Tonight I hunt {Kojiro}

[kojiro]

He dodged both attacks, and spun around behind her, taking her last sword out of it's scabbard. It was a smaller sword, light... too light.

"Your father gave you this piece of shit?" he said. "It's not even metal." he smacked the wall with it, and the sword shattered like glass. "Damn. Looks like he set you up. Metal would have taken two or three strikes, and even so, I cleaved through that first sword," he pointed his sword at her. "Now. How about we talk." he said. It wasn't a question. He flicked his hand, and his wand appeared. He used it to call a chair from across the room to her so she could sit. "Sit." he said plainly.

His sword seemed to melt out of his hands and reform with the concrete. "I have minor control of the elements. I'm not near as good as I could be, but I manage." he eyed her for a moment. "So... your father sent you to your death." he said. He closed his eyes. "Your mother's name is Nathasha." he said plainly. "We were good friends at one time, she having spent time with me in my youth. For the longest time, she tried to shield the children involved from the death and violence our fathers were causing. Really, she is a good person at heart. Unfortunately... I don't know where she is right now, though I do believe she is alive."

He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Things are changing for you, I know. Your father is more than just evil. Evil would be acceptable. He just downright hates life, and has become one of the monsters the Dark Hand had pledged to rid this world of."

[Emilia Sage Raven]

She growled low under her breath as he moved out of the way and in a heartbeat he was behind her. As she spun around he grabbed her sword from her back.

"Your father gave you this piece of shit?"

She glowered at him. Clearly she hadn't known better. She wondered how she had grown to hate her father in a short moment. She felt a heavy burden shower over her as every part of her being came crashing down. She tried to compose herself but could sense that she most likely looked like she was in pain. And since he hadn't hurt her at all, weird enough, it must have been because of anguish.

"It's not even metal."

She closed her eyes as he smashed her sword into the wall, shattering it completely. She took a deep breath and then glanced over the floor looking for her wand.

"Damn. Looks like he set you up. Metal would have taken two or three strikes, and even so, I cleaved through that first sword,"

She glanced at him his words not helping her but pushing her deeper into the abyss. It literally felt like there was someone or something sitting on her chest making it harder and harder for her to breathe. She took a deep breath again but it still felt like her lungs wouldn't fill to they're full capacity.

"Now. How about we talk."

Her eyes looked once more for her wand but she couldn't see it anywhere, it was dark in the room. Only a slight green dull brightness coming from the slits at the top of the walls on one wall of the basement. They were in a modified dungeon in a abandoned castle on a island outside of scotland. In the middle of fucking nowhere. She had seen to that.

"Sit."

She glanced briefly at the chair that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She had no intention of sitting down unless he forced her to. She still wasn't scared of him. In fact she wasn't even all that opposed to dying right now. Her whole life had been a lie and even now as she knew it, it still was. Why continue on living when you don't have anything to live for anymore. Perhaps a little dramatic but she was too flustered to know what to think of herself right now.

"I have minor control of the elements. I'm not near as good as I could be, but I manage."

She didn't care much for what he had to say. Shorty she though about finishing off the daggers in the straps on her legs, throwing them all at him, surely he wouldn't be able to dodge them all. But then again, why would she. She had nothing to fight for anymore.

"So... your father sent you to your death."

She felt like he was trying to push it even more in her face. Torture would have hurt less than this. She no longer told herself that he must be lying, when it was obvious that he wasn't. There was no way around Veritaserum. That much she knew.

"Your mother's name is Nathasha."

Her head snapped up as he talked of her mother. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to know this or not. Her mother had left her. Her mother, no matter her name, didn't want her. A glare found it's way onto her face. She had no words for him.

"We were good friends at one time, she having spent time with me in my youth. For the longest time, she tried to shield the children involved from the death and violence our fathers were causing. Really, she is a good person at heart. Unfortunately... I don't know where she is right now, though I do believe she is alive."

Her eyes were pinched closed and her hands crossed over her chest the whole time he spoke. She felt so insignificant and small. She felt like a bug that was being stomped to death. She felt like everything had crashed down on her and was currently crushing the breath out of her. She couldn't even think, she couldn't speak.

"Things are changing for you, I know. Your father is more than just evil. Evil would be acceptable. He just downright hates life, and has become one of the monsters the Dark Hand had pledged to rid this world of."

She turned around as he spoke about her father again. She couldn't bring words to the hatred she had for him at this moment. It was easy for her to turn on her father. He had never given her any love, he never cared for her as a person. She had been his puppet all along, nothing of emotional value. She wondered if he would even care when he found out that she wouldn't be his to control anymore.

She approached the wall and in pure stupidness she punched her fist into it as hard as she could. It hurt like hell as she felt three of her knuckles shatter. She screamed out in pain but it made her think more clear, as stupid as that sounded.

Emilia growled as she favored her hand, holding it in her other one looking down at it. She knew she could fix it in a heartbeat with her wand.

[kojiro]

Kojiro, understanding her pain, walked up and knelt down next to her, and without another word, took her hand and healed it, placing her wand in her lap.
"I don't mean to sound rude." he said. "But you need to give up any contact with your father, understand?"
He stood and conjured up water, boiled it in mid air, then cooled it, placing it into a flask and handing it to her.
"Drink, please." he said. He leaned against the table, understanding this girl was in all sorts of hell at the moment.
He remained silent, looking around the room for a bit, then spoke again.

"Emilia. It's a nice name. One that I'm sure your mother would have picked. Would you like to know more about her?" he asked quietly.

If this were ten years ago, he would have killed her by the tree, killed her father for his insolence, and moved on. But after watching both of his sons grow up, he began growing a sort of heart. He felt like he needed a change, and after being removed from the Dark Hand, he was rather relieved to know that he was free to change however he wanted. He wanted to give this woman a chance to live, and live well, and he was damn sure not going to let her idiot of a father do anything to her.

[Emilia Sage Raven]

She turned around and let herself sink down to the floor against the wall. Her eyes closed she no longer cared what became of her. She heard him kneel down next to her and since her hand was broken there wasn't much she could do to fend him away as he took her hand in his healing it. She wasn't used to being shown compassion, she found it strange. She opened her eyes and looked down at her hand opening it and then closing it again. It was stiff but the sharp stabbing pain in her bones gone.

"I don't mean to sound prude." he said. "But you need to give up any contact with your father, understand?"

She looked up at him taking her wand in her hand and standing up. When she was on her feet she tucked her wand in it's place in her sleeve. She didn't feel threatened. She felt empty. And above all else, she was mad, livid, absolutely seething.

"Drink, please."

She took the bottle but just looked at it. The water still moving slightly from when it was placed in it. She bit her lip bitterly and wrinkled her nose slightly.

"Emilia. It's a nice name. One that I'm sure your mother would have picked. Would you like to know more about her?"

She only looked up as he mentioned her mother. She was torn. Did she want to know more? only to get disappointed or even more depressed. It was only just now showering over her that her mother had left her. That her mother didn't want her. In her mind there couldn't be any other reason for why she left. She truly didn't want her.

She blinked a few times as she looked up at him. She realized that she hadn't spoken at all for awhile now and her mouth was a little dry. She payed no mind to the water in her hands. Instead she looked at the ground and turned her side to him. "Why should I even bother, she left, she didn't want me" she spoke quietly.

[kojiro]

Kojiro sighed and looked at her. “Now, that isn’t what I said.”

He took a breath and looked at her. “Your mother left because if she didn’t, your father would have killed her. She cannot come back until that son of a bitch dies.” He turned slowly and made a motion at the water. “Please, drink.” He went back to the other side of the room. “She wanted you. She needed you. She’s had to live almost thirty years without you around, because of that man.” He turned.
“Join me, Emilia. Join me in my cause, and I promise you, I can get you back with your mother again.”
He was serious. Dead serious. Still under the effects of the Veritaserum, he leaned against the wall. “That is strong stuff you used.” He remarked, coughing a bit. “You’d think you were trying to date-rape me.” He brushed his hair out of his face. “I didn’t want to talk before because you were out for blood. Now you’re calm. A little distressed, but we can fix that.”
He walked over and held out his hand to help her up. “My name is Yukiteru Kojiro. I am at your service. How about some dinner?”

[Emilia Sage Raven]

“Now, that isn’t what I said.” “Your mother left because if she didn’t, your father would have killed her. She cannot come back until that son of a bitch dies.”

She turned her head to look at him. Her eyes read confusion. She wondered why her father would do that. She bit her lip. She wanted to ask so many questions but still wasn't sure if she wanted answers to them all. She felt betrayed in more than three ways.

She drank from the bottle as he reminded her to, the cold contents filling her mouth surrounding her tongue. She wallowed and it became clear to her how warm she really was. She suddenly became very flustered again and she pulled at the collar of her sweater. The cold water made it's way down her throat and settled in her stomach.

“She wanted you. She needed you. She’s had to live almost thirty years without you around, because of that man.” He turned.
“Join me, Emilia. Join me in my cause, and I promise you, I can get you back with your mother again.”

She looked at the ground as he spoke of her mother. There had never been any longing for her mother, never once in her whole life. She had always believed that her mother was dead. But apparently she wasn't. She knew he must still be under the effect of the veritaserum. It took awhile to wear off since she used so much. So she believed every word he said. She wouldn't have believed any of it if she hadn't drugged him. She wasn't a very trusting person at all. Never had trusted anything but what her father said to her and now it turns out that everything he ever told her was a lie.

One thing was for sure. She wasn't running back to the lying bastard her father was. She looked at him, he sounded so serious. She didn't know if she wanted to meet her mother. All she knew was that she wanted to get back at her father that had made her whole life a living hell for a lie.

She bit her lip as she pondered his offer.

“That is strong stuff you used.” He remarked, coughing a bit. “You’d think you were trying to date-rape me.”

She couldn't help but smirk a little at his comment. She was quite the potions master. She had a whole stock of that stuff along with other stuff. "Brewed it myself" she answered in a low voice.

“I didn’t want to talk before because you were out for blood. Now you’re calm. A little distressed, but we can fix that.”
He walked over and held out his hand to help her up. “My name is Yukiteru Kojiro. I am at your service. How about some dinner?”

She looked up at him and his hand as she pondered what he had said for a short moment before hesitantly reaching her hand to let him help her up.

[kojiro]

Kojiro smiled, apparating them away from that place. They would arrive in a mansion, Kojiro's, and he would hold an arm out. "My home, which you can stay here for as long as you need." he took two steps in, the lobby was large, with marble floors and statues of Gargoyles. One of the gargoyles turned it's head to her, but Kojiro raised a hand. "She's legit. Don't worry." he said quietly. He pointed to his left, towards a large table with about twenty chairs. "The dining room is there. Please, make yourself at home. I will go prepare a meal."

He walked into the Kitchen, putting an apron on and sighing, waving his wand for everything to start working. He came back into the dining area, and leaned against the wall. "So. Tell me about yourself. Enjoy anything other than killing and sex?" he asked, his hair falling over his eyes.

[Emilia Sage Raven]

The usual feeling of being shoved through a two inch isolation tube while he apparated them had her a little sick to her stomach. But it went away as she was standing again. She looked around at the grand foyer. The gargoyle caught her eye and as he dismissed it she figured that it must be some sort of security.

The mansion was bright and comforting compared to the hole she had been in just two seconds ago. She was surprised that he was letting her stay here. She had never done anything for him. In fact, she had done more bad to him than many. She bit her lip again as she looked around.

She watched him leave for the kitchen and then looked around the big dining room. The table was huge and everything was really fancy. She let her fingers slide along the backs of the chairs as she walked the length of the table. She came to a stop at the end and reached her hands up to her hair picking out the small knives in her hair placing them on the table corner. She removed the bobbypins as well and shook out her hair letting it fall freely to her waist.

"So. Tell me about yourself. Enjoy anything other than killing and sex?"

She spun around to face him. She took her hand in her own running her fingers over the tiny already growing wounds in her palm after her nails. She half grinned at his question and looked at the table. "not much else I do" she started and drifted off "I like swords" she said quietly and remembered him ruining both of hers. She had a few other at her fathers house, which of course wasn't going to be a option for her anymore.

[kojiro]

Kojiro nodded and kicked the wall. The wall opened up, and several dozens of Katanas, Zwei Hander broad swords, and bastard swords lined a the wall, hidden by magic. "My collection." he said, pointing over his shoulder. "There is a nifty charm that allows you to place a memory of an object, say... a sword, then call for it using matter from another object. Then it gains the hardness and sharpness of said object, and can be used in battle." he patted a katana, which looked exactly like the one he had earlier. "You can have two. It's more fun to give them away, anyways." he said, going back into the Kitchen.

he emerged a moment later with a steaming plate of Eggrolls and Rice, complete with spicy chicken. "Here. Old family recipe. Had to kill my father to get it." he slid a plate in front of her, and waved his hand, forcing a chair to move out. "Enjoy. This is the penultimate pick-me-up."

[Emilia Sage Raven]

She looked at him with interest as he kicked open the wall and she couldn't help but make her way over there when she saw the contents. Of course she was bound to be all kinds of messed up from her father that she wouldn't like anything, but she did enjoy swords.

She looked at him her eyes reading confusion. She wondered in silence why he was being so nice to her. She sure wasn't or hadn't been nice to her. And it sounded like her father hadn't been either. It wasn't really in her nature to be nice or thankful. She had never had to be. Nor had anyone been that to her.

She felt really awkward to say the least. She didn't know how to behave. In turn she remained quiet. Letting him do most of the talking. She bit her lip as he left for the kitchen once more and she looked at the swords in his cabinet. They were beautiful.

She turned around as he entered the room again. The food smelled very appetizing. She made her way to the table and bit her lip again. She felt bad for letting him do all this for her. She wasn't used to being treated like this. Non the less she sat down.

She slowly took a bite of the chicken. It was really tasty. "Well worth the kill, this is really good" she commented half grinning. She was of course joking, but people didn't pick much up on that from her most of the time.

[kojiro]

He smiled. "Indeed." he said.

He walked over and sat down, not eating anything, but closed his eyes and relaxed while she ate, waiting for her to speak.

After a moment, he opened his eyes. "So. Anything you want to do? I hear the London Eye is an awesome ride." he said, looking at her. For some reason, seeing her made him want to make her... smile. She had a beautiful smile, and the fact that she was raised in the shadow of Death was bad enough.

"Tell me what you want. Anything. I will do my best to provide."

He felt the necessary thing to do was first show her he meant everything he said. He wanted her to give him a challenge, something that wasn't easy to get, but also wasn't impossible. He wanted to establish trust that her own father had denied her.

[Emilia Sage Raven]

She wasn't a fast eater, but not a slow one either. She had proper table side manners and didn't speak with her mouth full or keep her elbows up on the table. She was rather quiet and liked to observe things instead of being the constant point of attention. As she ate she observed him. His eyes closed like he was meditating or something.

It dawned on her as she chewed on a pice of chicken that she hadn't eaten in awhile. She must have forgotten again. It happened to her a lot. She wasn't a very regular eater and since she was quite used to pain, even hunger pains, she sometimes let it slide and forgot to eat food. Especially when she had something important on her mind.

She blinked a couple of times finishing the last of her plate and he spoke. She really didn't grasp why he was being so nice to her. It was beginning to make her uncomfortable because she didn't know how to behave in return.

She wrinkled her nose at his comment about the muggle contraption. She wasn't all that fond of muggle london. She hated being around them. But then again, that was thought that had been beaten into her since she remembered herself.

He offered her anything, yet she had given nothing, and worked for nothing. It made her uneasy. She had been raised to always have to work for what she got. That nothing good came unless she slaved for it. When he offered her anything she didn't know how to respond.

She pulled one of her knees to her chest and bit her lip with a confused and troublesome look on her face. "I have worked for nothing, thus, deserve nothing" she answered simply.

She felt strange and uncomfortable being treated with kindness and hospitality.

[kojiro]

He eyed her for a moment. "You don't deserve anything? Hm." he nodded. "I understand why you think that. But see, you've given me plenty, actually." he stood, and began pacing quietly. "You've given me more or less the pleasure of your company. It is mighty lonely in this house, for I cannot have my family here. Both women I father children with are dead, see."
He leaned against the wall. "Selena, Ezekiel's mother, was a victim, no more, no less. She was forced to become pregnant over and over by the group of Dark Wizards that my father ordered. They wanted perfect children, and she was a skilled Witch. I managed to help her escape, and, well, in our throes of passion, conceived Ezekiel. I sent her to Nome, Alaska, before Ezekiel was born, so I knew where they were at. They tracked her down, and, in the heat of battle between the Dark Wizards and the Aurors, was killed accidentally."

He closed his eyes. "Around that time, I was having an affair with another woman, who also ended up bearing a child. His name is Kite. I'm not sure if he even knows who I am, but I am certain he realizes his life is in danger."

He looked at her again, a look of pain lining his features. "I want nothing more now than to be with my sons, and keep them from danger. To atone for what I was." he looked down. "I suppose, it was this ambition that spurred me to save you when I saw the chance. You and I met, see when I was fourteen, you were but a toddler. I doubt you remember, but you smiled like it was going out of style. I loved that smile, because it was innocent, and proud. I guess I just want to see that smile again after all these years of seeing the glassy, empty eyes of dead people."

[Emilia Sage Raven]

"You don't deserve anything? Hm." he nodded. "I understand why you think that. But see, you've given me plenty, actually."

She pulled her knee tighter to her chest as she sat on the chair by the dining room table. Her hand rested on her knee, fingers tangled in her own hair. She had been biting on her lip for the past half an hour, out of uncomfort and lack of knowledge of what to do more than anything.

"You've given me more or less the pleasure of your company. It is mighty lonely in this house, for I cannot have my family here. Both women I father children with are dead, see."
He leaned against the wall. "Selena, Ezekiel's mother, was a victim, no more, no less. She was forced to become pregnant over and over by the group of Dark Wizards that my father ordered. They wanted perfect children, and she was a skilled Witch. I managed to help her escape, and, well, in our throes of passion, conceived Ezekiel. I sent her to Nome, Alaska, before Ezekiel was born, so I knew where they were at. They tracked her down, and, in the heat of battle between the Dark Wizards and the Aurors, was killed accidentally."

She listened to him talk about his life. She didn't understand the need for company. Solitude was one of those things that came next to natural to her. But she felt a little better knowing that he was benefiting from her company in some way. She still felt guilty from his hospitality.

His story was interesting to her. She didn't feel compassion, that hadn't been brought up in her, but she somehow felt.. pity? she didn't know what to say.

The thought of breeding the perfect children let her mind wander to herself. She had been one of those.

"Around that time, I was having an affair with another woman, who also ended up bearing a child. His name is Kite. I'm not sure if he even knows who I am, but I am certain he realizes his life is in danger."

She rested her chin on her knee watching him standing there over there by the wall. The subject looked as if it hurt to talk about. The fact that he would humble himself like that in her presence made her trust him more. Something that was hard for her to do. Maybe it was partly because of her sudden change of loyalty and sense of not belonging anywhere anymore.

"I suppose, it was this ambition that spurred me to save you when I saw the chance. You and I met, see when I was fourteen, you were but a toddler. I doubt you remember, but you smiled like it was going out of style. I loved that smile, because it was innocent, and proud. I guess I just want to see that smile again after all these years of seeing the glassy, empty eyes of dead people."

She looked at him blinking a few times. He was correct, she had no recollection of him. But then again, she didn't remember the last time she had smiled either, genuinely smiled, not faked a smile. She didn't know how to act around him. He was just about the only person she could logically trust right now. But still she felt like she couldn't trust anyone. "I... umh" she fumbled for words. In stead of talking about what he had just spoken of she decided on asking a question first. "umh.. Why did my father want my mother dead?" she asked him not quite getting that.

[kojiro]

Kojiro shrugged. "One thing about our fathers are that they were both crazy. Insane would be a general understatement." he walked over and sat down next to her. "It was known that your mother wanted to escape with you, but after you were born, you were under lock and key for the longest time, until she had to leave to save both of you. I'm afraid if he would have killed her, in his rage, he may have killed you too." he leaned back into the chair. "We both have very dysfunctional families. It's no surprise that we're this connected, yet we met in battle." he conjured a glass of water and sipped it. "There is a room for guests. I keep it prepared, yet, I do not have House Elves. My room is directly across from yours, so if you need anything at all, even if it's just to talk, wake me up." he closed his eyes for a moment "How about you sleep on what I've told you. I daresay it's going to be a big day tomorrow"