Tia's Memories: The Second of Ten \\ Tia & Kaori \\ Private

wc: 558 / 900 | tags: @Kaori | job link: bam.

ulla

"I already told you, pine bokkens are the best!" the shout came from a random man who was sitting with a man who wore a pair of black dress shoes polished to a perfect shine. In the middle of the bottom lace was a solid gold flower, a hibiscus. He wore a set of black dress pants to match, and a well cared for shirt of the same color was tucked into them. From his neck dangled another golden hibiscus, as though it were symbolic to the man. His broad shoulders gave way to normal sized arms, the muscular structure hidden behind black silk sleeves; courtesy of his dress shirt. The man wore a dark grey tie that had a crimson outline on the top, and holding the two tie ends together and preventing wind from flicking them about was a golden clasp. He replied with "Yes, quite loudly I might add. Your assumption is wrong, any bokken is better than pine." in an inciteful manner of speaking. Ikuchi had been in Hosenka for a couple days since he was taking a break before enacting his plan to get in touch with his master, during which time a letter arrived at Hibiscus, the restaurant Kaori owned, inviting the two of them to come here with Tia. He'd spent a bit of time at the bar drinking, but in spite of the seven empty sake bottles, he wasn't the slightest bit drunk... his body's internal heat got rid of the alcohol before it could even begin digesting. The man he was arguing with over bokken material however... he was hammered harder than a six foot steak, four feet in the ground. "Bull shit! You could never match the resiliance and durability of pine!" the drunk one shouted, pulling a bokken out of a cloth sheathe. Ikuchi grabbed one of the wooden parts of the paper wall next to him and tore it out, gaining a four foot long piece of wood and a shriek of terror from the owner. "I suppose there's only one way to settle this."

The sound of wood clashing was heard from the bar and the two warriors went at it with a passion, each having a point to prove. They started in a single spot in the corner where people could watch, but within seconds they were on a long table, fighting their way across it. Ikuchi was wearing his mask and a gentle smile while parrying each attack, the other guy seemed to only get angrier with each successful block. Their fight had ended when the owner's daughter came in with a frying pan and smacked the drunk guy on the back of the head, knocking him out instantly before turning to Ikuchi and trying the same. Ikuchi grabbed her wrist as it was in the beginning of a downward swing with his face only inches from her own. Upon her realization of the distance, as well as Ikuchi's dapper appearance and other features, she found herself going numb and her cheeks turning red. "When he wakes up, he'll handle our bill." he said calmly before releasing the girl's wrist and leaving the establishment. Even after her arm was let go, she remained in that position with a red face as scenarios played in her mind where they ended up going to her room afterwards.

Ikuchi had gone to the same inn that Tia mentioned in her letter and let the young girl at the counter know he was accompanying someone staying there. She said that the person already arrived and gave Ikuchi a copy of her key. Upon walking in the room without knocking, no one would know he was drinking since he smelled nothing like alcohol- not even his breath. There was a room that Ikuchi could smell had no one in it and he decided to enter it and get it set up for his small stay. With him was Kaori's satchel, inside that was a portable desk, and a portable table that he set up on the far end of the room. The desk had several documents on it and a very fancy pen, and the table had several firearms; a pair of S&W 500's, a pair of mini Uzi's, a sawed off shotgun, and a 30mm Anti-Everything Sniper Rifle resting on its bipod- all loaded. Upon Tia entering the room to find him, he would say "Lady Kaori won't be joining us, she's... dealing with... stuff." in a hesitant tone. He didn't want to speak of the events that lead to her disappearance, or admit he hadn't the slightest clue where she was.

Ikuchi
Ikuchi's Mask
Job
Word Count: 774/9,000
Goddess's Boon Lineage: +100% Jewel Gain
Golden Lacrima: +25% Jewel Gain

wc: 1628 / 9000 | tags: @Kaori | muse: 9 / 10

ulla

Tia had requested they spoke while spending some time in the hot tub that was on the balcony, something that Ikuchi would think to be structurally unsafe, but if the balcony hadn't collapsed so far then he had no reason to believe it would do so now. "Very well." he replied, letting Tia know he'd meet her at the hot tub. Ikuchi had walked through the room wearing nothing at all and draping his towel over his shoulder, and his mask worn over his eyes. If either Ray or Chai were in his path, they'd get an immaculate view of his muscle structure as well as his reproductive part that swung freely between his legs... all six inches of it while the 'brain' was inactive. He walked out to the balcony and over to the towel rack to place his on it, not caring who saw him naked. The towel wasn't anything special; it was the size of a beach towel, and white in color. If Tia asked why he was naked, Ikuchi would respond by saying "Our clan believes there to be no difference between the two genders. Men and women frequently bathe together, even those not related to each other. You should try it, it's quite freeing."

If Tia decided to remain clothed, he wouldn't judge her for it. In his other form, he had no clothes so he was used to nudity. He'd also seen many humans naked, including his rider and Tia herself, so he was essentially immune to the female body. This wasn't normal for gaijin, to be naked around each other, and he knew that so it was easy for him to accept. He got into the water and sat near Tia, the steam from the water blocking any view of what lay below the surface. Ikuchi then did something very few people did, even in Kaori's clan... He reached over and slid his hands under Tia and lifted her up, placing the woman on his legs as though he were a chair. She'd feel his arms wrap around her gently, his chest pressing against her and his head resting on her back. If she too were unclothed, she'd feel his 'tree' pressing against her, and rubbing 'it' when ever either one of them twitched. Ikuchi liked cuddling, he liked being close to others and feeling their warmth while holding them; it helped him relax. His arms tightened around he just a bit, and she'd feel him pressing against her back a bit more. "Do you remember when we were in the wagon...?" he would ask, giving no context at all for the reason behind that question. "I never did that with any others... and I have to admit that I did enjoy it." his voice was soft, and gentle; a completely different part of the spectrum from his normal stern tone.

Ikuchi kissed her back before resting his head back on it, her face was in a rather difficult place and the action helped him to an extent. What he didn't know about that was the other effects it had on him. "Master is not well, at least, that's what her crew has told me. I'm unable to track her, and she's constantly moving..." Ikuchi stopped as tears began moving from his eyes. "Before she vanished, I raised my blade to her to protect someone she cared for. I knew I was stepping out of line, and... and..." Ikuchi paused while swallowing his sadness "I am scared." he said with a truly pained voice while holding Tia more. There were very few people he could talk to since they had expectations, or weren't trusted. Ashley looked up to Ikuchi like he was the most indestructible man alive, Gabriella saw strength and rigidity, Cassidy saw... god knows what she saw, and Samira was someone he loathed despite her helpfulness. His holding loosened slightly and he said "I am still deciding whether or not to face her... but it is decided that the one she attacked will. All that remains is for us to enact the final phase of our plan, and then my master will be back." Ikuchi said calmly, his sadness quickly fading back to the dark hole it belongs in.

Ikuchi
Ikuchi's Mask
Job
Word Count: 1,482/9,000

Kaori
Ikuchi
Charlotte
Jediniah
Scarlet
Mammoth
Aquarius

wc: 2700 / 9000 | tags: @Kaori | muse: 9 / 10

ulla

Ikuchi found Tia's reaction to be strange... cute, but strange. Humans were jumpy over the most illogical things; people being naked in front them, people randomly jumping out and screaming, insects, large words, there were even people afraid they were being stalked by ducks- and enough for scientists to make a word for it... which was weird. Tia had attempted to comfort him, but little did she know that her attempt only made him feel empty inside. Dragons were proud beasts, and to appear to require comfort was a stab that would take time to recover from. She had requested they continued this conversation in her quarters, which to most humans would sound like an invitation for 'alternative activities' but to him just sounded like relocating to a more logical place. Much like when he was asked to come to the hot tub, Ikuchi replied with "Very well." in a calm tone.

Ikuchi had waited for Tia to go back into her room before getting out of the tub. A small flame engulfed his body and he was wearing pants, but no shirt. He didn't like wearing clothes since they were restrictive, and to the best of his knowledge, he'd be going to sleep after talking with Tia. That, and she had seen him shirtless, and naked before; so there wasn't much they could surprise him about his external visage. He walked into her room where she was sitting on the bed, and he took a seat a couple feet from her before laying down and using her leg as his own personal pillow. If she would ask Ikuchi why his head was on her lap, he would reply by saying "Lady Kaori has the ability to connect the minds and bodies of other beings so they can understand each other better. Whenever she needed to talk with me, she had me do this while we were linked. After doing it so many times, I've grown accustom to it and can't force myself to talk about certain matters without it. The alternative is holding some quite close."

Once their conversation had got under way, Ikuchi would rest his hand on Tia's leg and close his eyes. "I would love to say that I know what made Lady Kaori attack, or that I know whether or not she was being manipulated- but the truth is that I know neither. All humans have darkness in them, and for those who have powerful light, such as those who use holy magic, they have immense darkness. Humans believe that if they're a saint, if they fight for good and never kill, that they cannot be corrupted. The reality is that if that were true, there would be chaos with no balance. Where there is life, there is death... where there is joy, they're is sadness... where there is light, there is dark; all in equal portions. Lady Kaori has more power than anyone I've come across, and all of that power is based around her passion- her light. The darkness within her found a crack to seep through, and on that day, it came gushing forth. To the best of my knowledge, she's alive but whether or not she's living is the real question."

Ikuchi
Ikuchi's Mask
Job
Word Count: 2,023/9,000

Kaori
Ikuchi
Charlotte
Jediniah
Scarlet
Mammoth
Aquarius

wc: 3346 / 9000 | tags: @Kaori | muse: 9 / 10

ulla

Ikuchi hadn't had any time to argue, or educate Samira about her own species and their weaknesses before he was being kissed and he had even less time to enjoy that before the woman went to the window to check something out. Much like the last time, she was seeing lights that Ikuchi was completely unaware of; a phenomenon that was specific to Tia. Ikuchi then heard her say "Well shit, it looks like this book is going to be hard to find after all..." a statement that meant whatever she saw wasn't enough to get a very definite fix on the next book's location. At the same time, Ikuchi had noted a certain part of him had reacted to the small kiss he'd received earlier; an event some had called 'half mast' although it was more like 'quarter mast' for Ikuchi's case. Ikuchi had sat up, seeing as their meeting was interrupted by the light Tia saw. Tia had removed her ribbons and placed them on a nearby nightstand before saying "There is enough room in here for two, if you'd like... but if you want to sleep in the room where your belongings are, that wouldn't be a terrible thing." It was a welcome thought. Ikuchi enjoyed snuggling as much as Kaori did, and Tia was a trusted enough comrade of his for him to feel comfortable being asleep near her.

Ikuchi would allow Tia to get in bed where she laid with her back facing him. Ikuchi slid under the covers, scooching closer to her while gently placing the tip of his finger on the side of her torso. The finger would creep along her body till it got to her stomach where she'd feel him relax and pull himself almost completely against her back. After a minute or two of trying to fall asleep, something had began gnawing at the back of his mind and made him open his eyes. "Tia..?" he would say in a very low voice, trying to get her attention. If she was already asleep by then, Ikuchi would do nothing and resume his attempt at sleeping, falling asleep after a couple hours. If she did reply, Ikuchi would ask "Would you mind... turning around, please?" It was an innocent enough request, not like he was asking her to do anything indecent. If she didn't turn around, Ikuchi would press his head to her back and apologize for the request while closing his eyes. If she did turn around, Ikuchi would pulls Tia in closer to him and press his lips to her own to pick up where they left off. His tongue would invade her mouth space, and he would enjoy her softness for a good minute or two. If she would force him away at any point, he would apologize and say he didn't know why he did that. He would exit the bed and return to his room, locking the door behind him and spend the rest of the night cleaning his guns as a means of distracting himself. If she allowed it, after the couple minutes had passed, ignoring his fully set sail, Ikuchi would disconnect and rest his head on Tia's breasts and say softly "Goodnight." before quickly falling asleep. He didn't know why he enjoyed it, but he did know that he did... perhaps he'd learn in time?

Come morning, whichever outcome had happened, Ikuchi would be in his room getting set up for the day ahead. He wore a special holster that allowed both of his Smith and Wesson 500's to sit on either side of his hip, and next to them were the two Uzi's. On his right leg at around mid-thigh was a holster hanging from his belt with the sawed off shotty resting in it. The Sniper Rifle was much too large for him to carry on his back, but, much like the infamous CheyTac M200 Intervention Sniper Rifle, this one had a handle under the barrel that evenly distributed its 100 pounds of sexiness when carried by it. Ikuchi had put the bipod up, shortened the stock all the way, capped the scope, and grabbed the handle before making his way to the living room and leaning it against the couch. He didn't expect trouble in this kind of place, but he didn't have time to dick around now that the mission would be starting. A black trench coat was thrown on, hiding his many guns and only showing the top three inches of the sawed off from where it ended. Ikuchi had taken his mask off overnight, but he kept his eyes closed while Tia was looking at him or if she were looking at reflective object to prevent her from seeing them; he was wearing his mask now since it was game time. He wasn't much for accessories, but since he was using revolvers, a sawed off, and a trench coat, Ikuchi felt he may as well take the theme all the way and pulled a black hat out of Kaori's satchel before stuffing the bag in the inner pocket of the trench coat. All he needed now was a bottle of bourbon to strap to his left thigh, a southern accent, horse and herpes, and he'd fulfill the role perfectly. Ikuchi would wait for Tia while leaning against the wall of the suit, and when she was ready, he'd grab is sniper like it weighed nothing and follow behind her.

Ikuchi
Ikuchi's Mask
Job
Word Count: 2,023/9,000

Kaori
Ikuchi
Charlotte
Jediniah
Scarlet
Mammoth
Aquarius

wc: 4565 / 9000 | tags: @Kaori | muse: 8 / 10

ulla

Tia's tease had gone right over Ikuchi's head and made him want to explain his reason for wearing clothes in public, but it had seemed that things would be beginning before he could get into it. Chai and Ray were sent to fly overhead and get a view of the world from above, and Ikuchi would be with Tia on the ground. After a bit of walking, the two of them had come across a group of rather annoying creatures that he remembered coming across before, just with a different elemental alignment. They took to flying circles around him and Tia while spouting nonsense, acting as though they were superior. Normally, he'd try to capture one to keep as a pet, but his patience for this day was quite thin and he was in a rush. Tia had taken care of three of the five fairies, and the other two seemed to have lacked the foresight to shut the fuck up before knowing what the edgy looking person who's calm as can be can do. Ikuchi was seemingly unarmed, but showed no signs of being afraid of the tiny females. The whole time they were flying around, Ikuchi was locking in on their scent, speed, flight patters, and just as they finished their taunt four very loud gun shots went off. Smoke emitted from the barrels of Ikuchi's revolvers, and the last two fae dropped to the floor with their wings completely missing, smoke coming off the stubs sticking out their backs from where wings used to be. "I'm in a bit of a rush..." Ikuchi said before pressing the tip of his revolver to the back of one of the fae "... My lady friend needs to find her book, you need to stay alive- I think we can work out a deal." he pulled the hammer back on the hand cannon and made the fae immediately realize the situation she was in. "Before you piss on my leg and try to convince me it's rain, I've got four others I can make the same deal with. You're highly disposable..." his tone was serious. It was something Kaori taught him, so long as there's more than one enemy of equal rank you don't need to torture them, they'll talk after one or two of their friends die.

The two fairies began crying from the pain, but received no mercy from Ikuchi. "Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Ze-" "-That way!" one of the other fae shouted while pointing in a direction. Ikuchi could smell she wasn't lying, and pulled the trigger on the revolver while preventing the hammer from hitting the firing pin, gently guiding it to a safe position so the fae wasn't shot. The gun was pulled away and holstered under his trench coat alongside his other weapons. He kneeled down and hovered his hand over the two injured fairies and a white glow appeared in his palm that cause their wings to regrow. "Leave and don't waste our time again." he said calmly, the two fae nodding rapidly before taking off. He glared at the other three, waiting for them to depart as well, which didn't take long. The second they realized that he was talking to all of them, the three Tia took down had all taken off after their friends without uttering a word for fear of them having their wings shot off as well.

After a bit more walking where Ikuchi was behind Tia a couple steps, a small child ran through the crowds and slammed into Ikuchi's legs, ricocheting off and hitting the floor. She was no older than six, maybe seven and had dark brown hair that almost looked black under the shade of the surrounding area. Heterochromia had made it so her right eye was brown like her hair, and her left one was green. The green one wasn't 'sort of green' or a mix of brown, it was very green and beautiful. Ikuchi looked down at her and upon making eye contact with his mask, the girl froze up out of fear of the large man. Ikuchi kneeled down and placed his hands under the girl's arms and feeling as she prepared for the worst, but slowly opened one eye when she felt herself being lifted and placed gently on the ground. "Are you hurt?" he asked in an unusually gentle tone, an almost fatherly one. The girl nodded slowly while allowing him to dust her off. Ikuchi had picked her up again and rested her on one of his knees before saying "I'm Ikuchi, what's your name little miss?" The girl avoided his stare since the mask was unsettling for her, but replied "L-Laura..." To which Ikuchi said "That's a beautiful name, but not as beautiful as those eyes of yours." The girl's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink and she began looking at his mask, slowly turning her gaze until she was making eye contact. "There we go, now I can see them better." Ikuchi placed his hand on the girls cheek and gently rubbed her soft skin, removing a bit of dirt with his thumb she got when she fell. "So, are you planning to give back that wallet you stole?" he asked in the same father like tone, and while it was his wallet, he didn't actually seem mad about her stealing it... The girl's eyes went wide from shock, he knew she stole it but wasn't hitting her for it. She slowly reached into the back pocket of the tattered jeans she wore and hesitantly, with a shaking hand exposed the thin, black leather wallet she'd taken from Ikuchi's pocket. Ikuchi gently took it and placed it in the breast pocket of his trench coat before placing the same arm across the girl's lap and around her waist to keep her in place. "Tell me, why did you learn to steal?" he asked. "I- I'm sorry... Please-" "I didn't ask for an apology." The girl was beginning to shiver slightly from being afraid of what he was going to do. Ikuchi's arm slid the girl across his lap, into his chest where he held her while gently rubbing her head. "Why is it that you find it necessary to steal?" he asked again, not asking why she stole from him, but why she did it at all.

The girl had relaxed slightly and held onto Ikuchi. "My mom... she's really sick, and can't work. She told me that her job got her sick and she can't afford a doctor." the girl had begun crying. "Where's your father?" Ikuchi asked, to which the girl shook her head. Wherever he was, he wasn't coming back for his family and the child knew that. "What did your mom do for a living?" he then asked, though, he wasn't expecting the answer he got. "My mom was a girlfriend. Other men would come to our house and pay her, then she told me to go to my room for a couple hours and cover my ears. Her last boyfriend had a really bad cold, and mommy caught it." Ikuchi had let out a sigh of frustration, the child wasn't lying. Her heart rate hadn't increased in the slightest, breathing pattern was normal, no changes in her scent either... Ikuchi moved the hand that was rubbing her hair and reached into the inside breast pocket for his trench coat, withdrawing two coins. Each was made with bloodwood that was shined beautifully, and inside it was a hibiscus made of solid gold. Each coin was the size of the girl's hand, and was extremely valuable. "Take these, when your mom gets better she can trade them for quite a bit of money- enough for you two to move somewhere she can get a proper job and start a better life." he then pulled out some paper money, fifty thousand jewel and put it in her hand as well. "You can use this to get your mother a doctor, but don't tell anyone about either of those- only your mom." The girl began crying and leaped from her spot on Ikuchi's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. He used one arm to gently rub her back, and accepted the kiss on his cheek with pride. "Thank you." she said through the tears and tightened her hug. "Open, Gate of the Bannermaiden." Ikuchi said while letting the girl hug him more, a very adorable looking woman in pirate attire (once you looked past the skirt) showed up from a celestial gate. "Y-yes?" she asked, not used to being summoned by Ikuchi. The dragon separated the hug and wiped the girl's eyes. "This woman is one of my allies, her name's Charlotte. She'll take you home and see how you're mother's doing and then help you find a doctor, okay?" he said calmly, Charlotte looking at the child with a gentle smile. Laura nodded and walked to Charlotte to grab her hand. "Thanks." Ikuchi said to the spirit before the two walked off. Tia had never seen Kaori summon any of her spirits, so for all she knew, Ikuchi could actually be a celestial wizard. "Sorry for that distraction, we should continue." Ikuchi would say and allow Tia to lead once more.

Ikuchi
Ikuchi's Mask
Job
Word Count: 3,574/9,000

Kaori
Ikuchi
Charlotte
Jediniah
Scarlet
Mammoth
Aquarius

wc: / 9000 | tags: @Kaori | muse: 5 / 10 | ooc: this post was so bad, i'm sorry x3

ulla

No enemies had shown up after Ikuchi had sent the child off with Charlotte and Tia had shown an air of surprise at Ikuchi's ability to summon. The key wasn't his own, but rather they belonged to his master, Kaori. It wasn't long after, certainly not long enough for Ikuchi to respond, that Ray and Chai landed nearby and Tia had asked if they could take a lunch break. Chai's stomach had released an audible growling that let him know that there was little choice in the matter, even if she was by far the most useless member of the team (for now). Ikuchi looked at Chai and let out a thought consumed groan, the kind people made when they were thinking hard and his eyes focused in on hers. Were it not for the mask he was wearing, Tia would have seen this change but since he was wearing it, the change would go unnoticed. "Very well, it seems a member of our team skipped breakfast or decided to go light on it." Ikuchi said calmly and looked down the street at the various establishments. Ikuchi walked over to Chai and picked her up while holding her against his chest and began walking down the street. He wasn't a major food person, in fact he hated eating entirely... It was boring, time consuming, and inconvenient since it obligated you to stop what you're doing for a period of time. His only reason for eating was the fact that he needed to do it to stay alive. Humans weren't like this... Humans ate food because it tasted good, so he didn't want to choose the first place he saw and risk Tia, Chai, and Ray having an unsavory experience. Ikuchi had caught onto a scent that was just what he was looking for. It was something Tia would have trouble smelling since it was a bit of a distance away and very faint, but Ikuchi's sense of smell was godly among gods so it was quite vivd for his nose.

Ikuchi had walked silently down the street while Chai had to suffer hunger for twenty minutes before stopping in front a rather humble looking place. It had a very small outside, and the insides were just as small looking. Wooden floors, wooden walls with sconces mounted on them, and a wooden bar- it was nowhere near as fancy as the restaurant Kaori owned, Hibiscus. Once seated, Ikuchi had asked for a glass of water while he looked over the menu. After their waitress had gone, Ikuchi had looked to Tia. "I'm no Celestial Wizard, the keys are just borrowed magic. You said you wanted to discuss something earlier, what's on your mind?"

Ikuchi
Ikuchi's Mask
Job
Word Count: 4,027/7,000

Kaori
Ikuchi
Charlotte
Jediniah
Scarlet
Mammoth
Aquarius