The Real RPG!!! ^.^

[Enigma]

Ok then this is the RPG ^^
have fun..

[Sassy2021111]

OOC: Yay! I love starting RPG's hope no one minds that I made the first post.

BIC: Ryan Magnum stood up and shoved his hands into the pocket of the clothes of his human image as he sniffed the air. He then stared up at the bright sky, his dark hair falling back. He felt a pair of eyes staring at him and he chuckled, lowering his head. "Am I that interesting Zia?" he asked.

She smiled nervously and glanced down, resting her chin against her knees. She had been with him for about a month now, and she still found herself staring at him like that. Did she have a crush on him? Well, he was rather good looking with his dark hair, and purple eyes, a lean figure. Looking back up she asked. "Do you sense something?"

Sighing loudly, Ryan turned and looked at the blue haired girl. He lifted a hand and she ducked her head down. She was used to doing that since every time her father lifted a hand like that, it was to beat her. He stopped his hand, then lowered it slowly onto her head, ruffling her hair. "Dont you know me by now? I cant hurt you"

She smiled. "Im sorry, force of habit" she leaned back then forced herself up, glancing at Ryan. He was a full head taller. "Did you sense anything?"

He sniffed the air and sighed again. "I sense something...but Im not exactly sure what it is just yet" he replied.

She nodded, and the two stood there in silence, staring off into no where in particular. They did this alot--just standing there, enjoying each others company. As time had gone by, they had formed a special relationship. He protected Zia, the girl who was as innocent as one could be, and she showed him the kindness no one ever had. Without each other, they'd be lost. Together, the two then sat down, waiting. For what? They didnt know.

[Enigma]

OOC: Nope I don't think anyone minds. ^^ thank you!!

Alarms go off, blaring as Nanashi runs from the building that kept her. I won't be caught again, I'll find you she thinks, and runs for miles. Finally she stops, standing erect at the edge of the dense forest of "Adelain", she looks around searching the air, the land for a sigh of where to go. She turned for a moment thinking about the building, and the people in it, then turned back and jumped into thebranches of the trees running over them. "I'll find you" she mutters.

[Teahouse Keeper]

In the last episode of the anime...

With Tsuzuki finally succumbing to Muraki's will, Saki’s resurrection seemed close at hand. Convinced that he had broken Tsuzuki's spirit, Muraki made the final preparations. But concerned only with achieving his goal, Muraki underestimated the darkness that he had awakened in Tsuzuki.

On the brink of suicide, Tsuzuki decided to take Muraki with him, seriously wounding the doctor with a knife. Tsuzuki then called forth the Flame of the Serpent that would destroy them both. As fire consumed the laboratory, Muraki managed to stand, but as he stood, the flames closed in on him.

Desperate to rescue his partner Tsuzuki, Hisoka rushed into the inferno. Moved by Hisoka's pleas, Tsuzuki finally allowed himself to be rescued.

In the aftermath, Tsuzuki and Hisoka shared some quiet time together. Rolling back his sleeve, Hisoka showed that he still bore Muraki’s curse. Still visible on his body were the red markings that meant Muraki was still alive.

A week later...

*******************************

The woman was warm, warmer than the cold night air that clouded his breath. He held her close, pressed against him, left hand clasped firmly around her small, slim waist. Her head rested upon his chest. How many desired his embrace? How many wanted his touch? In his arms, time and the world ceased to exist.

He bent towards her, silvery hair gently cascading forwards as he leaned in close. His left hand rose from her waist to the back of her head. His fingers grasped her hair, tilting her head so that his lips met her throat.

He opened his mouth, widening it as he licked and tasted her with his tongue. Already, he felt stronger, rapidly healing from the injuries that he had sustained in the fire. Soon, he would have his full powers. And then...

He shut his eyes, turned his face up to the sky and savoured the pleasure. His right hand pulled and the blade slid out of the woman’s back.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, letting the knife fall onto the wet pavement. Beneath the blood-red glow of the full moon that gazed upon Nagasaki, his eyeglasses shone and his right eye sparkled a brilliant blue.

[Sassy2021111]

OOC: Here's my attempt to connect the characters...if it doesnt work, delete it!

BIC: Ryan's nose suddenly twitched as the smell of blood came to him. He looked up at the dark sky, then moved to sit up but found that he couldnt. Glancing to his side, he saw that Zia had fallen asleep against him. He lifted her head gently, then set it down on the pillow.

Good thing we found this hotel, poor Zia. Who is she kidding? He silently climbed off the bed and stepped back, staring at Zia with a smile. She looked so innocent. How the girl's father could have beaten and harmed such a creature was unknown to him.

He crept towards the window and opened it. Not a sound was created, aside from the soft click of the window locking open. Leaning his hands against the window sill, he leaned his head out and tilted his head up, sniffing the air. It was definetly the smell of blood.

He glanced back at Zia once more before sliding out of the window. He dropped down and landed on the ground in his true form: the form of a wolf. The black wolf, with his purple eyes glanced up at the moon before taking off as fast as he could towards the scent. He had to see if there was trouble in this city, trouble that could hurt Zia.

After running for a bit, he came to a stop before a man with silvery hair and a blue eye. Near him, a woman, and a bloody knife on the floor. Danger--yes.

Lowering his head, he growled and asked "What are you doing here?"

[Teahouse Keeper]

Muraki looked down at the wolf, staring for a moment. The animal seemed to have spoken but there was something else. He dropped the woman, letting her slide onto the pavement as he walked towards the animal whose growl sounded close and yet far away.

There was something there, in front of the wolf, wavering like a spirit in the wind, between the ground and the air above it. Muraki narrowed his eyes at the thing before him.

Extending his right hand, he drew closer, his fingers reaching out. His glasses shone and his face glowed as he pushed his fingertips through. The wolf was at his feet, looking up at him and yet, it seemed the distance between them had not closed.

A faint smile was upon his lips as he walked forwards....

[Sassy2021111]

Ryan remained still, eyes focused on the being before him. He wasnt in the least bit frightened of Muraki, or if he was, he didnt show it. He glanced down at the woman that had dropped to the ground, dead, then looked back up, growling again. "What kind of freak are you?" he asked with a glare.

The scent of blood was heavier now that the body had been laying there for a few minutes. He pittied the woman. She probably never though that this would be the night her life ended.

He sniffed the air once more. Damn it, he thought. He blinked, and his appearance changed in an instant. Instead of the wolf there now stood an eighteen year old boy with black hair that fell into his deep purple, glaring eyes. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his black coat.

The young blue haired girl came around the corner, hugging a white blanket around herself. Her hair was messy and her cheeks were tear streaked. "Ryan. Did I do something wrong? why did you leave me..please dont go!" It was obvious she had self-esteem issues. Then, she noticed the stranger.

Ryan didnt look at her, but kept his eyes on the murderer before him. "Well? I asked you a question"

[Teahouse Keeper]

Foggy wisps parted at his fingertips as he pushed forth. His feet didn't seem to feel the ground as he walked. The air, fluid in gusts and swirls, seemed to flow around him as if he were a rock in a fast-flowing stream. All was silence, wrapped so tightly and closely against him. Yet he could hear the boy so distinctly. The boy who was just now, a wolf.

He had seen it change. In the blink of an eye. The wolf boy. And there was the girl, blue-haired, fair skin with such extraordinary eyes.

Muraki’s smile spread as he took another stride.

The swirling air and wrapping silence suddenly lifted. Muraki breathed in deeply, looking up at the sky as he did so. The blood red moon was white.

He looked down, locking eyes with the girl standing there. She seemed lost, afraid. He took a step towards her, his smile faintly gentle, the edge of his glasses catching the moonlight......

[Sassy2021111]

Her eyes held the same emotion as he stepped towards her and her lip trembled gently as she tilted her head back further. She stared up to his glasses, as if trying to get a glimpse of his soul through his eyes.

"Zia, get away from him" Ryan growled, his lips curling to reveal his canine teeth in his human form but Zia didnt move. "It is alright Ryan...please stay back...."

Ryan took a few steps foward and stopped just behind the blue haired girl with a glare in his eyes. The minute this man tried something tricky, he would attack.

"Are you...going to hurt me?" She then asked Muraki in a gently tone as her small hands tightened around the blanket she carried with her.

[Teahouse Keeper]

Muraki looked at the girl, still smiling. A long time ago, he had a doll just like that. Ignoring the wolf boy, he lifted his right hand and ran the tips of his first two fingers down her cheek, pausing at her chin. A dress of silk and lace. Hair of the softest brown. Eyes of blue glass.

His fingers stayed a while. Then he dropped his hand and turned to the wolf boy. Speaking with a Japanese accent, his voice soft and deep, he asked, "What is this place?"

[Sassy2021111]

Zia stared at Muraki with her clear blue eyes, wondering what he was doing, then closed them as his fingers trailed down the side of her face to her chin. She felt his fingers move from her face and she opened her eyes once more. By now, Ryan was cutting infront of Zia, pushing her away from Muraki.

"What do you mean 'What is this place'?" he questioned, hostility in his voice. "You mean you travel without knowing where your going or where your at?"

Zia grabbed onto Ryan's arm and gave it a gently squeeze and he sighed. "Your in Mitsushima...near the Ishou Inn..." he answered.

"Are you alright...do you....need a place to stay?" Zia offered in a quiet voice, which instantly earned her a dissapproving look from Ryan. Zia smiled sheepishly. He sighed once more and waited for Muraki to answer. He'd talk with Zia later, about being so open with people she didnt know.

[Teahouse Keeper]

"Mitsushima." repeated Muraki with a smile. In an instant, he crossed the distance in a few strides and gripped the wolf boy’s chin firmly between the fingers of his right hand. Still smiling, Muraki bent down close and stared into the boy's piercing purple eyes. "Tsuzuki....."

For a moment, it seemed Muraki had not spoken, so soft was his whisper. His lips had hardly moved. Beyond his glasses, his silver cat’s eye shone as he beheld the boy. The resemblance was uncanny, yet it was only now he noticed. Why was this so? Muraki tightened his fingers on the boy and wondered if perhaps, the girl had something to do with it.

These eyes. Eyes of amethysts. Tsuzuki’s eyes. The very man who had robbed him of his right eye and Saki, who caused the fire that destroyed everything he had. The very man who aroused in him such desire and vengeance and hate. Tsuzuki.....

Muraki’s smile was lost for an instant while he looked down upon the boy.

[Sassy2021111]

Ryan gazed back at Muraki with a slightly confused look in his eyes. Why was Muraki looking at him that way? He leaned back and moved his arm, pushing the man away from him. "Freak" he muttered.

Zia watched on, hugging the blanket she had carried out, around herself. "Ryan..."

"Zia, look at him" Ryan snapped, heavily annoyed by the way he had been looked at by Muraki.

Zia dropped her gaze, then glanced back up again. "Sir. Did you need a place to stay?" she repeated, since he hadnt answered her.

Ryan glared. Why had she just ignored him? Crossing his arms, he moved and stood behind the blue haired girl.

[Teahouse Keeper]

Muraki watched the boy move to stand behind the girl, his white shoes scraping sand as he turned towards the couple. He had stepped back with a smile, his thoughts of Tsuzuki-san abruptly broken when the boy pushed him away. He knew what the boy had said, but ignored it. After all, he could hardly deny that he was a freak. That thought alone made him smile more as he followed the boy with his silver eye and watched the interesting exchange between the couple. Smiling at the boy’s piercing purple glare, he wondered what Tsuzuki-san would say.

Even in the darkness, the outline of Ishou Inn was unmistakable. It stood serene, as it always had for more than 70 years. Last year, it was destroyed by fire.

Muraki turned to the girl, smiling as he looked at her. In his deep, accented voice, he said, “Yes. I need a place to stay.”

[Sassy2021111]

Mentally, Ryan cursed. He had been praying that the man would decline the offer. It looked like tonight, god just wasnt on his side. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her. "Come on Zia, lets go".

She stopped and looked at Muraki, smiling gently, "Please, follow us" she walked with Ryan, holding his hand.

When they reached the inn, Ryan released her hands and began to walk up the steps. Zia followed quietly. "Im sorry about his attitude...he has a problem trusting people" she told Muraki.

[Teahouse Keeper]

Muraki smiled at the girl, moonlight glinting off the top of his glasses. "That is all right." he pronounced in a clear, slow accent.

His gaze shifted to the back of the wolf boy who was climbing ahead. This boy....

This place....

As Muraki's heels clicked upon the stone steps, he glanced around. Two years ago, before it was razed to the ground, he had stayed in one of the rooms called Red Pool. He had found the name amusing right after taking the life of a young woman in another town.

The Ishou Inn now looked different. The wooden wall panels smelled different....looked different. Pausing for a moment, he stared at the painting that hung near the Innkeeper's counter.

[Sassy2021111]

Zia stopped at the foot of the stairs and set her hand on the banister. Slowly, she turned and gazed over to Muraki. She noticed him glancing at the painting close to the counter. "Do you like it?" she asked him, taking a step up.

Ryan waited for the pair about ten steps up, arms crossed over his chest with an annoyed expression crossing his face. It was late, he was tired--he knew Zia was too--and he wanted to sleep. Sighing, he thought to himself. With this new stranger joining them for the night, he'd sleep with one eye open. "We don't have all night." He called down the steps. "He can find his way up."

Zia looked up, "Oh, alright..." Looking to Muraki she said, "It's room 125..."

[Teahouse Keeper]

In the background, Muraki could hear the girl and that wolf-boy as he gazed at the painting. Inkbrush on rice paper, drops of pink for petals of the Sakura tree. Petals drifting in the wind, away from a branch....petals falling....

It had not been there before, when he stayed.

That strange thing he had walked through in Nagasaki, that wolf-boy, this girl, Ishou Inn and now this painting. Years past, he had heard his grandfather mention only one such case that happened to a man who lived in Kyoto. But there were no records of it and it was easily dismissed as hearsay.

Could what was happening now be the same?

Muraki turned to look into the eyes of the girl whom the wolf boy had called Zia. It was as if looking into a pool of blue ice with the light shining through. Just as his doll had looked at him once, long ago. He smiled.

Stepping forward, he began to follow, each step taking him closer to the girl.

[Sassy2021111]

Zia looked at him once more, smiling, before turning on her heels and beginning her way up the stairs. There was something so odd about the man...so mysterious but it intreagued her. Traveling with Ryan, she had met many interesting characters but none like Muraki--none that she was incapable of understanding.

Once Ryan saw her making her way up the stairs, he turned and began walking back to their room.

[Teahouse Keeper]

Her bright eyes and her smile seemed to stay with him, hanging in the air, momentarily blurring as she turned to go. For an instant, his doll and her became one, moving together, two sets of images.

He blinked to clear it and raised his right hand to grasp the banister, but it eluded him.

Beneath him, his legs crumpled and he heard his own soft breath escape his lips as he fell upon the foot of the stairs, his eyes and mind closing against the blackness, beyond his will.

[Sassy2021111]

Gasping as soon as she heard the sound of someone crashing on the step behind her, Zia quickly turned to see the stranger down at the bottom of the steps, seemingly unconsious. Another gasp was released before she hurried down the few steps that separated them. "Mister..." she realized then, for the first time that she had never asked for his name. She looked around. The inn keeper was no where to be seen and there was no way she could carry him up the steps. Carefully, she moved to set two fingers on his wrist to check for a pulse.

"Did he hit his head?" Ryan asked, suddenly kneeling down next to his shy, blue haired friend. He didn't care for the stranger at all. Something about him really bothered Ryan..but he wasn't going to let a man die if it could be avoided. He wouldnt have that on his concience and didn't want Zia to witness anything of the sort either.

"I--I don't know." She replied, "I was going up and he was following me. Then he just..collapsed. He'll be alright, right?"

Ryan squinted and wrinkled his nose before grabbing Muraki's right arm and swinging it over his shoulder. Carrying him over his shoulder might have been better, but Ryan refused to do so. He didn't want that much of the man's scent on his body. "Lets get him to the room."

Zia nodded, takig hold of Muraki's other arm. She wasn't as strong as Ryan, but she still helped. After slowly and carefully making it up the rest of the steps, they entered their room and set Muraki on the bed. Ryan went to phone a doctor, and Zia sat on a chair next to the bed, padding a wet rag against Muraki's head.

[Teahouse Keeper]

The flames....Serpent Fire....engulfed him all around, closing in. He could hardly breathe as he tried to pull himself up against the desk. He felt cold. So cold despite the flames. He was not going to die here, not here, not now.

It is not finished! With force of will, he grasped the top of the desk and hauled himself up.

Turning to the preservation tank, he saw Saki--no longer just his head and spinal column but whole bodied--looking at him, smiling as he always did, in mockery. His half-brother's lips parted, eyes shining as he hovered in the watery depths, "Kyoudai..." and then he laughed.....the sound shattering the tank....

SAki...SAAKKii...!!!

Muraki's eyes snapped open. One eye sparkling silver, the other twinkling blue.

He saw the ceiling and felt some weight on his forehead. His heart, was still hitting against his chest hard. Saki....

[Sassy2021111]

Zia shot back in her seat, surprised as Muraki's eyes shot open. She had never been that close before and hadn't noticed until now just how eerie those eyes of his really were. "Ah...Ryan's in the next room....calling a doctor. I'm glad...you're up. You had us worried." She told him, which wasn't entirely a lie. She had been worried for him--Ryan was a different story. Zia wondered if he felt dizzy or any pain but she didn't want to trouble him with so many questions just yet. The doctor would do that when he arrived.

[Teahouse Keeper]

As he heard the girl's voice and felt certain of the mattress beneath him and the cloth on his forehead, the pounding of his heart slowed. The dream had haunted him since the day of the fire. Every time he shut his eyes, it would be there. And so, he had not slept since that day.

Back before the flames, work had kept him busy and he seldom slept. Now, with force of will and the life forces that sustained him, he thought to prolong rest until he could rebuild his lab again. Sleep was unimportant.

Saki was still in that tank. And the tank was fireproof. Saki was still alive. Mocking....

Muraki lifted his hand and removed the damp cloth from his forehead. His lips turned up slightly in a smile as he turned to look at the girl, his head on the pillow.

For an instant, her blue hair blazed brightly, as if the sun were behind and he winced.

But that moment passed as if it never happened and he was able to look at her properly again. Lack of sleep must be taking its toll on him.

He realised he did not have his glasses on him as he raised himself up on his elbows, his silver hair falling forwards slightly. "Thank you." he said, his voice clear and slow as he looked at her. "But...I am a doctor." He gave a faint smile of amusement. "I am fine." His silver eye twinkled.

And he rose further on his elbows, pushing himself up till he sat up in bed.

Whatever had happened, had drained him of his strength. If what had happened to that man in Kyoto was to be believed, then not only was he no longer in Nagasaki, he was no longer in the same time. He was in Mitsushima and going by what he was seeing of the Inn, he was in a time before the fire that had consumed it a year ago.

Yet what intrigued him most, was the Ryan boy. The wolf boy with Tsuzuki's eyes....

His smile spread as he locked his silver gaze upon the girl's brilliant blue eyes. "What is the time?"

[Sassy2021111]

So, he was a doctor. Zia made note to remember that. She didn't want to question, so she'd learn about him through the bits and pieces he decided to share at random moments. The girl nodded and stood, "It's...." she glanced around the room they were staying in and found the clock, "A little past midnight.."

Ryan came back in to the room, a few treats in hand, since it didn't seem that any of them would be going to sleep. "He's awake." Ryan stated the obvious, handing Zia a small coffe-cake muffin. "I already called for a doctor." Next to the bed was a small table. There he put a can of canned coffee and another coffee cake. If Muraki wanted it, he could get it himself. "I guess we'll pretend we don't know anything about it when they get here."

[Teahouse Keeper]

Muraki followed the girl's gaze to the clock. He had slept a few hours then.

That inkbrush painting of the Sakura...he needed to talk to the Innkeeper about it. Yoichi san. The 44th generation youngest son of the family. Two years ago, Yoichi had not mentioned anything about such a painting. When had it come?

He turned to the sound of the wolf-boy's entrance and smiled as he watched the boy pass a brown muffin to the girl. He could smell the coffee in it.

The boy Ryan certainly was in love with the girl. Muraki's silver eye looked at the boy's form and wondered about the wolf and the boy within. He had seen him change into wolf and back again. How was that possible? And could the girl change as well?

He watched the boy place the cake and canned coffee on the table beside him, his smile unwavering as he considered the possibilities. He was getting hungry, but not for muffin.

Whatever the means, he must regain his energy, the strength that had been robbed from him in the transition. And then, he would be ready.

Tsuzuki san....Hisashiburi da na.... He smiled wider.

Saki would live again. He would see to it.

With his eyes locked upon the wolf-boy, the possibilities now seemed endless. The key was perhaps, right in front of him. He tipped his head a little, his smile unwavering, and asked, "They?"

[Sassy2021111]

"They." Ryan repeated, "The doctor and whoever he brings with him. Assistant or whatever." He trailed off, biting in to his coffee-cake. He sat down on the dresser, next to the television, resting an arm against the top of it as he ate. Ryan had given the doctor the room number for the inn. Once the man arrived, he wasn't sure what he'd say. It was a hoax, maybe...or something along those lines. The only problem Ryan really saw was if the doctor demanded payment anyway. They had no money and he couldn't resort to violence to get rid of the man.

"Mn." He swallowed and drank some of the coffee, "You keep that bed." He told Muraki, "Zia, you can take the other one and I'll sleep on the floor next to it, okay?" That was...if they ever fell asleep. They had been pretty awake already and now drinking coffee...

"If.." Zia looked over to Ryan, "If we push the two beds together..." she thought outloud, looking from Muraki's bed to the other bed. "Then..all three of us would fit..."

"I'm fine on the floor." He replied, not liking the idea of either him or Zia having to sleep next to Muraki.

Zia nodded and stood, excusing herself before going to the bathroom to wash up.

Ruyan sighed and looked over to the stranger on the bed, "You're so much trouble."

[Teahouse Keeper]

Muraki could hardly contain his amusement. He tipped his head further at the wolf boy and smiled till his eyes closed with mirth. For the first time in his life, he was completely and superbly taken by the humour of a situation.

He wasn't sure if it was the innocence with which the girl had made the suggestion or the absurdity of it which highlighted their bizzare situation, or both, but when she suggested putting the beds together so they could all sleep on it, he wanted to laugh.

For once in his life, he felt laughter almost bursting from his throat.

He swung his feet off the bed, and in a single stride, leaned his face down close to the wolf boy sitting there. So close, he could smell the wolf boy's coffee-laced breath, see down into the depths of those amethyst eyes.

His hands rested upon the sides of the wolf boy's seat, keeping him there as he bent his head lower, bringing his lips close to the boy's ear. He could smell the scent of the boy's skin and the life within.

This one was different from Tsuzuki san....but not much so. He smiled. Both had the same stubborn, strong, seductive spirit that called out to be taken, to be used, to be tamed, to be...loved.

Parting his lips, his voice warm and soft against the boy's ear, Muraki breathed, "Thank you...Ryan san." His lips curved in an audible smile.

[Sassy2021111]

Ryan tensed immediately after Muraki's feet touched the ground. His eyes narrowed in to a glare as he took a sharp breath. As the man neared, the urge to growl and snap at him grew, but with his friend being in the next room, Ryan decided not to. He knew Zia would only worry and panic. She couldn't see how rotten Muraki was and wouldn't understand why Ryan had done it.

"Get away from me." He ordered quietly but forcefully, leaning back slightly on the dresser, moving his face away from the man. "Don't think I won't hurt you." He warned.

[Teahouse Keeper]

Muraki chuckled. The boy was so much like Tsuzuki san. He remembered that time in Oriya's house where he had pinned Tsuzuki san on the tatami. He had provoked the man into attacking him with the result that he was able to grasp Tsuzuki's wrist and immobilize him. He had told Tsuzuki san then, that he could take him right there as he was, in that position.

Muraki's chuckle deepened.

Still smiling, he moved back from the wolf boy and stood looking amused at how much the boy was leaning back in his seat. Without a word, he turned and strode to the bedside table.

Reaching out the first two fingers of his left hand, he picked up his glasses beside the muffin and put them on, resting it perfectly upon his nose. Then with a flap of his white trenchcoat, he walked out the room.