Rkyo's Story

He strode steadily down the ivy-choked cobblestone road, his walking stick tapping a foretelling metronome against the time-worn walkway. The less-than commendable condition of his clothes, coupled with the sack slung over his shoulder and the rice hat shadowing his face, gave no question as to what sort of man this was. Vagabond. Wanderer. Ronin.

Kyo would have undoubtedly heard or seen him coming a long way off. He had a slim figure, not terribly skinny, but certainly no imposing warrior. Though he was garbed in a comfortable, loose-fitting travelling robe and hakama, it wasn't difficult to size him up, even from a distance. His was a body used to walking. Used to enduring. Undoubtedly this mysterious man had many miles under his belt and likely twice as many stories to go with them.

As he reached the summit of the hill Kyo was roosting upon, he stopped, surveying the beautiful scenery splayed out before him. Without tearing his eyes from the valley, he reached for the canteen hanging off his hip, uncorking the bottle and bringing it to his lips for a slow and thoughtful swig. He never looked at the girl directly, though what he said next was obviously directed towards her.

"Beautiful, no?" he spoke in the native tongue, his accent slightly more Shogunate than it was Losenji. Though his face was still obscured under the shadow of his rice hat, his eyes were undoubtedly lost in his surroundings. "All my many miles have been recompensed in full yet again."

Within a small house in the village of Yosai, a young woman sat across from a much older counterpart. Within the hands of the younger woman was a sword, which the older looked upon fondly.

"That has been in the family far longer than I've been alive." she said, her voice the raspy product of her age. She managed a smile as her eyes met the holder of the sword.

"It's beautiful. The weight is strange- I didn't imagine the blade to be so light- but it is perfect. Why in the world are you giving this to me, Yu Meian? It is clearly something meant for a warrior, perhaps the son of a wealthy noble..."

Old Meian held up a hand to silence her. "You remember that I have no children of my own, nor do I have any brothers or sisters to gift me with nieces and nephews. The blood of the Yu family ends with me, but perhaps, through you, Zhiya, who I have taken care of all these years, I can allow its spirit to carry on." She pat the sword with one hand, then smiled. "Keep it, dear. Keep it."

Zhiya was stunned. Wordless. It took her a moment to speak. "But I cannot use it-"

"I know that you can. Badly, but you will learn." replied Meian. The young woman sighed, but managed a smile.

"I understand. Thank you. I'll...make sure to use it wisely."

"There we go, dear."

-------

As Zhiya walked out from the small village house, she tied the old, but well maintained sword, to her belt. It was shorter than she was used to, but light. A double-edged blade that was used in one hand. She barely knew how to use anything like it. Spears and pole arms were her forte, but she supposed this was a good change of pace.

With another sigh, she gathered her hair up into a ponytail, clipping it there with a green ribbon. The weight of the sword was uncomfortable on her hip. Just another thing to get used to.

She walked down the path, arms crossed. The tail of her green robed fluttered around her knees in a breeze. She looked out onto the lake and frowned. Ah, the kappa problem. Another thing that lingered on her mind. Her eyes were cast down upon the ground in thought, following the path, walking towards two figures that she had not noticed just yet.

Kyo had watched the boy approach with curious interest as he made his way down the path, sitting upright and fixing him with her deep brown eyes. He was a stranger, a rare sight in the little town. Even the visiting merchants and traders that came here were normally familiar faces who had been many a time before. This boy was something new, something different - evident enough by his worn garb.

When he spoke, Kyo allowed silence to pass for several seconds before responding. "Yes, it is." she said, "My father always said one must take time to appreciate what good and wonderful surrounds them, lest they become complacent about it and one day lose it."

She took her bow in hand and rose to her feet, the wind catching her hair. "You have chosen an unfortunate time to visit, stranger. Trouble brews in the lake and people are uneasy, you may find our hospitality strained by worry and distraction. What brings you to Yōsái?"

As Kyo finished speaking, she cast her eyes down back towards the village, spotting Zhiya approaching. "Zhiya!" she called in greeting, smiling before raising an eyebrow, "Is that a sword upon your hip I see? I would sooner have thought myself to take up the hammer in stead of my bow."

She nodded towards Rkyo, "We have a visitor from afar. A wanderer," she paused to glance in his direction "if I may be so bold as to make that assumption by your appearance, stranger. What ought we call you? I myself am Takeuchi Kyo." The hunter bowed her head politely to Rkyo.

Zhiya looked up to spot a familiar face, giving her a friendly smile in greeting. "Ah, yes. Funny how I came by the old thing. I-" The smile vanished upon spotting the stranger that Kyo spoke about. She paused as the girl introduced herself, then bowed her head similarly.

"Liu Zhiya, it is very nice to meet you. As Kyo asked...who might you be?" she inquired, clasping her hands together at her waist. Her sleeves draped along her hands, masking them from sight. Zhiya had been in the village for as long as she could remember, and this face certainly wasn't a familiar one. She passed Kyo a quick glance.

Rkyo bowed to both of them, much lower than they had to him. His eyes flickered between the girls, his vision obscured beneath the drooping shadow of his rice hat. He looked hard at the sword on Zhiya's hip, his eyes narrowing as he studied the intricate designs on the scabbard...

"Call me 'Samishii'," he smiled to both of them, nodding his head. His thorough inspection of Zhiya's blade would have passed in a mere second, "I've been travelling for a while now, though I've recently come in from Shogunate territory." He adjusted the straps on his shoulder, tipping his rice hat amiably. "I am well received by the both of you, thank you." Truth be told, Rkyo was simply glad they hadn't turned him away from Yosai altogether. Settlements such as these, lightly populated, close-knit and fiercely independent, rarely took kindly to strangers. Small towns were many things, but 'trusting' was not one of them.

"I'm sorry to hear about the trouble with your lake," his smile dissipated, "I am only passing through your village and intended to stay a few days. Five at most." His brows knitted together. "...but if there is anything a humble wanderer can do for the people of this village, he is at their disposal." He bowed again, humble and weary. He looked up at them after a moment, grinning meekly. "...though perhaps they would first be kind enough to show him a place where he might rest himself and find a bite to eat..."

A man clad in clothing common in this region stood before the village. He groaned as he stepped foot on the paths into the village. From what he could assume potentials would be slim to non-existent here. Though as a Recruiter for the Black Lotus he was required to scope out talent for the organization. Maybe a strong fighter looking to make a name for himself lives here. Though the odds of that seem improbable in what he considers a backwater town. He grew envious of those that worked back in the cities, were potential was easier to find. Though the higher tiers have commanded this of him, and he must do what the Syndicate asks.

He thankfully was not alone, a squad of Ninjas watched his back from afar. They were there for the Recruiter's protection, since bandits did frequent these roads. Any trouble and the 49ers took them out. Of course it wasn't too difficult, thanks to their armor supporting high grade tech. As the Recruiter searched around he hoped to find a bar or something were some potentials may hide. Though the tranquility of the village seemed to offer no unsavory characters whatsoever. He yearned to return to the Black Lotus outpost in Tiānshì City, and then take the next transport out of Lósénji.

Alas here he was feeling out of place, compared to back in the cities. He entered deeper into the village passing by a group of people. Though one caught his eye. He saw Rkyo speaking to a group of women. He looked strong and possibly skilled in fighting. Traits he couldn't pass up while here. He kept his distance as he would wait until he was alone. From there he would approach him and begin the process. Meanwhile the Squad infiltrated the village and remained hidden. Doing what was commanded of them they kept a vigilant eye on the Recruiter. Ready to act if anything should happen to him.

"Samishii, then." Kyo nodded her head, "I was right in saying you were from afar, but I had not realised how right. You have come a long way no doubt." The hunter thought it better not to pry into the man's reasons for travelling, at least not here and now. "You must be tired. I can show you to the inn, where the traders stay when they pass through."

Wasting no time, Kyo trotted the short way down the grassy knoll upon which she stood to the road, gesturing towards the village. "Will you walk with us, Zhiya, or have you business to attend to?" she asked the other woman before she carried on down the hill.

"I don't know what help you could offer us, regarding our troubles." she went on as she walked, "It's the kappa in the lake. They've always been troublesome to foolish fishermen who venture out alone on rickety craft, but of late they've become far more aggressive. They attack larger boats in great numbers, more than we've ever seen, and some even say they've been venturing onto land." Kyo shook her head, "We cannot fish with them acting this way, nor do we have the resources to do anything about it."

Zhiya opened her mouth to decline the offer, but after a brief moment of thought, instead nodded. "No, I suppose I do not have anything urgent to attend to." Her way was going to be filled with entirely nothing otherwise, she supposed. Zhiya always was one to get errands done early, often finding the rest of her day free. Just like today.

"I've never been very far from here," she told the stranger, Samishii. "Nor do I remember very many strangers coming by from a long ways off. Where have you traveled from, if I may inquire?" she asked, but as politely as she could.

"Are the kappa still very rowdy? Ah, well...what would I be thinking, expecting to wake up one morning to hear anything different?" She tutted, then gave a small glance to Samishii as they walked. Perhaps she was just distrustful, perhaps she was paranoid, but he unnerved her the slightest amount. Was it because he did not seem to be from anywhere nearby? It might have been the case, but Zhiya did her best to shake it off. Just nerves, she told herself.

Where have you traveled from, if I may inquire?"

"I've been all over Terra," Samishii replied with a polite smile, "but I was born in Therrier-Paix, in a small village not unlike this one." His walking stick clacked against the stone road as the trio made their way into the town. "We farmed to support ourselves, much as your people fish. We were very dependent on our produce." He frowned. "A drought once soiled our crop for three whole months. We barely survived. I hope that Yosai's situation is not quite so dire." He reached up to his face, briefly raising his rice hat and running a hand through his hair. Were the girls watching at that moment, they might have been surprised to find that the sweaty locks mopping the wanderer's head were red. Blood red, even.

"I am curious, though," he adjusted his hat, "what are these 'kappa'? Fish with teeth, I imagine?"

As they walked, Samishii gave no indication that he was aware of the presence of the trailing 49ers. His walking stick, however, would make little marks in the patches of grass and dirt that spotted the road as he passed them. Individually, they were nothing; little nicks and lines with no real meaning attached to them. Far too simple and insignificant to arouse suspicion from his hosts.

...were the Recruiter to tally them all together, however... gather all the little symbols he made in the dirt and arrange them in the same space... he would have found that Rkyo had made a kanji.

Which roughly translated to: "No. Negation. Refusal. Decline.

Leave."

Kyo let out a brief and sharp laugh, "Fish with teeth? Would that it were so, I'd hardly consider them a threat. No, the kappa are very different. They have shells like a turtle, but the build and strength of a gorilla, and the scales of a dragon. They are vicious and dangerous creatures, but cowardly and independent. Until now, they could be easily warded off and seldom would they move together in packs." The hunter shook her head. The kappa were fearsome beasts, despite their soft underbelly providing an easy weakspot. Many of them had limited ability to control the water around them as a method of swimming swiftly.

"There are other types of kappa, less bestial and more akin to legend... sly and unpleasantly intelligent creatures. I have never seen one myself, of course, but the stories suggest that they are even more dangerous than their brutish kin." The tone to Kyo's voice made it clear she doubted that fact. Often the legends exaggerated such things.

The Recruiter watched as the women began to guide him down the road. His hopes of them leaving seemed to be slowly crushed. Despite this he would decided to tail them. Eventually they would have to leave his company. While Rkyo may have made the Kanji, The Recruiter's attention was only on the group. As made the nicks were rather insignificant in appearance, not to mention he didn't really have the mental clarity to piece this puzzle together.

As the Recruiter followed them he kept his distance. He had somewhat of an idea of where they are leading him. Most likely to lead him to some sort of hotel or inn. While the Recruiter followed them, The Ninjas themselves kept a visual upon him. While they hid amongst the shaded trees and buildings.

"They are fearsome turtle salamanders and nothing more, Kyo." Zhiya snorted. "Scales of a dragon. Pff. I doubt they would be nearly as difficult to take care of if it were not for their numbers. That, and moving into the water with their behavior would be a sure suicide. They are only getting worse by the day."

Her eyes came to Samishii, catching the red of his hair. Her eyes lingered far longer than she intended. Most people in the village had either black or brown hair, on some occasions, white. She did not believe she had ever encountered someone with hair so vivid a color. Far ways away. Was he even from this world?

Zhiya really did need to allow herself to get out of Lósénji one day.

"Therrier-Paix..." she mumbled, committing the name to memory.

"Ah, they certainly sound aberrant," Rkyo nodded, "an ape-fish-salamander. I've seen and heard of many strange and magnificent creatures in my travels, but never one like this. Goodness, I'd love to have a look at one up close." They were nearing the entrance to the village now. "Is their aggression completely unusual? Does anything set them off or make them angry? Perhaps your village has done something recently to rouse their ire."

"We've lived with the kappa for many years, since before I was born," Kyo said, "They've always been trouble, but only to fools who went out on the lake unprepared. We've never seen them act like this before. There must be something happening to provoke them, but I can't imagine what it would be. Certainly, it would be nobody from our village. Even the most delinquent amongst us wouldn't sabotage our fishermen so thoroughly."

The hunter cast a small scowl in Zhiya's direction, "And have you ever seen one, Zhiya?" she challenged, irked by the other girl's dismissal of her description, fanciful as it had been. "They aren't to be underestimated. One kappa could slay one man, given both were fully grown, without a doubt. We are not a village of warriors."

Rkyo - or Samishii, as he called himself - drew curious gazes from the villagers they passed. He was obviously a traveller. However, having seen the arrival of a large cat-beast-man only the day before, they were less surprised than they might otherwise have been. "Found another traveller, Kyo?" one man called with an amused smile on his face, "Nasane ought to hire you to bring her business!"

Kyo gave the man a dismissive wave of her hand, "Perhaps if you ventured more than three steps away from your home, Zhou, you might encounter more travellers too!" she retorted, inspiring an indignant snort and a begrudging grin from the older man.

The Recruiter grew tired of this tailing. He needed results and the Ninjas guarding him, would most certainly report back to Ueda, something he didn't want. Taking a deep breath the Recruiter hastened his pace. Soon he would catch up with the others. Placing himself on the opposite side of the group and then threw on a smile. "Ah I see I am not the only traveler in town." The man spoke. "Here I worried I would be singular in this demographic." The man laughed. He then looked over to Kyo and Zhiya, "Ah and greetings ladies." "It is nice to see friendly villagers showing a fellow traveler the way." He spoke with a smile. "After all I rarely see such hospitality given to complete strangers." The Recruiter spoke. All the while planning on how to ease in and steer the conversation towards his business here.

Zhiya smirked at Kyo's comment to Zhou. The girl always was a snarky one.

"I have seen one. After all, I've been here as long as you have. I just have not had the chance to engage one. Soon enough, however, that might no longer be true. Perhaps I am belittling their ferocity." And Kyo had been right. They weren't warriors. Perhaps, if they were a bit better with their weapons, the problem would have already been dealt with. At least, in a better fashion.

"You seem more concerned than I would expect from a stranger. What might it be that you are-" Before she was able to finish, a man had come right up to them and greeted them... keeping special attention to Samishii. Zhiya nodded in greeting, but narrowed her eyes. Who was this to just be running up to them from nowhere?

...how did he know that this man was a stranger...?

She kept quiet and acted nonchalant, but kept her suspicions.

Rkyo smiled graciously to the newcomer, bowing humbly. "The hospitality of Yosai is indeed well received. I'm surprised to see another traveler in the same town as myself, especially one as small as this!" He looked to Kyo, smiling. "It would seem as if your inn is about to receive some good business, that it is."

He did not regard Zhiya's question, though the suspicious young girl might have noticed, if only for a second, his eyes discretely surveying her once more. They passed once again over the ornate sword, circling up to her wrists and hands, examining the callouses across her palms and fingers...

Of course, he would be staring straight ahead should Zhiya give his eyes a closer look. Straight ahead at the man he was conversing with. Blinking occasionally. Beads of sweat rolling down the sides of his temples. The same honest (if doltish) smile spread over his face. Completely normal. Completely human.

Kyo inclined her head towards the Recruiter, though one eyebrow was raised. "Good morning to you," she said by way of greeting, "I have not seen you around the village till now. Have you also recently arrived?" Word of newcomers travelled quickly in the tiny village, and Kyo had to assume the man had arrived from the other side of town whilst she'd been out on the hill.

"A third, then. Another is staying with my father and myself, one of the Torajin. He has offered to help us build a fence along the roadside near the lake, to make it at least a measure safer for travellers at night."

The recruiter kept a friendly smile as the others acknowledged his presence. "Why it must be!" "For it to welcome even I so graciously!" The man spoke with cheerfulness. He then eyed Kyo as she spoke, "Why yes, I have just entered if not some mere minutes ago." The man spoke. "Yes traveling the roads for a time, I was anxious to enter a settlement." "For some much need R and R." The man spoke. He then perked up over what had been said earlier. "Oh did you say an Inn is here?" "I could much use a place of rest!" The man spoke with his continued cheeriness.

He would continue to put up this guise and later secure a meeting with his target. Possibly within this Inn that they are heading towards. All the while planning out how he could persuade the man.

Zhiya's lips thinned in a straight line as both men spoke. her fingers entwined with one another at her waist, one elbow resting between her sword hilt and her hip as they walked. She listened to them all, but refrained from speaking. Though there were times that Jhiya could not help but speak, there were times like this.

"...I wonder why we have so many visitors suddenly," she mumbled, trying to exchange glances with Kyo. That thin line that her lips made tilted up slightly, but it seemed dry. Strained. "I wonder how many others we'll be seeing. Perhaps we'll have a lot of help to rid the kappa of the lake, don't you think?"

Or they would be cannon fodder. Either way.

The young woman's dark eyes shifted between the two men, studying their behavior, their choice of wardrobe, and various other little things. She then turned her eyes to face ahead, thumbs tapping against one another.

As if speaking the devil's name summoned him, Zhiya paused as she heard footsteps behind them. This was a normal occurrence: they were in a village, after all, but she had not remembered someone being even close behind them the last time she looked. There were a few passing them now, however...

"Well, well. Look at that, Kyo. Another visitor."