The Kyoto Beast

[Sumiyoshi]

OOC: Er. Whoops, my bad...


Minazuki

Somehow, the important-looking guy doesn't notice me in the slightest- Fate at work, perhaps- and the conversation comes to my ears.

It's only after the noble leaves, though, that I'm actually able to get my mind, light-headed though it feels, to start working again. Raiders? Wanted posters, disposing of me? Attacking Kame? What are they- this can't be my country- am I still in Tora, or stuck in some nightmarish--

*coughhackwheeze*

Oh dear- breathing. I forgot about breathing. Right. Get it together- deep breaths, deep breaths...

Right. There'll be time to think and daze off later. For now, I need t'let the action-doing part take over- and the first thing I find my body doing is ducking back into the tunnel and walking away from the horrifically beautiful room.

Ishikawa... he'll be searching for me now. Heck, the entire Fortress'll be searching, too, and probably the military, as well. Awfully harsh of them, though, to want to kill me right off the bat for not showing up. But if these are the same people who-

What're they turning Tora into?

I slow down as I see the light of the tunnel entrance up ahead, and I decidie to extinguish my torch. No one knows where I went, and I don't think anyone's followed me here, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

I take a brief moment to ponder, letting the thinking part of my brain take the reins. Where do I go now, aside from as far away from Kyoto as possible? Can't go north- don't wanna go anywhere near my home and get my family in trouble. Can't go back to the ol' training barracks- they'll all think that I turned tail and headed back there. First place they'll look, maybe.

South and west, then. Predictable, maybe, but there aren't any other feasible choices...

With that, I head out of the tunnel entrance- but only before listening for a moment and making sure that no one's waiting out there.

[Flak]

OOGM: Sorry for the delay.

Minazuki

You make it out of the throne room without hassle, but you find that once in the woods you're at a total loss. As you followed the wind's voice you did not mark your way, nor did you commit any landmarks to memory. The trees and bushes appear as the columns and hedges of a labyrinth, or a maze.

It is in this place, in these woods surrounding Kyoto, that you stumble upon a man you DO recognize. And it seems he recognizes you as well. It is the guard who had offered to be your guide to Ishikawa.

"You're that girl from before," he says, not sounding too happy about it. Without warning, he quickly draws his sword. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you go... you who are no longer a loyal citizen of Tora!"

He begins approaching you, sword held out before him.

[Sumiyoshi]

OOC: No problem- I'm going to be a little slow too, trying to get over a cold-turned-strep-throat.


Minazuki

Trees. Trees. Bushes. Trees. Bushes. Trees.

It's awfully pretty, but that's not the foremost issue on my mind right now- the man who emerges from the foliage, however, is.

"Ah... it's that guard from before." My words make it out of my mouth exactly as he's speaking. I sound surprised, he sounds rather unhappy about it, and he looks like he wants to take my head. I guess Tora Fortress got to work pretty quickly, or I've been wandering around here longer than I thought...

"You're that girl from before," he says, not sounding too happy about it. Without warning, he quickly draws his sword. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you go... you who are no longer a loyal citizen of Tora!"

Get it together, Subaru. Focus on the subject at hand... like the fact that the guard ain't going away without a fight.

Too bad they don't teach you what to do when your opponent is a familiar face- I don't want to kill him. I take one or two steps back, matching his pace to maintain a set distance between us.

"No longer a loyal citizen of Tora...?" I wonder aloud. "Why... what do you mean by that?" It's not to hard to keep my normal expression on my face- I am honestly curious what they're sayin' I did.

I'm tensed up, though- ready to spring aside and run if he decides he doesn't want me t'buy time and wants t' make a lunge at me. My hands are hidden in my sleeves, fingering my Senbon-

Four needles. If it comes down to that, I gotta try and cripple him...

[Flak]

Minazuki

"You... you really were the warrior Ishikawa sent for. And you turned tail. Traitor!" And with this he dashes forward, attempting to slice through you.

You manage to dodge by running to the side a few steps but in this overgrowth efficient movement might be unobtainable. So as to not give him a chance to attack again, you toss your senbon, aiming for non critical spots but ones that would disable him.

Your training rewards you with the dull thunk of the thin metal embedding itself in his shoulders and knees. He drops into a kneeling position, sword on the ground, as he can no longer hold it.

"Kill me," he says, looking up at you in disgust. "I've failed. I can't even commit seppuku now."

[Sumiyoshi]

Minazuki

"You... you really were the warrior Ishikawa sent for. And you turned tail. Traitor!"

... oh. He's got me there, actually, but-

And then he attacks, and my world focuses, narrows, and sharpens...

He's lunging. I've got to evade- the sword misses me. There's not enough room to dodge anymore- gotta end this quickly. Four targets- four Senbon snapping up, two in each hand, two swift throws-

And then it's over, and I'm standing over the now-helpless guard, a Senbon in each of his shoulders and knees.

"Kill me. I've failed. I can't even commit seppuku now."

Wordlessly, I walk over to him and pick up his fallen sword, hefting it experimentally in both hands- it's heavier than it seems. Swords always are...

'Course, my answer's already set. "I'm sorry... I can't do that. I don't like killin' people, and it'd be a waste of a perfectly good life if I helped you die over something like this," I reply, a dry tone to my voice.

The sword's stuck into the ground next to me, blade-first, and I kneel in front of the guard, a determined expression on my face. "An' if I were you... I wouldn't wanna die for, let alone help, a country that's turnin' to piracy and raidin' Kame for no good reason." My eyes unfocus as the memory of the white tiger being killed by that bear comes back to my mind. "I'm loyal to Tora... but this ain't the Tora I know anymore," I whisper.

I pause for a moment as a random thought skitters across my brain. How in the world am I going to get my Senbon back without doing permanent damage to the poor guy's joints? Hmm... if it comes to that, I might have to leave 'em with him.

[Flak]

Minazuki

"I'd love to hear your tale," he says, and smiles grimly. "But like this, I can't move at all. I can't even take them out myself. If I don't take them out, sooner or later, Ishikawa's other men will find me, and will kill me for failing.

"No. Please, kill me. There's no life left to live, for me. And I'd rather die by the hand of the one who defeated me... especially if it is like you say... I'd like to die by the hand of a true Tora warrior...

"Still... it's scary to die."

And he looks down at the ground, unable to meet your eyes anymore.

[Sumiyoshi]

Minazuki

I take a breath, mulling over what the guard just told me. He's right- Ishikawa ain't the nicest person in the world, so it'd stand to reason that the guard ain't got much longer to live anyway.

But then again... killin' someone in cold blood isn't my thing. No matter what the reason, it'd be awful...

Well, in any case, there's only one thing I -can- do, right? I smile slightly. "If you've got nothin' else to live for... then, well, how 'bout comin' along with me?"

Before I give him a chance to reply- "Oh- hold still for a sec. I'm afraid this's gonna hurt a bit. Think of somethin' happy." Then, I take out the Senbon as carefully as I can, wincing as I do so. Can't be the most pleasant feeling in the world, havin' sharp metal things taken out of your body...

I get back up and move a step back. "How's that feel? I'm not sure how much you'll be able to move 'round with wounds like that, though... I'm no doctor, just a fisherman's daughter."

[Flak]

Minazuki

He tries to get up, but flops down and collapses immediately.

"You're cruel," he speaks into the ground. "For playing this game with me. You know there is nothing that can be done... you damaged my body too deeply. I can't move."

[Sumiyoshi]

Minazuki

"That... that's not what I... sorry." I'm not able to meet his gaze. Rather, I wouldn't be able to meet his gaze, if his face wasn't buried in the dirt.

Stupid, I berate myself mentally. You should've just used your kunai and aimed for his arms and thighs...! If there's really nothing that can be done, you just...

"There... there's got to be something that can be done..." My voice is shaking slightly... I walk over to the downed guard and attempt to pick him up- slinging his arms over my shoulders, and holding onto his legs, piggy-back style. "I-I shouldn't have used my senbon like that... I'll get you to a doctor. There's got to be something that can be done about your knees and shoulders..."

[Flak]

Minazuki

"Why would you do such a thing? I just tried to kill you." He's acting very proudly, and being very blunt in the process. However he can't- is unable to?- struggle, and you are able to carry him without too much hassle.

Kyoto would not be the place to go for a doctor. Maybe the south west, like you'd decided to go earlier.

You head off once more through the forest, still with a rather vague idea of where you are. After a while, you hear voices coming your way. It is impossible to catch their dialogue, but the guard on your back groans and says,

"It's them. What are you going to do? You should just leave me here and run... and save at least one life."

The forest is particularly dense in this place, and lots of shadows are to be seen. There are roots, brambles, thorns, hedges, and other unpleasant things that running into might result in nastiness.

You have 5 ordinary kunai and close to 20 senbon in the case at your leg in addition to the four senbon you'd had in your sleeves.

[Sumiyoshi]

Minazuki

"Why would you do such a thing? I just tried to kill you."

"I dunno..." I reply. "Maybe 'cause Tora needs more people like you?"

That said, I start thinkin' about where we gotta go next. Southwest sounds like a good idea, though I can only assume that I'm walking in the general direction of southwest, what with this forest and all.

Still, even with what's happened so far, all these trees are awfully pretty. Never really had any forests this thick back home... speaking of which, I wonder how my family's doing right now. Hope they're alright...

Before too long, though, my thoughts're interrupted by voices in the distance. Before I can even begin to guess who they'd belong to, the guard- I'd almost forgotten that Guard's there, though my arms ARE tired- groans.

"It's them. What are you going to do? You should just leave me here and run... and save at least one life."

I look around, sizing up my surroundings... and then I smile. "You could stand to be more optimistic..." I make my way over to a particularly thick copse of trees and set the guard down, making sure he's well hidden. "You never know until you try. Oh, and make sure to stay quiet 'til I say so, okay?" I wink at him, and then I'm off.

I move about ten yards away from Guard (I should really ask what his name is sometime... though it'd be funny if his name really WERE Guard- agh, I can't stop smiling at the thought- can't laugh now!!-), and then I make my way up a particularly old tree, hiding myself within its leafy branches.

I take a deep breath. With what I've got planned... let's see if I can bluff my way out of this one.

[Flak]

OOGM: ;D

Minazuki

As you're hiding in the tree, you can see people approaching where you'd been standing. Yes, they were other guards, judging by their uniforms. They all had their hands in position to draw their weapons.

And maybe because they're actively seeking a fight, they're a bit more armored than they were on Kyoto's steps. That is to say, they're wearing those lacquered helms that reflect blows and projectiles.

All thirteen of them. Quite a troop. They don't notice you, but they stop for a moment beneath you (aren't clearings fun?) and discuss their 'plan to find and kill that traitor bitch'.

Hopefully they won't search around too well and find the wounded guard...

[Sumiyoshi]

OOC: EXP!!- I mean, uh, LOTS OF ENEMIES!!


Minazuki

... well then. That's a lotta guards. With helmets. This could be a problem.

But none of them look to specialize in thowin' weapons, and as Grandfather always said, "too many cooks spoil the soup," so...

Hmmm. First order of business: lead them away from Guard. Second order of business...

I take a few moments to get started on my second plan- I draw a kunai- and begin slicing and nicking certain points on my forehead and cheekbones, biting my lip and wincing every now and then. Just enough to draw a bit of blood and make it seem as if the blood's all seeping from the same wound, but not nearly enough to, say, scalp myself or lose impossible amounts of blood. If these guys're as scareable as the folks back home...

Good. It should take a bit of time for there to be enough blood to... well, in any case, that done, I get back to the first order of business. I glance down at the guards gathered below me- and then I hurl one senbon at the ground, aiming it so that it'll whistle only a few inches past one of the guard's faces.

Once they've noticed that, I wave, pull one eyelid down, and raspberry them. Loudly.

And then I turn tail and begin leaping from tree to tree, as fast as humanly possible- heading in the direction exactly opposite to where Guard's being hidden, and in a direction that'll hopefully lead deeper into the denser part of the forest.

[Flak]

OOGM: Unexpected, and sexy XD

Minazuki

You hear shouts of "What the hell?" as the guards pursue you. One of them yells "Split up!".

After a few minutes of pursuit, you find yourself back at the tunnel, surprisingly, in a clearing. Damn... so much for thicker woods. The last setting might have been better.

As you pause, you can make out the sound of three or four pairs of footsteps rapidly approaching. Suddenly, four guards bust out into the clearing, and, seeing you, unsheathe katanas.

"You're tha--- what happened to you?" The guard addressing you notices your wound. "No... nevermind. If you're injured, that just helps us! Die, traitor!" One of them makes a low howling noise, possibly an alert. This looks bad.

The three others run at you from the front.

[Sumiyoshi]

OOC: Hey, I aim to surprise. ;D


Minazuki

Oh. Hello again, Mr. Tunnel. And Mr. No-Cover-At-All Clearing.

... well, there goes that part of the plan. As the guards get closer, I quickly take my kunai and deepen the slashes along my cheekbones- and then I take my free hand and smear the blood near my scalp, effectively covering my forehead in blood.

'Course, blood alone won't scare 'em. I got something else in mind.

I turn around as the guards reach the clearing, almost sighing in relief- good, they've split themselves up for now, though there'll be more coming here soon. Right- there are four senbon in my sleeves, twenty in my case, and five kunai- can't afford to waste too many throwables on these guys. Gotta disable them quickly.

Before that, though, it's time to start making my opponents very, very uncomfortable. As the first guard's speaking, I cover my face with one hand, one unfocused eye staring at them from between my fingers, and leer widely and toothily...

And then I take a deep breath, and try imagining the guards wearing big fluffy bear costumes.

And thus began Plan Two, Phase One: Unhinged, Girly Giggling.

"Hmmhmmhmm... ufufufufu... ieeeheheheee... you found me... you found me...!!"

Now, I'm no actor, but I'd imagine that this, plus the blood seeping from my forehead, would probably sketch out most people- or it'd at least give 'em pause.

As I'm giggling (and as the guards approach), I remove my hand from my face and swiftly stagger backwards towards the trees, hopefully staying out of sword-range- and I hurl three senbon, aiming right at the middle of the three guards' stomachs.