A Tale of Two Villians [Mission/Invite]
Oct 29, 2012 16:23:54 GMT -7
Post by Baek on Oct 29, 2012 16:23:54 GMT -7
Baek had just set down W and taken the sword offered to him when W’s description of a former acquaintance capable of helping them was made known to him. Listening as he moved morosely over to where Akio Mitsura lay Baek thought upon whether or not this Maiko woman could be trusted. With mechanical precision he severed the corpse’s head in one strike, lifted it by the well-groomed tassels of hair, before moving W to a safer setting than out in the street. Truthfully even in the hidden corner of the alleyway that W insisted on remaining in, Baek feared that a remnant of the Kokinzowa or worse the Sad Flutes would find one of the two mercenary forces wreaking havoc upon the underworld and seek to capitalize on the opportunity.
“I'll be fine...I don't think anyone is gonna come around for a while...not after the noise we made.” ]W had said after explaining who Maiko was.
The ANBU’s deep baritone hardly conveyed the enduring pain his wound was surely causing him. Baek’s face remained devoid of expression as he looked his man square in the face. His eyes were searching for something, but he couldn’t tell what precisely. The moment ended when the scratching sound of something heavy dragging along the pavement from the entrance into the alley. At once the sword was sheathed in preparation for a deadly opening attack, but as the shadow grew more definite Baek noticed the strangely shaped lump residing on the man’s back. Remaining silent until the intruder came within 2 meters of W and his position Baek weighed his options if this was another ambush that they had unwittingly walked into. Before he could take too much longer to consider the person, whose impression was still vaguely outlined by the shadows, spoke,
“You two have made a quite a mess of things out there. If one were aware of how young you look in person they might have mistaken your actions for mischievous children looking for attention…and not shinobi dispatched from Kusagakure.”
Baek’s breath stopped as he listened to the voice. Something about it seemed lethal, yet the lilting, musical end to each word spoken was compassionate. Against his better judgment he allowed his left hand to fall away from his sword’s hilt and stepped closer to the man. A dirty ray of light streaked down past the rooftops above and shined enough light to illuminate his features for a brief moment. It was then that the lump the man had been carrying dropped from his shoulder and hit the ground with a wet thump while a gasp of surprise escaped the man. “B-Baek?” the man asked.
Stepping forward from the darkness of the alleyway’s entrance, Baek’s father stepped into full view. The ambiguous shadows which had been hiding his identity dripped away like inky water as the smooth, weathered lines of the former samurai beheld his son for the first time since Baek had left for Kusagakure.
“Father…”
Words dammed up in his throat and for the sake of appearances he resisted the emotional spluttering that threatened to escape him. His father had shown up here of all places; what was the man doing out here in the first place?
Before Baek could answer or ask about this he found himself quickly embraced by the strong, sinewy arms that had first placed a sword in his hands and taught him about the principles of honor and duty. For a moment Baek allowed himself to indulge in the childlike reverie of seeing his father once again, the weightlessness that came with knowing that a capable adult had come to see him and could handle things if needed. The last portion of his thoughts startled him. For the longest time he’d wanted to be the one carrying the burden of the world upon his shoulders and now he was silently wishing for his pa to take things over and save the day as the man had done many times before. No. I am a kage now; I must uphold my duty to the people regardless of its difficulty. Resolved in his conviction he gently pulled away from his father, his hand waving in the direction of W,
“I need to see that this man is taken care of. There’s a woman at Ayaka that he knows; he says she’ll be able to help. Can…you watch him while I’m gone?” Even in the sensibility of his asking, Baek felt horridly weak on the inside. His father had nothing to do with this and as a man of position Baek was supposed to be able to handle these things on his own. “I don’t want Mako Kurama or any of the Sad Flutes attacking while I’m away; the time might seem…ripe for criminal actions after what we’ve done”
Uruushi knelt down to inspect W’s wound without touching it. “It’s bad, Baek…” he muttered thoughtfully. There was a sadness glinting of the reflective surface of the glasses fixed precisely upon his face and shame burned in Baek’s cheeks as he wordlessly started past his father.
“You should take him with you; there’s no need to worry about the Sad Flutes…” Uruushi said softly as Baek passed by.
“What are you…”
It was then that Baek noticed the fact that his father’s zori were covered with blood, so was the hem of the cloak resting easily open the swordsman’s broad shoulders. Lost for words Baek rushed over to where the lump lay stiffly in a puddle. “Blood,” he whispered as he dipped a finger into the viscous liquid. “Then this is…?”
“Yes, that is the body of Mako Kurama. Everyone directly associated with the Sad Flutes is dead.” Uruushi turned slowly so that Baek could see his eyes even from the shadows of the alley entrance, “When I heard about the brawl in the street I knew more violence than ever before was going to follow so I…I did what needed to be done. Baek, take your man to the hospital. The body will still be here and I’ll take care of Akio Mitsura without anyone knowing who did it.”
“It’s too late for that,” Baek countered distantly before nodding his head at the ripe smelling lump of flesh sitting one meter down the alley from where W rested.
The weight of what both father and son had done in the name of duty weighed heavily upon the environment. Eventually Baek rose to his feet and stood in front of W, “Can you make the journey to the hospital?”, he asked ANBU, “We’ll spend another day in Aokusa for you to get taken care of then head out.” While he spoke he made a pointed effort not to meet his father’s eyes. He wasn’t ready to yet.
[OOC: My bad man. Halloween weekend really kicked my rump. Anyway I hope you don't mind the twist and all. Feel free to add any other options if you want, but I figured we could end on a bit of a shady note. Besides...in the world of ninja nothing is ever cut-and-dry]