Recent Posts

Yukimura took up the talking, and Katsumi was grateful. She was far too overwhelmed to really talk and deal with the people at the moment. All Kat wanted to do was shrink away and disappear, and go back to where they came from. This place was scary and the people were strange. Friendly enough, but odd, and Katsumi didn't like all of these questions and such.

When Yuki talked to the blue girl, her blush seemed to increase, and Katsumi found that particularly odd, but didn't say anything.

"Overflowing pa..." Katsumi murmured quietly, sweatdropping at Yuki's words.

Because he had been talking, everybody's attention seemed to be drawn to him, and Katsumi hid further behind her friend. The girl with the tattered clothing laughed the loudest and exclaimed, "Oh man! He's super into it. Holy shit! Hahahaha!"

"Yeah, you rock, man!" giggled the pink-haired girl.

For some reason, the girl in blue seemed to blush when Yuki said overflowing passion. Katsumi peered around Yukimura and furrowed her brows. Tugging at his clothing, the archer whispered nervously, voice like a frightened mouse, "W-Why is... is that man d-dressed like you? I... I d-don't like this place. I wanna go home..."

Yukimura yelled passionately, and she was just as confused as he was. As much as she didn't want to speak and desired to just run away and hide, Katsumi swallowed roughly. "I am... S-Saito Hir... Hiroshi."

"Never heard of that character. From what series?"

"Maybe doing an original character...?"

Katsumi furrowed her brows. Character? Series? What the hell were they talking about? She shifted uncomfortably, hands still gripping at Yuki. "T... That's me. I'm... I'm Hiroshi... I'm not some... c-character in a s-story..."

The pink-haired girl jumped up in the other boy's face and grinned victoriously, poking him in the chest. "HA! TOLD YOU! Totally a real life bishōnen! Aww yeah!"

He seemed dismayed and shook his head. "W-What?! No way!" He went up to Katsumi and looked her up and down, and she move to Yuki's side to try and continuing hiding from him (although he just kept walking around to look at her.) "Even under those clothes, with those hips, and that face, and hair, and how tiny... and... and tha-"

"PERV!"

His hands rested on Kat's shoulders and he looked down at her, pulling the archer towards him a little, so that she was facing him. "Are you seriously a boy? My perv senses xD instinct tells me you aren't. You... You are just so pretty. Come on! Tell me you are just jerkin' me. You gotta beee!"

This shit was freaking Katsumi out, and when he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer and said all of that, the girl squeaked and, after hitting his hands away, a sudden gust of wind blew him back.

"Holy shit! You okay?"

"W-What was t-that?!"

"Wooow! What the fuuuck?! How-? What-?"

They were looking around, trying to figure out what the source of that was, and Katsumi went back to clinging to Yukimura. The pink-haired girl didn't really seem to notice, figuring her friend was just being clumsy and fell back. Instead, she was scrutinizing the two and she blurted out, "So are you two, like, gay lovers or something, or is that just part of the cosplay?"

"W-W-Wha-at?!?!?" Katsumi stammered, a deep blush colouring her cheeks. She fell back from Yukimura and held her cheeks.

The pink-haired girl pointed at Kat, "Uke," and then at Yukimura, "Seme." She then nodded enthusiastically and giggled. "Yup! Most definitely~! Will you kiss each other~? Teehee~!"

"And look who's calling me the pervert," exclaimed the teenage boy. He had brushed off the wind as just some weird coincidence.

"Shut up! You are still totally more perverted than me. Touching a little boy!"

"Yeah, and you are telling them to go make-out. And lalala! Don't believe it still! Nope nope!"

Oh Susanoo! How did he know? Katsumi was so confused and overwhelmed, and she felt like curling up in a ball on the ground and crying, tears brimming in her eyes. Her chest was rising up and down, and it was clear she was struggling with breathing properly, breath a little ragged.

The oldest of the group seemed to notice something was off with Katsumi and he remarked with a sigh, "Guys, it seriously doesn't matter. Lay off."

They continued to argue and bicker, and he merely rolled his eyes, pushing up his glasses, and moved over to Kat. He knelt down, concern in his hues, and he asked quietly, voice hushed, "Hey, you alright? They don't mean anything by it. They're just stupid and obnoxious, is all. Name's Takashi, by the way."

Katsumi didn't really understand what was going on, but this was definitely a different dimension, or world, or SOMETHING. Were the gods fucking with them again? Was this another trial? With the girls exposed as they were and nobody thinking anything of it, Katsumi felt like it would be alright to at least admit to this one. Maybe. Really, Kat was just overwhelmed and he seemed to be reasonable and not so intimidating and strange.

She bit down on her bottom lip and wiped at her eyes, whispering back, "K... Katsumi. And... just... o-overwhelmed..."

He sighed and shook his head. "They overreact towards cosplayers. And they are both perverts. Nothing to be done about it really. But... it seems like this might be your first time since those guys are bothering you so much, so I'd suggest not cosplaying next time. Yeah?"

This guy seemed really down to earth and pretty... nice, actually. Still, she didn't really understand what he was talking about, and she murmured, "I... uh... well... I don't... r-really know... w-what you mean... by... co...su...prayeru..."

His eyes narrowed slightly, but not in anger. There was genuine confusion and honesty from Katsumi, and this confused the modern guy. "You don't... What?"

For a while now, Katsumi had been doing a lot of work for the Uesugi faction, and now even work for Takeda. Learning more about the two, she realized that that wasn't exactly orthodox and probably wouldn't have made either leader (or members) of the factions very happy, so she kept it to herself. Katsumi had people she cared about and respected from both, and would not choose if she didn't have to. She was a mercenary, through and through, and so she felt that she didn't have to truly ally herself with only one group. … Right?

Katsumi had been spending time with Yukimura, and things were getting hectic with the Takeda faction. There was a lot of work to do, and he was swamped with jobs. Hoping to lighten the load, so to speak, Katsumi offered to take some of them on, hence why she was now weighted down with gear, with a wooden crate on her back, trudging up a mountain.

Well, this sucked. But a job was a job, and it was to help a friend...

The wind was fierce, but Katsumi lessened it with her musou, making at least that part easier for her. But the snow was falling quickly and what would have been snow at most people's ankles was practically up to her knees, and it was fucking freezing! Katsumi's teeth chattered and she trudged along through the cold.

She probably could have stopped and rested, for twenty miles was a long way, but Katsumi was afraid of freezing whilst asleep, so even as night fell after traveling many miles, she continued her journey, body aching and weary.

As more time and miles passed, Katsumi heard the howls of wolves and she stiffened. The girl must have appeared to be easy prey, small and slow, and she grimaced. Removing the crate and setting it down, she pulled out her bow and slowly turned, searching for the wolves. The howls continued and there were snarls, and Katsumi knew this was going to turn into a fight. Wolves were typically fine, but they were hungry and she was by herself. The opportunity was seemingly perfect.

They charged at her, but she quickly took some of them down, and the others fled. With a sigh, Katsumi took the crate and continued on, struggling through the snow all night. It was daybreak and she could barely keep going, forcing herself to move on. Eventually she reached her destination, practically collapsing in the building. She was glad to be by a fire and to get food in her belly, and to finally rest. Very glad.

Oh Susanoo! What in the world was that sound?! Suffice to say that as she jumped, Katsumi's eyes widened and she gasped, glancing around and above and below her. What the fuck???

She shook it off and landed safely. Ahead, Katsumi saw... weird, likely drug-induced (she is convinced she is high lol) creatures The young woman had never seen anything like them, and furrowed her brows. They appeared to almost be... guarding the tower, with chains keeping them secure. Clearly they were fast asleep, and Katsumi knew it would not be wise to wake them up. She had to get past them stealthily them, as there was nowhere she could really land safely on the tower. In fact, there didn't even seem to be windows (besides perhaps tiny ones Katsumi could not see), and Katsumi immediately pitied the lord's daughter.

With a soft sigh, Katsumi used her musou to jump in the courtyard, landing softly on the ground, and she crept quietly, sticking to the shadows. As she drew nearer to the creatures, the girl slowed her pace and breathing. She slowed down to nearly a crawl, hoping to Susanoo that she could slip by these creatures without any trouble.

Katsumi eventually stopped and bit down on her bottom lip. It seemed too risky, and so she moved over to the nearest wall, pressing herself against it. Picking up a stone, the archer chucked it as far as she could, hoping the creatures would leave to investigate and she could slip into the castle while they were distracted and not be detected.

{Str: 20 (45) | Dex: 40 (116) | Con: 20 (48) | Wis: 37 (64) | Spr: 32 (55)}

Katsumi remained silent as Yukimura explained the location, her excellent eyes searching warily. Despite her power, she would always be on edge. It was not wise to let one's guard down. Hence when another appeared, Katsumi lifted her bow some, ready to aim and fire if necessary. Dark eyes rested on this pirate girl, head tilting to the side as the merc looked her up and down. She didn't appear to be any trouble, but one could never be sure.

The merc did find it curious though that this one was openly a woman, and Katsumi bit down on her bottom lip a little, holding back her questions and curiosity. They were inappropriate and so the disguised female continued to not say a word.

Although it was not as though Katsumi would have had time to ask anything, as they were pulled into a vortex, very much like at Numa Castle. It was less of a shock this time, and upon entering the new room, Katsumi had her bow drawn, ready for anything. She caught sight of a treasure chest a ways away, and immediately suspected traps. Like at Numa, there was simply no way it'd be that easy.

Putting her bow on her back, Katsumi stepped forward and looked up at Yukimura, replying, "Yukimura-san, my ability... it is best suited for such. I can be in and out within moments..."

A long jump supported by wind to the very end, grab the chest, and a single push and gust to jump back. Sounded simple enough, as long as she didn't fuck it up. Right?

She nodded in agreement to Yuki's words. "You're right."

Katsumi was surprised to see Shou coming up to them, and he began to say her name with uncertainty. To show him it was alright, she shook her head, looking over at Yukimura with a nod. She remained silent as the two talked about Takeda matters, as it was not her place as a mercenary. When Shou spoke to her, Katsumi bowed her head and her brown hues were warm. "It is. And... you look fine, Shou-san."

Since the girl had met Lord Uesugi and began to work for him as a merc, she had been sent for quite a bit of training. The archer was quite used to training, but Kenshin made her train in ways she was not used to (and instead of taking multiple jobs, as what was normally expected with her being a mercenary.) But her deep and growing respect for the God of War made her not question him, really. She did what he said without question, definitely noticing a difference in her various performances since somewhat going under his wing.

But now she was expected to train her spirit, and Kat didn't know what to think of that, only having trained herself physically over the years. But, like with everything else since Kenshin had earned her respect, the archer did as he asked.

And that was how she found herself sitting beneath a waterfall.

Katsumi had endured much pain and discomfort throughout her life due to her harsh and abusive father, and living the life of a mercenary. It was not the waterfall crashing down on her that was the problem. Her mind was able to overcome such a matter. But about halfway through, Katsumi found she had to pee, and not too long after that, she really had to go. And the sounds of the water and being soaked to the bone really didn't help. Unable to leave her position, Kat grit her teeth through it, shifting every so often uncomfortably.

Time ticked by, the water hitting her body, wracking at it, and, with that, her need to pee simply grew worse and worse. But if she got up now, Katsumi would have to start all over. All of this would be for naught.

When the two hours were up, the archer couldn't have been more grateful, practically sprinting over to nearby bushes. After a minute, she walked back out and sighed satisfactorily. It felt good to be relieved.

But things weren't over yet. Putting on a coat and warmer shoes after putting on dry clothes, Katsumi proceeded to trek up the mountain, heading towards a temple. At first, it wasn't so bad, but upon going further up, the weather worsened and Katsumi kept running into trouble, again and again. At first, there was a damned bear. It was hungry and territorial, and Katsumi was forced to quickly take the beast down by shooting it with multiple arrows. Then there was a narrow path on the side of the mountain. While hugging the snowy wall, the ground gave way, and if not for the woman's wind musou, the girl would surely be dead, able to use gusts to rise her up to safety. With her tiny height, getting through the snow was even more difficult, and she had to dig her way to the temple.

By the time Katsumi arrived, she was exhausted and quite grouchy. Yet even now she still wasn't done. The only reason the girl didn't snap on the monks unintentionally was because their temple was warm. Meditating in a warm building was much better than out in the cold, right? Katsumi was really trying to stay positive.

After removing the winter clothing, Katsumi began to meditate, having plopped down on the floor. She closed her eyes and remained in a sitting position, trying to focus on what Kenshin had told her. To find inner-peace. That was something difficult for Katsumi given her nature, and so it took all of her will-power to block the outside world out and search for inner-peace. Hours passed, and many of the monks went to sleep. Yet Katsumi stayed at it, sitting there until the sun came up and the monks left their futons to meditate in the morning. As the sun's warm rays washed over Katsumi, she felt... satisfied, and calm.

Dark eyes fluttered open and the girl nodded. She had found inner-peace.

"I hope this pleases you, Kenshin-sama," whispered the girl to herself. For now, it was time to sleep and rest before heading back to the Uesugi camp.

He seemed uneasy, but Katsumi didn't really understand as to why (if anyone should spar and could trust to not get too injured or killed, it would be with a lover, right?), and so she didn't respond, instead waiting for an answer. At his response, Katsumi nodded. "Good. Alright, Haji-kun."

The woman rolled down her hakama and returned her men's kimono to its normal state, and Katsumi then lowered into a fighting position. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes, before snapping them open at the exhale, and she swiftly charged forward. While she fully intended to train herself hard, this was a spar, and so Katsumi would only throw a simple jab, right arm guarding herself and left hand going for a punch to his stomach (because she's a short shit xD). Normally Kat wasn't one to strike first like this, but she wanted to gauge Haji, see what he would do.

If everything worked out accordingly, Katsumi would sigh upon seeing Hidenori and move over to Haji. She took his hand and nodded, thumb stroking over his flesh.

"Yes, Haji-kun. Perhaps," she paused, biting down on her lip and shifting a bit uncomfortably, eyes casting downwards before sliding over to Haji, "next time, we... can meet under better circumstances. This... is not how... I wish things had gone..."

But this was not the time to talk. Squeezing Haji's hand, she would move towards the main group along with Haji. And when enemies were within sight, the archer would fire as swiftly as she could at as many targets as possibly, using her wind musou to manipulate shots if need be.

Katsumi pursed her lips, before they went back into a straight line. "Mm. I would say... I am the luckier. We both... are quite lucky."

The archer listened to the man carefully, curious about a few things, and surprised by his words. Was she really among the first for him? Was Katsumi not the only one who clammed herself up to the world so severely?

"Am I... really... the second?" inquired the girl softly. Her gaze rested upon the man and after a few moments, Katsumi closed her eyes and bowed her head to show her respect. Maybe to others this wasn't a big deal, but it was huge for the girl. "I... am honored, Hidenori. Thank you... for trusting me with something so... important."

She would quiet and small hands would rest on her lap, tugging at her charcoal hakama. The young woman pondered over the lord of this land and what Hidenori had said. Haji's brother seemed to really look up to the man and after a minute or so, Katsumi would ask, "Kenshin-sama... what... is he like?"

She had heard the title God of War thrown around some, but besides that she didn't really know a whole lot. The reason why she came here in the first place was just to look for work. It was someplace new for her, so Katsumi figured there was likely job opportunities here.

{I'm so sorry. I literally forgot entirely about this thread. x__x}

Katsumi glanced down at the body and shrugged. Who cared if he died? He caused trouble and fought them. If one of them died, it was their fault. It was a harsh world. One where people had to fight in order to survive. Some lives, many died trying. All died in the end. It was how the world worked.

As the girl thanked them, Katsumi merely bowed her head, still keeping up her male persona as well. "We did what was... necessary. They caused trouble. There is no need... to thank us, really."

She nodded at her words and as the girl offered them food, her eyes slid over to Jina. Katsumi wasn't going to say anything and remained quiet, but she was sure Jina would jump on the offer. If she did, Katsumi would partake as well.

Katsumi simply sat in silence, legs crossed and eyes closed. It seemed as though she was meditating, and the girl was clearing her mind as the fish cooked. When she peaked open an eye to check on the fish, Katsumi could have sworn she saw a string of drool hanging from Jina's lips.

How odd. Was she really that hungry? Katsumi's brows furrowed slightly. When did the other woman eat last?

The archer decided perhaps two fish wasn't enough, and stood up as Jina laid down. Still wrapped in the cloth, Katsumi went back over to the river and did as she did before, catching the fish with her bare hands. It was only because Katsumi was practiced that she knew how to do this in the first place. It wasn't about speed, but the right timing and having the proper grip.

After catching two more, the girl would proceed to gut the fish and cook them as well. As she shoved the sticks in the ground, Katsumi tensed, started at seeing Jina suddenly sit up. Kat's dark eyes were widened. Was something wrong?!

And then she heard Jina's question, and Katsumi blinked.

"... What?"

Jina said bastard, and Katsumi wondered if what she had said earlier triggered something just then for the Chinese woman. The archer shifted a little, gaze dropping to the ground and going back up to Jina. It went back and forth.

What the hell was she supposed to do? Say?

"What... do you mean, Jina-san...? softly inquired the archer.