RPG Bullets and Drugs: Volatile Mix [Language, sex references]

[Baron Samedi]

The trio were silent on the return trip to the Manor. As the ute turned into the massive driveway, Petir sighed. The adrenaline rush was wearing off... he wished the fighting had lasted longer. There was always a massive rush involved when you did an Op.

Before he headed upstairs to speak to Merzeskey, Ottowelm and Merconi, Petir headed downstairs into the cellar. He threw the security tapes from the Police Station into the mini-incinerator there. Heading to his suite, he changed clothes, and headed upstairs. Jedgar and Rebecca were already there, changed into new clothes.

The team delivered their mission report, each telling about their own part in the mission. Rebecca handed the tape over to the Don's, and they were allowed to retire for the night.

Jedgar headed over to the American's wing, but Rebecca and Petir had to walk down the main corridor before the branching of the Russian and Sicilian wings.

"Want to see what the Russian wing looks like?" Petir asked Rebecca suggestively.

"No, I've never before been interested in it" she replied coolly

"How about now then?"

"I don't think so... good night" She waved a goodbye over her shoulder and headed down towards her rooms.

Petir stepped into his room, biting his knuckle. Damn this woman was tough.

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=999999][i]Terran layed on the ground of the park, blood seeped through her torn shoulder. She tried to stand, but the wounded shoulder restrained her from doing so. She then pushed herself up with her free arm. It hurt her to do so.

She now stood and she was looking at her fans. One lay in front, broken, and the other a few feet from her. She walked a little ways, but feeling a bit out of place, she reached down and grabbed the fan. She then walked to her jacket. She grabbed it and walked out of the park.

Terran looked at the street and saw a taxi approaching. She held out her hand and it came to her. She opened the door and entered. She closed the door as she was fully in the car and told the driver of the place she wanted to be.

She hid her weapons from sight and looked out the window. She felt the eyes of the driver drifting for the road to her at times. She sighed and looked out the window. It began to rain. She could not believe that someone who was being accepted into the Yakuza defeated a high ranking member.

The taxi stopped at a street light. The driver looked into the rear view mirror and spoke to her.[/i]

"What happened to that arm there, ma'am?" [i]The driver had asked concerningly.[/i]

"Some one tried to mug me in the park. They cut me." [i]She lied to him.[/i]

[i]With that, the driver stopped speaking and made a right turn. Soon, the taxi stopped at her apartment. Terran payed the man and opened the door. She stepped out and the rain fell upon her. The wound on her shoulder was still fresh and deep. As the raindrops entered the wound, it stung and sent chills down her arm.

Terran ignored the pain and walked up the stairs. Once she did, she walked to the elevator and pressed number 5. She sighed and held her head. The moving elevator caused her to be slightly nauseous. She stepped out as soon as it stopped. She walked to her room and entered. She threw her jacket, fans, and gun onto an armchair and walked to her bathroom, there she looked at herself and her wound....the first wound she had recieved in a long time since she joined the Yakuza.[/size][/color][/i]

[Kwai]

[size=1][color=olive][i]A slight shudder coursed through his body. This place. This setting. This was what he saw. And though he saw it, for the first time he saw the fearful face of uncertainty. Up until now, he had at least one full day before his visions were actually granted. But this one. Less than an hour, and it looked as if he would be fighting one of the best. But he didn't see anything in the vision except that they would fight. For once, he was forced to act on pure impulse and instinct rather than the planning he was used to doing.

"Draw..." he said simply.

"What?" laughed Sayuri.

"You are armed. You have asked if I defeated your right hand woman. That alone is enough to make me assume that your intentions are for battle." he said with conviction.

Sayuri was quick to perceive something else in what he said, and did not let the opportunity go.

"Oh... you saw us fighting in your visions then?" she asked, remembering the supposed prophetic sights of Gen.

"Yes." replied Gen honestly. "However... I know nothing else besides that we shall fight... the vision granted me no more than that..."

Sayuri laughed again, still sitting there on the ground.

"Good... that means we are even... this should be exciting then..."

With a little click, Gen drew his blades, and made ready...[/size][/color][/i]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]He waited patiently for her to move. The bloodsword was resting on the concrete, and she wasn't moving. The only real movement was her chest rising up and down.

He steeled himself, and she took that oppertunity to attack. In one smooth motion, she drew her blade up from the floor, whirled around to uncross her legs, and swished her sword into a traditional fighting stance. Her legs were slightly bent, but not parallel to the floor. Her torso was leaning forward and her sword was held up in her right fist, by her ear. He sniffed, and the blood dripped down. It's scent was both metallic and slightly sweet. From her palm he could see crimson flush against her pale skin.[/i]

"A bloodsword."

"....by agony, do we gain strength."

[i]She grinned and waited. And so did he. The two stared at eachother once more, only this time he did not make the mistake of making eye contact. Finally, a single drop of her blood hit the floor and she attacked.[/i][/COLOR]

[Kwai]

[size=1][color=olive][i]Gen came to one unanimous conclusion as he saw the Sayuri strike towards him. He lost already. He couldn't quite place his fingers on it, but based on experience, he knew that if one could not match the stare of his opponent, then one has none other path but that of defeat. That was the logic he held. However, like he said to Sayuri, logic was not a part of this fight for him. Now it was impulse, reflex, and instinct. Screw logic.

He met the attack with a direct blow to the blade, casting it aside, then immediately switched his hold on the kodachi to a sakate, and attempted to swipe at Sayuri's face. Sayuri arched her back slightly, missing the blade by a mere inch, then leapt back. First blows exchanged -- A tie. But it had only begun.

Gen sank down on the ground, his other kodachi held in a sakate position, the exact same stance he used on Terran, the same stance that gave him victory. Kodachi Futaeryu -- Totsu no Kamae. Sayuri merely smiled in return, holding her blade slightly horizontally, but more so diagonal with one hand, the tip pointing outwards slightly, the right leg stretched back. An interesting stance, something Gen didn't recognize. The tension culminated between the two figures, and Gen sprung forth towards Sayuri, performing the same attack in the same manner...[/size][/color][/i]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She looked up, her eyes flashing red and gold, then she rotated her wrist easily, her blade moving in a tight frontal spin. His kodachi glanced off it harmlessly and she used the momentum to leap back, and then forwards again, blade swinging in a tight circle around her body. He raised his right katana to block it, only to see her suddenly change in midswing and slice against his left side. She didn't cut him deep, but from the way she pulled the blade from him and spin away ....obviously denoted her lack of interest in killing him.

That and she was smiling ever so gently. He could almost hear her soft laughter at the restauraunt where she had so completely unnerved him. It had been drawn and he knew it.

Sayuri Okimura did a swift sutenu and landed in the side splits. He kicked out at her and she responded with what looked like a back scorpion kick. Instead of raising her sword, she planted both hands on the sides of her outstretched leg and slid her splits backwards. Her back leg then flicked up and out and knocked his own leg aside. Then, using the same motion, she rolled forwards and stood. She rose onto her toes, perfect relevé, and drew the sword across the length of her oustretched left arm and her bare chest.[/i][/COLOR]

[The Unholy Newt]

[size=1][color=darkblue]Dominic just grunted and sat down at the bar.

'Well aren't we sociable today?' Julia said.

Dominic ignored her and caught the attention of the barman.

'What'll be sir?'

'I don't care, just something strong.'

The barman went and poured a vodka and handed it to Dominic. Dominic downed it in one shot.

'Again.' He ordered.

Julia looked at Dominic with a raised eyebrow.

'What is this? You don't drink.'

'I had a bad night.'

'What happened.'

Dominic told Julia about the car bomb and how his men were killed in the explosion. Julia didn't comment she just took it all in.

'So in other words, I'm a very pissed off Italian and I feel like shooting someone.'

'Well I'm sure someone will oblige you.'

'Are you offering yourself?' Dominic asked with a raised eyebrow.

~TUN[/size][/color]

[Baron Samedi]

Petir woke up, to see Stefan standing over him, shaking him roughly.

"Get up you dopey dickhead"

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Get dressed and ready to leave, A-S-A-P. There's a problem."

Petir quickly cleared his mind of the dull fog of sleep. He sat up and glanced at his wrist-watch. 5:12am. Groaning he turned over, and promptly fell out of bed. Wrong side. Standing up, he kciked off the sheets, and grabbed his clothes. He headed into the ensuite and stood under the shower, for a whole two minutes. Hurriedly putting on his clothes, Petir grabbed his suitcase. No need to pack, he was always ready to leave. Leaving outside the doorway to his room, he hurried downstairs to the meeting room. The dons, and a few men were sitting around the central table. Petir immdeiatley tensed as he sensed the tension inside the room. Walking up to Merzeskey, Petir bowed low, and kissed the proffered hand.

"Sir... I take it there is trouble.. something relating to last night?"

"No, my son [È], however there is trouble of another kind. The Yakuza have sent for a shipment of cocaine, however our leaks inside their hierarchy have found that this is a subterfuge. Hidden inside the cocain crates is a vast shipment of weapons. A potential threat to our organisation is at hand. Together with Don's Merconi and Ottowelm" here he gestured to the two stolid looking men, "we have organised a group of our best operatives. Currently the shipment is crossing Africa via camel train. We don't know exactly where it is, but it is somewhere along the Nighandar trail. We need you to recover the shipment, and take it to the safest port...we have many operatives inside Dubliss so that'll be the place."

Petir frowned. "How long is that Nighandar trail?"

"About 900 kilometres long. We trust that the group of you will be able to find it along there?"

Turning around, Petir looked for the first time at the group of people sitting there as well... so, this was the group.

As they all nodded simultaneously, one person called out "Me for team leader" As a whole the group turned to look at ......


È- My son is not a literal term, merely a reference to the Mafia family ties.

[OOC: Ok. All the Mafia people- construct your posts to the departure aboard a plane, we will land in Johannesburg. From there the 'trail' heads north-east, up to the land-bridge between Africa and Asia. Across China, etc.

Yakuza operatives will find out about the leaks and send their own team to counter the Mafia. Neither team knows exactly where the shipment is.

Now go for it!]

[Kwai]

[size=1][color=olive][i]Gen took two quick steps back, opening the distance between him and Sayuri. Yup. Definitely much better than the one he fought in the park. He was wounded and he was yet to touch her. But. But she was still open. If she was in battle with no intention to kill the enemy, then she could not beat him. He hoped so, at least. Again, logic dictated that if one lacked the intention to kill, one would lose. But he discarded logic a while back for now. So screw that as well.

"Very... impressive..." he murmured, his kodachis now held in its normal position.

"Why thank you." she responded with a small laugh.

"But... it has merely begun... you broke my first form. Let us see how you fare against the rest..."

Gen crouched down for a moment, then lunged to the right, his left leg stretched diagonally in front, his right leg slightly bent. The stance was similar to the Totsu no Kamae, but vaguely different. Gen was holding the twin kodachis in sakate position again, but his arms were crossed in front of him, the blades pointing outwards, the tip pointing slightly behind him.

"Kodachi Futaeryu... Jyuuji Bou no Kamae..."

He made ready, his body relaxed but tense, waiting for Sayuri to make her move...[/size][/color][/i]

[Boba Fett]

[COLOR=green]Tired, sweaty and suffering from the mild depression that usually followed a high adrenaline operation, Jedgar retired to his room in the American wing of the Mafia building.

He closed the door to his small room, and collapsed onto the floor. He managed to get himself into a chair, after a minute of silent and painful struggling, before taking off his shirt. His left shoulder was covered in blood, and appeared to have been grazed by a bullet. Jedgar tossed his bloody shirt into the corner of the room, and then stood up.

Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, and attempting to avoid the searing pain that was enveloping his body, Jedgar began walking across the room towards his overnight bag. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. He was almost there. Left foot, right foot. He lifted his left foot, and then fell to the floor with a soft thud.

Reaching out with his right arm, he opened his bag and rummaged around in it for a few seconds before withdrawing a basic first aid kit. He placed the kit on the nearby single bed and, with great difficulty, managed to get himself onto the bed as well.

He slowly and deliberately opened the kit and began to treat his wound. Normally this wouldn?t have been a problem, but he appeared to have lost a fair amount of blood. Wincing as he applied the antiseptic to his shoulder, Jedgar bit his lip as his he stopped himself from crying out in agony. Then, as the pain subsided, he wrapped his shoulder in a waterproof bandage. It was done.

He stood, as the pain was slightly less now. Still concentrating, he walked into the bathroom and, shedding his remaining clothing, he stepped into the shower.

As he let the scalding water wash over him, he reviewed the mission. The second and third operations had gone off without a hitch. Rebecca had presumably dealt with the third subject, although it probably would have been good to verify the man?s death. He might trust Rebecca, but the American Mafia was predictably paranoid.

It was entirely his fault that he?d been shot. During the raid on the police station he?d cleared the rooms on the left side of the main hallway, killing all inside. In the third room, he?d come across several young teenage cadets. Foolishly, he?d decided to spare them, and just shot their instructor, who?d been reaching for his weapon. As Jedgar had turned to leave, one of the cadets had grabbed his teacher?s weapon and shot at Jedgar.

The cadet had broken the primary laws of gun fighting. Take your time, aim, and pull the trigger slowly. He?d been hasty and missed. Jedgar never missed, and shot the brave cadet right between the eyes. Jedgar always followed the rules.

After toweling off, Jedgar put on his silk pajamas and walked back to his bed.

There he collapsed into a deep sleep, too tired to do dream of anything?

*Just over twelve hours later*

[B]???[/B]: [I]Knocks on Jedgar?s door[/I] ?Jedgar? The Don wants to see you [I]now[/I].?

[I]Jedgar awakens suddenly and sits blot upright in bed. Stumbling out of bed, he quickly dresses. And opens the door[/I]

[B]Thug[/B]: ?The Don wants to see you, apparently there is something big going down in Africa.?

[B]Jedgar[/B]: ?Should I pack my things??

[B]Thug[/B]: ?I?d assume so, but hurry. The Don is most curious why you haven?t been seen since the last operation.?

[B]Jedgar[/B]: ?I see. Thanks for the message. I?ll be down shortly.?

[I]After losing the door, Jedgar gathers his few possessions into his overnight bag, and stows his Uzi and it?s extra clips in his coat. Then he walks out of his room, and down the hallway towards the American Don?s office.

The two guards outside the door recognize him, and open the door. Jedgar steps inside, to find he is alone with the Don.[/I]

[B]Don[/B]: ?Come in, come in. Sit down. Would you like anything to drink??

[B]Jedgar[/B]: ?No sir I don-?

[B]Don[/B]: ?Ah yes, that?s right. You don?t drink. Such a shame??

[B]Jedgar[/B]: ?Rumor has it that there?s a rather large problem in Africa.?

[B]Don[/B]: ?Yes, there?s a meeting that will address the subject starting in a minute. However, I want you to make sure that the interests of the American Mafia are served. No matter what the cost.?

[B]Jedgar[/B]: ?I will make sure of it.?

[I]Jedgar walked out of the Don?s office, and downstairs to the meeting room. Sure enough, the Russian Don and many other operatives were already seated. No sooner had he taken a seat than Petir entered the room.[/I]

[B]Petir[/B]: "Sir... I take it there is trouble.. something relating to last night?"

[B]Russian Don[/B]: "No, my son, however there is trouble of another kind. The Yakuza have sent for a shipment of cocaine, however our leaks inside their hierarchy have found that this is a subterfuge. Hidden inside the cocaine crates is a vast shipment of weapons. A potential threat to our organization is at hand. Together with Don's Merconi and Ottowelm" here he gestured to the two stolid looking men, "we have organized a group of our best operatives. Currently the shipment is crossing Africa via camel train. We don't know exactly where it is, but it is somewhere along the Nighandar trail. We need you to recover the shipment, and take it to the safest port...we have many operatives inside Dubliss so that'll be the place."

[I]Petir frowned.[/I] [B]Petir[/B]: "How long is that Nighandar trail?"

[B]Russian Don[/B]: "About 900 kilometers long. We trust that the group of you will be able to find it along there?"

[I]At this moment Petir turned around and noticed the rest of the group.

Then, from behind Jedgar, a firm voice spoke.[/I]

[B]???[/B]: ?Me for team leader?

[I]Jedgar turned to see who this person was?[/I]

[/COLOR]

[No]

[i][color=lightpink]Julia thought for a moment hearing what Dominic said and shook her head laughing a bit. "No I don't want you to shoot me. Or is that what you mean actually? I ment like someone else you can shoot. And you being pissed off isn't healthy one bit." She said while taking smll sips of wine she had, then downed the rest of it. " I think we are suppost to go somewhere..." she said a bit having this feeling that they all needed to go somewhere.

-----

OOC: I'm so lost....x.x [/color][/i]

[Raiha]

[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]

[Kwai]

[size=1][color=olive][i]One sword now. Kodachi's were only capable of an offense only if there were two. His actions were limited significantly unless he recovered the blade. Sayuri most likely knew this as well. For that reason, she stood before the blade, which he spied a few feet behind her on the concrete. Logic, though he was supposed to have ditched it by now, dictated that he get it. Impulse said he attack her or hold his ground.

But.

He just realized, too late in fact, that the opponent before him probably knew just about everything of a man's instinct, impulse, reflex... everything that is done by the man's bodily functions. He was fighting her game, on her stage, in the exact way she wanted. Obviously, that did not look good to him at all. So it would be a good idea for him to ditch instinct.

On the other hand, Logic. If he followed that, it meant that he was fighting a battle that he would lose, a battle that by his logic and experience already was settled. Then a different way. A different path, he must employ a method not through instincts or logic. To most, this path was non-existant. But to him, it was.

"Shikatanai.... (I have no choice....)" he muttered.

Sayuri's near permanent smile wavered for a moment, perceiving the change in Gen's visage. The glint in his eyes disappeared, his eyes slowly clouding up, fogging up, steadily changing into a nebulous mass of clouded black. For a moment, his body tensed up, then relaxed again, almost sagging down to the ground. Then he straightened up, this time matching Sayuri's stare equally. An incomprehensible confidence radiated from him, and Sayuri's advantage over Gen disappeared as his instincts and logic were cast deep behind his glassy eyes.

"Soro soro... hajimemashouka... (Let us... begin...)" he said, the voice calmer than usual.

The kodachi hung limply by his side, taking no stance. [/size][/color][/i]

[Raiha]

[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]

[Kwai]

[size=1][color=olive][i]Dull pain. His hand moved down quietly to the barb stuck within his stomach, and grasped it tightly. A little ripping sound was heard as he pulled out the barb, taking along with it parts of his flesh. The pain should have been excruciating. But it was dull to him. He casually threw the comb away behind him casually, as blood spurted out of his wound. His limp blades twitched for a moment, then he took one step towards Sayuri, his blade slowly rising, his stomach bleeding at a steady, constant pace.

He raised his free hand which was covered in crimson blood, then held it out horizontally in front of him, the palm open, pointing towards Sayuri. He held the blade horizontally right under his palm, walking towards Sayuri. She made ready, but he simply walked, keeping his position. Five feet away from her, he stopped.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, something dark and enveloping lunged out from the tip of Gen's blade, spattering over to Sayuri's face, causing her to close her eyes. Gen had slit his palm by a narrow margin, drawing enough blood from the one originally on his hand and from the freshly exposed blood, and in effect, blinded Sayuri by his own flesh and blood. And that was all he needed.

Taking advantage of the moment, he flew past her, slashing her stomach as he passed, and dove for his other kodachi on the ground. By the time Sayuri opened her eyes, he was a behind her, the two Kodachi's back in his control, and with a wound on Sayuri's stomach. He looked back at Sayuri, the glassy eyes fixing onto her blood spattered face.

"Youyaku... omoshirokunatta... (Finally... It's getting fun...)"[/size][/color][/i]

[Raiha]

[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]

[Kwai]

[size=1][color=olive][i]A peculiar darkness enveloped the conscious mind. Definitely not the storehouse. Where was he? The darkness was oddly familiar, unknown to him but vaguely comforting. He thought he laughed softly, but he didn't hear anything. The scene slowly dimmed into a faint, glowing light, showing the storehouse where he was fighting. He saw himself on the ground, the two blades likewise fallen alongside him, religiously following their owner to the end. His eyes were closed, a wound on his stomach, one hand bleeding freely, the red puddle beneath him steadily expanding.

I lost....

So he was floating in a dream. A dream similar to what he saw before he came here, except he saw himself as he was now. But he didn't see Sayuri anywhere in his vision. He smiled softly.

If this is dying... it isn't bad... Actually... it feels much better than my life...

He smiled and waited patiently, perhaps until the darkness overcame him again, but he didn't know what exactly he was waiting for. All he knew was that he was waiting for death. He didn't know what it was, but they called it 'death'. Coming to take him away. The lights slowly dimmed again, and Gen sighed. Finally, it would be over. The damned life would pass away, and he would remember nothing.

But the light slowly regained strength, illuminating the scene again. Surprised, Gen saw the scene, but this time it was different. He was there on the ground, same as before, but not dead. Next to his body there was Sayuri, patching up his bleeding hand, working quickly and efficiently.

Why? Why won't she let me go?

Gen watched intently, half-hating the figure now working to heal him. He wanted it to end. But she held him back. He had no desire to stay in this world, but she held him back. He watched her hands with dislike, watched her carefully and gently wipe the blood off in a way as to not disturb the wound, and applying medicine to the wounds, and finally covering them with bandage. And as he watched, he remembered a word that everyone knew of, a word that everyone had, the one thing that was critical to the stability of all, but the one thing that he never had.

Mother...

That was what she reminded him of now. The gentle diligent fashion in which she was working reminded him of that. He never had one. When he found himself, he was among other kids, crammed in God knows where, brutally mistreated by the care takers who cut every corner in the budget. Mother was something he didn't know or feel of. But strangely enough, the vision recalled that word back into his mind.

A single drop fell from his face, and it fell into the dark of the dream. [/size][/color]

[/i]

[Raiha]

[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]

[Kwai]

[size=1][color=olive][i]Gen looked up at the ceiling, the pain racing through him constantly reminding him of one thing. He was alive. Fortunate or unfortunate, his soul was back to inhabiting his body, the conscious mind bound to the world that he so much hated. He hated and loved the figure above him for bringing him back. Hated her because she denied him death. Loved her because she reminded him of mother.

".....you speak of irony..."

Sayuri stayed silent, quiet and still.

"You said... you don't like to see people suffer continually..." he said quietly. "But what if... the life itself was torture to them? Would you let them live...?"

Sayuri opened her mouth, quite different from when she was in battle.

"Yes... I would let you live. Despite what you think, there is hope in this world."

She caressed his forehead lightly.

"You.. lived a different life from me. You did not walk the path I did... you do not know... what I saw..."

"True. But I walked a path of thorns nonetheless though it might have been very different from yours. But I did not give up on this world or my life yet."

Gen shuddered slightly.

"I see the future... many times I hoped to find myself dying in the visions... but... I never did... just now, I had slight hope but that was not to be as well..."

"Your future is not pre-ordained... you make the choices... you make the decisions... what you see will not necessarily be true."

"You say that because you do not possess the vision..."

Gen coughed slightly, indicating clearly that he wanted to talk no more of the topic. He stood firm on his ground and Sayuri stood firm on hers. Sayuri sighed slightly, absent-mindedly fiddling with Gen's hair.[/size][/color][/i]

[Raiha]

[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]

[Kwai]

[size=1][color=olive][i]Gen looked up curiously at Sayuri's face, trying to deduce what painful memories were recalled in that cryptic mind of hers. Many, to him, was an open book, but this one was a carefully locked diary, stowed away in the inner most recesses of the mind.

"You cry now."

Sayuri opened her eyes a bit, and more tears fell onto Gen's face.

"I cry for my memories. I cry because of memories..."

"You honor them and you blame them...? What past do you have?"

Sayuri did not say anything, the tears dropping steadily down.

"Let me guess....prostitution?"

Sayuri again said nothing, but it was obvious the answer was 'yes'.

"I do not understand... care to exlain?"

[/size][/color][/i]

[Raiha]

[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]

[Kwai]

[color=olive][i]OOC: Come on people... post...

[size=1]Gen looked up, and stared into Sayuri's eyes. Her eyes were somewhat sadder now, and he realized that like him, her true self was hidden deep under the clouded eyes. For a second, he thought he saw the real Sayuri, but it quickly darted away behind the fogs, indistinguishable and incomprehensible once again.

"I see..."

With a sudden effort, Gen struggled up, ignoring the pain racing through his entire body. Exchanging the past was interesting and beneficial, especially because they were to work together, but above all, he had a job to do. The fact that he hated life did not matter anymore, the only thing that mattered to him now was completing the mission. Like Sayuri, he darted back behind his eyes.

"Let's get on with it... we have a job to do... I was only told to meet someone here... here I am..." [/size][/color][/i]

[Raiha]

[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]

[The Unholy Newt]

[size=1][color=darkblue]As if summoned by Julia's feeling of needing to be somewhere a mafia thug lightly touched the both of their shoulders.

'Are you the one I get to shoot?' Dominic inquired, half intoxicated.

The thug looked rather taken aback and unsure.

'Uh . . . no, sir. Don Merconi wants to see the two of you right away.'

'Then lead the way my good man.'

The thug lead them up to the room outside the Don's parlour where they were shown in. They entered to meet the Don. Dominic bowed and kissed his hand and Julia did the same.

'How may we serve you my Don?' Dominic asked.

'We have just been informed of a shipment of weaponry crossing Africa for the Yakuza.'

Dominic spat at the mention of Yakuza.

'You two and a group of Sicilian and Russian mafia operatives are to travel to Africa and intercept this shipment and ensure in does not reach Japanese hands. You leave on a plane to Johanessburg tomorrow morning, make yourselves ready.'

'As you command my Don.'

Dominic and Julia kissed the Don's hand and left the room.

~TUN[/size][/color]