very quietly and stepped in closing the door behind her.


OOC: lol... I couldn't think of anything so I decided to do something funny.

Kyosuke:

Kensei turned to the woman that just walked in and blinked. "I coulda sworn I locked that door," the man stated. "Should I assume that you did want something from me then?" he asked. He didn't do anything different and continued bathing.

Emora:


Cassandra looked at him and she eased forward, taking a seat on a bench. She looked to him and tilted her head. "No, there is nothing I want..." she said plainly and continued to watch him. She showed no hint of embarrassment, because she no longer felt it. How she wanted to feel embarrassed again... How she wanted to feel something.

"You amuse me creature... What are you?" she asked. Though she said she was amused by him, there was no amusement present in her voice or features.

Was he just some magic using human... or more?

Kyosuke:

Kensei looked at the woman. "So you do want something," he said. "You want to know what I am." The man dunked his head into the water to wetten his hair before starting to lather it. "And you said you didn't want anything."

Emora:


Cassandra tilted her head as she watched him. "It is not something I want, but merely a question. But, in a way... I guess you can said I would 'like' to know what you are," she said in a voice that seemed rather philosophical. She crossed her legs and leaned back against the wall, resting her head.

Her yellow eyes watched his hands as he washed his hair. His fingers were wounded, but the water and soap didn't seem to bother him.

Kyosuke:

The man shrugged and stood up in the bathtub and took a step out, having already finished bathing. Using a quick burst of chi, he walked over to where the woman was and picked up a small traveling bag and rummaged through it for clean clothing. "If you must know, I'm of an unusual breed. I am half angel half demon," he stated and started pulling on some clean clothing.

Emora:

Cassandra sat calmly, looking him over for a second, but still showing no evidence of embarrassment. He didn't seem embarrassed about the fact he was walking around with absolutely no cloths on. Though he seemed have the same personality as her... Cold...

"Interesting... I take it neither the demons or the angels like you," Cassandra said, tilting her elegant head as she looked at him. "Interesting."

"Well, humans don't care for my kind either..."

Kyosuke:

Kensei shrugged. "I wouldn't know whether they'd like me or not," he replied. "I've lived for a long time, but I haven't met any yet really. Haven't tried too either." The man slipped his pants on then grabbed a pair of forearm bracers that appeared to still be made out of liquid metal. Holding them near his forearms for a second, they molded around his forearms with a mental command. After that, he slipped on a new Chinese shirt and buttoned it.

Kensei then turned back to the woman. "You are some sort of undead being, I assume. And the fact that you don't seem to be stumbling around looking for brains, I can assume you are not a zombie."

Emora:



Cassandra looked at him for a moment. "Good assumption," she said plainly. "If I were a zombie I would have surely tried to eat you back there..." She rose from the bench and walked across the flooring to a window that was closed with shutters. She opened them up and looked out it.

"Does your kind have much knowledge of bring back the dead?" she asked staring off at the wall just outside that belonged to another building.

Kyosuke:

Kensei sat down on the bench. "As I told you before, I wouldn't know what my kind would know. I've never tried to meet either of them," the man leaned back against the wall behind it.

Emora:


Cassandra turned to look at him for a moment finding him useless now. She needed to find some one to help her. She wanted to be human again. She wanted to feel!

"I guess you wouldn't happen to know where the nearest Necromancer is..." she muttered and began to walk towards the door. "I've come to you for nothing it seems..."

With that Cassandra gave him one last look before putting a hand on the handle of his door and opening it..

Darkrose:

(OOC: I hope you dont mind me jumping in ^_^)

Kenji woke up.

Where? What? When? How? Kenji frantically in his mind tried to remember the last thing he did before he passed out... nothing was comming to him.

He observed his surroundings. Kenju was in some sort of closet. How did he end up there? Only the heavens know.

Peeking through a hole in the closet, it was obvious Kenji was in some sort of bathing room. The eight year old boy witnessed... a naked man? And a beautiful woman?!

Did I wake up at the wrong time?

He felt the best thing to do was to remain in the closet until they were gone. Kenji hoped neither of them was a vampire of any sort, because he smelled worse than a bear's rotting carcus.

Not to mention he was in the closet that held the towels. And this was a bathing room. If anybody went in there...

The man eventually put clothes back on, and Kenji looked hopeful that the two would leave (they didn't do anything...) He shifted positions to make himself comfortable...

A tickle in his throat. Kenji tried his best to hold it back, but everyone heard the powerful sneeze that came from the bathtowel closet.

Kyosuke:

"Hmmm, a necromancer eh?" Kensei said. "Have you tried going into Arken for it? There must be tons of them there after all." The half angel half demon peered outside the door, which some of the servants had been leaning against to hear what was going on. "Yes, what do you need?" Kensei asked them.

One of them blushed as he replied, "W-w-well, we noticed that the woman entered the room as you were bathing despite warnings that you were doing so. We were just curious about what was happening in there."

Kensei blinked. "Well, since you're here already, you all might as well take the tub and water away for me. Of course, with that violation of privacy I'm not going to bother to tip you." The servants nodded and ran inside the room and past the undead woman to bring the tub out.

(OOC: I'm guessing I never made it very clear, but I meant this to be my room, I've modified my posts slightly though so that it's now a bathing room)

Emora:


Cassandra half turned towards him, her yellow eyes looking into his. He knew nothing of what she had tried. "I've been looking for a powerful enough one for over two hundred years and have yet to find one. Arken is the first place I have searched. I doubt there is a necromancer in this kingdom of holy men..."

Dealing with the dead was just something only evil people liked to do now days. Maybe that is why she couldn't find one strong enough. Evil was always the lesser. The laws of the world seemed to state that good always had to win over evil, no matter the odds.

Cassandra wasn't too sure about it though. There was a mounting war and Shea had a considerable head start...

"By the way," Cassandra said coldly. "I smell a human in your closet..."

Kyosuke:

(OOC: Once again, just in case nobody caught in, since people started assuming automatically that this was a bathing room, I modified my posts to fit that instead of it being my room, sorry )

"I noticed it a long time ago," Kensei stated. "I just chose to ignore him. As of now he's too young and weak to be much of a threat. Though he does have a chi similar to my darker side in him." Kensei leaned back against the bench again.

He turned towards the closet, "No point in hiding any longer since both of us have pointed out that we've noticed you."

Darkrose:

Kenji went limp. He let his body tumble out of the closet along with several towels.

Kenji stood up, not very proudly. His face was burnt badly from the sun. Faint traces of bruises and cuts remained on his face and chest. He wore loose pants he found out of a garbage dump.

He also wore a black cloak, which covered the markings on his back.

He grabbed his bokken, which he knew must have looked like a joke. Kenji didn't hold it in a battle stance, however, since it didn't seem he had the skill to take on either them...

Weak...

Kenji's back began to burn as he stared up into the man's eyes, wondering what he would do...

Kyosuke:

Kensei looked back at the young boy. He stared back into the child's eyes with his own eyes, eyes that were as cold as the stone he had been attacking. He saw the boy return the stare unflinchingly. He would have smiled had he felt like unsealing some of his emotions. "Well, what're you doing kid? If you're going to attack then attack already," Kensei said.

Darkrose:

Kenji lowered his eyelids, not changing his expression.

'I may be weak, but I'm not stupid.' He thought. The bokken was held loosely by his left hand. Attacking with the bokken would be pretty much useless, and to the man it would seem more like a massage than a beating. There were only two possible ways of escape.

Escape Plan One. Throw hot bath water into his eyes and break for it. This probably will result in failure.

... Kenji began to remember how he ended up in the closet. He first bought a piece of bread...stole a piece of bread....bought...stole.... one of them. Either way he had a piece with him now.

Kenji took out the bread. Half of it was soggy... Kenji split it and held out the good piece of bread to the man.

Escape Plan Two. Utterly confuse the enemy. Escape with opening.

Kyosuke:

Kensei's eyebrow rose. However, his expression quickly turned to the neutral one he had on before. He also recognised a trick when he saw one, he hadn't lived 1000 years for nothing after all. "Sorry kid, I'm not hungry. But if you're not going to attack then I have no business with you," Kensei said. "You have a nice solid stance with that bokken of yours, train some more and maybe one day you'll grow strong enough to fight with me. I would enjoy that very much."

Emora:


Cassandra looked to the boy for a long moment as if she were looking right through him at something. There was most definitely something there that was screaming the fact he wasn't just an ordinary human. This seemed the right day to meet demons or half demons... Something having to do with demonic things.

She had half a mind to leave, but she was interested in what was about to happen. Would the boy actually try and fight the Hell and Heaven reject? Surely even he knew that he would possibly be very unsuccessful. Cassandra would admit that it would take guts.

This strange feeling of foreshadowing came over Cassandra then. Yes a feeling, the foreshadowing was not of an emotion though. She looked the boy in the eyes, but he was concentrated it seemed on the man.

With out a word of good bye, which she was sure no one really expected her to give any way, she turned away. Maybe there was some one around here who could give her information on a necromancer or library... Catalogs... Something...

Darkrose:

"Sorry kid, I'm not hungry. But if you're not going to attack then I have no business with you,"

Kenji ate the bread, only thinking that the man simply was not hungry. Attack? Kenji knew he would never win against such a creature. At least right now.

Does he... want me to attack?

"You have a nice solid stance with that bokken of yours, train some more and maybe one day you'll grow strong enough to fight with me. I would enjoy that very much."

His face still layed solid. Fight him? If that were to come, Kenji would never fight with a bokken. Never with the training weapon that he has been beaten with so many times. Never with the weapon that has taught so many to kill...

As the vampire shifted her gaze from Kenji, he caught sight of her. She was beautiful, so sometimes even beautiful things can be terrible on the inside. That he knew well.

She looked cold, like him. What was her desire? Desire... that word made Kenji's back burn.

Suddenly with no warning, a burning sensation rose from the bottom of Kenji's stomach and sprinted up this throat. His mouth was forced open by a wave of fire, heading toward the vampire.

Emora:


Cassandra had turned her back from the group to walk away. She was planning on finding some one to help. For some odd reason she fest as if she were getting close...

But, then Cassandra felt a great heat coming towards her rapidly and she sensed it. In one swift motion it was as if Cassandra had walked up a wall. She jumped into the air and glided swiftly up towards the ceiling. She clutched the ceiling as the fire passed underneath her.

When she felt the heat gone she let go of the ceiling and glided to the floor, spinning until she faced them. Her feet touched down gracefully and she looked at the boy, then to the man she had met first. She tilted her head slightly and looked at them with her yellow eyes. "I believe that would be considered rude..."

Darkrose:

She dodged the attack with incredible ease. Kenji's eyes widened, the only scent of emotion on his face at the moment, showing he was impressed. He came from a family of samurai and had seen many extrodinary things... but nothing like that.

"I believe that would be considered rude..." Kenji felt cold yellow eyes. But he is use to coldness. What would have suprised him more is if someone would look upon him with compassion. That would make him quiver.

Because not everyone was meant to be loved...

BANG BANG

"Open up!" a ruggy voice said from outside the door. "There's a kid in there, right? I...uh... have come to get him to bring him home!"

The bread crumbled in Kenji's hand, now clearly remembering what had happened before he ended up in the closet.

Kenji doesnt remember details, but he was running...from men. Because he supposivly stole thier bread.

The voices of the men shouting out after him had the same voice of the man outside the door.

Kyosuke:

Kensei turned to look at the door, then chose instead to address the child. "Hey kid, are those guys after you for some reason?" he asked. "They shoulda prepared a reason before attempting to get someone to open up while stuttering along because they didn't have it prepared. So what're they after you for?"

Darkrose:

Kenji looked at the bread. All this? Over a loaf of bread?

"Listin' you! You betta open this door before-"

The man was interrupted by the sounds of blood splattering across the wall. They didn't even get the chance to scream.

"I am sorry to be such a bother," a man said through the wall. Unlike the bandit, this man's voice was smooth and mysterious. It carried a sense of strength. "I believe you have a young chld in there with you. He comes from my village, Takayama, and I have been sent by my elders to retrieve him."

Kenji pulled back. It was his elder brother, Itachi. Although only 18 years old, he is a very skilled swordsman. He is both honored and feared back at home. Itachi would never admit Kenji was his brother. Ever.

"His name is Kenji, although he talks no more, so you most likely have not heard his name until now." The samurai paused. "Those bandits saw Kenji steal a loaf of bread from a merchant, and it was their excuse to persue a young boy. Luckly it was how I found him."

From through the wall you heard a sword slip back into its sheath. Itachi requested with a firm voice, "I wish for you to open this door, for I was instructed by the elders of my village to bring Kenji home. If you choose to keep me out, I will come in there myself. I will not fail my mission...oh and Kenji? I hear you stepping towards the window. Don't bother." Kenji halted in his advancement toward the window. You could never expect anything less from Itachi.

Kenji never wanted to see Takayama again. Ever, and he will die before he goes back.

But what can he do now?

Kyosuke:

(OOC: Outta curiousity, any Naruto influences? I noticed some possible ones with Kenji himself, and now there's an older brother named Itachi)

Kensei started to make his decision as calmly as he could, which was in fact a completely unbiased decision with no emotional interference. Realizing that not opening the door would just cause trouble, and possibly deny him something enjoyable, he strolled over to the door.

He opened it and looked at the man in front of him. "It's none of my business what happens to the boy, but I don't suppose you'd be willing to... allow me a fight?" he asked.

Emora:


Cassandra stood watching with mild intrest in what was happening. She found the boy more and more interesting by the moment. What secrets did he have? What about the first man she met? What of him? She moved, finding she wished to watch if a fight came along. Leaning against a wall, she listened and watched quietly. She was willing to take the time away from her search to enjoy... well try to enjoy... a little blood shed.

Darkrose:

(OOC: hehe i love naruto, but the only thing i did take from it is the name Itachi. [i really couldnt think of another name ^_^])

It's none of my business what happens to the boy, but I don't suppose you'd be willing to... allow me a fight?"

Itachi stood there. Just by looking at them you could truly tell they were brothers. He was wearing a basic samurai uniform with a basic samurai sword.

But his skills were not basic. Not at all.

"If possible I would like to postpone our fight until a later date, for now I have a mission. I have come to get the boy, and nothing more. You obviously don't care for him, as you said so yourself. So I will take him, and I am sorry to be such a disturbance.

Kenji subconsiously took a step backwards. His father, his mother, the faces of his three sisters all appeared in his mind... their ugly faces distorted with hate.

He will not go back to that...

Kenji picked up his bokken and held it in a guard, not really knowing what to do. Itachi just gave an evil little smirk. To him, this was only a mere disturbance from his training and a waste of time.

"If you would please step aside..." Itachi said to Kensei with hostility in his voice. It was the last time he would ask nicely...

Kyosuke:

Kensei looked between the two brothers. He could tell that the new man was strong, strong enough to fight him and let him enjoy himself. He doubted that he would be strong enough to make him go all out though, but then again, the half angel/demon had 1000 years of experience that the much younger man didn't have. "He doesn't seem to want to go with you, and despite this being a matter that is none of my business, maybe you should explain the situation."

Darkrose:

"Kenji is very important to our village's survival. If he is to die young or run away, then our people are doomed." Itachi merely said. "Many might loose thier lives, even outside our village, if Kenji were to do something rash."

Itachi wasn't lying. He just didn't say the complete truth.

But this was all new to Kenji. Important? To the village? How the hell is he important to the village? At all? All they do is beat him and tell him that he is a disgrace to his name and to his village. Everyone hates him.

Everyone...

Out of whim, Kenji ran towards his brother at full speed with his bokken ready to attack.

The village? They all deserve to die...

To die...

But Itachi merely jammed his fist into the Kenji's stomach. Letting out a little gasp, the young boy almost coughed up blood.

Grabbing him by the hair, Itachi lifted Kenji's cloak to reveal his back.

The language of magic, written on his back. A dark magic..or prehaps white?

"I do not know much about magic, but I have heard this is a special spell of sealing. Its very weak, although..." Itachi was not one to lie, but he could not bare to fight at the moment. He came up with a story. "This spell needs to be refreshed, and only the magicians in our village are able to do so. It the seal breaks, hell can come about. Now please excuse me, I will be on my way."

Itachi began to lift Kenji over his shoulder as he turned his body toward the exit...

Kyosuke:

"When you say hell can come about, you mean to say a demon will be released don't you?" Kensei asked. "The boy has the ki of a demon inside of him, and it's a strong one most likely, seeing that you're scared of letting it loose. Of course, I wonder if it has to do with that Onikasai legend I've heard about." Once again, the 1000 years of living gave him knowledge about these things. Having sought stronger and stronger opponents, he had discovered the legend of the demon that would come back every 1366 years in a human's body.

Emora:


Cassandra stood straight for a moment. Could some one in this village possibly help her? Could they bring her soul and life back to her? With the speed and agility that was brought on by the fact she was a vampire it was almost as if she had appeared directly in front of the boy's brother.

Her elegant head tilted and a blood red ringlet fell in front of one of her yellow eyes. "Just how powerful are these magic users in your village?" she asked evenly.

She looked to the boy, but he couldn't see her at the moment. She could smell the lies almost radiating from the so called brother. He was lying, but he didn't know she knew he was lying. If it happened that she could travel with this man to his village she might just even make it the boys reward and save him from whatever fate it was. After all, if it weren't for him being in the closet his brother would have never come...

Darkrose:

Itachi was taken back at first, but only gave his evil little smile, one that was not well known because the people who usually see it are the people who usually die.

Yes. He accepted the fact he had been smelt out by both the human and vampire. They ar not ordinary people.

"Ah, you are good, the both of you, to sniff out my lies so easily. There is one magic user in our village, and the rest are families or samurai. Enough about that. Man, I don't know your name, but surely you are familiar with the legend of the Onikasai?" Itachi's faced darkened with a murderous look. He dropped Kenji, head first, towards the floor near the vampire's feet. "Yes, Kenji is to live until he is sixteen. Then he will be sacraficed for the greater good, and to reseal Onikasai into the depths of hell. Damn brother of mine, how dare you disgrace Father's name! How I wait for the day they take your head!"

Kenji stirred at the vampire's feet. For a small boy, he took pain well. Not one tear strung from his face, but if you listened closely you could hear him whimper.

"And you," Itachi said to Kensei. Itachi felt his blood rise, his warrior spirit had taken him over. He was thirsty for battle. "If you could sense the demon in my brother, then you are no ordinary human." Itachi drew his sword.

Kyosuke:

Before replying Kensei closed his eyes, holding two fingers in front of him while concentrating, the silence dragged on for five minutes before a black portal opened up. He reached into it and took out a katana and wakizashi, and slipped them into his belt. He saw Itachi shake with anger.

"I'm the product of a forbidden mixing of bloods between the divine angel kind and the darker demonic kind," Kensei said calmly. Kensei eased his hand simply to the sheathe and thumbed the hilt up, letting it lift slightly out of the sheathe. He would wait until Itachi made the first move before he would make his own.

"I suppose I should introduce myself out of respect for you as a warrior though I am not a samurai. I am known only as Kensei, I have no clan name. I use a multitude of styles that I have learned in my lifetime." Kensei completely eased into his stance having said that.

Darkrose:

Itachi was getting angry, in a good way. It is easier to kill an opponet while you are angry.

"I am Yamagata Itachi. I come from the Yamagata clan that resides in Takayama. Kensei-Sama, let this be a good fight to challenge us both."

Itachi simply threw a simple thrust toward the stomach, knowing that Kensei would dodge it effortlessly. But in how he dogded... lets just say any little piece of information on the opponet was the key to winning a battle. So the thrust, in all honesty, was a test.

Kyosuke:

Seeing it as a test, Kensei gave as little information as possible. Instead of using his full abilities and dodging it by a slight hair, giving away his perceptiveness and the depth of his skill, he instead chose to jump backwards, completely avoiding it and then jumped out the window to get outside. "Come out here, I don't feel like paying the innkeeper for damages," Kensei called out.

Darkrose:

"Heh..."

With one mighty leap Itachi flew into the air and laned about 10 yards from where Kensei was standing.

He saw my test. I can't toy around with him. I must beat him as quickly as possible.

"Let's end the toying game and get staight to the fight." Itachi wore and emotionless expression, holding his sword strong.

He gave Kensei no clue of what attack he was going to perform next.

-Back in the Room-

Kenji finally got on his feat. The blow wasn't fatal and didn't leave him with much of a mark. He looked up into the vampire...

And he saw coldness in her eyes. But it was a different coldness. It wasn't a coldness caused by hate, but by something missing inside.

Kenji could relate to that.

He looked up to her. His face was emotionless because his eyes told all.

Kyosuke:

Kensei responded, having no emotions to change his expression from anything but emotionless. He stood his ground, but drew his katana this time, deciding to use a different style than a battou jutsu. However, he still stood there defensively, he would strike when the other man ran out of patience and attacked. Of course he would avoid killing Itachi if possible, seeing that a strong opponent can only get stronger with time. And when a strong opponent becomes stronger, it makes it much more enjoyable to fight them again.

Darkrose:

Itachi ran towards Kensei as quickly as possible, until the last possible second where Itachi just disappeared from plain sight.

It worked, one of Itachi's special moves, 'Hidden.' Itachi camaflouged himself with his surroundings, and at the opportune moment, Itachi would strike.

The only way to defend against this attack is to know where the hidden person is hiding, and then strike them.

Itachi mused to himself, "Well, angel-demon? Do you know where I am? Find me if you can."

Kyosuke:

"This is simple," Kensei said, turning towards where Itachi was hidden. "You don't know how to hide your chi well enough, so I can still sense your presence and location. It's a trick I've picked up from a human martial arts master actually. And for your information, that man would have been able to identify that there was a demon inside the kid also, so sensing it wasn't a demonic trait of mine or anything."

With his explanation said, Kensei decided he would attack first and dashed towards the man. He decided to drop himself down to the level he had seen from the man and stabbed at him with the same speed that he had been attacked with.

Darkrose:

The rock split in half as Kensei struck. But Itachi wasn't hiding there...

"Ha, you fell for my trick. I split my chi, giving half to the rock so it would seem as if I was hiding there. In truth? Look up."

Itachi was standing on Kensei's shoulders. The next moveItachi struck down with his sword with incredible force.

A cloud of dust surrounded them from the impact...

Kyosuke:

Kensei was impressed, he was tricked. Of course, it didn't mean much other than that. He had sensed the second chi energy as well, and had definitely felt it when the samurai landed on his shoulders. After estimating figuring out the length of the blade right before it was brought down into his skull, the fighter caught it in between his fingers, not letting the blade budge.

"That was a nice move," Kensei complimented. He then used a flick of his wrist to either force the man to go with the blade and fly off his shoulders, or lose the blade.

Darkrose:

Itachi didn't let go of his blade, so as Kensei flicked it back, the young samurai landed approx 3 yards from the angel-demon.

The combination Itachi just used won him many fights. It was both disheartening and invigorating all at the same time to see his move fail. Itachi was only beginning.

Well...

Splitting his chi in half with rock. Unlike normal opponets, he knew if he only used a little bit of chi, Kensei would have definatly noticed. Itachi had to take the defensive position now until he came up with a stradegy and gained more energy back.

He stood in a guard stance.

Kyosuke:

Kensei noted that his chi levels had definitely dropped from his previous move. Doubtless the samurai before him had one many a fight with it, and had expected to win with that combination. 'I doubt however,' he thought 'that he's ever fought someone 50 times his age.'

Kensei decided to continue using the same level of technique that Itachi was using and charged at him easily with the same speed that he had been charged at before. With one hand, he slashed with the same amount of power that he expected Itachi to be capable of, expecting the simple technique to be cleanly blocked he waited for the block and would throw a side kick into the man's stomach when or if it was.

Darkrose:

Itachi instinctivly wanted to block it like he always does, but then, out of no where, he remembers something his master said,

"An ametur's unpredictablity can be just as deadly as a master's accuracy."

He remembered once, when they were young, how his best friend Yoshietoki, instead of blocking the sword, jumped on the blade and took out his opponet from there.

Itachi called him an idiot at the time...

But now Itachi mimicked his friend's move and jumped on the blade of Kensei's sword. Itachi took his blade and made one clean swing to Kensei's neck...

(OOC: I have to go for the night... our little battle will continue tomorrow ^_^. Good night.)

Kyosuke:

Kensei would have been once again impressed with the technique that was just used, had it not had one big flaw in it. The half angel/demon dropped his blade down when his opponent had jumped on it and shifted it back up, using the end of hilt to block the slash that was approaching his neck.

"Hmm, being strong enough to do something like support a full grown man on the end of my blade can be problematic sometimes," Kensei mused aloud. As he said this, he threw a hook punch into the other man's rib cage, just hard enough to break a rib. He would be very impressed if there was a way to avoid his punch seeing that there wasn't any way for him to dodge in midair nor was there a way for him to block the punch with his occupied sword.

(OOC: Okay, night)

Darkrose:

It had come to fast, Itachi's rib cage snapped in half.

He was ashamed of himself, in a sense, for he used half his energy on the first move. Itachi did not think strategically, like he usually did, and all his moves were out of whim.

Itachi fell to his knees, once again ashamed for underestimating his opponet. His once white top began to dye itself a crimson red. The break wans not a minor fracture, in fact, the bone almost penetrated Itachi's skin.

But he was showing weakenss in front of his opponet, Itachi realized. Despite the pain, he rose to his feet and held up his sword.

I am in no position to win, that is for sure, but I will fight with all my spirit until I draw my very last breath! And if I am to die here, I will die honorably on my feet! These were Itachi's thoughts.

The loss of blood made Itachi dizzy, and his vision became impaird. He had to trust his senses, as the lead his sword into a strong thrust directly at Kensei's heart.

Kyosuke:

Kensei sighed and caught the now weaker sword thrust with ease. "I know saying this will be against bushido for you, however, I suggest you stop before you get hurt any further. Admit your defeat and get older, so I can fight you and enjoy myself again another day," Kensei said. "Besides, I have a proposition for you regarding the kid." Kensei kept a firm grip on the blade.

Darkrose:

"I know saying this will be against bushido for you, however, I suggest you stop before you get hurt any further. Admit your defeat and get older, so I can fight you and enjoy myself again another day."

Never! Itachi thought. I will fight until the end!

...but then he reasoned with himself. The rib cage was not a permant injury, it would heal in time. And to die over a simple mission such as this? He would disgrace his family's name for sure!

Itachi put his sword back into his sheath. "Oddly enough, your words went through to me." He smiled, not his battle smirk though, but a smile out of respect. Even with his pain he still managed to bow. "We will fight again another day."

"...and...what of my brother?"

Kyosuke:

"Good," Kensei said. "Lemme set those ribs before we start with the deal though." The fighter, without his target's permission, placed his hands over the broken ribs and with a loud cracking sound, he set them. The sound could make anybody with a somewhat queasy stomach squirm.

"Well, as for the kid," he contiued. "I would like to take him under my wing and train him. He shows promise," Kensai said. Holding his hand up to stop a protest from Itachi, Kensei elaborated on the deal somewhat more. "From what I see of your treatment of him, he seems to not receive very goodDarkrose:

treatment from your village. Of course, you probably don't care because of the demon inside of him, but he didn't choose to take that demon, just as I didn't choose to be part demon." He had sensed that the samurai now had some feeling of respect towards Kensei, and made sure to remind him that he now respected a man with demon blood flowing through him, much similar to his brother.

"And when the seal loosens on him, and if he is unable to control the demon, I will be the one to fight him. I would find fighting a demon possessed boy with a body that I trained most... enjoyable," he said.

Darkrose:

Itachi considered the man's offer. To fail to bring his brother back means seppuku. But... if he were to explain the situation, and considering his position in the village, he would escape such an act.

He stood, rib cage snapped back in place. It now would be kind of difficult to explain the fight...

"I hope you understand that if you lose to the demon inside of him, chaos will be unleashed to the earth." Itachi looked into the eyes of Kensei, and finally understood the strength of this angel-demon's spirit. Itachi could not help but feel respect for this man, and had no doubt that this man could defeat Onikasai once and for all.

"Then I trust Kenji to you... please treat him well," Itachi smiled. Just five minutes ago he declared he wished his brother dead. He felt the need to explain himself, "Normally, our village would not allow such abuse to one unless they are undergoing vigourous training. However, Kenji was a different case. He held a demon, and he was going to die when he was sixteen. The villagers beat Kenji because they thought he was the demon himself. But what they don't know is that the elders let us beat Kenji for a different reason." Itachi gaze pierced into the eyes of Kensei.

"Isn't it easier to die, when you hate life?"

The wind blew the leaves off the trees, and they danced until they were put to rest on the cold hard ground.

"If we destroyed Kenji's will to live, then his departure from this world would be less painful." He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued. " I myself mistreated Kenji so I would never develop love for him as my brother. It is easier to let go that way. Same goes for the village. If the villagers love him, then they would never sacrafice him."

"I trust you to train my brother well and to rid him of the demon, and... show him a side of life he never thought possible."

Itachi secured his sword in his steath and waited for Kensei's last words before he departed.

Emora:


All very interesting, Cassandra thought, a little disappointed that they wouldn't get to go to the village and see this powerful magic user. But, she hated waited for well over four-hundred years.... She could wait a while longer. Though, why couldn't she go on her own. There was nothing tying her down to these people.

Strangely she found that she wanted to continue to watch them. They brought interest to her dead dull life. She wanted to watch the boy be trained by this halfling. Who knows... she could learn a thing or two by watching them.

But, they probably wouldn't want the living dead around them. Even demons didn't like her kind. Well, at least the demons she had met. She guessed it was because of the fact Vampires still retained there human features. She cared nothing for what people thought of her or what some one wanted.

She remembered that she was never this selfish. But, the fact that her soul and her feelings were gone seemed to have made her into some one very selfish. All she wanted was life and she cared for nothing else...

Darkrose:

A chill ran down Kenji's back as he just realized that this woman is, in fact, a vampire. He knew this before, but it finally registered in his mind.

Why haven't you sucked my blood yet? He thought. Then again, thats right, I have dirty, worthless blood.

They were still in the bathroom of the inn. The vampire seemed to keep her eye out the window where Kensei and Itachi jumped out. Kenji sat on the floor near the vampire's feet.

The door was opened... and everyones preoccupied...

Should he break for it?

Kyosuke:

Kensei took a minute to gather his thoughts again and realized that even if the brother agreed to the deal, the village itself might not. "Are you sure you have the authority to grant a request like that? Maybe it would be better for us to return with you to your village and talk with your elders about it," he said. "Really, I wouldn't want you to commit seppuku because you granted permission for something that you couldn't give. Well, not before you face against me... or your brother when he gets stronger at least." Kensei looked forward to be able to train someone. The kid would be one of the few he had trained at all, and that said quite a bit considering his age.

Emora:


Cassandra licked her lips, starting to get a bit hungry. She hated finding food. She hated taking a life. But, she chose to take the lives of criminals and not innocents. Unlike most vampires who have been turned she retained some of her humanity.

She looked down at the child with her yellow eyes and then back at the demon/angel. Would they leave while she hunted for food. She hoped not. She really wanted to follow them. She had this strange feeling they could lead her to some one who could give her soul back. She would stay around for a while, just encase they headed out...

Darkrose:

"Kensei-Sama, that is truly unnecessary, but if you so wish, we will travel to Takayama." Itachi said, and bowed low out of deep resect.

However, not to far away, the name of his home village rang in Kenji's ear. His decision was made.

His body lifted upward in a sprint, not taking notice of the water spilled on the floor. This was a mistake, for Kenji fell to the floor as quickly as he rose from it. Still, he managed to get to his feet again. He turned a corner onto the hall and his footsteps echoed softer and softer the further down he ran.

What he didn't realize is that he left his most prized pocession behind... his teddy bear. His old stuffingless beaten up teddy bear.

Kyosuke:

(OOC: If I ever make a mistake and call Kensei Kenji, it's because I'm used to having main characters in stories up named Kenji or RP characters with that name, and I habitually type that so sorry if I do so)

Kensei heard the panicked footsteps of the young boy as he dashed for his freedom. The halfling looked in the boy's direction and took his time taking his shirt off. He even took the time to fold it and put it aside. When he was done, out of his back came a pair of black feathery angel wings, spread out. The half angel/demon took to the sky and landed before Kenji. "Where do you think you're going kid?" he asked.

Darkrose:

Itachi raised his eyebrows. "Running are we? Thats not like you, Kenji." He sighed. "He must really not want to go back home. Its understandable why he would not."

Kenji stared up at the angel-demon. His eyes hardened with fierce intensity. They clearly stated Kensei better move, or something is going to happen.

The spell on his back began to burn.

Emora:


Cassandra’s eyes caught site of a fluffy object lying next to the closet door. Her head tilted and she gracefully walked towards the bear, bending and lifting it into the air. She looked at it for a second and concluded that it must have belonged to that boy…

She walked down the hall he had left through to find him and return the object. It just felt like something she should do. Maybe that was something from her humanity… what little remained in her hollowed lifeless shell. She walked out until she found them standing gathered around the boy again. Were they picking with him again? Well, was his brother picking with him again.

She didn’t really know much was happening now since she was stuck so much in thought. She stopped just to the side of the group, her yellow eyes watching them. “Here boy,” she said and tossed the bear to him. She stood there, still watching them.

Darkrose:

Kenji caught the bear and handeled it like a baby. It was his bear. It will never make fun of him, hit him, hurt him. The only thing it will ever do is be there for him.

He thought of the vampire. For someone who looked so souless... she was pretty nice.

A sizzling sound came from Kenji's hands, and he immediatly dropped the bear. This happened often, as told by burn marks on the bear. Kenji fell to the floor with his head inbetween his knees as the wood around him began to burn. He would stay in this position until the demon's rage passed within him.

Itachi eyes bulged, something wasn't right. He said, in almost a whisper, "The demon's seal should not be that weak, not by this age."

Kyosuke:

Kensei thought about it for a second. "Well, the demon has been alive for thousands of years hasn't it?" he asked. "The demon probably grows in strength, and with each time he transfers into a new body, the seal isn't as effective... or grows weaker."

Kensei kneeled in front of the boy, "Kid, steel your will against the demon. If your will can overpower his, the seal may be more effective, and it won't hurt you as much." The halfling said this out of speculation, but wondered if it would really work.

Darkrose:

Kensei's words seemed empty to him. Will. Even when the demon hurt him so, he had not will to overthrow him.

He believed there was no point in doing so.

Everyone has a fate. Some are to lead. Some are to follow. Some become soldiers, and some become bartenders. Everyone has a purpose that must be followed. I am a vessel. I am to live as a demon bearer, and then die. This is my fate.

Little by little the burning subsided, and Kenji slowly stood up. His eyes remained fixed on the floor, however, fearing what expressions the others wore on their face.

"Kensei-Sama, I must take him back to Takayama..."

And with that, a fire that was soley Kenji's leaped up from his soul. A fierce gaze swept across his face as he held his bokken. He stood in a guard stance, not caring that his precious bear was being crushed beneath his foor.

And with that, it was the first time he spoke in years,

"NO!" he shouted. Kenji stared hard at his brother. He will not go back to Takayama, not without a fight.

Emora:


Cassandra tilted her head at the boy’s reaction and then gazed at his brother. She stepped forward, feeling that nudging humanity coming back again. “I don’t believe he wants to go with you, sir,” Cassandra said, her yellow eyes looked directly at the man. She didn’t about the shock of the boy actually speaking. “And I think you should leave him be. You see… I’m getting rather hungry and I wouldn’t want to have to make you my next meal…”

She was a very beautiful woman. A small lean figure, smooth pale skin, deep red, long, curly hair… If it weren’t for the whole undead thing she could be an angel. But, though Cassandra looked beautiful and seemingly harmless she wasn’t. She was dangerous and one not to be toyed with. She was sure that when she was human she would lose all her special abilities.

Kyosuke:

Kensei thought the situation through for a bit. He then turned to Itachi. "Maybe it would not be wise to go back to your village," he said. "We should just go through with what we agreed, and perhaps in my further travels I will find a way to permanently seal the demon." Kensei, though he had lost most of his emotions, still felt a bit of compassion in regard to the boy. The fighter didn't like to see one so small suffer for something that wasn't his fault. It wasn't right.

"If the demon is released sooner than expected, then he will meet the same end by my hands, whether the kid is 10 or 16," Kensei continued. He hoped that he would be able to find a stronger seal for the demon before that would happen though.

Darkrose:

“I don’t believe he wants to go with you, sir. And I think you should leave him be. You see… I’m getting rather hungry and I wouldn’t want to have to make you my next meal…”

Itachi has fought demons, vampires, and zombies of all shapes and sizes. He never yielded to them. But this woman, the coldness in her voice, completely threw him off. Fear took him, in a way he could not control. Kensei's words saved him.

"We should just go through with what we agreed, and perhaps in my further travels I will find a way to permanently seal the demon."

Itachi somehow had this strange confidence that Kensei would not fail him. For Kensei, whom he respected greatly (and the vampire who was glaring at him with hungry eyes completely freaked him out,) he agreed to thier wishes.

"Yes, take him. I will be able to explain to my elders what has happened. I believe you will not fail, Kensei-Sama," he said and bowed.

Emora:



Cassandra looked to the man, still with her head tilted. She was beginning to wonder why she had stood up for the boy. She could have agreed with this man to go back to there village an meet whatever sorcerer they had. He could very well be the one to give her what she wanted.

Cassandra felt that there was nothing more for her to do. Why didn’t she just go to the village on her own? Because she had been without companions for so many years. But, they would not except her. They would expect her to suck them dry as they slept.

Though, Cassandra could feel no emotions her brain and the remembrance of being said made her face have a slight sad look to it. Her yellow eyes stared at the ground. More than anything she wanted to cry, to feel some feeling that could make her cry. But, she could feel nothing. She was an empty shell. Her soul was gone.

Maybe her soul could not be brought back, and the innocence she had held was gone. She was nothing any more, but a body that tormented the living with her ghastly way of living. But, what was the point if she were so unhappy? What was the point of living?

Cassandra looked to the little boy and tilted her head. She wondered if he thought the same. He would die soon, or have a fate worst than death. Did he think about the point of his existence. Her mother had taught her that everything has a purpose. Everyone was put on this earth to do something, whether it is very small. It was something.


Kyosuke:

Kensei saw the inner turmoil in her eyes. Even though she had no emotions with her lack of a soul, the halfling had been alive for much too long to not be able to recognize signs. He turned to her. "Why are you searching for a wizard anyway?" he asked. He recognized the harshness that immortality had, being an immortal himself, and wondered if it had anything to do with that.

Darkrose:

Itachi slipped out steathly, avoiding anymore conflicts, he left the trio alone.

Kenji looked up at the vampire. For someone who seemed to have no soul before, she saw emotion. But she seeked a wizard?

Why?

Although his face was stone cold, Kenji was still a kid. And children are notorious for their curiosity.

Emora:


Cassandra’s eyes flashed to Kensei at his question. She did not speak at first and wondered mostly why the attention had been drawn to her. The kid was the one with all the trouble, he had a freaking demon wanting to pop out as soon as possible. “I seek some one with ability to resurrect a soul,” she said plainly and looked at them for a moment.

As if it were any of there business any way, it wasn’t like not giving them an answer would hurt anything. She brushed a strand of curly red hair from her face.

Kyosuke:

Kensei nodded, "I see." He thought about it for a moment. "I know of very few magic users, and I know only one personally." The halfling held his arms up, revealing the liquid metal looking forearm bracers on his arms. "He is the decendant of the one who made these for me and specializes in magical weapons more than anything else. He may be able to point you in some direction though."

Emora:


Cassandra looked to the halfling, tilting her head slightly. Her yellow eyes looked into his and then they glanced to the boy. "And you would help me?" she asked with the emotionless tone. "Why?"

Cassandra had never had help from anyone. They always expected her to turn her back and eat them. She didn't understand the reasoning of the man. "Though, I feel no feeling, I guess I can say I am... thankful..."

Kyosuke:

Kensei thought about the question. "I have no reason not to help you," he replied. "And it wouldn't be very much out of my way to help you either, since I really have no destination planned."

The genius of combat looked down at his new student, "plus. my new student might be easier to handle if you were around."

[Soran Nightblade]

Darkrose:

"Plus, my new student might be easier to handle if you were around."

Kenji blinked at this. The whole part about him being a student has not quite registered in his mind. He never actually said he wanted too...then again, its not like he really had a choice in anything.

Kenji turned toward the woman and studied her face. He had no attachment to her, no feelings of attraction. He is only a young boy, after all. However, even though she is a vampire, her presence is... comforting to him.

Her eyes are emotionless... but she wants to ressurect someone's soul, right? Then she must care for someone...

It must be great to have someone you care about, and they care about you back, so much that they would risk their lives for you. It must be nice...

Kenji wanted to help the woman. He wanted to help her save whoever she was going to save. He felt a strange sense of excitement.

But why would he help her? Is it possible because I never had someone? And I don't want her to become what I have? Or am I merely a tool in helping her achieve her fate, for whatever that may be...

Zonned in deep thought, Kenji was brought back to the world by one long....loud...embarrasing....growl.

Direct from Kenji's stomach.

His left eyes twitched as his hand absentmindly rubbed his stomach.

Kyosuke:

Kensei blinked as his new student's stomach growled. "Do you want something to eat kid?" he asked. "And I've never actually introduced myself to either of you have I? My name's Kensei." He turned to the young boy, "and due to a deal I made with your brother, I am also your new teacher."

Darkrose:

He did not speak. Although he screamed earlier, it was nothing to get excited about. Kensei already knew his name, so why bother?

Kenji sighed in his mind. Because of his brother, he is now bound to the angel-demon. There was no hope of escaping now.

But he still speculated Kensei's intentions. Why the heck would he want to train someone like me? If I am going to die anyway, then why does it matter?

But once again, Kenji's stomach growled at him demanding food. He nodded to Kensei's question, but expected nothing else. At the very least, it was approaching nightfall, and Kenji hoped that Kensei would let him hunt for some food before it became completely dark.

Kyosuke:

Kensei looked at the child. Kenji's face was like his own, hard and cold, though it had a hint of childishness in it. He wondered what changed him to be that way. 'One so young should not be that wa,' he thought to himself.

Out loud, the halfling asked the child, "Is there anything you'd like to eat?" He also turned his head to the vampire woman, 'and is there any other way for you to get blood to sate your thirst without using humans?"

Emora:


Cassandra looked to the halfling and tilted her head. “I can find a suitable demon,” she said emotionlessly. But, the taste of demon blood made her sick. Not physically, but the thought of drinking a demons blood. Not only that, but human blood as well. Still, after 400 years she hadn’t gotten used to it.

“While you eat I shall hunt my food,” she said and turned, disappearing into a crowed as if she had vanished in thin air…<br>

Darkrose:

Kenji watched her disappear into the crowd, only leaving her with one thought:

Why didn't she just eat us? But he awnsered his own question, She would probably choke and die on dirty blood, such as mine.

Kenji looked up at Kensei, his new master that his dear brother sold him to. The angel-demon asked if he was hungry, and Kenji nodded.

Kenji looked foward to bread. Basically, back at home, his diet was a prison diet, bread and water. Although... one time his older sister Takako claimed she was too fat and was going on a diet, thus threw delicious Ighten bread at him and ran to her room. It was the most heavenly thing Kenji ever ate...

His mind and stomach so set on food, Kenji did not realize he left his teddy bear behind...

Kyosuke:

Kensei noticed the damaged stuffed animal left behind on the ground. Turning back for a bit, he picked the toy up and handed it back to the child without a word. There had to be some sort of significance involving it if that was the only possession he took when he left his home.

Kensei studied the young boy for a moment. 'They must not have fed him much,' he thought. 'He's too skinny for someone his age. I'll have to start him on a healthier diet.' He decided he would just feed him a healthy meal of meat, vegetables, and rice.

(OOC: He should take Kenji to eat ramen )

Emora:


Cassandra walked through the town looking over all those who would make a fine meal for her. But, she didn’t wish to drink human blood. She entered down the darkness of an alley. It shouldn’t have been that dark, but there were many large over hangs. She knew for a fact she would find food here. There were many beggars lying on the ground reaching up at her for money or food, or whatever else they desired.

She moved passed them like the angel of death. They stilled when they saw the glow of yellow as a small bit of light reflected off of her eyes. She walked down the alley with her floating grace, the grace of the undead. The alley was sealed off with boards at one end and there was a busted down door on the side of it. A rundown building… She could smell the stench of a very fowl demon…<br>
Cassandra entered the house to found it quiet. She made her way through the many openings and still found nothing and she probably wouldn’t have found it if she were a mere human… and if it hadn’t had leaped at her.

A ghastly demon that was disfigured beyond comprehension. It attacked her, swinging its claws and snapping at her. But, she stayed as calm as the cloudless sky. She flew to the ceiling and then scurried across before dropping directly behind the beast. He was either to stupid or slow to react in time. Cassandra grabbed his head and jerked, snapping the neck.

The body slumped to the floor and Cassandra gazed down at it, tilting her elegant head. She knelt, the dress billowing out around her. Her pale hands came out and she grabbed the head pulling it into her lap. It was a horridly ugly creature and smelled just as bad as it looked. Cassandra pushed back her curls and lowered her head to taste the demon blood… But, stopped.

She screamed and lifted the body of by its head while she was still on her knees, then slung it across the room. “Must I be driven to this?!” she cried in anger.

“Even after four hundred years you still haven’t gotten used to drinking the blood of your fallen?” the cool silken voice of her master spoke. He stood behind her only having appeared moments before, watching with complete amusement as his apprentice worked so skillfully. “You only feed when you truly must to live. You try when your hungry… but you can’t. Cassandra, Cassandra, Cassandra, my poor-” He put his hands on her shoulders, bending slightly to do so. “Would you like my blood?”<br>
Cassandra turned her head away as he spoke into her ear from behind. He was the cause of all her trouble…<br>

Darkrose:

(OOC: Haha ramen! Yum ^-^)

Kenji stared up at his...well he guesses 'Master' now... with his bear's ear in his mouth. The usually emotionless boy stared up Kensei with hungry eyes. He jumped up and down in anticipation. Despite all that goes around in the world, when one eats, the world becomes perfect.

At least for him anyway.

But at that moment, Kenji called himself a fool. He always had to hunt for his own food, why would now be an acception? Kenji guessed he had to go catch Kensei some food too. Hopefully he likes deer...

Kenji tightened his grip on his bokken, preparing to hunt...

Emora:


Cassandra was irritated by his arrival more than anything in the world. He always seemed to know where she was or what she was doing. Maybe it was the bond they had because was the one who sired her. Against her will at that, but he was her master.

“I don’t want your blood,” Cassandra said and rose from her position on the floor. She turned to see her mast kneeling on the floor, where he had been kneeling behind her. “I didn’t want it then and I don’t want it now!”<br>
“Such emotion for someone so emotionless,” her master said with a mock smile and rose from his position as well. “Still looking for a cure that doesn’t exist…”

“It does exist,” Cassandra said glaring at him. She knew it existed, she had read about success stories. She had met those who had been revived. He just didn’t want to loose his apprentice.

“You will grow weak again,” Caden said and tilted his head as she reached out for her. Resting his hand on her neck gently. “I cannot always save you from that weakness.”

“You saved me once and I wish above everything that you hadn’t,” her emotionless voice said and her yellow eyes looked to him. “Go away.” And he did without another word. He knew when to leave her be, even though at times he didn’t.

Cassandra looked to the dead demon and her hunger grew, but she ignored it. She left the alley to stifle her feelings some where else. Well, if you could call the feelings…<br>

Kyosuke:

"C'mon kid," Kensei said, putting his hand on top of the kid's head. "There's a decent restaurant a few blocks down, we need to get some more meat on you before you can start training." The half angel demon had noticed the preparation he was making. "If you want to hunt so badly, I'll make that a part of your training sometime later on, but for now, you need more energy."

Darkrose:

Despite all emotions that were taking away from him, despite the emotional barriers he put between people and himself, Kenji was still a young boy. And if one were to offer him food, Kenji would love them forever, because good food is hard to come by on Kenji's terms. And Kensei must be the first person...well except his elder sister Takako... to ever give him food. What would it be? He said meat. Maybe Kenji will be able to eat some good quality meat!

He followed Kensei with the upmost excitement.

(OOC: Sorry for such the short post...I'm sick. *crawls back to bed*)

Kyosuke:

Kensei led the young boy to a half decent restaurant. It wasn't the fanciest of places, but it wasn't run down like some of the lower class restaurants in the town were. The halfling sat himself down with the boy.

He waited for the waitress to come by and ordered a meal for two, ordering for the boy a meal larger than his own. The fighter just ordered a basic bowl of rice and some assorted meat and vegetables. He got the child the same thing but doubled it.

When the food came, the waitress put the double serving down in front of the halfling, who moved it over to Kenji's side quickly. "Eat up, you need more energy if I'm going to start training you."

Emora:


Cassandra walked the streets of the town and found that the look on her face caused most
people to go out of there way to avoid her. She wondered where her traveling companions
had gotten too and on a soft breeze she caught the sent of them.

She followed it until it led her to a restaurant. Cassandra didn't go in, however, she just
wanted to know where they were. She walked to the roof and there sat, watching the
many creatures in the world and waited for them to get through...

Darkrose:

Food. So much food. His heartbeat sevenfolded, and his eyes grew wide with excitement. Food, Food, FOOD!!!

How Kenji ate kindof went like this:

You see a riceball, now you don't. You see some meat, now you don't. You see some soup, now you don't. You see some food...now you don't.

Never having so much food Kenji nearly gagged himself from eating to fast. He fell too the floor, twitching and coughing. Something was stuck in his throat.

Kyosuke:

Kensei sighed as his new student fell to the floor, choking on the food he had been scarfing down moments before. He would have found it amusing if the container of one of the most feared demons in the world died from choking to death, and he almost wondered why the villager's didn't try to do that to the boy, but he knew that it would be bad if he lost his first student before training even started.

He hefted the boy onto his feet and gave a few thrusts upwards with his fist pressed against his stomach, applying the Heimlech maneuver on the kid. Once the piece of food had been forced up, he set Kenji down. "Eat slower, the food isn't going anywhere. And chew. If you're still hungry after this, I'll order more, but eat slower," the halfling said.

Darkrose:

Kenji slowly breathed. As the food came, he ate slower.

He played with his soup as something troubled him. Kensei knew just about everything there is to know about Kenji. But...

"Kensei-sama," Kenji spoke. It was almost a mere whisper, but it was talking no-the-less, "Thank you for not making me go back to...that place."

And like lightning, so like a child, the subject changed.

"Where do you come from?"

Kyosuke:

Kensei thought about the question. "I really don't know anymore," he replied. "I've lived for a long time, and all I remember about my past is that a kind ronin raised me and first introduced me to swordsmanship. I don't remember where I was born, but I know that I was kicked out because of my blood, having the blood of enemy races in yourself does that to a person, as you sorta know."

Darkrose:

"Yeah. I think I do." Kenji said, swinging his legs back and forth. "I think I come from hell and people don't like it... but how come humans act more like demons sometimes? Maybe they come from hell as well, and maybe they can hide it... or maybe..." Kenji rambled on, about his theories he thought of when the children of the village wouldn't let him play.

His seal of silence was broken. For the first time, Kenji placed trust in someone, still innocent to being betrayed. He trusted Kensei...enough to talk his head off.

After what seemed forever of childish ranting-

"-Where did that pretty lady go anyway?" Kenji finally concluded, finally.

Emora:


Cassandra sat cross-legged on the roof of the building with the light wind blowing her hair across her face and if she had any feelings of happiness - really anything at all - the gesture would have tickled her nose lightly. She looked down bellow, watching with an abnormal patients for the traveling companions to come out of the mortal infested building.

She wondered lightly if they would actually be able to help her find what she sought. She would have to watch them closely… Caden would be liable to eat them if he grew hungry enough. He always did that… ate anyone she became some what close with. Usually it was just when she was asking them questions that could help her in the search for the right necromancer. He didn’t want her to regain her soul and her life. He wanted her to be his apprentice and whatever else he chose. He was really a good sort of man, at least he was good to her. He never hurt her or struck her, just played mind games… She did believe he was capable of striking her, but she doubted she would let him live past that.

How long would it take for these people to eat? It only took her a matter of minutes to consume her food. Then again… she didn’t have to wait for hers to be cooked.

She was using her exellent hearing to listen to there conversation, noting the mentioning of herself. "-Where did that pretty lady go anyway?" She tilted her head wondering why he was wondering where she had gotten too and why he even cared...

Kyosuke:

Kensei pointed upwards. "She's on the roof," he responded. "She's been there for a while, probably waiting for us. She's been there for a while now, you done yet? It's not nice to keep a lady waiting. Don't rush if you're not." Kensei sat and waited for Kenji to finish.

"And don't worry about human behavior. It's just human nature to shun what they fear and don't understand," he explained.

Darkrose:

Kenji pushed himself off his stool and ran outside. Looking up to the roof, he saw the curly-haired woman sitting there looking troubled. Kenji's jaw dropped at Kensei's sensing abilities.

"You know, you shouldn't really be up on roofs. If you fall, it really hurts... trust me I know...."

He remember that accident. His older sister Takako was going through something called PMS. Kenji figured it was some sort of horrible painful disease, for when Kenji stepped on the roof, great pain moved her and she flung him by the hair...

Kenji didn't think that the vamp had this disease, so he continued to talk to her.

"I don't know how you'll get down... but if you jump, I'll catch you. Well... I'm not strong, but I'll probably break your fall.

Emora:


Cassandra looked down at the boy, curls spilling over her shoulders and some before her face. She rose, standing on the roof with out the single fear of how far bellow the ground was. She supposed she would have been amused if she could feel amusement. Having no soul sort of did that to you.

Cassandra guessed they were finished dining and were ready to go wherever it was they were going. She took a step off the roof as if there were another piece of it there. She plummeted to the earth and landed on her feet, her knees bending until she knelt on one knee. She stood up, dusting off her dress and looking at the boy just before her.

“You would break something, but you wouldn’t break my fall…” she said to him in an even tone. “And your master would not like it if you broke something.”<br>

Kyosuke:

Kensei asked for his bill as Kenji ran outside. Nodding at the calculations, he left the proper amount of money at the front counter and walked over to the duo. "You'll have plenty of time to break something later during training. I'll be avoiding anything that would definitely cause them, but accidents do always happen," Kensei warned.

"Anyway, it's getting dark so we should start heading back towards the inn," he continued. The halfling turned to Cassandra. "Do you have a place to stay or should I pay for a room for you?"

Emora:


Cassandra looked to the halfling and tilted her head for a moment, her face completely solemn. She looked at the sky. To her it didn’t matter whether it was dark or not. She spoke with her usual emotionless tone. “I can pay for my own.” It was meant as a polite saying, but she couldn’t make it sound that way.

Kyosuke:

Kensei nodded. "Alright then," he responded. "If it's all the same to you. C'mon kid, let's go." He turned and walked in the direction of the inn he was staying. He saw the politeness

Darkrose:

Kenji was confused. He only meant to help the woman, why were they talking about him breaking his bones...?

It caused him to fall silent. His face remained cold and emotionless. Kenji tried to be nice, but due to the woman's emotionlessness, he felt she hated him.

She never even told him her name...

He followed Kensei into the inn, apparently going to sharing a room with his master. Becoming distant again, Kenji walked with his head down.

He once again thought of running away from these people, looking out for himself once again...

Emora:


Cassandra looked to the boy as she walked behind them, following up in there tracks. She felt she should say something to him... She knew deep inside she should say something comforting, but it never would come out that way. She lowered her eyes for a moment, where this deep gaping hole was in her heart she knew she was supposed to feel sadness, but she couldn't feel anything.

When they reached the inn Cassandra walked to the inn keeper and ordered a room, placing her money on the counter. He gave her a key and she looked to the two companions she was with before walking in the direction where the room was. She would need to bathe herself to get the blood off and would do that as soon as she took a look at her room.

After that she found herself in the same room in which she had so boldly interrupted the halfing's bath. She undressed, slipping off her dirty clothes and letting them fall to the floor and then she sank down into the steaming tub of water she had asked to be prepared for her. She pulled her knees up to where they were just above the water and she rested her chin on them for a moment. Her blood red curls pulled around her, floating on the steaming water.

An image shot through Cassandra's mind of a man, burly, ugly, bearded, and hairy... He was swiping at another man with a knife... The image caused Cassandra to gasp and her eyes to snap open. Well, some one was having a nightmare in this place...

Kyosuke:

Kensei looked at the look his new student had on his face. "Don't worry about it kid, some people are just like that," he said. "If you had tried to catch her, you probably would have injured yourself, no matter what she weighs."

Emora:


Cassandra pulled the large towel around herself and she stepped out of the bathtub, her legs dripping with water. She dried off and dressed herself in her usual clothes, which she would have to take the time to wash later. She shook her head, slinging the drops of water from her blood curls. Cassandra tied the strings in the front of her medieval style dress to take up the slack in the middle and to fit her slim waist better. When she was finished she pulled on her boots and left the room. Taking the towel with her because she would need it on the road.

Cassandra went to her room, not knowing where her companions had gone. She closed and locked the door behind her before sitting on the bed. She didn't do anything but sit there as if waiting for something.

After a long moment she rose from her seat and walked to the window and looked out it at the strange town. What was she to do?

Kyosuke:

Kensei entered the inn with Kenji. "Can I get a second room please?" he asked the man behind the counter. "One across the hall from my own preferably."

The man nodded and handed a key to Kensei, which in turn Kensei handed to Kenji. "Kid, you can take this room," he said. "If you need me for something you can knock on my door. It may take me a while to respond sometimes though." Although he had taken the boy on as a student, he was still unwilling to trust either Kenji or his other traveling companion with his main weakness. The hour of sleep needed each night for his warring blood to calm itself down was his only guarded secret. He didn't like the idea of other people knowing about it until he got to know them better.

Emora:

Kenji didnt find logic in having his own room. It was only more money, and he didnt need that much space. If Kensei didnt want to see him that much, he could have just stuffed Kenji in the closet...

...but then again, if Kenji were to run away from these people, being a lone would make it that much easier.

...but he kindof didn't want to leave

...but he kindof did.

He didn't know. Nevertheless, he walked toward the window, staring out at the world.

(OOC: Sorry i have not been posting. I'll try to write more tomorrow)

Kyosuke:

Kensei entered his room and locked the door. He then stripped down to his underwear and quickly slipped into his bed, aiming to get to sleep as soon as possible. He figured if the boy would go get him for anything, it would be later on, so the quicker he got his hour of being dead to the world over, the most likely his student wouldn't figure anything out.

He knew the boy had thought about running away, but he would trust Kenji not to. Whether he did or not was the boy's own business. He wouldn't want to train someone unwilling to learn from him anyway. The halfling quickly slipped into sleep, a completly dreamless sleep.

Emora:


Cassandra lay in bed as the room grew darker, the light from her single candle flickered as if it wanted to go out. She stared at it as she felt the soft wind from the opening window. She heard it creak and then the boards of the flooring as someone stepped into the room. Still she laid there, staring at the candle.

“What a band of idiots you have chosen to travel with,” said the cool voice of her master. He knelt on the bed beside her, crawling on and lying down with his hands folded across his belly. “Tell, me,” he said to her and looked at the back of her head, admiring the locks of red. “Why did you choose them.”<br>
“I did not choose them,” she answered his question emotionlessly, though it was soft. “They chose me… in a way.” She rolled over onto her back as he did on his side. He looked down at her with a soft look, as if he had forgotten the fact she had denied him once again. “Why do you come?”<br>
“Because, you are mine,” he answered her gently.

“I hate you,” she said emotionlessly and simple, not caring if it angered him in he least. “And yet you come.”<br>
He glared at her, staring into her yellow eyes as if searching her soul. “Which one should I eat first? I do have a thirst for angel… but then again it’s sweet taste is tainted by the demon…. But, I do love children, don’t you?” he asked and smiled. “You will never find happiness, Cassandra, I’ll see to that.”<br>
Cassandra actually smiled, but it was out of spite. It was an unfeeling smile. “I will never find happiness until I can feel it.” And she would never feel it.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai flew in exhaustion. She forgot how long she had been traveling since time never had obided her before.

"Until mister stick-up-butt decided no angel should question him!" she screamed out at the sky. She stopped flying for a moment and just hovered and examined the ground below her. "Where o' where can I land? AH!!" she spotted a nice clearing and headed towards it.

She landed and leaned against a tree to rest. Her fingers went to the cross at her neck and she glowered and had the urge to set it aflame and watch it melt. But it was one of those items that you couldn't rid yourself of.

"Stupid "Almighty" butt! I've never loathed anyone so much as you!!" she threw her fist in the sky and yelled looking throughly insane. "Stupid butt butt butt...." she sat down, her wings relaxing for the first time in hours, and glared out at nothing vaugely aware that there were people nearby.

Kyosuke:

Kensei woke up in the morning, immediately sensing that Kenji was no longer in his room, or anywhere in the immediate vicinity. (OOC: I have permission for this) He gathered that during the night, the boy had run off. It didn't matter that much to Kensei, he was being kind to the boy because he believed it was right, and if the kid didn't want it, it was his own choice.

The halfling got out of bed and dressed before walking outside for a quick meal. He planned on training some more today before being off with his vampire companion to look for the necromancer she wanted. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he also decided he needed to get rid of his hour of complete obliviousness while he was sleeping. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to trust the woman just yet.

Mizuki:

MItsukai walked around a bit, deciding to just clear her mind of her just recent anger. Her torn dress hems gently grazing the ground and she she was thinking of nothing inparticular, she didn't notice the halfing walking outside. Even if she was thinking of nothing she was stilll pretty oblivious.

Her black wings flexed themselves from a familiar aura coming her away and she perked up.

"That...seems...familiar..." she said to herself. The man came into her view and her body decided not to move. "Something...familiar.." she kept saying to herself as she studied the man clearly recongizing him but no name or memory coming up in her head.

Kyosuke:
-
Kensei entered the restaurant that he had eaten with Kenji in the night before. He sat down and ordered a small meal. He ate his meal, which consisted of rice porridge and some pickled vegetables. Afterwards he paid and left, intending to return to the rock quarry where he had been training yesterday.

Emora:


Cassandra woke that morning to find her master had left either in early morning or sometime in the night. She had fallen a sleep listening to his ranting of how she would fail in find her necromancer and her soul. She had learned to tune him out and he had learned to let her sleep.

Cassandra rose from bed, adorning her shoes and leaving the room. She was so very hungry, but couldn't bring herself to eat. Every time she fed it was like she was loosing the connection she had with her soul... The one she had once owned.

She left the room and walked down the steps the bottom floor where all the drunks and hungry people seemed to be.

She noticed she didn't sense the boy around and she wondered where he had gotten to. She quite had a small fondness for him... if you could call it fondness... But, it was something.

Kyosuke:

As Kensei walked towards the rock quarry, he noticed an aura from somewhere in the town that seemed almost... familiar to him. He shrugged it off, figuring that it was just someone he had bumped into before and continued on his way. Upon reaching the pile of rocks that he was demolishing the day before, he stripped off his shirt. Soon he was clawing away at the rocks with his fingertips and working his finger strength on it, training them to be tougher and tougher.

Emora:


Cassandra walked the streets looking for the man and child she was supposedly traveling with. She wondered if they had feared her or something and left with out taking her with them. Or if they just resented her for being a vampire and cared not to travel with such trash. Either way she couldn’t find them.

She was leaving the town to find a meal, her appetite growing to the point where she could barely control the blood lust running through her. She would surely wound up lifting a human off the streets to stifle the growing hunger. A small animal would do her some time.

It was on the outskirts of the town, at the same rock she had watched Kensei demolish the other day where she found him. Her undead grace aloud her to make soundless steps, but she knew he probably already sensed her presence. “The boy is gone?” she asked. “For good or will you go after him?”<br>

Kyosuke:

Kensei took another swipe at the rock in front of him, then turned to the vampire. "I believe the boy was... unnerved by what we were talking about yesterday night, though we were just stating facts. Since it was his choice to run off, I will not hinder it. Justice has already been served by getting the boy permission to not return to his village. If his demon is released in a few years, I will find it and slay it as promised,' he said. With that, the halfling returned to his training. "We can leave a bit later if you want."

Emora:


Cassandra looked at him and tilted her head, her long elegant hair cascading down her shoulders. “I will leave when you are ready…” she said emotionlessly, though she actually tried to put some feeling into it, but it didn’t come out. She sighed inwardly.

She stood there for a moment longer, thinking of something to say to the stranger. “Why… why are you allowing me to travel with you?” She was curious… as always. Curiosity was her weakness, for it had made her what she was.

Kyosuke:

"Well, I have nothing better to do anyway," Kensei explained. "And having someone to accompany be would be... nice." Kensei actually yearned to travel with other people, to develop some sort of a connection of friendship with someone else. One of the last words his serrogate father had left with him was that friends would make him strong, and he wished to find out if it was true or not.

Emora:


Cassandra looked at him with her usual placid expression. She tried to smile softly, and she managed to do so… at least she thought it… It really was only a smirk or slight curl of her lips. “Forgive me if I am not the most emotional of… companions…. I hope to change that soon,” Cassandra said. Her yellow eyes looked the halfling over. How strange…. Was it because he was a demon that he didn’t mind a vampire traveling with him… Or was it because he was kind?

“I must go hunting,” she said and nodded softly towards him before heading into the forest.

Kyosuke:

Kensei didn't even offer any expressions. "Don't worry about it, I'm not one to complain about my companion having no emotions," he said and turned back to this training. He went back to attacking the rock with the same ferocity as before. Ignoring any injuries he may sustain.

Emora:


Cassandra wondered into the forest and down a long path. It was narrow and dark… Cassandra could feel her blood lust growing and she was glad she got out of the town and away from her companion… When blood lust comes over a vampire…. They often lose control…

Along the path there was a curve that turned onto a dark covered area. She was just reaching it when a man stepped out from behind a tree. “My, my… what ‘ave we got ‘ere…” the man said smiling to reveal many missing teeth.

Cassandra tilted his head as he came close to her. He pulled out a dagger and poked her chest lightly with it. “What say ye spend some time with me? Eh?” He chuckled and moved a little closer to Cassandra. She allowed him to wrap his smelly arms around her and pull her closer to him… She stood stock still for a moment and then leaned her head forward towards his pulsing neck. The pupil in her eyes glowed red as her lips parted and her fangs became visible. The man didn’t seem surprised, and she guessed it was because he was drunk, when she wrapped her own arms around him. “Well, ain’t this nice…”

Cassandra turned her head slightly and bit down harshly on the man’s neck. He froze, his arms squeezed her tight. She closed her eyes and began to drink his life away. It wasn’t long before he went limp in her arms and he crashed the hard earth when she let go of him. Her eyes returned to normal. Blood ran down her chin in one straight light. Her lips were bloody and made her face seem even paler. She wiped her mouth and turned away, having finished what she came to do. A man like that disserved death any way. She felt no remorse.

Kyosuke:

Kensei stopped his training for now, he had torn the boulder into pieces by now. The boulder was now just a pile of pebbles and the halfling's fingertips were torn raw from the training. However, he was even more confident now that he could easily tear into a human's bone and tear it too pieces with a claw swipe from his fingers. He put his Chinese shirt back on and waited for the vampire's return, wondering where their first destination would be.

Emora:


Cassandra came out of the woods looking considerably healthier… if you can be so… You know, dead and all… She brushed a hand through her long curly hair and stood off in the trees still watching Kensei as he waited on her. She admired him from behind, and he probably could already tell she was there. She couldn’t help it… She found him fascinating in a way… A half demon who didn’t seem all that cruel.

“Do you have any idea where this necromancer is?” she asked him calmly from behind before walking around to stand right in front of him. She wished she could feel emotion or even add some into her thoughts. She went back into her memory to cover the things she had heard between them. She remembered distinctly him being in the bath tub when they had there second real conversation.

She knew that if she had emotions she would have blushed fiercely. She wouldn’t have even gone in there. She wished she could feel… It had been a long time since she had felt embarrassment.

Kyosuke:

"I have no idea about any necromancer remember?" he asked. "We were going to visit the sorcerer in Kenji's town but he didn't want to return and he's run off now. Of course, I'd rather not go there right now anyway, we wouldn't get any peace to visit him. I say we should check Arken for one."

Emora:


Apparently her memory wasn’t as good as it was four hundred years ago. “Yes, I recall you mentioning something to that sort. I think Arken is a good place to start. They have plenty of necromancers there….” Cassandra turned away and began to walk off slightly.

She turned to him. “When would you like to leave?” she asked. “I can fly… but I’m afraid I cannot carry a person with me. But, I do remember you having wings yourself, no?”<br>

Kyosuke:

Kensei nodded. "Yeah, I can fly," he said. He stripped off his Chinese shirt again and spread out his black angel wings. He let them rest in a position around his arms. "I can leave at any time, right now would be as good as any other time." He opened up his pocket dimension and threw the shirt in it.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai wandered the worn path and found a house in front of her. She had been following the aura for some time until it had become stronger here. She ran up and around the house and found a halfing male standing.

'Exactly where this aura is coming from.' she thought, curious.

"Hello?" she called out waving to him with a big smile.

Emora:


Cassandra closed her eyes and slowly from her back came a pair of glossy black feathered wings. She brushed her blood red curls from her hair. “How far is Arken from here?” she wondered aloud, tilting her head. She beat her wings once… She hated the vile things. They were only another reminder of her curse.

“I am ready to leave now if you are?” No one could ever know how much she wanted to be free from the curse…<br>
"Hello?" A voice called from some where.

Kyosuke:

Kensei had noted that the familiar presence he had sensed earlier was moving towards them. He turned towards the black winged woman that approached him and Cassandra. "Hello," he responded. She looked slightly familiar to him, but he didn't remember where he had seen her before.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai smiled and jogged up to the two people before her. She didn't sense an aura in the woman though and it puzzled her. 'Maybe some sort of aura hiding training she's doing.' she thought.

"Hiya." she grinned and stood before them. "I'm Mitsukai and I thought I felt a familiar presence over here. Which lead me to you!" she pointed at the halfling and giggled. "But I don't ever remember meeting you!" She was acting like a little child which just couldn't be helped in her personality.

Kyosuke:

Kensei also felt that he knew her from somewhere but really didn't know why. He had lived for much too long for him to remember every face of everyone he met. The only ones he remembered were the strong ones that would still be alive at that point in time. "I'm Kensei," he replied. He didn't feel that obliged to do it, but did it out of sheer courtesy. It seemed somewhat random to him that she just ran up to them and introduced herself.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai smiled and giggled a little then abruptly stopped and looked at the two people.

"Oh, did I interrupt something?" she asked. She clapped her hands flat together in front of her face and bowed her head. "So sorry!"

Emora:


Cassandra looked at the new woman emotionlessly and tilted her head. “We were leaving,” she said plainly as if her voice couldn’t move with emotion, though it had many times. Things like this were easy to keep emotion from… but it was hard when her master was around. Her master wanted her to become what he was…. And Cassandra refused to be a monster.

Cassandra looked to Kensei to see if he was ready or did he wish to stay longer and converse with this fallen angel.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai managed to smile at them both even though she found the woman to be quite blunt. 'Maybe that's a kind of draw back to her ability.' she thought naivly.

"Ah well then, I'll just be going." she told them getting ready to take off into the air until she stopped. "But first could you tell me where the nearest town is... beside's this one?" Mitsukai didn't like staying in the same place twice otherwise she'd get attached or something. She didn't really understand it though. It was that and this man's aura would bother her for a long time unless she got away... just one of those things you couldn't rest on...

Kyosuke:

Kensei shrugged. "I'm not quite sure really. I rarely keep track of my directions and wander around most of the time," he replied. "Though I think if you head west for about half a day's walk you'll reach a small fishing town." His voice was as emotionless as his companion's, but lacked the complete bluntness that she displayed.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai thank them and was in the air again heading west like Kensei said.

"And yet I have this pleasant urge to pounce on the guy... Like I have before..." she whispered, wondering to herself of why she would feel that way to a complete stranger.


OOC: we aren't gonna leave it at that are we?! o_O meh... i may have her follow you guys lol.

Emora:


Cassandra stood there for a moment watching the angel leave. She then looked to Kensei for a moment and admired him once again before asking, “Are you ready?” her voice was its usual tone, but if possible some bit of excitement was in it.

She was getting closer to her prize. She was getting closer to having her soul back and becoming one of the living again. She knew her master would not want this and she knew he would do anything to stop her from accomplishing her task. He would fight her, try and overcome her… do anything. But, in the end she would prove to him that she was not a woman to be messed with. Especially since she had the power of the undead and the power to enter into his dreams. She would have her vengeance.

Cassandra forced herself to stop thinking of vengeance because it had the strange tendancy to being a creepy smirk and feeling to her. It was a feeling, one she had to bar herself from for a while longer, or else she would become like him. Become a monster.

Her black wings flapped once.

Kyosuke:

(OOC: I think we should just rename this thread the meeting of three people with black feathered wings)

Kensei nodded, he felt almost glad for the vampire. She would be getting her emotions back. She at least wanted to do it. The halfling had no wish to get his back. They would probably end up giving the demon side of him the strength to take over again. Plus they would get in his way when he fought. He spread his own black wings and prepared to fly.

Mizuki:

OOC: or not.... I may start a new thread with Mitsukai... Yeah, I think I'll do that....eventually...sorry. Just to tell you that. ^_^;;

Mizuki:

OOC: Meh... I'll just... have her follow you.

Mitsukai flew around for some time.

"Were his direction's off? All I'm seeing is FORESTS!?" she cried out stopping in middair. Actually, she was the one who messed up, she just didn't realize that she was actually moving southwest instead of just west.

Mitsukai huffed and folded her arms acrossed her breasts. 'Maybe I'll go back and find him again..' she thought then nodded to herself and flew back to where she came from...

Emora:


Cassandra flapped her wings once more before taking flight into the sky. She hovered in the air looking down at Kensei and making a spin, her hair catching the light of the sun and looking like a glowing flame almost. She was ready to head to Arken, she was ready to have her soul back. She was ready to live. She flapped her wings and took off in the direction where Arken was located.

Kyosuke:

Kensei took flight right after Cassandra did. Instead of getting some sort of a running start, or flaps to get into it, he just jumped high into the air and started flapping before flying right after the vampire. He decided that while he didn't trust her too much just yet, he would definitely need to get rid of the little sleeping problem he had.

Emora:


Cassandra flew quickly through the sky, leaving the ground far behind her. The world flew away with it and her mind turned to its thoughts. She was passing over a house when everything went dark...

"No don't!" a man said and held up his hands in the air, they were shaking.

There was laughing... horrible laughter. It was familiar... A dark shape moved over the man and ripped his head from his shoulders.

He was tall and dark, with those ever piercing dark eyes. Master....

As Cassandra was forced to view the dream her master was having her body plummeted to the earth at rapid speeds. Her mind sunk further into his fantasy and the more she did the more she hated it. She wanted to enter into his dream, but his mind was guarded from her. He had done that when he first created her. Faster and faster she fell...

Mizuki:

Has Mitsukai flew back to them, and finally caught up, she saw Cassadra falling and dove after her without a second thought. Mitsukai just grabb her by the waist only a few feet from the ground.

"Ahh... that was close. What's wrong with you?" Mitsukai asked her, concerned. "You sick or something?"

Kyosuke:

Kensei had sensed that he and his new vampire campion were being followed by the fallen angel they had met earlier. However, he chose not to say anything about it. Frankly, he was used to being followed recently. First he had Cassandra following him, then Mitsukai followed him for a bit before leaving and now she was back. He noted that as Cassandra fell, Mitsukai pulled into a dive, and calculating that she would make it in time to catch his companion, chose not to act on it. Instead he looked down as she started rising again and said, "Nice catch."

Emora:


“My lovely Cassandra, so dark and morbid!” She could see herself… She was standing in the room with him, wearing something she would never wear in her life. Not even as a vampire.

He brushed her cheek and Cassandra almost came unglued, but he had barred her from his dreams. She wish she could take control because his fantasy would become his worst nightmare. And as it grew worst her body reacted…

Cassandra’s body jerked violently as she tried to force herself from the dream. Her wings snapped open and the unfeeling vampire showed one emotion through a piercing scream. Her eyes snapped open and she took deep gasping breaths.

“Bastard…” Her tone was usual, but the word brought feeling with it.

Mizuki:

“Bastard…” she gasped. Mitsukai arched her brows at the woman.

"That's a funny way to thank me." Mitsukai said in good humor. She looked the woman over to see if there were any signs of emotional distress that would cause her to fall. "Next time you want to practice diving, do it near the ocean.."

Emora:


Cassandra turned to the angel and looked at her, an elegant eyebrow raising at the woman's comment. "That name was not meant for you," she said.

Odviously Cassandra had lost her since of humor as well...

"And you didn't have to catch me. It's not like I would have died... I've already done that. But... thank... you..." she turned and took into flight again, leaving them behind.

Kyosuke:

Kensei flew over to where Cassandra was now flying off to. "You okay?" he asked. There was a slight hint of concern in his voice. His emotions were mostly gone, but some of the ones that could be more useful to him remained slightly.

Emora:


Cassandra tuned her head towards him, her hair flew in her face and she brought a hand up to move it away. "It's nothing.... I was just caught in someones dream," she said simply. "I have the power to enter a persons dreams, sometimes unwillingly, but mostly willingly. Sometimes I get caught..."

"Its nothing..."

Kyosuke:

Kensei nodded. "I see..." he said, continuing to fly along. He then turned his head towards the fallen angel. "So what do you want?" he asked. "I thought you were going elsewhere, but I noticed you've been following for a while."

Mizuki:

Mituskai stook her tounge out at Cassandra's back. She thought them rude... and she died before?! Was that possible?

"So what do you want?" Kensei asked her. "I thought you were going elsewhere, but I noticed you've been following for a while." Mitsukai flushed a bit realizing that she was following them, but for good reason.

"I wanted to double check your directions... I didn't see anything over there." she flew up to them and pointed in the direction she came, which was undoubtfully off course but, she was bad with directions anyway. She gave him an innocent smile

Kyosuke:

Kensei shrugged. "My directions were on target, you probably forgot about the air currents and let yourself relax. You probably went quite a bit off course," the halfling replied. He knew that there was a town a few miles down from where we were, he had gotten to Armara from that town.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai pondered it for a moment then shrugged. "Maybe I was off, I recently have a lot on my mind..." She sighed and gave him a cheerful smile. ''Well... if I'm not delaying you badly I was wondering if.... I could travel with you instead?" she flushed at her own offer. "I know You may not like the idea but I can keep quiet! You wont even know I'm here! I was asking because well.. I've..er...recently been put out on my own and I'm not liking it so far. I hate being alone...." she pouted down at the ground ready to flinch and back away if he rejected her.

She hated traveling alone, and somewhere in her head something was telling her not to let them out of her sight. She knew Kensei from somewhere, but she couldn't remember...

Emora:


Cassandra turned to the right to head toward Darkwood, the closest town to where they were. It shouldn't take them long to reach it and hopefully soon they would find a necromancer...

She glanced behind her to the angel and her companion. It seemed the angel would be with them from now on. Not that Cassandra cared, but they didn't really click well at the moment.

Kyosuke:

Kensei looked at the fallen angel with indifference. "If you want to," he said. He wondered why he felt such familiarity whenever he talked to her, but pushed the feeling aside. It wasn't very important anyway.

His attention went to Cassandra. "So we're off to Darkwood right?" immediately identifying the course they were now taking. One thousand years of travel gave him a pretty good knowledge of the land.

Emora:


Cassandra turned her head towards him once again. “Yes,” she replied plainly. “It’s closest and we can rest our wings.” The her hair caught the light of the sun and it was like a billowing flame trailing behind her.

“I must worn you, however, that I am being followed,” she said staring straight a head. “And if your attacked I had nothing to do with it no matter what he says so don’t come seeking revenge upon me.”<br>
Her pale yellow eyes looked at him and then her head turned forwards again.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai kept hermouth shut and nodded, yet she REALLY wanted to hugged Kensei like a little girl seeing her father coming home for the first time in months. She followed behinde the two making herself scarce. The woman made her feel... she didn't know. But Cassandra madeher feel weird. 'Maybe it's the aura around her... there isn't one...' Mitsukai thought and frowned a little.

Kyosuke:

"Is the person that's following you strong?" Kensei asked. There was a hint of excitement in his voice. He didn't mind getting attacked at all. He fought for a living after all. He hadn't taken a job in a while, but he was a fighter for his living. He sometimes even acted as a mercenary, but he was never hungry for money.

Emora:


Cassandra glanced at him. "Aye," she said emotionlessly. "He his strong." Her yellow eyes scanned the ocean they were now passing over. it was much faster to fly... You could make it places so much quicker than on foot, especially if you hit a current of air.

"And possessive," she muttered, a strange thing coming from her. "He doesn't like you at all."

Kyosuke:

Kensei nodded. "Good, as I said before, I enjoy fighting strong opponents," he replied. "And if he doesn't like me at all then it just means he'll fight me harder." The halfling continued to fly along and wondered when this person would show himself.

Mizuki:

MItsukai listened to them and became completely baffeled that Kensei would want to fight someone really powerful.

"Why would you want to fight someone who she says is very powerful?" she asked in a curious tone. "Aren't you afraid to die?.... not that I am... I know what comes after death but..ah..thaT's not my point..." she trailed off figuring it was just better she was quiet for the rest of the ride.

Kyosuke:

"Of course I want to fight strong opponents," Kensei replied. "Fighting stronger and stronger opponents lets me test out my strength. The stronger the opponents are, the stronger I know I am." The halfling had no trace of arrogance in his voice. He said it as he saw it.

Emora:


"Well," Cassandra said and looked back at him. "If you want him to fight you all you have to do is do something that will anger him."

She would have smiled, but she didn't. She just stared straight a head. Her mind raced with thoughts. Kensei could be just the person to relieve her of her master. she knew the ultimate thing as well that would get her master angry.

Despite the fact she didn't want to reveal emotion, a sadistic smirk came to her lips that she hid by flying quicker forward.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai shrugged at them both. She figured everyone had their thrill issues. She flew up beside Kensei to ask him a question.

"So um... why are we going to where ever we're going?" she asked him innocently.

Kyosuke:

Kensei looked at the Fallen Angel flying alongside him. "We're looking for someone to help her," he said. He didn't say much more than that, not sure whether or not Cassandra wanted some of her information given. "You're coming because you seem to want to follow us." He added the last part without any malice or ill intent in his still emotionless voice. He was just answering the fallen's question.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai averted her gaze to the ground that was far below them. She mummbled an "Oh." and daydreamed as they flew. Her daydreams were strange, they involved someone had must have known and how "close" they had gotten, but she didn't get far into it since now she started trying to figure out who the heck the peson in her daydream was.. and it was frustrating her that she didn't know.

Emora:

They flew on until the sun set and the stars began to shine as the sky grew blacker. Cassandra could see perfectly in the night because she was in fact a creature of it. A demon that was meant to rule over it. She was a demon.

She could see land up a head of them about 20 miles or so. A vampire had the ability to see long distances as well.

"We're almost there," she said quietly as the sound of the wind filled her ears. "Then we can rest for the night..."

Kyosuke:

Kensei followed along, after years of adjusting, as well as the demonic blood that flowed through him, his nightvision had improved drastically. However, he decided to let the vampire take the lead, not knowing if she had a plan of action prepared. Instead he just drifted along until they neared the city.

Mizuki:

Mitsukai tried to squint and see into the night air.. but she didn't have thee awesome vision that the other two had.

"I can't see..." she muttered and grasped Kensei's arm to make sure he was still there. "C-can you help guide me? I can't really see.." she asked trailing off.

Emora:

OOC: Moved to Darkwood...