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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2013 1:56:11 GMT -5
Dark clouds covered what might have been a beautiful night sky. Rain came down in droves, making the difficult drive worse. For there was little out here, the road a small step up from gravel. Thanks to the storm, it was hard to see anything around them. Even the taxi cab's headlights could hardly cut through the rain. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed overhead, just as it had been all night. Under normal circumstances, he would have turned down this job. But, his passenger had offered a good tip before their ride had even started. Add that to the increasing meter and any cab driver looking to make some extra money would've hopped at the chance. His passenger in mind, he cast his eyes back to her. She was a small thing, hardly over five three. Her long, slender limbs were curled around her, keeping her warm. Despite the heat on full, she still felt cold. He didn't ask why though. His wife would complain that she was cold in the middle of July after all. He continued to send glances at her, more curious than he should have been.
"What brings ya all the way out here?" he asked, trying to strike up conversation with the young girl. She shifted slightly, turning to meet his gaze in the mirror. Olive green eyes stared out from under the hood she wore. Dark makeup smoked out from them, making them pop even more against her already ivory skin. They were beautiful, but terrifying too. He found himself looking away, a bit shaken. After a moment of silence, she spoke.
"I'm looking for someone."
Almost in reflex, he glanced at her once again. This time though, she was looking out the window once more. Not that he was complaining. He had been raised around powerful woman all his life. Knew when to back down and when to stare defiantly. He didn't think anyone stood up to her. At least, not anyone smart. He glanced back at the road, going over her words in his mind. She was looking for someone? Who? The only people that lived out here were the Muzai's. Good people, saviors at one time too. But... an odd bunch. They always seemed a bit stuck in the past, truth be told. She wondered who a girl like her was looking for? Was she a long lost relative of one of the Muzai's? A bastard child come looking for her father? Or maybe she was the black sheep, come back on a summons. He almost laughed. He was spending too much time watching soaps with his wife. Had him going a little crazy. For a quick moment, he allowed his eyes to rove over her. With that form fitting black shirt, he was able to see all her assets. Long legs clad in black knee-high boots were visible under her skirt, a black number that was longer in the back than the front. What did his daughter call it? A high-low or something? Either way, he wasn't too disappointed with the view. With those clothes and that short, crimson red hair, she didn't look like a respectable woman of the Muzai clan. Actually, she didn't look like a respectable woman at all.
Another clap of thunder had his eyes jerking back to the dark road in front of them. He shifted.
"Couldn't have picked a better night for this? Doubt you'll get a ride back to the city until after morning," he said, trying to be polite. She shook her head slightly and he could hear the soft tinkling of the emerald earrings she wore.
"It had to be tonight," she muttered, hands fisting on her lap. She didn't look to happy about that. Maybe she was being summoned to the compound. Would certainly explain her odd demeanor. He raised a brow.
"Why's that? Gotta date with destiny?" he joked. She gave a small smile, though her eyes continued to peer out into the dark night.
"Something like that..." was all she said. He nodded, shifting in his seat again. He glanced at the time. It was almost midnight. His wife would have his head for being late again. Hopefully the extra money he'd have would shut her up for a while. Once again, he turned his gaze back to the girl in his back. She seemed o be an odd thing. Her eyes were focused on nothing, her full lips set into a small frown. What was she doing out here? And who was she looking for? Yup. The misses would have a field day when he told her about this one. Back to the road went his eyes as he squinted, trying to make out the dark shape coming closer and closer steadily.
"Looks like we'll be there pretty soon," he said, cheerfully. She nodded.
"Good."
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Post by Kurosanai Muzai on Dec 27, 2013 2:47:27 GMT -5
The thunder rolled in the clouds as lightning dashed across the sky in a flash. The old partners were once again playing with the mere mortals below them sending small children running in fear, creating havoc in the night, waking light sleepers from their dream world and creating snapshots with the flashes. Kurosanai had always found thunder storms to be interesting. It seemed to be during them that the world cleansed itself of the harm that the human race had done to it. The rains would soothe the ground of the pain, the winds taking the sting away, the thunder warning the humans of their misdoings and the lighting punishing the perpetrators. There was an old Muzai tale that when Fujin was originally conceptualizing the Soft Fist style of fighting that he would often watch the lightning trying to figure out how it danced in the sky. It is was said that after watching the lightning that he decided that in his next fight that he would move like the lightning in the storms he had enjoyed since his child hood. So when he entered his next fight he moved in quick violent movements that ended in a flash. It was from this fight that the way the Muzai were trained originated or so he had been told many times as a child.
“Kuro, sweetie what are you still doing up?” A voice called from behind him. He had been focused on watching the storm that he had not been aware of his surroundings. He had not heard the light careful footsteps of his mother coming down the hallway. He chuckled at the idea that he was much too focused on a little rain.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Kuro responded with a quick utterance of words. His mother studied his features as he sat on the large window sill with his eyes plastered to the dark skies. It was well past any time that any creature should have been carousing the night. Since returning back to the compound not but a few days ago she had noticed something had changed in her sweet child. He had had many private meetings with Izanami, most of which his father had not been invited to. It was rare that Minato was not included in the meetings that concerned the clan let alone her son. But apparently the meetings that Kurosanai had been traveling to with the young Mistress that led the clan only consisted of the two of them. Many rumors had spread throughout the compound that the two of them had in fact begun a sordid affair of which Izanami was hoping to bear the child of the person that was going to save the clan from further decline that it faced.
Ai, Kuro’s mother, moved forward with a few light steps to come within a distance that kept her just out of arm’s reach of her son. Kuro, now aware of his mother’s presence, had forgotten how truly stealthy she was. Before marrying his father she was considered the greatest fighter in the clan even besting his father many times in the public square. Minato had said it was this humiliation that caused him to work to be better than Ai. But where the relationship was originally built on jealousy and competition it turned into love as the two grew close. “How come you can’t sleep sweetie?”
Kuro let out a sigh and let his head fall back against the window frame as lightning flashed across the sky creating another unique picture that would only last for a mere few seconds before being lost to time. Something had been bothering him since returning from the tournament. The world did not seem to move in the same way that it had when he had originally left for the Omega Collective. He noticed that as he walked past areas that he had never seen before he would get these images that would flash through his mind’s eyes as if they were memories. It was if he was having déjà vu somehow with places he had never seen before. “I feel like something has changed in me. Something deep down inside of me that has…I don’t know…I guess the best way to describe it is that something has awakened. But I have no idea what it is and no idea how to shake this feeling.”
“When did this feeling start?” Ai asked as her mother’s intuition began to kick in. She had felt Kuro’s presence had changed and felt reassured that she was not imagining it as her son had confirmed her suspicions. But it unleashed an entire new set of concerns that flashed through her head.
“I am not sure…I think it was when I woke up after my fight with that woman back on Omega.” Kuro said as his mind strained to find a picture of her to attach to the memory. He did not know why it was so hard to think of her face or why he could never remember her name. “I don’t know for sure though. I have a lot of black outs leading up to my fight with the Icejin, Frigid.” Kuro stated with a noticeable tone of frustration in his voice. The young man grabbed at the top of his knee with his bandaged hand.
Ai was afraid to say anything as she was not sure of what her son entirely knew about his first televised fight. Guessing by the way he spoke she assumed it was not much. She remembered the fight all too well as she was watching it with Minato and Mozoku at the time. It all started shortly after the bell had rung, the two of them had stood silently for what seemed like an eternity before he had punched her across the face. What came after that had sent shivers of fear and concern down her spine. Her son had begun to speak in a double voice. Ai had no idea why he had done such a thing but she could only assume that it was far from anything good. “I am sure it will come to you Kuro,” her voice rang with a reassuring tone.
“I want it to come now though. I can’t afford to disappoint the clan and until I figure out what happened I can’t live up to their hopes of bringing the clan back into prevalence.” The prodigy of the Muzai snapped back. It was obvious that this was not the first time that he had thought on the topic. “I can’t let anyone down.” Kuro mumbled under his breath as the lightning danced across the sky as the thunder howled about its successful and majestic performance just a few seconds before. The rain continued to pelt the window, only a fool would travel in this type of weather.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2013 19:01:40 GMT -5
Moments later, he pulled to a stop before two large doors. He sat there, staring up at the compound before them before putting the taxi into park. After a moment, he looked over at the girl in his back seat. She sat there, staring out at the door, an unreadable look in her eyes. He hesitated, clearing his throat. For some reason, he felt a strange electricity in the air, making his hair stand up on end. Something felt strange, like the world was holding it's breath; waiting, watching. Something was about to happen tonight, he could just feel it. Shaking his head, he looked at the girl again. "This is it. Sure you don't wanna come back another time? You'll be stuck here until morning," he said, offering one last time. She shook her head, unfolding her legs out from under her and unbuckling her seat belt. "No. Thank you, but this has to be done. And done tonight," she said quietly. He nodded, glancing out at the storm again. He wished he had an umbrella to give her, but he was as unprepared for the storm as she was. It had come out of no where, shortly before she had shown up. Quietly, she reached into a pocket on her skirt and handed him a few bills. Counting it out, it covered the fare and a bit more. He turned to give her change, only to watch as she opened the door and stepped out into the pouring rain. With one more second of hesitation, he drove away. -------------------------------------------- The storm hit Adrien like a punch. She was soaked in seconds, her skirt sticking to her legs and her top molding to her form. The wind had blown back her hood, scarlet hair now plastered to her scalp. The cold overcame her and it was all she could do to keep from wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. Her eyes remained locked on the doors before her, lit by the flashing lightning in the distance. What was she doing here again? This morning she had awoken with an over whelming need to do this. To see him. To show him everything. To get her questions answered. And then finally to be done with Kurosani Muzai. So, why did she hesitate? Taking a deep breath, Adrien moved forward to the doors. With only a moment hesitation, she pushed. The doors opened, a soft creak filling her ears. At this point, she was soaked through, her skin like eyes. Keeping her composure, she moved through the doors. The wind tore at her, slamming them hard just as she made it through. Her mouth settled into a small line. What are the Gods playing at? Which which ones are in the game? She continued to move through the compound, keeping her composure despite her freezing body and the sharp slap of rain. She had never been here, never even stepped foot in the compound. And yet, she knew exactly where to go. What turns to take, when to stop. it was all thanks to Kurosani. At least, thanks to his fears. She still remembered the illusion she had put him through. The fear he had created. Hurry... Hurry...She sighed, but didn't change her pace. She wasn't worried about being seen. Being questioned or detained. If the raging storm wasn't already a deterrent, the time was. Most people on Earth didn't seem to stay up late into the night. And it being midnight, well, she doubted many if anyone would be out if even awaken at this hour. Adrien moved quietly through the compound like a ghost, making nary a sound. The houses were all dark, nothing out there to light her way save the flashing lightning. It cut through the sky like a jagged blade, illuminating the compound for seconds before fading. That was alright through. The darkness never bothered her anyway. In fact, she felt more at home in it anywhere else. Soon enough, she finally stopped before a house. It was his. It matched her vision perfectly. The fact that the voice was starting to hum in pleasure cemented the fact that he was here. She raised her hand, and knocked lightly at the door. Silence followed before she heard the muffled footsteps. The locks clicked before the door swung open. Warm light slipped out, illuminating Adrien's soaked, chilled form. A woman stood in the door, a robe wrapped around her, blinking out sleep in her eyes. Her long black hair was tied in a braid, a few gray strands weaving through it. She had wrinkles branching out from her brown eyes and mouth. The woman hardly came up to Adrien's height, especially with only slippers on her feet. Blinking a couple more times, she focused on Adrien. With a shocked look on her face, she opened the door wider. "My dear girl! What are you doing out there in this storm! and at this time at night. Come in! Come in!" She ushered Adrien inside, disappearing to quickly grab large, fluffy towel. Throwing it around her shoulders, she moved her inside more, shutting the door behind her. "Poor girl, you're absolutely freezing! You're lips are almost blue! What are you doing here?" she asked. Thankful for the towel, she tucked some wet hair behind her ears. "I'm looking for someone. Kurosani Muzai," she explained softly, just managing to keep her teeth from chattering. The woman frowned in confusion, bringing her inside more. "The young master? What do you need with him at this late hour? Let me go find the lady of the house."
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Post by Kurosanai Muzai on Feb 2, 2014 1:29:22 GMT -5
The storm raged on even more and Ai grew more concerned at her son’s state. The pressure he was under was starting to cause him to crack. She would never admit to anyone that she saw it and she knew he would never admit that it was starting to take a toll on him. Ai was never a fan of all the pressure that Minato and the clan elders put on Kurosanai. They had driven it into his head very early on in his life that he was the one that would carry the clan back to greatness. In fact after her son’s Aoiro formed she discovered that many in the clan had become lazy and no longer worked to better themselves in order to better the clan. They chose instead to lay all of the burden on Kurosanai instead making him be the return of a prophetical warrior. This deeply disturbed her as she was not sure what kind of stress Kurosanai had endured while away at the tournament and how it affected her son. Judging by his reaction it was not going well.
“Kuro…you need to go get some sleep. If you don’t you will find yourself feeling like you are being run ragged.” Ai said sounding motherly. She figured that if she was at least able to get him to bed he would be able to get out this mood and be able to contain his stress for another day. She went to move forward to touch her son to try and break him of his trance when a sound came from the down the hall. Ai’s eyes narrowed and she turned towards the sound. Footsteps. Who would be up at this time of night?
Just as she prepared to attack the person who was walking emerged. It was Shumai, one of the housekeepers the small family had living with them. She was an older woman that had not been graced with the ability to have children as such she chose instead to serve Ai’s mother and father when they were young. When Ai married Shumai transitioned her dedication to the newlyweds and has been a part of their immediate family ever since.
“I am sorry for interrupting Madam Ai but we have a guest at the front door.” Shumai said with a bow of her head. Ai looked skeptical as not many came to the Muzai compound let alone in the middle of the night and during a massive storm.
“Did they state who they are?” Ai asked.
“No my lady. All I know is it is a young woman with fiery red hair and is dressed like a dancer of some kind.” Shumai stated calmly. Ai was confused as to why someone like that was here in the compound. Though she did notice that Kurosanai had seemed to shake out of his trance and had turned his head towards Shumai, “The young lady is also asking for Master Kurosanai as well.” This caused Kurosanai to drop down to his feet and walk forward.
“Where is she?” Kurosanai asked in an ominous tone. Ai could feel the shift in tension in the room. Here son was no longer fully in control of his actions which scared her greatly. She had never felt this ara from him before and it was deadly to be around. Why was Kuro acting like this? Did he know who this woman was?
“Sh…she is in the greeting room…” Shumai stuttered as she felt the aura coming off of the prodigy of the Muzai. As soon as he had obtained the answer Kurosanai walked past Shumai with a purpose. Ai quickly followed as she wanted to make sure that her son did not do something that he did not mean to do.
Kurosanai rounded the corner adorned in only his pants, barefoot and his bandaged upper body. His eyes were fixed and his mind was blank. If this was her then he needed answers. What had she done? Why could he not get her out of his mind? If he saw her would she be able to finally get rid of this headache and insomnia that he had been having? When he entered the greeting room he saw the strange circus ringmaster and his former opponent, Adrien LaMoore. She was soaked to the bone with a towel wrapped around her body. He stood there for a moment trying to figure out what he was going to say or do but nothing seemed to come to mind. He was not able to form words and his body did not move.
“Why? Why are you here?” Kurosanai finally asked in the same ominous tone that he had done just moments earlier to Shumai. The aura coming off of him was once that of deadly intent. He needed to know what she had done to him even if he had to go to extreme measures in order to get his answers.
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Post by Kurosanai Muzai on Mar 19, 2014 21:20:49 GMT -5
(Zeni, however small it is)
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Post by graderr on Mar 21, 2014 19:26:58 GMT -5
Kuro: 740 Zeni awarded
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2014 13:39:46 GMT -5
He was here. She felt his presence, even before he spoke. The voice purred in satisfaction, sighing softly before going quietly. Blessedly, blessedly quiet. Adrien closed her eyes, her back mostly to him. When the older woman had left, she had turned her attention to one of the windows, watching the storm while she waited. Now, she felt electricity dance over her skin that had nothing to do with the lightning outside. When he spoke, she finally turned to him.
"Don't tell me you forgot our date?" she asked, tilting her head with a small smile. Oh, she felt that aura of his. One promising danger and pain if he wasn't obeyed. Her lips twitched into a slightly larger smile. Unlike the other two woman in the room, it didn't scare her. Didn't even bother her. In fact, it felt familiar. She had let loose that same feeling many, many times before. If anything, Adrien found it cute. She moved closer to him, removing the towel. Her wet hair had already started to dry, the ends curling sweetly around her face.
"And here I got all dressed up just for it," she said, pouting slightly. She glanced over at the two other woman, studying them. The older one who met her at the doorway was glancing between the two of them with obvious confusion and worry. The other woman was a bit younger. Her facial features and coloring were similar to Kurosani's and Adrien could only guess that it was his mother. She turned her attention back to him, moving even closer. Standing on her tiptoes, she whispered in his ear.
"I came here to speak to you about our fight. Without an audience." Her lips brushed his ear as she spoke, the voice in her head purring anew at being this close to him. Even she was enjoying it. She could feel his heat, even though her body wasn't truly touching his anywhere else. Adrien pulled back, careful to keep her face a mask of playful teasing. She didn't know why he affected her or the voice so much. Upon returning home, she had taken many a man to bed. Not one had satisfied her. Even the last, who had be brutally murdered by her. Even now, the news stations were abuzz about it. Apparently the man had been connected. Oopsie. Kurosani Muzai was a puzzle, and a distraction she could not afford. Not now. Not ever. She had been needing to speak to him as much as she suspected he wished to talk to her. She tilted her head again, crossing her arms lightly.
"Well?"
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Post by Kurosanai Muzai on May 7, 2014 23:24:14 GMT -5
Being in her very presence seemed to make the entire room hum. Shumai stood unsure of where to go, Ai behind Kurosanai concerned over what her son was going to do and Kurosanai barely holding it together. Ai had never seen Kuro this on edge before and it deeply worried her. She had seen what being like this had done to her brother. He had devolved into some person that Ai had never been able to imagine could exist. He even used Kurosanai for his own gain to make a point. Her own brother used his nephew for a petty desire. What had her brother achieved out of the entire situation? Only branding her son with such shame that he bandaged his body each day to hide what lie beneath.
His hands began to tremble as the adrenaline pumped through his veins. The way she stood and spoke was almost like an insult to young man. If there was no other reason for her to come to his home in the middle of the night in the middle of a storm other than to insult him than she would walk back to where ever she had come from. He was not going to stoop to her level Kurosanai refused to stoop to her level. The way her words though bit at his being was something else. If was literally anyone else he would have just told her off and called it a day but something about this woman was different. She was able to strike at his core.
Without even realizing he was moving, Kurosanai marched over to Adrien grabbed her by the throat and led her to the wall. His hand then squeezed down as instincitively he tried to choke the life out of the girl. It was not full force but enough to get her attention then with a burst of strength he lifted her clear off the ground, her feet dangling just a few inches above the wooden floor. Being this close to her he could smell her perfume, it filled his nostrils with its sweet odor. The water dripped onto his bandages leaving small little dots on the tops of his hand. The rage that danced through his eyes was something that he was not truly used to but it strangely felt good. Then came the ringing again, that incessant ringing had returned, it was only fuel to the fiery rage that burned through his veins.
“I will not be mocked by the likes of you! You will explain without your damned little tricks like this fucking ringing!” Kurosanai yelled as he squeezed down on her throat. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. Shumai brought her hand to her mouth in horror at her young master’s new found rage. Ai stood on looking with concern, she knew battle and knew that this was not a killer rage. This was frustration. If in fact he drifted into a killing rage then she would intervene, even if she was her son. She would not let him become a killer or drift down the path of her brother.
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