To Activate Massive Mayhem, Just Add Water

[skyacezero]

And here I thought this job would be dull... the man thought as he brought the sword in front of him. It was half-moon shaped and it had two handles on either end of the blunt side of the blade. "MY name is Jushiro Mochizuki, and I was just escorting this merchant through the mountainside," Jushiro explained, thought still prepared to fight. The sword seemed to be reacting to the woman, as a aura started eminating from it.

Huh? What's wrong, Ryuzanken? Jushiro projected his thoughts to the blade.

Be on your guard. This demon's a strong one. If it wants to fight, don't expect it to be easy... the sword seemed to project it's own thoughts back to Jushiro.

[Amara<3]

Keera's eyes went from Jushiro to the merchant. They seem normal, she thought to herself. Still, he did raise his sword to me. "Do you wish to fight me, escort?" she asked, taking note of his name even though she didn't use it. Her voice then whispered in the wind, "I've been held up, for the moment. Continue following my wind, we shouldn't be too far from each other. She looked back to Jushiro, and with a completely serious look on her face, she taunted him. "You will lose if you do."


Naraku looked at Mini and turned her toward him, pulling her face closer to his. He looked keep in her eyes, and brushed his lips along hers. He hadn't done something like this since he'd met Keera, and he remembered it vididly. He pushed the thoughts away, and searched Mini's mind for anything he could use to his advantage. What he wanted to find most though, was why she could sometimes break through his control, and why Keera seemed to break his control everytime she showed up to the castle. Even the doppleganger managed to do it.


"Mistress, may we talk in private?" the sensei asked. Keera nodded, and they left the room while Tousa slowly picked through the various foods. He watched Keera and the sensei leave, and narrowed his eyes at the man. Keera may have jumped for Tousa, but the sensei could draw her away even easier. He wondered silently if she were in love with the sensei, he seemed to be the only man who walked freely in the castle and the grounds, and only came to her when he felt the need to. He didn't even report to her every hour, and rarely more than once a day, but it seemed that she didn't mind it. In fact, it was as if he were in partial power to the throne as well. He would find this out by asking his mother later, once he got her away from everyone here.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave here soon, again," Keera said after the door closed. "My doppleganger is strong, but it won't last against Naraku, and I may have met another foe. I can't keep my entire focus on it for it to battle properly, and I fear it may die before it can do much more."

"I will look after the boy again, perhaps now he will speak to me regularly too. However, I must urge you to wait a while longer before giving him free access to the kingdom. I don't trust him yet."

"I'm aware of the situation, and I do also believe that Naraku is trying to pit him against me. I don't know if it's working, but I will keep my gaurd up. As it is, his power is very weakened here as he does not have my blessing to come and go freely. He shouldn't be much trouble."

"Then go, if that's what you think is best. We'll be fine here for the time being."

"Thank you sensei," Keera said quietly and bowed before leaving. The sensei watched her go in quiet discontent. Sure, the boy was weak and wouldn't be a problem, but he still worried about Keera being against Naraku. Now that he knew what happened, and how she came back just a week ago, looking hurt, destroyed, and once again like she'd been beat. She'd come back like that almost two hundred years ago with the same defeated look and it took months to get her back to normal.

He noted her wounds were different this time. Her eyes were rimmed in red from tears, her vampiric blood lust, and extensive fighting. Still, he knew Naraku was involved without a doubt. She was back to normal now, but it hadn't been long since she recovered, and he worried she wouldn't be coming back this time.

[Mini]

Mini felt the gaze of her master on her and started to turn to look at him just as Naraku lifted his hand up to her face and made her look at him. The forced movement was strangely gentle, yet firm. Her eyes locked with his. She lost all trace of herself when she gazed into his eyes. In those moments, it felt as if they were the only two people in the entire world. His eyes implored her to bend to his will, and in those moments, she would do anything he asked her.

It was at this precise moment that Naraku's lips brushed against her own in what had to be the strangest kiss in the history of kisses. If Mini had had any shred of her own mind left to her, she would have reacted a dozen different ways ranging to punching Naraku's lights out to dying right there on the spot from complete and utter revulsion. However, as she was now, she saw nothing wrong with the kiss. In fact, she rather found that she liked it.

A rush of emotions flooded into her mind, all of them from Naraku's own thoughts. It had been a very long time since either one of them had acted in such a way, and even Naraku seemed almost flustered by his own actions. She felt her master try and ignore such feelings and instead focus on something else. The something else proved to be digging through Mini's memories. She felt power flowing into her from him that made feel slightly light-headed, but she couldn't tell just what exactly he was doing. The fact that he had kissed her and then quit upset her just slightly. Had she done something wrong? Did he not find her pleasing enough?

"Master, you seem... upset. Have I done something to upset you?" she asked, staring back up into his eyes. "Please, Master, tell me what is troubling you. If there is something I can help you with, please let me help you. I long to please you in any way I can, oh my Master."

[Nayr]

Nayr was continuing to follow the wind, musing about what awaited him. The path was difficult at times, but otherwise not too much trouble. Mostly, though, he wondered about what exactly Mini had gotten herself into. He wished at times like this that he could do some of the amazing things she could. She had powers. All he had was a really big house that he hadn't left before. It made a person wonder why someone with such abilities as she possessed would ask for help from someone like him. What could he do that she couldn't?

It was at that moment that he heard Keera's voice on the wind again.

"I've been held up, for the moment. Continue following my wind, we shouldn't be too far from each other."

It didn't sound like she needed help, but something had prevented her from continuing towards him. Okay, that didn't sound good at all. Maybe she could handle it, maybe things weren't as they seemed. He didn't want to risk things going awry and losing the one link he still had to Mini. Whatever had prevented Mini from coming to him for help could potentially prevent Keera from guiding him, right?

He began to run, following the wind towards its source. The more he worried, the faster he ran. Before long, he could feel a change in the wind, as though he were nearing the place it was blowing to. He slowed himself and left the path, making his way quietly through some bushes while he approached the wind's source. Whomever this Keera person was, he wanted to make sure he wasn't walking into her trap. It would be better to see her before she saw him, so he crept quietly through the brush until he beheld an interesting scene.

A man with dark brown hair was holding a weird blade in front of him, and there was someone behind him that Nayr couldn't see. On the other side of the man's blade was a pale girl who had this white-blue hair and was wearing a white dress that flowed out gently from the waist. She cut a good figure, if a little otherworldly in her dress and manner. She didn't have a sword out, but didn't look any less dangerous for it. All told, the girl was probably Keera. But who was this fellow, and why did he have a weapon out towards her? He settled down to watch, waiting to see how things went before he would consider coming to someone's aid.

Better safe than sorry, I suppose, he mused.

[skyacezero]

"As much as I'd like to take you up on your offer, I'm in a bit of a hurry," Jushiro said, not taking his eyes off of his oppenent.

"We. You mean WE'RE in a hurry, right?" the merchant asked timidly, peeking from behind Jushiro.

Jushiro shrugged the merchant off fo him. "Quiet, you're not helping," Jushiro said.

Be careful, there's another one close by Ryuzanken said. Jushiro's eyes subtlely scanned the area around him to try and find this other demon Ryuzanken warned him about, but if there was one, he couldn't see it anywhere in front of him.

"Look, it obvious you're not in a fighting mood, and neither am I. So why don't you let us through, and we'll be on our way," Jushiro offered.

[Amara<3]

Keera noticed Jushiro glance around, and decided that Nayr was probably close, and so looked around herself. In this form, the doppleganger, it was hard to tell whether there was anyone around or not, and even harder to get a lock. It was like looking through brightened lenses, even the dark things seemed to stand out like light.

"Then get out of here, but I'll be watching you. I can't let you meddle in things that ought not to be meddled with," Keera said and moved to the side of the path, but making sure they had to pass her. She would let them leave, but keep their scent to herself incase they thought of coming back. Not like I don't have anywhere else to be.



Naraku stared at Mini for a few moments. He brought a few memories back of her and Keera from long ago in the past, and chose simply to ask rather than search. "Why is it that Keera can bring you back to all your memories. Why does she come back for you time and time again? What is that brings her back to oppose me and steal you away?"

[Mini]

Mini remained motionless as she sat waiting for some sort of response from Naraku. His hand still a fairly firm-yet-gentle grasp on her face, keeping her gaze locked with his. His glowing red eyes stared right through her. She could feel his cold, dark power seeping through her, energized by the jewel shard in her arm and the miasma in the air. Fuzzy memories of her past floated up through the fog of her mind. She realized all of these memories involved Keera, and that she was only remembering them because Naraku was looking for them. As Naraku continued digging through her memories, she fell into a strange sort of trance. She was perfectly content to sit there, stare up into Naraku's seductive eyes, and let him glance through all of her memories like an open book.

Her master's voice echoed in her mind. "Why is it that Keera can bring you back to all your memories. Why does she come back for you time and time again? What is that brings her back to oppose me and steal you away?"

"Keera... Keera is one of my only friends," Mini replied, talking without thinking. The words just flowed out of her mouth. "I spend a lot of time alone. I always have. I don't have any living family. No place to call home. I go from place to place, keep mostly to myself. My job is hard and keeps me moving, so I'm never in one place long enough to really talk to anyone, but I don't mind it. Keera helped me, out a long time ago. She was one of the only people who was ever nice to me. Didn't ask a lot of questions, didn't want money. She just was willing to help, no questions asked. We ran into some stupid demon who decided that two young girls lost in the woods had dropped down from the heavens as a present for him. He was much stronger than both of us, but we took him down. Ever since then, we've been friends. We've shared lots of good times and bad times. I have lots of memories of her. If I need help, Keera is always there for me. She would do anything for me, and I would do anything for her. That's why... That's why it's hard for me to listen to you, master. Keera and I are friends. I don't want to hurt her. Friends don't hurt friends."

[skyacezero]

"Then in that case, we'll be on our way," Jushrio sheathed Ryuzanken and walked past Keera without a word or breaking his stride as the merchant followed closely behind. When they were clear, the merchant let out a sigh of relief, as if he'd been holding his breath the whole time.

"That was absolutely terrifying, I though for sure that we'd be killed!" the merchant said. "But still, I never thought that a demon would simply let us go like that..." the merchant's voice trailed off.

Jushiro said nothing as he continued to lead the merchant down the path and the merchant took notice, at long last. "Are you alright? You've been awfully quite since the start," The merchant said. Jushiro looked behind himself to the merchant, then turned his head forward again.

"I'm being paid to get you to the next town, not stand around and get all sappy with a client," Jushiro said rather coldly.

[Nayr]

Once the merchant and his...escort, perhaps...had vanished up the road, Nayr emerged slowly from the bushes and approached the girl that remained. There was no telling exactly what would happen, but his mother had given him advice once that he tried to live by.

"Fear is productive in its way," she had said, "Most important is to never let it rule you. Living in fear accomplishes nothing, my son. Courage will light your way, forever."

In that spirit, he stepped forward and faced the girl.

"Are you Keera?" he asked, his voice unwavering, unafraid.

All else failed, he'd just keep walking in whatever direction seemed right.

[Amara<3]

Keera watched the merchant and escort leave, and turned in time to see a man slowly come through the bushes. He seemed confident in speaking, when he asked if she was... well, her. She nodded. "I take it you're Nayr then. I'm a bit surprised I haven't met you before."

Even if it's not Nayr, it doesn't matter. I won't have to worry about him unless he kills my copy, Keera thought as she ran up a steep hillside. She didn't understand why she wouldn't just fly to the mountain. At this rate it would take her at least a day to get there. Flying would cut that time in more than half. She could be there in a few hours.


Naraku contemplated what Mini said for a few minutes. Keera had created some sort of magical bond between them, much the same as what she'd done to him, but completely different. Not that that made sense. Still, Keera had become friends with Mini a long time ago, and the bond was created easily enough. It was powerful that Mini couldn't fight her properly, and certainly couldn't kill her. Not yet.

The same could be said for himself. So long ago Keera had walked through the area, become suspicious and entered his castle. The miasma didn't affect her, like as she breathed it in, it was purified. His daughter, Kaori, was like that too. The only difference was that Kaori seemed to purify it as the miasma touched her very skin. Keera had fallen in love with him, and had his focus obstructed for a while. He, of all demons, was blinded by her... by her what? He had no care for her values, beliefs, ideas or attitude. Yet somehow, she created a bond that still to this day was not broken. He could feel her now, miles away, slowly getting closer to the mountain again, this time back to full strength. Her doppleganger was somewhere here on the mountain already, and he could neither tell where it was now or when it got here. Just that it brought Mini back to focus on herself, rather than her duty.

That was it. The magic could backfire on her just by his word. Mini wouldn't be bonded to Keera is she thought Keera had lied about everything. "Mini. Those memories, they're not real. Keera planted them into your mind to make you think that you both were friends since you were younger."

[Mini]

Mini blinked several times as Naraku informed her that the memories she had weren't real. Startled, she turned and looked away from Naraku, out into the miasma. For a moment, she felt a slight panic attack welling up within her. Was such a thing even possible? In all her years of traveling and adventuring, she had never heard of someone able to give someone fake memories. However, her master was very wise - far wiser than she was. This thought helped to calm her down a little. If such a thing was possible, then of course he would know about it. He would know what to do, too.

There was a fearful look in her eyes as she turned and looked back up at her master. The thought of having fake memories really bothered her. How would she know which ones were real and which ones were fake?

"Fake memories, sir?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "You mean to tell me that my memories aren't real? But they feel so real," she said, blinking once as she tried to remember something. However, her gaze was locked with Naraku's eyes. All she could think about was him, and how smart and wise he was.

"How... how did she do that? How do I know which memories are real, and which memories are fake? Please, Master, help me. I-I don't want these fake memories. You can help me, can't you?"

[Nayr]

Nayr felt like the moment between his question and its answer took forever. His mind was racing, pondering a bunch of stuff, but mostly his current predicament. What if this girl wasn't Keera? What if he'd done something wrong by assuming that he could call her by name? What if the girl before him was actually an enemy of Keera's, and what if she attacked him, thinking him a friend of her foe? Sometimes living in isolation made his life so difficult. Also, whose stupid idea was it to communicate using wind? That crap led a person basically everywhere. Clearly someone needed to have a talk with this Keera person about her choice of messenger elements. Wasn't going to be him, though. He was probably in enough trouble already.

Finally, at long last, the answer came. This was Keera. Wonderful. Well that was a heap of trouble that he didn't have to worry about anymore. He breathed an inward sigh of relief and nodded at the mention of his name. She also mused about why she hadn't encountered him before, but that, at least, was an assertion he was prepared to field.

"It's not all that surprising, really. I don't get out much. This is the first time I've strayed so far from my home, actually. So I heard something about Mini having trouble of some kind? What kind of nonsense has she gotten entangled with this time?"

[Amara<3]

Keera stared at him for a few moments. Her expression was at first surprise, and then annoyance. "Nonsense?" she asked. "I don't know what rock you've been under, but nonsense is the understatement of the century. Seeing as you say you don't get out much, I assume that means you don't know who Naraku is. He's one of the most evil demons in the world, and he has Mini. Regularly I wouldn't be coming to find help, but I can't fight Mini and Naraku at the same time to get her away from him. She's a lot stronger when she's under his control and has a jewel shard in her arm."


"Keera once planted memories in my own head, so that I would love her," Naraku lied. "Every good memory with her is a lie. She's never been a good person. She's killed thousands of innocent people. She fights to rid the world of good, and she's blinded you and everyone else into thinking the opposite." He took a breath, feigning sadness as he stroked her hair. "She wanted to get you back so that I wouldn't be able to tell you and set you straight."

[Mini]

Mini's eyes widened in disbelief as Naraku filled her head with lies about Keera and "fake" memories she had created. Why would someone do such a horrible thing? It was bad enough to create fake memories about a friendship, but to make someone believe they were in love with someone?

"Oh... Oh, Master, that's so horrible," she said, tears in her eyes. She turned away from Naraku for a moment to gaze out into the miasma. Mostly, she just didn't want to cry in front of her beloved master. It might make her look weak. She didn't want him to think she was weak. "I can't even imagine what that must have been like. To think you love someone, only to find out it was all just a lie," she said quietly as Naraku reached over and stroked her hair reassuringly. Sighing, she inched closer to Naraku and rested her head on his shoulder as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"So Keera isn't really my friend. And she isn't even a good guy. She... She's really killed hundreds of innocents?" she asked, looking back up at Naraku. She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I fell for such tomfoolery. I should have known better. I... I should have been able to see through her web of deceit!" she growled, curling her hands into fists.

[Nayr]

Nayr felt a great swell of disdain at the mention of this so-called "most evil demon in the world." It mystified him, as he had no experience whatsoever with demons upon which to base the scoff he now quelled. Apparently some part of him disagreed with the notion, and violently so. His face screwed up thoughtfully.

"So she got herself mixed up with some mind controlling demon who's nasty enough that you need my help taking them both together? Someone needs to put a leash on her. Well, someone who won't sic her on her friends."

He pondered a moment.

"Where is this Naraku person? I imagine he spends his time somewhere forbidding and mildly intimidating. It seems like demons would prefer such nonsense."

For the life of him, he had no idea where these feelings were coming from. It was hardly abnormal in his life to feel things without any real idea why, but such disdain for something he'd never encountered? That was a new one. It bothered him, but not enough to disrupt his train of thought.