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Post by Takias Kaneshiro on Apr 17, 2012 15:50:43 GMT 1
Pain was all Takias could think about. When the lightning hit him, it had thrown him high up in the night sky. But when he fell, he seemed to fall forever. He knew he was going to hit the ground but the longer he anticipated the impact, the more the wondered just how high he had been thrown. He opened his eyes and looked down as the rain that had been driving all around him suddenly stopped. Down below, it looked like it was daylight. Well not exactly daylight but somewhere between afternoon and evening. He felt as if the night sky around him was travelling with him as it got darker down below. It didn’t occur to him that he should be concerned that he was so high up, he could barely make out any kind of details. That's when he noticed the cat, which had been on the roof with him, was falling right alongside of him. He reached out, for some reason and tucked it under his arm. He looked down again and noticed the ground was coming up awfully fast. The dark sky around him began to spark with beams of lightning. They reached out and licked over tall structures and trees. So fast, the ground was coming so fast. He knew he was going to die. At that moment the space around him light up and once again, he was struck by lightning. His decent stopped when he was just short of 10 meters high and he cried out in pain, frozen in time and space as his body fused with the tiny being in his arm and his body instantly morphed into something new…something better. Then, just as quickly, his body was released and the dark sky around him disappeared back where it came from and he hit the hot desert ground with a wet ‘smack’. His dark shinobi uniform and his body were soaked to the bone. Steam drifted off of his still body as he lay still on the hot ground. His steel blades glistened in the fading sunlight. His hand twitched, then his cheek. Then his eye opened and he lifted his head weakly and looked around. He looked up to see a young man standing near him with a surprised expression, “Doko?” he asked then let his head fall back to the ground.
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Post by Ito Kiyoshi on Apr 18, 2012 3:08:15 GMT 1
The light was beginning to fade at the end of the day and the night-life was starting to stir. It was still early for Kiyoshi to be out and about but he'd had things to buy and errands to run today and he didn't want to waste the real dusk on that. Besides it was enough to be avoiding the VSF without having to worry about the vamp civilians too. He had made all his purchases and was considerably lighter in chips as he hurried back towards his apartment. With any luck he would be able to grab a nap before he headed out tonight, being out during the day always left him with a mild headache, even with the hood of his sweatshirt up to help shade his sensitive eyes. He paused at the street corner just a short way from home feigning fatigue should anyone be watching, when in truth it was just his eyes that were tired, but they were making his head start to ache badly and he needed to close them for a moment.
Even through his closed lids however the bright flash above caught his attention immediately, ringing alarm bells of every kind inside his head, but before he could look up towards it a dark blur had hurtled past him to hit the ground at his feet with an audible squelch and sending up a cloud of dust and a small shower of liquid. Kiyoshi was horrified as the droplets spattered against his denim pants until he realised to his enormous relief that it was just water. For an awful moment he had thought that it was something entirely more visceral leaking from the fallen body, for that was what he was looking at, and the last thing he needed was to be dodging the VSF while stinking of fresh blood. He glanced up to see where the figure had fallen from but there seemed no obvious place from which he could have fallen or leaped.
He looked around quickly to see who else had seen the man fall, he didn't want to be seen running away from a corpse, so it was both gratifying that there appeared to be no-one about to have witnessed the sudden appearance of the man, but worrying in case he was seen leaving with no witness that he was not responsible. But at that moment the body twitched and Kiyoshi nearly jumped out of his skin in shock. If it hadn't been still distinctly daylight he would have been afraid he was looking at a vampire. The man was dressed in an archaic Japanese style, like an assassin out of one of his grandmother's old stories, and he was soaking wet through. Kiyoshi was entirely baffled by his appearance but when the man raised his head and spoke, asking where he was, he knew it was already too late to walk away.
Not only was the man Japanese but he was also it seemed probably a mutant, as was strongly implied by the rather feral aspect to his teeth, and he had to do another double take just to be sure that they were not fangs. Kiyoshi wasn't particularly superstitious but he was quite certain that his grandmother's shade would return to berate him without mercy and without end if he were to walk away from this man and leave him for the vampires or some other scum who would finish him off for the steel that he carried. He cursed softly under his breath and crouched down beside him. The man was obviously hurt and confused so Kiyoshi responded to him also in Japanese.
“This is third street, uptown side of the burrow... Can you get up? We need to get out of sight.” He glanced around again, anxious about how long they had been loitering. “Someone may have seen that light and reported it.” Kiyoshi was fascinated by the mysterious look of the man and he hesitated only a moment, wondering what he was about to get himself into by going out on a limb for a total stranger like this, then he offered the man his gloved hand. “I don't live far from here, you can come with me, but we need to go ...now.”
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Post by Takias Kaneshiro on Apr 18, 2012 7:00:53 GMT 1
Takias could hear the man talking but what he was saying made no sense to him. “Report it?” he asked. Then he remembered, he was in enemy territory the last time he looked. However, he was most certainly not in the same place he was when he was struck by lightning. “Third street? The Burrow?” He asked as he rolled over on his back. This man was making no sense at all. He noticed his headgear had come off and turned his head this way and that to find it. Seeing it just on his right side, he quickly grabbed it and tried to pull it over his head. A proper ninja should not be caught with his face showing. “Where am I?” he repeated as he continued to try to pull the thing over his face but was unsuccessful. It was about that time that he noticed things didn't feel right in several places. One being his mouth when his tongue licked across his teeth, he felt the sharp pronounced canine teeth and several other teeth near them were all razor sharp. He quickly shut his mouth. The other thing he noticed when he rolled over on his back was there was something very wrong with his tailbone. As in,…there was more to it. Lying on his back was quite uncomfortable. He could feel his extended tailbone as if he now has something leading away from it and going down the leg of his pants. The realization of the potential situation hit him like a wrecking ball. Did he have a…where was the…”Cat?” He asked and pushed himself up, looking all around them. The cat was gone…”Did you see a cat?” he asked the man as he suddenly sprang to his feet with catlike swiftness and grace. He quickly realized that was not the best move. His ribs and back protested greatly and he hugged his aching arms around his body with a pained groan. His head swam and he staggered slightly. With great discipline learned from infanthood, he steadied himself and stood up as straight as he could. Takias heard the urgency in the young man’s voice and he would have been a fool to ignore it. He looked into his eyes and saw no sign of deception. Either way, he was no good like this; he had no choice but to accept hospitality. He bowed curtly and but did not extend his hand. That was not proper. “Yes, I will follow you.” He announced.
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Post by Ito Kiyoshi on Apr 20, 2012 2:40:32 GMT 1
Kiyoshi sighed. He must have sunstroke to be getting involved in a situation like this. It sounded like the fallen man had a concussion because he didn't seem to be taking in anything Kiyoshi was saying to him. He was glad now that they were speaking Japanese as it was not a tongue that was common in New Vegas, even amongst the vampires. At least the man seemed able to move as he rolled over and grabbed for his head covering. Maybe he wasn't quite so out of it after all if he could remember to cover up his mutation.
When he asked again where he was, Kiyoshi began to seriously wonder where the man had come from, and just how far. His own mutation was pretty tame and useless compared to some of the mutants he had heard rumours of. What if this man was a speedster or could fly, or teleport even? Perhaps he had been too specific in his previous answer? He tried again. “You are in New Vegas Sanctuary City. North America?” He hoped something started ringing bells soon because if he had to ask what planet the guy thought he was on he was going to need a concussion himself.
Kiyoshi recoiled in shock as the man leapt nimbly to his feet, though the way he swayed and groaned after said clearly what that sudden move had cost him. At least it showed he could walk. “A...cat?” Kiyoshi repeated in a mix of surprise and confusion. Pets like that were pretty damned rare in New Vegas, and they were expected to earn their keep on the vermin control front. The vampires couldn't eat them and the minimal rations that they provided for the city's human residents didn't have any leeway for sharing with a non productive animal.
He rose to his feet and withdrew his hand. “There was no cat, only you.” Looking more carefully at the man he saw that he was considerably senior in years to himself though not old, and held himself with even more reserve and quiet dignity than even his grandmother. This was a proud man, and judging by the quality of his blades a dangerous one too. Kiyoshi hoped that he hadn't just insulted him and that he wasn't going to regret this. He returned the bow with the correct degree of formality he hoped for a younger man to his senior. “This way please.”
Though the walk back to Kiyoshi's apartment was a short one he now found the prospect somewhat nerve-racking. Kiyoshi did not sneak around the Burrow, that he knew was about the most suspicious thing that you could try to do around the hyper-observant vampires and techas. No he didn't try to pass unseen, just unnoticed. There was a world of difference between the two and he prayed silently to the Kami that his new-found acquaintance was as familiar with the idea as his garb would seem to indicate. Either way, he needed to get him out of sight before true dark.
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Post by Takias Kaneshiro on Apr 25, 2012 18:23:20 GMT 1
Tak quietly followed the young man. He held himself in such away that said he did not want to be seen. Tak was an expert in hiding in the shadows, but he also knew the importance of being unseen in a crowd. He too was an expert at that. Tak felt…wrong. Not wrong in a bad way, but wrong in that he moved more gracefully, he had better balance and he felt much stronger. He was perplexed by this and somehow he felt like the cat had something to do with it.
He didn’t recognize this place. There were many odd things all around him. The people wore strange clothing, many had fair skin, hair and eyes and they ignored him as they walked by. There were no dogs, no pets of any kind that he could see. In the distance, he could see a tall wall built around the….city? It was the biggest city he ever saw. “What is this place?” He asked very softly. He knew they were coming to the end of their short journey because the young man’s pace slowed.
There was a sound in the distance. Tak noticed it starting out as a hum but it got louder and louder. Suddenly there was a loud hissssss and a squeak as one of the solar busses braked to a stop just to the rear of the two men. Tak froze. His hand reached up and gently curled around his sword blade handle. “Do not look, young one.” He said in a very low voice. “There is a dragon behind me. You run and I will defeat it.”
His hand curled tightly around the sword handle as his other hand reached up and grabbed the second. “Run, or I cannot guarantee your safety.” He did not shout but remained perfectly calm. However it was apparent that the poor innocent bus was about to get its ass kicked, shinobi style.
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Post by Ito Kiyoshi on Apr 26, 2012 3:57:32 GMT 1
The lack of blatant stares or hushed whispers came as a welcome relief to Kiyoshi as he and his immanent house-guest proceeded down 2nd Street with the minimum of fuss or attention. His mind was rapidly reviewing the small apartment he called home and trying to analyse just what exactly would be safe for his new friend to touch. Kiyoshi did not allow people into his home on the whole and so he had not been as careful with his protocols of cleanliness in certain areas as he might otherwise have been, and of course some things were simply impossible to maintain.
He continued to catch glimpses of his companion from the corner of his eye. The man was, whilst not exactly gawking, absorbing the sights and sounds of the city with a peculiar intensity. “This city is called New Vegas.” he repeated carefully and quietly, wondering what exactly it was that he was saying that was confusing the man so much. “One of the 50 Sanctuary Cities.” They had almost reached the communal entrance to the apartment building where Kiyoshi lived when the other mutant suddenly froze and reached for his weapons.
Inside his own head, Kiyoshi gave a silent cry, begging any Kami listening that the VSF not be around to notice this peculiar behaviour. “A dragon?!” Kioshi repeated in surprise, and he jumped in startlement, “...outside of the Sanctuary Park...?” and despite the dire and ominous words the other man spoke he whirled around to see what it was that disturbed him so fantastically, pressing his back against the door of the building and scanning about the street in confusion as he vainly sought to identify the 'Dragon'. “Where?” he finally muttered. He was feeling a little foolish for having jumped so readily.
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Post by Takias Kaneshiro on Apr 26, 2012 14:19:39 GMT 1
Takias thought the boy must be visually impaired to not see the dragon beside them. Perhaps he was mentally impaired. There were some people who were not able to put two and two together to make four, perhaps he was like that slow boy who used to rake the zen garden at the school he grew up in. The only thing that boy ever did was rake that garden because he was not smart enough to do anything else. "It's body is smooth and shiney. It is growling." he said as people began to file into the bus, "And...It's eating people!" he whispered sharply and drew his swords.
Too quickly, more nimbly than even a ninja should move, he sprang from where he was and flipped himself onto the bus then staggered for a moment before shaking it off. People inside of the bus looked up with concerned faces, one woman screamed. Tak was surprised that the dragon was trying to fling him off of it. It merely stayed there, growling as people filed onto it. He dropped to his knees holding his painful side with his hand and leaned over the edge and looked in the window. Another woman screamed at the sight of his masked face. He lifted his head and looked at Kiyoshi, "It must be using magic to make them walk into its mouth. I am immune." he stated matter of factly. This was wrong. It could not just take these people and eat them. He stood up again and redrew his swords. He lifted them high into the air then brought them down hard on the top of the bus. They sank deep inside, coming through the ceiling of the bus. This time a man screamed as a sword came dangerously close to his head. This caused the first two screamers to cut loose with screaming.
The driver was suddenly on the radio shouting, "VSF! VSF! There is a mad man on my bus!!!" All chaos had broken out. People were screaming and shouting and running off the bus. Tak lept off the bus with the grace, speed and dexterity of a cat, landing on his feet in front of it with an audible grunt of pain. Prespiration beaded on his forehead and his eyes were filled with pain he was trying to totally ignore. Without mercy he shoved his razor sharp swords into the engine grill of the bus, right through the radiator which shot hot steam and water out of it. Tak shielded his face and stepped back then stood his ground, ready once more for battle. Sirens could be heard in the distance.
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Post by Ito Kiyoshi on May 6, 2012 1:25:21 GMT 1
The man must be completely out of his mind, there was no other possible explanation for it. Not knowing where he was was one thing, he was obviously hurt and confused, maybe concussed, he might even be in the wrong city if his mutation was that fantastic, but he was definitely now hallucinating and Kiyoshi was certain that he was not responsible for that. He hadn't touched the man even slightly yet here he was raving about dragons in the middle of the Burrow... he simply had to be insane. Unfortunately that conclusion didn't help Kiyoshi in the slightest regarding what to do about it. Unless... was someone else dealing psychotropics too?
His eyes continued to dart around the street, but now looking for what might have triggered the man's delusion. He was not without some experience of handling individuals under the influence of mind altering drugs, it was after all in a manner of speaking what he did, and more importantly what he was. He should have thought of it sooner but he had been so sure he hadn't dosed the man he hadn't considered that someone else already had. Perhaps that wasn't just water he had been doused in after all. Now he knew what he was looking for he spotted the problem immediately.
“The... bus?” Kiyoshi finally murmured under his breath as the ninja elaborated on his previous statement, but it was far too late to matter any more as his strange companion leaped into action. Kiyoshi was shocked at just how fast the man moved and how nimbly. He was on the roof of the bus in a single dark blur and though he still seemed somewhat staggered by his wounds they were not enough to stop his mad course of action. Before Kiyoshi could think of anything to do or say that wouldn't just draw more attention to himself, the ninja had plunged his swords into the roof of the bus and people were screaming and running.
“For the love of heaven...” Kiyoshi groaned under his breath, “What are you doing you damned lunatic?” That was when he heard the driver screaming the magic words, the ones that made Kiyoshi and those like him disappear – VSF. Why did this have to happen right in front of where he lived? Dare he try and slip them into the building during the confusion? Dare he not? He could try and take them somewhere else but that just risked another incident... and he couldn't just abandon the man to get caught now, he felt somehow irrationally responsible for him. “I hope this serves my karma in the next life Grandmother...” he muttered.
The ninja had now leaped down from the roof of the bus and Kiyoshi could see the perspiration beading across his brow. Was it just the pain? Or was he sweating out whatever crazy drug he was on? If it wore off after all this exertion the man was going to drop like a hod of bricks and though he was shorter than Kiyoshi he looked to be all muscle, and that meant he would be heavy. The prospect of having to carry the man up the two flights of stairs to his apartment floor of the building was not appealing. At that moment the man stabbed the grill of the bus and a huge cloud of steam erupted from the radiator obscuring them from view, it was the best chance they were going to get.
He stepped marginally closer to the battle ready warrior, careful not to touch him but not wanting to shout. “It's dead” he hissed in rapid Japanese, “Now get inside... quickly! He...“ Kiyoshi hesitated only a second over his choice of words, “...raised the alarm, do you not hear it? and many warriors are coming, too many to fight. The Magistrate will be furious that you killed his dragon, we have to hide.” He desperately hoped that the man would get the gist of what he was saying and act on it because short of dragging the man out of the street, which seemed impossible whilst he was still conscious, Kiyoshi had nothing else to offer. “Come on...” he hissed and turning away he fled in seeming panic out of the street and into the building just like every good little human should.
Kiyoshi didn't stop after he rushed through the main door. He sprinted through the lobby and straight up the stairs. He didn't want to abandon this place, it was a convenient place to live, but if the ninja was seen to be hiding in here they would need to flee. Given his situation however, Kiyoshi was always prepared to abandon the place at a moments notice and everything he needed was ready to be grabbed in seconds. He hurtled up the stairs two at a time slowing only once he reached the first landing. His tired eyes were darting everywhere but it seemed that anyone who was home must be either watching the street from their windows or hiding quietly and hoping it all went away. Kiyoshi wasn't the only Burrow dweller who had secrets and few questions got asked in this building.
He had the key in his hand and the apartment door opened before he dared look back to see if the ninja had followed him... and if anyone else had.
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Post by Takias Kaneshiro on May 10, 2012 0:31:29 GMT 1
The boy meant him no harm. Of that he was certain. He didn’t want him hurt or he would not have lead him away from the warriors. He did not want him dead or he would have killed him the moment he fell out of the sky, or had he seen him fall? The thought of falling brought his attention to his bruised, and in some cases, fractured bones. He needed to get to safety before the adrenaline and endorphins that were keeping him going faded and left him a helpless heap on the floor.
It was for that reason, Tak decided he would trust the Japanese youth and follow him. After all, everyone else around him were speaking jibberish and screaming like they were stuck pigs. In the distance he could see men in thick black uniforms, strange helmets and warrior sticks that didn’t look very friendly. Before they could see him and while everyone was distracted, he disappeared into the steam and followed the boy.
He followed the boy into the strange building that was build with strange materials and architecture. He followed him to a door then darted past him and into a room with strange belongings. Now, the adrenaline moment over, his body screamed with pain and fatigue. He walked over to the wall and leaned against it then slid slowly down it. The realization that he was no longer home hit him with the same intensity as the pain. “This is witchcraft…” he muttered and pulled his mask from his face. When he pulled it off, crimson smeared down his face and the thick red substance that was soaking part of his head was revealed. He must have cut it when he landed but the pain in his bones had dwarfed any pain he would have felt. “I do not know where I am, I do not know what that creature was. This is not my home…this is not Japan…everything is….wrong.” He hugged his ribs and took a shaky breath. “Please, boy, where am I…and what is the day?”
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Post by Ito Kiyoshi on May 12, 2012 15:02:06 GMT 1
Kiyoshi jumped as the man blurred past him into the apartment, terrified for a moment that it was one of the black clad VSF who had followed him into the building rather than the ninja. Whatever else he was, even injured the man moved far too fast to be mistaken for human. With a last paranoid glance down the stairwell Kiyoshi slipped into the apartment and closed and locked the door. He stood a moment taking deep breaths to quell the panic that was fermenting in his stomach. He needed to calm down and slow his heartbeat. He was in a cold sweat and that was very bad too. He needed to take care of things.
The man was leant against the far wall and Kiyoshi took the momentary opportunity to attend to the tiny Shinto shrine he kept for his Grandmother. One of his purchases had been fresh incense and he filled the burner and relit it, murmuring the appropriate placation to the Kami. It was a simple shrine, holding only the incense burner, the Honden and a picture of his Grandmother. The portrait was a simple drawing yet poignantly captured the essence of the indomitable woman. Kiyoshi had paid quite a bit to have it done and he considered it to have been credit well spent.
Whilst he would not consider it wise to insult the Kami, neither was Kiyoshi's faith in them as strong as his Grandmother's had been. The incense also served the very practical purpose of (hopefully) masking any lingering scent of his mutation that might have accumulated in the confined space of the apartment. He turned back to the man to find he had slumped to the floor and he let out a soft hiss when he saw the blood that soaked the man's head. Fresh blood and the VSF closing in was not a good combination and he was glad he had already lit the incense.
“No, this is not Japan.” Kiyoshi murmured quietly. “This place is far, far away from that place.” He realised belatedly that he had never made an introduction to this strange and enigmatic man. They had not even exchanged names and yet here he was concealing a now wanted felon from the VSF. Of course he himself would be a wanted felon if only the VSF knew of him. He filled a bowl with warm water and a little salt and took a handful of the paper towels that he preferred to linen simply for their ease of disposal and knelt down beside the injured man.
“My name is Ito Kiyoshi and I will answer all your questions if I can, but you need to trust me now. I have to clean away the blood before they catch your scent, the incense can only hide so much. I can help you with the pain if you wish but it would be better if your head were clear, we may still need to flee. I do not know how you came to be here. There was a bright light in the sky and you fell from it. I saw you land and I thought at first you were dead. Then I saw you were...” he paused a moment and chose to use the term his Grandmother had always insisted upon for mutants, “...possessed of Kami and that I must help you.”
“This city is named New Vegas, it is ruled by Thor Ericson and the council of Magistrates. You are in the country that was once America and the day is...” Kiyoshi suddenly remembered that Japan had, according to Grandmother, still used the Shinto calender when she had left, so he gave that date, hoping he was remembering it correctly, “Fireday, the 17th day of Early rice planting month, Kōki 2730.” He was pretty sure he had converted that properly, Tuesday, 17th May, 2070, he was going to sound like an idiot if he had messed it up. “Now lie still...” He dipped one of the towels in the water and started to wipe at the blood. It was going to sting like a son-of-a-bitch...
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Post by Takias Kaneshiro on May 13, 2012 1:31:43 GMT 1
There was a discomfort that had little to do with injury in the way Tak was sitting. Even as the boy began cleaning his wound, the discomfort was more pronounced. He let the boy clean his wound as he shifted his weight and reached down the back of his trousers.
“What?” he muttered as his hand felt…fur…”More witchcraft.” He dug his hand deeper, wrapped his hand around the furry appendage and with a hiss, pulled. "Or...the Kami."
Tak held the thing he pulled from his pants in front of him. It was still attatched to his backside but it was definitely very long and very furry, thick, soft, black fur like a cats. “A…tail?” he almost whispered. “What have the Kami done to me?” he exclaimed in a sharp whisper. He looked at the boy to see what his reaction was.
“This was not here when the Kami pulled me from the rooftop. It was not here until the cat disappeared.” He licked over his catlike teeth, “Nor were these.” He gnashed his teeth a few times.
“The Kami have brought me here, but why? They changed me, the cat, it became part of me but why?I am a shinobi, Kaneshiro from the noble house of Takias. Tak.” He nodded the proper bow with his hands pressed together then returned to sitting still to have his wound tended.
"Over 500 years, in the future?" he asked when he heard the date. "But why?" That was the question. Why was he here. What did his gods have in mind for him. Was he cursed? Was he blessed? Had he pissed off the Kami and now he was thrown into this new world to die? "Am I to die here?" he asked no one in particular.
“I am master of Shinobi-iri, Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, Shurikejutsu, and Itonjutsu…” he listed his mastership in case the boy knew what the Kami wanted him to do. “This world, where the Kami have decided that I am needed, are my skills of importance? Or is there another purpose? What could they want me to be here for? What might the purpose be? You are of this world…do you have answers or are you merely a servant of the Kami?” To Takias Kaneshiro, the Kami were real, masterful beings who were in charge of the fate of every man.
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Post by Ito Kiyoshi on May 19, 2012 23:51:01 GMT 1
The man was fidgeting and it didn't appear to have anything to do with how Kiyoshi was cleaning his head wound. He seemed to have a very high tolerance for pain or perhaps the drug he was on had not entirely worn off yet. Either way Kiyoshi worked as quickly as he could to clean up the spilled blood. He paused a moment as the man shifted his weight about yet again and reached down the back of his pants to pull out his tail. Kiyoshi sighed, no wonder he had been fidgeting about. He should have just said something.
He looked at the other mutant in mild puzzlement, not at his tail but at his rather odd reaction to it. Kiyoshi had noticed the feral teeth immediately he had seen the man, a tail was hardly a huge surprise considering that. But what did he mean by witchcraft? Kiyoshi was back on firmer ground when the man began to speak of the Kami. Here was a man who's faith in the Kami was as strong and literal as his Grandmother's had been and the more he spoke of what had befallen him the more Kiyoshi began to feel as if it were he who was crazy for ever doubting it. It was madness... and it was infectious.
“Five hundred yea...?” Kiyoshi felt like a fool. He had clearly made a total mess of converting the date. Had he added instead of subtracted the BC adjustment? No that wouldn't have accounted for it... he thought it through again but could find no flaw in his calculation. “But that was the Sengoku, the War of States, and Emperor Ōgimachi and the...” shinobi. He finished the sentence only in his head. Either this man was the best informed delusional maniac on the continent... or maybe... just maybe there was something to what he was saying.
A small but growing fear began to creep over Kiyoshi. The Ito had not been minor players in the Sengoku. There had been a long and bloody rivalry between them and the Shimazu Clan. Where had the Takias stood then? Kiyoshi racked his brain but he could not remember if his Grandmother had ever mentioned them. He had already mentioned his name, had the shinobi registered it? If this man wanted him dead out of some mistaken duty in a war long finished...? and he realised as never before that his life was now in the hands of the Kami.
Kiyoshi was floundering. How could all this be possible? Then like an epiphany it struck him – how could it not? Did he not live in a world filled with vampires and werewolves where the dead walked the land? How could it be just a coincidence that this man, who if Kiyoshi were to take his statements as truth, had been lifted up by the Kami, transformed, and cast 500 years through time, had just happened to land at the feet of the mutant grandson of probably the last Shinto priestess in the city and one of only a handful who could follow the old dialect of Japanese that the man spoke?
His breath caught in his throat at the sheer enormity of the implications and he looked back at Takias Kaneshiro with a new-found awe. “I do not know what the Kami have in store for you.” he murmured. “But what I do know is that every step of my life has been to prepare and guide me to this point, and to place me here and now to help you.” He too then made another more formal bow. “Kiyoshi of the Clan Itō, descendant of the noble Itō Suketoki, grandson of Itō Tomoko, Shinto priestess of this Honden.” and he bowed again towards the tiny shrine.
A small rational voice at the back of his mind kept screaming that it was all madness – but right at this moment, Kiyoshi believed.
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Post by Takias Kaneshiro on Jun 6, 2012 23:30:50 GMT 1
Takias needed to clear his head but the injury to his skull upon impact had rattled his brain. He needed to close his eyes and sleep away the fog that had infiltrated his thoughts. There were so many questions and so many answers; he would need to think clearly. There was one other possibility as far as Ito was concerned. “Do not speak to soon, young Kiyoshi. For perhaps it is I that am here to help you.” He leaned back and closed his eyes.
“I need to rest.” He murmured softly, “There is much to ponder, yet, I cannot think with my head aching so.” He had so much happen to him in the last 24 hours. Just that morning, for him, he had woke in his own rooms, eaten his own rice, drank his own sake. He had taken his assignment, along with four others and travelled to his destination. He had stolen the blueprints and was making his escape when the thundershower began to pour down on him. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was thrown off the roof he was on, along with the cat that had hissed at him, and flew 500 years into the future. The landing had hurt more than he knew for now, as he sat and his body relaxed, he felt every ache and pain. His chest was on fire.
Tak clawed at his armor weakly until he managed to unfasten his breastplate and pull it off. He dropped it beside him and pulled at the fasteners on his undershirt. He looked down at the chest it revealed. Every muscle was splotched with deep purple bruises and swelling. In some places, there was redness on the edges of the bruises. “I fear I have injured myself. Is there a healer?” he asked as he tenderly trailed a finger over the mess.
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Post by Ito Kiyoshi on Jun 24, 2012 17:32:02 GMT 1
Kiyoshi had not considered that it was he who might need assistance. He had, in his own opinion, done better for himself than might have been expected for someone in his position and he had no grand aspirations to change the world. He was however deeply worried by the state that Takias appeared to be in. His earlier exertions had masked the extent of his injuries but now it was becoming obvious that he was in fact badly hurt, quite likely too badly for Kiyoshi to care for him without assistance. He had cleaned away the blood and dirt from the open wound but for all he knew the shinobi was slowly bleeding to death inside and there was not a thing he could do about it.
“A healer....?” he mused. Given their status that was going to be a little tricky. “We cannot go to the hospital, they will be looking for you and we are neither of us citizens of this city. They will not help us and may imprison or kill us.” There were certainly far too many vampires around the hospital after dark for it to be a real option. But perhaps.... Kiyoshi had heard rumours of some angels who were helping out mutants with things like medical attention. He had never really trusted other mutants and having never needed their assistance he hadn't had cause to track them down. He looked again at the bloody mess across Takias' chest, this looked like it was going to need that sort of help.
“I think I might know where to look to find a healer. Let me help you get as comfortable as you can and then I shall go and seek to fetch a healer here. I do not think you should move around much more until you have been attended to.” Kiyoshi hoped the shinobi would allow him to help. He really needed to get out of those stained clothes and especially the armour if he were going to rest properly... but then again if he had broken bones it may do more harm than good. He was briefly racked by indecision but decided he would just have to trust Takias knew what he was doing. If he was indeed what he seemed then likely he had been injured before which was more than Kiyoshi could lay claim to.
Hastily he threw a clean covering over his sleeping area. “Please, allow me to assist you and I will fetch a healer. Do you require anything for the pain? That at least I can help with.” Kiyoshi knew that in small doses his particular mutation provided very effective pain relief. He just needed to be careful not to use it too much.
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Post by Takias Kaneshiro on Jul 2, 2012 21:25:45 GMT 1
Tak had to trust Kiyoshi. He didn’t have a choice and if the Kami had something to do with him being there, there was a reason he nearly fell on top of the young mutant. “No, I don’t think I shall move again once I find a place to rest.” He said with a curt nod. He didn’t know how badly hurt he was but it didn’t look good from where he was. “I seem to have fallen very far.” He said and looked at Kiyoshi. “But, if you would be so kind as to allow me to lay down on your floor, I will be very grateful.”
Tak began unbuckling what was left of his armor and carefully removing it. He placed it in a neat and orderly fashion on the floor next to him. With each piece he removed, he offered a thanks to the Kami for the honor of being able to wear the articles of protection from earthly dangers. His armor was easy enough to remove but the rest would stay for now. He was suddenly struck by a very interesting thirst. Usually he had a handle on every bodily function and need.
“Could I trouble you for a drink of water?” He asked. What he really wanted was tea with milk but his honor and manners prevented him from asking for it. As for help with the pain, he did not know what that involved. “If you mean to give me herbs for pain, I must decline. I must keep my body pure and my mind clear.” He nodded respectfully, “I thank you for your kindness, this I will repay.”
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