Tool... or something more? (1x1 with Saia Kakaru)

[Saia Kakaru]

Not batting a single eye at Zabuza's torture method, she continued her conversation with Alric. it was only when Alric seemed to shudder did she know something was wrong. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Waraji stand up, albeit a bit wobbly. How? No one should be moving this soon after I've put them in a false death! she thought to herself, fingering her remaining needles. She couldn't kill him, since that would be going against what they were trying to do right now, but if even her temporary death couldn't make him stay down, she would have to.

A burst of wind caught her off guard, causing her to quickly drop down into a defensive crouch. She heard the soft thud of Wraji's body falling back down to the ground, where he seemed to stay for the moment. Turning her full attention back to the woman before her, she nearly attacked her before Alric's voice intervened. Standing up from her position, she looked cautiously between the new girl and her newest acquaintance. "She a friend of yours, Alric?" Haku asked quietly, her body still in defense mode. Hearing the comment about the guy, Haku only hoped for her safety that she was referring to the b*****d on the ground.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Zabuza tilted his head fractionally, his gaze shifting to the new girl as she straightened. Alric shifted his weight. "Doubtless, if you're here, imouto... then the others likely are as well," he said dryly, using the Japanese term for 'little sister'. Kirai shrugged. "If they are, I haven't seen them, and you know Curtis... he makes both of us look calm," she said with a smirk. "You see... I suspect that our mother was from somewhere around here, as her last name was Uzumaki; the scientists injected her with the mutant genetics of several different mutants, including the ones I happen to have, among others. I remember very little about her, as she was kept separate from us for eighteen hours a day. Each of the four of us inherited different talents; I suspect they were attempting to create a effective 'weapon' out of our mother, though when Kirai and I found out about our... talents, the scientists tried to use her to get us to do what they wanted, which usually wasn't on the level," he said with a sigh. "You could tell us what we want to know... and maybe you'll walk away," the clone said dryly. Zori coughed before speaking hoarsely. "You're all dead, you just haven't stopped moving yet, bakas," he said with a smirk. Zabuza cocked his head. "So you escaped from wherever you were held, clearly. What about your mother?" he said dryly. Alric exhaled sharply. "When we could, we went back for her... found her dying.... she did take all but a few of the scientists and soldiers out with her, though... roughly a hundred and ten people," he said slowly. He took a half step forward, his hand dropping to Waraji's shoulder. "Cracked a couple of ribs, and unless I'm mistaken, the only reason he managed to get up is sheer stubbornness," he said softly. Kirai laughed throatily at that. "Says the guy who could teach a rock to be hard and stubborn," she teased. Alric's gaze shifted to Zori. "You've already confirmed what I expected anyway, even without meeting your idiot employer... the cheap bakayarou.... he betrays those he uses when possible just to save a buck," he said quietly. Zabuza didn't see Alric's eyes at that moment, but he sensed the Sakai, or killing intent, directed at Zori. Damn... this kid's pissed, he thought. Kirai shifted her weight, laying a gloved hand gently on Alric's shoulder. He didn't know what passed between them, but Alric relaxed fractionally, nodding slightly. A faint smirk flashed over his lips as Kirai removed a glove, revealing her bare hand. He blinked, seeing the pale blue nail polish on her nails. What's so special about the gloves? he wondered.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Haku tensed up when she felt Alric's sakai. Though it wasn't directed at her, she couldn't help but shiver a little. If anything, his was on par with Zabuza's at least. Makes me glad he's on our side. she thought silently, still eyeing his sister carefully. If anything, Kirai seemed to be a bit brash to her, but that was only Haku's opinion. Mulling over Zori's confession (or rather, his threat), she couldn't really say that she was surprised. "Figures that midget would be so quick to backstab us." Haku said to no one in particular. Her gaze followed Zabuza's to Kirai's hand, where she was removing her gloves. Wonder what they're up to now. Haku thought, inclining her head to the side.

[[I'm super sorry for dropping off the face of the planet without a word! Last week was finals week and right after that I had to fly over to my brother's graduation. Hope you're still interested in continuing this rp with me orz]]  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Zabuza blinked as Kirai's hand flicked slightly before latching into Zori's jacket like a steel pincer. Alric smiled faintly as Kirai's hand brushed Zori's cheek slightly as a sudden and sharp burst of pale bluish white energy flashed and was absorbed into Kirai's hand. Zori stiffened immediately before his eyes rolled back into his head as she let go. Kirai grimaced. "Ugh... some of his memories are seriously sick... seems his boss runs brothels all over the place... and doesn't hesitate to let his men 'play' very roughly with the merchandise," she said disgustedly. She grinned slightly as Alric frowned. "This guy's lucky... I inherited more of Collossus' easygoing personality and Gambit's friendly nature... otherwise, this guy would be screaming at the mere thought of what would happen to him if I let the 'beast' out," he said grimly. Kirai shivered, a fractional frown flashing over her face as she backed a couple of feet away. Zabuza frowned as he saw the kid's sister back away. Unless I'm wrong, she's uncertain and slightly scared, he thought, seeing the wariness in the girl's eyes, which made her and Alric both seem much older... in some ways even older than himself. "You've seen this 'beast' unleashed," he said as a statement. He wasn't surprised to see her nod slightly before swallowing. Kirai exhaled slowly. "Let's just say it makes some of the scary movies you've probably seen seem pleasant in return... I'm sure it would make the Nightmare on Elm Street like a walk in the park, especially after what happened in the base to those that survived Kaa-chan's death," she said softly.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

At the mention of brothels, Haku shuddered and moved closer to Zabuza, practically huddling against him. She was glad that Zabuza had found her on the streets, before she had become desperate enough to try and live there. Glad that she was not one of the poor girls these people were talking about. Her guardian's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, bringing her back into the conversation. "Movies? Nightmare on Elm street?" she asked quietly. Unlike the more prosperous and peace-filled countries (and cities) like Konohagakure, Kirigakure was more focused on wars, weapons, and fighting; they did not have such luxuries as movie theaters and such. If anything, somewhere deep inside of her hoped that her naivety would calm the tense atmosphere.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Zabuza shifted his weight, an odd flicker in his eyes as if he knew something similar to what Kirai referred to, though he rarely spoke about his own past. Kirai smiled faintly. "It isn't something you forget easily once you've seen it, to put it lightly," she said simply. Alric exhaled slowly as he shifted his weight. "Think of it as a insane rogue.... whose sakai strikes in your sleep," he said simply. He shifted his weight again as Waraji rose to one knee suddenly, drawing his katana as he slashed upward at Alric's thigh and hip. Alric's leg snapped up as the skin apparently rippled and was covered by odd silver interlocking scales that looked almost serpentine in nature. The katana struck with a clang and snapped off on impact before Alric's leg snapped out, striking Waraji full in the face with the outer edge of his foot and sending him tumbling backwards to the edge of the lake before he slammed one palm to the ground. He glanced away to see a second Zori next to the unconscious one and smirked, seeing Zabuza twitch as if startled. "You never asked what her talents were," he chided with amusement before a spire of metal impaled the fallen samurai through both upper arms.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

THe flicker in Zabuza's eye didn't go by unnoticed by Haku. She wondered what he was thinking about; he hardly told her anything aside from what was necessary towards their current goal. Other than that (and what she had gathered from her time with him) she barely knew anything about Zabuza.

When Alric described what they were trying to tell her about, she nodded her head. "I see…" It was all calm before Waraji struck, letting Haku only notice a millisecond before he struck Alric. Cursing under her breath, she reached for her needles, only to find that the situation was once again under control. Well don't you guys have good reflexes. She thought to herself, a bit grumpy that she felt quite useless at the moment. It was quite evident on her face, however, and she turned away momentarily from the group to calm herself.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Zabuza exhaled roughly as he leaned against a tree. "Ya ever wonder why I was given the moniker of the 'Demon of the Mist'?" he said dryly, meaning it mainly for Haku rather than the other two.Kirai-Zori smirked, yawning obviously on purpose. Alric shrugged, thoughtful. "If you're anything like me, it's easy to get lost to the bloodlust within," he said idly. He had no idea, but just took a stab in the dark. He glanced at Haku, who had turned away. As a result, he barely noticed the slight widening of the elder nuke-nin's eyes. Zabuza rubbed the back of his neck, letting the Mizu Bunshin dispel and drop back into the lake. Kid's definitely intelligent, I'll give him that, he thought. "Yer right... It happened when I was a Genin myself; I lost myself to my own sakai and bloodlust and ended up slaughtering most of the graduating class," he admitted. He knew Haku would likely notice the note of embarrassment and guilt in his voice.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

She definitely had picked up on the change in tone, but Haku only gave a small shrug. "I remember you telling me that… you did what you had to in order to be a genin… to survive. Like me…" She whispered the last words to herself, knowing full well that if Zabuza heard, he would understand what she was talking about. Only, her voice only held sadness and regret; if only she hadn't been born with her kekkai gekai… But that was the past and this was now. Shaking her gloomy thoughts away, she turned back around,her expression quite neutral. "So what do we do with them now?" She asked, nudging an unconscious Zori with her foot.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

]

Zabuza tilted his head, thinking. Alric exhaled. "That bakayarou we can put down like the rabid b***h he is... let Kirai keep an eye on Gatou when he isn't near you two and obviously in sight, but the other.... as much as I'd rather put him down too... it might serve a better purpose to keep him alive for now; if he and Kirai head back, as if injured, they could make some idiotic excuse to get off. Considering he's out cold, he ain't gonna know his buddy ain't what 'he' seems until it's too late," he said thoughtfully. He doubted they'd realize he was just speculating and blowing smoke rather than really thinking of it.Zabuza cocked a barely visible eyebrow. Damn... if he were in Kiri... he'd be a strategic genius, thinking along the same lines that damn midget might, he thought.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Staring at Alric in surprise, it took her a second to recover her composure. "Y-yes. It would be less suspicious if you two were to go back together rather than just Kirai alone." Haku agreed, referring to Waraji and the transformed Kirai. She was surprised that Alric could think of such a brilliant strategic plan within mere minutes. Just think of what he'd be capable of doing were he in Kirigakure…he'd probably be on the anbu in no time flat. Making a mental note of the earlier scuffle, Haku made a resolution to train later on that day; it wasn't like her to just idly stand by during a fight, and just the thought of it made her unsettled. Must be getting rusty…and Zabuza doesn't need rusty tools.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Zabuza exhaled, glancing at Haku. I have no doubt that they're both gonna train later... if for no other reason than to supposedly impress me, with our 'mole' on Gatou's side. I doubt Haku realizes I look at her as a daughter, he thought. Alric shrugged as Kirai-Zori spoke roughly. "I wouldn't worry... we had strategy pounded into us before we escaped, and Ric-kun has a habit of thinking outside the box and thinking almost identically to the enemy with downright creepy results sometimes," she/he said wryly, teasing Alric, who rolled his eyes. Alric noticed a slight reddening of Haku's face, but wasn't sure if it was a blush of embarrassment or the chill of the air causing it; his gaze flicked to her, then shifted away, a slight blush staining his own cheeks. She's very cute, in her own way, he thought in reference to Haku.

 

[Saia Kakaru]

Giving a nod to Kirai, Haku took a quick glance at the group. "I-if… that's all for now, then I shall go on ahead. Zabuza, you don't mind if I'm on my own for a bit, do you?" Giving her guardian a quizzical look, she silently hoped (and also knew) that he'd let her have some time to herself. It'd be the perfect time to blow off some steam and sharpen her skills a bit. Looking back to Alric from the corner of her eye, she saw his cheeks turn a slight pink. He's… kinda cute when he's embarrassed. Haku admitted to herself, a small smile plastered on her lips.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Kaosujin Ryu

Zabuza nodded, tilting his head slightly as a faint smile flashed over his lips beneath the facial wrappings. Alric turned away as Zabuza lifted the Kubikiribōchō as he heard the crunching squelch of the original Zori's death. He knew without speaking that Zabuza lkely thought him too soft yet to kill. He sighed, glancing up as Zori hefted Waraji and limped away from the lake. He took a couple of steps before he felt a sense of being watched, not by Zabuza, but by someone else. He shifted slightly, walking into the trees before he squatted down, his fingers flicking over a storage seal on his inner forearm just above his wrist. A black and gold guitar materialized in a small burst of pinkish red light. A faint smirk flashed over his face as his fingers slid over the strings, a low tone sliding out into the air. Zabuza jerked the Kubikiribōchō out of Zori's shoulder and neck before he dunked it into the lake to clean it off. I wonder what's bothering both of them; it's obvious the boy's uncomfortable, though he doesn't show it which is likely due to the unfamiliar surroundings; Haku likely feels less confident than usual since he was able to slip one of her senbon off of her without her noticing. It shows the boy likely had to live on the streets like Haku, but learned how to pickpocket skillfully, he thought.


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