Kurogane

Been a while since I last posted

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:37:31 GMT

Kurogane stepped off the elevator and onto the floor of Pocket D. He took a seat at a table and opened up his cell phone, reviewing the message he had received from Yuri. She had asked him to meet her but didn’t give a reason. Just as he leaned back in the chair to relax, someone came up behind him and placed a large bottle of sake on the table.

Instead of the voice of his sister, it was a deeper familiar voice, “Sorry for tricking you, but I figured you wouldn’t come if I had sent the message.”

Kurogane turned his head and looked up, “Shiro…”

“Save the lecture for some other time,” Shirogane took a seat across from Kuro. He placed a small cup in front of Kuro and one in front of himself.

Kuro sighed as he looked from the cup to Shiro, “Did you need to talk to me about something?...And do you really think I’m going to drink that?”

Shiro smirked and nodded, “You’re not getting out of this…just grant me this moment of nostalgia. It’s about that time back home isn’t it?”

This surprised Kuro and left him speechless for a moment. He then loosened up and nodded, “The town’s temple should have had their first summer festival by now” Shiro picked up the bottle and poured Kuro a cup of sake. When Shiro had finished, Kuro reciprocated by pouring a cup for Shiro.

Shiro picked up his cup and thought for a long moment before speaking, “To your old man…he’s the only one missing from this and I think this is the most proper way to say ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ to him. I think he somehow understood things would turn out the way he did.”

Kuro smiled and they both drank, talking about memories of the past.

Memories

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 04:47:28 GMT

Statesman walked along the forest path slowly as he kept an eye on his surroundings. He had traveled to a remote part of Japan following a lead that Lord Recluse may try to expand his influence by finding allies in an ancient Yakuza group that dealt heavily with old magic. Statesman knew if he was able to at least disrupt the meeting, the Yakuza group would lose faith in the agreement and call the whole thing off. His attention jerked to his right as he heard a sound from the woods. He turned his direction towards the sound and stepped off the path.

After a few minutes of carefully treading through the brush, he came across a group of demons sniffing around. Statesman stopped and stood still but it was already too late. The demons turned their attention to him and began to charge him like wild animals. Statesman swiped his fist horizontally and backhanded one of the demons that lounged at him. The demon flew back and slammed into a nearby tree, knocking it over in the process. Statesman began to move around to make himself a harder target to hit. All of a sudden, he found himself unable to move, a large green circle illuminating below him with tendrils of green energy binding his feet to the ground. His gaze went from his feet to a demon that was about to pounce him. Before the demon could make contact, it was pierced by an arrow that redirected it to the ground.

The other demons began to frantically look around as a wind blew by. As the wind settled, there was a man that suddenly appeared behind one of the demons with his back turned to it. A gush of blood suddenly exploded from the demons side as it fell to the ground. The man extended his arm, revealing a katana in his hand as he spun around and began to engage the rest of the demons. A woman dropped from the trees and landed beside Statesman, waving her hand and dispersing the green circle.

The woman smiled and bowed, pulling a bow from her back. She quickly knocked an arrow and began to fire on demons as she talked, “I apologize. That entrapment spell was meant for them.” Despite how intense the fight had become, the man and woman moved about gracefully as if it was a dance. Both of them wore hakamas showing that they belonged to a shrine. The man’s outfit differed slightly in that he had pieces of samurai armor on his shoulders and hips. The woman only had a piece of armor on her forearms. Statesman could only watch in awe as they finished their dance. When the last demon fell, the man sheathed his sword and walked up to Statesman.

The man took a deep bow, “You do not look like the other foreigners that were here this morning. I take it that you are pursuing them and their Yakuza friends?”

Statesman respectfully bowed back, “Yes, I am and thanks for your help. I am Statesman. I came here from Paragon City to try to keep Arachnos from setting up shop in this part of the world.”

The man nodded, “My name is Kitahara Saito and this is my wife, Hiroko. We had heard the Yakuza were meeting with some foreigners at an abandoned shrine and we came to investigate. When we learned they were trying to make an alliance, we decided to break the party up.”

Hiroko smirked, “We have already cleared out the easy ones, the only ones left are the ones in charge up the hill.”

Statesman looked up the hill to see the top of a small shrine, “Thank you again for the help, but I’ll take care of the rest myself from here. Recluse is my responsibility and I would like to keep anyone else from getting hurt.”

Hiroko shook her head, “Please let us escort you, you are a guest in our country and it would be rude if we were good hosts.”

Saito studied Statesman’s face as he looked up the hill and shook his head, “It is alright, Hiroko. This is his destiny. I have the feeling that we would be in his way.”

Hiroko nodded and bowed to Statesman, “When you are finished with your business, you are invited to our house to rest. We live at the base of this mountain at the Kitahara shrine. You have good intent in your heart so the wards should not be any trouble to you.”

Saito bowed and began to walk Hiroko back, “Let us head home. Our son will probably wake from his nap soon and I am sure the nanny is ready to go home.” He looked back to Statesman and gave a nod, “Until we meet again.”

Statesman nodded in returned and continued on his path.

-----

Statesman walked through the lobby of City Hall as he made his way to the M.A.G.I. office. He glanced over to the line of new heroes and felt a sense of nostalgia as he saw someone familiar. It had been almost been twenty years, but the man in line looked as if he had never aged since they last met. Statesman thought to himself, Is that really Saito Kitahara? As he approached to greet the old acquaintance, he stopped as he heard the man speak.

The man bowed a bit and placed some papers on the counter, “My name is Kuro Kitahara, but my alias is Kurogane. I wish to register for a Hero class license.”

Statesman stopped, realizing what he was seeing, and began to walk to the M.A.G.I.

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:05:35 GMT

Shirogane ran through the streets of Cap Au Diable clutching onto the sheath of Zetsumei. Yuri had vanished from the apartment during the night and Shirogane’s instincts told him that she may have ran off. He stopped and looked around, the heavy rain had made it hard to track anyone and impossible to track another Stalker. He looked down at his sword as he felt it pulse, “This is all your fault.” The sword shook in anger and began to glow, an apparition of a Japanese woman in a white kimono appearing before him.

Zetsumei looked at him, her voice had an erie and empty sound to it, “Why don’t you let her go…I am all you need. She will only get in your way.”

Shirogane growled at her. A few people stared at him as he waved and yelled at nothing in front of him, “Will you leave me alone already?! For one thing, you’re making me look like a lunatic out here talking to the air. And the other thing, you are my sword and I am your master. It’s not supposed to be the other way around!”

Zetsumei’s mood remained unchanging as she talked back, “I am a cursed sword. You became my servant the day I broke your spirit three years ago. That woman has been nothing but a burden to me by restoring that spirit. You may have regained your free will since her arrival, but I can consume your soul any time I wish.”

Shirogane frown and went into an alley, grabbing a bottle and smashing it. He took a small shard of glass and extended his left arm out, clutching tight to the sword, “About that curse…I’m going to do something about that right now.” He made a deep cut on his right index finger and began to draw symbols on his left arm and on the blade of Zetsumei using his blood.

Zetsumei frowned and reached out at Shirogane, her hand disappearing into the back of his chest. “Fool. You cannot remove my curse from you. I care not if I consume your soul, there will be others to wield me.”
Shirogane winced and forced a smirk on his face as he struggled to speak, “You’re wrong Zetsumei. I have no intention of removing your curse…” He took a deep breath as he fought against her draining his soul. “Zetsumei. I hereby bind you to my own soul…should I ever die, your blade shall shatter and I will personally escort you to the afterlife. No one after me will be caught in your curse.” The symbols on his arm and on the blade of Zetsumei began to glow bright as they engraved themselves into the two of them. Zetsumei quickly retracted herself, hissing as she felt pressure on her blade as Shirogane neared death.

“You win for now…Master…” Zetsumei’s voice was the only thing that could be heard as she vanished.
Shirogane lifted the sword into the sky and looked at it, the rain beginning to clear. He grinned proudly at himself, “Master…I could get used to that.” He thought for a moment and brought his gaze back down, “If Yuri is trying to leave, she’ll have to go through Pocket D first.” He checked to make sure the small back he was carrying was still at his side. He smiled and began to run to the entrance of Pocket D.

----

Shirogane made his way across the dance floor of Pocket D and walked into the Hero’s side of the bar. He groaned as he saw Kurogane sitting next to Yuri. He walked up to them, unhooking the small bag from his side. Kurogane saw him approaching and got up, betting in between him and Yuri. Shirogane frowned and stopped, “This has nothing to do with you for once, Kuro.” He tried to look around Kurogane at Yuri, who had turned around in her stool. “Yuri, I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you up to now.” He crossed his arms and looked away because he hated talking the way he was, “You two have wanted to save me from my curse and you mostly have…especially you, Yuri.” He put his hand on his left arm, “I’m still cursed, but I have it under control now.” He looked back over at them, “I can never repent for all my sins and my place is in the Rogue Isles. My path to justice is different from yours now, Kuro. And if you so chose it, Yuri…I won’t stop you anymore if you decide to follow me.” He handed the bag to Kurogane, “This belongs to Yuri, I took it with me a long time ago.” He turned around and began to walk back to the Villian side.

Zetsumei

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:34:09 GMT

Shirogane growled as he put his phone away, “Baka...” Yuri had just hung up on him while he was telling her to come to him. He looked down at his sword and place his hand on the hilt. He had a bad feeling and his sword reacted to it by shaking in its sheath. He pulled his phone back up and opened a line to the contact Yuri had just visited.

An old Italian man appeared on the screen, “Well, look who it is. What did you call me for?”

“A girl. She was just there talking to you. Where did she go?” Shirogane spoke in a irritated voice.

“I see lots of girls, you know that. You also know my information isn't free.”

Shirogane grinned, “I know about your habits very well...who was it that helped you out when you got in over your head with that pimp. I don't think your mother would like it very much if she learned of your extracurricular activities.”

The man frowned and fidgeted, “Damnit, you didn't need to bring my mother into this.” He sighed a bit, “I'm assuming you're looking for Kitahara. Some big guy carried her off to the old warehouse district here...I would have helped, but I got a business to run.”

Shirogane's face turned to anger as he shut the phone, his body becoming a blur as he ran through the slums towards the warehouse district. He knew Yuri's stubborn personality would get her into trouble and he could feel his sword's curse loosening a bit as his worries increased. He looked down at his sword, “You're jealous of Yuri, yet you don't want some man to hurt her like you in the past...you didn't seem to have a problem with it when you made me kill her the first time...” He ran from warehouse to warehouse with his super speed until he came to one that started to make his sword pulse. He knew it was the sword's way to telling him to go in there, his body turned invisible as he went in. He looked around and heard the sound of a muffled voice struggling. He followed the sounds and found Yuri tied up and gagged with a large man. He had ripped her clothes apart and was groping her body. When Shirogane saw this, he became filled with rage and sped behind the man. In one swift motion, he unsheathed his sword and brought it to the man's Adam's Apple. His voice was cold as his form became visible again, “Hands off...”

Ryoku lifted his arms up and stayed still, “This is a private party with my girl.” He was about to make a move to knock Shirogane back, but his eyes shot wide as he felt something sharp against his groin. Shirogane had pulled a small dagger from the other end of his sheath and had it against Ryoku's groin area. Yuri could only squirm as she opened her eyes and saw Shirogane with a dark grin on his face.

“I've learned over the years that no one owns a Kitahara, this girl is no exception. But I must say that this is very unfortunate for you..until now, this sword and I haven't exactly seen eye to eye and now we both agree that an action like this can't go unpunished. The only thing is...” He laughed, his right eye had become it's original amber color, but his left was a blood red that seemed to glow, “We can't decide which head to cut off first.” He put pressure against Ryoku's throat, drawing a little bit of blood.

Ryoku had a hard time trying to keep still, “Alright, I give. I'll be on my way.”

Shirogane smirked, “You're going by the assumption that we'll let you live. You are gravely mistaken.”

Ryoku's eyes narrow and took a chance, spinning around and flinging Shirogane away from him. He brought his hand to his neck to cover the gash he received from the maneuver. Shirogane crashed into a stack of wooden crates that fell on top of him. Shirogane pushed the crates off of him and stood up, his body covered in cuts from the splinters. He panted a bit in pain as blood ran down his face. He could only smile as he wiped the blood off his face with his right hand and smeared it down the blade of his sword. The sword glowed red a bit as if it enjoying being covered in blood. “I'll tell you what, Zetsumei. I'll accept this curse you've placed on me and help you devour the lives of the wicked, but we'll do things my way.” He stood there silent for a moment and smirked. “It seems we've come to terms for now.”

Ryoku raised a brow and cracked his knuckles as he walked towards Shirogane, “You're not right in the head. Talking to yourself and using third person.”

Shirogane suddenly appeared in front of Ryoku, piercing his chest with his sword, smiling. “We're quite sane...and in a moment, you'll be quite dead.” Ryoku eyes shot open and gasped. He tried to push Shirogane off but found that he couldn't move. A translucent woman appeared behind Ryoku, holding his arms back by wrapping her arms around his body and began to drain the life from him. She had long black hair and a grey kimono, her face was stained with tears of blood. When Ryoku's body became motionless and limp, Shirogane pulled the sword out and kicked the body to the ground, Zetsumei's spirit disappearing as he sheathed his sword. He walked over to Yuri and removed the gag from her mouth. “You should have listened to me.”

Yuri just watched him for a moment and then huffed, “That's all you can say to me? I was almost raped, doesn't that mean anything to you?”

Shirogane began to cut the cords that bound her body with his knife, “It does...it means I need to do better at protecting you from the dangers here.” Instead of being his usual forceful self, he helped her up carefully. Yuri blinked and looked at his eyes. When she was normally around him, his eyes would constantly shift from red to amber as if he was always fighting within himself. With the way he was now, his left had settled on being a blood red color and his right now stayed his original amber color. After he helped her up, he began to walk to the exit and looked back slightly as he walked, “Let's go back to your place...” His talking paused for a moment, “..I'm glad you're alright..”

Return

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:06:43 GMT

Kurogane opened his eyes and shifted a bit in his seat. He found that he couldn't move much and smiled as he looked at Shayded sleeping on one side of him, clinging to his arm, and Yuri sleeping on the other side of him with her head leaning against him. He looked out the plane window and began to think about his mother's reaction to Alex and Kate wanting to move in with her. She was surprised at first, but her face softened and smiled as she agreed to let them live with her. She told them she was wanting to travel every now and then to do some research and the two of them would be perfect to watch her home.

Kurogane leaned back in the seat and took out his communicator. Their vacation was slowly reaching an end and soon the three of them would be protecting Paragon again. He and Shayded would soon be fighting against stronger enemies and even the leaders of the organizations they've fought against. They had been through a lot in the past year; but to Kurogane, something made him feel like things were just beginning.

After their plane landed, the three of them retrieved their luggage and left the airport using the Yellow Line train. Because their flight had taken so long, they had arrived in Paragon at about one o'clock in the morning. There were only a few other people on the train as they sat down, Shayded raised a brow at Kurogane, “Kuro-rin...we just got back. Are you making us take the long way as an excuse for some patrolling?”

Kurogane smiled, a light smirk could be seen on his face, “We were on that plane forever. I just wanted to stretch a bit.”

Yuri shook her head, crossing her arms and leaning back, “Nii-san, you never change.”

Shayded covered her mouth to yawn as some members of the local Hellions gang came into the train car at the opposite side. They were laughing and making noises at some of the other passengers, singling out a young couple. Before Kurogane could get up to go stop them, a young Hero in a simple costume came into the car from the other side. Kurogane eased back into the seat and decided to see how things played out. The young man ran down the isle and jumped, spinning in the air to kick one of the thugs to the ground. He then began to fight the others with his bare hands before a larger thug, who looked to be their leader, came up and threw the Hero backwards. Yuri quickly got up from her seat and caught the young man. As the thugs began to walk to them, Kurogane stood up and got between the thugs and the others, tapping his sheathed sword against his shoulder. The head thug began to laugh, “Look here, boys. This guy wants to play hero too. After we finish with you and the kid, we promise to take real good care of your lady friends.” Kurogane frowned in irritation to the comment as all the thugs began to laugh.

Kurogane lowered his sword, wrapping the cord on the sheath tightly around the sword guard to keep it in, “I was considering just using my hands to stop you, but I'll have to make you pay for a comment like that.” He dashed forward before any of them could react, making a horizontal slash with his sheath into the stomach of the thug leader. Over the years, his strength with a sword had grown to the point where he could cleave metal and stone; but without an edge to cut, the impact his sword made with the sheath blew back the thug leader and the two thugs behind him all the way to the back of the train car. The one remaining thug began to panic and started to run away. He was quickly stopped when he began slipping on an ice patch and Shayded touched his arm, sealing him in a block of ice.

Shayded smiled at Kurogane, sticking out her tongue and winking, “I can't let you have all the fun.”

After the trained stopped in Steel Canyon, Kurogane, Shayded, and Yuri helped the young hero drag the thugs out and waved to him as they carried their luggage home.

The Metal Priestess

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:57:28 GMT

Hiroko walked quietly through the Misty Woods of Croatoa and looked around, tightening her grip on her bow. The air was saturated in a thick fog that made it hard to see into the distance. She had come to this place in search of some knowledge on old magics that could be useful in her research. As she made her way past some bushes, she came across an Adept Cabal and a Red Cap Hooligan fighting. She stopped and lifted up her bow and an arrow materialized in her right hand. She notched the arrow and pulled back on the string, taking careful aim before releasing and striking the Hooligan in the chest. The surprised Adept stepped back and before she could turn around to fight, Hiroko teleported behind her with her bow drawn, “It's alright, I just want to speak with Mary.”

The Adept growled as she just stood there, “She doesn't just speak with just anyone..”

Hiroko smiled, “Fortunately for me, I'm not 'just anyone'.”

After a few moments, she had the Adapt lead her to a clearing where Mary MacComber was performing a ritual with a group of Cabal. The Adapt sprinted forward and Hiroko just stood there, letting her fly away to the group. Mary looked up and over to Hiroko and motioned for the others to attack her. Hiroko pointed her bow into the air and fired off a glowing arrow that exploded into numerous arrows. Instead of targeting the Cabal with her storm of arrows, all of them just stuck into the ground around her. The Cabal paid no attention to what she was doing and attacked her with their electricity powers only to find that the arrows acted as lightning rods. Hiroko smiled and notched three arrows at a time as she launched small volleys at the witches. After several of the ladies fell to Hiroko's attacks, Mary spoke up, “Enough..I'll handle her myself.” Mary walked slowly up the clearing, “So, what brings the Metal Priestess of the East to Paragon? I see that the stories of the woman who mixes magic with that unnecessary technology are true”

Hiroko lowered her bow and pushed her glasses up her nose, “My style of magic works very well, thank you very much. As for the Metal Priestess, she passed away with her beloved a few years ago. I go by just Hiroko these days.”

Mary frowned and crossed her arms, “I'm sorry to hear about your loss. What brings a foreign Hero here to Paragon?”

Hiroko looked out over the clearing, “I'm doing some research to create a seal...a very strong one. There's a sword that placed a curse on a friend of the family and now he's bound to it's blood lust. My late husband managed to partially seal the sword, but was killed halfway through the invocation stage. The person has some control over the sword now, but it's not complete.”

Mary held out her hand and an old large tome appeared in a burst of flames, “I'll let you borrow this. It will return on its own to me after five days. I'm sure that should give you enough time to look it over.” She looked around her at the arrows in the ground. “Normally, I test those who seek my help first, but it seems you thought this out enough to put me in a slight disadvantage.”

Hiroko smirked as she took the book, “I knew you would eventually notice the array my arrows formed. The array itself doesn't inflict any harm, but your followers powered it enough to keep me healed as long as I needed.” She bowed deeply to Mary, “Thank you for your help.”

“It was my pleasure. Maybe our paths will cross again in the future.” Mary bowed back in return. Hiroko smiled as she teleported away.

Japan: Day 3 - Evening

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 22:41:52 GMT

Kurogane sat quietly in the men's side of the baths and looked up at the sky. He was glad that everyone was happy to hear the news of his engagement to Shayded. He was happier at the fact that Alex and Kate saw and treated Shayded as if she was their own daughter. He closed his eyes and poured the warm water over his face. When he opened his eyes, he saw Shayded flying above him and smiling down at him. Kurogane blinked with a surprised look on his face as he talked in a hushed tone, “Shay?! What are you doing on this side?”

Shayded laughed and lowered herself into the water beside him. “I didn't want to be alone and I missed you..” she blushed and leaned into him. “You mom and Kate tried to out-drink each other and passed out. Alex and Kate are going to spend the night in Yuri's room and Yuri is going to sleep with your mom tonight.”

Kurogane laughed a little and shook his head, “Not even my father could keep up with her when it came to drinking sake. It's an achievement in itself if Kate was able keep up that much.”

Shayded smiled, “Kate...” she thought for a second, “..Mom is a strong woman, she's gone through a lot.” She laughed a little, “I'm not used to referring to someone like that.”

Kurogane wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned back against the bath's edge. “I wish we could stay here forever like this, but we need to get back to Paragon soon.” Shayded nodded slowly and rested her head against his chest. Kurogane looked down at her and smiled, “But we can always come back here when we need a break from things. I'm sure both of our families would like to have our wedding here.

Shayded couldn't help but to blush deeply at the thought of their own wedding. She kissed his chest and then got up onto his lap. “Aishiteru, Kuro..” she spoke quietly as she leaned down and kissed him.

_____________

After flying back over to the women's bath and changing into a cotton kimono, Shayded quietly went down the hall towards her and Kurogane's room. As she passed by a hallway window, she stopped as she saw a figure in the corner of her eye out in the yard. She turned and looked out the window to see a man kneeling by one of the wards that protected the house. She looked closer and tilted her head as the man made a praying motion with his hands, “Kuro-rin?” As the man stood up and walked to the next ward, Shayded went to the front door and quietly stepped outside. The sky was clear as she walked around the house until she found the man, the bright light from the moon making appear to be glowing. “Kuro-pon, it's late...we should be going to bed,” she smiled as she started walking closer. The figure stood up from his protection prayers and looked at her. He looked almost exactly like Kurogane, but at least twenty years older and his body had a slight transparent look.

The man crossed his arms and looked at her, a slight smile on his serious face, “So, you can see me?” He walked towards her and it seemed that everything around them came to a stop and became grey. “I figured it was only a matter of time before I was caught.”

Shayded only felt a little frightened as she looked around. She noted to herself that it was very rare for a spirit to displace time like this one just did. She brought her attention back to the man, “You're not Kurogane..”

The man shook his head and smiled as he stopped, “No, I am his father. My name is Kitahara Saito. You must be Cai-san. Or do you prefer Shayded-san?”

Shayded could only look down and speak softly, “Either one is alright, they're both my name.” The feeling she had around Saito reminded her of the first time she met Kurogane.

Saito bowed to her and looked at her, “Since this is our first meeting, then Cai-san it is.” He walked over to another protective ward and knelt to renew its power. “It is amazing how similar my son's relationship with you is to how mine was with Hiroko. He even proposed to you in the same location I proposed to his mother.” He frowned a bit and looked sad, “I am glad that all of you have been able to bring happiness into my poor Hiroko's life again. It has been hard watching her sorrow and not be able to comfort her.” He smiled at her, “I apologize, you must be curious as to why I am here. I renew these protective wards for Hiroko every night as a way to show that I will remain with her in spirit. As to why you can see me tonight, it is because I chose to let you see me. Kurogane has grown into a strong man and has found his path, he no longer needs me to watch over him. I am confident that the two of you will find the strength you need with each other as I had with Hiroko. With that said, I can concentrate on watching over Yuri and Hiroko. I am afraid they need my help more than Kurogane does.”

Saito sat on a nearby bench and patted the empty space next to him. Shayded felt hesitant at first but then walked over and sat by him. Saito smiled as he continued, “I am glad that you have also become good friends with Yuri, she needs a close friend like yourself and I know you will be a good sister-in-law to her. I would like you to support her in whatever decisions she makes...even if they seem odd or dangerous in the future.”

Shayded smiled and nodded, “Of course I will”

Saito looked to the sky and stood up, placing his hand on Shayded shoulder. “I am sorry to cut this conversation short, but I must be going. I am sure you will see me again.”

Shayded looked up and tried to speak, but he was no longer there and the only thing she could hear was the wind blowing softly in the night.

Team up

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:05:13 GMT

Shirogane tapped quietly on his glass as he sat at the bar. With the recent Valentine's celebration, Pocket D had been busy and Shirogane found amusement in the interaction between Villains and Heroes. Despite the two groups being enemies of one another, DJ Zero made a successful effort to make both sides cooperate with one another. Shirogane couldn't help but smile out of respect for the man, DJ Zero's influence was probably greater than Lord Recluse's or Statesman's. He pushed his glass forward and was about to order another drink before he was suddenly jerked from his seat. He turned his head to look behind him to see Kurogane clutching onto the back of his shirt and dragging him along the ground. Shirogane got an irritated look on his face, “What the hell are you doing, Kuro?! If you wanted a rematch, you could at least challenge me in a proper way!”

Kurogane just kept walking with Shirogane in tow, not even looking back to him, “We need to talk...” He walked over to a manhole, one of Pocket D's many portals, and kicked it open. Shirogane felt a feeling of nostalgia that seemed to suppress his cursed sword's control over him; however, it quickly turned to terror as Kurogane tossed him into the manhole, “Kuro!!”

On the other side, Shirogane fell through the door and onto the floor of an Arachnos lair. He got up and dusted himself off, drawing his sword and swinging it at Kurogane as he came through the same door. Kurogane gripped his sword sheath with one hand and pulled his sword out halfway with his left, stopping Shirogane's blade without so much as a flinch. Shirogane kept their swords locked together for a moment, felling the ring the clash had made before backing off with a smirk, “So that's what this is about. You're pretty moody when it comes to the safety of the people you care about.” Kurogane didn't say anything and just walked past him, stopping as he found a large group of Arachnos soldiers down the hall. Shirogane followed behind as he rested the back of his blade on his shoulder. He sighed as he saw the large group, “What kind of mess have you gotten us into this time?” For the first time in three years, Shirogane felt like he was in control and didn't feel like fighting with Kurogane.

“Us? I figured you would just stand there and watch. I asked Ganymede for the hardest mission he had.” Shirogane could tell Kurogane had a smirk beneath his mask.

Shirogane shrugged and started to walk towards the group, his form slowly disappearing, “Let's get this talk over with then.” As they began fighting and working their way through the lair, they called out the number of soldiers they defeated. While Kurogane finished incapacitating one of the lieutenants, Shirogane sat on a crate, “You wanted to talk to me about Yuri?”

“She insists on seeing you despite the things you've done.” Kurogane spoke as he replace his sword back into the sheath. “I don't want her to be hurt by you again. I can see that you can control yourself at times, but as long as you're bound to that sword, you can't be trusted.”

Shirogane smirked as he hopped off the crate, “She has grown to become a beautiful woman now. Her intelligence is as sharp as her sword, but she's still inexperienced.” He struggled with himself a bit, trying to suppress his cursed side, “But I do understand...I don't want her to get hurt from getting too close to me, I made a promise to her to not take her life again." He laughed a bit, his cursed tendencies showing for a moment, "But then again, it just makes one more way for me to hurt you." He closed his eyes, controlling his thoughts again, "I don't know what you and her think you can accomplish, but the two of you need to accept the fact that I'm a Villain and even if I can control this sword, that fact won't change.”

Kurogane sighed as he kept walking, “I think we both know that.” When the boss of the lair came into view, Kurogane leaped forward with Super Jump. Right before Kurogane reached the boss, Shirogane appeared on the other side with Super Speed and used his Assassin's Strike at the same time Kurogane used his Golden Dragonfly technique. The boss didn't have a chance to react and fell to the ground. Shirogane grinned and went over to the container that housed the magical item that they were asked to retrieve. The container was easily destroy and Shirogane tossed the box at Kurogane's feet.

As Kurogane leaned over to pick the box up, Shirogane jumped at him with his sword raised. Kurogane saw his move and quickly reacted, drawing his sword and blocking Shirogane's attack. Kurogane frowned as he followed through with a counter-attack, flinging Shirogane off him and into a wall. Shirogane laughed as he slid down the wall and to the ground, “Why didn't you fight like that in our duel?”

Kurogane sheathed his sword and picked the box up, “The timing of your appearance then was wrong...my arm was broken before the duel.” He started to walk off, “I'll find a way to lift that curse...for Yuri's sake and for yours.” He stopped and looked back, “If you hurt Yuri, things won't turn out like they did three years ago.” He lifted his hand in the air and waved goodbye as he walked off.

Shirogane growl and got up as if he was going to hunt Kurogane down, but he clutched onto a nearby pole and restrained himself. He tried to calm himself down and finally just stood there, smiling. “I'll let you go this time, dear friend...”

Japan: Day 2 - Afternoon

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 17:47:17 GMT

After lunch, Kurogane and Shayded went back out and began to walk up the hillside path to the town's shrine. A cool breeze flowed through the air and caused the trees to cast constantly moving shadows along their path. Shayded couldn't help being amazed by the simple beauty of the mixing shadows and sunlight and felt at peace as they neared the top. When they finished their climb, Shayded stopped in awe and suddenly felt like she had traveled in time to the past. All of the buildings on the grounds were done in traditional architecture and looked as if they had been around for many generations. Kurogane smiled at her and began to give her a tour.

Kurogane gently held onto her hand as he showed her around the outside of the main hall, “I used to come up here a lot. When I wasn't at school or training under him, one of my chores was to come help keep the shrine maintained.” They stopped at one of the lecture halls that was several yards away from the main hall and looked in through the open doors. Inside were two children around ten years old playing with wooden swords.

Kurogane smiled and leaned back against a railing, watching. Shayded leaned back as well next to him, “This place is so beautiful. Did you ever regret leaving here?”

Kurogane shook his head, “No. As much as I loved it here, I felt like I couldn't move forward. I needed to leave here in order to grow and become a better person. Also if I had never left here, I wouldn't have met you.”

After a few moments of watching the children play, they both stood back upright and continued the tour. Kurogane led Shayded farther down the grounds to a secluded area where grave stones were erected. As he led her through the rows of graves, they came up to two larger ones. Kurogane bowed his head and paid his respect to them. “This is the grave of my father and the one next to it is where Yuri's old body rests.” He sighed a bit, “I wish he was still alive so the two of you could meet..”

Shayded hugged him softly and looked up at him, “I'm so sorry, Kuro.”

Kurogane shook his head, “There's no reason for you to apologize. He died trying to protect his family. It's the way he would have wanted to go...fighting as a warrior. My mother understood that too...but I know his death hurt her far more than it hurt me. She probably felt as much guilt as I did too. The two of them were partners much like you and I. From the stories they told Yuri and me, he would do all the up close fighting and she would back him up with her bow and heals.”

Shayded bowed to the grave and smiled at Kurogane, “I promise I'll be by your side always, Kuro-tan. I don't want something to happen to you because I wasn't there.”

Kurogane nodded and smiled as he took her hand, “There's one more place for me to show you before we head back.” He took her farther past the graveyard and down a pebbled path. At the end, the path opened up into a large area with a big pond in the center. Going across the center of the pond was a red wooden bridge that overlooked the crystal clear water, revealing small schools of koi fish and lilies. Shayded laughed and ran onto the bridge, stopping at the center while saying “Koi koi” several times. Kurogane laughed as he followed her.

As he came up to her, he smiled, “Close your eyes...I have something I want to give you.” Shayded blinked a few times and nodded, closing her eyes. Kurogane then reached into his pocket and pulled out a chain necklace. He unclasped it and reached pasted either side of her neck, securing the ends behind her neck and letting the necklace rest against her.

Shayded opened her eyes and looked down, blushing deeply as she saw her new gift. He hand went to it and felt a ring hanging from it.

Kurogane blushed a little as he talked, “Considering our professions, I thought putting it on a necklace would be safer for it...but there's been something I've been wanting to ask you about...”

Japan: Day 2 - Morning

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:39:59 GMT

Kurogane woke up and yawned as the morning sunlight touched his face. He made a quiet groan and turned on his side, his arm moved across Shayded's sleeping body and rested along her waist. The jet lag from their trip had finally caught up to him and he wanted to sleep for a bit longer. Before he could fall back asleep, he heard his sister knocking on the other side of the door.

“Niisan? Are you awake yet?” Her voice was polite, “Okaasan would like you and Shay-chan to go into town and pick up some groceries. I'm going to stay here and help make breakfast.”

Kurogane sat up in the bed and looked to the door, “I'm awake...yeah, we'll get ready to go.” He looked down at Shayded and smiled as he shook her softly,”Shay, it's time to get up.”

Shayded shifted a little and mumbled softly, “Kuro-rin...did you eat the rest of my cookies?..” Kurogane couldn't help but laugh as he began to run his hand through her hair. After a couple of minutes, she finally opened her eyes and smile up at him. “Morning...” was all she could get out while she yawned.

Kurogane leaned down and kissed her softly, “It's time to get up, my mother wants us to run some errands.” Shayded nodded and Kurogane got up, helping her out of bed.

After they had gotten dressed and ready. Kurogane and Shayded left the house and began to walk to town. When they got to the end of the driveway, Kurogane stopped with a smirk. Shayded stopped and looked at him with a confused look on her face, “What's wrong?”

“I was curious what everything looks like from above...” He laughed and leaped into the air with his Super Jump, going high above the trees. Shayded laughed and jumped after him, the two of them launching themselves from tree branches whenever they would start to come down. The town that Hiroko lived in was relatively small, probably less than half the size of Atlas Park. As Kurogane and Shayded came up to the town, they stopped leaping just outside and walked the rest of the way. As they walked down the street, people would look at them for a moment and then smile as they greeted them. One elderly couple stopped them and began to talk to Kurogane. Kurogane had a look of surprise at first as the woman talked to him in Japanese and then his face blushed. He looked at Shayded and then back the couple, saying a few more words.

After they said their goodbyes and bowed, Shayded tugged gently on Kurogane's arm. “What did you talk to them about?” Shayded had a puzzled look on her face.

Kurogane held her hand and weaved his fingers with hers, “They told me I look exactly like my father. She also asked me if the beautiful woman with me was my wife...” He looked down a bit and smiled, his face still a little red, “I told her 'not yet'...”

Shayded blushed and hugged onto his arm as they began to walk down the street again, smiling all the way.

Kuro and Shay's trip to Japan - Day 1

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 19:50:33 GMT

Kurogane looked out the window as the cab slowly came to a stop in front a large house. It had taken about thirty minutes for them to reach his mother's house from the airport. She lived on the outskirts of a small town at the base of a tall hill that led to a shrine. The house itself had two floors with a deck on the upper level where clothes could be seen trying in the cool breeze. From the side of the house, a wooden walkway could be seen that extended to the beach two hundred yards away.

Kurogane stepped out of the car and walked over to the trunk to help the driver unload the luggage. Shayded and Yuri came out of the car and both looked around. Shayded smiled and closed her eyes, the wind flowing through her hair, “It feels so nice here.” Yuri nodded and walked around with a big smile on her face as if she had just rediscovered a large part of herself.

Shayded looked at Kurogane with a puzzled look, “I can feel magic around here too.”

Yuri spoke up a little, feeling sure and unsure about what she knew, “They're protective wards...I think my father put them up a long time ago...”

Kurogane paid the cab driver after all the luggage was taken out and nodded with a smile, “That's correct. He used to exorcise spirits for the townspeople when we were children.” Before he could continue talk about their childhood, the front door of the house opened and Hiroko quickly came out.

She smiled as she walked quickly to them. She was dressed in black work pants and a lab coat with a t-shirt underneath, “I'm so sorry for how I look. I was getting things ready to fix your arms.” She hugged Kurogane first, kissing his cheek. She then went to Yuri, stopping for a second to take a good look at her before hugging her tight, “I'm so happy to see you again. You've grown up so much.” She buried her face into Yuri's shoulder, “I thought you were lost to me for good.”

Shayded smiled at Yuri and her mother's reunion and blushed a bit when Hiroko came to her. “You must be Shayded...I'm glad to finally meet you.” Shayded nodded and held out her hand to shake Hiroko's but began to feel embarrassed about the condition they were in. Hiroko noticed Shayded's response and smiled, hugging her, “It's alright, we'll get you fixed up.”

Hiroko took a step back and motioned them to the door, “Let's get your things inside. I'll refit your arms first and then we'll get cleaned up. I'm sure that all of you feel like having a relaxing bath after the long flight.”

After they brought their things inside, Hiroko led them to a large room in the back of the house. The room was very different from the rest and looked like a research lab. Hiroko walked over to a table where a full metal arm and two metal forearms laid. “I thought I'd fix your arms here in my workshop instead of dragging you to the lab. I do a lot of work at home now anyways.” She pointed to Kurogane and smiled, “Let's do yours first.” Kurogane nodded and walked over to the table and sat on the reclining seat next to it, he couldn't help but feel like he was at a dentist while he sat on it. Hiroko then proceeded to remove the temporary arm and spent a few minutes making adjustments to just the socket part of his shoulder. She then picked up his new arm and fitted it into the socket carefully before locking it in. The arm jerked for a moment as it synchronized itself with Kurogane. After a moment, he was able to freely move it. Hiroko sat up a bit, “Well, the easy part is over...now for the hard.” She then placed her hands on his new arm, concentrating as she spoke, “Open Ether channel...” Her hands glowed and lines of blue light came from them and ran along Kurogane's arm. Shayded noticed it was similar to the patterns on her costume, but was very different from any magic she had seen. These lines were all straight and had no curves; to her, it reminded her of a circuit board. Hiroko continued, “Excecute Program Command...Soul Binding.” The lines pulsed before shining bright and then faded away. She sighed and leaned back, “There, all done.”

Shayded looked puzzled at what happened and spoke up a little, “Miss Kitahara...what kind of magic was that just now?”

Hiroko smiled and looked at Shayded, “You can call me Hiroko. As for that..that was a style of magic that kinda unique to me. I've always been able to use older magic that was passed down in my family, but I was more interested in technology. Eventually, I started experimenting with mixing the two together and this is the result.” As Kurogane got off the chair, Hiroko patted the seat, “When you're ready Shayded, we'll start on yours. Yours will be a lot easier, your magic should take care of most of the work.”

Shayded nodded and got onto the seat. She looked at her hands and then to Hiroko, “If you don't mind, could you use some of the existing outer parts on the new ones...these arms have sentimental value to me. The person who helped raise me made them for me.”

Hiroko smiled wryly as she worked on Shayded's forearms, “Funny you should mention that. After going through the data I collected from the Council, I found the man that designed your arms and he's someone I helped out before. A little over a year ago, I was contacted to help a few researchers break away from various criminal groups and two of them were wanting to get away from the Council. I helped the man, Alex, and his wife, Kate, get new identities and helped them set up a clinic in a small community in Osaka.”

Shayded's eyes widened and had to force herself not to move, “They're alive?! Can I see them?!” She tried to calm herself, knowing it wasn't the time to get excited when here arms were missing or were in pieces.

Hiroko laughed gently, “Calm down, dear...and yes, I invited them over and they should be here to visit the day after tomorrow. As far as your arms go, I made enhancements to the original design, but Alex built the new ones with his own hands. Your old ones were meant to limit your power and as you overcame that limit, they started to break. These new ones no longer have that limitation and your powers can freely flow through them.” As she finished placing the new forearms on Shayded, they glowed for a moment and Shayded lifted an arm up, looking at it with a smile. Hiroko leaned back in her lab stool, “Now that we're done patching you two up, let's get ready to go out tonight.”

Yuri asked curiously, “What are we going to do?”

Hiroko smiled, “There's a festival in town tonight and I want to take my family to it. It'll give me the chance to catch up...” She smiled brightly at Shayded, “And it'll give me the chance to get to know our newest member of our family. Shayded blushed as she got up and hugged Kurogane with her new arms.

Hiroko led them across the house and stopped at a screen door, pointing to another down the hall, “You know the routine, Kuro. I'll take the girls in through here and you'll have to use the baths on the other side. I already laid out a kimono for you to wear to the festival. I have one for Shayded and Yuri to use as well.”

Kurogane nodded and kissed Shayded, smiling as he started to go down the hall, “I'll see you in a bit.”

Shayded smiled, “Okay, Kuro-pon.” She waved to him as she went into the door.

Aftermath

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 18:53:49 GMT

Kurogane unlocked the door to the apartment and came in quietly. It was 6:00am and the sun was slowly starting to illuminate the curtains of the apartment's windows. Over the past couple of days, Kurogane and Shayded had finished unpacking and the once disorganized apartment was now a comfortable looking home. All of the furniture that Hiroko had sent them gave the apartment a Japanese feel to it. Kurogane placed his sword against the wall and went to the bedroom quietly.

Kurogane slipped in through the bedroom door and for Shayded and Aore sleeping soundly. He smiled and went over to the side of the bed that Shayded slept on and ran his hand through her hair, being careful not to wake her. He went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pants and a t-shirt before going to the bathroom to change. He sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror; his replacement arm looked the same as his original, but it still didn't feel the same. With his original one, he had a sense of touch and feeling. The feeling of nothingness from the new arm felt uncomfortable and reminded him that he would never have a living arm again. Kurogane shrugged off the thoughts and changed his cloths. He then went back into the bedroom and smiled at the sleeping Shayded.

He didn't want to wake Aore from her sleep so he sat on the floor next to Shayded's side of the bed and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and began to think to himself. He regretted accepting Shirogane's duel; his right arm was in no condition to handle that type of fight. The two of them had been on even ground up until his arm broke down. When he thought he was finished, the only thing he could think about was Shayded. She had become the most important thing in his life and the thought of losing her tore him apart. Shirogane knew this and it terrified Kurogane. He opened his eyes and looked at Shayded, watching her sleep. When he first came to Paragon City, the thing that mattered to him the most was hunting for Shirogane; but now, the only thing that mattered the most was her. His fight with Shirogane would be inevitable and he would continue to get stronger so he could release Shirogane from his curse.

He sat up and leaned over the bed, kissing Shayded on the cheek and whispered, “Aishiteru..” He then sat back on the ground and went to sleep leaning against the wall.

Shirogane's first appearance

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 05:53:21 GMT

Shayded giggled as pulled Kurogane by the arm towards a large elevator, "Come on! It's going to be fun! There's supposed to be a big party here tonight."

Kurogane laughed and nodded as they stepped into the elevator, "Alright, alright...I'm just not used to dancing though.."

"You'll be fine. We'll mostly be hanging out with H.E., Aore, and Blue." She smiled at him as they stepped out and into the bar area of Pocket D. The music was playing loudly in the background and the bright lights of the dance floor could be seen on the other side of the Heroe's bar area. Halfway between them and the dance floor was a table where their friends sat and talked. Shayded waved and ran over to them.

Kurogane smiled and followed slowly behind her. After a few steps, he barely winced as pain washed over him from where his robotic arm was. He clenched the robotic hand for a moment before releasing it as he reached the table. As he took a seat beside Shayded, his eyes looked around the room trying to find the source of his discomfort. His attention was brought back to those around him when he heard Shayded's voice, "Are you alright, Kuro-pon?"

He blinked for a moment and smiled at her, "Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just adjusting to the surroundings." He relaxed a little bit as he remembered that Pocket D was a neutral area where Heroes and Villains were forbidden to fight. He knew that "he" was here or nearby and the only thing that Kurogane could do was be patient and wait. Despite him knowing he should remain calm, he could feel the anger rising in him. As he tried to calm himself on the inside, he felt a sudden jolt of coldness and a feeling of time stopping as a hand slapped onto his shoulder.

"Hey Kuro! Long time, no see!" said the man behind Kurogane, a big friendly smile on his face. He was about the same height at Kurogane and had white hair. The costume he wore was very similar to Kurogane's but had a white primary color them to it. He looked from Kurogane to the others, "Hello everybody. I'm really sorry for intruding on your party, but when I saw my friend here, I just had to come and say hello. It's been years since we last saw one another."

Kurogane quickly stood up, not even paying attention to his chair as he knocked it over. Everyone had a look of shock on their face as Kurogane slapped the man's hand away from him and stared at him coldly, "What the hell do you want?"

The man frowned sadly as if he had truely been hurt by Kurogane's words, "How can you be so mean, Kuro? I just wanted to see you after all this time and meet your friends. Any friends of yours are friends of mine..." He looked over to Shayded and took her hand into his, "My name is Shirogane..." Before he could lean down and kiss Shayded's hand, Kurogane's hand was on Shirogane's wrist. Kurogane jerked him away and squezed on his wrist so hard, that Shiro's hand began to change color.

Kurogane began to speak in a threatening, monotone voice, "Leave her alone, you bastard..."

Not knowing what was happening before them, Healing Entity, BlueCollar Hero, and Aore stood up. Aore rested her hand on her sword sheathe and Blue tried to calm everyone down, "Let's all take it easy."

Kurogane paid no attention to Blue, his gaze fixed only on Shirogane, "How dare you approach me like nothing ever happened. You killed Yuri and my father...I'm not about to let you do it again."

Shirogane's kind smile never faded from his face as he began to speak back, "It's a shame they had to die, but I had to kill them to get what I wanted. Even after what I did, I still consider you my best friend...that's why I didn't kill you." Kurogane clenched his other fist, getting ready to punch Shirogane. Shirogane used his other hand to shake a finger at Kurogane, "Now now...we all know how DJ Zero feels about fighting in his club."

Knowing he was right, Kurogane pushed Shirogane back and stood there clenching his fists. Shirogane laughed lightly as he began to walk towards where the arena kiosks were, "However...since you're so inlined to fight me, I'll go set up a duel and wait for you. I'm interested to see how much stronger you've gotten. Your friends can come and watch as well." He waved as he left their sight.

Kurogane stood there for a moment and looked to Shayded, "Are you alright?"

She nodded slowly, asking in a worried voice, "We should be asking you that...what are you going to do?"

Kurogane sighed, "I think I should go fight him. If I'm going to find a way to release his curse, I have to release myself from my anger. His personality is still there, but it's like watching a puppet."

As he started to walk away, Shayded hugged him tightly from behind and buried her face into his back. Her voice shook as she spoke, "Kuro-rin...please be careful. I don't want you to get hurt."

Kurogane turned around and hugged her back, "I'll be okay. It's an arena match, so I won't die." He smiled at her and went to the arena kiosks. After he accepted the match, he was teleported away. Shortly after, Shayded, Aore, BlueCollar Hero, and Healing Entity used the kiosks and were taken to the observer area of the duel.

Shirogane was sitting on a desk, humming to himself as Kurogane teleported in. The arena that had been selected for them was a two floor office area that was open in the center. Overlooking the arena on the second floor was a glass room where the others had teleported into. Kurogane walked up to Shirogane and stopped a couple of feet away from him. He gripped onto his sword sheathe with his right hand and hovered his left over the hilt, taking a ready stance. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Shirogane stood up and smiled, taking a similar stance. His voice took a slight serious tone, "It's been a long time since we last did this." The countdown buzzer went off in the background and when the start buzzer went off, the two just stood there silent.

Five minutes went by with neither one of them moving. Both of them just stood there with their eyes locked on one another. Even their breathing had synchronized with one another. All of a sudden, both of them charged at the same time, their swords flashing from the sheathes in a split second and coming together in a loud clang. For the next ten minutes, all that could be heard was the clashing of steel. Kurogane made the first cut when he slashed straight up, cutting Shirogane on the cheek. Before jumping back, Shirogane made a slash across Kurogane's chest. Both of the took a moment to catch their breath, their cuts healing up in a matter of moments.

Shirogane laughed as he adjusted his stance, "We could go on forever by fighting with sword techniques alone. I think it's about time I finished this fight..." He smiled as his form accelerated in speed and faded away.

Super Speed and Hide. Kurogane thought to himself. He felt his instincts take over for a moment, his body spinning around and bringing his blade up. His robotic hand pressed against the back of his blade as it suddenly recieved a powerful slash. The force from Shirogane's Assassin Strike was powerful enough to force Kurogane to his knee, sparks exploding from his right arm as it began to buckle and break. Kurogane wince as he felt a few of his bones break. Before Kurogane could react and counter, Shirogane spun around and performed a Soaring Dragon technique. Kurogane barely made it in time to block with his sword and was thrown back against a wall, making a small crater from his impact. Kurogane fell to his knees coughing up blood and his right arm fell limp to his side before completely falling off.

Shirogane walked slowly towards Kurogane, dragging the tip of his blade along the ground. "This is a familiar scene. Only this time, there aren't any dead bodies..." He looked up at the observer box and directly at Shayded, "Next time we play like this, I'll make sure there's at least one...the fight is more enjoyable when you're in emotional pain." He looked back at Kurogane and raised his blade, "Well, it's about time to end this match."

"Release..." A bright light exploded from Kurogane's body as his Moment of Glory skill activated. His entire body glowed and arcs of energy ran across his body. As Shirogane brought the blade down, Kurogane used his Super Jump and tackled Shirogane upwards. Kurogane jumped high enough that he slammed Shirogane into the ceiling before throwing him to the ground. When Kurogane touch the ground, he continued his attack with a constant chain of sword slashes. "You will never take another loved one from me ever again..." Kurogane kicked Shirogane's sword away and grabbed him, slamming him into a wall. "I have the strength to protect them now and I'll eventually find the strength to return you to normal. Until then, this match is over." He threw Shirogane to the ground, the end buzzer going off. After a few moments, all of them were teleported out.

Kurogane sighed as he reappeared in Pocket D, his clothes were in shreds and a few cables hung from where his right arm once was. Shayded ran up to him with tears in her eyes, "Kuro! Are you okay?!" Kurogane nodded slowly as the others ran up. He looked around, but Shirogane was nowhere in sight. When his eyes returned to Shayded's, his vision started to blur from Moment of Glory wearing off. When his body realized how much damage it had taken, it could only react by passing out on him. The last thing he could hear as he lost consciousness was Shayded screaming his name.

Morning

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 21:18:53 GMT

The morning sun had just begun to illuminate the room as Kurogane walked over to the window and sat down on the sill. He looked around the room, noting each of the unpacked boxes scattered about before looking to the bed where Shayded shifted in her sleep. He and Shayded had moved into the medium sized apartment on the eastern side of Steel Canyon a week ago and were still unpacking. The first day they moved in, all they had were a few personal belongings and a bed they had bought the same day. The following morning, they were both surprised when a large shipment of packages came in from Japan. His mother had sent them all the furniture they could think of needing.

Kurogane reached into his pocket and pulled out a video phone. When he opened it, a blue holographic screen projected above the phone.

He pressed a button and spoke to it, “Okinawa, Japan...Kitahara Hiroko.”

The screen flickered for a moment and began to ring. After a couple of seconds, the ringing stopped and an image of an older Japanese woman was displayed.

“Moshi moshi,” said the woman, who's head was turned towards a computer monitor.

Kurogane smiled a bit as he spoke, “Konnichiwa, Okaasan.”

The woman's face had a look of surprise and she spun her chair to face the monitor, pushing up rectangular glasses, “Kurogane!” She smiled brightly at him, “You almost never call me, but I had a feeling you would once you got my gifts.”

Kurogane raised a brow, “I was wondering how you knew that I had found a place.”

Hiroko laughed lightly, “I had to find someway to check if you're alive every now and then..” She looked past him to glance at Shayded sleeping, a wry smile forming on her face, “But I see that my sources aren't as detailed as I thought.”

Kurogane shifted the camera to where Hiroko could only see him and the wall, “That's good to know, you don't have to know every detail of Shay's and my life...and I'm sorry for not calling, I'll keep in touch with you more from now on.”

She smiled softly at him, “I'm glad she's managed to bring you back to your old self. I was worried that you had lost yourself in avenging your father and Yuri. I would really like to meet her.”

Kurogane nodded, “We may come and visit soon. We'll probably bring along a few others too as a vacation trip. I know that you'll be really happy to see one of them again.”

“Again?” Hiroko had a puzzled look on her face.

“Yuri found me a while back...she's come back to life. She has a different body, but it's definitely her soul in there. Her memory is still fragmented and I think the trip will help her a lot.”

Hiroko looked down a bit as if she was trying not to cry, “I knew something was different whenever I visited her grave..I didn't know what it was though.” She lifted her head back up, recomposing herself and smiling, “Please don't keep me waiting too long. I really miss the two of you. It's also probably time to replace your arm.”

Kurogane nodded, “Its been having a hard time keeping up with the rest of my body as I get stronger. I past its limit a while back and I've been doing my best to keep it from breaking. I imagine Shay's are in a similar condition as well, but her magic has probably been keeping it together.”

“I have your arm done and I can probably build a pair for Shayded before you get here,” Hiroko typed some things into her computer, “It's been easy to keep up with your data, but I don't have much on Shayded. I'm going to send you a computer worm to put on a Council terminal. That should give me access to their systems to find what I need. I can also find any information she may want as well.”

“I'll ask her how she feels about it before I do anything,” Kurogane looked over at Shayded, who was laying on her back mumbling something about sweets. He looked at the clock, “It's about time I woke her up, we have a long day today.”

Hiroko smiled and nodded, “Alright, just don't forget to call me from time to time.”

Kurogane smiled, “I won't.” After saying their goodbyes, Kurogane turned off the video phone. He then got up and walked to the bed, sitting next to Shayded's sleeping form. He then kissed her on the cheek, “Shay, it's time to get up.”