RP PAGE 2 

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Xerin along with Aushra and Rayne came through the void. A giant forest laid in front of them made entirely out of Clovers that stood anywhere from a few feet tall too hundreds of feet tall. "Welcome to the Hidden Forest of Clovers. We still have some walking to do to get to the Village itself. This is so you can get a feel of the land and know how to get back if you ever go off somewhere."

A man with spiky black hair and red eyes had followed Xerin, Aushra and Rayne closely through the void.

"You know I don't normal let someone so rude live. Introduce yourself and tell my why I shouldn't of left my portal open for you, or be prepared to get stuck between dimensions." said Xerin to the new stranger.

Rayne hasn't felt anyone follow after them, and that to her was a slightly impressive feet. But since Xerin didn't appear to know this person, she figured that he was either not native to the village, a threat, or both. She had said she would do her best to become part of the village, and seeing as Xerin was the Kage of the village, she shifted her position slightly, giving her more of a chance to lock any type of attack that might be thrown at him. Her hands rested on her hips, but her fingers were brushing the tips of her side pouches.

The man with spiky hair didn't feel like getting trapped between dimensions so he decided to go against his nature and play nice for once, "My name is Genji, forgive me for tagging along without asking, but I had overheard you talking about your home and became quite curious." Genji replied with a very convincing fake smile.

Xerin raised his brow."Oh interested in my home. How so and please don't try to convince me with another of those fake smiles or lies. Oh and my name is Xerin Zamaki." Xerin walked in front of Rayne. "And I am the Kuroba no Kage." Xerin looked at Rayne with eyes that said thank you but I'll be fine.

Ashura seemed uninterested, since she was looking for her friend. When the lying was mentioned, she looked over. "If there is one thing I hate more than perverts, its liars."

Purple haze drifted past the new comers as Goma came into their site his green hair almost entirely shrouded his face only a small glint of his golden eyes could be seen above his cloak. "Lovely" He said his voice drifted with the purple haze the pleasant smell of flowers surrounded him.

"Oh, so you're the Kage? Forgive me but my sensei always told me that showing emotions was a sign of weakness so I never smile, and I don't trust people when I first meet them either. I'm interested in your village because I have no home and I find the fact that this place is so well hidden very intriguing." Genji said truthfully looking at Xerin closely.

"So if you fallow your sensai's words so much why did you leave him? You sound like an anbu spy or at least ex anbu. This place is a safe haven for those abandoned or being hunter by their villages.Oh also be warned Goma and Ziar do not take traitors lightly. In fact you won't live past the end of the night if you are a spy, anbu-hunter, or missing nin-hunter. You've been warned. That being said welcome to Kurobakure." Xerin raised his hands and released the genjutsu on everyone to reveal that the village was behind them all the whole time. "Sorry for tricking everyone but I had to know your intentions." A gate gate stood before them and the clovers grew around the village in a perfect wall. "Theres not many homes at the moment as we believe everyone should build their own home in their own image. If you need help you can always ask one of us. I'd suggest just asking the common villagers to help you, but they are hard at work on their own homes and the fields for our farms. I never said we only took in rogue ninja. Just that we needed them. There are already some shops open for shopping and food. So if you need a bite to eat or some new clothes go ahead its on me. That is till after the war. Then we will be official so you'll be able to make money doing missions of your choosing. I'm not going to send anyone on a mission they don't want. Cept Goma." Xerin laughed.

Goma stood up with a graceful jump. He didn't seem to like showing off what was underneath his cloak outside of battle. "I love ALL of my missions,Given the current demographic in opposing villages of course..." Though his smile wasn't visible it was obviously there. His tone was very different from when he attacked the village before. Goma almost seemed as if he were somewhat normal.

A small, young looking girl with a hat and a large bag tied to her waist approached the group. She had a large bandage on her cheek, and her hat was black with cat ears on it, covered in safety pins. She walked up to the group in a cautious walk, and looked from person to person. "Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but... could any of you direct me to the Village Kage?"

The green haired man turned towards her and leaned forward his purple haze trailed behind him as he quickly leaned in closer to inspect the girl "I could I suppose, But I'd rather you have business with me." he said with a sweet almost creepy tone of delight. Goma's flower like fragrance drifted ever closer to her as did his miasma which for some reason he was allowing to flow freely. Despite the effects of the dangerous purple haze.

"Oh," she said embarrassed slightly, "Are you close to him? Well, y-you see..." She shook her hand to dissipate the miasma. She coughed lightly. :Ummm... Well, I'm looking for a teacher.." She coughed at the haze again. She looked at the green haired man with shining, hazel eyes.

Goma pulled down his cloak to reveal a smile he allowed his clan trait to die down the haze no longer exited his mouth with every breath "I don't know if anyone else could get closer to that man unless you..well you know" He smirked a bit and chuckled "It all depends on what sort of teacher your looking for though Sweetie". The smell of flowers was stronger now that the miasma wasn't mucking up the air.

Xerin walked past Goma and smiled at the girl. "I'm the villages Kage, but I hate to say that I don't think we could teach you. This village is for people whom cannot find a home cause they are outlaws or were banished from their village. A girl as sweet as you might not like our rough and crazy life styles. I would gladly take you to a village that would take you in, if you would like."

A pair of feet hung over the edge of a ridiculously high clover. Their owner was laying back enjoying the wind and the sun as he was on duty. "Well if Xerin-sama is to modest i will teach you depending on what you want to learn. I'm only really good with armed combat and chakra control. I'm afraid though." Kokkei spoke up from high above not looking down to see who was actually there though.

"Aha! About time you found me." Ashura suddenly exclaimed, walking over to a girl with long silver hair. The girl was walking towards the group with a small backpack hanging over her shoulder. The girl looked up and smiled. Ashura dragged her over to introduce her friend. "This is Isuzaru." Ashura said, actually smiling.

Rayne had been idly wondering where she was going to build her new home, but a certain voice caught her attention. She spied Kokkei's feet dangling over the edge of a large clover. She raised an eyebrow, "You'r also good at destroying things Kokkei, don't forget that! It's one of things your really good at." She waited for him to look over the edge of the clover to see who spoke.

"Not all the time." Kokkei responded without much thought. Then it struck him as he rolled over and retrieved his shirt he had removed in order to try and catch a tan. "Wait how do you know my na........" About that time he had looked over and noticed who the speaker was, his face froze in surprise.

Rayne watched in slight hesitation as Kokkei looked at her from over the edge of the giant clover. She was suddenly for the first time in her journey to find him, unsure of herself. She started playing with the long strands of her white-blond hair. She continued to stare at him, wondering what was going through his head, how he might respond, what he would do. "How could I not know your name Kokkei?"

Goma looked back and forth "I missed something.." he shifted around in his cloak a bit "Since when were there girls here..not that I'm complaining." He smiled at the women politely.

Kokkei dropped from the clover his shirt forgotten. He hit the ground in a crouch, his scythe slung across his back. He slowly brought his gaze upwards to meet Rayne's. He stayed back about five feet as if unsure how to proceed. "I cant say im not happy to see you but i have to wonder under what pretenses. Did The chikage send you after me?"

Aki coughed. "well, I was kicked from a village, but it wasnt for Ninja... Its kinda complicated. And thank you for the sweet comment, but I can handle rough. im not as soft as you might think of me..." Aki smiled a little and walked around in a circle.

Rayne's face darkened at the mention of the Chikage and she went slightly rigid. She continued to play with her hair before looking at him, "I was ordered to. But after I said no, I was called a traitor. I tried to kill the Chikage, but only manged to nick their neck...and I've been searching for you ever since..its been a very long time." She stranded her hair through her fingers, deftly weaving it into a small braid without looking at it, wondering what he would say.

Kokkei embraced Rayne with a hug before awkwardly catching himself when he realized the impulse he had just acted on. He quickly backed away with an forced cough. "Um well...welcome to the village." The he shot off upwards to retrieve his shirt more of excuse actually.

For just a moment, Rayne felt the heat of Kokkei's skin under her fingers as she hugged him. But it quickly left as he rocketed to the clover he had been on moments before. She went back to playing with her hair, unsure of how to proceed. Normally she would have killed any man who touched her in such a familiar way, but Kokkei was a friend. She raised her eyes to his resting spot, and waited.

"I was just being quiet. I'm a little relieved at least that you're not a pervert, unlike the one that brought me here." Ashura said loudly enough so Xerin could hear her. The look on her face was clearly one that proved she was still pissed at him. She looked over at Aki and grinned widely, but it looked more like it belonged to someone mentally unstable, or just cruel. "I could be your teacher... wouldn't guarantee you would like it though. Ow!" she said and rubbed her arm, looking over at Isuzaru who had punched it. "What, it's true! And what better would you do, you're a selective mute!" she said. Isuzaru just shrugged and looked back at Goma.

Xerin let out a large sigh."I'm not a pervert. If anyone is a pervert its..you know what, Goma shes all yours to show around the village." Xerin continued into the village towards his house. Xerin's house looked like a mini traditional Japanese shogun manor, that set atop a smaller clover tree, connecting to another lager one just a tad higher up with a rope bridge, on this clover laid a small Dojo.

Aki giggled."At least the people here are lively, not dead weights, like the last place I whent by." Aki smiled." I truly appreciate your hospitality. And Ill pay you back whatever way I can."

Rayne watched for any sign of Kokkei but when he didn't show again she nodded to the others and set off further into the village. She walked slowly, taking in the sites around her as she looked around the village. Mostly she was looking for a place to live, or to find a space to make her own home. Not finding anything that would satisfy her tastes, she stopped by a bar, noting that it was quite a respectable looking place. She walked inside, taking a seat at a secluded table, and ordered a glass of Sake, when it arrived she sipped it slowly letting the warmth flow over her tongue.

Ziar dragged his feet and himself into the bar and went straight to the counter."I'll take three bottles of sake to start with." he then went and sat down behind Rayne's table his back to hers. "So why are you ruining you liver young lady?"

Rayne didn't even move, she kept sipping her sake, washing the warm liquid over her tongue. It was a few seconds before she answered, speaking softly. "I can't ruin my liver..but thats beside the point. Why am I drinking, is what you should be asking." She raised an eyebrow as she wondered why she was answering him, but let it go when she spoke again, "It has been a long day, therefore, to wind it down. I require either Sake, Rain, or White Wine. These things bring me at ease." She let her words die down as she took more of her Sake into her mouth, relishing the warmth.

"Ah, but only those who have something to be eased need those things. So the question indeed is why, such a young flower needs to drink or stand in the rain?" Ziar's sake arrived and he began drinking it straight from the bottle.

Rayne was loath to answer him, but she was also seemingly compelled to. But before she did, she heard him drinking from a bottle. "I will only answer you if you tell me something." She grabbed a few strands of her hair with her free hand and twirled them in her fingers, "Is that warm Sake? Or cold?" She said nothing else as she drank the last of her glass, setting it down with a soft clink.

"For now its warm, but if my mood changes the next round will be cold. You do know its rude though to ask of something from a stranger." Ziar placed his sake on the table with a quite thunk.

Rayned raised an eyebrow as she listened to him. She was quiet a moment before returning his comment, "If it is rude, then why ask why I try to kill my liver? But you did answer my question, so I will answer yours." She motioned for another sake before speaking, "The world I live in, as any world that is lived in, is a hard place to be. There are expectations, there are hopes or dreams. But most of all, there are fears, and death. Hatred, and anger,jealousy and rage. Things that must be hid, things that must be tamed. These three things are my only way of not going insane with myself.." She stopped speaking once her Sake arrived, and sipped it quietly.

Ziar put down his sake with a loud thunk. "I do not like being told I am contradicting myself. I am your elder missy which entitles me special privileges. Like asking youngsters why they are wasting away in a bar instead of living. Yes the world is hard, but it is nothing compared to what I have to deal with. Hardships pfft, come back after 50 years and then tell me about hardships, but even then you still will be but a tadpole." Ziar took a big swig of his sake finishing off his 1st bottle and starting on the second.

Rayne didn't respond for a time, her mind swirling with her own thoughts. She hardly reacted to his statement, knowing it was true, and no use arguing over it. She sipped her Sake again before replying, "Age isn't a factor. Hardships are hardships no matter who has them or what they are. I may not be alive in fifty years, I could be dead. For the matter at hand, I live day to day, and this, is how I choose to end my day. Sitting in a bar, sipping quietly on warm Sake." She finished speaking motioning for one last sake and her bill.

Ziar stood up and walked over to the young woman. "Aye, I will give you that. Hardships can happen at anytime, but if you lived a life like mine you learn most of them weren't so bad." Ziar walked up to the bar and asked for some cold sake to go.

Rayne watched as the man walked up to the bar before nursing he last glass of Sake. She sipped it slowly, taking her time, not wanting to rush it. She had appreciated the conversation, but at the same time was slightly confused by it. She shook her head slowly, letting her hair move in the process, covering her eyes with her bangs. She continued to drink her sake, not watching anyone in the bar, save for the liquid in her glass.

Ziar started heading to towards the door and went past the young lady on his way out. "Next time don't drink alone. It always makes you think instead of live. Oh and I was very rude to you, my name is Ziar Zenpachi. It was nice talking with you." he smiled a soft, gentle, sad smile. Though he looked like a handsome 20 year old man, he had lived a longer life then that it appeared.

Rayned raised her eyebrow as the man spoke to her, it was a few seconds before she replied, "Ziar, my name is Rayne..my clan name is unimportant. Though, if time allows, I might tell it to you." As she mulled over his words she nodded, "This is true, I might have to find a drinking partner, or suffer drinking alone." She gave him a half smile, only the corners of her lips turning.

Ziar heard her words but did not really acknowledge them. "You should always be proud of your name, even if your not proud of the people who share it." he walked outside and just kind of disappeared to the wind.

Rayne nodded absently to herself, hearing his words but not wishing to say anything of them. She contented herself by finishing off her Sake and remained sitting for a time. She said nothing to anyone, but did leave out the correct money for her bill. She idly traced different marks on the table as she lost herself to her thoughts.

Xerin came into the bar after seeing Ziar leave and notice Rayne. he then sat down at her table. "I hope Ziar isn't rubbing off on you in the wrong way." he said with a slight smile. "You look deep in thought is everything allright?"

Rayne looked up upon hearing Xerin's voice. She was slightly surprised to see him there, but didn't let it show. "No..Ziar did not bother me..I am..thinking of other things..." She sat back in her chair, playing with her hair, "I am...well...I am thinking of things that led me here, and upon actions I have taken in the past. I am unsure if it is safe to remain in one place long.."

"I see, well you are always welcome to come and go as you please, but I will do all I can to protect everyone in the village and keep it a safe haven. I hope I never fail in protecting you." Xerin said without thinking. "Of coarse by you I mean the villagers." he smiled half-assed and thought I hope shes not paying to much attention or thought into what I say.

Without even realizing it, Rayne cracked the smallest of smiles at Xerin, nodding slightly at him, before her face went back to its usual passiveness. "Thank you Xerin, but it is not you or the village I fear for. It is myself, and my actions of that past, which may bring repercussions on myself and those I hold dear." She leaned back, staring out the window next to her table.

Xerin wasn't sure what to say. As a kage he wanted to inspire and protect everyone, but as Xerin he wanted to protect and cheer up her."Well then I'll protect you from yourself, and I'm pretty much unkillable. So no worries there." he smiled.

Rayne raised an eyebrow, her fingers stopped moving through her hair. "That is a large task, Xerin Kage. Do not say something like that unless you plan to do so. I mean no disrespect, but you are young, and there are many things you don't know of about me." She went back to playing with her hair, though her eyes stayed on Xerin.

"Yes but that should only prove my potential and strength. I will protect you." Xerin paused for a moment and stood up." Just as I'll protect all my nakama! As for the things I do not know. I hope to earn them in due time." Xerin sat back down.

Goma looked about for a moment then twisted around "I suppose I should show you around like he asked." he said quietly still wrapped up in his cloak.

Ashura nodded. "Sounds like a plan then. Maybe you can explain to me about the village itself?"

"There isn't much to know about the village. Most of these clovers were here before..but I have tended to them since I arrived, I'm the gardener I suppose." Goma reached out with his left arm from under his cloak touching one of the smaller clovers. The Plant reacted to his touch and began to grow rapidly until he was satisfied with its size. "I don't pay attention to much else around here, The construction has had me flustered,and It hasn't been too long since I got back from a long term mission."

Ashura looked around. "Well if you need help, Isuzaru and I will be happy to help." she said.

Isuzaru merely nodded with a small smile.

"Unfortunately Xerin-sama, Rayne is not one that needs protection, but guidance instead." The curtains parted as Kokkei, bowed and made his way inside showing his respect for the new Kage. He then sat down next to Rayne without actually looking at her and the waiter immediately handed him a steaming cup of jasmine tea which he began to lap at sparingly.

"Though we are ninja's and outcast from the rest of the world. Ease dropping is still rude. Just because were evil, doesn't mean we have to throw manners out the window, but I am the Kage and its my duty to protect everyone including you Kokkei. Now I shall leave you two to talk. I'm sure you have some catching up to do." Xerin smiled, stood up, and bowed. Then he vanished into a void.

Rayne had not expected Kokkei to appear or to have apparently followed her into the bar. She instantly killed the thought, knowing this must be one of the few bars, and he must be a regular, seeing as he was recognized and served immediatly. Rayne motioned for the waitress and ordered another three glass' of warm Sake. As she waited she didn't speak, but was acutely aware of Kokkei sitting next to her, sipping, or lapping, at his tea. Her hand continued to play in her hair, twirling the white-blond hair around her fingers.

Kokkei took a sip without noticing the jab. He hadnt been eves dropping he had just walked in on the last sentence. "So Rayne, what made you leave the village and seek me out?" He placed the cup down with both hands and turned to look at her, her finger still in mid twirl.

At that question her hand froze in her hair. She knew he would ask, it wasn't like he would just accept her being there. She let her hair fall back down and cupped both her hands around her glass of warm sake. It was silent for a moment, before she spoke, barely in a whisper, but loud enough for his ears alone to hear. "After you broke free...I was punished severely..they thought I had helped you escape. They...put me in your cell...and made it into hell. I was tortured endlessly for days at a time. They thought I knew where you had gone, or where you were headed." Her fingers twitched as she flashed back to that metal box that had become her living hell. She took a moment before speaking again, "After..it was deduced I had no hand in your escape, they stopped torturing me, but left me locked up for another month...or was it a year?" A sick laugh escaped her before she silenced it with her sake. Setting her drink back down she spoke again, "When they finally let me out. I went straight to the Kage..I was to stand before him and apologize for letting you escape and to pledge myself to finding you and bringing you back, dead or alive." Her glass shook now, her fingers and arms trembling, with rage, or fear, it was uncertain. "I stood before him, the Kage, his council, and the top Shinobi...and was being forced to beg for forgiveness." She was silent a moment her breath shaky, "But...I didn't. I refused..and then...I tried to kill them all." For the first time, a wane smile lit up her face, making her look slightly crazed, "I killed all of the Shinobi in an instant. Dead before they knew what was happening...I was the village secret, they didn't know what I could do..I managed to kill maybe two or three council members...before I turned on the Kage." Her cup shook violently as she forced the grin to stay on her face, "I had him trapped..trapped like a fly in a web. But...I could not kill him..the bastard had a child in front of him...a little girl...and used her as a shield. I fled...and left destruction in my wake...the village didn't know what had hit or what happened. Before they could figure it out. I was gone." Finally under the pressure of her fingers, the glass fractured and warm sake spilled over her table. With a muffled curse she waved a waitress over and offered a hushed apology but it was waved away by the cheerful girl who cleaned up the mess and brought her another one on the house. Sighing to herself Rayne stared at the golden liquid in her cup, "You ask why I came looking for you? Because..I don't know who I am without you....all the time we spent together, you made me realize, I didn't have to fear them..I didn't have to hide..I didn't have to fear what I could do. I looked for you.. because I don't think I want to be without you." She hissed softly as some of her sake spilled onto her finger, which she had not realized were bleeding. With a curse she raised her fingers to study the the glistening red cuts on them to see how bad they were cut.

Kokkei had expected something, anything but the story that had just been laid out before him. Rayne, the only company and root of sanity he had had in that dark room of purgatory, they had put her through the same hell but without even someone to confide in. They had lived through damnation, twenty foot thick walls, ten by ten feet, no windows and only a small bulb to illuminate the recesses of the void. His only tie to the world was the small slitted window and the guard that didnt see him as a monster. Those long talks... she had eventually even ventured inside. She had helped him calm the voices, the insanity, the chaos that pulsed through his veins. But she had none of that, only the company of the staining blackness of madness, she was forced through that which no being could endure. And it was his fault every bit his fault. His eyes fell back to the cup, his free hand reaching out and resting on the shoulder of the only friend he had ever had and yet caused so much pain. His next whisper was all he could manage. "Im.... sorry Rayne."

Goma turned back towards the girls for whom now he was responsible. "Any questions about this place?" he asked them both, Hoping maybe he'd find out where to take them next. He was pretty clueless as to what Xerin wanted him to do with them.

Isuzaru looked at Ashura, and Ashura nodded to something no one could hear. Ashura turned her head to Goma with a grin. "Do you have any training grounds set up yet?" she asked.

"Nothing for the village yet,But I have something...special I suppose." He beckoned for them to follow him as he walked off towards a home on the furthest side of the village.

Isuzaru followed eagerly, curious at what he could possible show them.

Ashura followed quietly, hands in her pockets. She was looking around, taking in everything as she walked. She noted even the smallest details.

Goma opened the door to his home and lead them to back, where there was
a vast obstacle course full of spinning gadgets and other such hindrances. "First I want you to run the course,it shouldn't be too hard for ninja's such as your selves" He had a smiled widely and lead them to the start.

Isuzaru ran ahead, already going for it. Ashura, however, was a little more lazy about it. She studied it first, watching Isuzaru run the course. Isuzaru looked back at Ashura at one point, looking a little confused. Ashura looked at Goma. "She wants to know if she's allowed to use her sword at any point."

"I'd prefer you not destroy the course I have something different in mind." Goma answered.

Rayne, stared blankly at her bleeding finger tips, the hand on her shoulder felt like fire. The whispered apology was like a cool breeze on her skin. She had never blamed Kokkei for anything that had happened to her. If anything it was her own doing, she had only managed to keep herself sane in that hell hole, by giving herself the same talks that she had given Kokkei, but by pretending it was him giving her the speeches. Without even taking a breath her finger tips were glazed over with a shiny coat of some substance. She placed one of her hands over the one on her shoulder, "It wasn't your fault....and don't ever think it was." She spoke softly, taking time to say every word.

Kokkei stood taking her bleeding hand. "Come on lets get you to a doctor." He was gentle with his touch, something she had taught him. "At least you gave those bastards something to fear." He managed a smile in an attempt to bring her out of the slump, refering to the council. He softly lifted her hand to coax her to stand.

Rayne stood slowly letting Kokkei lead her, she left bills on the table for her tab. "I don't need a doctor...I wouldn't mind getting out of here though." She slowly brought up her hands revealing her fingers had sealed shut. "Thank you though...for the thought..is..there a place we can go? I am afraid I don't know anything about this village."

"I actually built a small place at the top of one of the clovers. We can go there." Kokkei walked a short way to a tall stalk, he looked up to point out a kind of inverted tree house about the size of a small cabin built under one of the leaves. "Its isolated so no one gets hurt if i.... lose myself." His feet shimmered slightly as he planted one on the stalk and started to walk right up the clover.

Rayne nodded, watching Kokkei slowly as he acended the stalk. She watched him walk for a time before she pressed her own foot against the stalk, then her other. Then she slowly ascended the stalk a little bit behind Kokkei, her eyes trained on his back, then his neck, his hair, watching his movement. She knew what it felt like for him to lose himself, it had happened a few times to her in that hell hole. But luckily she had never man aged to hurt someone. She shook those thoughts away as she continued to watch him as they ascended the large clover.

Soon Kokkei was right under a hatch in the floor which he swung open allowing Rayne to enter first for politeness. As soon as one entered they would notice a carpeted floor, pale walls and moderate furnature. A hammock hung in the corner serving as a sleep area a mattress under it in case someone fell or perhaps for company. A table with sink and a small four burner stove sat in a corner next to a door that would be assumed to hold a tub and shower, It seemed like a normal small apartment if not that it was built in the air. Kokkei headed to a small drawer retrieving a pair of tweezers. "i know your fast healing has already sealed it but we still need to get the glass out." He took her hand and placed it palm up on the table awaiting her permission.

Rayne had already entered and was looking around, feeling, slightly at home in the cottage. She ran her hands through her hair, letting her fingers play with the slightly curled edges of her hair. Upon hearing Kokkei's words and he gesture she nodded to him. "The shards should be near the top layer of skin."

He gently went to work grasping each piece with precision removing each shard one by one until there were only small shallow cuts left. "Well that should be all i think." He leaned back sweeping the shards into a trash can.

Rayne nodded, having hardly blinked as her fingertips were cleared of all shards. She waited a few seconds, and the cuts on her fingertips became slightly glittery and translucent. It was another moment before she drew her hands back to herself and settled them in front of her. "Thank you..."

Kokkei turned back to the stove immediately chopping some vegies and chicken from the fridge and sauteing them in a pan, a pot of rice boiling at its side. He spoke over his shoulder as he cooked. "Make yourself at home, your more than welcome to stay if you want." His scythe he had retrieved with a gloved hand and placed in the corner in a clear spot as if reserved only for it. "I think you might have spent to much time around the Scythe when you guarded it and myself. Its contagious you know, the insanity that it contains." He laughed to himself slightly. "It might damn well be whats wrong with the both of us." After a slight pause he continued. "Tell me, whats it like for you? To become possessed by the chaos..." He never turned to her, instead he continued to make their dinner, his shoulders laxed, voice curious.

Rayne had watched Kokkei move to the stove, never breaking his movements as he went along. At his request she moved herself to a soft cushion on the floor, her legs curled under her as she stared out a window. When his next question came she wasn't at all surprised by it, she was expecting it. It took her a moment to collect her thoughts before she spoke, "It...it's as if..my mind...explodes within itself, heat and flame, water and ice, burning and freezing at once. My thoughts become blurs, and naught else but destruction and death of whatever targest lay before me." She stopped a moment, her fingers curling around her strands of hair, "I...my body flows like liquid metal, straiking and causing nothing but death around me. I drink it all like it is wine, letting it cover me with its red destruction..and not a care in the world for those around me..it is...exhilirating..and terrifying at the same time.."

He flipped the contents into the air, his wrist articulating the pan lick an extension of his own arm. The chicken and vegetable mixture landed softly into two beds of rice laid out on two blue and white plates. He laid them between the two on the empty counter. He turned and opened the firdge once more to retrieve a vase like picture and a two small cups with which he poured a glass of sake and another of tea. He placed them before her and sat himself. "Its intoxicating isnt it? The raw power of chaos? But its so peaceful outside of that world."

Rayne nodded slowly, understanding what Kokkei was saying. "It is...but it isn't something I enjoy..I abhore not having complete and total control of myself...I fear what I do unchecked, so it is why I have such control.." She grabbed the glass of Sake and sipped it, blanching slightly at the coldness of it. Not wanting to appear rude she downed the entire glass in one swallow before setting the glass down softly, "I don't....I don't think I could ever willingly lose myself in the chaos. I just can't....I'm....too dangerous.."

Kokkei finished chewing a piece of chicken and polity wiped his mouth with a handkerchief before responding. "You know, your the only reason i have any calmness at all. This whole persona is your creation actually. The serine calmness, the clearness of thoughts..." He sipped his tea thoughtfully his eyes wandering away. A gentle breeze wafted through the window playing with his hair, his green eyes reflecting the pool of tea in front of his mouth hovering just inches away. "Thank you." He reached across the table taking her hand in his, his eyes trying to lock hers. "I want to return the favor."

Rayne had silently been poking and tasting her food, she wasn't unaware of the things going on around her, and she heard every word being said to her. She even felt Kokkei take her hand, and try to catch her eyes. She finaly obliged and turned her eyes to his. She listened carefully and nodded, her cold eyes staring into his, warming slightly turning warmer by the second. Finally her eyes resembled soft purple petals. "Thank you...."

Kokkei smiled a bit the first in a long while before sweeping up his plate and depositing it in the dishwasher. He sauntered over to his hammock and laid down nonchalantly. "I think im going to relax and clear my mind for a bit. My place is your place Ryane." He added to let her know she was free to do as she liked.

---

Genji walked into the bar and sat down in a dark corner after ordering some Sake, he looked around at all of the happy faces which made him sick so he just looked down at his table.

A man in a Akatsuki robe and a straw hat with white clothe tassels covering his face walked into the tavern and sat down at the empty seat across from Genji, at first the man didn't say a word then he spoke in a deep voice. "Waitress give us a bottle of sake, my friend here is paying."

---

Continue to V.H.A.C rp3


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