100 what? ******************** ~Fumetsu gazed upon the girl's eyes. "Your fear drives you to not be afraid... that is why you ar ein this town, isn't it? I do not know why someone would purposely do that to themselves... or maybe I do." It had become slightly darker outside, just in a few minutes. "But will I fight? I... I must fight, in order to protect the castle; in order to protect the town. I can't--" As soon as he began to go on, he heard a riot outside, and a multi-colored shape was then pushed up against the wall. Fumetsu leaped across the room and flung open a secret compartment. He reached in and pulled out a blade, and unsheathed it. It was a katana, but no ordinary katana. It was a kanesada blade, one used for piercing armor without hesitation. He leaped across the room in a single jump back to the door, and opened it while in mid air. He dragged his blade behind him, letting it float in and on the small gust he created. He took his landing, and his blade immediately tore through the line of guards. Not harming the guards, but making them step back. He looked at the man in the multi-color shirt, "Oh... I thought you'd been a..." A guard spoke out, "He's an assassin!" Fumetsu called back, "He's not an assassin... He's wearing revealing colors. Besides, if he was an assassin, I would be the only one standing here alive, and maybe not even standing..." Fumetsu grimaced, and sheathed his blade, and then turned around. He placed his back to the others, and looked to the moon. "I thought you had been a threat to the castle... And you just seem to be a test mouse. If someone like you can get into this place, over that gate, and then become caught by the guards, we need revisions on our security once more. A guard broke out in rage, "He's tricking us, he doesn't want us to think he's an assassin by wearing those colors, so we think he isn't, but then he is, and we still ignore him, but if we suspect him of being an assassin, he'll deny it and have testimony based on the way he dresses...! Aah, he's pulling a mind trick on me! Fumetsu turned around to the main in the colored shirt. Fumetsu began to speak, but before he could the guards broke out once more. "Charge!!" They charged at the man, but were stopped dead. Fumetsu lunged and drew his blade at once. He made nine swift movements, and dismembered a man of his upper and lower body, leaving him in three pieces. The other six were with his sheath, where he had tripped the guards and knocked someone of them out with blows to the head. On some, he used pressure points. Most of the guards fell while Fumetsu has been resheathing his blade, and about half backed away. "Guards, back into the castle... I'll handle this..." The conscious guards stepped away, and some ran. Four were carried away by other guards. "I'm terribly sorry, sir," Fumetsu bowed to the man "But you must leave this castle, we've not room for visitors."~ ******************** Suspense! -=}N{=-

"Makaru!" Cestria exclaimed in surprise to see her former companion standing in the room with Fumetsu and her. He was still dressed in the same vibrant clothes. She was completely relieved to know that he had survived in the city. But relief faded into curiosity. "But what are you doing here?" She asked and stood up from her place at the table leaving her tea untasted. Before he had a chance to answer guards charged into the room heading straight for Makaru intent on killing him. Cestria stared in disbelief as she watched them closing in on her companion. Fear grabbed at her heart, she didn't want to watch this man die. Before she had time to think her body moved into motion. She rushed forward running into Makaru and pushing him down onto the mats. Turning her face back towards the guards she watched for a split second as Fumetsu after arguing with them as he quickly killed one and took care of the others by various means. Cestria looked at her sword still leaning against the weapons rack, how stupid of her to leave it by the door. Cestria lifted herself slowly off Makaru blushing slightly and into a sitting position next to him. ***** Yeah I'm soooo glad this is back and rolling. I've been waiting for this to continue!! And great job on 100 posts Makaru!!

100 posts, man. Well... used to be... ******************** Confusion had reached its peak with Makaru. On one hand, he had run into Cestria again, and he certainly had questions for her. Why she looked the way she did was a main one. But on the other hand, he had been asked to leave by a man smaller than him who had made deli meat of one of his own guards, and knocked out two other ones. For reasons which he could not remember, he was in this man's castle, being chased by his guards, and somehow wound up in the same room as the lord, and his aquaintance. The coincidences baffled him, and he sought to make sense of it. He looked up and then realized both the man and Cestria were looking at him inquisitantly, waiting to see what Makaru would do next. He shrugged and stood up. He walked over to the man in the royal blue robe and thrusted his hand forward, palm open. "Greetings, lord of this castle. I'm Makaru. I don't suppose you know the old addage, "any friend of yours is a friend of mine", do you?"

Hey, Fumetsu's not small, just not fat. :P Atealst, I hope not. ******************** ~Fumetsu's scowled as the man approached him with his hand out. 'Who the hell...?' he though. Fumetsu gave a small half smile for about a half second, after the man spoke. "Heh..." Fumetsu stuck his hand out, and shook the man's. "Normally, we bow here, but this is not peace-time, anymore." He released the man's hand. "And a word of advice... If I had really been the lord of this castle, mercy would not have been one of your options." Fumetsu changed his look to something a bit more serious, "You came at the wrong time. We were informed that the Tokugawa were sending assassins. Naturally, they're mostly ninja, but not all. Some are disguised. You are not disguised, I can tell, and you are not assassin." At that moment, a messenger in full armor came jogging out and gave Fumetsu a kneeling bow, handing him a n opened letter, "My lord, the Uesugi request the sumoning of your army." The man spoke rather quick. "all other officers have been informed, and have three have accepted. The Uesugi will be whiped out if we do not help." Fumetsu looked down at the man, "Give me the letter." Fumetsu took the letter and read it rather quickly. At the bottom was something rather suprising. "Kenshin... that fool." Fumetsu pocketed the letter. "Report back to the messengers of the south, west, and east to the Uesugi that we decline his call for our arms. Tell them that we are busy with his war, already, and that will be seeking his help out only if this castle falls." "Ye... yes sir." The messenger scurried away back into the castle. Fumetsu turned back to the man, "I'm sorry for that interruption. An introduction may be in order. I am Lord Fumetsu of Shiro sano Haru Kiku; the Castle of the Red Lotus. You wouldn't happen to be one of the Uesugi, would you?" Fumetsu made a joking sile, "It would be quite unfortunate for the Tokugawa to have attacked the Uesugi so early." Fumetsu turned back to Cestria, seeing her staring at this man.~ -=}N{=-

Cestria had to admit she was a bit upset when Marakru hadn't thanked her saving him. She found herself staring at him and shook her head to break the link. She looked at Fumetsu and found him staring at her... "I wonder why he's staring at me?" She thought to herself. "Why had he brought her here and what was it he had been trying to tell her." There were many questions she had for this new man and it didn't look as though he was going to have time to answer them now. Cestria's now dry hair hung down her back in soft curls as she stood there listening to the two men speak. Castle of the Red Lotus she thought...what a beautiful name. She continued to stand there watching them speak to each other feeling a bit left out yet wondering where they were going to go from there. "What is next?" She asked in a soft voice just above a whisper.

As the blue-robed man relayed information to him, Makaru couldn't help but continually glance back over at Cestria from the corner of his eye. As Fumetsu talked about assasins, and clans and You-Sue-Gees, Makaru noticed many things different about this girl from the urchin who ran into him earlier today. For one thing, her hair was clean and draping. The dim light of the room reflected off of her Auburn locks. She would occasionally shift her position, and her hair would flow quite naturally. Her robe flowed with the equivalent sheen of her hair. She was more of a woman than he had first noticed. Fumetsu, he introduced himself, broke his thoughts with a question. Damn, he thought. He wasn't paying close attention to him, and now he was trapped. But then Fumetsu laughed casually and continued. This time he listened, and gathered that there were tensions between some of the rulers of this and nearby lands. And he and Cestria had walked right into the middle of it. Fumetsu turned his glance towards Cestria with a concerned look in his eyes. Makaru looked back in curiousity. She looked back at them in confusion. She spoke in a whisper, but it was clear enough for all of them to hear. "What is next?"

:P It's kind of hard to make up a post off of yours when you pretty much just summarized my and Christi's posts. :P This isn't the anime RPG. I know that Christi has been annoying you with this and that you probably just made a quick post to get it over with. If you could put something in there, like dialogue or action, maybe both, then I'd be ready to make a good, clean post. Oh, and pronunciation for Uesugi, there is no "Y" sound at the beginning. It's just OO-eh-SUE-gee, with a "G" sound on that last syllable, not a "J." Just a heads-up for later. -=}N{=-

Cestria couldn't help but notice that Makaru's eyes kept wandering over to her through the course of his conversation. Cestria couldn't help but blush under the attention. She never had attracted this kind of attention being half elf she was unwanted by many humans. When she had asked her question about what was next it seemed no one heard her. She stood there listening a bit more and then decided to try again. "What is next, for us I mean? Where do we go from here?" Cestria asked this time in a slightly louder than normal voice hoping to catch one of their attentions.

Makaru's mind suddenly wandered to what happened earlier in the inn. The robbery, the fighting and the connection to Fumetsu. He made a motion to tell him, but stopped. What if he's part of it? If he let him in on what he knows, there was no guarantee he would ever see the outside of the mansion again, let alone live. But as he thought about it, the less it made sense. He seemed far too noble to even consider allowing such a deed, let alone partaking in it. But it also made little sense that he wouldn't know about it either. He was niether careless or ignorant enough as some people he'd met. Regardless, he decided to take a chance. "Fumtsu, I want to know something..."

"Will you fight?" asked Fumetsu. Makaru pondered this. All his life, he was taught that killing was never a solution. That there was always a better way. But as it seemed, there was no other solution but to kill or die. In fact, maybe a while ago he would have considered the latter. He was alone in the world. He had no family or friends. But now he had met Fumetsu and Cestria. Both had shown compassion for him recently. He looked to the open door that Fumetsu was halfway through. He considered his proposal and looked at a sword from one of the fallen guards. He picked it up and felt it in his hands. It was almost a natural feeling. He studied it, turning it over and looing at its details. "It's an intersting question you raise, Fumetsu. As it seems, I'm very fond of living." He followed Fumetsu outside to join the fight. He pondered his choice one last time and agreed. He wanted to live.

Ces heard Fumetsu tell her to grab her sword. She watched with a slight fear as Fumetsu and then Makaru went out of the room into the courtyard to fight the assassins. She was afraid for Makaru the man who had helped her get her revenge and for Fumetsu the man who had been so kind to her. Looking at her blood red blade leaning against the bright raw wood of the weapons rack it looked like it was almost glowing in the light. Dressed still in her fancy kimono hoping she wouldn't offend if it was torn she picked her sword up feeling the comfortable weight in her hand. She was prepared to fight. Though she had only fought in practice and sparring she felt that she could do this what else had she been practicing for. In the least she could help...she hoped. Stepping outside she saw the fighting taking place in the open courtyard. Men dressed in black only just visible in the moon light, swirling around both Fumetsu and Makaru fear gripped Ces as she watched her two friends fighting. She brought her sword to cover her front and ran into the foray. Immediatley beginning to trade blows with the nearest assassin. She didn't want to kill anyone that wasn't her. Though it had been close in the alley when she had just met Makaru she didn't think she would ever be able to take a life. But it was going to be hard not to tonight. The assassins were fighting hard and with a vengance. But Ces had something to protect she could see Makaru out of the corner of her eye and knew that she was going to live!

makaru had been stunned by the ammount of fighting in such a short time. On top of that, he felt as if he was a stranger in his whole body the whole time. It was almost as he weren't even there for the battle. He couldn't even remember much of it, other than someone calling a retreat. Regardless, Makaru was himself again and inside Fumetsu's castle. He hadn't seen much of Cestria after they had left outside, and felt comfortable knowing she was all right. He walked over to her, hesitated, and put his hand on her shoulder. Fumetsu had walked in and de-robed. Underneath he was cladden in armour. Makaru tried to relieve tension. "So... are all your tea sessions like this?"