Welcome to Gaia! ::

▱▰▱Just after sunrise in Konohagakure Akaran's eyes bolted open to greet the sunrays escaping through the cracks of the hotel room's curtains. With Akihiko sleeping on his side beside him Akaran rolled over and began poking his ear to try waking him. "Wakey wakey, Aki." Akaran leaned over his head and chuckled knowing that Akihiko was difficult to wake up. Ever the annoyingly enthusiastic and persistent morning person, Akaran viewed waking Akihiko as the ideal time to torment him. Today was uniquely exciting for Akaran because this was the day that they would travel to the Land of Iron together for the first time. Today I become a samurai. He was determined to see this through as he carried the shame of being the Zaishin Kaguya clan's universally known disgrace. Akaran would then take his wake up attempt to the next level by gently rolling his partner onto his back. He then started slowly showering his face with kisses from his forehead to his nose to his cheeks to his lips. "A-ki-hi-ko, we gotta long way ta go." Akaran was referring to their travel time and how they needed to leave bright and early. If Akihiko did not respond then he was prepared to give him even more sweet pecks.

▱▰▱Akaran let himself get pushed off before hopping out of bed to brush his teeth and get dressed for the day ahead of Akihiko. Once he and Akaran were dressed he would laugh at Akihiko's request to be carried later. "Carry A-ki-hi-ko, got it." The Kaguya indicated that he clearly did not understand that Akihiko was joking. Once they stepped out of the hotel building he scooped Akihiko into his arms in a bridal carry. Akaran smiled widely and confident when he swept the shorter man off his feet and walked down the northern road. Looking down at his face Akaran could not help but be overwhelmed with attraction. "When you were a street kid outside Gu-rin-ba-re-to, did the girls love you?" Akaran playfully asked with a giggle before increasing the absurdity. "Did they say...AKI-KUUUUUUUUUN! Heeheeheehee! So cute!" Akaran did a girly voice before breaking out into laughter from his playful teasing.

▱▰▱Akaran enjoyed his closeness with Akihiko as he kicked up and down the cobblestones with him in his arms. He saw that he upset Akihiko with the street kid comment so he would make an attempt to not joke about that in the future. The Oni's tendency to take emotions literally thankfully extended to the annoyed eye-roll as well. He looked back to the road as they followed the northern route toward the Land of Iron some more. Thankfully the way was extremely straight forward with the exception of some very underdeveloped roads through the snowy and mountainous border. Akaran simply chuckled when Akihiko made his conceited comment and continued walking, not taking the hint to put him down. When Akihiko raised an important question he shrugged it off and offered a confused expression. "What's that mean?" Akaran had no clue what traditional meant and was once again baffled by his intelligent partner's vocabulary. "You are cute." Akaran finally looked down at him and turned his eyes off the road to respond in kind to his self-compliment. He set him down before wrapping his arms around him from behind and tickling his belly. Akaran's tickling assault was aggressive in an attempt to make him laugh.

▱▰▱Akaran smiled and sped up to walk side by side with Akihiko after he was placed on the ground and slapped his hands away. He started to carefully consider Akihiko's answer before responding. It took him far longer to connect the dots than for most people but after trying hard enough he hoped that he understood Akihiko's worry. "Because we're gay? They know that about me but people don't like to talk about that in the Land of Iron. I used to get in trouble for some of the wrestling I was doing with other boys in school..." Akaran did get the sense that his father was disappointed in him for this but he was always an outsider in his clan so it did not make much of a difference in his treatment. "They always just ignored me anyway because I never did anything right but they can't ignore me anymore. It's time for me to get my family honor back." The Kaguya hungered desperately for approval in his clan and home community. He was now a powerful warrior and this was as plain as anyone could see. "Anyway, you know how to use a sword so they'll probably like you more than me, A-ki-hi-ko." The Oni was rather obsessed with the concept of being ostracized for his utter lack of skill with a katana. He was not understanding that there were other reasons for his rejection.

▱▰▱Akaran blushed slightly at Akihiko's sincerely kind and flattering words. He could not help but give Akihiko a soft peck on the cheek before lightly punching him in the shoulder and laughing to ease the tension created by Akihiko for feeling mushy. The Kaguya clansman then put his arms behind his back as he flashed his signature wide grin of confidence. "Swords are for chumps anyway! Cutting with the hands is way cooler! Kyo-to-ryuu is the way." He was extremely enthusiastic and felt the confidence boost after his lover's affirmations. They continued kicking down the road for a long time before finally reaching a higher elevation. This indicated that they were beginning to cross into the Iron Country. "The fire mountain is a few miles that way...I think." Akaran pointed west of them to indicate where they would find the fire mountain. This was supposedly where his mother lived but he never understood why she would live over there. "It's gonna start getting snowy in a couple miles. Get your coat on!" Akaran's smile grew but he was still concerned about Akihiko bundling up. It was then that he started chugging sake from the gourd on his back. The alcohol was sure to warm him as he placed another layer on.

▱▰▱Akaran shook his head at Akihiko's grumbling. "No, these are the three wolves mountains. The fire mountain is actually warm and close to the Land of Fire." The Oni smirked smugly and felt proud that for once he was able to correct Akihiko instead of the reverse. He took another swig of the strong sake and continued his march through the mountains. "Don't be a baby. The cold makes us stronger." Akaran slugged the mercenary's shoulder again as he continued leaving tracks through the snow on the road. Eventually, they would get past the Iron Wall and finally arrive in Zaishin.

Akaran's childhood home stood proudly with traditional Zaishin architecture next to a market square filled with stalls and citizens. Draped above the doors was a flag with the Kaguya clan symbol adorning it. As they approached it, Akaran would speak again. "We're here. The Zaishin Kaguya are an old clan but far from as prominent as Ma-ho-fu, Rai-u, Sei-ryu, Ho-go-sha, and Sei-na-ru En-jo. But we're still a proud clan because of our power over Shi-kot-sum-ya-ku, the bone style." Akaran explained briefly from outside of the building as groups of Zaishin citizens stopped to stare at him. He did not think much of it has he was far too excited to really pay attention to his surroundings. Nonetheless, the citizens in the square stared at Akaran with his horns and gourd of sake, the telltale signs of an Oni. He knocked on the door before it slid open and revealed a middle-aged samurai wearing Kaguya robes of similar design to Akaran's. He also had red warpaint on his eyes as yet another trait of nobility that Akaran used to show his pride in his clan. Akaran bowed with deep respect before the man. "Father, I've returned to restore my family honor. I've mastered Kyo-to-ryuu and am now a blade master but of the hand. I wanna prove myself and get my samurai status restored." It would be obvious in Akaran's behavior that he was trying to not only convey respect but mask his strange accent and generally try to come off as more appealing to his father. Kobayashi stood before him and shook his head as he watched the crowd gather outside of his home. "Akaran, I've made it clear that you're not to return here. I made a mistake raising you here, you're not a Kaguya or a samurai. Just go." Kobayashi's eyes looked pained as he attempted to close the door. As the door slid Akaran stopped it before it could fully slide shut. "Father stop! Just give me a chance to show you what I've learned! Akihiko here can tell you that I'm not lying!" Akaran's voice became desperate as his chin quivered. The Kaguya clansman behind the door continued trying to close the door as Akaran stubbornly resisted it. Kobayashi tried multiple times to shut the door and tell Akaran no and to go away before he looked into Akaran's face and saw the mistake he made in falling for his mother and bringing him here all of those years ago. This was a decision that still haunted him and was becoming too painful for him to bear as his temper pushed him to reveal a decades-old secret. "Stop! Get out of here! You're not a samurai, you're a damn oni, a yokai!" Kobayashi looked shocked as his frustration let the secret slip to his son and the people outside. Akaran stopped and let go of the door. Images of years of neglect and disapproval from his father materialized in his mind. The constant feeling of being an outsider and his various inadequacies in schooling and samurai warrior training revisited him. "What? No...I...this can't be." In his shock Akaran was thinking out loud before he heard yelling and turned around. Even more people were gathering and drawing their katanas outside of the house. "Oni!" A member of the crowd yelled in ire as he and several others retrieved rope from a market stall. "A yokai in the city?!" Many more people yelled in shock and fear before the men with rope began taking the lead. "Lynch the monster!" One of them yelled before a number of lassos were thrown at Akaran. "What?" Akaran slowly processed it all as he realized that his entire life was a lie. Before he could explain himself a rope was wrapped around his neck before it was pulled tight and he was dragged to the ground. "AH! NO!" Kobayashi watched the mob's quick mobilization from his still-slightly ajar doorway. Akaran was then dragged through the slush into the street. As he yelled and thrashed about he felt more ropes wrap around his arms and legs. He felt himself being joked by the rope as katanas were pointed at him. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he was immobilized and blacking out from the shock of it all. "Stop...please...that hurts. Dad please help me!" Akaran whimpered through labored breaths as he called out to his father. Kobayashi simply looked away, knowing that he had the power to intervene and risk his reputation. He slid the door completely shut with the knowledge that his mistake would finally be out of his life for good. Crimson warpaint flowered from his eyes through his tears as he broke down and lost all motivation from his abandonment. He felt the rope burn on his neck and choke him as he looked over to Akihiko. Akaran was now beginning to be carried away now that he was completely mobilized by the rope. He felt the mob spitting hatefully on him as his vision of Akihiko began to blur.

▱▰▱The katana pierced through the wood of the door as Kobayashi walked away from it. He turned around with a startled expression before watching Akihiko jump into action through the window. Knowing that he was likely the next target he ran up the stairs to find his armor before stopping and rubbing his forehead. Worry overwhelmed him as he realized that the crowd now knew the secret that he had a child with an oni. I'm a disgrace, it won't be long before all of Zaishin knows what I've done. The shock of events enveloped him like a cyclone as years of trying to bury the truth failed. In Kobayashi's haste to dismiss Akaran for one final time, he allowed the truth to slip from his lips. It was a truth that was too unbearable to carry any longer and on some level he understood that the realization of his sins would one day be inevitable. Kobayashi stopped before the armor and was reminded of his dishonor soiling his noble status as his ashamed expression was reflected to him in the metal of the helmet. He shook his head before backing away and shoving his concerned fellow Kaguya clansmen who were checking on him after hearing the commotion. "What's happening Kobayashi?" One of his relatives finally spoke up as he hurriedly moved out of the room and down the stairs. "Akaran's back, he's half oni, and now many people know it. I've brought dishonor to my name and the clan." Kobayashi spoke honestly with information that even Kobayashi's other family did not know of. He believed that by ostracizing Akaran that he would be able to just forget that he existed. Kobayashi stepped down the stairs and internally kicked himself for not just leaving Akaran behind in the fire mountain clan's village all of those years ago. More relatives followed Kobayashi as he stepped into the ceremonial room toward the back of the manor.

Akaran watched through the luminous glare of teary eyes as he was surrounded by powerful manipulation of earth, wind, and fire. The wind sliced through the rope that bound various parts of his body. Once he was free he wiped his eyes and watched in admiration as Akihiko acted to save him. He watched a man be disintegrated by that strange white glowing power that he remembered Akihiko using before. He did not understand the meaning of what Akihiko was snarling at them but figured that it had to do with him. He continued laying on the ground as he looked around and smelled the blood on the air. Many members of the mob were killed by these attacks as they had no access to ninjutsu themselves. The rest of them quickly dispersed as he rested his head on Akihiko's leg while he rubbed his face. Akihiko would undoubtedly see the rope burn on multiple points of his body but it was most severe on his neck. His neck was a deep red and was obviously strained. Akaran extended his hand and placed it on Akihiko's cheek. "Thanks." This was all Akaran could mumble out as he tried to pull himself together. The fact that he was about to be lynched by his brethren in Zaishin was disturbing enough but the true string was watching his father abandon him and leave him to die. "Did...they have to die? I-I guess so..." The loss of life that surrounded him shook him further as he wished that their fear did not lead them to this. Loss of life was permanent in a way that dismayed Akaran. There would be no chance to educate or redeem them now. Nonetheless, he understood that Akihiko was defending him from being murdered and he would not doubt him for this. Akaran sweetly stared up into Akihiko's golden eyes and felt comforted by the gaze of his savior. "You're my hero, A-ki-hi-ko." The distraught and dejected ronin finally smiled as he caressed Akihiko's face one final time before standing on his own. "Come on, I still have to get my samurai status back." The walked back to the door before ripping the sword out and handing it to Akihiko. Once that was done he continued walking into the house and followed the sound of voices. The scene he and Akihiko would walk in on is Kobayashi seated in the center of a dojo room surrounded by Akaran's other family members. "I'm not leaving until I'm named as a samurai of Zaishin once again. Oni or not I'm still Ko-ba-ya-shi Ka-gu-ya's son. I've done my training and I'm now worthy of being a samurai of the Kaguya." Akaran confidently made this statement before his entire clan.

Kobayashi looked up at Akaran before shaking his head in shame and retrieving the tanto in front of him. "I brought a yokai into the clan and in doing so have shamed us all. I must cleanse myself of his transgression against bushido by paying the ultimate price. Your samurai status will be determined by the Zaishin Kaguya who are in honorable standing." Kobayashi took in a deep and sober breath before looking around at his kinsmen. "Please...forgive me." Tears rolled down Kobayashi's cheeks and that of his family before Akaran finally realized that was happening. The samurai elder abruptly unsheathed the tanto and shoved it into his stomach. He screamed in pain as he disemboweled himself. "Dad?! NO!" Akaran lunged forward before he was held back firmly yet reluctantly by his cousins. The Oni sobbed again before watching a katana decapitate his father from behind. His head fell onto the floor and rolled away from his lifeless body which followed it by collapsing. Akaran cried uncontrollably upon the realization that he was the reason his father committed this brutal ritual suicide. Crying filled the room as the Kaguya mourned their fallen kin despite all of them agreeing that this was a necessary action for Kobayashi to restore his honor. Akaran was nauseated by the smell of his father's blood. This served as the impetus for him running out of the house and out of the immediate area to a nearby garden just to hide and get away from all of the brutal violence.

▱▰▱The Kaguya samurai clansmen sighed in reluctant agreement with Akihiko. They seemed more interested in just brushing all of this under the rug and their connections with the five major clans would help them do just that. They collected Kobayashi's corpse to begin the funeral arrangements and also hastily cleaned up the street without alerting the authorities. When Akihiko stepped into the garden he would hear Akaran's sobs and wheezes from behind set of tall shrubs. "O-kay." He stuttered as he stood up and walked around only to reveal his puffy eyes and heartbroken expression. Akaran bear-hugged Akihiko on approach and proceeded to ugly cry on top of his shoulder. "I wish I didn't come back here. None of this would've happened if I just stayed gone." Guilt burdened Akaran as he wheezed through his fit of tears. To think that his presence caused so much death that even drove his own father to suicide shook Akaran into despondence. Each tear he squeezed out carried the pain that was destroying him from within.