Welcome to Gaia! ::

"To meet me? I guess it is a pleasure to meet with you Hamani, however, I don't think this is the first time we've actually met. I can't believe that you've forgotten about me, however, it has been a long time now hasn't it?" Hibiki said to her. "Are you perplexed to why you have no data on me?" Hibiki smiled most unusually at her. "I am sure you are thinking something around that area." Hibiki said. "Shouldn't you be off in the forest like a good little girl? I hear there is a war going on out there." Hibiki bowed very foolishly. "I bow to you oh graceful Hamani, I am Hibiki, the one and the only that will ever exist." Hibiki said to her. "Well, maybe not, after all, I am like a parasite, who feeds and then moves on. Isn't it odd that you can see me Haru, but no one else has yet to see me well, except when Hamani probed your mind?"

"What are you saying Hibiki? I don't understand?"

"I've gotten bored with your mind, I want to move on. I want to actually visit someone worth my time."

"What?" Haru said backing away. "What are you talking about?" Haru was confused."

"I have knowledge about many people in this guild. I know a lot about their past, perhaps I even know some of yours. I have been very intruiged to finally be able to talk to you, I can't believe how long it took though, such a shame that Haru was so silent." Hibiki said as he moved part of his white hair from his face and to the back.

[Woot. Go my kick-a** long posts.]

Kosho stood there, fairly confused as to what was going on. The right of death...Their curse...Everything was swirling around her head, and she would see Hamani freeze once in a while, while emotions were overridden on Nia's face. Like they were talking one-on-one, in the mind.

She shuddered at the very thought. Mind probing had always been one of her biggest fears; especially when she was mortal because then the mind prober could take what he knew and use it against her; or even tell you to do something. Like controlling that person.

She was not one to be controlled easily. She may be in a guild, but she was never around much. This had been the longest she had been amongst the thieves. The longest she had seen them; slowly getting to know them. Perhaps, when they could die, she had been close friends to some of them; spoken to them casually and happily. But now? Now she just stayed away from them, doing expensive and dangerous missions because it kept her mind busy. She didn't have to think about herself during missions any longer. No family to uphold the honour to; no friends to worry about. Just the mission. The goal. The deathcount that she caused. Tears that were made by her slaying people mercilessly; calculating her next move.

She shifted once again in her spot, her shoulder hunching slightly as she watched Nia and Hamani with narrowed eyes. This was just another missions. And she wouldn't let foolish things like emotions or pasts get in her way.

[I'm sorry Izumo, and I hope I didn't inconvenience you, it just took me about an hour to post that, I didn't have the time.]

"Really?!" Let's go!" Rikku said with a giggle. She was really happy that he accepted her gift to him. She said to him. "I figure we could make some for that guy.... oh right Aoki called him Haru emo pants!" Rikku said still unsure of what that actually ment. He didn't seem like he was to into eating with the rest of us. I don't know why, he seems like he would have been an interesting person to talk to." Rikku's ranting would have most likely have been phased out by this time as she continued to talk about random things with an overly enthusiastic voice. She began to talk about random things such as cooking and rice dumplings and how she learned it. To a normal person, taking all this blather in would be a bit too overwhelming. Even through the rain, Rikku's smile never phased, one might always question how the girl could always have so much energy to smile even during dark and depressing times. Though she had a cute appearance, there was always something wrong to see her eye color blood red. It almost was inviting death. Rikku was going out soon when night approached. She wanted to ask someone else to join her just so that she could have a conversation with them but she didn't know who to ask or if they were busy.

A wave of relief washed over Shinobu, from head to toe. She’d been correct to assume Izumo would want to help her, for some reason, he always did, and, like second-nature, Shinobu came running. However, now was the dilemma of how she could explain to problem to him, she’d acted rather spontaneous in her search for Izumo, and hadn’t thought about what he’d say or do once she found him. Shinobu should have, at least, stopped before running in and caught herself, given herself a moment to catch her breath, if she knew Izumo, and Shinobu felt she did, he’d register her fear and uncontrollable tears as something very wrong. She didn’t want to give him the wrong idea, to lead him astray, to make his worries worse than they needed to be.

“I’m…” she stopped for a moment, her voice shaking. Shinobu took in several deep breaths, as Izumo had suggested, and could eventually breathe at a normal pace, and didn’t gasp for air every second of so. “I’m… okay... I just…” He’s going to think I’m a complete and total freak… I have to explain myself at least somewhat or else he won’t understand. But… Izumo cares, he’ll at least try to hear me if I say it.

“Oh…” another tear slipped off of her nose. “It’s so hard to say it… I’m…” sniffle, “…worried for Haru. There’s something wrong with him, there’s always something wrong with him! I… I mean… He’s got this guy, Hibiki, haunting him, in his mind, in his dreams, attacking him and following him everywhere. He’s supposed to be Haru’s brother or something… but it’s worse than just an unfriendly sibling, it’s destroying Haru… and I don’t want that to happen.”

Shinobu stopped, taking in a few deep breaths, trying to remain cool, or at least… lukewarm.

“I…” Shinobu’s face began to go red, she didn’t know if she could actually admit it to Izumo. “…used to have a crush on Haru… well… I still do. I always thought he was… just so… amazing…” Her face was now beet red, and tears were replaced by sweat. “I guess… because lately of al the time I’ve spent with him you could say I… lo-… really like him… Well… you know…”

She looked at Izumo, heart pumping in her throat.

“It’s just that, I don’t want Haru to be hurt like he is! He’s in real pain, pain that I can’t do anything about! But I want to! I don’t know what to do, I can’t just sit by and let him suffer… it makes me feel so helpless. And… and I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. You don’t really care do you? It doesn’t really have anything to do with you, does it? I just… feel like I can talk to you, so I came here. But now I’ve gone and bothered you with something that you don’t even, probably, care about. I’m really sorry.”

Shinobu sat there, uncomfortable and stiff, with that feeling in her gut like now she’d gone too far, telling him all about her fondness for Haru, and about how helpless she felt. Sweat dotted her forehead. I’m such a… pathetic… ugh…

She smiled weakly at him.

“Look, thanks for listening Haru.” Shinobu’s eyes shot wide. “I mean, Izumo!”

Haru picked up his blade. "A battle against an immortal should be an eternal battle, yet everytime I face him I can do nothing but take painful blows that tear deep within me. And now, the memories are so confusing... they all mean nothing, my past, I do not even know what it is anymore." Haru said. He walked out of the auditorium after gathering his blade. He still held onto his shoulder and dragged his blade with his tired arm. He didn't know who to trust anymore. He felt everything around him melting. He closed his eyes and began to slowly turn towards the outside. "Since when did this stop becoming a game?" Haru said as he felt himself being swayed back and forth. He stopped and then opened his eyes as he opened the door to the outside. "A game..." Haru said as the breeze blew onto his body. "Was it ever a game to me? No it was a job.... Why am I here and how did I get here?" The wind blew against Haru's body and clothes and the breeze chilled the blood stain on Haru's shoulder. "Why is this happening to me? Why do I feel so different then everyone else?"

"Don't leave me all alone!" A voice came from deep inside his mind and Haru pushed himself outside. Silence surrounded him. He felt the small rain hit upon him. He closed his eyes and dropped his sword onto the muddy ground that mixed with the blood of the dead soldiers around him. Haru gazed down at the bodies on the ground. He fell to his knees and then he saw a small peice of paper sticking out of one of the soldiers. Haru took it out. It was in ink and was slowly fadding away in the rain. It was already smugged and wet from the blood and rain but on the paper was the words Be safe. The writing wasn't the neatest it could be and most likely was made by a younger person. Haru crumbled the paper in his hand and then he turned his hand into a fist and smashed the paper into the ground.

"What is right and what is wrong? I have no idea what I am doing anymore? This senseless slaughter, I was nothing more than an executioner for these people." Haru said as he smashed his fist against the ground again and then stopped. "None of this means anything..." Haru said softly as he turned to the forest. "None of what I see or hear means anything. I need to clear my mind." Haru said as he slowly rose to his feet. " cannot let anyone worry about me." Haru said as he felt one of the hands grab onto his leg and he stopped moving.

"It is funny, you say nothing means anything, but here you are feeling the pain of death around you Haru. Isn't it funny how easily startled you are now? What happened to your cool and calm ways? Did you know that there are more important things happening out in the forest. However you are only thinking of yourself, how selfish of you." Hibiki said as he picked up one of the body that had it's hand on Haru's leg and then it was if the man was coming back to life in Haru's eyes as the eyes began to move ever so slightly and blink. Hibiki smiled as his sword peirced the back of man and then he dropped the body. "Oh don't be sad, he was not really that much alive." Hibiki said. Haru reached for his blade. "Oh, don't even bother, you are really pathetic, I can attack you all day but it won't mean a thing. I am waiting now to see if you can continue to keep yourself stable." Hibiki said.

At first eager to offer his assistance to Shinobu, Izumo's care for the particular situation was fading fast. It wasn't as though he wanted to let Shinobu down, he just couldn't stand to sit there and listen to her drone on about... Haru.

It was the first time he became acutely aware of his own jealousy. Never before had he been jealous of another for anything; his life was his own, he led it with no regrets, never looking back. The past was where it should be, and nothing could change it. Yet for some unfathomable reason, he found himself unable to sympathize with Haru. For all he cared, the ghost Shinobu spoke of could take him away for eternity; it wouldn't have bothered Izumo at all.

But it would bother Shinobu, this Izumo knew for certain. And strangely enough, the last thing he wanted to see was her in a state far worse than the one before him at this point in time. Why this was, he could not place. She was only his ally. Someone that he worked with, nothing more. Even calling her a friend would be going to far, in his mind. He'd helped her, she'd helped him. It was to be expected, given the fact that they were simply part of a much larger group; the Immortal Thieves, they were bound to each other, it was almost law, to help another Thief in need.

Preparing to interrupt, Izumo was cut short by Shinobu starting yet another statement on her position with Haru. I get it already, he thought, you care about him, you don't want to see him in any sort of pain. It's not hard to understand, I mean, even I...

Finally, she stopped. It even looked as though she was feeling somewhat better about everything. For all his sitting and listening, she even offered her thanks...

To Haru. Izumo felt something churn inside; she'd come to him for help, and even now she had hoped that he was Haru, and not who he was. Sure, she'd caught her own mistake, her shocked gaze dictated as much, but what did it matter? She'd said it, he'd heard it, and the message was apparent. He bit his lip and turned his back to her.

"It sounds like you want to be somewhere else, Shinobu. I can't help you, or Haru for that matter. The only one who can help Haru right now is Haru himself. If you want to help him, then go ask him how. Just..." Izumo stopped, swallowed hard, "Go. Just, go."