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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 17, 2012 21:55:12 GMT -5
"Hell," she said. "It just doesn't make sense, David. And I know I really shouldn't be wasting energy puzzling it over, but I can't let it go." Once they were off the elevated platform and were at street-level, she glanced right, then glanced left. "We're going to have to either go past that Yakie club again or figure out a different way to the Onmyōji's shop," she said.
"Let's figure out another route. No sense asking for trouble if we can avoid it." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "I get it. The wanting to figure out what's going on. It's probably better to try understand it, anyway. If we can't leave right away, and I hope that doesn't happen, it might be important to understand the situation."
"Exactly my thoughts, too," she said and led them in the opposite direction than the one they'd gone when they had first visited the area. After they'd gone a few blocks and she was certain she knew where she was going, she turned to him and said, "So what's your take? You were a trained investigator. More so than me. I just took facts and spun them until they fit the story I wanted to tell." She smirked at him. "What do you think's going on? Why Kyoto? Is Lao dead or alive? Why a war?"
He shook his head, thinking. "Why Kyoto...I don't know that. Not enough background information on the whole conflict. As for the war, though...there's one easy explanation, one that I hope is wrong. If Lao's still alive, he's like me, and that means he's far more dangerous than he was before. He might be flexing his new-found muscle. Can you imagine any rival gang being able to stand up to him?" He kept most of his attention on their surroundings, trusting her to find their way to the magic woman.
"But why the Yakies? Why not other Triads? Are the Triads stronger than the Yakies? Is that why they started with Kyoto and not Tokyo or Osaka? Is he starting out small, testing his muscle against groups he knows to be weak?" They turned a corner and a few blocks in front of them was the mouth of the alleyway that housed the Onmyōji's shop.
"Maybe he still has some loyalty to the Triads. There's certainly no love lost between Yakuza and Triad. It would make sense for him to go after people he hates, first."
"Oh, good point." She glanced at him. "Why do the Chinese hate the Japanese so much? We're like the same people, you know."
"Stupid prejudice. My parents hated the Japanese because of the invasion. As if you could have had anything to do with that." There was a touch of bitterness in his voice. He was still bothered by never getting his parents to accept his relationship with her before they died.
Her brow arched, at that undertone of bitterness in his voice. She caught his hand, tugged it gently, making him stop. "David, they couldn't help it. They were raised that way." She stopped, realising that she was basically forgiving his parents for their bigotry against her, but... He was still so angry about it and there wasn't anything he could do about it now that they were gone. There wasn't anything either of them could do about it now.
"Yeah, I know. It's just...they were both smart, educated, caring people. Why couldn't they accept my happiness for what it was? Did they really think so little of my judgment?"
She laughed a little and shook her head. "Parents always want more for their children than they had themselves. And I think they always think they know better than us, no matter how old we are, no matter what the decision is. They're our parents, you know? They probably can't get past the idea that they changed our diapers or fed us for the first few years of our lives."
"Yeah, you're probably right." He grinned at her, pushing away the dark mood that had crept over him. He glanced around, thinking the area looking familiar. "We're almost there, aren't we?"
She nodded and started walking again, turning down the alleyway. Once she rounded the corner, the hairs on her arm and all along her spine stood up straight. Magic was thick in the air, cloying, making it hard to breathe. "She's..." Riley shook her head, unable to explain what she was feeling.
"I feel...something." His skin was tingling. "It's like an electric current. It's her magic, isn't it?" He looked down at this arms, saw goosebumps there.
She nodded and pushed forward, feeling as though she was wading through a pool of water. There was a single bulb burning in the alley, right above the Onmyōji's shop. It cast a yellow cone down onto the pavement and Jaguar did not want to step into that light.
He noted her reluctance, and took her hand again. "We have to go in," he said gently, giving her hand a little tug. He glanced up and down the alley, seeing no one else around. "We're clear, as far as I can tell."
She shook her head, holding up a hand to ask for a moment. A battle of wills had commenced. Jaguar wanted to run from the stench of magic that permeated the alley; Riley was trying to calm Her, to reason with Her. Jaguar kept pushing to be let out, to run, to take over and Shift, to stalk the city streets until She could break out and find an open stretch of land and hunt.
He could tell she was battling with Jaguar, and wondered if it was the magic in the air that was doing it. It seemed likely. He nodded to himself, turned and strode to the door, knocking firmly on it. If the woman stopped doing her magic, it might help.
The suffocating thickness in the air cut off almost immediately and Riley's eyes popped open. She was still in control; Jaguar had acquiesced, but the cost of Her surrender would no doubt be steep. "She stopped," she said to David, though whether she was talking of Jaguar or the Onmyōji was up for debate. Riley straightened, took a deep breath and stepped into that cone of light, reaching for David's hand and clinging to it tightly.
He gave her a quick smile, pleased that his gambit had worked. Since she was already holding his hand, he used it to pull her in close for a quick hug before the door opened.
The door opened, revealing the tiny, ancient spellcaster. She blinked up at David and Riley before her lips split in a huge smile. Bowing deeply to them – more reverently than she had when they'd first visited, and eliciting a confused frown from Riley - she backed into the shop, beckoning them inside, all the while chattering away in Japanese.
Riley arched her brow and glanced up at David. Then she shrugged and followed the tiny woman inside, listening and attempting to get a word in edgewise. When it became clear that the woman was determined to get out the entirety of her story before allowing Riley to speak, Riley shut her mouth and gave David a helpless shrug.
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 17, 2012 21:58:00 GMT -5
He couldn't understand a word the tiny woman was saying, but she was apparently pretty excited about something. He hoped that meant she had good news for them. He walked inside with Riley, and glanced around the shop. It looked the same as it had last time, and there was no one else in sight. He had a feeling that even if the Yaks found them, they wouldn't start a fight in this place. It was clear enough that the old woman had real magical ability.
When the woman finally paused in her story, Riley held up a slender finger and said, "Chotto matte kudasai, honya-san," before turning to David. She raised her brows and then took a deep breath. "First, she's utterly convinced that we're the Earthly vehicles of Prince Saruta and the Great Persuader. Kami. Gods." Riley arched her brow, giving David a very obviously dubious look. "And she said she's found Rhy'Din. In fact, she...I don't know how to explain it any better, but I guess she touched someone who was looking for us. She said the person called us the Cat and the Warrior." Riley shrugged and glanced back at the Onmyōji, who was smiling beatifically at them, as if she were basking in the glow of some holy figure.
The first part was strange and interesting, but he was a lot more interested in the second half of the explanation. "She found it? Someone from home is looking for us?" He grinned happily. "That's really good to hear. Can she get us home, then?" He wondered who it was that was looking for them. They didn't know very many magically inclined people.
Riley repeated David's questions to the woman, who immediately fell on her knees and starting speaking in a wailing, forlorn voice, crawling towards Riley on her hands and knees and attempting to kiss Riley's shoes. Riley turned a horrified look on David, stunned for a moment into utter shock by the woman's wailing and grovelling.
He very nearly took a step back when the tiny old woman fell to her knees and starting wailing. "What the hell? What's wrong with her?" He hesitated, wanting to reach down and draw the woman up, but was worried that he'd freak her out more, or even hurt her. She looked frail enough that a strong wind might crack bones.
"She's apologizing to us, asking us to spare her because she has lots of family depending upon her." Riley leaned down, gently hooked her hands under the woman's arms and hauled her to her feet. The woman refused to look David or Riley in the eye and was still wailing and apparently apologizing. Riley tried patting her comfortingly and when that got her nowhere, raised her voice just a bit, breaking through the stream of words pouring forth from the woman's mouth. She blinked and rocked back on her heels, finally raising her eyes to Riley's face. In a calm voice, Riley asked what the woman was going on about. The woman explained, in a soft voice with a minimum of apologizing and grovelling.
"Spare her? What do you mean? Spare her from what? We're not going to hurt her. Christ, it would be like attacking my great grandmother." He gave the old woman a reassuring smile, keeping his hands down at his sides, projecting his most non-threatening demeanor. "What is she saying?"
"She's saying that she's not strong enough to get us back by herself. That she has to... Oh, she has to join her abilities with this other person who is looking for us. She's saying..." Riley shook her head, frowning in confusion. The woman stopped speaking and looked back and forth between them, as if waiting for some sort of judgment. Riley asked a single question. The woman paled and uttered a single syllable, "Ni." Riley's eyes went wide and she said softly, "Oh, sh*t."
"What?" He shifted from foot to foot, feeling a sudden and uncharacteristic wave of impatience. It was tough having this tense conversation going back and forth and not having any idea what was being said. He resolved to have Riley start teaching him Japanese as soon as they got home.
"Rhy'Din is two weeks ahead of us now,” she explained to David, turning a bit to look at him while she spoke. "So...she's going to have to...shove us not only though different dimensions to get us home, but through time, too." The woman was still looking back and forth between Riley and David, her face pale, lips compressed into a thin line.
Riley turned back to her, studying her carefully then spoke more to her. The woman ducked her head and said in a thin voice, "Sore wa watashi o korosudeshou." Riley gasped and shook her head, reaching out to grasp the woman's arms and force her to look her in the eye.
They'd have to travel through time to get home? Well, that was different...but he wasn't sure why the woman got so worked up about it. Two weeks wasn't such a big deal...was it? He snapped out of his thoughts when Riley grabbed the woman. "Now what?"
"She says it'll kill her. The effort to get us home will kill her."
"It'll...f*ck." He turned away, walking over to the door of the shop and rested his forehead on the wood.
The woman started speaking again, her voice firmer now, confident in whatever she was saying. Riley said something in reply, her voice obviously strained with the effort not to cry. The woman responded, her tone now forgiving, understanding.
He lifted his head, turning to look down at the tiny woman, forcing his face to remain calm and pleasant, despite the roiling mass of emotions that lay just below the surface. How could they ask her to give her life to get them home? But what was the alternative? Stay here, and...what? Try to make a new life? With nothing but the clothes on their backs?
She left Riley's side and went to gently tug at David's sleeve. The woman gave him a smile and said in very broken Mandarin, "I willingly give you my life, Prince Saruta. For you and your lady, I would give my life a thousand times." Now it was Riley's turn to look back and forth between them with incomprehension.
He stared at her for a second, then shook his head vehemently, replying in Mandarin. "No. No, I can't let you do that. I'm not this Saruta, and you can't give your life to get us home."
"You do not give permission. I offer. I am 93 years old, Prince Saruta. I have five great-grandchildren. I will do this for you and your lady." She turned and faced Riley, saying the same thing to her in Japanese now. Riley's eyes filled with tears and she looked at David, helpless and confused.
"Sh*t," he said softly, then again, because once wasn't enough, "Sh*t." He met Riley's gaze, this time unable to hide the pain in his eyes. "I...don't think she's going to let us stop her," he said softly, in English.
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 17, 2012 22:00:39 GMT -5
A single tear tracked down Riley's face and the woman lifted a surprisingly gentle hand to capture it. She gave Riley a smile and then licked the tear from her finger. It was the tear of a goddess, shed for her. What greater honor could Riley have given to the tiny Onmyōji? Then she patted Riley's arm and said something to her before slowly moving away into the back of the shop.
"I think you're right," Riley said to David as she went to join him near the door to the shop. "She's giving us time to decide. But we have to decide tonight. She said that if we can't do it tonight, we'll have to wait until the next full moon and that would be...dangerous." Riley frowned and turned to watch the woman for a moment before looking back at David.
"If RhyDin's two weeks ahead already, there's no telling how far it would be by the next full moon." He shook his head, stepping in to slide his arms around her, wanting the comfort of her touch. "Christ," he muttered. "What do we do? We either stay here for good, or let this old woman kill herself for us. What kind of choice is that?"
"An utterly sh*tastic, unfair, crappy one." Riley sighed and went willingly into David's arms, closing her eyes and resting her face in the joint of his neck and shoulder, quieting Jaguar with the smell of Home. After a few moments of just standing with him, she said softly, "She's utterly convinced we're these kami. It's an honor for her to sacrifice herself for us, to help us. We'd be...dishonoring her if we denied it and she'd end up committing seppuku. So... She dies no matter what we decide."
"Why does she think we're these...kami?" Maybe it wasn't the best time for this conversation, but it was a way to put off the inevitable decision for a little longer.
She raised her head and shrugged. "She hasn't said." Then she frowned as a long-buried memory rose to the surface. "You know, there was a Buddhist monk who lived at the shrine on Zen's roof for a while last spring, before you came. He said he was in Rhy'Din looking for a reincarnated Rinpoche."
"There was?" He was a bit confused by the apparently subject change. "What happened to him?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure, he just sorta...disappeared one day. Maybe he couldn't find what he was looking for in Rhy'Din... Or maybe he found something else. Someone else. And went home to seek further instructions."
"What made you think of that now?"
"What if... What if he saw what she sees. In me. I mean... If you think about it, kami are just enlightened beings, right? All gods and goddesses are. Jesus was. Mohammed, too. So... Maybe... Maybe she's right." She felt ridiculous entertaining this line of thought, felt foolish even bringing it up. "Or maybe I'm just...grasping at straws here. Trying to come up with a way to make her death mean something and somehow make it be...well, be okay."
"And me? I'm not even Japanese."
"I'm hafu. Hell, apparently my five times great-grandmother was the Queen of the Summer Court. So I'm not even really human, even without Jaguar's influence." She took a deep breath, and glanced back at the woman, who very obviously had her back to them, giving them space and time to come up with a plan. She looked back at David. "Putting all of that aside, there's no way we're changing her mind, David. And maybe it's time to be cold, calculating, and callous.” Riley took a deep breath and went for the purely logical choice. “She's going to die whether we go home or not. Why not... Why not use her sacrifice and go home?"
"You're right," he said quietly, and it hurt to say the words, true as they were. "I don't like it, but...if we're going to cause this woman's death no matter what, it should at least be something she can be proud of." He closed his eyes for a moment as he spoke, then opened them to meet her gaze.
She nodded and then turned back to the woman, calling to her. The Onmyōji shuffled over to them and Riley spoke in very soft, comforting tones, obviously relaying their decision to her. The woman nodded, her face taking on a determined look, and spoke to Riley before going and taking her hand and raising it to her lips in a soft kiss. Then she did the same to David, before opening the door to her shop and bowing deeply, reverently to them both. Riley bowed back to her, going so far as to press the palms of her hands together and hold them in front of her heart, before stepping out of the shop, into the alley.
He stood looking at the old woman for a moment after she kissed his hand, then slowly went to the door. Before stepping out, he turned and bowed back to the old woman, making sure his bow was as deep as hers had been. If she was going to die for them, she deserved that much respect, at least. Then he followed Riley out the door and into the alley.
"She said she'll be ready for us Tuesday morning," Riley said and then melted into David's arms, letting go of the tears and grief she'd been holding onto.
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 17, 2012 22:02:33 GMT -5
((Warning: The following posts contain scenes of graphic violence. Reader discretion is advised.))
Friday night...
Jaguar growled and Riley went stiff in David's arms, her head coming up oh-so slowly, nostrils flaring. "We're not alone," she whispered directly into David's ear. "A large group of men with guns. At the mouth of the alley. Fourteen...no, fifteen of them."
The whispered warning short-circuited the sadness and anger at the choice they were being forced into, and kicked him into full alertness. Fifteen armed men was a serious danger; one that couldn't be handled by normal means. They were going to have to reveal their superhuman abilities if a firefight broke out. "Be ready to move fast," he whispered. "Don't hold back this time."
She nodded and let Jaguar slip Her chain just a tiny bit, feeling the rush of power and strength as the Big Cat came out to play. She carefully pulled away from David, taking care not to act as if she knew what was facing them at the end of the alley. Her warm, caramel-brown eyes had Shifted into the cold, cruel alien amber of Jaguar and she could feel the tips of her fingers tingling. Perhaps there would be a chance to talk, to extract some information first. She glanced at David, a brow arched, and thought these words really hard, trying to shove them into his head.
"Let's try to talk first," he said. No, he still couldn't read minds yet, but it was logical and tactically sound. If the men with guns were talking, they probably weren't shooting. That could only be a good thing. He turned casually to face the mouth of the alley, seeing the first rank of hard-faced young men waiting there, blocking off any exit from the dead-end alley. There was enough light for him to see that that all of them had their weapons out and ready. Most of them carried pistols, but several had some of kind of sub-machine gun; he thought they looked like MP7s. That was some serious firepower for Japan, with its stringent gun control laws.
Riley stood behind David, letting him take the lead here. The Yakies wouldn't pay her much mind; women served three purposes in the minds of most Yakuza - servants, sex partners, and money-makers. If they refused to speak English, she would, of course, translate, but she worked hard to keep her eyes downcast and her posture as subservient as possible...which considering the circumstances, was really freaking hard.
The first Yakuza--it was obvious that's what these men were--took a step into the alley, pointing his gun at David's midsection. "Take it easy, guys," David said, spreading his hands to make it obvious he wasn't armed. "I'm not the guy you want."
It looked like the Yakuza spoke English, because he sneered and lifted his gun until it was aimed at the center of David's chest. "Don't try to play games, Lao," he said in accented but easily understandable English. "If you want to take it easy, come with us."
Riley raised her head a little, eyes narrowing so that their alieness wouldn't be quite so obvious. She glanced over the men standing at the end of the alley, taking in their weaponry, where they were standing, their levels of confidence. They were all very confident, quite assured that they could easily handle two gaijin, especially since one of them was a woman. The poor dumb bastards, Riley thought with a smirk, they really have no idea what they're getting into, do they?
"I'm not Lao," David said calmly. "Whatever trouble you've got with him, it has nothing to do with me." He didn't really expect that to work, and wasn't terribly surprised when the Yakuza's face twisted in anger, and the gun rose higher, in line with his nose.
"You must think we're fools," the Yakzua thug said. "Put your hands in the air, and don't make any sudden movements, or we shoot. That goes for the woman, too."
Riley had been told by many different people, on many different occasions, that her mouth was going to be the death of her. It was pathological, the need to be snarky and sarcastic. She just couldn't help herself. Her head snapped up and she boldly met the eyes of the guy who'd just spoken to them as she stepped out and away from David. "So, I'm a little confused," she said in Japanese, her tone one of genuine befuddlement. "Which is it? Are we to hold still or put our hands up?"
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 17, 2012 22:18:13 GMT -5
The guns of several of the Yakuza, including the one who'd been speaking shifted away from David to point at her when she moved. Many of them looked shocked at being spoken to that way by a woman, shocked and angry. "Shut your mouth, kono baita," the spokesman growled, face flushed with rage.
Normally, she'd laugh off being called a dirty whore, maybe even shoot back something equally insulting, but tonight, she didn't feel like trading insults. Tonight, she was tired and angry and grieving...and it was the night of the full moon. Wanting this face-off over quickly and with a minimum of bloodshed – hers and David's; the Yakies could all go die in a fire – Riley growled softly, letting Jaguar slip Her leash even more. There was absolutely nothing human in that sound. "Come and make me," she said, still using that alien voice. She beckoned to the Yakies, planting her feet and readying to make the Change.
Everyone in the alley except for David took a step back at the sound of that growling, inhuman voice. The Yakuza's attention was now focused solely on Riley, and David took the opportunity to slide a step closer to the lead Yakuza as smoothly and imperceptibly as he could. As he moved, the Yakuza gestured slightly with his sub-machine gun, still glaring at Riley. "This will make you," he snarled, but his voice shook just the tiniest bit as he spoke. Riley's voice had clearly unnerved him.
She saw David moving closer to the Yakies and took a step farther away from him, hoping to keep their attention on her and not him. If she could buy him just a few seconds of distraction, this whole face-off just might end before it really began. "Now, boys," she said, her voice human once more, the look in her amber eyes not so much. "Just because you have guns, doesn't mean you have to show them."
At her words, David made a strangled noise that was somewhere between a stifled laugh and gasp. Riley had bigger balls--in the purely figurative sense, mind you--than most guys he'd ever met. It was, honestly, one of the things that had so drawn him to her right from the start. He liked strong women, women who didn't shy from a fight, even if nine times out of ten, it was her mouth that started the fight.
Sadly, it appeared his taste in women was not shared by the Yakuza. "Shoot the whore," one of the other Yakuza said, in English. Probably trying for intimidation. "We only need Lao." Authority rang in that voice; he was clearly in charge of this group. That made him a target. First priority, however, went to the man in front, the one with sub-machine gun pointing at Riley. David could see the Yakuza's finger begin to tighten on the trigger as he obeyed the order.
That tiny motion sent David into instant action. He knew intellectually that unless the Yak was packing silver, it would be a temporary inconvenience at most for Riley, but that didn't stop the immediate emotional reaction. The son of a bitch was about to open fire on his wife! His own heartbeat was abruptly loud in his ears, a single deep thud that was oddly drawn out. The Yakuza seemed to be frozen with his finger half-flexed. None of the others were moving, either.
David's foot swept out in an arc, connecting with the hand that held the sub-machine gun so forcefully that it nearly decapitated the Yakuza standing two feet away as it was flung from a shattered and crushed hand that was barely attached to its owner. Without hesitation, David reversed the motion of the kick, spun and snapped out a punch at the Yakuza on the left of him. The man was just trying to pull his gun away from Riley and point it at David when the blow landed on the right side of his chest, shattering ribs like matchsticks and sending lethal bone fragments sleeting through multiple internal organs. A sense of near-perfect calm settled over David as he moved, body and mind and spirit all working together in total harmony.
Beat.
Still without slowing, he took a gliding step forward, bringing the next rank of Yakuza into range. There was a fourth man in the first line of them, but he didn't worry David. Riley could handle him. The two men directly in front of him both had pistols in hand, slowly swinging them to face him. He reached out, grabbing the barrel of the pistol on the left and squeezed. Bulging metal oozed between his fingers like thick liquid, then he pulled his arm sharply in towards his chest, ripping the gun and several fingers away from the Yakuza thug, only to thrust it out almost instantly again, launching the mangled mass of metal into the face of the man on the right. Blood and shattered bits of teeth flew as the Yak's head snapped back.
Beat.
Jaguar saw the minute flexing the muscles controlling the finger that was tightening around the trigger, smelled his deadly intent, and ripped control of their shared body right out of Riley's hands. Instantly, She threw Herself to the side, so that where She had just been standing, there was nothing but empty space. Then she Shifted claws and teeth and watched in stunned amazement as David exploded into action, cutting through the front line of the Yakies like a knife through hot butter. She was about to complain about not having any fun, but then spotted one that David missed.
Gathering those powerful leg muscles beneath Her, She leapt straight at the hapless moron, clawed hands reaching for his throat. With a single slash of her right hand, she ripped his throat out, letting the body hit the pavement without a second thought.
Another easy leap brought her into the second line of Yakies. Landing neatly between two of them, she swung her hands out, grabbed hold of their ears, and while taking a big step back, brought her hands together, smashing their heads into each other, cracking skulls and killing them instantly.
Beat.
David registered Riley moving sometime in between the third and fourth man he took down, even glancing over in her direction to visually reassure himself that she was unhurt. Seeing that she was doing just fine, he stepped to the side and forwards in a half circle that brought him alongside another Yakuza. An expression of shock and terror was just twisting the face of that Yakuza when David's hand locked onto it. He flicked his wrist, levering the man's head over so sharply that bones split and popped through the skin of his neck.
Beat.
Three Yaks with sub-machine guns were standing in a group in front of him, and he dove straight for them, head slamming into the center one's chest, arms sweeping out to wrench the other two from their feet. All four of them went down in a heap, but only David rose from that pile. Two Yakuza directly ahead were just now pulling the triggers of their pistols, and David rolled sideways as bullets cut through the air where he had been a moment ago.
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 18, 2012 16:25:39 GMT -5
The sound of bullets grabbed Riley's attention and she glanced towards David. He was fine, thankfully, had even managed to dodge shots obviously intended to hit him. A final triplet burst of gunfire rang out and there was suddenly searing, white-hot pain in her shoulder. She screamed - an primal, jungle cat sound, half pain, half rage - and staggered to her knees, left hand coming up and clapping over the wound. Each thud of her heart sent blood spilling through her fingers. Her clavicle was shattered and it felt as though her scapula was blown out, too. Despite the fact that the bones and muscles started to heal almost instantly, it was still too painful to contemplate rejoining the fight.
He came out of his roll, poised only a few feet away from the two Yakuza who had fired at him. Off to the side, he saw the third and final unharmed Yak firing a burst from his MP7. The muzzle flash was bright and lasted a long time to his sped-up senses. He pivoted slightly, tracking the trajectory of the shot and saw the bullets slam into Riley, saw the blood fly out behind her as the bullets tore through skin, muscle, and bone. He heard her scream, and the sound shattered his walls of calm into jagged lines of red-hot fury.
Time snapped back to its normal pace abruptly, and he watched as she fell to her knees. In that instant, all of his training, all of his skills deserted him, leaving him with only the most primitive form of attack against the man who'd shot the woman he loved. He charged straight for the Yakuza, a simple bull rush--but no bull had ever moved that fast. A Formula One driver would have been envious of the acceleration David's legs churned out. From a standing start to sixty miles per hour in less than a second, he blasted into the shooter shoulder first. He didn't see the blood spray from the Yakuza's gaping mouth. He didn't feel the man's sternum flex and split where his shoulder struck it. All he saw was the brick wall behind them, approaching at breakneck speed. At the last instant, he pulled up short, letting the limp body of the Yak sail on and crash into the bricks with enough force to reduce several of them to broken rubble. What fell through that hole in the wall no longer resembled a human being.
He paused for a moment, staring at the pulped body, and spat at it. Behind him, the two remaining Yakuza glanced at each other. One of them broke, turning and bolting towards the walled-off end of the alley where several rusting dumpsters sat. The other was made of sterner stuff; he pointed his pistol at David's back and pulled the trigger as fast as he could.
Even through her red, pain-filled haze, she saw the remaining Yakie aiming his pistol at David's back. "David!" she screamed, though the movement jarred her wounded shoulder, sending molten steel coursing through her body. "Behind you!" She attempted to get up, to tackle the guy, but the world went blurry and grey at the edges, and every beat of her heart was accompanied by shards of razor-sharp pain.
David whirled around at her scream, saw the pistol aimed straight at him and leaped, an arc that carried him across the alley. In mid-flight, something struck his left thigh, but there was no sensation of pain, only distant pressure. He landed next to the Yakuza and thrust stiffened fingers into his throat. There was a sickening popping sound as his fingers sank to the second knuckle in flesh, then he wrenched his hand back in a welter of blood, leaving a gaping hole in the man's throat.
Without another glance at him, David turned to track the fleeing man. "You're not really trying to escape, are you?" he said as he broke into a run again, chasing the final Yakuza. He reached edge of the dumpsters just as the man vaulted on top of one and started to leap for the edge of the 15-foot wall. David snapped out his hands and grabbed his ankles, yanking his feet out from under him. The Yakuza fell forwards, landing face first on the unyielding metal lid of the dumpster. The lid rang like a boxing ring's bell, signaling the end of the fight. All but three of the Yakuza were dead, and two were crippled. Only the unconscious man in front of him had escaped major injury. He turned away from the prone form and back towards Riley, hurrying across the distance to her.
The pain in her shoulder began to fade slowly, replaced by an agonising itch as bones and muscles and skin healed. She stood gingerly and turned to face David. "Oh, sh*t," she said. The thigh of his jeans was damp with his blood. "You're hit."
As though her words had summoned it, pain suddenly lanced through his leg. He stumbled in mid-step as his leg gave out, dropping him to one knee. "Sonofa..." he growled, grabbing his thigh and squeezing just above the hole the bullet had left in jeans and leg.
She stepped over and around fallen, bloody, beaten bodies, paying them no more mind than if she'd been crossing over a gravel drive. "Are you okay?" Stupid question, Riley. He's been shot. "I mean, other than the obvious hole in your leg." She glanced around the alley, wondering if the gunfire had drawn any one's attention. As far as she knew, there were mostly businesses around, businesses that would be empty until Monday. "We should go...somewhere," she finished lamely.
He gritted his teeth, pushing away the pain of his wound. Already, it was lessening as his accelerated healing began its work. Slowly, he pushed himself back to his feet, keeping most of the weight on his right leg. "Hurts like hell," he muttered. "Be okay in a few, though. Let's go." Even if the gunfire hadn't brought extra attention, the Yakuza in charge was sure to find out soon and send more men.
She nodded, wondering where they should go. Back to their hotel? Why not? There weren't any other options she could see at this moment. She reached for him, sliding her unhurt arm around his waist and steered him in the direction of the street. She flagged a cab, rather than risk the walk to the subway, and soon they were safely tucked away in their hotel room, tending to each others' wounds, too tired even to celebrate the fact that they were still alive.
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 18, 2012 16:26:30 GMT -5
Early Saturday morning...
The two of them were a sorry sight when they got back to their hotel. Bloodstains, torn clothing, dirt...it was a wonder the desk clerk didn't call the police immediately. Apparently he was either extremely discrete, or just plain didn't care. It was a toss-up which. Luckily, it was right around dinner time, and almost no one else was around the hotel. They made it up to their room without anyone spotting their less-than-savory condition. David was already moving better by then, but his leg still hurt a lot. It was pretty clear that Riley's shoulder wasn't feeling very pleasant, either.
After dressing and wrapping their wounds as best as they could with the limited supplies at hand, Riley fell into a deep sleep, almost unconsciousness, really. The effort of holding Jaguar at bay, combined with the fight and getting shot had taxed even her amazing reserves beyond endurance.
He sat on the edge of their bed, watching as she slept. He knew she would be okay, but it didn't stop him from worrying. And, truth be told, he wasn't comfortable with them both being asleep right now. It was always possible that the Yakuza could have someone tailing them, still. He wished he'd had the wherewithal to pick up one of the fallen Yak's guns before they left.
She woke some hours later to find him still awake, still alert, still on guard. She sat up, stretched, tried to work out the kinks in her shoulder, which was stiff and sore, but completely healed now. "Baby?" she whispered quietly in the dim light cast off by the TV screen. "Are you okay?"
He turned, looking her over, and smiled at how much better she looked. "Yeah...the leg's almost healed. How's your shoulder?" He reached out and put a hand on her knee as he spoke, once again thinking how glad he was to have someone like her.
"Sore. Stiff." She tugged down the shoulder of her shirt and glanced sideways, before realising she couldn't see it. "How's it look?" She glanced towards the TV, saw Zoe and Jayne and chuckled. "Catching up?"
"Like a shoulder-shaped dim blob. Want me to put the light on?" He grinned, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the TV. "Seems a shame not to take advantage of seven seasons we'd never see back home."
"Yeah, a light's fine." She stripped off her shirt, sitting on the bed now in just her bra and jeans. Scooting closer to the lamp that sat between the hotel room's two beds, she smirked a little. "You know, we could probably find them on DVD before we leave."
He flipped the lamp on and squinted for a moment, then examined her shoulder. There was no evidence that she'd been shot. He touched the spot where the bullet had gone in, calloused fingers tender and careful as they stroked the skin. "You know, that's a great idea. Your shoulder looks perfect, just like the rest of you."
She smiled softly and then nodded towards his leg. "Take 'em off so I can look before you rest. I'll spell you." She slipped off the bed, went over to the stack of her clothing and fished out a fresh shirt.
He slipped his pants off as she'd requested, but shook his head. "I don't think I could sleep right now, anyway. How about we just chill and watch Firefly together?" He glanced down at his leg, still not quite used to how fast he healed now. Instead of a bleeding bullet hole, there was only a shallow depression of new skin, a little redder than the surrounding leg, but certainly not terrible looking at all.
She raised her brows in surprise and then slipped into her shirt. "Well," she said at length. "I have nothing to say about that. It's nearly healed. Kinda fast, don't you think?" She went back and sat down on the bed again, stretching her long legs out and crossing them at the ankles. "That's almost as fast as me."
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 18, 2012 16:27:07 GMT -5
"Yeah...it's weird. Does it itch when you heal? This itches like mad." He settled himself next to her, pressed up against her side, leaning back against the headboard.
She cuddled against him, resting her hand on his other thigh. "It does for a little while, but it's like days of itching all compressed into a few hours. Really, really unbearable sometimes." She was quiet for a while, just watching Serenity's crew. Then she said softly, "What do they want, David?"
He knew she meant the Yakuza. "They want me." His voice was slightly resigned. "Or who they think I am. It's clear they're looking for Lao, and he's nowhere to be found. But suddenly, here I am, big as life and twice as obvious."
"I don't like it." She snorted softly at the obviousness of her statement. "I know we won't be here much longer, but still...four days is a long time when you consider it only takes seconds to die."
"I know. We'll be okay, though. They have no idea who they're messing with."
"They'll have Honya-san's shop covered. We can't go back there Tuesday."
He nodded. "You're right. I was thinking about that while you slept. We'll have to call her, see if she can meet us somewhere else."
"How easy would it be to tap her phones?"
"For Yakuza? Probably not too hard. Still..what choice do we have?"
She took a deep breath, knowing he'd hate her plan. "I could go, speak to her, come back."
"By yourself?"
"Yes. You'd...you'd..." She trailed off, shook her head minutely, thinking that he'd bristle at her suggestion that he'd weigh her down, that he wasn't nearly as sneaky as she.
She didn't give him enough credit. He knew there were some things he could never match her at. It didn't mean he was very comfortable with the idea of her being out there alone, though. "I don't like the idea much," he said slowly, holding up a hand so she'd let him finish. "but you have a point. You might be able to get past any watchers unseen, if you're alone." He frowned slightly. "It feels wrong to let you go alone...I should be there to help."
She arched a brow at him, giving him a tiny smirk. "Don't go all Rhys on me now. I'm a big girl. In fact, I'm an Alpha Lycanthrope who has been throwing down with beasties and ghoulies for the better part of the past 12 years. I can take care of myself."
"I'm well aware," he said dryly. "You're about the most capable woman..no, person...I've ever met. It's part of why I love you. But knowing you can handle just about anything doesn't mean I won't be concerned."
She kissed his forehead and then brushed her cheek along his, closing her eyes for a brief moment as she smelled Home. "What time is it?" If it was late enough - or, conversely, early enough - she'd leave now.
"It's just about midnight," he answered, holding his cheek against hers in that feline way he'd picked up from her.
"Hmm... I'll give it another couple of hours and leave around three or so, okay?"
He nodded in agreement. "When people are least likely to be alert."
"Yep. Exactly. That also gives us quite a lot of time on our hands. Whatever shall we do with it?"
"Well, you could come over here and kiss me. How's that sound?"
“It sounds perfect,†she murmured against his lips before she kissed him. And when they finally came up for breath, it was 2:30 in the morning. She patted his face, kissed him one last time, and slipped out of the bed, headed into the bathroom to shower.
He sat up as she went to shower, not bothering to get dressed. There wasn't any real reason for him to do so, since he was sitting this one out.
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 18, 2012 16:29:31 GMT -5
After showering, she padded barefoot, naked, and still slightly damp back into the room and quickly dressed in all black. Then she pulled her hair back into a tight braid and secured it. "I feel like I'm going to break in to some museum or something," she said with a little smirk. "I was thinking about something while I was in the shower. We need to let her know that I'm coming somehow, so I don't get shot or trip an alarm or something."
"If you see Tom Cruise around, say hi to him for me." Then he raised a brow. "If we can't call her, how?"
She chuckled at his Tom Cruise comment and then grinned proudly. "We can call her. You both speak Mandarin, right?"
"Yes...but so could at least one of the Yaks. It's not that unusual."
"We'll have to chance it, I think. Call her and say this exactly: 'The Heavenly Alarming Female is coming'. In Mandarin. Only once and hang up immediately afterward. It'll be too short for a trace and I'll bet these boys aren't devout Shinto or Buddhists."
One eyebrow went up again. " 'Heavenly Alarming Female'?" Oddly, he thought the description suited her, though he'd never heard it before.
She laughed and slipped into her sneakers. "That's another one of Ame-no-Uzume's names. I think Honya-san will understand." She went to the little nightstand between the two tables and dragged out the phonebook. Sitting down on the bed opposite him, she thumbed through it until she found the number. "Here," she said, handing him the book. "It's this one. Call and then I'll leave."
He looked at the number, then grabbed the room's phone and dialed it. As soon as he heard the old woman's voice saying 'moshi-moshi', he spoke the phrase in Mandarin Riley had given him, and hung up immediately. "Okay. Hopefully that will be enough warning for her."
"Yeah." Then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and sought her Centre, just like David had taught her before they sparred on the bagua mat. It was surprisingly easy to find it tonight. She opened her eyes and gave him a fond smile. "I love you," she said softly.
He saw the calm settle over her, and was smiling back at her when she opened her eyes. "I love you. More than anything else." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. "So you be damn careful."
"I will." Then she headed to the door and opened it the tiniest crack, sniffing and listening intently. Nothing smelled out of place, nothing sounded out of place, and Jagaur felt nothing, so she slipped out of the door and headed to the stairwell. Quickly climbing the steps to the roof, she headed out and went to the edge. She needed a building whose roof was less than thirty feet away.
Spotting one that was even in the same direction as she wanted to go, she backed up a few paces to get a running start. Pushing herself as fast as she could go, she ran to the edge of the building and leapt off it, sailing through the air more than 100 feet above the Tokyo streets below. Nailing the landing perfectly, she scouted for the next building and the next, until finally she was at the edge of the Sumida River with bisected the city into its eastern and western halves. Now came the tricky part.
Carefully clinging to drain pipes, window ledges, even tiny fingerholds in the bricked facade of the building, she scaled down the side of it and landed in an alleyway that was obviously shared by several businesses - including a sushi restaurant. Her stomach growled, reminding her that healing and partially Shifting required lots and lots of food. "Later," she muttered and tested the air. No scent of cordite or gun oil. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the alleyway and sped down the street and crossed one of the bridges that spanned the Sumida. To her south was the world-famous Nippon BudÅkan arena. One of these days, she and David would have to go to a concert there...only in her own world's Tokyo.
Once she was across the river, she took the rooftops again, springing along them like some sort of superhero. This thought amused her greatly. She'd have to get a cape and some tights next time. Finally, she landed some three blocks from the OnmyÅdo shop. She wondered idly if this was the building that housed the Yakuza's club.
A moment later, she got easy confirmation that it was, in fact, the same Club. A group of men who were obviously Yakuza thugs and enforcers left the building and got into several dark-colored cars, heading off in three different directions--including directly towards the OnmyÅdo shop.
She smirked, watching the busy little bees as they scurried around their assignments. It would be so incredibly easy to slip into this building and descend right into the heart of their supposed stronghold. She could cut the head off the snake in less than five minutes' time and then she and David would be free and clear. The temptation was so overwhelming that she actually turned around and headed three steps in the direction of the stairwell door.
Stopping herself, she sighed deeply and turned back to face the OnmyÅdo. "Focus on the business at hand, Ri," she murmured. Then she leapt the spans of the buildings between the Yakie club and the shop. Two Yakuza stood in front of the door. They were smoking cigarettes and chatting back and forth about women they'd slept with as they watched the entrance to the alley.
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 18, 2012 16:34:19 GMT -5
She landed quietly on the roof on Honya-san's building and immediately fell into a crouch. An explosion of pigeons had her gasp in fright and curse her luck all at the same time. She scuttled backwards, pressing her back against a steam vent and went absolutely still, keeping her eyes slits so that the moon's light wouldn't reflect in them.
One of the Yaks glanced up when the pigeons burst out from the roof. He grinned, pointing at the birds and c*cking his finger back as if it were a gun. The other Yakuza laughed as he told the first one that he wasn't good enough with a gun to shoot a bird. This started the first one boasting about the incredible shots he'd made in the past.
She rolled her eyes at the banter and decided that these two were definite candidates for the Darwin awards. Standing carefully, she began searching the roof of the building for a stairwell or other opening. No luck. She cursed vehemently when the only way down turned out to be a rusted-out fire escape ladder...that would spill out right into the alleyway, delivering her directly to the two morons in front of the doors.
Well, there was nothing for it, was there? She'd have to chance the fire escape. She had only descended three steps when the rusted metal screws that attached it to the side of the building squealed in protest. "Oh, you have got to be be f*cking kidding me," she grumbled after freezing in place and looking down at the floor of the alley three stories below her.
Both Yakuza spun at the sound of the squealing metal, hands dropping to the bulges of pistols in shoulder holsters. They glanced at each other, then slowly began moving down the alley toward the fire escape, looking around and squinting as they tried to see through the dark and shadowed alley.
"Merde," she swore under her breath as they came towards her. They'd see her soon enough and then she might as well have a big ol' bulls-eye painted on her chest. She bit her lower lip, thinking furiously. Maybe they'd be dumb and bunch up together...
When the Yaks had moved about fifteen feet into the alley, they stopped, and a whispered argument broke out. Neither of them wanted to be the first to go into the deepest shadows. The fact that the shop they guarded was an occult, mystic place had both of them worried, though neither would admit. After a minute of two of gun-waving and bickering, they settled on going together, and walked the rest of the way into the alley, guns drawn.
She just shook her head and thanked Murphy or Buddha or hell, Ame-no-Uzume even, for her luck. Once they were directly beneath the ladder, she let go. As she fell, she Shifted her hands into lethal, razor-sharp claws. Jaguar was excited, pacing back and forth within Her mental cage, chuffing and purring and growling her approval of being Death from Above.
With almost comical timing, both Yakuza looked up and saw the Descent of Woman. Two jaws fell open in surprise, guns forgotten. She landed on top of both of them, slamming them into the ground hard enough to knock them senseless. Wasting no time, she ripped out their throats and wiped her hands on their jackets. Picking up both guns, she held one in hand and put the other down the back of her jeans. She could hear David shouting at her in her head about the danger of having a gun down your pants, but she didn't really have any other choice at the moment.
Flattening herself against the wall of the shop, she slipped down the alley as quietly as she'd fallen from the building. Once she reached the shop's door, she sniffed the air. Only the scent of the OnmyÅji and the two dead buffoons hit her nose. She carefully reached out and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked.
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 18, 2012 16:36:11 GMT -5
She slipped inside the dark shop quietly, closing the door and letting her eyes adjust to the almost complete dark within. "Honya-san?" she whispered.
There was a rustle from one end of the shop, and the old woman came into view, smiling at her. "I am here, Goddess."
Riley sighed at the name but didn't dare waste time correcting her. "There were Yakuza outside your shop when we left tonight. Did the police come to clean them up?"
"Hai." The old woman nodded, almost a quick bow. "They came quickly, and left quickly."
"The Yakies have posted guards just now, too. I...took care of them, honya-san. They are after David. Prince Sarutahiko. They believe he is a Triad Red Pole."
Surprisingly, that got a laugh in response. "Prince Sarutahiko, a Triad? They're fools." She didn't seem terribly upset by Riley's admission of 'taking care' of the guards.
Riley smiled a little bit and nodded. "Fools they may be, but they're watching you, Honya-san. We can't come back here Tuesday, when the tunnel's finished. We'll need to meet you somewhere else. Somewhere you don't normally go. Do you have a place in mind?"
The old woman was silent for a moment, thinking, before she bowed again. "Hai. Mizu Inari Jinju shrine, at Shinjuku. Do you know it?"
"In the Kansen-en Park? I know it. After dawn, then? Will that be enough time?"
Another bow. "Hai. I do not need much time to start it." She tilted her head up, meeting Riley's gaze. "I will not have much time to keep the bridge open, Ame-no-Uzume. You must be prompt."
Riley nodded. "We will be, Honya-san." She gave the ancient woman a soft smile and blinked back a sudden welling of tears. Taking a few steps forward, she took both of her hands and kissed the wrinkled, athritic knuckles. "Domo arigato, Honya-san. We will never forget you." Riley released her hands and bowed deeply, reverently to the woman.
A brilliant smile spread across the ancient features, and she bowed as long and low as her old body would permit. To be remembered fondly by the vessels of two such powerful kami... "You do me great honor, Goddess."
Riley straightened slowly, wishing there was something more she could say or do, but in the end, she had to accept that this woman, who had lived a long, full, happy life, was willing and even eager to die to see David and her home safe. "O yasumi nasai," Riley said before slipping silently out of the shop, going to the fire escape ladder and taking the high road back to David.
He sat on the bed in the hotel room, cross-legged. Meditating. It was either that or pace futilely back and forth while waiting for her to return. He'd tried watching some more Firefly, but couldn't concentrate on the story.
Knocking gently at the door of their hotel after discovering the door was locked, Riley called out, "David, it's me." It was probably at least five o'clock in the morning by now. She hoped he hadn't fallen asleep, leaving her stuck out here in the hallway until he woke.
He opened his eyes and leapt lightly off the bed at her first knock, crossing to the door in an instant, pulling it open. She looked fine; he couldn't see any injuries at all. Not that they'd stick around long on her, but she hadn't even torn her clothes.
She looked up at him with a raised brow. "Gonna let me in or is there a password?"
He smirked. "Coincidentally, the password is 'password', so enter and be welcome." He stepped aside, sweeping a hand in an overly grand welcoming gesture.
She laughed and went inside the room, pausing just long enough to slip off her shoes and carry them to a small rack near the closet door. Then she sat down on the bed and looked around the room. The TV was off, the beds were both still made, there was only the aging, faint scent of her earlier shower, so she couldn't guess what he'd been doing. She looked down at the carpet, wondering if there would be furrows in it. There weren't. "What the hell have you been doing?" she asked him.
"Meditating. The carpet is too nice to wear lines into it. I take it you didn't have any trouble?" He dropped down onto the bed next to her, leaning in to plant a little kiss on her cheek. When she was near, he had to touch her. It just was.
She snorted then grinned. "They sent Mutt and Jeff to watch the alley." She bit her lip and giggled. "They got to witness Jaguar's favourite hunting technique up close and personal."
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 18, 2012 16:37:26 GMT -5
"Death From Above?" He knew his lady...and her Cat. "Bet they sh*t themselves."
"I'm pretty sure they didn't have time. They found themselves sans throats too quickly." She turned a wicked, wicked smile on David. "Honya-san is going to meet us just past dawn Tuesday morning at a Shinto shrine not too far from her neighbourhood. We just have to figure out a way to get there undetected. Did you notice if they had maps of Tokyo downstairs?"
"Poor Yaks," he said facetiously. He grinned, then nodded. "I saw some tourist guides on a rack." He squeezed her hand, glad that they were coming to end of this...adventure.
"I think we'll need one to plan our route. I'll pop down and grab one, okay?"
"Okay." He didn't think there was much chance anyone had followed them here...and none that they'd followed her back.
She kissed him and then headed down to the giftshop, picking up a street map, Sharpie markers in black and red...and a surprise for David as well. When she came back to the room, she threw the larger bag at him and took the map and the markers to the small table under the windows, sitting down with them and spreading the map out in front of her.
He raised a brow as he plucked the bag out of the air. "What's this?" Opening the bag as he spoke, he peered into it.
"A present for you, silly man." She was studying the map intently now, selecting possible routes, by train, city bus, walking, and taxi.
He reached in, pulling out a pair of DVD cases, and looked at the title. A grin curved his lips. "The last two seasons of Firefly. Awesome. We have to find the rest, now." He set them down on the bed and went to look over her shoulder, giving her a little neck massage as he did.
She turned her head and pecked a quick kiss to the hand that was laying on her shoulder before turning back to the map. "So, which do you think would be best? And are we going together?"
He shook his head. "I'll leave the route to you, you at least know something about the city. We should go separately...but we need some way to communicate. Maybe cell phones with BlueTooth."
"Burner phones will be frighteningly easy to come by here. We can pick some up Monday night. I think one of us should take a cab and the other the train or a public bus." She glanced up at him, a brow raised in question.
He shook his head. "No cab. One on the bus, one on the train or subway. Public transportation is safer. The Yaks aren't usually known for indiscriminate civilian casualties."
She nodded, then traced the subway route in red, the bus route in black. "Rock Paper Scissors to see who gets what?"
"I'll take the subway." It was, in his opinion, the slightly more dangerous choice, and she'd already had her fun.
"You, sir, are one who poops at parties."
"Hey, I've been potty trained for years."
She cracked herself up at that one. Leaving the map open on the table, she stood, still giggling at her rather lame insult, and then began removing her clothing. "It's too bad you're a party pooper, too. I've got some excess energy to get rid of." She dropped her shirt on the floor, then skinned out of her jeans.
He put a hand on his chest in mock-surprise. "Why Mrs. Lo. Are you suggesting some sort of...sexual activity?" As though he could keep his eyes off of her body while it was being revealed.
She turned around so that her back was to him and reached behind her to unclasp her bra and shrug it off. Then she shed her panties as well, turning to give him a heated look over her shoulder. "I was thinking about it. But then you crapped on my plan. And now...now I think I'll just go to bed. And sleep." She moved slowly, hips rocking in a long-legged, sinful strut, to the bed and bent provocatively to pull the covers down.
No chance of that. He had his clothes off in a blur, and was pressed right up against her before the covers had moved an inch. Hands on her hips, he pulled her body roughly against his, letting her feel what she did to him every time. "That's what you think," he murmured.
She shivered, leaned back against him. "I think I could be persuaded to change my mind," she said in a husky voice. "Think you're up --" she thrust her hips back against his, "for the challenge?"
He bent over, rubbing his hips hard against hers, and bit the back of her neck, in just the spot she loved. "I'm always up for you."
She growled, spun in his arms, hooked one leg behind his and dragged him towards the bed. "Show me," she breathed before kissing him.
He showed her. Several times. Until they'd both worked off much of the pent-up energy that had built up. Finally, they lay back in the bed, breathing hard and holding each other close. The sheet and covers were missing, kicked off onto the floor at some point. Neither of them cared. They fell asleep tangled together.
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 18, 2012 16:38:56 GMT -5
Once more, they decided that it would be a good idea to lay low. With the deaths of that many people – even if they were gang thugs – there was bound to be not only Yakuza interest, but police as well. On top of that, there was really nothing much for them to do until Tuesday. They spent essentially all day and night Saturday and Sunday in the hotel, and most of Monday. Monday evening, they finally ventured out, going to the Japanese equivalent of a Best Buy to pick up a couple of cheap cell phones, Bluetooth headsets, and, of course, seasons 2 through 6 of Firefly. That night, they went over their plan again and made sure the phones and headsets worked. They went to bed early, made love several times, and finally slept. Early Tuesday morning, well before the sun rose, they were awake and preparing to go meet the OnmyÅji in the park.
She dressed quickly, feeling a complicated mash of emotions - sorrow at the loss of the OnmyÅji, excitement about finally going home, a little fear at what potentially awaited them in the form of more Yakies with guns and goodness only knew what else. When they were finally ready, she went to David and hugged him fiercely, kissed him passionate and whispered, "Stay safe, okay? I'll meet you at the rear of the shrine, at five on the nose, okay?"
He squeezed her tightly, rubbing his cheek on hers after they kissed. "You got it. Keep your phone on constantly. No one looks twice at people yakking away on Bluetooth headsets anymore. We don't need to worry about the batteries, either."
She nodded. "I know. I'll see you soon, okay?" She would be leaving first, since the bus would be much slower than the trains. Slipping on her shoes and blowing him a kiss, she headed out into the hallway and took the fire stairs down to the ground floor. Fifteen minutes later, she was on a bus that would take her to the very edge of Kansen-en Park.
After she left, he waited five minutes, watching out the window to make sure no one was following her, then went out to the nearest subway entrance. Once down on the platform, he waited again, giving her another ten minutes before getting onto the car. As the subway pulled out, he spoke quietly into the phone. "I'm in the subway now. Everything seems clear."
"Same here," she responded "The next time we do this cloak and dagger sh*t, we need to learn an uncommon language. Like...um...Swahili or maybe Navajo."
"Sure, I'll get right on that when we get home."
She laughed. "Maybe French, then. I could teach you. We could do a full immersion programme. Or Spanish, maybe. Which would you prefer?"
"French is better sounding."
"D'accord," she responded, the smile obvious in her voice. "Vous souvenez-vous du plan?"
He grinned, replying, "J'ai une Tour Eiffel dans mon pantalons."
She cracked up at that, earning disapproving looks from some of her fellow bus riders. She gave them contrite looks and then said to David, "Il est gros, mais ce n'est pas la Tour Eiffel."
"Pamplemousse!" Yeah, he had no idea what she'd said either time. He was just repeating a funny line he'd seen on 'Scrubs.'
"Grapefruit? Good lord. We really do need to work on your French skills." She chuckled softly and then checked the time on her phone. It was quarter 'til five. She glanced around, trying to figure out how far she was from the park. "I think I'm still twenty minutes away. I'm going to be late."
"As long as you make it before sunrise. Run if you have to." He glanced at the schedule they'd written for the subway ride. He was due to arrive in five minutes.
"Yeah. Okay. I think I'll just squeak by, with maybe five minutes to spare." She frowned softly. There was a young guy wearing a leather jacket with a J-Rock hair cut staring at her. "David," she said quietly and turned away. "I may have a problem."
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Post by Riley Lo on Jun 18, 2012 16:39:54 GMT -5
"Yaks?"
"Maybe. There's a kid staring at me. Oh, crap. Here he comes." She saw the guy approaching her in the reflection in the bus's window and turned to look up at him, meeting his eyes, nostrils flaring subtly. No scent of cordite or gun oil. He wasn't carrying a gun. She ran her eyes boldly over his body, looking for tell-tale bulges but found none. He gave her a c*cky smile and sat down next to her, reaching to touch her hair. Her hand sprang up, knocking his away. He looked surprised and then glanced at her left hand. "Oh, sorry," he said in broken English. "You married. You talking to husband?" He nodded to the phone in her hand.
He leaned forward in his seat, gripping one of the support poles tightly enough that it creaked warningly. She was on her own if there was trouble. The kid was close enough to her headset that the words carried through clearly. He let out a little bark of relieved laughter. The kid was hitting on her! "Christ," he said.
She bit her lower lip, stifling a giggle that was caused both by the kid chatting her up and from David's reaction. "Yes, I'm married. Yes, I'm talking to my husband. Sorry." She truly sounded it, too. The kid gave her a sheepish little smile and returned to his seat. "Oh, God," Riley breathed softly into the phone. "I thought he was gonna shoot me or stab me or something."
He snorted, still chuckling. "Do remember that you're hot, my love. Guys notice that."
She made a face, realised he couldn't see it, then made the audible version of the face. "Feh." Still, she was smirking rather proudly to herself. A kid - he couldn't be more than 19, 20 years old - had hit on her! That was rather a strong ego boost.
"Feh nothing. You're gorgeous. You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Almost at my stop. Where are you?"
"Getting off the subway now, and heading for the park. No Yaks in sight."
"Good. I think this is where it's gonna get tricky. I wish I could be there first to scout things, you know?"
"Relax. I might not have your super-kitty senses, but I do have some training. I can spot an ambush."
"I know," she said softly, shoving down the urge to scream for the driver to hurry up. She thought she could see the park just a few blocks away, and glanced at her phone. It was 4:58.
He reached the park, walking casually past the entrance, scanning the area and looking for anything unusual. It seemed completely peaceful. He didn't see the old woman yet, but the park wasn't that small. "I'm here. No sign of anyone yet."
"Okay. I'm still a few blocks down, but I can see it from here. Maybe five more minutes." She stood, winked at the kid, who blushed furiously, and moved towards the front in preparation for getting off.
"I'm going into the park, see if I can find her. Watch for cars when you get here; there weren't any when I did."
"Okay. Will do." A few moments later, the bus stopped and she hopped off, pausing for a moment to get her bearings and to scout for anything that looked, sounded, or smelled, out of place. There were a few cars parked along the street but they looked empty. "There's an SUV and two sedans here, but they appear empty." She crossed the street and headed into the park. The time was 5:07. Three minutes 'til dawn.
"I think I saw a couple cars parked down the street a ways. Maybe a block away?"
"Yeah, something like." She entered the park just at the edge of the pond that was fed by the spring the OnmyÅji had mentioned. Skirting along it, she kept the shrine in front of her, slowing her steps and acting as if she were on her way to worship. "Is Honya-san there?"
Normally, he would have suggested checking those cars out anyway, but their time was so tight right now, they couldn't afford it. "No sign...wait...there's someone up ahead." He stared hard through the brightening gloom in the park. The figure was sitting near the water, and looked roughly like the old woman's shape. "Looks like her...I'm going in closer to check." He moved in, feeling a wave of relief when the shape resolved clearly into the kneeling form of the OnmyÅji. "It's her. Come in quickly."
"Okay." She turned and headed with alacrity towards the rear of the shrine, arriving at approximately the same time as David. She reached for his hand, as if to assure herself that it was really him and that he was really okay. Then she watched the tiny old woman ply her craft. From an non-magical being's point of view, it was about as exciting as watching paint dry.
His relief grew when Riley appeared, and he grabbed her hand tightly. To him, it looked like the old woman wasn't doing much more than sitting over a bowl, but the hair on his forearms began to tingle almost immediately. He was getting used to that feeling meaning magic going on near him.
"Prince Saurta, Ame-no-Uzume, it is done. You must be quick. There are but three breaths left." The honya-san's voice was very weak and it tore at Riley's heart.
He nodded, even though the old woman wasn't looking their way. He saw a faint blue glow in front of her, a generally round shape that seemed to shimmer and dance. It had to be the portal. Still gripping Riley's hand, he moved towards it.
Riley followed in David's footsteps, her eyes locked onto that portal hovering in the air in front of the OnmyÅji. Her grip on David's hand was white-knuckled; she was desperately afraid that if they were somehow physically separated, one or both of them would go astray.
Shouts rang out behind them abruptly; guttural voices calling in Japanese. They were followed almost instantly by gunfire. Sh*t... It was all he had time to think before a sledgehammer struck him in the back, followed by instant, burning pain. His legs gave out, and he sagged towards the ground. Dimly, he realized he'd been shot, and badly.
The sudden explosion of gunfire was too much for her ears to handle. She clapped her hands impotently over her ears and hit the ground, desperately looking around for David. She saw him, lying face down in the dirt next to her, bleeding from a hole in his back. The world went red. She could distantly feel Jaguar taking over, shifting them into the seven-foot-tall movie monster that was the Alpha Lycanthrope's War Form. She screamed and turned, fixing deadly cold alien eyes on the nearest group of Yakuza and crouching down to spring at them.
Only the OnmyÅji's voice stayed her leap. "Please, Ame-no-Uzume!" she cried. "Only two breaths left. You must save your husband. Just go. Go!" Jaguar stopped, listened with Her head tilted to the side, then turned, picked David up carefully, clutching him to Her chest, and sprinted into the tunnel, with gunfire and angry Japanese insults chasing them the entire way.
Suddenly, the portal changed, shifting from blue to white. The feeling of the magic changed, too. What was different wasn't something Riley - or Jaguar, for that matter - could put her finger on. The tunnel just no longer felt or looked the same. Riley idly wondered if they'd crossed over to the Rhy'Din side of things.
The portal behind them was collapsing; the OnmyÅji was dead. Up ahead of Her, Jaguar could see the sakura trees and the Dragon Fountain of the Zen Gardens building's roof. She picked up speed and spilled out of the tunnel, landing in front of a vaguely familiar looking witch dressed in white, sitting in the centre of a circle that was dotted with red, green, and white candles. "Aurelia!" Riley supplied in her head. It was all Jaguar needed. She carefully set David down and then Shifted back to Human form. Poor Aurelia. She was now facing an unconscious, bleeding David, and a nearly-unconscious naked Riley.
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