Songs Collide: Soulsmoke (Job, Kaori, Private)

Kaori flinched when she heard the squeal, looking back while preparing to draw her katana and stopping when she accidentally performed a body link. Kaori's face turned bright red as a rush of elation hit her coming from Samira. She was quick to close the link before her emotions could reverse flow and be transferred, though, her heart had already skipped several beats. Mostly, Samira had shown embarrassment, selflessness, neutrality, and disappointment- even a bit of repressed anger to Kaori. This was the first time Kaori could remember that she had done something to make her smile, and the woman seemed to be glowing. "She enjoys artifacts of ancient times..." Kaori said under her breath, in an extremely soft tone that only Ikuchi, who had ridiculously good hearing, could hear. Kaori had made a mental note of it, deciding that she would give Samira a surprise like none other when the time was right.

'Master, you missed something.' Ikuchi said in Kaori's mind, causing her to get curious. She was so busy focusing on Samira's joy that she didn't even realize that there was more below that. Kaori bit her lip under her mask, not sure whether or not it was a good idea... She wanted to know what she missed, but she didn't have Samira's permission to do a body link in the first place. By her own logic, Kaori had crossed the line once... would she be able to live with herself if she compromised and made an exception for the mere purpose of sating curiosity? 'She is fatigued.' Ikuchi said, sensing Kaori's turmoil. The hound was linked with Kaori on a mental and emotional level. He knew when she was getting mad, or when she was happy. He felt what she felt when she bonded with Samira for that split second, and the fact that she was a few seconds from abandoning her own rules that she set to prevent herself from becoming more of a monster. Kaori rested her mask on Ikuchi and said "Thanks." in a soft voice. She too knew what she was about to do, and owed her servant a large favor for stopping her from losing her way.

Samira came of and said she was finished, surprising Kaori since she'd let her guard down and causing her to jolt to a straight sitting position with an audible 'Eap!' and a bit of surprise. She'd gone on to say the next portal was Kyoka, and explained the nature of the planet to her. Kaori found herself in awe at her knowledge. While Kaori was intelligent, and learned non-magical things very quickly, and could kick anyone's ass from here to earthland and back without using the portals. Sammy had known about places outside her native planet, and Kaori only knew about the local area she lived in. Ikuchi began standing up, bringing Kaori's mind back to reality and prompting her to stand up as well. "Samira, I'd like you to take the front." Kaori said in a soft, serious voice.

After Samira had mounted Ikuchi, Kaori would get behind her. She'd feel her legs readjusting themselves as Kaori was using her telekinesis to move Samira. She'd find herself sitting sideways on the dragonhound, much like the way a princess rode a horse. Kaori wrapped her arms around the pseudo archeologist and pulled her into her chest, letting Samira hear Kaori's heart beating. "You haven't been sleeping lately." Kaori said in a fairly even tone, showing none of the embarrassment she felt from doing this. She began rubbing Samira's head gently while forcing her own heart to keep the even pace it normally had. Kaori could do this with Samira, the roles reversed, and she'd feel nothing... but when doing this how she was now, it was somewhat... difficult. "Kyoka." Kaori said and Ikuchi began moving forward slowly, walking in fact so he wasn't rattling his riders around. He even did the courtesy of taking the path.

Samira would feel Kaori's heart connecting to her own. There was humility, a byproduct of having someone's head in your chest. There was concern for Samira's well being, as it was often difficult to function properly while tired. There was rest, and easiness in Kaori's heart- something that she didn't normally feel. Right now, she was with he two friends and felt very content. "If you're having nightmares, then let me share a memory with you. You'll experience the memory as I did." Kaori said softly. The memory Kaori shared was from the night of the slumber party. In the middle of the night, Kaori had woken up and realized that Samira was holding onto her. Her arms were wrapped around Kaori, and her cheeks were a gentle shade of pink- but not fully flushed. Her head was slightly leaned forward, the chin resting on Kaori's head. Fully enveloped in the woman's embrace, Kaori felt what many would feel as a last reaction. Most people would first think 'What is this!?' but Kaori already knew who it was. Next, people would feel embarrassment, but Kaori felt something she'd never felt holding Mr. Fluffles... she felt safe. This feeling of security, contentment, and trust would transfer over to Samira through the body link. "Rest, Sammy. We won't let anything harm you." Kaori said in a soft, warm tone.

It'd be several hours before Samira and Kaori had arrived at the portal for Kyoka, roughly four at the slow rate the dragonhound walked. It'd be another three before they arrived at the Soulsmoke shrine in Kyoka. If Samira had taken Kaori on her offer to let her rest in that position, she would let her know when they arrived. Kaori had no fear of her spirits, she would take the wrath of any of them to ensure her friends were doing well. That, and Kaori didn't know a single being in existence who could take her on when she was serious- so a bit of arrogance was in play. However, if Samira had rejected Kaori's offer, the ninja would say 'Sorry.' in a disheartened and thoroughly humiliated tone. If that were the case, Kaori would remain silent the entire ride over... all eight hours of it.

Lava Hawk
Motorcycle
Ikuchi
Iku's Mask
Word Count: 1,036/3,500
Mana: 100%

During the ride, Ikuchi had a chat with Kaori. 'Master, was this your plan?' he asked in her mind, referring to getting Samira in this highly vulnerable position. 'I'm unsure of the question...' she replied.
Ikuchi: 'You knew she would get a break, right?'
Kaori: 'A break from what?'
Ikuchi: 'So, you did not know there was conflict between her and her spirits?'
Kaori: 'You did?'
Ikuchi: 'There is the smell of a male on her clothes that's quite strong. His testosterone levels are high, and he's somewhat angry. His scent matches part of your spirit's scent, the one from the Celestial World.'
Kaori: 'So... one of her guy spirits is always around?'
Ikuchi: 'I am not sure, but it seems like it.'

Kaori had thought about using her historical clairvoyance to find out which one, but she hadn't been given permission. Kaori let out a sigh, deciding not to breech that boundary. The decision was made much faster this time, with no hesitance at all compared to the last. It wasn't a health concern, but rather an overprotective spirit- which would be more beneficial in Kaori's eyes. 'Should I investigate?' the voice of Charlotte echoed in her mind. 'No, it's fine. She can work that out on her own...' Kaori responded. It was her opinion that matters between spirits and their wizards are their own, and if Samira needed Kaori's help she could ask her of her own free will.

Ikuchi: 'I thought I was the only voice in here.'
Scarlet: 'The fuck!? Who the shit are you!?'
Ikuchi: 'I am the thing between Lady Lareci's legs...'
Charlotte: 'Y-you talk!?'
Ikuchi: (playful tone) 'Surpriiiiise.'
Jed: 'You people are loud enough to wake the dead.' -smacking sound- 'WHAT THE HELL SCARLET!?'
Scarlet: 'I told you no 'dead jokes' in here.'
Aquarius: 'You all shut up. You're loud enough to piss me off. Captain asshole's Chaac; been making it rain for a while now.'
Kaori: 'I TOLD YOU GUYS I DON'T WANNA KNOW! STOP TALKING IN MY HEAD IT'S FUCKING CREEPY!'
Aquarius: 'You do it all the damn time... to other people's spirits too.'
Kaori: '.... shutup.'
Ikuchi: 'It is not normally so crowded in here. Should I purge your mind space?'
Kaori: 'How about we all just shut up, my head's starting to hurt.'

Silence took over Kaori's mind and she let out a sigh of relief. Kaori hated admitting that her spirits were right about something, but she did nonchalantly talk into people's minds... but this experience won't do anything to change that now. The rest of the ride was silent much to Kaori's gratitude and she had enough time to look at Samira as she slept. Her cheeks immediately became flushed when she saw how peaceful she looked. 'My god... she's beautiful...' Kaori thought with surprise. No voices replied, making her thankful to know her spirits had dispersed... or decided not to comment. When they arrived, Kaori had gently poked Samira's face. "Sammy..." she said in a soft voice while poking at her a few more times. When Samira woke up, she had thanked Kaori for watching over her. "You were only out for seven or eight hours. I'm glad that you got some rest, and it was an honor to aid in that." she said with a friendly tone.

Kaori walked over to the pillar and looked at the gem on top. It matched the dragonhound's leathery hide, but gave off a gentle smoke. "The runes on this one are different from the last." Kaori pointed out while looking at the runes on the pedestal leading to the platform. "So... who wants to summon the phoenix this time?" Kaori would ask, looking at Samira and then Ikuchi. If Samira didn't take center stage, Ikuchi would nonchalantly walk over and use his tail to point at the jewel. Then he poked it and knocked it off the pedestal and like Kaori's blade to its victim, the bird showed up. Regardless of who summoned the phoenix to battle, the fact that they'd have to fight it remained a constant.

Kaori held her hands out and a pair of pump action shotguns appeared in them, property of Captain Scarlet- ex slaver. The bird inhaled and began breathing a smokey flame at Kaori, recognizing her as her primary aggressor- and she was right, Kaori would be. Ikuchi jumped between them and breathed a massive red-hot flame that countered the phoenix's own and matched it in terms of power. The bird got hit in the face with a blast from Kaori's shotguns and immediately let out a screech while flying backwards. The birds eyes were wide open and struck with shock from how much pain the slug round had caused. Kaori's magic, just her raw magic alone, would be especially painful for this bird. Her magic, her spirits, their weapons- all of it was holy by nature. Her magic was the light in the darkness, the warmth in the tundra, the saint among sinners, and life among death. Her magic wasn't something that was born of bloodlust, as many would expect of a killer; but rather, it was born of her fear of having to kill people forever. Her emotions are what made her magic strong, and that strength was what hurt the phoenix of darkness.

The phoenix looked at Kaori and let out an angry sound, realizing that she was his opposite. This fight would become that of light versus dark, good versus evil, reality versus ideals... Kaori versus Phoenix. Kaori could feel its heart and knew that she would be obligated to show it the light before she could come to agreement with it, and the phoenix knew she would have to show Kaori the darkness in her heart and make her accept it. Ikuchi began stepping back as he could feel the two women getting ready for an all-out brawl. It let out a low screech, and Kaori replied by saying "May the sun rise forever, and banish your flawed heart."

Lava Hawk
Motorcycle
Ikuchi
Iku's Mask
Word Count: 2,039/3,500
Mana: 100%

Kaori
Ikuchi
Charlotte
Jediniah
Scarlet
Mammoth
Aquarius

The phoenix made the first move, inhaling before bellowing forth a cloud of black fire. Even from a distance, the intensity of the flames could be felt. The bird wanted the power to say that it didn't go down without giving Kaori hell, and its passion extended into its every attack. Kaori had no fear in her heart in the face of the intense flames. As her hair whipped around from the force of the fire pushing the air in front it towarda the masked ninja, Kaori released one of the shotguns and used her telekinesis to keep it held in the air. She stretched her hand out towards the blazing inferno as though she were commanding it to stop. A few feet in front of her, the fire slammed into an invisible wall of energy and began fanning out. It seemed as though the flames had consumed the wall as it wrapped around the barrier like ocean waves running over a sea shell on the beach; but, much to the phoenix's surprise and Kaori's lack there of, the ninja was completely unscathed by the attack.

Embers shot past Kaori's mask in the wake of the clashing forces and Kaori grabbed the shotgun she let go of earlier and fired a slug at the bird, hitting the obvious target. The second one in the opposing hand was fired while she used telekinesis to pump the first, another hit. Kaori continued doing this, alternating the attacks to keep a constant spray on the phoenix, but the bird wasn't gonna go down from a few solid holy metal rods to the chest. It spread its wings and flapped once, sending forth a multitude of black, smokey crescents towards Kaori. They were at varying levels, and Kaori knew she couldn't dodge them all; but she knew she could stop some. 'No. I have the power to stop all darkness.' she thought as time seemed to slow down despite Ikuchi respectfully sitting next to Samira. "Shirofune!" Kaori shouted while spinning on the toes of her sandal, allowing her shotguns to erupt into white particles as a different set of particles took their place.

As she spun, a one quarter inch blade formed in each of her hands that was one inch wide, double edged, and four feet long. The blade had no guard, and at the end of its hilt was the kind of forked end you'd see on an arrow. The first crescent wasn't only cut in half, it was purified by Kaori's sword. The black turned into golden light that erupted into particles as it tore itself apart. Kaori was attacking with a heart of love, a heart strengthened by the presence of her friends and reinforced by their love for her. The second sword came across, cutting the next two crescents in half and purifying it as well. In rapid motion, Kaori had alternated her attacks while seeming to be in a violent dance, cutting the darkened soul based energy and turning into a warm light. The bird spun, sweeping its tail across the area and smashing it into Kaori to send her flying back. Were they not on flat ground, Kaori would have to worry about falling off a cliff or something worse; but, as fortune would have it, such was not the case. She landed on her hand, keeping the white sword held in it and used the momentum to swith to her feet while sliding back a bit.

The bird let out a screech while raising its wings, creating a large unit of twenty shadows to attack Kaori. "Send all the shadows you want, my light will reach you!" Kaori shouted, using her Multi-Clone spell to create nine more version of herself. These ones were special in that they could all use Kaori's spells, and shared her passive effects. Each Kaori had attacked one shadow, and vanished to reappear in double the numbers. As one of the Kaori clones stabbed the shadow with her Shirofune, she said "Shii-nee" and the shadow began glowing and then, it erupted into an explosion that consumed the surrounding area.

The phoenix was smoking more than before, it feeling the sting of Kaori's passion as its righteous light began whittling away at its feathers. The birds eyes glowed a bright violet as it began using an ability that Kaori thought was unique to her, but had now learned there were others with it... A pulse of magic energy erupted outward and consumed the area, changing it from the green and white mists of Kyoka, to a burning hot hellscape. Buildings were on fire, and men and women were in the streets fighting each other with katanas. Kaori's heart stopped, she knew this memory... A man began running towards her, his eyes completely white as he raised his sword. Another version of Kaori showed up and cut him across the stomach, ending his life. She had no mask, and her eyes were filled with tears. A woman appeared out of nowhere and attacked her, the younger- much younger Kaori blocking and shouting "Stop, please! I don't wanna fight you!" with a desperate tone. Each person that attacked Kaori had something in common... One symbol dangling from their necks in beautiful solid gold... a hibiscus, the symbol of her clan. It revealed the source of Kaori's distrust for people, the fact that the day she lost most of her clan, the day she became the clan leader, the day she began hunting Saia down... was because she was forced to kill them herself at the age of ten.

A white light erupted through the vision originating from Kaori. A powerful energy pulsed from her being as the pillar of light began to get brighter. Ikuchi had used his tail to block his own eyes to shield them from the intensity. Kaori's mask had untied from the force exerted on the bands as it flew from within her body. Kaori's kimono was flickering just as wildly as her snow white hair. White strands began forming in the air, surrounding Kaori and connecting to the brilliant pillar of light she had created. "You cannot phase me with my own past... I am a monster, I do not feel. I do not show remorse, and I do not regret killing my own people. We will meet again under the warmth of our sun, as the embers clear fields of death in preparation for seeds of life to be sown." Kaori said in a bold tone while raising her right hand. A white sword appeared in her hand, the same one that she had used against the leader when Samira first met Kaori. This time however, the area was filled with something much more powerful than Kaori's hope, her love, or her joy...

White particles began lifting off of Kaori's being, Ikuchi's, and Samira's. The same particles began lifting off the ground, off the phoenix, off of the pillar and from the gem it held. The hope surrounding them was from more than just Kaori, but rather the hope of many people... the hope of humanity. Kaori's kimono was replaced by a flowing white dress, and a pair of angelic wings even larger than Gabriella's and twice as bright. Kaori prepared to attack, and the phoenix began to see the light as it shone too brightly to be ignored. Kaori began flying forward, however she suddenly stopped... Standing before her was Samira with tears in her eyes, arms spread wide as though she were protecting the bird. Kaori's sword began shaking, and she couldn't figure what to do. She quickly realized how great a 'friend' Samira was when she smiled grimly from ear to ear, a black sword appearing in her hand that was thrust through Kaori's heart. The white light radiating from her quickly turned to darkness and Kaori's hazel eyes quickly turned dull and grey as she collapsed on the floor.

"Sammy..." she said in a weak tone, sitting on her knees with a sword of darkness in her heart "...Why?" she finished asking, tears running from her eyes and down her cheeks. The sword Kaori once wielded had turned black and began fading away, and the world became quiet. "You thought I was your friend?" she said in a bitchy tone. "No... you're my bodyguard- that's all you'll ever amount to! You're a half assed, sorry excuse of a wizard and an even worse clan leader. You can't even keep your servant under control the fucking pervert!" she began laying into Kaori, causing her eyes to water more. A dark barrier had formed around Kaori and the phoenix that even Ikuchi's strength couldn't break through. It was now an obligatory one on one match... "Do you even think that scaley mutt of yours loves you? He'd just as easily abandon you as soon as you stopped giving him food. That crew of yours? They'd all leave you. They don't like you, they're afraid of you, you stupid cunt!" "Stop..." Kaori said in a weak tone, blood beginning to drip from her mouth. "No! I wont stop! I'm tired of submitting to your will! I wanted to see ONE of these things, and you turn into a damn child instantly! Then you don't even ask what I want you selfish bitch, and force me to come along! Do you know how hard it is holding my lunch in on the back of that shit!? No, you don't! You don't even care-" "Please... I- I'm sorry..." "-about my well being! You just wanna see your fucking birds, and make yourself happy!" "No... that's not true." "Then you'll go back to your ship and flaunt all your WONDERFUL wealth about, with your expensive ass vanity set, expensive ass bed, fancy fucking chest while I'M left wondering what kind of TWILIGHT ZONE BULL SHIT you dragged me to!" "I... I didn't want..." "You snuggle the living shit out of me, and you know what- YOUR HAIR SMELLS LIKE SHIT! I don't want that near me, I don't want it in the same room as me! Cut it all off you ugly brat!"

Ikuchi's throat began glowing bright red and he opened his eyelids, revealing hellfire for eyes that resemble a dragon's. He shot forth a blast of black flames that only left a red mark on the barrier. Then, he began frantically tackling the barrier with no signs of stopping. He knew the Samira laying into his master was false, but he also could sense his master was breaking. She trusted Samira, and right now, that trust was tearing her apart. He noticed the tip of Kaori's fingers beginning to turn black, and his assault on the barrier became more desperate as the darkness was consuming her and Samira showed no signs of stopping her verbal barrage.

"Even your spirits hate you!" she shouted, arrogantly leaning over Kaori and adding more weight. "And just like your shitty half-breed, and shitty pirate spirits, I'd abandon you just as soon as you stopped being useful." and that was the final straw to break the camel's back. "SHUTUP!" Kaori shouted, all of the darkest emotions of her heart filling the air and completely paralyzing Ikuchi from their weight. However, those emotions cleared quickly... Kaori hesitantly looked around her and saw a field of wheat, sunlight washing over her as her greyed out eyes continued crying. Over a hundred thousand armored men and woman were standing around Kaori, Ikuchi, and Samira. An extremely old man walked out of them, materializing from dust particles and standing in front Kaori. "Grand... father...?" she asked in a weak tone, not believing the sight in front her. The old man kneeled down and touched the sword in her heart, turning it into light that dissipated. He then pulled her in, the phoenix all the meanwhile doing nothing as it hadn't known what was happening. "My dear, you worry too much." he said calmly, stating the last words he said to her when she killed him. "I did not appoint a weak child to take my place... I appointed the strongest of any clan leader who ever lived." his words turned Kaori's eyes to the light, causing them to return to their hazel appearance as the clan leaders of times gone by all got on their knees and prostrated themselves before Kaori.

Kaori's eyes turned fierce and she became angrier than ever, she grit her teeth and grabbed the still dissipating katana. The blade exploded with white energy and Kaori's grandfather vanished, allowing her to blast forward while she rammed it into the phoenix, with it the love of her grandfather, and trust of ever leader bowing to her. The bird's black, smokey feathers turned white and the world returned to normal. Kaori fell from the phoenix's chest, landing on the ground while blood pooled around her from her wounds. The phoenix understood Kaori, and had seen what she meant by saying she (the phoenix) had a flawed heart. A voice rang through the air, peacful and soft. "Your light has reached me human... for this I thank you." it said, bowing its head and sending a single tear down its beak onto Kaori's heart where she was stabbed. The wound closed and Kaori's eyes flew wide open as she gasped for air and clutched her chest. She was shaking, the nightmare she'd just experienced was far greater than she could ever have imagined it to be. Ikuchi had walked to the pedestal and took the gem from its base, walked to Kaori and said 'Let me finish the mission.'

The lava hawk had flown in, landing nearby and Kaori slowly got on, clinging to the creature for dear life. Her eyes were filled with pain, and she couldn't hear anything at all... her only option was returning to Lamia Scale's guild hall. Ikuchi had turned to Samira and his crimson eyes narrowed on her, a set of snarling began. He snapped his jowls at her and began stalking his way towards Samira, getting his face directly in front hers and locking eyes. She'd see the fury of the nine hells themselves in his gaze, a clear warning to tread lightly as the pupils narrowed on her. He then turned and lowered himself, making a point that they would finish the mission before returning to Kaori. He had no intentions of making her trauma all for nothing.

Lava Hawk
Motorcycle
Ikuchi
Iku's Mask
Word Count: Done/3,500
Mana: 100%

Kaori
Ikuchi
Charlotte
Jediniah
Scarlet
Mammoth
Aquarius