Journey into the darkness (open)

[Kuroshi Maki]

All of these was happening with me just passed out of blood loss and pain. It seemed these two warriors were doing all to make sure I would not fall to death as they took care of my wounds.. Atleast one of them was doing all that he could, it was even the warrior that I attacked and it seemd the villagers were helping for coin but still. I would think most of them would rather see me die then survive.

I was placed on a bed in the inn, my body covered in blood on my upper body for the most part due to my arm. My wounds were taken care of one by one. I didn't knew how long it took him or how muchts effort because, well I wasn't awake to see it. For all I knew they could have killed me and threw me to the dogs. As my wounds were threatened it seemed the two of them would drink some wine. But as I was passed out those dreams would come back to hunt me.

My mother was standing in front of me smiling, but how could that be she was dead right. This all felt so warm as she wrapped her arms around me telling me how proud she was that I grew up to be a man, but would she be really proud? I almost killed a woman probably the age she had when she died. At this point she stepped back, yet the smile was gone and were replaced by tears as a dark figure would appear behind her. He was wearing a curved sword and spoke the words "You want me to kill her again, weak fool "

" No..noo.. leave her alone! "

I spoke those words inside the dream but also as I was laying on the bed. My body started to twitch abit as I was getting unease. Inside the dream I tried to run towards them but it seemed I could not get any closer and all I could hear was people laughing until the moment I could see the blade slowly cut her throat once again. At this point I seemed to be able to get close but the man disappeared.. All I could see now was my mother falling forwards into my arms, I tried to hold my hand on her throat to stop the bleeding but I was helpless and I could only watch her choke to her death again.

" Mom, please don't die... I need you please! "

Without even knowing it I spoke in my sleep, but not only that a tear would slide down my cheeks. I didn't look like a strong fighter but more like a boy lost in sadness.

[Morei Haji]

I was distracted from my thoughts when I felt Katsumi's hand on my shoulder, and I looked up and gave her a small smile. Even a small touch from her was enough to make me feel happy, made me want to embrace her close, but now wasn't the time for any of that. We'd have time to ourselves later, right now we had to deal with this man.

I watched Katsumi work her magic, just staring in awe as she tended to his wounds with the kind of skill I expected from a doctor. She was full of surprises. Maybe someday, I'd get her to teach me some of that... definitely couldn't hurt.

The man began to mumble in his sleep, and I looked over him as he did. He seemed to be having a nightmare, something in his subconscious tearing away at him. I wanted to do something, but I knew that nothing I could do would help the man at all right now. All we had to do was make sure he recovered from his wounds, and hopefully he could change his ways too. Sure, he was hurting inside, but spreading that pain onto others made things no better.

Turning over to Katsumi as she offered me the cup, I bowed my head after grabbing it. "Thank you, Katsumi-chan." I said in a quiet voice, making sure no one else was around to hear it, and that this man was asleep. I took a small sip, the sweet taste of the wine entering my mouth. I didn't drink much of it right now, as my thoughts were elsewhere.

"Katsumi." I spoke again, quietly as I watched this man speak in his sleep. "Looking at him, all I see is an endless cycle of hatred and vengeance. If he kills the men who took everything from him, then what? Those men have families too, I'm sure, and I can imagine they'd become just like this man here..."

I don't know where I was going with this, but my eyes looked to the ground after a while as I trailed off. What could really be done about this? A world where no one killed each other sounded more than impossible, and maybe I was a fool for wanting something like that, but...

"I want to get the power to change our world somehow. If it could be more peaceful, then... maybe we could get the life that we want together."

[Shinomori Katsumi]

"Of course."

As Katsumi handed Haji the wine, the other man murmured in his sleep, begging for his mother's life. Her gaze turned to him and her eyes narrowed in the slightest, observing him as he shifted. A single tear slipped down his cheek, and her lips pressed into a thin, firm line. She had dreams where she would wake up crying, but it was to spare her life, experiencing flashes of her father's abuse. While their reasons and nightmares differed, the woman could sympathized, and she released a sigh.

Haji spoke and Katsumi sipped at her drink, listening intently. He was so idealistic, and Katsumi found it to be rather endearing. While she held hope for them and trusted her lover, and wished that he could be happy and attain such a world, the woman was realistic, if not pessimistic. Yes, she had met kind people as of late, but during times like these, and, for her knowledge, many people were barbaric. Looking back at history, there had always been war and trouble, death and despair, corruption and cruelty. Things would not change, no matter what. When there was no war, there was still crime and abuse.

But, despite believing all of this, Katsumi didn't have the heart to share such a harsh reality with Haji. He embodied all that was good, and sometimes it was best keep that purity, that naivety. Katsumi would hide him away if she could, and take on the brunt of the hardships and witness all of the evils for him. She had done so for years when it was just Katsumi and her father, and when she was alone, and would continue to do so now with Haji to keep him happy.

"Haji-kun..." Katsumi trailed off, gaze dropping from his and to her lap. Her fingers picked at the cup and a heavy sigh released from her lips. After a few moments, she looked back up at him, a seriousness glimmering within them, however soft and warm it may be. "One cannot fight the tide of a river. No amount of men can change its course. They must move with the flow. It is simply the way of the world."

Moving forward, a hand rested over his, and she gently gripped Haji's hand. "We cannot change what he fights for. We cannot stop him from doing so. Only he can, or death itself."

Her lover wanted to do so much, for the world and her, and Katsumi shook her head, voice low and quiet, down to a soft whisper, "Haji-kun, you... you do not need to change the world for us to be happy. I already am. People have lived in this world for thousands of years. We can do the same."

Brows hues moving over to the slumbering man, Katsumi leaned forward, lids drooping in the slightest. A hand rose up and gently caressed Haji's cheek, and she begged with a nod, "In case he wakes, Hiroshi... please."

[Kuroshi Maki]

As all around me turned dark and my mother turned into ash inside my arms, a fire started to surround me yet it didn't burn me. I would get back up and let the fire wrap around my body as I turned my hands into fist, this also happened in outside of the dream as I was still out cold my fist were clenched. I did not hear anything the two warriors were saying against each other as I was trapped inside this dream. all I could hear was laughter. my face expression was getting angry as my body would move un calmly on the bed.

Were was I, of course i was on a bed out cold, but my mind was somewhere else. What was I seeing? My hearth? It was dark and cold yet my body was on fire and there was nobody around me just for the laughter. Was this my life? A dark and cold place with nobody there. Yet this fire what was it for? Was that the hate burning deep inside of me to find those and kill them? I was not awake yet I could think clearly all of the sudden. I was remembering what happened before between me and the villager and even the part of the warrior. I could hear words passed by. Even the foolish goal of uniting the land. Time was going by and the warriors seemed to be having a nice talk with each other but after a while my body gained back some senses.

My eyes would slowly open, even when I lost to this warrior I was still a strong man, and would not be out for days like some others. I tried to get back up but that was still to muchts so I just turned my head to the side seeing the two having wine. I didn't know if they had seen me wake up but they seemed pretty close with each other.

I didn't spoke a word just turning my head again looking up before letting out a small sight. It seemed they took care of the one that wanted to kill them. Why were they even like this. If I stayed alive or died it would not really matter the world will still take his course. I wasn't important to any of it all, just a soul lost in it all.

[Morei Haji]

Incidentally, I felt the same way for Katsumi. I would take on the worst the world had to offer all to protect her. And as day by day passed by, I began to realize I hadn't even touched the surface of the horrors that awaited. This life was a cruel one, no matter how much I attempted to sugar coat it.

As she gripped my hand, I would tilt my head towards her, looking at her as she spoke. I took in every word to heart. I knew that she spoke a truth, harsh as it may have been. But it was a truth I wish I had the power to change. I felt weak, insignificant at my inability to do anything for the greater good. I started to wonder how many people had felt this way, or thought the same thoughts as myself. Would I just be another nameless being in the annals of history? Maybe... but when Katsumi said we could still live together happily, it made me realize that I had everything I needed, and I couldn't help but smile at her for a moment.

"Alright... Hiroshi-san." I would say, going back to protecting her identity. I would rather die than risk her being found out. I looked over to the man upon hearing a sigh, and realized he was awake now.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" I would ask. There was much I wanted to discuss with Katsumi regarding the matter we were just speaking of, but it would have to wait. Now it was time to talk to this man, and ensure he wouldn't be a problem for the time being. I didn't want to regret trying to pull him out of that mess.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

"Thank you," said the girl softly, gaze softened and warm at she looked at Haji.

But from her peripheral vision, the archer caught sight of the other man stirring and heard small noises. She turned to look at him, and Haji asked how he was feeling. Katsumi would remain quiet as an answer came, before softly interjecting, "Be careful not to move much. You'll need to rest for a few days until your wounds improve..."

[[Oh jeez! Didn't realize it was my turn. Sorry!]]

[Kuroshi Maki]

The moment they realized I woke up, they changed again towards each other. I was maybe not the most smartest man in this room but I wasn't stupid either. My mother always told me about love so I knew what it looked like. But never did I see two men in love with each other. Of course I wasn't one to judge them but still it was the first time seeing it. But I had the feeling for some reason they tried to hide it from me or lets say everybody.Were they ashamed of loving another man. But before I could speak the man asked me how I was feeling.

" Well, I'm still alive, but I never felt worse in my life. You two crushed my dream with just three arrows. "

It was true because those three arrows made me understand that I was weak and nowhere near the level I needed to be to kill those men. It was a double standard, because I should be thankful for them showing me that I wasn't ready yet but also it kinda pushed me back into the dark. It was painful to know I wasn't a strong warrior when I wish I was. All that training all that suffering was it for nothing.

My head turned to the side looking at them both as the other also begun to speak. I wasn't allowed to move as of the wounds. Why did they care I was confused by this. I tried to kill him, yet he takes care of my wounds. Was it because he felt sorry for me or was this just a game. Well I should be grade full I guess because I could still become stronger and kill those men.

" You maybe feel like you did me a favor by saving me. but even people as small as me can grow and become a problem of that goal of yours uniting all off Japan. Maybe if we were born in a different time a different live I would have fought beside you making that dream become a reality. "

I really did feel this way, but the way I was raised by myself and all the pain, I knew this wasn't able. But it did become clear of what goal I had to reach before even thinking about finding those men. I had to become stronger and faster and smarter. But now I wanted to know one more thing of those two.

" One thing that kinda bothers me is, Why would 2 men fall in love with each other? And even more so why hide it from the public? I see the way the two of you act together it isn't hard to see. "

[Morei Haji]

"Your dream is still obtainable. But you need to get stronger."

I spoke calmly. If this man was smart, he would take the time to learn a lesson in all of this. Becoming stronger physically, as well as mentally, was the key to ever making his dream become a reality. Whether it was becoming strong enough to take his revenge, or finding a new dream entirely, it was within this man's power. He merely needed to take the time to think it over.

"And even if I fight alone, that dream is still something I won't let die. I need to get stronger, just as you do. And that time may come where we stand opposing each other on the battlefield... know that if you do stand against me someday, I will not hesitate in defeating you."

And it was the truth. I could not allow myself to get defeated. Maybe this man at his full strength could overpower me, but I would not stop on my summit to obtaining the strength necessary to heal this broken land.

"Um..." The man's last question made me shoot a quick look of confusion towards Katsumi. The man before us had thought we were two men in love, perhaps he had seen more than we thought, but not enough to endanger her identity.

"I'm sorry, but there are some things we wish to keep secret, just like everyone else. Please respect that." I would bow my head.

[Oda Nobunaga]

If you've still got posts to make in this thread, that's jolly. Go ahead and post after this, since it needs to be here for the participants in the fight to earn their stat points. So let's get to it.

Katsumi: Good reactions, very sensible. Made good use of the distance between you and Maki, and it was good how you made attacks to keep him from going without really trying to kill him. That showed some nice character.

Maki: Stat-wise, there were a lot of things that put you at a disadvantage. Katsumi was a hell of a lot faster than you, so even trying to fight against her is commendable. He never got a hit in, though, and some of the descriptors describing his speed or how hard he was to track didn't really fit, because of the difference in Wis between Maki and Katsumi. The determination was cool, though, and really understandable. But he was really out of his league.

I have trouble really calling this a "duel" and awarding points, considering it was really short and there wasn't much of an exchange of blows. Though, this once, I'll be generous.

Both participants receive +1 exp to use as they wish.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Perhaps it was due to her own experiences in life, but the man's whining and self-pitying simply irritated her. So what? He was beaten. If his dream could so easily be crushed and he would quit this easily, it wasn't a dream worth fighting for at all. Katsumi's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest.

After Haji spoke, Katsumi interjected, somewhat harshly, "To obtain a dream, one must be persistent. Three arrows shouldn't shatter it. If they do, the dream is merely a flight of fancy and wasn't worth fighting for in the first place."

Normally she wasn't one to express her thoughts, but Katsumi felt agitated. They had saved this man's life and here he was bitching about it instead of being grateful for living. Katsumi no longer found him pitiable but pathetic, and an absolute fool. He continued going on about how he could fight Haji and break his dreams, and her eyes narrowed, hands dropped to her sides and clenching tightly. Her fists was turning white and Kat's nails bit sharply into her palms. If it weren't for the fact that this man was injured and in bed, she would have slapped him, if not outright punched the guy.

After all they had done, he was still being a fucking ass, and the woman just about had it with him. The only reason Katsumi didn't say a word was because her vision blurred and she focused on her breathing, rage brimming to the very top, threatening to overflow. When the injured man mentioned them being lovers and questioning it, Katsumi finally snapped.

Rising quickly to her feet, Katsumi's arms and fists shook and they were at her sides. Her bottom lip busted from biting down so hard and her nostrils flared. Gritting her teeth, Katsumi said in a shaky breath, "You... are a fucking idiot."

The way he acted. So blind, so foolishly, so goddamned selfishly. It reminded her of the person who oppressed Kat her entire life. He was like a reflection of that pathetic yet terrifying man. Yet now that he was out of her life because she was forced to take him out, Katsumi was no longer scared of him (although the damage was still there and scars would always remain.) Instead, there was distaste, rage... hate.

Her whole life she had been judged and abused, and this stupid fucking prick was doing the same, and after she showed him kindness. He would continue to bully others for some bullshit fucking reason, and that pissed off Katsumi to the point where she simply had tunnel vision and there was pounding in her ears. She would not be a victim again, nor would she let this prick knock down

Tears brimmed in her eyes and Katsumi's glare was fiery, full of wrath. Her brown hues bore straight into Maki, and she mentally screamed, 'You are like my fucking father!'

Shaking her head, Katsumi snapped at injured individual (and, in a way, her deceased father), words harsh and biting, "I have no need to justify myself to you after not only sparing your life, but when you are so ungrateful and blinded by your own idiocy and stubbornness. How dare you?! How fucking dare you!? You are entirely absorbed in your own... you own self-pity! To the point where you really are nothing more than a husk of a person. A dog who abuses and hurts others because you can't have what you want and do what you need to do. The problem isn't that you are physically weak. It's that you are mentally and emotionally beyond feeble. You are pathetic."

Stomping towards her things, Katsumi would whip her bow and bag, and everything else, onto her back and head towards the door. Sliding it open, Katsumi would stop and turn her head. Her expression was dark, eyes practically black as they glared at Maki with the utmost animosity.

"And if you ever try and destroy Haji's dream or hurt him, or me, or anyone in front of me, I swear I will fucking kill you where you fucking stand and put you down like the revolting, rabid dog you are, you fucking piece of shit," hissed the archer, jabbing her finger in his direction.

There was no faltering in her threat. She meant every single word, and proceeded to storm out. Katsumi couldn't bear to look at such a vile being any longer. He was poison, and there was no room for such poison in her life anymore. If he died from his injuries, so be it. She didn't fucking care anymore after all of what he said and how he acted towards them.

He could go to Yomi, for all she fucking cared!

[Kuroshi Maki]

It seems he doesn't want to answer the gay question? Why was he ashamed of what he was? All that big talk about dreams yet he didn't wanna reveal this? I could just simply laugh about it as I heard his words about keeping a secret.. But then the smaller of the two seemed to be getting more and more angry at me. It probably wasn't just me what bothered him because all that he spoke was two sided it seems.

"To obtain a dream, one must be persistent. Three arrows shouldn't shatter it. If they do, the dream is merely a flight of fancy and wasn't worth fighting for in the first place."

It was true that my dream was shattered that easily yet it wasn't really a dream more of a life filled with revenge. If he killed me she would have sparred some life's. But it weren't his three arrows that broke it, it was my own weakness. Seeing as he wasn't done talking i would just let him finish his rant.

"I have no need to justify myself to you after not only sparing your life, but when you are so ungrateful and blinded by your own idiocy and stubbornness. How dare you?! How fucking dare you!? You are entirely absorbed in your own... you own self-pity! To the point where you really are nothing more than a husk of a person. A dog who abuses and hurts others because you can't have what you want and do what you need to do. The problem isn't that you are physically weak. It's that you are mentally and emotionally beyond feeble. You are pathetic."

Well his words did sting abit, but he tried so hard to come across as a good type hero wannabe that it just made his words weak. Self pity sure it was abit true, and he felt like I attacked him by just asking a question sure in the wrong time after what happened. I never asked them to fix me up and then to hear him rant of like this. I'm a dog yes, but at least I didn't pretend not being one. If she was so good why did he shot those arrows without hesitation. Killing was in his blood and he showed it right now.

" You will soon regret even sparring my life, you ranting doesn't change the fact that you and I aren't that different. At least I had a own goal instead of following somebodies else. I maybe a dog but you are just a wannabe Hero. The types I hate most in this world. "

I would just burst out in laughing as he stormed out the door, I would grab the wound as I laughed it hurt but it was so funny at the same time. These two just changed me for the worst. I shall have their heads one day.

[Morei Haji]

My eyes widened as Katsumi practically exploded on the guy. She tore straight into him, and seeing her this angry was entirely new to me. This guy has pissed her off this much to where she just couldn't hold back and be her normal, calm self.

After she had stormed out, I got up quickly to follow her, but the man's response to it all stopped me dead in my tracks. I faced the exit, my back to the man, but the way he was just laughing it all off infuriated me. My fists clenched tightly, and I resisted the urge to draw my blade on him.

"Listen to me..." I began to speak quietly, trying to contain my disdain for the man. "If you ever make our decision to help you turn into a regret, or if I catch you harming another person... I won't hesitate to cut you down myself." If he ever touched Katsumi, I would kill him.

"It's the people like you that make this world so terrible, and make others afraid to live out their lives. Rest assured, the next time we meet, it won't be as friends."

Maybe if I had cut him down right now, it'd save us a lot of trouble later. But there was no honor in that. I would not stain my honor nor my soul for this man. It wasn't worth it. And with that, I left after Katsumi, trying to catch up to her and calm her down.