Ryozanpaku

[Bloodedge]

Fairness. That was about what he could expect from the one called Ashikaga Kimiko, and something that should not surprise him in future. Alas... that was the future. At present, Akashi seemed slightly shocked that she would offer such a thing as equality while being presented with the sky itself, free of charge. It was such an endearing trait, though. At the same time, the lass even agreed that she would refuse to let him stop presenting 'wishes' so freely. This, too, would become deeply engraved in their contract. Now then, what was it she wanted to add? Options were aplenty, and Akashi seemed complacent enough that he would agree to most conditions. What she presented was something open to interpretation, yet also so very specific that it brought a grin to the Dragon's face. "A bath?" he asked rhetorically.

"Ha... Hahaha! Hahahahaha!" That Dragonoid male with hair of crimson found great amusement in the fox's request. She didn't have to say anything; it was obvious how much was left open in her demand. The sky itself was the limit, and that was exactly where matters would be taken when the time came. "As you like. I'll be the heater to your bath." With that said, the contract which formed inside this sphere of flames wrote itself to completion. A strand of intertwining Mystic Codes passed through the hand of Akashi into Tamamo, and the same applied in reverse until all terms were written into the very 'souls' of all involved parties. That amber glow remained in Akashi's eyes; this power was not his own, but one even he had yet to understand within the body of Aiba Yugi. Perhaps one day, all would become clear... but so many other things would occur first.

[Apollymi]

Perhaps one day, it would be utterly clear the kind of individual that Tamamo or rather Ashikaga Kimiko had always been. In addition to her degeneracy she was always one to seek that which she could not give herself. She sought intimacy from this lad. Not specifically in a sexual context, though she obviously wasn't against it in any way. No, what Kimiko sought, what she enjoyed was the closeness. It was something she lacked in her daily life and something she could only experience with someone like him. The ability to bond with him, to be close to him, while being herself, was a comfort she couldn't deny herself now that she had it. There was no extra complexity in how they interacted now and this was exactly what she wished for, and as such it was well within her range for her request to be something which gave her the opportunity to bond.

It seemed that her condition, while open-ended was met by Akashi, with... laughter? Of course, he found it funny, she supposed from an outside perspective if a girl could potentially ask for anything it'd be quite shocking if she wanted something immaterial. But one would easily find that Kimiko could always provide herself any material thing she wanted, she even prided herself upon this fact... but she couldn't give herself the things she sought from the man before her. "Ara ara, it isn't as if I'd downgrade you to an appliance. I'm just a girl of simple desires~" she chimed. Her hand was open within his, accepting terms which wrote themselves into her at a level she'd not expected. This power, was beyond even what a Dragonoid could present. It made her wonder what else he could become. Too bad, though this character was very well-designed for its purpose, she was missing a specific 'Mage' skill which would normally have allowed her some foresight. Perhaps she'd manage to fix with a different face... but at present that wasn't a thing to consider. She looked into the Amber glow of Akashi's eyes and felt at ease, her own seeming to glow as well, if only for a moment as their contract was finalized.

[Bloodedge]

"And by simple, you mean plentiful?" questioned the Dragonoid. For the duration of this discussion, the flame sphere these two resided in had been rising higher into the sky, until it reached the pinnacle height of Ryozanpaku. From just above the highest building in verticality, they began to descend again while Akashi removed his hand from Tamamo's. Did that hand return to his side? No. He chose, instead, to lift it until its gentle, heated touch graced the Kitsune's cheek. There was the slightest rub to this moment of contact, as his fingers glided their way down and across, his thumb trailing along her bottom lip while he leaned in to speak. "That's also fine. No matter how plentiful your desires are, I will make sure they're fulfilled." Something was off; the Dragonoid meant to offer a very specific name, only to be stopped by some unknown force yet again. Whatever it was, it was beginning to become irksome. Alas, there was a distraction in the form of Tamamo's glowing eyes. Whatever lay beyond that gaze, he was interested in seeing for himself. One day. For now, their gradual descent toward the ground was joined by the equally gradual return of the male's previously-used Oni form.

[Apollymi]

"Well, I didn't say all of that.." the Kitsune joked, but she could see how her words could be taken as such. Her desire for things which were simple, meant that she had a great many desires which went unsatisfied by her normal life. Her former life was full of things but not necessary the sort of things she wanted, because of this, she began to value more, things which simply couldn't be bought. Time, patience, intimacy, friendship... these things were worth having, more so to the lass than the material or frivolous things she could acquire all on her own. It was a hard thing to explain, but it seemed, she wouldn't need to do that at all...

Akashi's hand was soon removed from her own, but it didn't return to his own body. As they rose up above Ryozanpaku and then began their descent, he set a gentle warm hand to her face. She couldn't help but curl into the touch, to enjoy the moment. She was elated by this affection, so freely offered, so she found it easy to accept. He even claimed that regardless of what she desired, he'd make sure she was fulfilled. Surely, he couldn't know what such a thing would mean to this girl? He wouldn't have offered it so easily if he did. It was most certainly a bargaining chip he should have held much closer to his chest. A trump card he could have revealed at any point in the future to gain an advantage over the lass, one with a lasting effect. Too bad he chose now... too bad she was still at her core a greedy person, one who hoarded all she treasured. "You know I'll hold you to that right?" she asked him, her tone was light but as those glowing eyes of hers settled they were all too serious. She'd been very honest when she'd admitted that she'd settled herself on the idea of him quite a while ago, and she intended to keep him. Soon enough though, he fell back into his previous face, that of the serious Oni whose emotions were well hidden behind still blue eyes. She didn't mind this at all. She enjoyed that he had to offer, even this less expressive face. "Hoh? Not stuck as a Dragon this time... how interesting~" the lass mused, but everything was fine. She wondered if this lad remembered his time as a Dragon this time, unlike times previous.

[Bloodedge]

True enough, she didn't say al that Akashi took as implication. On the other hand, however, the implication was there in the pink-haired lass' general demeanor. The moment at hand was no exception, but was the Dragonoid complaining as he faded away? No; it was a point of anticipation. The grin remained upon his face until it took the form of Giyu's visage, whilst clawed hands became the more human variants possessed by the Assassin. With the Dragonoid's departure went all concern for whatever he'd offered, whatever consequences he'd signed himself ─ and his other selves ─ up for. He certainly didn't know exactly what this agreement would entail, but if he did, one such as Akashi would have offered regardless. Alas, the Dragon would be away for now. His replacement came in the form of one who was less likely to make such arrangements, but whom Akashi had resigned to the same fate unknowingly.

He may not have been 'stuck as a Dragon' as it were, but traces remained for some time. Tamamo offered another teasing query, and Akashi would not leave it unanswered. "Do it. We're looking forward to it," he spoke through the mouth of his other Avatar. He had a major point to get across on behalf of his other selves who seemed hesitant to speak their truths, and with that statement alone, he would drive that point forward. Only then would the hand of Giyu begin drifting away from the Kitsune's face.

[Apollymi]

The kitsune was unaware if the Dragonoid's other selves would be as alright with their arrangement as he seemed to be. Regardless, she couldn't help but take what he offered without much thought or hesitation. It always seemed to work out this way for her. Akashi showed up and was way more forward and forceful about that which he desired of her, and she found herself unable to deny him at any turn, instead meeting his every advance with one of her own. She really and truly couldn't help this. Initially, she'd thought herself crazy for such behaviors. It had taken her a while to come to terms with the fact that she desired this man, rather the person that he was, well beyond what she normally desired of anyone. As such the teasing nature and the truth of her existence was shown by her teasing words even as he disappeared. As the warmth of that clawed hand faded, she'd mentally resigned herself to return fully to being the aggressor. She was prepared to look crazed as she chased him down if only to keep that which she wanted close to her. There would have been a bit of sadness in her eyes, but it disappeared in an instant and was replaced by excitement.

"Hoh?!" It was shocking for Akashi to refer to himself along with his other selves so casually. Beyond this, she could take those words exactly at face value, that regardless of which face was presented by the lad before her she could count on them to give her what she wanted and needed from them. "Hai hai!~" she finished up with grand excitement. Even as the lad's hand turned back to human and fell away from her person, she couldn't help but feel satisfied with her endeavors and more than motivated to get to work and get back to the real 'adventure' at hand. "Alright then, back to business, Kuono and the kitsune will do what I say. I do need to take care of their pest problem though, how are things here?" she asked not missing a single beat of their work as a now drunken Shuten took the descent of her brother and his not girlfriend to mean they could get back to work. "Fufu~ Nerd Time done? Can we get back to it... Ren-chan ran off to sulk or brood or whatever dudes like him do after getting beaten up."

[Bloodedge]

And with that, the transition came to its ultimate conclusion. Giyu regained full control of the vessel, with only the vaguest of memory that Akashi had ever appeared. Even so, he realized the proximity betwixt Tamamo and himself, and assumed something had occurred between them. What could it have been? Oh well; it didn't matter much at all. All things considered, the Dragonoid couldn't have done much that he wouldn't have done himself... right? "Did you─" His question went unfinished. It seemed there had been a few developments since he became another Avatar, including the eventual departure of Rengoku. Whatever he'd been missing, he could assemble the missing pieces later. For now, it seemed they were essentially done here... bar one important thing. "He's probably not sulking," Giyu stated. "Either way, there's a hole in the hierarchy. Ryozanpaku can't function this way; someone has to be appointed before our job is done."

He spoke truth, not his own, but the world's. If Ryozanpaku was minus one of its leaders, things could only become worse. What they needed here was not quite a figurehead, but a legitimate claim to the power structure of Oni kind. Shuten could have managed such a thing, but her eventual absence would have simply recreated the same problem; the very same could be said of Giyu himself. "The others should be about done by now, as well."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Giyu had a question to ask that he went without fully divulging the information. Tamamo or rather Kimiko was more than aware that under most circumstances the lad liked to work out information for himself, so she didn't bother explaining. She figured if he had issues with anything that had taken place, if he could remember he'd bring it up whenever he felt it necessary. Still ever playful a little wink came from the lass, with her fox ears wiggling in response. Instead of the words which addressed their private conversation, he addressed the words of Shuten-doji. In response the purple haired girl scoffed. "Whatever, amusement lost. If we are just replacing leadership, we should just hand it over to her... and then we can drink and celebrate!~" she said with a gentle inclination of her head in the direction of Tomoe. "Iie, I am not at all interested in running this place or any other," she said staring at Tamamo for several seconds, her speech slowing considerably. "Oi oi, if you aren't also interested in leaving that's a bit annoying. We can't stay here, we're on an adventure and all..." said Shuten, as she finished another cup of sake. A gentle shake came from Tomoe. "I'm a PR person. I work for people, usually those who are more suited for a job than I am. I'll stay on and moderate, if someone worth following is chosen," she mentioned casually, with the same kind of word play she'd used to trap Rengoku. "Uh-huh so who do you think is worth following then?" this question came from Tamamo who knew where this sort of thing was going. She knew someone who talked a lot like this.

Ah, as a discussion was being held here, what were the others in this case up to. Well there were two other people who'd gone to two other places. The Tengu, Kuroka had gone to the west to find out the motivations of a certain player snake lad. She had no issues looking for him, as the entirety of the west was currently in a bit of an uproar. News of the break-in or rather out of the Origin Temple had made its way around. given this there was constant movement throughout the area with no one paying attention to the raven haired lass as she walked about the place. Measured steps and a quiet nature allowed her to directly observe and being a path that would put her in the right direction. 'If this boy did indeed wish for a new order, he likely wouldn't be too worried about anyone breaking in or out. He'd have to pretend if he was called upon, but he'd have no real reason to fear anything as he could be relatively certain the original break-in couldn't be connected to him. So... where would he be?' she wondered internally. She kept her ear to the ground and her eyes peeled for anything which could reveal the location of the boy she sought. She'd need only a few minutes of his time to understand his motivations.

[Bloodedge]

When Shuten mentioned handing leadership over to Tomoe, Giyu quirked a brow. He knew better. Ones such as that woman were not built for leadership, but rather for situations such as Shuten's own. She could 'lead' from the shadows by pulling the strings of a puppeteer, but in the spotlight, she could not shine with her own strengths. He didn't have to say anything regarding this, though, as the woman spoke of her own volition against the subject. Now then, there was the matter of the actual replacement for Rengoku. Tamamo presented the proper question. Soon enough, they would have the proper answer.

In the meantime, there was a certain traitor being sought by a peculiar Tengu, Kuroka. Did she realize the truth of her current predicament, though? Time would tell. In truth, her arrival was heavily anticipated. As she traversed this quarter of Ryozanpaku, she caught the eyes of many. Kuroka's observers were not quite Youkai, but simply... snakes which lightly populated the quarter. Soon enough, one of these serpents would be slithering out into the open, just ahead of the intruder. It would be making rather direct eye contact as its tongue protruded from its mouth. As it seemed... this snake wanted the woman's attention.

[Apollymi]

Having said what was on her mind, Tomoe looked to those around her. She could see in the faces of both Giyu and Tamamo that they understood her desire to remain within her realm of expertise. Her words however seemed to bring something of an impatient scoff from Shuten. "Ugh, you're one of those. Fufu, I suppose I should have realized no one who talks around subjects so easily without directly addressing them would want to actually deal with leadership. At least, not while maintaining anything resembling reasonable intentions," said Shuten seeming to understand where she'd went wrong in her initial suggestion. For her part in this Tomoe quirked her head to the side and flipped her white locks over her shoulder. "Hai hai, just as long as you understand..." she mentioned. But that wasn't all, the newest person to enter this area, asked just the right question. It was the same young woman who'd caught her eye a few moments ago. The kind of person who knew exactly what kind of question to ask. "Oh? You picked that up pretty quickly. I might have a suggestion or two in mind," she said with the light of the Nexus in her eye for just a moment as she inspected this newcomer. This was a username she recognized along with her face which while surrounded by a mountain of different colored hair and fluffy fox ears she was essentially the same person. The only thing that had thrown her off was the lightness around her visage, the happiness in her eyes and lack of surly expression. "Taishou!~ Being in this world softened your face a bit!~" she exclaimed she took several steps towards Kimiko crossing her hands over her chest and managing in the moment to look completely recognizable to the lass. "Did you start snacking regularly? Or did you just get better at hiding your face?" she asked wondering if her advice had something to do with it. Recognition shined in Tamamo's face. "Sou ka, I suppose of all the faces I would meet here yours makes more sense than others. We can catch up later, business first. Who do you find to be worth following here?" Tamamo reinforced her question. This brought a chuckle to this white haired lass, there was the impatient girl she worked for right below the surface of this foxy lady. She'd obviously changed quite a bit but that wasn't worth commenting on at present. "Rengoku Ibaraki, she has the right credentials and the right background to work as leader here. She'd young enough to not have her opinions set in stone. Doesn't agree with the way things were run previously, and she takes advice as needed. And before you arrived, I was fairly certain she would have tried to fight Rengoku though she wasn't quite ready yet."

Meanwhile, Kuroka soon found herself in the company of several serpents. She'd been aware she was being watched, this much was to be expected. After all, this faction was known to have eyes and ears everywhere. Besides all of that, she figured the lad who'd gone without getting into trouble for the initial break-in, likely had something to do with the amount of security this place had. Soon enough, there was a white snake before her, crawling along with strange intent. It looked at her, and once it had her attention she gave a little bow. "Lead the way then. You know what I am here for," she said calmly. She wouldn't discuss the specifics of her wanderings but she knew the only person who would have time to not be concerned about the break-in could only be the one who had something to do with the original one.

[Bloodedge]

It took some time, but the Oni who formerly represented Rengoku produced a recommendation. Before she gave it, though, there was the reveal of her connection to one Ashikaga Kimiko. Giyu had an inkling, but he'd yet to give any proper consideration to this as a plausible outcome. Alas, the truth unfolded before his eyes. How strange it was that so many faces who knew this girl were here, dragged through this game, where an obviously secretive gamer in their circle happened to be as well. Stranger yet was the fact that none of these individuals seemed surprised by Kimiko's presence in this world. Her associate in Atlantis seemed close enough to know of a hidden hobby like this, but the others, bar Kaiba Seto, made so little sense. Could he have been wrong about the type of gamer she was? Perhaps. If he was, though, he'd be quite surprised. Whatever the case, a name was finally given. Rengoku Ibaraki was a strangely familiar name, but why did he remember it? Moreover, was it the memory of Aiba Yugi, or that of Giyu? Time would tell.

Speaking of time, the time had come for a certain Tengu to meet with the Youkai she sought. The ashen serpent slithered off, forging a path through multiple alleyways along a path littered with ne'erdowells. Of course, these various Youkai were alerted to the Tengu's presence, but the peculiar snake she was in the company of resulted in none of them batting an eye. Soon enough, the outskirts of the city would be reached. A small marsh harbored a stone cave shrouded in darkness, within which Kuroka would see the glow of two eyes, one golden and the other a deep green. "Tadaima, Kuroka-san. I thought you would find me before I had to send for you," spoke the voice of a young male, somewhat muffled as if his mouth were covered beneath the shadows.

[Apollymi]

'Of course.' A gentle clicking of the purple-haired lass' tongue happened as there was yet another crucial piece of information revealed. Tomoe knew Tamamo outside of this world, and the person she'd been speaking so highly of working for was in fact the travelling companion of her brother. This world was far too full of coincidences for Shuten's liking. Was Kimiko's gaming habit a secret or not? Did being an idol excuse her shut-in behavior or were people willing to overlook it due to the monetary incentives? Perhaps she'd end up questioning Tomoe about it later. Too bad for both Giyu and Shuten the answer to all of their queries was simply... yes. Ashikaga Kimiko was a secretive gamer, that was a point of certainty. But she allowed just a little of herself to show while she was acquiring certain individuals of her staff. This one in particular had worked previously for a gaming company owned by the Animusphere. So, while she wasn't aware of Kimiko's secret life as a secondary Geno Killer, she did at least know the girl was better than average at video games. "Really Olga, you don't have to keep us in suspense," she scoffed moving right along she turned to address Giyu directly. "Gomen gomen, Taishou, I know you aren't one for patience. She can be summoned as well if you'd like to meet her," Tomoe mentioned happily waiting to hear one way or the other. "I can take her at her word for this if she says that Rengoku Ibaraki is someone who can run this place in the absence of you two. I believe her..." she said with a casual shrug. This was a compliment from this lass in more ways than one. The first of which had to do with Olga getting a vote of confidence which wasn't always clear with someone like Kimiko and strangely the ability to defer a bit to Giyu whom she obviously had more than a bit of romantic interest in.

Kuroka found herself following this white snake all the way through town and clear through to the outskirts. Here in a stone cave after passing several others with not so much as an awkward glance being cast in her direction. It wasn't until she reached this place that she found herself looking into two different colored eyes. "Heterochromia interesting choice," mentioned Kuroka who was greeted not as a potential hostile entity but instead as a potential ally. By his own words at some point he would have sent for her, if she hadn't come looking for him herself. How intriguing. "You planned to send for me? I can only wonder what for... after all, I didn't know I was coming here until a little while ago," the girl mused softly. Of course, she was well aware she was mostly just fishing to make sure this lad's motivations were on the up and up as far as the adventurers she'd joined up with. If this was the case, she could extend an olive branch if not... well they'd have a very short discussion.

[Bloodedge]

Giyu was content to leave this matter in the hands of those used to dealing with one another. He had faith in Tamamo's opinion on the matter at hand, but it seemed she decided to defer to her faith in him as well. Turning to him, the lass expressed her belief in the white-haired Oni. The ever-stoic Giyu seemed slightly surprised by this notion, and he was in fact in a state of disbelief. Why did it matter for her to state this? "If you think it's best," he said during the following moments of recovery. There was hardly another thing to be spoken in this case, but he was compelled to answer the girl somehow.

As for answers, Kuroka had an interesting response to finding the young male in charge of her guiding snake. Clever as she clearly was, she chose to question the notion of him sending for her before she knew she'd be coming here. He had a rather different concept of reality at present. "That couple you met were obviously in charge, and you were the most capable and knowledgeable of the area. It was obvious you'd be the one best fit to come here," he claimed. Ah, but there was so much more. Kuroka had a great deal of involvement here; that much was required for true victory. "You're also the third best of your group when it comes to suspicious activity, and that's what I need ─ someone sketchy, but not more than myself. You're less at risk when it's time to overthrow our... government."

[Apollymi]

What a strange interaction was the one currently being witnessed by Shuten and Tomoe. These two individuals the Oni and the Fox were busy having a conversation about the future of Oni Kind. Faith being placed by both of these individuals was easily seen and interpreted by those present. Giyu's emotionless eyes met Tamamo's and he seemed compelled enough to speak of trusting her judgement. One might have thought it unnecessary for the extra consultation, but Tamamo and more importantly Kimiko had no intention of over-ruling or taking over the lad's plans for this area. She only meant to help out a bit if she was needed. If she could speed along with outcome at all, she'd do that keeping her on track for the goals she had personally put together for herself. Besides, they were partners and she always intended to be fair in how she dealt with the lad, whether something would be easier for her to complete on her own or not. "Hai hai, bring the girl then. Let's find out how she feels about all of this..." Tamamo said finally. It was better to find out all necessary bits of information and given this Tomoe gave a little bow and turned on her heels. She opened her left hand and a large flaming spear appeared within her grasp along with the same bow she'd been using so far. She turn on the spot, aiming for Mt. Ooe off in the distance and drew back her arrow only to fire the flaming burst of a thing off in that direction. Unlike Rengoku Kyojiro, this girl in particular had been off training on her own, well outside of the general population of Oni. Beyond that she'd taken quite a few of the 'lesser' desired Oni with her keeping them safe from her brother in the meantime.

As the Oni Kind were being worked on by the group of adventurers at large, the insider Kuroka was now meeting with a certain Snake Lad and having a conversation which piqued her interest quite a bit. Every word spoken by this lad let her piece together his personality bit by bit. She was wondering if he was more or less the type to properly handle what was going on here. In answer to the questions presented by the pair of Adventurers she was content to follow, she was finding this lad's motivations to fit rather nicely into their overall plans. "Sou ka, you also think they are a couple. They decided to send me here for those same reasons, so mentally you fit the build of one they would work with regardless," she said softly thinking about it logically he'd come to some good conclusions and one couldn't overlook his observational abilities. "You're seeding a revolution. We thought of that... they both will have no problem with this. What is it you think you need of me though, and why am I only 3rd best in the group?" his answer to these questions would be the best way for her to tell exactly what this lad would be doing within the realm of this place. She knew by personality alone that no one would be trying to live in this place, they were instead only fixing it up so they wouldn't have to deal with it later.

[Bloodedge]

And so, the group in the Oni-dominated quarter of Ryozanpaku would await the arrival of one Rengoku Ibaraki. Tomoe called upon the new prospect for leadership in this quadrant, and in due time, the others nearby would understand why she would recommend this person. Firstly, there was the matter of distance this arrow of summoning traveled. She shared a family name with the former leader, so why was she so distant? The ideal answer in Giyu's mind would automatically make her an ideal candidate, and figuring this would be the outcome, he was already on his way to satisfaction. Alas, there was one problem. "Rengoku isn't the name of a powerful Oni," he stated, sharing this thought with the one person among the current Oni who possessed more than a single name to solidify a power structure.

Meanwhile, the serpent lad's guest was upholding an interesting discussion with him. As they conversed, he slid out of the shadows that otherwise concealed his identity. Not much was accomplished by this, as he wore white bandages that covered the entire lower half of his face, even as his messy lack hair showed itself up top. A black, military-style uniform was draped over by an oversized haori featuring thick, black and white vertical stripes. The white serpent he sent after Kuroka rose from the ground, spiraling around the lad until its head hovered over its master's, granting a proper showing of its impressive size. "They are a couple," he corrected. This lad had done more than his fair share of espionage during his time in this world; he knew the truth about those two before they knew it themselves, from only a short time observing them. "You're third because those two are masters of hiding themselves. I can't even tell what type of thing they're hiding yet, and that's a feat. That's also why you'll work best. Less secrets means I can trust you more, so it's ideal because... a revolution won't work here. The Snake of Ryozanpaku is a hidden Hydra; just taking off its head will only make it stronger."