[IC] Dangerous Future: The Second Shot

[Princess Tracy]

Seiji's wording makes Anoko twitch. Its pretty much what she was saying but... with the exception that Anoko would not accept that on some level Kinzo truly didn't care for his daughter's wellbeing. Still she lets him go in silence.

Anoko actually lends an ear to Izumo's unique relationship as Kiko's bodyguard as they walk alone. "Hey, I get it. There's some crazy strong people out there, and wandering alone doing the things Kiko does - especially if you count 'being alive' as a thing she does, anyone could get in over their head with no one to pull them out of the deep end. You just wanna make sure she's got someone to rely on." She stares off behind the heiress. "How do you help someone that doesn't want help, right? I guess we just have to trust that, in the end, she's made her own choices and lives with them. But on the other hand... you wish she trusted you enough to not make these kind of decisions, right?" Anoko occasionally had flashes of wisdom beyond her years (or at least... beyond her airheaded exterior), only when her heart was truly focused on understanding something - and the revelation of Kiko's misery had made her pay some very close attention to the heiress and her jailers. "Maybe if we work together we can find someway to help her and have it stick," she suggests, smiling confidently.

"Hey, not to sound rude, but... My dad's friend is coming to visit today Ayaka-san and me today," Anoko explains, her lack of a father public knowledge. "I gotta head back sometime soon," she explains in anticipation of something coming up. Hell, she wouldn't even have come this far if Seiji hadn't asked her honestly to protect his sister - its the sort of thing that leaves one feeling a bit guilty for slacking off.

Anoko panics a little as she sees Kiko head to the trains, knowing what a trip all the way into the city would mean. "Um, hell, maybe she's just going downtown. Um, like to... or to... or maybe..." she quickly starts spluttering out destinations in Izumo's ear as she tries not to freak on the precipice of boarding the train herself.

[Cespenar]

Izumo makes with his hand a "so-so" gesture. He doesn't seem very comfortable talking about all these "feelings" out in the open, but he doesn't seem like shooting Anoko down anyway.

"Yeah and no. I mean, I try to be there when she needs it, but the rest is in her hands. She is not someone to be pushed, or have a lesson 'stick' to her."

When he hears about Anoko's plans, Izumo just smiles understandingly and waves a hand.

"Just go. I can probably find her with your directions."

[Bad Situation]

Kiri joins his uncle and father in their manic laughter and throws himself into a rigid salute, "You can count on me!"

He turns and gets ready to slide the door open when he stops and winks at Kinzo one last time, "And don't you worry 'bout your son or nothin'! You got a girl too, right? I'll keep 'em both out of trouble, just leave 'em to me, yeah? The guards you got hangin' 'round them are alright but'll need a bit more polishin' up before they're really up to snuff. They let their guards down around me right quick once they figured me for an idiot, ya know? Even led me right into the compound once I told'em I 'ad business with ya." The German laughs a little at the memory, "Well, just goes ta' show that everyone's got room for improvement I guess."

The door closes shut with a airy, "Well, bye bye~"

Once he's out in the hallway he looks around for the other Iga nin, hoping that they've stuck around for him to talk to.

[Cespenar]

Being unable to chart Kiko's route by deduction, Izumo can't think of any way other than rushing her train. Of course, that would probably end up in a confrontation, but it was slightly better than the alternative, he thinks.

With that, he makes his way for #4, pushing and shoving his way through if needed.

[Princess Tracy]

Anoko's moment of panicked hesitation gets dragged out a little long until Izumo insists he has a handle on this and rushes the cart. "Um..." Kiko didn't want to be followed, and Anoko didn't want Kiko to think of her as her jailer too, and she has things to do back home, but Seiji wanted her to be safe and maybe Izumo couldn't handle it by himself if things really DID go bad. Now not sure what to do, she steps forward just in time for the doors to close. "Um!" she intones awkwardly, only able to wave dumbstruck as Izumo clambers in alone.

"Well... that was embarassing. Can't believe I actually froze like that, jackass..." As the train pulls away and she's left at the station, Anoko tells herself its for the best really. Izumi had faith in her to slip away without causing trouble - the old hag was out for Kiko for a while now and the heiress knew how to look after herself, and Izumo could handle it himself. Still... she wouldn't be looking Seiji in the eye until Kiko came back safe.

Anoko heads home. If Izumi's still at her post, she gives a sigh and addresses her. "...He's more than enough for her anyway, right?" She wonders briefly if the guard has an idea what it is Kiko gets up to at times like these. "I guess she wouldn't be having fun if anyone knew exactly where she was. She'll probably change hangouts once she notices Izumo following her."

Unless Izumi has anything particularly insightful to offer, Anoko heads home looking a bit tired and fidgety as she intends to wait to see this guy.

Spoiler

Show

In the end I went with my gut decision. If I was a 15 year old, lazy airhead with a previous appointment and all these considerations in my head.... and the time limit of a train leaving, I imagined that in all likelihood i would hesitate for way too long.

[ZeroNumerous]

Anoko

The train carries Izumo and Kiko away, and within mere moments Anoko is left adrift among the sea of people going back and forth on the busy subway. Her body's natural way of movement, honed as a practitioner of the sword, causes a tiny whirlpool in the ocean of humanity as people flow around the Iga-nin in an attempt to subconsciously avoid the danger of her maai. The young girl did not have a bloodthirsty nature like Kotoba or murderous intent like Soujirou, but she did have a natural capacity for violence that formed her own maai; naturally influenced by her teacher's skill. The people avoid going near Anoko like sheep scenting the blood of their own upon the fangs of a wolf, and for once the young girl is totally alone despite the crowd around her. Due to her maai the young Iga samurai is free to walk alone among the sheep unmolested by words or actions despite wearing her mother's beautiful face.

After sometime the Iga-nin makes it home to find Izumi standing guard. From further down the street it seems like Izumo's teacher is absorbed in playing with the smartphone attached to her headphones, but Izumi suddenly snaps her head to look at Anoko as she approaches. The samurai hazards a guess that she's 30 meters or so away, yet Izumi noticed her despite playing with a smartphone and likely listening to hard rock or heavy metal. A more hardened ninja would suspect the ground beneath her, based on Izumi's history as an Ishimaru and their status as former servants of the Earth Country. But regardless of what Anoko thought of the gate guardian Izumi lowered her headphones and listens to the young girl's statements. "Worried about the little lady", Izumi says with a smirk, "but not worried enough to put yourself in danger? Cold." Izumi laughs to herself at that, then shakes her head. "She goes to a club I used to frequent. Little underground number called White Knuckles. Above the table it's a rave spot, but underground..." Izumi leans in real close and whispers to Anoko. "They kill nosy teenagers."

Another loud gut-laugh escapes the older Iga-nin, but this time she laughs for a good while. As her laughter winds down, and she gradually wipes away the tears in her eyes, Izumi finally dispels the illusion. "I'm kidding! Kidding. I don't know where she goes. Sometimes she comes back pretty beat up, and sometimes she sneaks in late at night and crashes at my place. But most days she's happier after she leaves, ya know? She's the kind of wild animal that's too weird to survive here. That's what I tried to tell that idiot student of mine, but he's too dense to get it."

Izumo

Izumo is able to follow Kiko onto the train with no trouble. She walks past a few people, aiming to get a seat near the door, and a young man--probably no older than 20 or so--stands up in order to let her have his seat. Kiko exchanges smiles with the stranger, takes his seat, and then he stands and accidentally blocks Izumo's view of the heiress. The Iga-nin could move around to spot Kiko more easily, but doing so would seriously risk being discovered. Fortunately for Izumo however, the train quickly reaches its next stop and Kiko stands immediately. The heiress disembarks, and if Izumo follows her then he finds himself just one stop down from the compound. Fortunately, this station only has a few people at it so he's able to pick out exactly where she goes. Unfortunately she's climbing on board the #6 heading further downtown, and she's chosen to get on board a women's only carriage. While technically not illegal for Izumo to follow he would make his presence known in the quickest and most painful manner possible, and then the jig would be up. He could follow her by getting on another carriage, but he would be trading a risk of discovery for a risk of simply losing the heiress in the first place.

[Princess Tracy]

Lost in her own little world of thoughts, Anoko hardly notices as she's left to her own devices, how her presence subtly makes those around her the slightest bit uncomfortable. If she were paying more attention, she might lament common folk not trusting her subconsciously when she does her best to be friendly, but for now she was content to her own contemplations of just what being Kiko's friend meant.

Being accused of cowardice actually draws a look of insulted anger from Anoko. All she ever wanted to do was protect her friends, and having Kiko not want protecting confused everything she'd trained for, and having some stupid gatekeeper mock... Still, she relaxes a bit when she realises the older Iga-nin is just joking, but doesn't exactly laugh at her next joke about killing nosy teenagers, instead giving her a steely stare more suited to a swordswoman. She wasn't in the mood for such a twisted sense of humour.

"Kiko comes back beat up?" she has to repeat out loud, more shocked than anything. She remembers fighting a dozen men yesterday with the heiress being basically untouchable, what the **** kind of trouble was she finding herself in? She sighs at the end of Izumi's explanation. "I guess you're right. Still, I figured I should try find some way to help her out while she IS here... hell if I know how."

She waves a lazy goodnight to Izumi and wanders off home if not stopped, not finding her to be the most pleasant conversationalist at the moment.

Once she clears her door and pops her sword out from her gloves for proper storage in her room, she can't help but exclaim on the way to her room (quite forgetting for a moment that her company could have already arrived or even that Ayaka was likely within earshot) "What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"

[Cespenar]

As Kiko boards the women-only carriage, Izumo sighs and boards the next carriage, trying to keep an eye on the heiress, but with his resolve weakening every minute. Maybe she found out after all, or it could be just a precaution. Nevertheless, Izumo keeps the pursuit as far as it would go.

[ZeroNumerous]

Anoko

The guard just sighs. "You and that idiot student of mine are the same, huh? It's manly when he does it, but a pretty girl like you shouldn't fret so much. You won't land a boyfriend like that, you know?" With that said the guard launches into an explanation. "You may not get it, but some people aren't like you. They don't want to live with someone watching over their shoulder, being pitied, handled delicately, and treated like they were broken every day of their life." Izumi gets wistful at that, and seems to be speaking from experience. That feeling is confirmed with her next words.

"I'm like that, so that's why I'm not with the other Ishimaru protecting what little legacy of the old ways remain." She's clearly referring to the Earth Country, and what pitiful pieces of the Tsuchikage's inner court remained alive today. It certainly explained why an Ishimaru, the clan whose loyalty lay almost exclusively with the Stone, stood as the gate guard for the Iga.

"Pushing your ideas on someone like that just results in them running away. Besides... The little lady has enough people hounding her what with her father and all. Have you ever thought that following her around without her knowing would be seen in the same light as the fat-cat's meddling?" Naturally Izumi is less than happy with Kinzo, but then how did she end up in the employ of the Iga if not for Kiko's father? What could force an Ishimaru, whose clan were the absolute final bastion of the Tsuchikage's defenders, to abandon the past and their own family? Regardless of her past, the gate guard sympathized with Kiko's sentiments. And, of course Anoko, like Izumo, wouldn't understand that kind of sentiment so Izumi lets the conversation drop.

She does, however, seem surprised when Anoko is surprised at Kiko getting beaten up. "Didn't you know? There are places in the city where people like us--real fighters--can cut loose and have fun. Most of them are fight clubs, but there's the occasional place trying to relive the war games of old. I imagine she found one of those places." The Ishimaru shrugs. "But a place like that isn't something you'd ever frequent anyway, nor would it be some public place. So there's no way to know unless you followed her around."

Izumo

Naturally Izumo is unable to see more than a tiny window into the female-only carriage, and unfortunately he doesn't see Kiko through that tiny bit of glass. The first stop comes quickly, and as the subway rolls to a stop and the doors pop open Izumo is presented with a question: How, exactly, does he intend to get off on the same stop as the heiress he currently cannot see?

[Princess Tracy]

Anoko ignores the comment about her girliness and landing a boyfriend (or rather, bites her lip and chooses not to address it). "I get that. Kinda," Anoko tries to explain herself. She doesn't pay much heed to allusions of the Ishimaru's past - not being well read in the history of ninja beyond her own immediate swordplay, there's a lot of intrigue that's certainly beyond her scope of reckoning (and interest). "I don't want to make her feel that way and I know she gets enough of that from everyone else. I saw how mad she got just when I insisted on walking home with her, and I know her big plan is to run away in the end. But... I'm used to supporting my friends, and it isn't because I think they're weak or stupid or need to be fixed." Anoko kind of flinches as she says that - using the word 'friends' to compare her relationship with Kiko was something she got the feeling the heiress might laugh in her face for. But Ayaka had told her to be a friend to the girl, and Anoko wanted Kiko to be happy so... that counted for something at least, right? "I'm sorry for not being used to thinking on the level that Kiko does, but I'm doing my best to figure out where I stand with her. Kiko acts like she has no one, and she shouldn't have to feel that way, no one should." The last statement carries a bit of punch with her conviction. Not being immediately fond of Izumi, she can't help but feel a little talked down to and is glad when she drops it.

"Of course I didn't know that!" Anoko retorts, her voice going up an octave in frustration, stomping one foot hard on the ground. "Clubs for shinobi fighting... that's insanely, just..." She bites her lip, frankly it was terrifying. Becoming more familiar with the true nature of violence, the idea of some no-hold fight with actual trained assassins was not her idea of a good time - for a normal person it was last resort. "It does sound right up her alley though, huh. ..." Anoko descends into her thoughts again.

Anoko moves to go home, nodding to herself. "You're right though. Stalking her isn't going to do any good. Unless she were in actual danger, and I guess... she knows how to keep herself out of that," she says, recalling that Kiko said she was well aware of the attempts on her life for some time. Her back to Izumi as she wanders off, she lastly says "Just... keep doing whatever it is that you do that makes her life more bearable around here, I guess."

Maybe if I just ask nicely and openly, she'll let me come with her next time instead of me having to do all this no-trust espionage stuff. I can't even tell if that's a horrible idea or not, god I need a break...

[Cespenar]

Apparently the time spent on the carriage is enough for reflecting, because when the doors open Izumo doesn't feel like keeping up with the charade any longer. He continues on the line, heading for downtown for his own stuff, while typing out a text for Kiko.

"I'm downtown. Call if you need muscle. Or a bite to eat. -BH"

With that, he all but forgets the heiress as he goes around for his own business once he arrives the downtown area. He had to pick out some parts for his Blastmobile anyway. Or at least find out how much they cost until he could get them.

Visiting hardware shops and multiple cheap restaurants probably takes his whole time, and Izumo even remembers to ask casually around repair shops if anyone heard about the underground bike races that apparently have been going on for some time.

[ZeroNumerous]

Anoko

The gate guard just shrugs at Anoko's apprehension of not being Kiko's friend. "I'm sure the little lady thinks the same, but she pushes away others so that they can't be used against her. Or, perhaps, it would be easier on her when she leaves if she has no friends?" Izumi has nothing more to say about the other stuff Anoko talks about, except for the shinobi fight clubs.

When Anoko balks at the idea Izumi just shrugs. "A soft soul like yours couldn't understand, but I know where she's coming from. It's hard to use kids gloves with everyone, and one goes stir crazy without a good fight. Just standing here, burning my energy on nothing, when I could be in the Levant, North Africa, or Southeast Asia doing what I do best." She doesn't seem to have the conviction for what she's saying. Perhaps the words are simply air? Regardless of her feelings, Izumi has nothing more to say on the matter. When Anoko talks about making Kiko's life bearable the guard just shrugs. "She does her own thing. I just look the other way when she does it."

When Anoko heads home she finds her mother missing and a note written in her mother's hand on the fridge.

"Left dinner in fridge. Went out to see your father. Will talk when home. I love you."

Izumo

The response from Kiko comes surprisingly quickly, but it reveals nothing as to her intent.

"K."

Whatever thoughts existed behind that one letter remains unknown, as the heiress neither texts nor calls Izumo afterward. She doesn't make an appearance at any of his spots, and doesn't seem to have went home on the same train as the young man. It seems his days as a spy were short and barren.

Fortunately, his days as an information gatherer prove more useful. A guy whose friend knows a guy who has a friend in the local racing league. Supposedly they meet at the downtown subway entrance every sunday, then race to the outskirts of town. But lately all the races have been won by some lady biker named "Angel" and competition has gotten a lot thinner since Angel is lauded as unbeatable.

[Princess Tracy]

Coming home to find Ayaka absent isn't a surprise normally - with her mind still on Kiko and her apparent habit for sneaking out to fight other shinobi, Anoko forgets for a moment entirely her arrangements for the evening. However as she absent-mindedly reads the note her mother left for the third time - something not seeming quite right - she snaps out of her malaise. "...Dad's alive? WHAT!? What is... what... what does she mean, not that, what."

She collapses into a chair for a moment, its been a long couple of days and... what the hell even was this out of the blue? Shaking her head she springs to her feet and runs out the door, stuffing the note in her pocket. She wasn't quite sure what she was thinking but... whatever was going on she didn't want to miss it, somehow. She wanted some explanation and wouldn't wait for it.

She quickly bolts right back up to Izumi with the same intensity as a desperate assassin, barely grinding to a halt before the reach of her maai provokes some reflexive punch from the gatekeeper. "Did my mum come through here? The maid in the wheelchair, don't screw with me, was there a man with her?" she demands quickly and breathlessly.

If she gets a lead, she follows it out the compound. If Izumi says she hasn't seen Ayaka, she starts rummaging around the compound. However, not being a master detective, her odds of finding much are slim and she eventually returns home to wait on Ayaka unless she bumps into a helpful Miharu. Failing that, she stays up late, almost forgetting to have dinner and barely turning on the TV as she waits for her mother to return.

[ZeroNumerous]

Anoko

Izumi's as surprised as Anoko launches into a breathless tirade. "A wheelchair...? Hm. Ya. I remember her. I wondered why she seemed familiar. Man, you really do look like the spitting image of your mother." Whether Anoko lets her ramble or not, Izumi eventually gets to the point. "Your mom met here with some guy; tall, black, and foreign. Looked like a yakuza with big swollen knuckles and an evil face. I couldn't let him come in, so she wheeled herself down here to fetch him. They went back up to your house, but then came back ten minutes later." Izumi shrugs.

"I guess she wasn't comfortable doing it in the house her child lived in, because they got in his car and left about five minutes before you came home. I dunno where they went, and didn't ask. Why? If you need to talk then wouldn't it be best to call her?"

[Princess Tracy]

Anoko shakes in exasperation, looking about ready to pounce Izumi if she starts rambling. "They drove off?" She's about to call her an idiot and explain the situation in another breathless burst of words for the comment about 'doing it', not having much of a sense of humour in her excited state, but she stops. Izumi had a point, call her, right. "...Fine, um... man I need to buy a cell phone," she notes out loud, running back home to call her mother from the landline. If Izumi didn't have a clue where she went, she didn't have much other option.

Anoko rings up her mother, hoping she picks up, determined to get some kind of answer.

[Overlord Rion]

At Seiji's words, Miharu's eyes light up. "I'm sorry, did you say a Ruger Super Redhawk? Of course I want to see it! Come on, less lollygagging and more moving it!"

[Cespenar]

Even after finding out about the races, Izumo wonders about why he'd bothered at all. He didn't have a complete bike, and even if he did, he didn't know how to ride it properly. Oh, he probably could manage to go downtown and back or something, but nothing even close to the level of dethroning an ace.

Well, he could work on it. Despite his appearance, he wasn't a slow learner. Maybe some practice, a little new jutsu to give him an edge, and he could put on a good show, if not really win. As cheesy as it sounds, wasn't trying and having fun what counted, after all?

If he encounters nothing else, Izumo returns to the compound with a few bike parts, a full stomach, and a new (albeit far) goal.

[ZeroNumerous]

Anoko

Ayaka picks up on the third ring, and she speaks in a breathless voice. Anoko recognizes the inflection and tone of her mother's voice as being very distressed. "H-hello? Ano-chan. Um. I'm sorry, Ano-chan. I just... Ryosei. Your father..." Her mother's loss for words lasts for awhile, but then the maid takes a deep breath and reigns in her emotions. She transitions into a more business like tone of voice that Anoko had never heard her mother use before. "Your father is dead. I left to see his, to uh, look at the headstone. Ryosei told me he died overseas. 10 years ago, almost right after he left." Her voice cracks, and Ayaka chokes down a sob before carrying on with her explanation. "No one... No one told us. They hid it from us. They.." And with that said, for the first time in Anoko's memory, her mother openly sobbed and cried. She cries for some time, and it isn't until several minutes have passed that Ayaka is finally capable of coherent speech.

"Ryosei and I will be home soon."

And sure enough after less than ten minutes Anoko is greeted by her mother and a tall dark-skinned man wearing a crisp and well tailored suit. Ayaka wears a tear-streaked and puffy face that looks wholly out of place, and looks ready to break down into tears again the instant she sees her daughter. Her arms go out to her daughter and her fingers motion for Anoko to come closer. The resulting hug is so tight that one could be forgiven for thinking her mother had started weight-lifting, and Ayaka refuses to break the hug for several minutes. To his credit the dark-skinned male remains quiet and respectful of the duo's moment. Once Ayaka's settled down then Ryosei wheels her into the living room, takes a seat beside her, then patiently waits to be introduced. Ayaka waits until Anoko is settled in, and explains.

"Ano-chan, this is Ruto Ryosei. He worked with your father as a member of his... team?" She looks to the muscular man for an answer, and for the first time Anoko gets a really good look at him. He's got the same kind of build as Izumo, and if not for his substantially better sense of dress and dark complexion he could be Izumo's twin. Ryosei nods at Ayaka's statement, then explains more clearly.

"Your father and I worked as... Well, we were thieves and pirates all over Southeast Asia. But that was 20 years ago, and it's not what you want to hear about. Your father contacted me ten years ago, and told me he ran into someone dangerous. He asked me to get our crew together, and come get him out. Or, if we couldn't, then he wanted us to get something for his daughter." A muscular hand goes to the man's breast pocket, and immediately Anoko notices that his knuckles are just as swollen as Izumi said they were. Big rounded nubs of bone that had obviously been broken, healed, and broken again over and over. Ryosei fishes out a small cigar case--a square silver box with "Peace" embossed on the top of it--then hands it over to Anoko. Inside the case the samurai finds a photograph--a white-haired thin man whose appearance she doesn't recognize, but whose look says "father" to her--and a key with the kanji for "esteemed companion" written on it. Ryosei continues his story whether Anoko opens the case or not. "It took us three days to get everyone together and get to the coordinates he told us. We found his body, and that was in his hand. I tried to bring this back ten years ago, but I was forbidden from seeing you. I had given up until I happened to run into one of your mother's former co-workers yesterday. She helped me get into contact with Ayaka."

Ayaka interrupts at this point. "It's a lot to take in, so can we talk more in the morning?"

"Certainly. You have my number, so feel free to contact me at any time."

With that said Ryosei excuses himself, and Anoko and her mother are left alone.

Kiri

Kiri wanders around the house for a short time, but finds it empty. However, he does hear Miharu's exclamation from the front door. If he heads that way, then he finds Miharu and Seiji together. The heir is surprisingly dour, and seems to be entirely missing the energy he had when he was playing with his father and uncle. They seem to be talking about guns of some sort.

Kiri and Miharu

"Alright, let me get it out." Seiji reaches into his pockets and fishes out a pair of black gloves. He pulls them tightly over his hands, then snaps his fingers. In an instant a silver revolver appears in the heir's extended hand in a tiny puff of smoke. Seiji pops the cylinder out, checks each chamber for a round, and pops the cylinder back in when he's satisfied that its not loaded. Seiji passes the gun over to Miharu to look it over, then looks over his shoulder and notices Kiri. The revolver has a 19cm barrel, a silver scope attached to the top, and has a heavy weight to it. It seems to chamber .44 rounds, and looks like it has the kind of punch that most other revolvers couldn't measure up against. It's clearly masterfully crafted, and a tiny engraving of a stylized lion's head decorates the grip.

Seiji turns his attention to Kiri. "Oh, hello. My... cousin, right? Your father talked about you a lot. My name is Iga Seiji." Seiji motions to Miharu. "This is Momotami Miharu. We're... gun enthusiasts. Despite the, well, laws against them." Seiji seems a lot more comfortable now that he's had his hands on the revolver, and he extends a gloved hand toward Kiri for a handshake. Whether Kiri shakes the boy's hand or not Seiji waits for Miharu to return the gun before he stores it in his gloves once more.

Izumo

The bodyguard runs into a surprising sight at the gate this time. It seems that Izumi went home, and he spots the lanky and young-looking Seta Soujirou. He recognizes the older man as Anoko's sword instructor, and based on the archaic men's yukata and the sword on his hip, Izumo realizes why she's always referred to herself as a samurai. Soujirou leans against the wall surrounding the compound, looking up at the stars with the forlorn look of teenager, and seems to not notice Izumo approach. Unless the young man says something then he looks ready to let Izumo pass right into the compound. Of course, if Izumo tries to enter without identifying himself then the samurai instantly bars his passage with his--thankfully sheathed--katana. Soujirou finally looks directly at Izumo, and for a moment the Iga-nin senses the same intense pressence he felt from his homeroom teacher. Almost as if the next movement from Soujirou would be an attack, even though the man doesn't have a weapon drawn. The dark-haired man wears the face of someone the same age as Izumo, but when he speaks he talks like a stern and angry grandfather. "Little late coming home. Did something happen?"

[Cespenar]

Izumo eyes the changed door guard with mild interest. The long day and his exhaustion prevents him from reacting strongly to the swordsman's maai, so he just blinks instead. He greets him with a nod, introduces himself, and gestures with his head to his full hands.

"Nah, just had a busy day, bought some parts and whatnot." He pauses for a moment. "Is Kiko back yet?"

[Princess Tracy]

Anoko regrets making the call the instant she hears that, but could hardly hang up even when Ayaka utters the word 'headstone' and has her curiosity sated by poison. "M-mum... I-I'm sorry." There isn't much else she can think to say except to mutter that "It's okay," weakly when Ayaka breaks down crying. After her mother hangs up, she waits patiently at the table, rather still and silent as her mind finally seems blank.

Anoko is quite ready to receive her mother, readily hugging her just as tight when she gets home - getting to her knees to better wrap her arms around her. Her heart sunk to see her mother like that... It was a lot to take in and it was certainly hitting her mother hard, so for now she would do her best to show support. "I... I'm sorry, momma," she says softly. She gives Ayaka a last squeeze before they finally release each other.

Sitting across from Ryosei, Anoko's eyes take a moment to focus on him, her attention so focused on her mother that she'd barely acknowledged him. She gives him a nod in introduction, not feeling too wordy, "Anoko." She lets him tell his story in silence. Pirates were usually fun and interesting, and numbly she knew that in different circumstances she might have all kinds of questions for stories about her old man, but for now she didn't exactly feel that excitement. She takes the box and looks over it, taking a moment to find the seem and peak inside. Seeing the face, she cracks it open a bit wider, something stirring in her but she wasn't sure what. ...Recognition? No... Familiarity? She knew who it was in the picture anyway, she knew. The key goes ignored for now as she shuts the box tight to protect its contents, though seeing the kanji out of the corner of her eye puts the word 'nakama' in her head.

"Forbidden from seeing me...?" Anoko actually does wonder at who would be making such moves to forbid anything, but Ayaka's right, it could be dealt with in the morning. She gets up to show Ryosei to the door as he makes to leave. She clears her throat at the landing, looking up to the big man. "Thanks for looking out for my mother. Its important to keep promises." She puts on her rarely seen serious tone and gives a bow of genuine respect that normally only her sensei was allowed - keeping a promise after all this time and her father being dead was something she had actual respect for.

With him gone, Anoko returns to the living room, sitting beside her mother and putting her arm around her shoulder. She pops the weird cigar box open to show her. "Look, mum, you finally have a picture of dad," she says softly, giving a sweet smile.

[Overlord Rion]

Barely even glancing at Kiri, Miharu looks the gun over from one end to the other. "Gun enthusiasts, friends, that whole thing. You might be Seiji's cousin, but I will shoot you if I have to." He speaks as if he's talking about the weather while examining the gun. Satisfied, he flips the gun around and hands the weapon back to Seiji. "But you did shake Kiko's hand and live, so you've got my respect. I'm not sure whether you're ridiculously brave or just dumb, though." He extends his hand towards Kiri. "Nice to meet you, either way."

[Bad Situation]

"Shirogane Kiri and it's nice ta' meet'cha, cuz." His eyes go wide and clueless at the gun, looking up at Seiji's face as if waiting for some kind of explanation on why the gun was impressive. When he doesn't get a response his face lights up and he tries to explain, "I think guns are stupid so I don't know anything about them." Kiri is all smiles in spite of his rude words and doesn't look like he was trying to offend anybody. "I'm really more'ofa swordsman than anything else."

Kiri easily accepts both handshakes, squeezing tight and pumping up and down hard as he gives the two boys an eager grin. He pounds his chest with his right hand and nods. "A real hero doesn't care any about respect or nothin' they just do what they think they need ta' do. If the way I was actin' was makin' her angry enough that she wanted to hurt me then it was my responsibility to her and the resta' you lot to diffuse it or calm her down." He pauses a moment after saying that and looks somewhat uncomfortable, "Though, I haven' really been here for long but don't you think it might hurt her feelins' if you talk about her that way? I get that she's gotta temper but I'm not sure if it's right to treat her like a dangerous animal either."

Not wanting the mood to slip into something dark he quickly changes the subject, "Oh! I've been meanin' to ask. What's the city like in evening? I...really like to take walks at night so I was just wonderin' if it was 'visable or not to explore the city and stuff."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

April 4th, 6:00 am.

A normally sunny day lies obfuscated beneath the dark clouds of a sudden spring rainstorm. Fortunately, no cracks of thunder have announced an escalation to thunderstorm yet. Warm and soft rain, befitting the springtime, drops in lazy waves rather than the hard driving rains of the coming rainy season. Fortunately most people are inside at this point in the day, but a few aren't so lucky.

Izumo

Izumo wakes in the dank, dirty, yet familiar garage where the Blastmobile lay entombed. The scattered remains of the formerly noble moped lay strewn about the garage in a haphazard pattern. Whatever fallout that resulted from revealing Kiko's absence remained hidden from the bulky iga-nin. At least, he didn't hear any shouting or fighting during the night, but whether that meant that Kiko wasn't caught or that she simply hasn't returned yet remains to be seen. Outside the young man hears the sound of soft rain, and something else. Something more dark than simply rain. A loud thud like a body hitting the ground precedes the voices of two people.

"You should stand up. Don't wanna get dirty now. And before you ask: I may be your retainer, but I'm not gonna carry you little master." The familiar and feminine voice of Izumo's master speaks to an unknown party. Based on the joking title, it's likely Seiji, but who truly knows?

A familiar voice gives a grunt of pain in response. "D-Don't worry about that. Just.. Just go a bit slower, okay?" The voices of the very odd couple gradually grow louder as they approach Izumo's garage. Whether Izumo goes out to see what's going on, or whether he remains inside until they enter, the young Iga-nin spots his master and Seiji together. His master is wearing a dark blue pantsuit with an open jacket, but her professional style is marred by her ever-present headphones hanging around her neck. Seiji is wearing his school uniform, but it's muddy all over the left side. He's limping, favoring his left leg rather obviously, and seems more agitated at the injury than in real pain. Seiji greets the muscle-bound Iga-nin, but Izumi is as patently unwilling to follow conventions as always.

"Ishimaru-kun, I am told you taught my sister your martial arts style. Your sister--" Seiji's immediately interrupted by Izumi.

"Close, but no relation." Seiji attempts to pick up where he left off, but he's obviously flustered by both his faux-pas and the interruption.

"Uh. Right. Well, I was also instructed that you would be an exceptional teacher for me. Izumi-senpai proved... Insurmountable. I am told that you were taught in a similar manner, but it appears that I lack the body necessary to absorb the pain of being taught in this manner." Seiji bows his head deeply. "I ask that you teach me how to fight."

Clearly Seiji is referring to the fact that Izumo's bloodline limit meant Izumi was free to do as she pleased in order to teach the young boy. And, being a woman lacking in restraint, she did her best to impress the style into his flesh and blood rather than simply his mind.

Kiri

Waking up in Japan proves a bit harder than Kiri expects, probably because he "lost" 7 hours on the flight over to the island country. Nonetheless, when Kiri does finally rouse himself from sleep he finds his house is surprisingly quiet. The lights are off, and the only thing he can hear in the house is the light sound of snoring. His parent's bedroom door is closed, and the snoring sound emanates from within. It's likely his mother, as she has a surprising tendency to be exceedingly loud. Nonetheless, it appears that Kiri is on his own for breakfast, lunch, and getting ready for school. Unless, of course, he wakes his parents in his early morning preparations.

Miharu

Miharu wakes to his brother knocking loudly on his door. "Breakfast is ready ya weirdo!" Once Miharu heads downstairs he finds his dinner table is surprisingly sparse. His older brothers are there, but Mom and Father are missing entirely. If questioned Jun explains that their mother and father were getting on a plane and taking a trip to Korea for business. The young boy is left to eat the bland meal his elder brother made--steamed rice, nori, and soy sauce--in order to have sustenance. Whether Miharu eats or not his brothers get ready for school, and the young man is left on his own. He's got two hours before school starts.

Anoko

Unfortunately Anoko would need to wait to discover whether yesterday had any effect on her mother or not, as the young Iga-nin woke to discover that she had the house to herself. Her mother was the kind of person to not slack off, even when presented with the opportunity, so it wasn't necessarily strange that she went off to work. Naturally she did not need to meet with her teacher until she discovered the intent to kill buried within herself, and that meant for the first time in a long time Anoko was free to do as she pleased instead of waking up at 4 am to go swordfight with an old man. However, not knowing about the events with Seta, Ayaka had not cooked any extra for her daughter--though she had prepared a boxed lunch for later. A note sitting on top of it tells the young girl a story of where her mother went: "Working. Will be home late. Your clubs meet today" Regardless, the samurai is left to her own devices this early in the morning.

[Cespenar]

Izumo greets the duo with a yawn and an indistinct nod, their words pushing through his sleepy haze one inch at a second. He gawks at Seiji for long seconds before he catches up to him, and then he simply gawks more.

"Wait. You tried to learn the Ishimaru style from her? Oh god damnit." He rubs his face wildly, trying to jump start his brain.

"Listen, Seiji...sama. You don't wanna learn the Ishimaru style. It's punchy-kicky, lots of direct stuff. Needs muscle, power, speed. Fits Kiko, fits me, but you... I don't see it. You'd want a soft, open-hand style, or something armed. Kendo, maybe? Or that weird Chinese style that Vivienne uses. Turn your opponent's strength against him."

He goes in his mind through his (admittedly short) arsenal of techniques, and comes up with almost nothing.

"I mean, I guess I could train you on speed for starters. Speed is always good. But then you'd better turn to something other than Ishimaru."

Spoiler: Ninja Lore

Show

Taking 10 for 12, does Izumo know any master in the Iga compound specializing on a soft style? If not, he'll advise him to go either to Anoko or Kiri for swordstuff.

[Bad Situation]

Kiri rouses himself out of bed with all the gusto he can manage while jetlagged and sleepy, which is to say he finds himself curled up on the floor of his bedroom tangled on his bedsheets like a wriggling silkworm. Pushing himself up and away from his cocoon, he drags himself into the shower where he begins his morning rituals, emerging from the bathroom as a dripping but now re-energized mess. He stumbles back into his room, half-blinded by the towel draped over his head, and shakes himself dry.

After (mostly) drying himself, he gets to work putting on his uniform. He grins at the full-length mirror and spins around in place to get a good look at the gakuran before smirking to himself in some misplaced sense of pride, "Gakuran's really are the coolest." He stops on his way out of his room however and gives himself another look in the mirror before slyly undoing the top button of his jacket. He winks at his reflection this time, and the reflection winks back.

When he enters the kitchen he finds himself oddly disappointed that his mother isn't around to prepare a bento for him. But whatever disappointment he feels is replaced by an odd sort of glee as he remembers something. "This means I can go to the convenience store and buy something there." He claps excitedly at the thought but flinches and looks carefully in the direction of his parent's room, his hands locked together mid-clap before he pulls them away and remembers to be quiet. Still more giddy than not, he retrieves his school bag from its hook in the kitchen and swipes a slice of bread from the cupboards, sticking it into his mouth as he skips out of the door.

[Princess Tracy]

Anoko moves to get out of bed at 4am all the same out of reflex, shuffling like a zombie from the late night before. Her head knocks against her room door to bring her to a halt, giving her a moment to reconsider her circumstances. Her sensei wasn't wanting her right now anyway. She sighs and goes back to bed, settling back in easily enough. The extra couple of hours do her some good and she awakens ready to give some comfort to her mother... who of course isn't there. Anoko looks down at herself, with everything that happened she never even changed out of her street clothes last night, what a slob. Well, might as well TRY and enjoy a lazy morning. She gets in her morning shower and decides to wear her hair up in a ponytail for once, wearing long sleeves, knee-high socks and a long skirt to better deal with the rain.

She sits down at the table and wonders if she should just try making food for herself for once. Not like Seta needed to know about her breaking his stupid 'samurai don't cook' rule - before she trained with him she knew how to make some basic food at least, she can't be that rusty. She wasn't really in a mood for barging in on Miharu's family again today either. Screw it, why not. Anoko goes and does her best to cook up some scrambled eggs and bacon, not the healthiest breakfast maybe but... really nothing Anoko knew how to prepare was healthy. She mostly just knew how to make a few fatty dishes, things that could keep her going through the day so she wouldn't have to spend more time cooking, such was her lazy philosophy. All in all, Seta may have made up that rule just in her case, to make sure she wasn't too heavy for training. Pfft, no way, I've got great metabolism. In fact I'm gonna get a donut from that nice western bakery I saw around here just to show him, she threatens her own waistline.

Anoko sits with her food and the photograph she'd obtained last night, setting it down on the table. She takes the key from the box at last, turning it over in her hand as she puzzles over it. It was a nice key with an inscription, but was it really just ornamental? She couldn't think of what unlock, at least she couldn't remember anything right away... Still, she had a picture of her father to share with her mother now, Ayaka did say she never had a single one to remember him by. And now she could see his face... she wonders what he would make of it all if he was really that much like her. He must have really impressed a lot of care upon his friend if he went this far to deliver such a little package to her.

Finishing breakfast, Anoko sighs and grabs her sword, fastening it to her side like always, and an umbrella and heads out, supposing she might as well walk out and meet everyone before class. Maybe go see Izumo, give Miharu time to finish his breakfast lest she disturb it. She wonders where this Kiri lives too, not that she had much energy to welcome the new face to their school route. Her head's in the clouds again as she thinks on her parents, the cigar box snuggly tucked away in her pocket.

Spoiler

Show

Intelligence check - figure out where Kiri lives (1d20+1)[14]
Intelligence check - think of something that the key could fit (1d20+1)[12] (just for fun)
Wisdom check - figured i would roll to see how well Anoko can prepare her food, hopefully its edible otherwise she might have to disturb Miharu for some bland rice after all :P (1d20+2)[13]

[ZeroNumerous]

Kiri

Turns out umbrellas are more useful than one initially suspects, and today Kiri proves that by running outside without his and promptly getting soaked. The bread in his mouth gets wet, and rapidly turns soggy unless he eats it quickly. His uniform is quickly soaked through, and the young man is left looking for respite from the rain. Fortunately for him a certain beautiful samurai steps out of her house just in time, and her umbrella seems big enough for two.

Anoko

Picking up the bronze key proves easy enough, but holding it for awhile shows an oddity that Anoko had not noticed before: It was weighty--far weightier than bronze should be--and smelled slightly of sulfur. Holding it for a time proves fairly pointless, as the swordswoman proves incapable of discerning the meaning behind its kanji. And, of course, nothing comes to mind in the house that was locked: Her mother didn't need any keys aside from house keys, as finding them and using them would prove more troublesome than helpful due to her disability.

However, when Anoko picks up the battered sword she has a sudden realization. What if "esteemed companion" wasn't a phrase, but rather a name? Read that way, then the kanji would mean "Hakurei".

Oddities concerning her sword aside, Anoko is able to head outside and spots Kiri's house with ease. After all, he was standing in front of it.

Izumo

Izumo's knowledge of the taijutsu practitioners in the area proves lacking, as he fails to recall anyone who teaches any style; Izumi exempted, of course. When Izumo explains that he cannot teach Seiji the heir sighs.

"I understand. I had hoped to be able to try and get closer to my sister by learning the same style as her, but if you feel that I would be wasting my time then I will respect your wisdom on the matter and try something else."

Izumi looks at her student. "Rejected him already? Cold. At least have the common courtesy to demonstrate why such a soft body couldn't learn Ishimaru style." She laughs at that, and Seiji rubs his leg in response. It's obvious that the heir needs no further demonstrations, and it's a wonder that he's able to walk. Likely a result of his hardheaded nature as Izumi would have severely damaged the heir if she "trained" Seiji as she had "trained" Izumo.

Without further ado Seiji turns his attention away from Izumi and back to Izumo. "You mentioned another teacher; Vivienne was it? Do you think she would be willing to teach me?"

[Princess Tracy]

"Hakurei...?" Anoko mutters to herself as she turns the key over in her hand. This was an old sword, perhaps that was its name. She clutches the handle of her blade a little tighter than usual, suddenly thinking of it as her father's sword.

Anoko is quite lost in her own thoughts and barely notices a quickly drenching Kiri approach until she looks around in vague wondering of where he was holed up. Of course that building, there's only so many places he could be. Seeing him better, she gives a quiet little nod in greeting from under her umbrella. Between that and what looked like army boots, she was quite water proofed for now. However, even in her little morning daze Anoko has maai, her stride and stance restricting an easy approach; one would not hog her umbrella space casually, it would take a rather courageous swordsman to step into her reach!

Of course if he approaches, she eventually notices he's wearing a school uniform and snaps out of it long enough to comment. "Hello Kiri-kun. Are you coming to school with us today then? I was gonna go meet up with people before we head out I guess." She's obviously got her mind on other things, but hey, maybe she could use a distraction.

She heads over to izumo's at a calm pace unless stopped, Kiri welcome to come with. If the beat up Seiji is still there when she arrives then she naturally snaps to attention with a look that demands to know what the hell happened before she can even get a greeting out.

[Bad Situation]

Kiri's face brightens up at the sight of Anoko and he quickly covers the distance between the two, his grin as wide and beaming as ever. Though thoroughly drenched from head to toe, Kiri hardly seems to notice the rapidly accumulating water, even as he threatens to drip onto the swordswoman herself. He doesn't invite himself under the umbrella either but gets close enough to cross into her space, seemingly ignorant or completely indifferent to Anoko's raised guard. "Ah! Anoko-dono, your radiance befits you this fine morning!" When he catches sight of the sword however the interest on his face takes on a decidedly more excited gleam.

"Ah, but I cannot help but notice the blade your carry at your side, Anoko-dono. Does it have it a name? As a man, I should like to know the name of the blade that has so long served as your side." He follows her halfway back to the compound but excuses himself when he remembers his errand. "Though it pains me to leave your side, I believe this invitation must wait for another day. I will see you in school however, Anoko-dono." He gives her a gentle smile and leaves, eagerly waving as he leaves the gate behind him. "And perhaps when it is permissible, you will allow me the honor of a friendly spar? As a main branch Iga nin such as yourself you will no doubt find me lacking but perhaps it will be educational for the both of us?"

He ends his flowery speech with an almost childish, "Bye bye~!"

[Princess Tracy]

Anoko's maai with her sword sheathed and without fighting intent doesn't register as much of a baying aura of threat to a trained ninja, though a swordsman like Kiri should recognise the practice in her stride all the same. "Er, thanks," Anoko says, a little less flustered than yesterday but still no better than taking compliments of that sort. "I don't feel very radiant though." She looks up. "In fact... things are kind of dull this morning. I guess you're right about it suiting me though. But I guess it's usually sunny this time of year, so maybe you'll find me more myself tomorrow." She looks back to him and notices how foolishly wet he's getting, and extends umbrella a little to give him some cover from the weather, getting her opposing arm somewhat exposed in the process.

When he asks about the sword, she looks down to it, resting her hand on it like a real samurai with a trusted blade. "This beat up old thing... I don't know. My dad left me it," she says simply. "Who knows for sure if it even has a name..." And like that she's lost in her thoughts again until Kiri's next interruption. "Huh? Where are you going then?" Anoko asks as he makes to excuse himself, finding herself a bit turned around all of a sudden. She musters a bit of her usual cocky smile when challenged to a spar though. "I guess so. My sensei's kind of given up on me for now so I could use the practice. There's a kendo club at school I'm checking out if you want to come with. I'm an iaido specialist, kind of."