Koi ni ochiiru (Invite Only)

[Gothic Shujin]

*Prologue* (a not so brief history )

During the reign of the shogun of the dark, and after the fall of the tokugawa government a new dynasty was forged in the ashes of the old using the blood of honorable warriors with a code named bushido...these men were samurai....

Of all the new samurai clans three stood out above any...

The Kuroi (black)
The Nanoka (the seventh)
and the Shinu (to die)...

Each surviving for more than 200 generations they had defended the honor of their daimyos and withstood the test of steel and time...through the reign of 4 shoguns...

During the summer of yet another year, however, something changed. Tensions between the new government and powerful Daimyo erupted and samurai found themsevles in the role of wanted men. Around this time the shogun's hand was persuaded to enlist the aid of exceptional men...men with inhuman physcial abilities to battle the samurai. The skills of these men were so horrific they were labled "Demons" by their adversaries...

For 100 years fires burned and battles were fought through the descendent Lord's land as young Daimyo inheritors of samurai houses fought for control of the shogun's new government, piting samurai against demon. The majority of the shogun's samurai were defeated by the Shinu...the bloodiest and oldest of the clans...in turn Ninjitsu mercenaries became the new foot soilders in the shogun's armies.

In an elaborate set up the Sninu were crippled by a fledgling demon clan named the "Ha" (blade). Over the next few years the remaining Shinu were mowed down like wheat during harvest, leaving only two great samurai houses remaning, once all others had perished as well.

Those using the honorless skills of Ninjitsu were regarded in the lowest esteem by those of the code. The Nanoka set out to destroy the shogun's new forces of Ninja with help from the Kuroi clan. 30 years later they wre no match for the sheer numbers of the breeding demons and secret arts of the now highly trained Ha clan.

It wasnt even 20 years after that, that the Nanoka had fallen as well, wiped out leaving only a handfull of proud Kuroi to fend for themselves....the last Daimyo, the Kuroi house leader, was still adament on oppossing the Shogun....he devised a final desperate plan to turn the tide of the endless war. However in underestimating the near supernatural powers of the now demon strenth ninja clans, the Kuroi were forced to surrender and summarily put to death.

The Shogun...tho on his deathbed due to illness...had won...his son prepared to take his place on the throne of this new dynasty. The name of Samurai was now a thing of the legend...attached to a noteriety...as ninjas and demons were written as the heros...

The era of honor had ended...

And an industrial age of greed, sex and political corruption had begun...



*One* (A master and student)

Shizuma Kusanagi
Age: 23.
Height: 5' 10"
Build: Athletic w/scars all over body. Slightly tanned skin.
Appearance: Kusanagi wears a bandana w/ the Kuroi Hiragana on it. It obscures most of his eyes. His black hair is long and spikey...tied in a single tail and draped to one side. He also wears a modern japanese school style jacket with the sleaves rolled up and large baggy traditional samurai pants. On his back and waist he wears a sword and on his face Kusanagi bears a scar from a fight w/ the "Ha" clan's leader...whom Kusanagi lost to.
Bio: Kusanagi is the last known member of the Kuroi style samurai clan. the rival faction (the dreaded clan of "Ha" ninjas) has wiped out all others...his parents were executed for aiding in the final assualt on the shogun during the battle of Hon muru'. His mother was a demon turned samurai and his father was a samurai with demon attributes...giving him demonic genes.
Kusanagi, after the death of his parents, was raised by members of the shogonate, who tried to beat the code of bushido out of him and when he was old enough to understand the truth about how corrupt the new shogun was he escaped during a bloody battle and began searching for any Kuroi that survived...
Years had passed and he had gained renown and reputation for his skills with a blade....while passing through a small town he found a young woman that a group of demons were trying to rape...he dealt with them fataly and now travels with her...she has lately been begging him to teach her the art of the blade, to which he has refused...



* * *

Shizuma Kusanagi stood at the top of the large hill...looking down towards the smoke that lazily curled into the sky from a chimney...

He had been pondering if they should go to town...but hated society...it always caused him trouble...and any other Kuroi would also avoid others as much as he did...since the samurai was a concept few understood anymore....

The two of them DID need some food...and he needed to pawn some of the skins he had taken from the beasts they had met on their travels....the girl looked hungry....tho to him she always did.

He sighed....with his hand stroking his chin...

"What do you think?" he asked her....

(O.O.C.- Its all yours Ambrosia )

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

( Thanks Gothic !!! )

The student

Yiala Chanzgua
Age: 19
Height 5'5"
Build: slender, lithe, supple, a little powerhouse in a petite frame.. do not let her stature fool you.. she has the heart of a tiger in a kitten's body...

Appearance: She did not look as expected, did not show the heritage, the bloodlines that ran thru her veins. Born to human parents, with deep fire red hair, that hung to her waist.. often pulled back in a braid.. and flickering golden eyes.. her skin was unmarred save for the inking of a tatoo.. a golden and black rose.. that snaked just under her belly button... the meaning known only to her.. her clothing was simple.. loose black baggy pants.. that hid her form.. and a black tank top.. which clung to her.. it was what she was most comfortable in.. not liking the .. trappings of traditional garments.. she was all about comfort and ease of movement.. she kept her feet bare..

Bio: Born human.. to parents that were fortunate enough, at least in the beginning, to have escaped all that had happened and was happening around them.. They hated the world.. the greed... sex.. corruption... demons hailed as heros... the horrors that seemed to go on daily..

Establishing a farm.. away from all that.. this is where Yial was born and raised... she was strong from the work she did beside her father.. She was happy... staying away from others... being a loner.. only dealing with her parents... until the fateful day... the demons... those "heroic" demons.. came... her parents and baby brother.. slaughtered... she dragged from her home.. screaming.. fighting.. kicking... She had known of demons... of what was happening in the world around her.. but cared not.. and ignored... she did not want to know any more than she already did.. the ways of the Kuroi (black), The Nanoka (the seventh) and the Shinu (to die).. or the Ha (blade).. none of these clans meant anything to her.. little did she know her father's affiliation with one of them... the Kuroi clan... that would get her family killed... by the Ha clan.. and the demons within...

The Ha clan wasted little time, finding, and slaughtering her Father Shilro, her mother Milika, and her baby brother Sjinlo.. oh she was to die too.. but first she was dragged out.. taken to the village.. she would be an example to any that crossed the great Ha clan.. raped before them.. torn apart...

It was her screams had attracted him... her struggles that called to Him... and he came... who was he.. a hero.. a villian... mattered not to her... he came.. and saved her... It seemed to take mere moments for Him to dispatch of the demons... blood flew.. howls heard.. and all were dead... she... alive and breathing.. and owing him a debt.. the debt of her life.. she HATED owing a debt like she did now.. but she had no one now... and He was alone.. the pairing was made... she had no idea who this man was... that He was of the same clan that her father knew... that He was part Demon.. she hated demons.. she wanted to kill them all.. yet... the pairing was made... between the student.. and the Master..

**********************************

~ she steps up beside him.. gazing down at the small village in the valley before them... her golden hued eyes scanning.. slender fingers brushing back a stray tendril of her hair...

"we need food.. we need some kind of coin... this place is small.. quiet.. it is better to go into the village here than have to deal with a bigger one ... later... would you not agree? " she turns her eyes to him...

"Would it be better if I go... I can come back once I have sold the skins and got up some food.."
She had to wonder if he would trust her to come back.. but indeed she would.. she was in debt to him... and .. moreso.. she wanted him to teach her how to use the sword as he did.. he.. was amazing with it... she wanted to learn... was desperate to learn... she wanted to kill every demon she met.. and had to know how..

She could hold her own in a fight.. but that was using her fists...nails... kicking.. biting.. scratching... she desperately wanted to learn how to fight with a blade.... but he continuely said NO... and she in her stubborness.. continued to ask... ~

 

[Tanuki]

Aya Murasaki

On her 20th birthday, the young ninja from the Ha clan, Aya Murasaki, was called before her master, Lord Yoshida, the son of the dying Shogun. As she waited nervously in the audience chamber of the powerful lord, she wondered why she of all the ninja had been called to meet her master for the first time. Since leaving the side of her former master and trainer, Shizuma Kasunagi, she had excelled in learning the ninja arts, and her abilities rivaled those of the best male ninjas.

The slender girl was dressed in the black garb of her clan, a tight-fitting cloth that revealed the curves of a woman, but a body honed by relentless practice in the ninja arts. Her skill had earned her the right not to wear a hood, leaving her face and shiny black hair uncovered. Her shoulder-length hair was wound tightly by a red silk ribbon into a short, thick ponytail. Her arms were bare from the shoulder down, while her forearms down to her leather gloves were covered in black see-through netting. Strapped vertically behind her back was her ninja sword, crafted by a captured master sword maker, and strong enough to withstand prolonged combat with a katana. Other ninja weapons and tools were hidden in the folds of her clothing.

Aya sensed his presence before she saw the lord enter the room. She kept her eyes down toward the floor, where she kneeled awaiting his command.

"Rise, ninja," said the voice, now in front of her. His voice was deep, with a hint of condescension. He was a proud warrior himself, even if he used the ninja to do his bidding. "Look at me."

She raised her eyes to see a tall, powerful figure standing before her, more than a head taller and twice her mass. She felt small in his presence, as she often did around male warriors, but as usual she was able to stiffle her instinctual fear. Like most men, his eyes widened as he took in her curvaceous figure and pretty face, but his smile faded as he saw the cold, hard look in her large brown eyes. She'd learned the importance of quickly dissuading a man from amorous thoughts, and a cold, murderous look usually did the trick.

"I see why he was tempted by you," said Yoshida, his sinuous arms crossed in front of his chest, his eyes looking her up and down. "And I trust he will be tempted yet again at the sight of you. They tell me you have grown more beautiful since you left the samurai order."

Aya's eyes narrowed when she realized he was talking about Kasunagi. She'd fallen in love with her former master, and even at the thought of him, her heart constricted in her chest. She'd fought hard to forget her doomed love affair from the past, and her blood boiled to hear her new master speak of the subject.

"Yes, you know of whom I speak," said the man, a wicked grin appearing on his hard face. "It is the reason you appear before me."

Aya couldn't contain her surprise, but she said nothing.

"I want you to kill your former master, and lover," he said, eyeing her carefully. "And I want him to die painfully."

Emotions roiled through the girl, and she felt a bit lightheaded. Quickly she fought to control her breathing in the ninja way. Realizing he was awaiting her response, she spoke, her voice tight, "Yes, master."

Yoshida was no fool. "I see, my order disturbs you. It is as I thought, a female is too emotional for this duty, I shall give it to your male counterparts." He began to turn away.

Aya quickly looked up to meet his gaze. "No, master! I shall do it!" she blurted, her mind clearing again. "No one can do this but me. He . . . . would die in great shame, if he were slain my a woman." Aya hated to say such a thing, for many men had died at her hand, and felt no shame. But she suspected the idea might appeal to the son of the Shogun. He was not known to hold female warriors in high regard.

Lord Yoshida turned back to face her, his eyebrow raised. "Hmm, yes, that is why I thought of you. Were the great Kasunagi to be slain by a mere female, it would send a powerful demoralizing blow to his people." He paused in thought, looking down at her. "Very well, you will kill him, but if you fail me . . . I will make you a slave for the amusement of the demon hordes. They will be most pleased to have a female ninja to play with."

Aya stiffened visibly as she thought of the lewd demons. She fought to control her breathing again, then nodded. "Y-yes, master. I will not fail." She hated him for his cruel grin as he turned away. She had to fight her hand to keep it from slipping inside her tunic for the wicked looking shuriken she kept there.

Then he was gone, leaving her alone.

Aya let out a deep breath and sank to her knees to pray for guidance. When her lord had suggesting sending a team of ninjas to slay her former master, her heart had nearly seized up in fear. She'd convinced him to give her the task, but now she wondered about her own motives? Did she volunteer out of desire to kill him, or for some other reason? She would need to clear her mind of such thoughts before she faced a fighter like her former master, or she wouldn't last a second.

 

[Gothic Shujin]

Kusanagi

The Samurai wanderer looked at his small but fiery companion... Yiala had been pestering him to learn the ways of the blade and the code of the samurai... a thing of the past...but he knew she was still far to undisciplined and vengefull for it. He turned back to the the civilitaton below the foot of the large hill... contemplating the possible trouble that could find them withen...

"No...you will not go. Its not that i dont think you could get food or beg for some coin...its just that i dont like the idea of you running into trouble without me knowing it. By now...my reputation has reached here...and its possible that those looking for me know i am with a young girl of your description...," he stopped for a moment... "Scratch that...actually...there IS something i need you to do...alone and quickly...go down there and get a disquise....nothing fancy...just the first pair of robes or large covering clothing you can find..."

 

[Tanuki]

It was him, she was sure of it. Aya watched the two figures as they stood at the outskirts of the village. It had been five years since she'd seen her former master. From this distance, she couldn't see his face, but she knew that stance, the bearing of a man of incomparable skill and strength. The emotions welled up in her belly; a childhood crush, spurned by the warrior who'd been her teacher. Aya pushed the emotions aside, using her breathing exercises to still her mind.

The figures were walking towards her, towards the village where she was hidden. Through a crack in the wood of an old attic, she watched them. Over the many days it had taken to find her former master, Aya had pondered how to kill him. For a lesser man, she could use an arrow, dipped in the blood of the rock scorpion. But Kasunagi would never fall for such an amateurish attack. Nor could she kill him with her sword. Though she was eager to test herself against his famous katana, Aya was no fool. It would take all her guile and ninja trickery to defeat the Kuroi samurai.

Who was the woman? she thought, her eyes narrowing. Another Kuroi? There were so few left. A lover perhaps? Aya felt her blood boil. She had never killed a woman, but she felt the urge now. Patience, she thought. A skill she'd learned in her samurai training, and honed as a ninja, waiting in total stillness for hours to spring an ambush. If she could separate them . . . Aya watched intently through the crack in the wall.

 

[AmbrosiaCaress]

"There IS something i need you to do...alone and quickly...go down there and get a disquise....nothing fancy...just the first pair of robes or large covering clothing you can find..."

"As You wish" was her answer. Was He testing her? Not allowing her to forge ahead too far, but trusting her to perhaps quickly find what was needed? Was He testing her loyalty? Her resolve? Her cunning? Her stealth? Mattered not, she would pass all tests, simply to please Him...

Yiala all but disappeared into the foliage that surrounded them, easily making her way down into the valley where the small village stood. She would stay to the perimeter, to venture deeper within would only heighten the chances of her being seen, or caught. Her downfall was her long crimson mane, which stood out, whether in daylight, nightfall, of the dusk in between. Hence why she kept it pulled back and in a tight braid.

It was easy enough to locate cloaks. The weather was cool and wet, and many people used cloaks to keep themselves warm and dry. It was early morning this day, the sun just peaking up over the horizon, and many had laid out their cloaks to warm and dry as the sun ascended the shy. She found 2, dark, soft, perhaps belonging to a man and his son, judging by the color, females tending to prefer lighter, more feminine colors, but not her. This would do just fine, and she quickly, and quietly, took her found treasures and made her way back up the hillside, to Him.

She paused in her step, getting the distinct feeling of being watched, her skin chilled, a shiver slowly working thru her. Turning, she looked, her own eyes seeking those that gazed upon her, but found none, none that she could see. But the sensation would not leave her....

Approaching Him, she whispered "I think we are being... observed... but I can not pin point from where" She was disappointed in herself that she could not detect who, from where. "be on Your Guard..." she warned, meeting the eyes of her Mentor, her Partner, her Saviour, for that was what He was to her, and Yiala found herself feeling emotions that begun to .... frighten her... emotions she chose to ignore.. for now..

 

[Gothic Shujin]

Kusanagi

He watched the image of his companion making her way into the outer rim of the town, she was steathy and smart about her approach but still much more clumsy than he would of liked... it was understood... while able to fend for herself, the girl would still stick out like a sore thumb to someone looking for the right things.

That was the idea...

He didnt like using her as bait, but if he felt it was dangerous, he wouldnt do it. Kusanagi could of reached her quickly... tracking her movements at all times and confident that if there was a problem she would never be in any real harm's way... but still, it was a gamble.

Suddenly it paid off.

Surveying the village proved futile... not only did a great manner of the townsfolk dress alike (in the kinds of cloaks that Yiala was now bringing them) but there were so many at this time of day, it was quite difficult to find anything out of the ordinary. The last Kuroi used his half demon blood to focus his attention towards rooftops and windows... when he suddenly caught a glimpse of something shiny withen a tiny dark whole of a wooden attic.

Normally he would dismiss it, but Kusanagi always followed his instincts. Something was wrong... a second flicker of something reflecting light, confirmed his suspitions. While his companion started back towards him... he wondered who had found them so quickly.

"I think we are being... observed... but I can not pin point from where, be on Your Guard..."

He decided there was no need to worry her, if she panicked she would loose her edge... besides for now, appearing to spring the trap would serve them better, and he wasnt entirely confident in Yiala's ability to act oblivious.

"Your just imagining things... keep your focus and attention on the facts... we need some food and possibly some information.. follow me and stay close by..." he tried to comfort her with a kind smile...then took the aquired cloth from her.

He headed down into town, after putting on the cloak and pulling down the hood to conceal as much of his face as possible