Raiha

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Gen was notified of the time and place they would depart from Osaka airport and promised to arrive at the gate on time. Then, without further ado, he vanished to places unknown. Terran and Sayuri Okimura likewise vanished. Only they were both driven to a mall and dropped off discreetly at a side entrance. Their purses were filled with the only items necessary for carry-on. Their guns and clothing had already been taken to the airport. Both of them entered the huge shopping center and began the customary stress relieving "fun" both refered to as window shopping. They women had more than enough money to spend as they wished, but remained under a certain degree of control. Sayuri found a pair of silver earrings and Terran found a new pair of shoes. Both were purchased and delivered to their apartments with expedience. The two women moved with an unnatural grace, yet blended blissfully with the streaming crowds. Their suits and hairstyles betrayed a hint of exotic buisness, but did nothing more than raise a few eyebrows. Terran and Sayuri conversed in swift quiet Korean all the while.[/i] "And our mission?" "Watch the shipment, stay out of trouble, kill off a few bastards." "Sounds like a nice relaxing trip to Africa." "Exactly."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue]"Foolish spawn of the Helldark." [i]Mechery, goddess of both Nature and All Things Magical, was irked. She could see Ochkik Haddah laughing over his small victory in the Monestary of the Faceless God..... ....and she was annoyed. From the black stone hovering over her throne, she could see whatever she wished, and Ochkik Haddah was now visible. She peered over his shoulder, then broke the connection with a wave of her fingers. Certainly the Faceless God spoke in mysterious ways and didn't always give a blatant sign, but he didn't willingly abbandon his followers. ....nor did he give them blessings and succors without great reason. The dark god playing with them was hardly justifying any movement on his part. Mechery twisted one of her own web strands in annoyance and laughed at the results. The thunderstorm cleared and the lines on the page solidified and glowed ever so slightly. The monk saw and crossed himself, thanking the wrong god. Mechery sat back, satisfied.[/i] "Take that." [i]The darkness pulsing from Ochkik Haddah wanned ever so slightly. He twitched his mane in annoyance and looked over his shoulder into the black stone seemingly floating in space. He brushed a claw over it and it revealed that which he desired. Mechery looked into the stone just in time to come face to face with Ochkik Haddah. He growled at her and she flashed him a very indecent sign. He laughed maniacally and broke the connection. Then, in his lair, he began weaving another string to add onto the strands in his control.[/i][/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]About the same time Reuben was attacked, Satell's eyes dialated and contracted visibly. She screamed like a banshee before dropping to her knees, clutching her head. Tex and Allen caught her and tilted her head back to look at them. Blood was slowly dripping from her eyes, like tears. It covered her face, sliding down onto her chin and neck. Allen hauled her to her feet, and then realized that she was sobbing. Whether it was pain or fear, he couldnt' tell. Her eyes were closed. Upon closer inspection, Tex saw her lips moving, coated with blood as they were.[/i] ".....let us go in peace....please. Please don't kill them." [i]Her sorrow, her pleading, nobody could hear. They could only guess by lipreading that she was begging for life. Begging, pleading, for something to remain unharmed. Allen shouted at her, but she flinched away and sank back to her knees. Then she began to moan softly to herself and rock back and forth. Tex made the sign of the cross over Satell, and she responded with more tears.[/i][/COLOR]

[color=royalblue]I saw you today, With your new old girl, And I was so mad, I didn't know if I should scream. Fucking cry maybe, Cause it's what I'm feeling, Along with alot of violence, That could be just me. Hate you so bad, That much is true, But in reality, I think I pity you more. What you've done, Is just all bad, The way you flaunt it, Or maybe it's just my own frustration. You've torn me up, All over again, Like when you cut me off completely, It was like losing a limb. Done with you, I won't call or cry, Much less wonder why, You do what you do. Today I felt sadness, Today I felt rage, Tomorrow I'll be stronger, Tomorrow I'll be better.[/color]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Satell gave the entire room one more scan, then shivered. The entire place reeked of anger, fear, a desire to destroy. And the laughter in her ears.... ....it wasn't human. Allen walked over and felt her chest. She looked at him slowly, her eyes half closed.[/i] "......it's angry we're here..... .....but it's more excited at the thought of killing us." "What are you-?" ".....we should kill ourselves now and save it the trouble." [i]Her voice was souless, empty, as if she wasn't speaking. And it was making her angry. ......she knew who was talking, and she wanted to have her own voice back. "........I am in your mind, you are my voice, now speak as I tell you." "This is my body, this is my voice, I speak with my own thoughts." Allen shook her when she didn't respond to his question, and she snapped out of it.[/i] "We should go now."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Zharra was buzzing happily through their data banks when she heard Matt's voice conversing quietly with Liam's. She turned up the volume ever so slightly and heard a few words about a, "Cover up." and also maybe, "Drugs left behind on purpose." There was a great deal of inane babble after that, so she quietly flicked it off with her right index and continued typing. The programs were called up one by one and she quietly scanned each. Then, with expert skill she took out a laser disk and flicked it into the disc drive. Vtttt-WHrrrrrrrrrr. She smiled thinly and began compressing and downloading the more exciting files onto her disk. Callum sauntered in over her shoulder and looked down.[/i] "Having fun?" "Loads of it. Why do you ask?" "Cause Matt was talking to me about looking for a reason all those drugs were left behind......and said I should try hacking into one of their computers, when I heard you talking to yourself and came over to see what you'd dug up," "Well it's boring so far, except for a few games and songs I've been looking for...." [i]He eyed the files she was downloading and chuckled.[/i] "Anything else?" "Porn. Lots of that."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Sayuri was sitting at the bar, having showered and changed from her first suit into another. Her hair had been brushed through with camellia oil and just a little wax here and there, and tied back up into a simple french twist. Gen found her and stood quite still until she turned around slowly and gave him a glance.[/i] "Would you like some tea?" "....no thanks. You've been asked to go upstairs." "....I expected that." [i]She smiled thinly and stood. He noticed that she was wearing a different pair of shoes, this time functional boots. She walked upstairs with a cool grace that he had noticed before, which was made even more noticeable by her smooth gait. The guards opened the door for her and she entered. Her uncle was at his desk, like usual, this time with a four of the black diamonds on his desk. She smiled and folded her hands behind her back.[/i] "You're going to follow the shipment. I have a feeling the Mafia does not want us to recieve these." "Of course not Uncle. Who would?" ".....you'll go with Gen and one other woman, take your pick." "I'll take Terran with me. We already have a little love triangle growing between us." [i]Her uncle smiled slightly. The same smile Sayuri had worn for years.[/i] "I take it your talk went well then?" "Very well." "Good. Go now." "Yes uncle." [i]She bowed. He touched his hand to her chin and she looked up. He met her gaze and kept it.[/i] "Do not fail.[/COLOR]

[color=royalblue]So, Where were we? Ah yes I remember, You wanted something. Deal, Cause I'm not like the girls, That are so easily seduced, By your empty words. With, Your insults in my ears, I feel no love, For what you could offer me. It, Is never good enough for you, The things I agreed to, And tried out. Cause, I'm never pretty enough, Nor cute enough, And certainly not your type. I, Never want to hear you, Tell me you love me, Casue I know it isn't true. Don't, Even think about, Lying to me again, Because I won't listen. Care, Hah like you really do, You say you need love, Too bad I'm not offering. Not now, not later, not ever.[/color]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She raised her hand up to turn out the lights, when a swift vision flashed through her brain. The pounding in her ears was deafening, but she could barely breathe. The dogs were surrounding her, Scendelon was down, struggling, but still down. She couldn't see Brant, blood was pouring in her eyes, clouding her vision, she knew she wasn't screaming. Her throat was constricted, she couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe, and finally she gasped out the words.[/i] "Chi-Rho, aid me now!" [i]The vision faded instantly and she was left shaken and panting.[/i] "Damnit...."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She sighed and slid on the pressureized suits. Satell had never cared for them, they were annoying to say the least..... ...and restricted her movement, of which she liked to have alot of. She as about to zip it up when Allen leaned over and pulled away her shirt. The faint cross showed up brilliant red.[/i] "....best way to go." "Yeah, its more my style." [i]She grinned partway and walked towards the closed doors.[/i] "Let's kick some ass."[/COLOR]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i] [B][size=1] Sure it?s nice to catch him but why did we lose our troops going after him in the first place? [/B][/QUOTE] [COLOR=royalblue]Well...you see my dear cloricus, we call it war. People get shot when there's poor organization and bad judgement calls, and pathetic/non existant strong leadership. We lost troops because Iraqi soldiers were like...shooting at us? Oh yes, and to all those statements about Saddam being tried in an International Tribune, I seriously doubt the U.S. will let him. If we give him a chance to talk, he just might bring up International Law, which could result in him justifying this. We discussed the matter in class, and although I can't remember the finer details, I'm pretty sure the U.S. violated some minor part of International Law, and if Saddamn is allowed to bring these points to light, we just might have a Media war/outcry on our hands. Personally, I think the U.S. government is not THAT stupid.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue]"Snap your fucking trap shut or I'll clsoe it permanantly." [i]Satell was standing still in the hall, looking straight into his eyes. He stared back, and was about to open her mouth when she made the sign of the cross and shouted a couplet into his face.[/i] "Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come." [i]Sam whimpered and hid his face. ......the power eminating from her direction seemed to press him down, backwards, into further darkness.[/i] "........Amen." [i]Tex was waiting for her by the airlock, and when Satell walked up, she shifted uncomfortably.[/i] "Sorry if that frightened you....I had to say something."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Satell turned her head and smiled thinly.[/i] "We're going to board her. Let's go." "How do you..... Oh. Right." [i]Satell walked out and Tex followed close behind. She returned to the room she shared with Allen and retrieved her own crucifix. She was about to put it on, when she remembered something she had read. Instead of wearing it, she handed it to Tex and drew her knife. With a steady hand she opened her shirt and then etched a thin cross over her chest. The blood welled up, then stopped again. She sheathed the blade and put it onto her thigh sheath.[/i] "Better this way." ".....I'll just, wear the crucifix if you don't mind." [i]Satell turned and put on her over shirt, then smiled and headed out.[/i][/COLOR]

[color=royalblue]The sun was still up, The afternoon had barely started, But still she climbed into bed, And pulled up the covers. Sheet and comforter and quilt, Turning head to one side, Between two big pillows, And resting in the ecstasy. The surroundings fade, Ever so slowly, And she is suspended, Between earth and sky.[/color]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]It was not open yet, but the bouncers standing at the door unlocked it for her as soon as the car pulled up. She smiled as they bowed to her. Gen followed quietly and the two entered the empty club. The lights were off, the music was non existant, and the smell of alcohol wasn't even around. Gen inhaled once more, and this time he caught a very familiar scent. Terran was here, or had been here. Sayuri smiled and looked up at the stairs.[/i] "Go ahead." "You're not coming?" "I have to check on my girls." "........right...." [i]He walked up the stairs alone, and Sayuri headed for the back.[/i][/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]He stood as well and she smiled ever so slightly. She retrived her hair clip and cleaned off the blood with some fresh tea. He watched in amazement as the barbs slowly retracted. As soon as they did, she pulled her hair back and slid it into her locks once more. He blinked. A deadly weapon.[/i] "What do you think?" "....I think you're insane. If that gets wet, it'll dig into your scalp." [i]She grinned at him and shrugged.[/i] "It could be worse. ....and it was a gift." "From your dear uncle." "No. From a prostitute that adopted me as her little sister." [i]She smiled ever so slightly and turned to walk out the door. She adjusted her blazer and kicked the doors open. The driver was waiting as she had instructed him.[/i] "Shall we?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She grinned partway, then stood and walked over to the table. He tilted his head to one side, then she sat down gracefully and beckoned him over. He sat. Sayuri looked over at the doors and then back at him. With her right hand she took the phone off the hook and placed her left on the desk. She drew a package from the drawer and set it down on the top. He looked at it quizzically, and she slid it over in his direction.[/i] "Open it." [i]He was about to, then thought better of it. He looked at her and she grinned.[/i] "It won't eat you." [i]He shrugged and opened it with the blade of his kodachi. The plastic box didn't move, or squeak, so he opened the box. He looked inside, then placed the lid back on top quickly.[/i] "Raw opium." "Couldn't be anything else." [i]She had a smile on her face, one he couldn't even read. It could've meant any number of things, but he didn't bother.[/i] "It's the shipment headed in our direction. Look in the box again." [i]He reached in this time and felt something hard at the bottom. Gen took it out, and examined it. ....a bullet of some sort. .....no, not a bullet. Couldn't be. It was black, hexagonal, like a jewel. Sayuri smiled egnimatically.[/i] "We'll be getting a few of those in the mail soon."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue]"My family had no money, they sold me, and gained some." [i]She sighed and closed her eyes, then opened them again.[/i] "I was put into a brothel, and waited patiently for something better." "How old were you?" "Six." [i]She bit her lower lip uncertainly, then steeled herself and spoke once more.[/i] "It was two years later that I was finally rewarded for waiting. A man came to me, and bought my contract. He took he home, adopted me as his niece, and killed my parents. .....he gave me my name, my life, and my sword. And now I'm here." [i]The Yakuza goddess, unmasked for the first time in years, looked down at him, a half smile on her face.[/i] "So you see. .....I'm not as heartless as you would think." [i]Okimura, Sayuri, Lidan. Her names. Three names, all not even her own. She couldn't even remember her first name. Not like her parents cared...... ....naturally, she did not either. But she couldn't help but wonder if there was a real name for her out there..... She sighed and looked back down at Gen.[/i][/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She smiled ever so sweetly and looked straight out over the room. He sighed and closed his eyes once more, this time from something she had injected him with. He wasn't so upset at the momment. She was warm and soft, and dressed once more. He couldn't understand her. They were so different, she and him. She was full of life and hope, despite the sadness she carried around. And he was torn between hatred and mealoncholy. ...and maybe even a little wistfulness. She sighed once, and he opened his eyes.[/i] "Yes?" "Nothing..." "You sighed. Are you sad?" "Sighs often go unnoticed by the sigher." [i]She looked up to prevent her own tears from falling down on his face. But, as she had expected, it didn't work. Saline, pouring from her now hazel eyes, down on his own face. He looked at her, and she closed her eyes, the lashes coated with water.[/i][/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]He gasped for air and Sayuri smiled. He had cleaned up pretty well, and for lack of something soemthing, she had his head resting in her lap. Looked like he was finally coming around. It had only been hours. She had patched up his wounds, applied ice, and then heat to the back of his head, and then caught some sleep while he rested on her lap. There were tears on his face and she frowed slightly. With her fingertips, she gently brushed them away. It was then that he woke up. To feel her hand touching his face in a way he could barely recognize.[/i] "Sorry about your part..." [i]She leaned over and smiled at him. He stirred, only to find that his entire body was a mass of pain. Gen opened his mouth, but the words weren't coming out. Finally, his tongue worked again and he was able to speak.[/i] "Why did you save me? ....I could've died." "My employer would've killed me." [i]She laughed softly and brushed his hair from his temples.[/i] "That and I don't like to see people suffer continually. Except...for maybe the people that I'm supposed to kill. People that deserve it. You don't seem to." ".....I was almost there." "Do you want me to simply finish the job? Because I can. ..... ....." [i]He simply looked up at her, hot shameful tears welling up in his eyes.[/i] "But I won't, because I want you to live."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue]"I don't think that was me talking." "What are you saying....?" "I said a couplet from a roman chant, I can't remember how I got here, and I can't remember knocking Sam out...... ....it's like I've got split personalities." "At least you don't hate eachother." [i]Satell smiled softly and even chuckled a little. Tex held her hands in hers and squeezed them reassuringly.[/i] "You're the only one not losing it on this ship Satell. It's like you are the ship. Taking care of us." ".....doing a bang up job." "No, you're not omnipotent. ...but you were able to stop Sam from raping me, and calm everyone at once....." "I don't even remember that." "But you still did it."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]The smile on her face changed ever so slightly. It was subtle, but it was there. She was making a transition from Noh to cool-eyed. The look that she never had a chance to wear around anyone. Except for perhaps herself. She shook her head, hair and blood flying away from her face. She flexed her stomach carefully. It didn't hurt enough, and it was too shallow to bleed long enough.....to take her life away. Gen looked souless. And that was what had to go. He had shut off the pain and the anger, the logic.... She ducked his singing blade and let the second one clip her ear. She slid under his knees and bit his thigh as she passed, ripping away cloth and flesh at the same time. ......the instinct, and the fear. That was bad. But he had his flaws, and she was about to capitalize on them. He turned to look at her, and she charged him full on. The hand holding the bloodsword went for his left hand, and the other went for his right. She knocked against him, a full body slam. The breath was driven out of both of them as they fell through space and hit the ground. His head cracked against the concrete, and she heard him gasp with both pain and shock. [/i][/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She didn't raise an eyebrow, instead she let her blade hold itself in a simple lazy stance.... ....this was strangely remeniscent of before. When she fought her uncle when she was little. And just learning how to raise a blade. .....time to call back the nostalgia. If she remembered correctly, and she did, he was going to wait for her to make a mistake of some sort in her defense, or offense, or any technical fault.[/i] "Hai." [i]He stared at her, and she matched his gaze, then she closed her eyes and opened them again. In the space of the one second they were shut, they shifted from the light brown to the glowing yellow. It was at this point that the lights in the storehouse dimmed dramatically. And she took the oppertunity to attack. He responded automatically, knocking her swing away. She repositioned and went in one more time. Their swords met once more, and this time, she let their blades grind once, before stepping back. He was still standing, completely devoid of any spark of life....and she kept her Noh face steady. In all reality, she was having some semblance of what could be considered "fun." She raised her left hand back, and slid out the comb. The camellia oil in her hair let it slip easily, the wax gave it a dull sheen. He didn't move, and she shook her hair free. Then, just like a pro, she threw it up into the air and whacked it at him with the flat of her blade. It spun twice, still heading forwards, before the teeth lodged deep into his stomach. The silver prongs sank in deep, and upon touching the plasma and water in his body, activated. They curved into little barbs and settled in.[/i][/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She gave him a cool eyed stare, then tilted her head to one side. Her neck cracked and he almost jumped. In that instant, she attacked once more. This time she came at him with her blade held almost horizontally. He swung and blocked. Their blades ground against one another, and she slid hers up against his on purpose. The sparks created flew around the both of thim, yet neither flinched. Finally, she caught his blade on the barbs half way up the longblade and twisted. The barbs turned and yanked one of his kodachi free. She turned both her body and the blade. The kodachi was whipped over her head, glanced against the ground, then it slithered across the concrete floor. He almost cursed, but caught himself. She turned back just in time to block another blow. Gen repositioned and brought his blade around, in an attempt to catch her off guard. She bent over backwards until her head was nearly touching the backs of her knees. His blade passed harmlessly over her torso and she completed her motion in a slow moving backflip. She landed and dropped into her stance once more.[/i][/COLOR]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Satell was about to say something mre when she felt something burn inside of her. Rage, frustration, fear, agony.....emotions flooding through her at a furious pace. Tex took a step back from her. Her body was contorting ever so slightly, and she could feel something begin to seep into her mind. With a violent slam of her hand into the table, she screamed aloud, then spoke in a almost un-controlled voice....one that didn't even sound like hers.[/i] "By Him all things are created, and the fullness of the Godhead is in him. CHI-RHO!" [i]Tex shrank back once more, but then stopped short. Satell wasn't contorting anymore....nor did the expression on her face look so tortured. Instead she stood up straight and breathed deeply. The words she had spoken were like a benediction. They were a benediction. An overwhelming peace enveloped both Satell and Tex, and [b]spread through the ship like shockwaves.[/b][/i][/COLOR]