RPG The Thousand Hells [M-SLV]

[Malkav]

Proem

"Mr. Kojiro, A Mr. Ebon is here to see you." came the voice from the teller's machine.

Yuri, who was facing the daylight from his office at the southern tip of the city, suddenly turned around and answered the call with a quick, "Let him in." No sooner than that was said, the door swung open and a fairly young man walked into the office, he wore an armani suit and held in his left arm a crystal tipped cane. His hair and eyes were jet black and his face was distinctly Japanese. As he sat down in the chair adjacent to Yuri, a small white cat jumped unto Yuri's lap and made itself to rest. Yuri looked down on the cat and then back to Mr. Ebon before gaining a presentable composure.

"Kojiro Yuri, its a pleasure to finally meet you. I have been interested in you for a very long time, now." said Ebon.

"I'm sorry if I reserve that feeling, but I do not know who you are." replied Yuri, in a very business like manner.

"Oh, but I'm sure you've heard of me, I am in fact very famous amongst [i]your[/i] circles. Perhaps-"

Before Ebon could finish, he was snatched from his chair and a fine blade was held to his neck. Yuri stood behind him, his eyes a bloody red. "You've chosen the wrong person to interest yourself in, comrade." said Yuri, as he slid the blade across Ebon's throat, only to notice that it left no mark.

"My, I'm sorry it had to come to this." said Ebon, he then too disappeared.

He attacked quickly from behind Yuri, only to be deflected by Yuri's blade. They looked at each other for a second and then inched slowly to the far end of the room, giving them more room to groove. Yuri sheathed his sword, moving slowly into an Iai Jutsu stance, whilst Ebon stood there, his weapon obviously his cane. Yuri stepped towards the door slightly as Ebon stood there watching him. The air-conditioning in the room suddenly came on, breezing cold air into Yuri's face as he continued inching.

"Running away are we?" asked Ebon, who had stayed in the same place this whole time, black eyes watching Yuri always.

Yuri said nothing, but instead bolted into a corner shadow created by the sun's angle to the door and disappeared. Ebon then too, sidestepped and fell into a shadow in the floor created by the chair he was just sitting in. Mere moments later, Yuri stumbled out of the shadow he had entered, finding himself sparring openly with Ebon now. Ebon's attacks came from all directions, leaving Yuri very little time to parry them. Ebon's skills, Yuri knew very early on, surpassed his very own and a notch began to grow in his heart.

"We could always stop this little duel, you won't win and I really don't want you to die...again." Ebon said, tucking his cane under his arm.

Yuri weighed the options presented to him, and reluctantly, he sheathed his sword, "What do you want then?"

"Excellent. I am under the understanding that you are a halfling. Part Kin, part Cathayan. Am I correct so far?"

"Yes..."

"And you, with help from a small band of others, dwelved into the Hell of the Eternal Ring and challenged the Yama King Berva?"

"Yes, but-"

"And upon accepting your challenge, the Yama King put his own existence on the line, saying he'd give you his hell if you defeated him?"

'Yes, but-"

"And you, upon defeating him, chose not to accept his offer, but to remove his head, stake it, and then seal his hell off?"

"..."

"I see. These were the facts that were presented to me. Now, let me here the story from you."

Yuri stared at Ebon for a moment before returning to his seat. "May I ask why I'm being interrogated?"

"Because I want to know how a halfling defeated the first of the Wan Xian, and lived to tell about it. No other Yama King has before fallen to a mere Kuei-jin, especially not in his own territory." Ebon moved to sit down also.

Yuri took a long deep breath and lit a cigarette, not that it could do anything to him anymore, "After I died...I met four others on the scarlet road..."

Chapter 1

The Scarlet Road

Summary: In this chapter, there will be two doors presented, one, Innocent and Kakashi's character's will take. The other Myself and Neuvoxraiha's characters will take. The two groups haven't met yet and will not meet until later on in the story.

Posting order(from left to right): Neuvoxraiha, Malkav, Innocent, x Kakashi x

Notes: I know, this is a shitty chapter, but I want everyone to kinda show their reactions to being dead and they're resolve to go back to the real world. your post doesn't have to be insanely long, but decent. It doesnt necessarily have to be my exact words, be creative, its a start. So there we go, post and have fun for the first chapter.

[Raiha]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]Shang Guan Liang was dead. Her body had been cremated and her semi-caring parents had interred her ashes at Skylawn Memorial. Her physical body was long gone.

Deep in the darkness, Liang screamed, eyes screwed shut tightly in horror. She had come back to herself, only to find that she was dead and in hell. She flailed her arms to touch nothing, only the hard and cold ground. No people to comfort her, no demons to torment her, but even so....she was so alone. And it was so dark. She curled up into a fetal position. An instinct. Make a smaller target, hide, hide....hide.... Her breathing came almost uncomfortably fast, she was hyperventilating but she didn't care. She couldn't calm down. She was in hell. She was alone. She was alone.

Preoccupied with the sound of her pulse racing in her ears, she didn't hear the footsteps until a calm and quite voice, a man's voice, reached her.[/i]

"What's this?"

[i]Liang's eyes opened for the first time, only to find a tall man with a katana over his shoulder, looking down at her. She uncurled herself and rose to her knees. Instinctively she raised a hand to check her hair, normal. Her clothes? Gone. He took them off when he had raped her. She folded her hands over her chest and looked fixatedly at his feet.[/i]

"Liang."

"And how did you end up in hell? Naked little girl."

"....my boyfriend pushed me out of the window. I fell, then woke up here."

[i]He regarded her, stretching out a hand to raise her head up. She didn't flinch, but instead met his gaze. Golden brown eyes. After he had looked his fill, he let go of her chin and she stood, still covering her chest.[/i]

"Who are you?"

"Kojiro."

[i]She shivered, feeling the chill from the floor on her bare feet. He made no move to cover her or offer her warmth. Liang reflected on who she had just met. He was easily a foot taller than her, probably weighed twice her weight, and could slice her in two. On the other hand, she had done nothing but ask his name. And she had answered his questions. Out of habit, she began biting on her lower lip, then stopped again. Liang looked around, seeing nothing but darkness. Darkness and Kojiro.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Malkav]

What an unfortunate way to die, he thought while holding the girl's head level with his. She looked young, something fresh out of highschool, but at the same time, her eyes held an aged glow to them. Cute. Yuri let go of her head and looked out into the darkness, it seemed as if he was left here with this naked little girl, and the only light within this hell shined down upon them. But this couldn't have been the hell? Yuri remembered hearing stories when he was a kid about what hell would be like, fire and brimstone, but this was just darkness, utter darkness...

He walked off from the girl for a little ways, and further into the darkness. The light shining upon her eventually disappeared and he found himself alone once more. He continued to walk forward, and a light began to shine in front of him. He walked towards it still, and found that sitting within the center of the light was her again...

"Liang..." he said disappointedly, she looked at him as if waiting for him to say something more. "It appears we're trapped here."

Her eyes widened some and she looked around into the darkness surrounding them, she then slumped to the ground and tucked her knees under her chin. Yuri mused to himself quietly, [i]So this is hell? to spend all eternity in the darkness with a naked sexually abused girl barely out of diapers? God must really hate me...[/i] For hours they stood there, quietly observing each other and the darkness, until Yuri spotted a silky red thread running along into the darkness.

"I believe there's a way out of here." said Yuri, who's eyes traced the thread into the dark oblivion.

Liang looking puzzled tried to follow his gaze, but didn't see it, "Where?"

Yuri began walking off. Liang, fearful of being alone, hustled behind him. They walked for what seemed like hours until at the end of the thread, there seemed to be a door. Yuri hid the excitement he felt very well from Liang, who was still following him puzzled. Each step closer nearly stopped his heartbeat, he did not want to be here in this type of hell. Soon they were upon the door. The couldn't see through the light to the other side, but it was either that or this darkness, and Yuri never liked the dark very much.

"Shall we?" he asked Liang, who looked as if she took on the same weight that was in his heart. She nodded.

Side by side, they took the final step, and then there was light.

[Who Am I?]

[B]Jin was lying on the floor....dead. The woman ran away scared and Jin was dead. Nobody was there. It was about 2 o'clock in the morning and everyone was asleep. No one heard a gun shot, no police, no nothing and here in the middle of a dark alley was a 21-year-old man lying on the floor..dead. [/B]

He thought, [I]Am I dead? Am I dead? Am I dead? Am I dead? [/I]

[B]He thought this over and over again and then awoke. He shot straight up. He felt himself. [/B]

[I]Good I'm alive.[/I]

[B]Wrong. He was floating mid-air and below him was him. Dead on the floor.[/B]

[I]I must be dreaming...I must be dreaming...I must be dreaming...[/I]

[B]He stared at his dead body. Nobody was there. Soon there was a funny glow behind him. It was some sort of portal.[/B]

[I]What is that?[/I]

[B]Jin took a step and soon was sucked in. He woke up once more and found himself lying on the floor. It was pitch black and something gave him the chills.[/B]

[I]I am dreaming...I am dreaming...I am dreaming...[/I]

[B]He was alone. His dead body was alone. Nobody was here...[/B]

OOC: Tell me if I have to change anything. Ok? Next, x Kakashi x. ^ ^

[Kamuro]

Tsuke awoke abruptly and jumped to his feet panting heavily. He looked around expecting to see the alley, his pursuer, trash cans, anything related to home. He found nothing of the sort, in fact, he found nothing at all. He his body and the place where he'd been stabbed, no wound. His shirt was still covered in blood but there was no signs of ever even fighting the man in the allie, let alone being stabbed.

[I]Where am I? What a weird place?[/I]

He began to walk, not knowing the direction or where he was going, but he couldn't just sit there and wait. "Is anyone there?!" he shouted as he walked. No answer, not even an echo. The darkness was completely silent. He stopped walking and stood encased in the little light he had which made only him visible. As he was thinking he suddenly felt something. He looked around and saw another faded light.

[I]That wasn't there before.[/I]

He ran towards the pillar of light. It seemed he wasn't getting any closer until he was almost on top of it. There he saw a man. A young man but still older then himself. "Hey!" he shouted. The man turned around in shock and took a fighting stance "Who are you? What do you want?" he said. "Hey hey, settle down, the name's Tsuke, I'm not here to fight, who are you anyway? What are [I]you[/I] doing here?" The man resumed a regular stance and shrugged his shoulders "My names Jin, and I'm not really sure why I'm here either." There was an awkward silence until Tsuke saw a small red light resembling rope "Hey, whats that?" Jin spun around and looked "I'm not sure, I've never seen it before." They looked at each other and nodded in agreement and began walking towards the light.

When they finally reach the end of a long path lit by red they saw a door. Tsuke walked around it examining the area. "Well, looks like a normal door to me." Jin looked it over as well "Yeah, but it could be dangerous." Tsuke gave a nod "So lets go together, no sense staying here." Tsuke and Jin stood close and walked through the door together, overwhelmed by light.

[Malkav]

Chapter 2

Sho-ran Mountain

Characters: Jin Jung, Tsuki Shishomi

Summary: Jin and Tsuki find themselves at the base of a large mountain with the forgemaster Lau(for info on him, visit the underground thread). They ask him to forge them some weapons (i'm sorry jin, but you can't have guns, so if you'd pick another weapon, I'd appreciate it). After their weapons are forged, they find out they must journey up the snow topped mountain, get the ghost flame flower, and come back. Once they reach the top, they're attacked by the firebird Suzaku. After they defeat it, they get the flower, come back down, and the gate is opened for them to proceed to the next hell.

Posting Order: Innocent, x Kakashi x.

Notes: This is the first chapter where something actually happens, maybe you two should talk to each other using either the underground thread, IM, or PM to decide how your posts should be and to make sure both of you are happy with the chapter.The basic outline of the chapter is 1. get weapons 2. climb mountain 3.defeat suzaku 4.comeback and leave
Any questions, either post in the underground or PM me, thanks. You may post more than twice in an alternating fashion if you see fit.

[Who Am I?]

[B]OOC: Hey x kakashi x, I'm gonna post and you just go along with it. Unless you want to talk about it. But here's my post.[/B]

[B]IC:[/B]

Jin and Tsuke walked through the door and found themselves staring at an old man forging weapons.

[COLOR=Navy]"Hey look! Do you think we should get some weapons?" asked Tsuke.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]"I dunno. I don't got any money," Jin replied.[/COLOR]

[B]The old man chuckled, "Well you don't have to pay. I'll be happy to make you some weapons."[/B]

Jin and Tsuke looked at each other and nodded. Tsuke asked for a claw consisting three blades and Jin asked for a sword with carved, good luck letters. The old man told them it would take awhile so they took a rest.

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]"Well that's good....I mean that we don't have to pay or anything," Jin said.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy]"Well yeah, but I wish we could repay that old man," Tsuke said.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]"Yeah..We should help him."[/COLOR]

Tsuke nodded. He looked up and saw a huge mountain.

[COLOR=Navy]"Hey what's up there?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]"I dunno. You wanna go and check it out?"[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy]"Looks fun."[/COLOR]

Tsuke and Jin nodded in agreemant and decided to go after the man finishes making the swords.

[B]OOC: Next x kakashi x. ^ ^[/B]

[Kamuro]

[FONT=Garamond][COLOR=DarkRed]Tsuke fitted the claw over his hand "Wow, fits perfect." He looked over at Jin and watched him swing his sword "Yeah, mine too, good weight" he said. They both looked up at the mountain once again "It looks rough, you ready?" asked Jin. Tsuke gave a nod and they began to walk. Just before they reached the mountain path the old man who had forged their weapons stopped them "What are you doing?" he asked. The two men looked baffled and replied "We're going up the mountain." The old man shook his head "No, the Firebird rules over this mountain, even if you managed to reach the top, you'd never make it down alive, he doesn't take well to trespassers." Tsuke and Jin looked at each other "We can take care of ourselves." The old man frowned "Well if you must, theres something I'd like you to do for me, when you reach the top theres a flower in the Firebird's great chamber, the Ghost Flame Flower. I'd like you to retreive it for me." "Why not?" the men nodded in agreement. "We'll get it for you." The old man stepped aside and they began their journey.

Even at the base of the mountain snow covered the ground. The men walked a good pace as to not slow their blood down. The path was well marked and easy to follow so they had little problem making their way. Almost half way up the mountain they reached a bridge over a large crevice in the mountain. Halfway across the bridge Jin stopped "Someones coming." Tsuke looked around noticing 4 people coming from each side of the bridge. The men were masked with swords draped across there backs. "Looks like trouble."

The men reached Jin and Tsuke and stopped abruptly "Going to the top of the mountain?" Tsuke and Jin nodded. "For the Ghost Flame Flower no doubt, however, this goal shall not be achieved, the flower is our's." Tsuke spoke "And what makes it your's, is your name on it?" Jin sighed at this childish remark. The men laughed and their leader shouted "This!" and burst into a run towards Tsuke. Surprised he jumped back just in time, and the fight began. Jin ran to the opposite side of the bridge and confronted the four men there. One swung his sword to high, Jin ducked and easily sliced through his waist. He jumped to the side and lept forward at another masked enemy. The man's arm dropped to the ground after a quick downward slice. The two men left attacked Jin at the same time. He jumped over them and landed at their backs. He wrapped his arm around both their necks. In one quick slice both throats were slit and the bodies dropped to the ground.

On the other side of the bridge Tsuke jumped frantically as the men attacked. He dodged a slice to the right and jumped on the railing of the bridge. One man swung at his feet, Tsuke jumped and sliced down with his claw through the man's chest. He quickly spun and stabbed another in the stomach ripping up through the man's heart as he stepped back. Blood dripped from his claw as he stood infuriated. He burst into a run leaping behind one man and snapping his neck, then quickly to the leader. He put the claw to his neck and whispered in his hear "Your names not on the flower, is it?" He proceeded to thrust his claw into the leaders back and pull it out slowly throwing him to the ground.

Jin and Tsuke met once again in the middle of the bridge "Wow, these weapons are awesome, I've never fought like that before." Tsuke smiled. Jin nodded "Yeah, this sword is amazing, but we better get on our way, we don't wanna be hear all day." They soon continued on their journey to the top of the mountain, hoping for no more obstacles in their way.[/COLOR][/FONT]

OCC: Tried to put a little excitement into the journey up the mountain. Innocent can do one as well in her next post or we can just go to the top. Whichever she chooses.

[Who Am I?]

[B]OOC:[/B] Wow. That was exciting. Ok here it goes.

[B]IC:[/B]

[B]Jin and Tsuke left the battle leaving the men behind. They started up the mountain once more until a hour later they had more company.[/B]

[I]"Well, well what do we have here, men? A man with a wimpy sword and a another man with rusty claw hand...hehehe...boys, don't disappoint me," A large cloaked man with a dozen of men blocked their way.[/I]

[B]Tsuke and Jin got a bit ticked at what the man had said. They looked at each other.[/B]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]"I hope you are ready for another fight," Jin said.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy]"Of course I am," Tsuke smirked.[/COLOR]

[B]Jin and Tsuke raced towards the men and began to swing their weapons. Tsuke sliced an arm of a man and Jin sliced the stomach of another man. The men collapsed and more of them were coming.[/B]

[COLOR=Navy]"Ready?" Tsuke asked.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]"Any day."[/COLOR]

[B]They swung the weapons and cut the men. Four collapsed. The man in the cloak flinched and got angry.[/B]

[I]You fools, get them!! He shouted.[/I]

[B]Tsuke jumped over the men and slashed them in the backs. The men screamed in pain. Jin swung his sword and cut them in the leg. One man, that was on the floor, got up and with his last energy, swung his little dagger right at Jina and fell to the floor.[/B]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]"Aarrrghh..." Jin gasped in pain.[/COLOR]

[B]Jin got hit on the side of the stomach. He held his hand there and took his strong arm and tried to fight.[/B]

[COLOR=Navy]"You alright?" Tsuke asked getting his back.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]"I'll be fine," Jin replied grasping his side.[/COLOR]

[B]Jin was a bit tired and was afraid of collapsing on the floor because of the loss of blood. He stood by Tsuke's side and battled. Tsuke looked as if he wasn't breaking a sweat while Jin on the other hand, was. [/B]

[B]OOC:[/B] Ok I thought it wasn't that great but you, take it from here. ^ ^

[Kamuro]

[FONT=Garamond][COLOR=DarkRed]All that was left was the leader of the mysterious men. He charged at Tsuke knowing that if he was gone, Jin would be much easier to take down considering his wound. Tsuke jumped to the side and struck. The sword and claw clashed and grinded together shooting sparks in every direction. Both men jumped back and eyed their opponent. Tsuke huffed and puffed, he'd never battled like this before, but he must win. Tsuke ran towards the man and sliced downwards, he felt his claw rip through the cloak and assumed he had killed the man. However the man stepped to the side as Tsuke attacked and dodged the blow. He swung down at Tsuke and just barely scratched his face. Tsuke struck angerly at the man's chest. He fell to the ground grasping his wound. He began to speak as he coughed up blood "Y-You will never get the f-flower, Suzaku will c-crush you." With these last words his head fell to the ground and breath no longer left his mouth.

Tsuke rushed over to Jin "You alright?" Jin stumbled to his feet. "I'll be fine, its just a scratch." Tsuke knew otherwise but there was nothing he could do at the moment "Can you walk?" Jin grunted and stood up straight "I told you I'm fine, now lets go." Tsuke nodded and they continued up the path. Snow fell as they neared the top of the mountain. The men shivered as their skin began to change color "It sure is cold, we must be close to the top by now." Tsuke concluded. And he was right, just around the next bend was a large house. The two men looked at each other and nodded as Tsuke swung open the door. They seemed to be in a large chamber. Everything was dark except for a small pedestal in the center of the room. Atop the pedestal was a small red flower covered by a glass case. "That must be it" Jin said as he walked towards it. "Lets just grab it and get out of here." He walked up to the pedestal and examined it "Doesn't look dangerous." Tsuke shrugged and removed the casing. Everything was quiet as they looked around expecting something to happen, but, nothing.

Jin reached out for the flower but before it was in his grasp it disappeared. "Wha?" he spoke in amazement "Where did it go?" At that very moment the whole room became lit. Torches lined the walls and all ignited simultaneously. Just a few feet in front of the pedestal was a perch with a large red bird atop it. Tsuke laughed "This is the large all-powerful Firebird Suzaku?" Just then the bird took flight and began to change it sprouted legs and arms and its wings grew larger. It had become human, all accept the large wings attached to it's back. A long sword ignited with fire in Suzaku's hand and he spoke "Its been awhile since anyone actually made it up the mountain, but I am guardian of the flower, and you shall not take it." Tsuke laughed nervously "Heh...sorry about that all-powerful crack." Jin shook his head. "No matter, its a joke you won't live to tell twice." said Suzaku as he flapped his large wings and took flight.

He dove down at Tsuke and swung his large sword nearly missing and singeing his shirt "Whoa." Tsuke stumbled back and regained his balance. Jin studied the bird as it flew "How are we supposed to beat it, we can't fly." Tsuke looked at Jin and shouted for him to move as Suzaku dove at him next narrowly missing once again. "You cannot dodge my attacks forever." yelled Suzaku from the top of the chamber. He dove at Jin once again swinging massively, Jin and Suzaku struck at the same time each flying back pain. Jin's wound had been reopened and he had a new one to match. He grabbed his chest in pain as blood seeped through his fingers. Suzaku's shoulder had been cut and he grabbed it trying to get a feel for how serious it was. Tsuke ran to Jin as he lay on the floor motionless. "Jin! Wake up, c'mon now, I need you." Jin sighed and spoke "I'll be fine, he missed all my organs, but I can't fight like this, its up to you Tsuke." Tsuke looked at him, concerned "No, I can't do this alone." Jin looked up at him and mumbled "You must." Tsuke layed him down gently and turned to Suzaku who had just regained himself "You will pay!" Tsuke shouted as he burst into a run towards Suzaku.

Suzaku immediately took flight dodging the attack. He dove down at Tsuke and swung his large sword. Tsuke quickly dodged and grabbed his wing flipping himself onto Suzaku's back. Suzaku flapped wildly trying to remove Tsuke from his position but he couldn't. Tsuke ripped at his right wing causing Suzaku to loose altitude. He fell rapidly and smashed into the pedestal in the middle of the room reducing it to rubble. Tsuke jumped from his back unharmed and just as Suzaku was pushing himself from the floorTsuke ran towards him. He dragged his claw on the ground creating sparks as he ran faster. Just before he reached Suzaku he raised his claw slicing through his enemy's face. He stopped just behind Suzaku and turned slowly. Suzaku fell to the ground wings limp and bloodied covering his lifeless body. Tsuke walked over to the lifeless body and noticed the rose in Suzaku's hand. He took it from him and ean to Jin helping him up. "You did it." said Jin coughing. "Yeah, but you gave me the strength I needed. Now lets get this flower back down the mountain, can you walk?" Jin nodded "Yeah, I used my shirt to patch the blows and hold off the bleeding until I can rest." Tsuke nodded and they walked from the dark chamber beginning their journey back down the mountain.[/COLOR][/FONT]

OCC: Tried my best to make an entertaining fight with Suzaku. Innocent can do the trip back down the mountain and interaction with the forgeman if she likes. Its up to her.

[Who Am I?]

OOC: Wow...what a battle, though my character is a bit messed up.

IC:

[B]Jin and Tsuke began walking down. Every now and then Jin would trip and Tsuke would rush to his side. Jin felt like fainting at that moment until another monster and his fellow friends stopped them.[/B]

[I]"Where do you think you're going?" The large monster said.[/I]

[COLOR=Navy]"Uhh...down the mountain duh? Where else?" Tsuke replied.[/COLOR]

[I]"Uhh...right. Whatever.....GIVE ME THAT FLOWER!!!!!!!!" [/I]

[B]Jin and Tsuke looked at each other and could tell this monster was an idiot. Tsuke had some strength and Jin had a little strength but enough to beat the monster and his friends. Tsuke and Jin defeat them in five minutes because they were, I guess, a bit clumsy. They finally made it down the mountain and gave the old man his flower.[/B]

[COLOR=DarkRed]"Oh wow...I'm sorry I had to put you in so much trouble. I'll bandage up your wounds," the old man said.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]"Thanks..." and with that Jin fainted from the loss of blood.[/COLOR]

OOC: Wasn't that great but I gotta go and type something up. Well now what happens??? :animesmil

[Malkav]

Chapter 3

The Bamboo Thicket

Characters: Shang Guan Ling, Kojiro Yuri

Summary: This is a simple yet complex chapter. The basic outline is, the two are traveling through a seeminglessly endless thicket of Bamboo. Somewhere down the line they are attacked by monkeys from the trees and eventually fight their way to the exit.

Notes: Not much to say, this chapter gives alot of freedom and can be rp'd in the same manner as the previous post. Because of the limited # of people and the freedom of the chapter, we are free to rp much of what we want. Please, any questions can be addressed to the underground.

[Raiha]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]Liang and Kojiro paused as soon as they stepped into the light. Dazzled by the brilliance, Liang stood there blinking, but still shivering. It was icy cold. The chattering of teeth attracted Kojiro's attention to the little girl with the pigtails. He looked at her face, only to discover that her lips and nails were turning pale blue. Their breath was visible, coming out in white puffs of vapor.[/i]

"Are you alright?"

"I can't feel my hands and feet anymore."

[i]Kojiro came to the realization that if she passed out, he would have to carry her. And he wasn't enough of a jerk to simply leave her there. Eventually it dawned on him that she was placed in that darkness with him for a purpose. It wouldn't bode well if she died on him, or was rendered completly useless. Conscience stung, he peeled off his coat and draped it around Liang's quaking shoulders. Surprised, she slowly pulled it around herself, slightly disbelieving. They stood there in the new light, looking around.

Nothing but bamboo forests as far as the eye could see. Tall, endless, huge, blowing in the wind and creaking against one another. Liang closed her eyes and listened. The sound was so gentle, and pleasing after such a long long silence, punctuated only by the sounds of Kojiro's breathing. Speaking of which, he took her by the elbow and pulled her with him into the thicket.[/i]

"Come on."

"Where will this take us?"

"I don't know yet. But it's got to be better than back there."

[i]Liang seriously doubted that, but kept her mouth shut.

They walked in, moving slowly. Enthralled by the sights and the sounds, both entered, watching the sunlight filter down through leaves and stalks. She sighed with pleasure, causing Kojiro to turn and look at her. She gazed back at him, a faint smile on her face. He turned back to look at the hazy path through the bamboo. She clung to him a little closer, unwilling to be left behind, even in such a nice place.

A stinging sensation travelled up her feet and Liang looked behind her. A trail of blood stretched out behind them. Kojiro turned, and looked down at her feet. They were scored in multiple places, from walking on large slivers of broken bamboo. Liang resoloutely set down her footsteps again, not willing to stop for this.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Malkav]

Kojiro wanted to smile, but her presence prevented him from doing so. The poor little girl had no clothes, and was walking barefooted through the thicket. He saw how her blood led to where they were standing at this exact moment, yet she didn't scream, pout, complain or anything. She was a strong girl, Kojiro wanted to do more than just give her his coat. Interestingly enough, he felt that he was bound to her by something unseen and unheard. The feeling, with all of its subtle mechanations, had been growing on him since he first met the little girl in the darkness. What could he do though?

Kojiro stopped and turned around to face the girl. She nearly ran into him as he did so, "I'll help you." he said, making it sound more as a demand then an offer.

He took her off her feet and held her in his arms, as a groom would his bride, but his grip held on as if he were carrying a sack of potatoes, not a woman. Her face turned red as he did so.

"Um, thank you." she said as he began walking down the path again.

"This way is quicker, besides, its not your fault you're naked." Kojiro answered. Silence fell over the two as the carried on.

Kojiro's mind worked solemnly as he walked through the thickets. He thought back to how his journey through the darkness started. After he was shot, his mid fell into the darkness, and there he saw it, the scarlet road. He often wondered if he was the only one between himself and the girl who saw the road, a thin sliver of crimson that went forever forward, always. He never believed in the asian stories his father used to tell him of. The stories of Chi, the scarlet road, and the August Personage. At least not until he found himself here with the chance to return to the Earth. He was not ready to die, at least not like that. A coward shot him in the back as he was running, that isn't the death a warrior deserved, perhaps a thief, but not a warrior. Unluckily for Kojiro, he was both. Thief in him would have just taken the death, but the warrior wouldn't. Maybe that's why he walked down this scarlet way, maybe it was the way of the warrior. Looking down, Kojiro could see that the girl had fallen asleep, like a child in his arms.

The bamboo, Kojiro noticed, had begun to creak unusually. He stopped. Something was coming for them. Not just something though, many things. Kojiro sat the girl down on his coat and unsheathed his sword. He waited tensely as the sounds of the creaks suddenly grew more fervent and then out of the sky itself, a chain like whip flew towards him. Kojiro snagged it on his sword and snatched with all of the force he could, suddenly pulling down a strange beast. It was a monkey wearing armor. The beast leaped back into the trees above him. Kojiro untangled the whip from his weapon and flung it towards the girl, who had awoken from the sounds of the ruckus. Kojiro stood deathly still as shadows were being cast all over the forest floor.

"I hate monkeys..." he said, as they fell from the trees upon him.

[Raiha]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]No monkeys came to bother Liang, and that would have confused her, if Kojiro wasn't being hurt by masses of the little beasts.

Liang was frightened, but quickly regained control. If Kojiro was here, she knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. And...well, it wasn't like she was completely helpless either. As the monkeys began to swarm onto him, something came over her. She picked up the weapon he had thrown to her. A 7 section chain whip. It's proper name came unbidden to her mind and she held it there as she wrapped her slender fingers around the handle.[/i]

"Alright you sons of bitches...."

[i]Unwilling to show fear where it would help no one, Liang decided that action would be better than sitting there watching him take hits for her. She took several steps back, then whirled the whip over her head, closed one eye, and took aim. The cold steel sections hissed through the air, struck a monkey around the neck, locked, and jerked him back into her grasp. Once there, she untangled it, and bashed him in the face once more for good measure, then shoved his body aside and struck again. This time, she jerked her hand back and broke its neck instantly. She snagged it down, off of Kojiro's body, and readied it once more.

She circled around him several times, then caught two in one blow, flaying them to death, furious, her blood running hot in her veins. Liang's body heated up until steam began to rise off of it. Her eyes began to snap and glow a bright yellow and several monkeys left Kojiro to come towards her. In response, she circled the whip over her head several times, lashing whoever was unlucky enough to come into range. One leapt at her, claws splayed. She threw up a foot, catching a lucky blow in the face, finishing him off with a jugular slashing jerk to the throat.

Kojiro swung, beheading another monkey and turned, to find Liang standing on a pile of corpses, swinging her chain whip in a defensive circle, unwilling to let another one of the hideous things come near her. One leapt and cut her back. She howled with fury, reached behind her, caught it by the throat, and flung it down on the ground, stamping on its face. Liang was incessed. She felt hot. She felt invulnerable. The fact that her blood had been drawn made her ......crazy. Her eyes sparked and glittered with rage, enough so that several monkeys began to back away.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Malkav]

Kojiro watched Liang's berserk frenzy from a distance. A strange hell this was, a bamboo forest guarded by monkeys, not so much the hell he would have expected. Kojiro felt the wind shift behind him and he quickly turned and halved a monkey between the eyes. He then twisted fluidly and cut down another and the bamboo behind it. Kojiro then began using a succession of quick strikes and attacks to take out the rest of his foes, eventually. there was nothing left but he and the girl.

Kojiro stared at her for a moment, an angel of death, goddess of discord. He approached her, stil within her frenzy, her eyes wild with the kill. Something clicked in his head then, was this the fabled fire soul? The perfect imbalance of Ho and P'o? He'd watch her, listen to her, feel her, perhaps even care for her in the days to come, for she had become his soul mate, the one whom he'd have to protect from here on out... As he approached the proximity of the whip she swung, the ground beneath them erupted in light, and thus, they were gone into the oblivion...

[i]If we had met before, would I feel this way?[/i]

---

Chapter 4

Thousand Crane Mother

Characters (in posting order): Liang, Jin, Tsuke, Kojiro

Plot Summary:Our heroes meet for the first time at the base of a large waterfall, there they see a lone female warrior meditating under the waterfall. Jin attempts to question her, but is beat sorely for disturbing her meditation. The others jump in to fight and are defeated in similar fashion. After this, the warrior reveals herself as Thousand Crane Mother, whom some fable as the greatest warrior who ever lived. She then tells them that passage out of this hell comes at a subtle price, they must learn to utilize in full effect their shintais and only with their power may they exit.

Notes:This chapter is somewhat a wild card. I think the posting order will go around twice, once to get the fight and such out, and the second time to train and exit the hell. Thousand Crane Mother is the master of ALL shintais, and you absolutely positively can't defeat her, nor can you scratch her. Think of her as a female Pai Mei(kill bill fame). She is not friendly, kind, or caring. Let's have fun with this chapter. Any questions, PM me.

[Raiha]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]Liang didn't scream, but surrendered herself fully to the glorious light that surrounded the both of them. She leaned back and let it carry her to wherever it chose. It was oblivion. Silence. A void. A place for quiet. She laughed inwardly. It was like she was flying. And then there was nothing.

When she came to, Kojiro was kneeling next to her, both hands on the ground and his katana between them. He was breathing hard, like he had just run a race. She sat up, feeling her hair instinctively. Thus assured that it was fine, she turned to look at Kojiro.[/i]

"What is wrong?"

"I fought it. And it backfired."

"Fought what? The light?"

"...yes."

"But why? It was so friendly."

"I don't like it."

[i]Liang pondered this. She hadn't done anything. She had just accepted it. Maybe that marked the difference between their perspective experiences within the void. She smiled slightly and stood without effort. Kojiro looked up at her. She was still naked, but had her 7 section chain whip, purloined from the monkeys, slung onto her shoulder. Then she looked around. A huge waterfall in the distance, its roar loud enough for them to hear, the mist rising from it. She smiled again and clapped her hands. She loved water.

Kojiro stood rather unsteadily, and went to her.[/i]

"Do you know where we are?"

"I don't know. But I like it. More than the bamboo."

[i]He looked at her like she had lost her mind. But there were reasons for this. Liang had noticed her feet weren't hurting anymore. They were standing on soft green grass. Gentle on her skin. No more blood, bleeding, pain coming from her toes. She would have laughed, but Kojiro didn't look like he would want any more loud noises. With a skip she walked towards the waterfall, unconcerned, unworried, almost completely unhinged. Kojiro sighed and followed.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Who Am I?]

Jin was bandaged and he stood up.

[B]"Yeah! Already to go!"[/B] He jumped up.

"You sure?? I mean you were pretty hurt badly," Tsuke, who was right next to him asked.

[B]"Of course!! I've never felt better!"[/B] Jin took his sword. [B]"Anybody know where the nearest exit from this place?"[/B]

[I]"Over there.."[/I] the old man answered. [I]"I hope you have a great journey."[/I]

[I]Journey??[/I], Jin thought. He shrugged and made his way down.

They made it down and Jin suggested that they should take a path. There were two. One on the left and the other on the right. Jin suggested that they should do rock, paper, scissors. Tsuke agreed and stood in front of the left path while Jin stood on the right path.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!!!" They shouted.

They looked down. Tsuke won.

[B]"Alright! Your path!"[/B] Jin smiled.

They went towards the left path and couldn't wait until they were out of there.


[B]OOC: Take it from there, x kakashi x. [/B] ^ ^

[Kamuro]

[FONT=Garamond][COLOR=DarkRed]Tsuke and Jin made their way down the long dark hallway. [I]I wonder if I chose the right one[/I] Tsuke doubted himself. They walked a little longer as the hallway began to branch out and turn from dark and narrow to bright and open. It seemed as though they were outside, trees surrounded them and Tsuke could hear a large waterfall in the distance.

"Wow, its beautiful here" Tsuke spoke as he looked around in awe of the amazing scenery. Jin nodded in agreement "Yeah, I wonder if theres something here we're supposed to find? The old man didn't really tell us anything." Tsuke stopped his gazing and turned to Jin "I'm not sure about you, but I wouldn't mind a drink of water after fighting that god forsaken bird. The old man was nice but I can't say I enjoyed his taste in drinks." Tsuke cringed remembering the oddly colored liquid the old man had offered them when they returned from their journey up the mountain. Jin nodded in agreement "I didn't drink it either. You're right, we should find that waterfall and set up camp, the land is probably pretty good their. We might find some fruit or something to eat." And with that they were on their way.

Thick trees and vines blocked their way and both men slashed wildly trying to make a path to the nearby waterfall. After a few minutes of cutting they finally reached it. The water was beautiful and glimmered in the sunlight as it fell over rock wall. Tsuke stopped abruptly causing Jin to bump into him. "What the hell are you stopping for we're almost there." Tsuke said nothing, just raised his arm and pointed to the two people standing by the waterfall. One was a large man and the other a petite young women. Jin shook his head, testing himself as to if it was a mirage or not. They both ran forward shouting. They didn't even think of scaring the people off, it had been so long since they saw other people besides the rickety old man, they were excited.

When they reached the two people standing before the waterfall Tsuke fell to the ground in fear as the large man drew a sword and put it to his neck. "What do you want?" he asked cautiously. Tsuke laughed nervously "N-Nothing, we were just wondering who you were." "We're not your enemies" Jin spoke calmly trying to keep his cool and not cause trouble. The large man sheathed his sword. "I'm Kojiro, this is Liang."[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Malkav]

Kojiro sheathed his sword and stood straight up, his heart told him that these two weren't any harm. Liang, who was still in Kojiro's overcoat loosened her grip on her whip after seeing Kojiro's act of peace.

"So, why are you here?" Kojiro asked Tsuke.

"I'm travelling through the hells in search of a way back to the living world." Tsuke answered in his most diplomatic of voices.

"We are in simlar situations then. Although for hell, I have yet to be seriously wowed."

"Likewise."

The two exchanged smirks, Liang looked on, allowing Kojiro to talk to the newcomers. Since they've been together, this was the first time they were introduced to others. Holding his coat tightly around her, Liang turned and walked towards the edge of the lake the waterfall emptied into and began wading in it, suddenly she looked up and saw two people standing upon a rock at the very base of the waterfall. Both had swords unsheathed and attacked. One, who was a woman moved gracefully and felled her opponent in a single blow. The woman straightened up and turned towards Liang, she then took off into the air as a crane, straight for Liang.

"Kojiro!" Liang yelled as she began pulling her whip out.

Before she could even remove the whip from beneath the coat, the woman was in her face. She was small, perhaps no taller than 5'0 ft and weighed maybe 90 lbs. She was petit, but what caught Liang's attention was her eyes, she had the eyes of a dragon.

"You're a fool for coming here." said the woman to Liang, she held a sword level with Liang's neck.

Suddenly, the woman had a long curved sword held to her neck as well. It was Kojiro's.

"And you're a fool for misinterpreting our intentions." said Kojiro sarcastically.

The woman suddenly disappeared, leaving a storm of cherry blossoms in her wake. Suddenly, she reappeared behind Kojiro. Kojiro turned quickly and parried a would be strike to his back and the woman disappeared again. She then appeared again, sword heading straight for Kojiro's throat, but he dodged it and exchanged blows with her before she went again. Kojiro stood deathly still with Liang still under him. Her eyes showed she was in a state of both fear and confusion. She too was still.

Tsuke, who had been watching from the sidelines, had his claws ready for the strike, he then noticed someone floating face down towards the bank. It was Jin, floating in a puddle of his own blood. Tsuke ran to his comrade's side and turned him around, showing that he had a gash in his side, it was nothing that couldn't be treated, but Jin was on the verge of passing out.

"I tried to...talk to her her..." Jin said, holding his side deathly, "she attacked me..." with that, he passed out.

Kojiro heard heard a footstep in the water behind him. He turned and faced the woman once again. "Magic tricks aside," he said, "Let's finish this."

Kojiro attacked her, his stronger more precise form finding little advantage over her graceful ballet of a fighting style. He stepped to her and brought his sword down upon her, but it was parried quickly, and she was able to recover from the strike faster than he. They both seemed equally matched, with Kojiro using every technique, trick, tactic, and strategy he was ever taught in an effort to bring her down. She then jumped back from him, and stood on top of the water in the middle of the river. She then spun and sent something Kojiro didn't expect his way. A large sickle of energy escaped her sword and made its way towards Kojiro. It surprised him so much, he didn't even think of getting out of the way...

Tsuke watched as Kojiro went flying into the woods, he didn't have time to decide of Kojiro was alive or not, but he ran towards the woman and attempted in vain to defeat her. She blocked his first strike and knocked him off balance. As he fell back, she pressed her palm gently against his chest, and suddenly it exploded and sent he too flying into the woods.

All that was left was Liang... She fought tears as she sat there, waiting for the mysterious woman to turn on her also. The woman looked at Liang, her dragon eyes hurting Liang more than anything else ever had. She grasped Kojiro's coat and stared somberly towards the ground... awaiting her fate. Liang suddenly felt a cold hand choking her and found herself at the top of the waterfall, feet dangling helplessly. The woman held her over the edge and said very frankly, as if she were talking to Liang at a dinnertable and not while dangling her from the ledge.

"I see that you all are horribly unprepared to go forth. Most people at least scratch me, but then again, you are the first to make it this far in 1000 years..."

[Raiha]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]Instead of struggling, Liang leaned her head back as far as she could, eyes closing, tears seeping from underneath her lashes. The woman's eyes narrowed and she tightened her grip. Liang refused to cry out.[/i]

"Why did you come here?!"

[i]Liang's eyes flashed open and she found herself standing at the rock base, face to face with the woman once more, bruises surfacing on her skin. She bowed to the ground, touching her head to the floor three times.[/i]

"Please forgive us Mother. We were trying to find a way from this hell. We meant you no offense or harm."

"You drew a weapon on me."

"I thought you would kill me."

"And these...men. Are they your friends?"

"The tall one is my companion. He helped me and was the first to find me in the great darkness, Mother."

"...I see. Have you anything else to tell me?"

[i]Liang bowed once more.[/i]

"May the Blessed Amaida give light to your way."

[i]Then she stood and drew Kojiro's coat tightly around herself and held very still. This woman could kill her and finish off her only friend if she so chose. Insead the woman lilted down to Liang and walked around her once. Then again. And just as she was about to complete the third walk, Liang darted away. The woman laughed hysterically.[/i]

"Somone taught you. Never be circled three times. Do you know why?"

"Even if you don't know my true name, that would enscorcle me. And I would be your slave forever."

"Exactly. ....Now. How can I help you? You've obviously defeated the monkies, and found the Scarlet Road. You're not ordinary Kuei-jin then. That's for sure"

"No. We all have reasons I suppose....for lingering like this. I want to kill my boyfriend. He murdered me because he had decided I was a burden. I want him to feel my pain."

"Revenge? Anger. Good. You'll learn then. I will teach you."

[i]Her dragon eyes seemed to pierce Liang. But she didn't turn away, even though the effort made her eyes instnatly water. She held her gaze for what seemed like an eternity, feeling things pass between them. Words. Phrases. Memories. Actions, experiences, falling, screaming, having cloth torn away, everything that Liang had ever felt or said, she felt it all pouring out of her. In return, she felt the lady pressing down on her, giving her things she had never experienced before. And it was blinding. Almost overpowering her.

Eventually, Liang came to. She found that they were in a grotto behind the waterfall itself, the echos bouncing off the walls pleasantly. The three men were laid out, clothes dried, wounds healed, but fast asleep. She knelt at Kojiro's side and stroked his hair from his face slowly. The woman watched from the corner of her eye, smiling slightly, but saying nothing. She then stepped in front of Liang and held out a bundle of what looked like clothing.[/i]

"You'll need these."

[i]Without another word, Liang removed Kojiro's coat at long last and slipped on the silk tunic and pants, tying the sash expertly into a square knot, then tying back her hair once more into a single long braid. The woman nodded approvingly and bid her to rest.[/i]

"When you wake up, we will begin."[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Who Am I?]

Jin bleeding badly got out of the water with the help of Tsuke.

[B]"Ugghhh...I've never felt pain like this.."[/B] Jin wobbled around. He felt dizzy.

He fell down, unconscious, with blood all over him.



[B]OOC: Sorry, can't think of anything.[/B]

[Kamuro]

[COLOR=DarkRed][FONT=Garamond]Tsuke awoke from a solemn sleep to find himself in a cold dark cave. He sprung to his feet searching the room franticly for the women who they had encountered earlier. He saw no signs of her, only Jin and Kojiro, sleeping silently. Tsuke walked over to Jin and knelt next to him, checking for wounds he assumed to be fresh from earlier that day. Instead, he found only blood soaked clothes, not even a scar burdened Jin's body. He pondered to himself and walked to Kojiro examining him just the same, and finding nothing.

[I]Hmm, wheres that girl we saw earlier?[/I] Tsuke thought to himself. [I]She was quite the looker[/I] he laughed a bit and stood up, leaving the room. Water dripped all around him, seeping through cracks and small holes in he ceiling. [I]Where am I?[/I] he asked himself, continuing to inspect the area around him. He heard the faint noise of the waterfall and walked to it, noticing that he was indeed behind the waterfall. He sighed intently "Guess I should wait here..."[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Malkav]

OOC: Remember your shintais and post with them in the upcoming cycle, and "Who Am I?" you suck...

Kojiro saw her again, the Mother. She walked up to him and with a wave of her hand, his pain was gone and his wounds healed. He looked into her dragon's eyes, those piercing evil eyes and thought nothing better than to pluck them from her skull. He wanted to hurt her, to make her pay for defeating him, being stronger than him, humiliating him. He wanted her to be in the most excruciating agony ever conceived under the eyes of god, and then, he saw darkness.

Kojiro awoke feeling his coat around him, covering him. He clenched it tightly and then awoke to realize that Liang was not in it. He jumped up and searched frantically through the damp darkness to find his sword. It wasn't there.

"Chill out, everything's cool." came a voice from behind Kojiro, it was Tsuke.

"Where is she? Where are we? Where did that bitch go?!" Kojiro yelled as he finally spotted his sword and collected it.

He moved to leave the grotto but Tsuke stepped in his way, "Calm down, everything's fine I think. We're still alive, despite what she did."

Kojiro stepped to Tsuke's face, "Get out of the way."

"No." said Tsuke firmly, "I don't want to piss her off again."

An almost familiar voice came from the shadows, "You really don't."

It was the mother, how she got into the grotto without them noticing, they didn't know. Kojiro turned and prepared himself for the rematch, Tsuke merely grew more tense, waiting for something to jump off.

"Keep your sword drawn [i]suki[/i]," she said.

"Where's Liang?" Kojiro said, his hand resting on the handle of his blade.

"She's safely out of the way. I've taken her somewhere to learn how to master her Shintais."

"Shintais?" Kojiro and Tsuke said in unison.

"Yes, the ability of yours that was granted to you when you decided to return to Earth. I can sense your shintais, and to leave here, to your misfortune, you must learn to utilize them."

"I don't understand, what do our shintais have to do with our escaping? Who said that we must learn them?" asked Tsuke.

"I said so, I do hate it when [i]suki[/i] come unprepared. I want you to know however, in the future, I have every intention of facing you again. I haven't been defeated in nearly 4000 years, I do so want my death match."

"What of the Yama kings?" asked Kojiro, "Why not defeat them, I'm sure you have the power to bring down gods."

"So young..." said the Mother, "Come with me, Yuri."

Kojiro flenched at the stating of his first name. The Mother walked forward, pass he and Tsuke. Kojiro followed, however dispargingly. They walked out of the waterfall's grotto into the starfilled night. The reflection of the full moon shone brightly in the water, filling the area with a beauty that would make one forget the battle that took place here.

"I feel," began the Mother, "that you are imbalanced. The yin within you is showing its ugly head, lurking within the shadows of your mind. For someone so young, you have such control over yourself. Much more, I admit, than I had when I was your age. But what baffles me is the fact that you are a half-breed. Half Russo I believe...

Kojiro listenened to her out of fear and respect, something had grown within him that told him that no matter how hard he tried, or how much he wanted it. This dragon eyed queen was not going to be defeated.

"What do you know of the creation of this and every other world?" she asked him, stopping just beneath the waterfall's mouth. Kojiro had not even noticed they had walked up.

"Not much." Kojiro answered.

"How poor of you, it should come to you in your meditations."

"Meditations?"

The mother threw Kojiro a scarf.

"Cover your eyes. Find the yin within you, and manifest it into your shadow. This will allow you mastery over the Yin Prana."

Kojiro followed instructions and covered his eyes, darkness then took him.

[Raiha]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkOrchid][i]The Mother had put her hands on Liang and blessed her. Then, without another word, she pushed. Liang fell back, panic rising in her throat, the same feeling she had felt when her boyfriend had pushed her from the window. Eight stories was a long fall. And now she felt the wind rushing past her, faster than she had ever gone, more than 15 stories, and the water began to rush towards her.

Liang willed herself to be calm, and in that instant, she felt something flood her body. A warmth spread up from her toes, to the top of her head, and as she fell, she felt a sense of weightlessness, and her heart began to slow. Time around her seemed to pause, and to the watchful eye of the mother, she looked like she was floating. A leaf suspended in the air.

She touched down on the tip of one toe, the other drawn up to her knee. Balancing on the surface of the water. It held her weight, it didn't even move. She turned and raced across the lake, her feet barely touched the water, and she felt wonderful. Shang Guan Liang felt something rising inside her, and she let it out. It was a scream of pleasure. Delight. Glory even. She jumped. Instantly she rose almost to the half the height of the waterfall. Then she fell again, flipping herself backwards.[/i]

"Good."

[i]The Mother was falling with her again, copying her every move.[/i]

"How does it feel?"

"It feels wonderful."

[i]"It should."

A voice echoed in her head. The Mother's voice. Liang turned and followed her lead. The two of them leapt across the ground itself, barely touching it, and rising up into the air. Liang adopted her movements, the Mother giving her the forms she would want to know. Both hands outstretched back, head up, legs firm. The two traced patterns through the foilage, then circled around to the waterfall again.[/i][/COLOR][/FONT]