Nothing tastes sweeter. (Open)

[Ketsueki Satou]

What drawl way of looking at things, on a night like this. Snow, laughter and gifts abound. When all but one single demon was standing in the distance of a poorly lit street corner, his deep sagged glowing red eyes glared through the fluffing white snow fall. Watching from across the street, a sight of merry making and joy. Through a window he watched a family unwrap gifts from one another to one another. Their eyes lighting up, the smiles that brimmed when finding the gift they wanted, frowning only slightly at lesser gifts.

Satou stood for a few minutes, but soon felt out of place in this decorum of flashing holiday lights and strange figurines of seasons holiday here in Kumogakure. A part of him would have joined, but his fear was greater, winning him over to travel to one of the many bars that had lesser crowds.
A nice comfy home-like bar, the patron being an older weathered looking man behind the bar counter.

Satou looking up at the man when sitting on the cushioned red stool. "Something strong." His graveled voice mumbled. The bartender stared for a few moments then spoke up. "You look like sh#$, you doing alright?" It was somewhat a forward statement followed by a question. "I've had better days, and much worse." The demon in mans flesh smiled a fanged grin, the bartenders face paled a bit. Satou pulling the black sweater from his neck to reveal a torn up headband. "You one of them eh? Here." He slid a small bottle of liquor down the table which Satou catched with a lofted hand.

"I have a grandson who is in your line of work, the stories he brings home." The bartender shook his head in disbelief. "That bottle, on the house." He continued when Satou was pulling out a bit of Yen. Putting it away and giving a thankful acknowledging nod. "You insist." He breathed before hitting the bottle hard. The bartenders eyes widened when Satou polished the entire bottle of hard liquor in a few seconds pull.

Not even breathing through the nostrils as his lips left the rim and the empty glass hitting the counter. Thinking either Satou was going to be sick or fall off the stool, another surprise to the bartender that a man can still function after downing a full bottle in a short time like that. Satou gently slid the bottle down the counter along with a small purse of yen. "Keep em coming." He waved. His burning red eyes glowed in the dim lit room. The bartender felt a deep shiver up his spine. Trying to make levity of what he just witnessed. "Keep up like that and I'll have to close early tonight." Another full bottle of hard liquor slid down the counter slowly.

Satou motion his hand to the bottle and it shot violently across the counter to his awaiting hand, the top of the bottle cap torn off by unseen force, tipping the bottle back to anticipating lips. each swallow of the burning liquid quenched some of the equally burning pain running through him. The world around him slowly ebbing and eroding to a haze. sounds, noises became muffled. His vision blurring. The sweet bitterness of euphoria.
It was a gentle retreat for Satou, the heavy whispers in his mind bringing him back. Another empty bottle hit the counter. Slowly it inched along the counter. It wasn't sliding smoothly across, but was inch by inch pushed back to the bartender. "Another." Came the demons voice, more thicker this time. Whetted, still thirsty.

(mft)

 

[Kazu]

The door to the bar opens slowly, emitting a soft squeak as it's poorly oiled hinges strain under the weak amount of force. There was no burly or muscled man walking through the door frame, but instead a little boy. He couldn't have been older than an Academy Student. He had a light gray head of hair, with matching grey eyes that swept around the room curiously and inquisitively. The kid looked rather well-to-do, unlike the other vagabond children that ran around these streets at night. Except, of course, for the small scar that ran down the left side of his face. That one bit seemed out of place. He didn't look afraid as he walked in—he was just there. The kid paused for a moment upon walking into the establishment as if to gauge the feeling of the place. After a moment, the kid walked further up to the front of the bar. He noticed a man who seemed to be drinking very heavily off to his left, but he wasn't too much of the student's concern. He wanted to speak to the bartender. His head made it a bit over the bar top, but he still had to look up to speak to the barkeeper. "Excuse me sir, but do you have anything I could drink?" The bartender looked rather confusedly down at the child. "Kid, you know this is a bar, right? I can't serve alcohol to you." "No, not alcohol. Just something warm to drink." The bartender couldn't believe it. He chuckled a slight bit, amused at the situation that was unfolding. "What, do you want me to get you a glass of warm milk or something?" The kid's lips pursed slightly into a smile at that. "That would be wonderful, actually. Thank you!" The bartender had meant it as a joke, so when the kid took it literally he was a little unsure what to do. Pausing for a moment to just look at the kid, the bartender seemed to think about what he would do. Eventually he just decided to go with it, and went into the back to find some milk for the kid.

A few minutes later, and the man came back with the steaming milk. Handing it to the kid, he gave him a placid expression. "Careful, it's hot." Smiling, Ko gave him a thanks and took the glass over towards an open booth. It wasn't like that was hard to find, as there was a very small crowd of people there this evening. The young boy sat down in the cushioned seats, set the glass of milk down in front of him, procured a small black bound journal, and a pen as well. The kid opened it up, flipped through a couple of pages, and then began to scribble something. It was unclear if he was drawing something, writing something, or a combination of the two. What a curiosity the kid was.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

The sensation of drowning yourself in liquor gives you euphoric bliss. Indulging in the daze of his drunken stupor he barely noticed a kid showing up in a bar by himself. The demon noticed, and it gave Satou a mental jab. Feed me. It whispered in his ears. Of course in this stupor, his demonic influences were showing. Everyone in the room felt a sudden hanging of dread in their chests. Men drank more and acted agitated, while women in the room felt more skittish and nervous. Shut up.

His hands shaking, Satou had made quick work again of another full bottle of hard alcohol. Everything was blurred and hazy. The burning in his chest mostly now from the alcohol. Again an empty bottle slid with unseen force across the counter. "Another!" The bartender wide eyed, slowly paced over to the man who could barely keep himself upright. "Listen, I know you paid for a lot. But I can't keep giving you this stuff. I can get you some food or water but no more booze." He was cut off from his breath when Satou looked him dead in the eyes under his long raven locks. His demon eyes burning bright like hellfire in his sockets. "More."

Yet with all the display and show of malice in the demonic man, the bartender had seen his far share in this village of monsters. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Or I'll call your people to come deal with you. I know you ninja folk discipline your own." With words like that, the demon felt the need to back off. It couldn't risk troubling Satou with other shinobi breathing down his neck. Always close enough to cause trouble. But the ill looking man stood from his stool, turned and left without another word or notice of others in the room. It was all melting together in a dim glow of colors.

When hitting the door the cold rush hitting his face did little help sobering him. Tipsy steps and fumbling along the snow line ground as he held his hand to what felt like stone wall. While in the bar the atmosphere changed back to a comfy relaxed bar of drink and song. The bartender even calmed down. But after Satou left. Three large men left the bar after him.

Outside was difficult to manage, noise everywhere he turned. Bobbing and weaving past people on the street. Some even shoving him away if he swayed too close. Which in his drunken state he had no balance, ending up in gutters or falling over garbage cans. Not difficult to follow. The three tailed Satou down a few streets till they had him cornered in a secluded area. Of course the demon in mans flesh was toppled over after hitting face first into a lamp post. Sprawled over a pile of garbage.

The three stopped but a few feet away, somewhat from caution, but mostly due to the smell. "You think this guy has any more money on him?" Said one of the thugs. The one standing in the middle slapped the right. "Forget money, remember what the old man said? We find the demon, we wait till he's messed up, and then we off him." After finishing his sentence, the middle drew out a short katana blade from inside his kimono.

 

[Kazu]

It's funny, the kinds of things you see in a bar. You see some things that are rather good, and some things that are rather bad. Roaring and jovial bouts of song, and horridly drunken and disruptive patrons causing a scene. Two guesses as to which one was the case tonight. Ko looked up over his journal and drink to see the man who, when he'd walked in, seemed rather benign. It seemed, though, that wasn't to be the case. His drinking had become a bit of a problem, to the point where he was beginning to frighten several other patrons around the bar. The man had caused enough trouble for one night, it would seem. He was being kicked out by the bartender, despite some rather harsh resistance by the man. Ko had been curious about the man before, but then he heard the bartender mention "ninja folk". That, in particular, was of interest to the snowy haired boy. This man must be a chunin, or possibly even a jonin. What was he doing getting wasted at a bar like this? And what was with this aura about him...this chilling, heavy aura...

The man left, without a word. He stumbled out, barely able to resist the pull of gravity towards the ground. The door swung open, and he disappeared into the night—there was no trace of him left. Though he had left, Ko's curiosity still lingered. The boy enjoyed investigating these sorts of things, knowing the who and the why. As he sat there and thought, though, there was a development. Three men, who'd been sitting quietly at their table for a long while, suddenly got up the moment that man left the bar. That was...rather convenient timing, don't you think? The three disappeared as well, and finally Ko's curiosity won. He slammed shut his book, left the milk, and walked back out into the biting cold.

He stayed low, in the shadows, and tailed these men. they walked around a bunch, eventually coming upon the drunkard laying in the trash. These three...what the heck? What were they on about? It was very interesting, but right now...well, it would seem that the man was in a spot of trouble. Ko saw the blades being brandished. He had a choice to make: did he save this man? The young boy smiled to himself. What kind of question was that? He appeared behind the men, still hidden from them. He pointed his index finger out with his thumb up, like a gun, and put his finger up to the man's back. Ko's voice was terse, but calm. "You gentlemen will have to leave. I'm afraid the 'old man' will have to wait. Speaking of, who is he?" Was this a game to him? Perhaps.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

Of course when someone suddenly sneaks up behind you, a pressure point pushing on the back , the man tensed. Wheeling around as he leaped from danger, his movements were swift, well trained. His sword high above his head, ready to swing down, the killing look in that mans hazed eyes, in all the three of them as they turned on Kotsuko. All three ready to strike only to lower their guard slightly when realizing a youth before them. The three weren't common thugs. All had the look in their eyes of heavily drinking mixed with a panicked rage that was slowly bubbling up, first through their voices. "It's just a kid! Get the @!#$ out here you little punk! Or we'll cut you down. Worse, we'll throw you at this demon here!" One of the three slapped the blabbering one. "Shut up you mook, the old man said we have to get this job done quick. No witnesses." The last phrase of that sentenced tensed the hands of all three around the hilts of fine blades.

The third to chirp in turned on the more aggressive. "Its just a kid, even if its one of those ninja's. Its three of us, one of him. Don't bother with him, the demon will wake up soon and we'll all end up dead if we don't off him quick." The three thuggish looking lot turned their attention away from Kotsuko, back to the unconscious Satou. But rather then looking upon an unconscious body in the heap of trash. Satou was gone.

"We take our eyes off for one second, and the @!#$er is gone!" The angry one spun about, slapping the other two. "Now we have to go look for him all night again!" Looking to his left. "You go back to the bar." Turning slightly right. "You go check the alleyway, see if he did'nt sneak away. Scream or something if you spot him! He can't have gone far." The aggressor, or head of the bunch turned his attention forward to Kotsuko once more. "This kid has caused me enough problems!" He he swung wide, almost hitting his friend. Both started backing off and leaving to their tasks.

The angry disgruntle drunk before Kotsuko stood a good six feet tall, wide thick build with a bit of heavy girth to his stomach. Clothed in simple dark kimono, his hair a greasy tied tied back top knot. He looked more down and out then Satou had moments ago. "I need this, the money i'm gonna get for his head will set me up for a good while. But first, I think I'll test this nice sword the old man gave me. He trained lots of people how to use weapons, even guys like me. And I don't mind if I have to cut up some punk who caused me to lose my big break!" He admired his Katana, which was well made. shone brightly in moonlight. And did look rather sharpened like a razor when pointed at Kotsuko.

 

[Kazu]

Ko cocked his head to one side as the three of them turned around to face him, only to seem disappointed that he was "just a kid". They didn't know who they were dealing with, huh? No matter. Ko would stand there, aloofly waiting for the men to finish up their business. He didn't have all night either, you know—technically he did, but they didn't need to know that. As they all spent their time arguing, Ko would watch them all. Occasionally he'd speaking up to try and add something to their conversation.

"Definitely don't want to leave any witnesses. That would be bad..."

"You guys are right, I'm totally not even worth thinking about. Just forget I'm here, why don't you?"

"Oh yes, yell very loudly. Wouldn't want me to find you..."

It was at this point, though, that Ko would finish his joking...for now. The three split up, with only one of them staying to take care of the young man. Raising an eyebrow as he stood there, Ko's vice was nonchalant and calm. "Sorry, did I make things difficult for you guys? I thought I was just a kid." The snowy haired child stared down this hulking figure, calculating everything about this man. His height, his weight, his weak points, the ways in which his body moved. Everything. "You're the only one fighting me then, huh? For money? For desperation? I don't care what it is, killing isn't right." Ko's smile was gone. His face was blank, and his eyes looked like they were on fire. A passion burned there, unmatched by his playfully carefree nature beforehand. It was intense.

The blade held up to him didn't scare him. What scared him was knowing that there was someone out there that specifically wanted that drunkard dead. For what reason, the boy didn't know. Perhaps he'd found a juicy little adventure this evening? Hopefully. Before the real fun started though, he'd need to get rid of this pesky annoyance. Ko exhaled, drawing in a fresh breath. With one hand, the young boy performed a handseal that seemed to be half of the required seal for a Doton Element technique. However, nothing too fancy happened. The man might not have even realized it, but the ground beneath him might not have even been stable anymore—the rock had turned to loose gravel and sand, a result of his newly discovered abilities combined with his Gravel Shift technique. If the man with the sword tried at all to move, Ko was hoping to catch him off-guard. In the best case, he'd trip, fall, and impale himself. In the worst case, he'd see through the ruse. Which was why Ko wanted to make sure it was the former. He brought up his hand and formed it into a gun shape again, pointing the tip at the man again. He was going to capture the man's attention, so he wouldn't notice the loose earth beneath him. "Sadon Release: Sand Bullet Technique." He fired, but slightly to the side of the man—firing at what Ko could gather was the man's less dominant side, he would give the man a chance to advance while he dodged so that, hopefully, he would trip and fall. At that point, Ko would move in for the finisher.

The young kid thought it would work. He wanted to get information from the man, but at the same time he didn't exactly know all the man's tricks. He could be going easy. Hopefully he was just a thug, but it was always good to be prepared. Just in case things didn't go quite so well, though, Ko was always ready to make a hasty retreat. Guerrilla tactics weren't bad either.

 

[Natsume Megumi]

Another day, another drunk bastard for me take advantage of. The busty kunoichi thought to herself as she slowly walked to the bar to get a drink and hopefully find another easy sucker for her sink her fangs into. After a short hiatus Megumi was finally back in the village and she needed some companionship to say the least. Men were always the main goal of Megumi's travels and today was no different or so she thought, but the gods had other plans.

Suddenly the glare of a katana nearly blinded her for a few moments, but what surprised Megumi the most was that katana was being wielded by a large slightly attractive man and his adversary was a young child by the looks of it a mere ten or eleven. God damn cowards.....stealing from a child. I guess i can deal with this pussy first before I find someone to hopefully deal with mine.

The black clock that once covered her whole body and concealed her face was now hovering in the air as she sprinted towards the man with her hand on the hilt of her katana ready to be drawn at any moment. Hey cutie she exclaimed you need to back away from the child before I take possession of that katana and your arm along with it. If only you had been a smarter man I might have went to bed with you, but now that doesn't matter. So if you value your life I suggest you back away unless you want to try me out. Megumi then gave the man a quick wink and the cutest smile she could muster as she pulled a small black tonto from between her breasts​

MFT : word count 306

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

The brutish looking drunk stood with his blade pointed to the youngling. In his mind he saw only a youngster, a simple kill, a simple lesson to keep secrecy in wet work. Though what surprise someone familiar with hand seals, seeing someone so young perform them made him worry slightly. "Shinobi." He cursed under his breath, body tightened when he felt a shift in his feet from the change of terrain. He wasn't just some thug, his posture had tensed but suddenly went slack. His eyes that were filled with anger suddenly dulled over into a menacing glare. His sword stance was unlike anything in text book form. Almost as if the man was going to start dancing with the blade slung behind him, hiding the blade of the katana behind his back. The guard resting on his shoulder. Both hands clenched tight.

But the ground felt wrong to him, he did'nt move an inch from his odd posture. His eye's did'nt leave the boy, only when the attack was made, did Kotsuko see the shimmer of the blinding sword engulfed with lightning slicing the bullet out of the air as the mans upper torso blurred in one sweeping downward cut. Yet the stance was still the same. lax in a poor lean, looking, somewhat past the boy as the arc of lightning soon flew by the approaching Konoichi who made some sort of flirt to the oblivious man.

Yet the drunk swordsmen before the two shinobi did not appear drunk, or even so, he seemed in a trance of sorts. His eyes looking to nothing in particular. Yet his posture forced in the unorthodox sword stance once more. "Flee from his blade. The Dead Blacksmith really does make weapons of legend." The thug smiled, wildly. The women before him was also a killer. His eyes burned with something, not anger, not malice. but the purest of lusts. To kill everything around him. His eyes locked onto the body of the women, but what deeper twisting things did the man think of when his grin widened. His eyes filled with the need to wet his blade and maybe his tongue on fair flesh. His feet moved slowly, only to give way to stopping when there came a scream down the alleyway.

"THE DEMON IS HERE!" Shouted one of the thugs down the pitch black alleyway. Only to the three it sound more like a screaming gurgling noise. The swordsmen who was very much owning the mad killer look, was soon wide eyed in horror from the sound that came from the shadows. He looked back to the two in front of him. "The sword and money, I don't get paid enough for this crap!" The man sheathed the blade and tried to flee, only to trip up and end face first into the ground. Rather embarrassed as he tried to turn and get up, freezing when his eyes saw the the burning glare coming from the where the screams were moments before. His face went completely white when looking into the eyes of the demon.

Those two burning orbs of hellfire that pierced through the absolute nothingness. Attached to the face of Satou who slowly breathed once, twice, his heated breath escaping from the darkness first, before his body even touched the light of the open street, the unconscious body of one of the three thugs was thrown forward with a heavy thud on the ground. Satou walked out of the alley with a simple swagger to his stride, his ruined suit gave him a weathered down look. Like man trapped in a point of time, worn out from centuries of sewing back together. His long glossy raven hair added to a punk look. His gaunt pale snow white hand raised to adjust the burgundy tie around his neck. The amber glowing eyes scanned over to the child and women. Only acknowledging at first as he sauntered over to the fear filled swordsmen on the ground.

Black shadows wafted behind Satou, like shade wisps floating about. If one looked closure, they could swear the darkness was coming clear off Satou's body. The wafts floated about, but seemed to sway and move. as if an extension of himself. Stopping when the man tried to beg for his life looking at the women and kid for help but keeping his eyes on the towering man standing before him, or did he even appear as a man anymore. "Please...Oh No Life King Satou.....Spare me, I will be but an insignificant fly. I am nothing to you, please spare this hopeless life!" The man buried his face to the ground, both hands pleading.

Gaunt white hands looked through the tattered suit, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Popping one out, pulling it slowly with his whetted red stained lips. His graveled voice was clear in all ears. When his fingers snapped in front of the cigarette, the hot ember burned bright like his eyes as the soft smoke wafted along with heat breath. "If I wanted you dead, You wouldn't be groveling for your life right now. To be honest, not a single care for you. Though, I'm still very thirsty. Your buddy over there," Looking to the unconscious body while whipping a bit of red from his lips. "was not very appetizing. And from the way you smell, I'd probably just get a stomach ache from eating you. No, what I do want from you. Give me all the money you got in your pocket. I need more booze to wash down the taste of filth in my mouth." And with that the man emptied his pockets, Satou did not bend down to pick it up or even reach out to take the money, they merely began to float to his hands as he counted it, rolled it into his pocket and sauntered over to the two watching on the side. The swordsman tried to start crawling away.

The demon stopped a few feet away from Megumi and Kotsuko, the aura just on the brim if approached one would begin to feel ill around him. Like prey walking face first into the maw of a deadly predator. A coy smirk on his lips as he inhaled half the cigarette.

 

[Kazu]

What was with this guy? He seemed to be a little bit more than your standard thug—he calmed himself, breathed in deeply, and had the strangest looking fighting style Ko had ever seen. More than that, though, the man did something else that Ko didn't expect. Instead of dodging, or even advancing after the attack he'd made, the man sliced through it. With a chakra based move, no less. Ko was both annoyed, and rather impressed. It seemed that this game would go on for more than a couple of moves. Rethinking his plan, Ko decided he might have to begin his guerrilla tactics. He'd scope this guy out, figure out his techniques, and then engage him again. There was no point in fighting him like this if the guy knew how to counter his attacks.

Well, that was before the woman made her appearance. Was she a kunoichi? She seemed to be there to protect the young boy from this drunkard, though the words she chose to use were rather, well, unprofessional. Went to bed with him? What a lewd woman. Seriously, what was with that outfit? Ko wanted to look—her outfit was so tight that you could see almost every curve on her body—but knew he needed to stay focused. As the man kept speaking, Ko learned a few things. The old man that they spoke of earlier was probably the same person as this Dead Blacksmith who made the man's blade. Did that mean that the blade was the one generating the electricity, not necessarily the man? What an interesting situation. The man's determination was fierce, which was something that Ko could appreciate. Still, he had to be stopped. With this kunoichi here, perhaps he could reformulate his battle plan a bit? Ko readied himself—he could see that the swordsman was doing the same.

Suddenly, though, there was a scream. It was on of the other men from earlier, crying out something. Ko couldn't quite make it out, seeing as how it sounded less like words and more like the cries of a wounded animal. The swordsman muttered something under his breath before sheathing his sword and trying to move towards the screaming. However, it seemed as though Ko's trick from earlier had worked. "Checkmate." The young boy wanted to immediately throw himself onto the man, kicking away his sword and rendering him incapacitated. Before he could, though, he saw the silhouette of a man appearing from out of the shadows. His amber eyes glowed brightly through the darkness. A thud of the body hitting the ground was eerie, but Ko did nothing to react. It was a shame that the man had to die, as Ko could have extracted information from him. It was okay, though, since he still had this other man to work with. As the demon man walked up to the drunkard, Ko watched the scene unfold with what could only be described as anxiety—he hoped to Raiden that this demon man wouldn't kill his precious information source.

Thankfully, though, nothing transpired. The man let him live, but took with him the man's money. Ko's eyebrow raised slightly as he saw the feats this man pull off. That was definitely chakra manipulation, though of what nature Ko was unsure. Whatever it was, it indicated that the man must have been a shinobi, probably one of Kumogakure's own. As he left, Ko watched the pitiful man try to crawl away like a child. With hardly any effort, Ko formed the handseal for Doton Element techniques with both of his hands. The sandy pit which the man had fallen in began to writhe, and the sands moved themselves over towards the man's body. Wrapping around him, the man was soon immobilized. Ko would return to him in a moment. For the moment, he turned his attention towards the demon with wisps of darkness emanating behind him. He was a rather interesting fellow, wasn't he? However, Ko couldn't decide yet in which way he was interesting.

Extending his hand, Ko immediately felt the effects of his dark aura. His hand felt clammy, and his muscles began to feel weak. Still, the young man held out. "Do you like chess, sir? I love games. Perhaps we could play a match?" Ko looked the demon in the eyes as he spoke. It would be rude not to. Ko didn't like being rude.

 

[Natsume Megumi]

Why does that stance look so familiar? Natsume thought to herself. The way the blade was nearly completely hidden behind his body accompanied with his staggered yet tense and balanced stance had an uncanny resemblance her father Ryuuku's Iron drunken fist. The only few memories of her father were of his legendary combination techniques. With the nearly forgotten Kyoujouran clan's blood running through his veins, combined with his mastery of the drunken fist. His taijutsu was unrivaled under the sun, and his brutality which wasn't as well know was just as fierce. He recorded nearly 150 kills before his fate demise, most of those death were with his bare hand and many were unrecognizable after he had finished his work.

The man's stance remained still but his katana quickly ignited with electrical chakra to the point where it was visible with the naked eye, but what came next wasn't so apparent to the untrained eye. His form was nearly flawless and the speed at which he drew his blade and sliced the sand bullet right out of the air was on par wit Natsume's control over her weapon. But she wouldn't have much time to analyze his technique because suddenly a body flew past the kunoichi crashing into the wall behind her.

"THE DEMON IS HERE!"

This fucker......why do I always meet the psychopaths. First I pick a fight with Kushin and now I run into the Demon, both are certified psychopaths with no remose.

Smoke paved the demons way as he walked toward Natsume and the young boy standing next to her. Natsume could feel and see the demonic aura exuding from Satou's body. He was definitely living up to his reputation of being a flamboyant character who likes to flaunt his power and overly aggressive nickname.

"Do you like chess, sir? I love games. Perhaps we could play a match?"

Do YOU know that a gentleman never ignores a lady especially when she comes to save you from a drunken swordsman. ​

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

This predicament put him in a stand offish mood. Though, the sight of beautiful women aroused something in him, a sense of longing perhaps? Or just lustful urges nagging at the back of his skull. His cigarette burned quickly as he inhaled the rest of it. Took the left over filter and flicked it a good distance at the crawling swordsmen who skittered away quickly down the street.

Turning his attention to the first one to talk to him, a hand extended. It would seem rude not to accept? He let the aura die down. These two were not his enemies, he did'nt need to look so menacing. His breathing calmed as the bright hellish eyes faded to a nice chocolate brown. His appearance was still lax yet the darkness dissipated around him. He did'nt want everyone to fear him or loath the sight of him. His hand had outstretched, it was much larger then the teen, thin and calloused skin. As though his hand was made of roughened stone. It was strong yet did'nt over flex the strength of his handshake. Only enough pressure as the boy showed, human like. A fanged grin along his lips.

"Ketsueki Satou, Nice to meetcha kid. Sure, I'm not the best at strategy games but for helping me out tonight. Why not?" He let the boys hand go to immediately run his attention to Megumi as he paced a step, took her hand and planted his lips upon it. His full lips left her hand the next second as his burning eyes returned for but a moment when looking up at her. "And you my lady, I am indebted for your help as well. If there is any desires need fulfilled, please do not hesitate to ask of me." His coy devil grin played again on his lips as he let her go and walked back, turned and pace over to the sword sticking in the ground.

Pulling it out to examine it, Acknowledging the craftsmanship. A silver steel blade that shown brightly in the moonlight. There was something inscribed on the sword that looked like it was burned into the blade with careful precision. "Its his work alright." He sighed shaking his head as he paced back to his newly acquainted "friends".

"Either one of you want a new Katana? I don't like blades." He offered the sword to them. He seemed rather calm about the whole ordeal to begin with. As if being attacked was common.

 

[Kazu]

The man's handshake was firm, but not overbearing. Ko noticed, as well, that the feeling of sickness and darkness that followed this man seemed to dissipate. He was polite, despite his reputation and his crazed ways just moments before. Was the man actually stable? Regardless of the answer, Ko thought he was an interesting man. He was looking forward to the chess match, too. "I'm Sasaki Kotsuko, nice to meet you."

It didn't take long, though, for the woman to interrupt. She wasn't exactly happy at how Ko was handling the situation. "You know, y-" Ko stopped himself. He was very ready to tell her that she really hadn't done anything. She'd shown up, toyed with the man, and then what? Satou had been the one to stop the man, and ultimately that meant that he was the one that saved them both. While all of that was true, Ko thought it might be a better idea to hold his tongue. That's why he stopped himself, and forced himself to swallow the words he was about to speak. He took a moment, trying to think about what was best to say. His eyes locked onto hers, and he smiled. "You're absolutely right. That was terribly rude of me. Please excuse my rudeness, miss...?" He would let her fill in the gap. He'd already introduced himself, so she was the only one whom they didn't know the name of. Hopefully she wasn't still mad enough to refuse her name.

Moving forward, Ko's attention turned back towards the man and the sword. The demon had picked it up, and had begun to examine it. He turned it over in his hands, carefully looking it over with his dark brown eyes. He said something to himself, something rather curious. Ko held his questions back, but he wouldn't be able to for long. The demon offered the sword to one of the two of them, a proposal which Ko would not mind accepting. "If the missus doesn't object..." He was interested in a sword which channeled Raiton Element chakra. What he was more interested in, though, was the creator of the sword.

He didn't last as long as he thought he would. His curiosity would never be sated. "You said that sword was 'his work'? Who is 'he'?" The young boy couldn't really change who he was, nor could he change what made him curious. This seemed like a larger case than just this isolated event. If that was the case, Ko wanted to see just how far this story went.

 

[Natsume Megumi]

As the man planted his hot burning lips upon the back of Megumi's hand she was instantly smitten. Her eyes and affection had shifted once again to yet another man, first it was the drunken swordsman then it was the young boy in peril. But this mark was in a whole another league or at least that is what Megumi thought at the moment. The tightly clothed woman was what most would call a man eater, she could fall head over heels in love with a man one day and then the next have her blade at his throat. Hopefully today would be different, maybe this guy was different, maybe he could put her in her place, maybe he could finally let her settle down and live her dreams of a submissive life. Cooking, cleaning, doing dishes, and of course lot and lots of naked ninja training, and the demon's words surely would do nothing but reinforced her dreams.

"And you my lady, I am indebted for your help as well. If there is any desires need fulfilled, please do not hesitate to ask of me."

Bright crimson quickly flashed on to her cheeks as she gave the man a cute smile completely turning her attention to Satou and totally ignoring the young boys words.

God damn.... You sure do know how to make a girl feel appreciated, and I have tons of desires that you can fulfilled. But first entertain our little guest for a bit and then we can have a glass of sake or two at my place. The name is Meg-u-mi Nat-su-me by the way. She slowly exclaimed as she wrapped her arms under her breast and gently squeezed then together so that they would jiggle ever so softly.​

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

Satou stood in a straitened pose, all of his features fitted to his suit showed a body that was lean in perfect form. His cheeks warmed with a darker shade as he looked deeply into this women's eyes and saw a certain need in them. The warmth soon filled his chest, a void that ached inside of him that seemed forgotten, timeless was this ache. Perhaps she was different from the other girls who ended up bedding with him. Much like himself, with all his bravado in posture, form of walk, speech and mannerism. Inside this man was truly tortured. Because he saw himself in her in a way, only when his attention was cut off by a question.

The answer burned him deep at the thought of seeing his old friend again. Drawing out another cigarette, a snap of the fingers lit it in a moment. His softened gravely voice whispers thick wafts of white smoke. "A long time ago I made a friend with a very deadly killer in this village. A killer who kept to himself, who was solitary within his own dojo. He took it by right of elder Nanjirou in this village. Of course nobody challenged him on it. I don't doubt why. He was a dancer of blades, his favorite being to wield three at a time. I fought with him, learned from him. I became one of his students. He only talked to few people, and what he collected overtime in wealth and knowledge. It slowly was creeping upon him the realization of mortality. That he was going to die someday. So he began to delve into the knowledge of his clan, the people who crafted an art of weaving their very souls into their weapons to prolong their life, and truly find the pinnacle as a Swordsman. Once he achieved this-" Cutting off to enjoy his cigarette a moment.

"He was no longer a man, he is now a thing. An undying creature trapped to his sword forever till someone ends his miserable existence. Now that he has eternity what does a man who makes weapons and practices an art of killing to do? How bout go completely bat shit crazy, giving weapons crafted with his soul to worthless students and said students are hired by their sensei to hunt down one of his former students. Me. And here I am at this point thinking of paying the old bastard a visit to kick the shit out of him for sending half wits to kill me!" Satou walked past the boy and women to punch nothing but air, down the street a dumpster flew and hit a body that ended up sprawling onto the street. The third thug, unconscious.

Smoking his cigarette, the white smoke bellowing past his lips, his glowing demonic eyes simmer to their dark chocolate color, somewhat falling back to a charcoal black with a searing hue to them. He paced back over to the kid. "I hope that explains who "he" is. His name is Rurou Kotsurugi. A retired killer and now goes by a few alias. Mostly now some refer to him as The Dead Blacksmith. Would you like to go see him? I'm thinking a visit is in order."
His soft chocolate eyes turned their gaze back to Megumi. A warmth in his cheek filled him as did the yearning in his chest to find a warm bed to take her with. To pull her close and taste those lips of hers, to be lost in her voice and the comfort of her caress. That tinge of yearning, he knew would probably get him killed someday. But a man can dream can't he? Was he a man anymore?

"Meg-u-mi-Sama, would you care for that drink now? I'm off to see an old friend, care to join me?" His pronunciation was the same way but with his own luster to her name. Offering the women to take his arm and walk with her. If not, he wouldn't be scornful of her. Tossing the little bit of his smoke away again. He was running low on smokes. The burning in his throat subsided, only to give way to thirst. Though this was something alcohol couldn't hope to quench.

 

[Kazu]

Ko was beginning to feel that, perhaps, he didn't quite belong here anymore. This kunoichi and this demon, they were getting pretty close pretty fast, huh? This was turning into an adult playground, and Ko was still just a kid. He heard the woman's words, even though she tried her best to keep her voice quiet. If he couldn't tell from the words, he could tell by the way she looked at Satou—she wanted Ko to leave. Regardless of her wishes, though, Ko had a couple more things to figure out before he could make his leave. The primary thing being the maker of this sword. Ko took the blade and sheath from Satou as he handed them off, feeling the oddly powerful aura imbued into the sword. What made it so special, he wondered? As Satou recounted his story, telling of despair, mortality, and betrayal, Ko's intrigue in this "Dead Blacksmith" grew and grew. He was an old and wise enemy, not one to take lightly. And this sword, it possessed a fragment of the man's soul. What an interesting situation. Ko chose his words with care in this matter. "Rurou Kotsurugi. That is a name I shall remember." The topic shifted to a newly found mission, of sorts. They would be paying Satou's old mentor a visit, giving him thanks for all the warm wishes he kept getting from all his fellow students. How thoughtful. "I think that would be a wonderful idea, though..."

Ko turned to scowl at Megumi. She said she had come here to help the young boy, but all she'd done since showing up was to parade herself around for Satou to see. She was crazy for this man, and she had no reservations in displaying to the world just how much she was. She was almost like a cat in heat, pressing her breasts together like that for Satou to appreciate. Ko didn't appreciate her here, and neither did he appreciate her "help". She may have been sexy, but that didn't make her any less of a loose woman. The fact that she also flat out ignored the boy made him even more pissed off. Ko didn't like her one bit. He had no respect for her, whatsoever. Ko fought with all his might to keep himself from saying these things out loud, trying his hardest to maintain civility and professionalism. "Satou, while you certainly have sparked my curiosity in regards to your former teacher, I feel that I may be...well...interrupting you two?" His face was calm, but his mind was livid. Ko gave the woman a nasty look, obviously showing his disdain for her. It was brief, though, and only lasted a second. "I'd hate to keep you two from enjoying each other's...company." That was one way to put it.

The rest was in their hands. Ko would have loved it if the woman just left, and they could go pay the old man a visit. Though, somehow, Ko thought he knew where this was going...

[OOC: If you two are about to fade to black for the evening, then I'll be leaving the topic. If not, I'll stay.]

 

[Natsume Megumi]

The words that the demon spoke to the boy fell on deaf ears, or atleast from Megumi's perspective. Her eyes and for that matter most of her other senses were fixated on Satou and the warm smells that his body exuded. Their eyes slowly meet for a second, but it was only for a brief moment, because the kunoichi would always break the connection. That way her suitor would be drawn to her and keep looking back for more, she wanted to keep an air of mystery around herself at least for now.

The youngling then gave her an ugly glare, but it didn't faze the woman one bit. In her line of work she was used to the haters and the jealous, the boy posed no threat so she felt no need to confront him about his disrespect. Plus she still didn't want to reveal that she was an Anbu officer let alone a part of the covert investigation squad.

"Meg-u-mi-Sama, would you care for that drink now? I'm off to see an old friend, care to join me?"

Why of course darling! I would love to be your eye candy. She gave him a quick wink and wrapped her arm around his, but that wasn't it for her overly blatant flirtation. She then grabbed his hand and planted it on her firm bottom. I prefer when my man grabs a nice hold of me so I can feel one hundred percent safe . I sure hope you don't mind holding me close.​

 

[Horigome Sukejuro]

Darkness

Solitude

All of it resonated within the haunt, eyes peering down into bags of refuse, filth and precious few discarded ‘valuables’ as he collected another scrap of metal, any form of metal he could get on his hands. Iron, copper, bronze, steel, silver, gold, anything that he could damn well see was wrapped around his left hand in a fist, some rife with rust, some sterling in the moonlight as Sukejuro peeled out a metal flask which was filled with a mixture of boars blood and strong Sake as he drank his fill as the stink of blood and alcohol defined his essence. Monsters did dwell in this village, some shinobi, some not, all wore masks and it was by this philosophy which Sukejuro justified himself in this strange world he was allowed to…suffer in.

“Kekeke…copper bowl, bent, hole in the bottom – accident or a tale of violence I wonder?” the now young adult shinobi would stumble as he twirled around and laughed again as he peered up towards the dark void which blanketed this world in a curtain which was dead of light. The Alleys, they were his home, and to that point was a considerable distance away from his home within one of the most dangerous areas within Kumogakure no Sato…

Sordid Avenue

But hark, what was this? Voices, figments of sound which heralded the activity of the living. Blood red eyes peered from behind the privacy of a bone-white pained full-faced helmet as he looked down towards the lights…so far away weren’t they? Raising his leather finger tips up as it was so very far away, the light, just like people were so far away from him, it really pissed him off. It really excited him. It really made him feel so alive as a shiver shot through his arm. Ears picking up on voices with every step, he started to push forward, as handfuls of broken trinkets tossed away, much like himself, were set into a satchel. Angry voices, he heard, as animalistic steel claws plucked out towards the source of his new path. Steel painstakingly etched with figures composed of bones and eyes in a horrible effigy of human beings which soon were planted to the side and against the wall.

*SkrEEEEEeeEEee…*

The sound pervaded the senses, a grin of misery running wide over the young males features which would never be known, no ever so long as he still drew blood through his veins as metal chains bit and dug into the pallid flesh of his fingers.

But soon there it was, Kotsuko tending to some strange man, and an even stranger woman.

That shade of red does not blend in very well with the darkness…very unsubtle. Disappointing, yes?

He would scratch his head, with metal claws, failing to actually get at the itch entirely but psychologically he found reprieve “Kotsuko…strange place, no? Are you all rifling through garbage too? Looks like you are or perhaps I’m under an elaborate Genjutsu?” he would greet the two, the scent of blood and booze was heavy about him, but he clearly paced himself a little better than this…demon.

“This is a strange place for such displays of attraction, do you know each other well or are you always so naïve and trusting of the superficialities of someone’s mask.” Sukejuro would tap his head “When red curtains fall, and black sheets smother, you won’t ever get another chance to reconsider the altruism of the trust in smiling faces again.” he would stress some reason, though there was a great amount of amusement and humor rife through his voice with all other emotion running shallow like water escaping the hole at a bottom of a basin of water.

“Kotsuko? This white absence of learning or caring is an unwise place to be, just think of all the terrible habits you could pick up~?” he would address the young student that stood in a trash-strewn alleyway not too far from an alleyway who was flanking an older man, drunk off his feet with a woman who’s sole goals were currently selfish.

It is the individuals that make this life worthy of meeting new people, though so ignorant of the misery in this world that they should embrace, gravely disappointing.

 

[Ketsueki Satou]

As words were spoken, things transpired. The demon felt the warmth of the woman's body on his cold rough hand. Slowly shifting its position to her hip. Pulling her close, yet his full attention was on the young Shinobi who seemed frustrated with this whole scene. And to be truthful, the whispers in his head scratched a certain itch when noises touched his ear that drew his gaze down the street while talking.

"What I will do later on is not relevant to me right now. I can't think of a future with the life I have. And you won't either if you follow with me. You will be in danger and I can not guarantee safety even in my presence. It will be your choice if you wish to walk with me tonight to meet an old friend. Or you can go about what business you wish. I'm not here to decide for you or for Megumi-Sama." As he held the woman close to his rigid body, she could smell the cologne that scented him in vanilla, amber and sandalwood.

The sound of the one approaching from the trash filled alleyway made his appearance. His mannerism made Satou laugh a bit. It was almost childishly uncontrolled. The appearance of this one reminded him of older times for himself. "Wah. Nice threads man. Nah, I already did my dumpster diving a few minutes ago. Still can't find some good smokes." Was all that came out of him, turning his gaze back to Kotsuko. "You can chill with your buddy over here if you want, or come beat up bad guys with me. Up to you kid. Your buddy Voldo over here can tag along too. Its gonna be a hell of a party." He reached over and ruffled his gaunt hand through the boys hair.

Pulling the deliciously skin clad woman in his arms, the night air was cold on the back of his neck as he headed down the street. "I enjoy it when a women can throw down in a fight. Think getting smashed and going into a brawl will be fun Megumi-Sama? Then afterwards I am yours completely. You can do what your whims desire." Whispered the demon as he walked. His demonic cloak flowed behind him, tendrils of ethereal blackness. His shadow reflect his true self when stepping into the lamplight.

His shadow, a hideous creature that was slowly changing shape and form over and over again. What masks do I wear? A mask of flesh? Underneath, this village is filled with monsters. Why not smile sometime? Frowning hurts after awhile, seeing mopey faces just makes for a boring person.

(MFT)
(Apologies for slow response, laptop keeps blue screen of death every few mins, should be solved soon and posting speed will be faster)

 

[Kazu]

Interestingly enough, the demon had responded to his remarks in a different way than he'd imagined. He'd expected the man to succumb to this woman's wiles, drowning himself in lust and pleasure all night long with her. Yet, instead, he stressed his involvement in the here and now instead of the future. It seemed, to him, that it didn't matter what he was going to do later in the evening. He could only focus on what he did now, which was paying an old master a visit. Ko wasn't sure how to proceed. The man did not guarantee his safety, though Ko kind of knew that already. Ko knew from the moment he walked out that bar that he was getting himself into trouble, and yet he continued on the path anyways. It wasn't Satou's job to ensure that Ko was safe—he'd gotten himself into the situation, and he could look after himself. His only issue was having that selfish woman along with them. However, if Satou was more interested in his goal than in indulging himself with her body, then maybe...

Before Ko could finish his thought, a familiar voice made it's way through the night air. It was the voice of a man who closely resembled death, and who always seemed to confuse the boy more and more as to whether he was actually human. Sukejuro's arrival suited him, talking in riddles and chastising the young boy for his actions. He was an interesting man, no doubt, but his concerns seemed to strike a cord with the young boy. What the masked man was getting at, essentially, was that these were bad people. A killer and a drunk, and a lustful woman who only seemed to care about herself. Looking around himself, he realized just how fucked up this night had become—he'd gotten involved in a fight where he could have very possibly been killed, and he was about to head off towards an even more dangerous encounter. If Satou's teacher was as formidable as he made him out to be, Ko had a very high chance of something happening to him. And yet, despite all of this, the young boy couldn't help but feel a sense of yearning. He was curious, beyond belief, as to what secrets laid before him. What more could he learn tonight? How many more mysteries were there left to solve? These questions burned brightly in his mind's eye, just waiting to be extinguished by the sweet satisfaction of knowledge.

He knew what he wanted. He respected the advice of everyone who would give it, and he wasn't the kind of person to take things like this lightly. He had weighed a lot of options for himself, relatively quickly. Speaking up, to all of those present, he made his intentions clear. "I want to see what kind of man "The Dead Blacksmith" is. I want to, personally, sate my curiosity." That was that. Ko was going. He didn't care whether the woman came with them, though that didn't mean he had to like her being so loose around them. He turned towards Sukejuro, wanting to speak with him directly. "I've got terrible habits of my own. Though perhaps you could help me to break them?" The man didn't seem to be doing anything else for the evening. Why wouldn't he accompany them? "Maybe you'll get to teach me why you're so fond of stiffs? How about it?" He knew what he meant. While he'd appreciate the masked man to join them, Ko wouldn't force him. Still, the more the merrier.

 

[Natsume Megumi]

Crimson eyes, a white ambient face, and word that I could never possibly understand. What a weirdo! Megumi thought to herself. Men are supposed to confident and boss-like not strange and eerie, that face give me the fucking chills and not in my nether regions. But luckily I have the demon to hold me nice and tight. he makes me feel so safe. A subtle grin engulfed her face but only for a moment, she had to stay mysterious and keep this man on the edge of his seat. Nevertheless on this cold night the man's warm body was the only thing that she desired.

"What I will do later on is not relevant to me right now. I can't think of a future with the life I have. And you won't either if you follow with me. You will be in danger and I can not guarantee safety even in my presence. It will be your choice if you wish to walk with me tonight to meet an old friend. Or you can go about what business you wish. I'm not here to decide for you or for Megumi-Sama."

The Dead Blacksmith huh....If I'm not mistaken that is the man who specifically crafted my katana to my unique chakra affinity,her name is White Lighting by the way, you should say hello. Her arm then reached back and unsheathed the blade, carefully handing it to her companion. My father somehow got him to craft them before his untimely death during battle.

"I enjoy it when a women can throw down in a fight. Think getting smashed and going into a brawl will be fun Megumi-Sama? Then afterwards I am yours completely. You can do what your whims desire."


I definitely love a good battle especially when its with a hunk such as yourself. Although I'd fight just about anyone or anything to have a nice naked sparing session with you. She whispered into his ear as her cheeks then turned bright red and she squeezed Satou tighter. Yet I am more of an investigator of sorts.​

{MFT}