Kyabakura

[Kirin]

Kitano looked around with a raised eyebrow. He now clung to Katsumi, hiding his face.

Shino examined all of the equipment without touching it. He frowned. "This has just been used recently. It all has been used recently." He looked at Katsumi, then Yuki and Nori. "Do what you wish with this equipment. I will not have such a shameful thing tarnish the name of our kyabakura."

He seemed more angry than afraid like Kitano. "What would you all have us do with this?" He asked with a frown.

Shino was doing well to restrain his anger. "Will your Outosan send someone to examine this? Or should we move on? I'd much rather stay in this shop."

His mind began to work on numbers and figures. He just moved a hand upwards to his forehead. "This is not good at all."

Kitano rose an eyebrow. "I think we can do this. Look, maybe we can ask a few favors or something."

Shino just nodded in silence. Kitano looked at the others. "Can we leave? I'm scared and I'm hungry."

[Katsumi Viora]

Katsumi wrapped his arms around Kitano keeping him close as he looked around the room..

"This ...this isn't good....what's going on here now?"


He swallowed roughly,the smell was starting to get to him..he shook his head slightly..
Yuki was standing by the preserved animals..He was staring at them,his bottom lip quivered slightly.


"Nori,instruct the other dolls to arrive..this place is to be dismantled and filled in..All equipment destroyed..accept..accept the animals..I want them contained and brought back to my study...Make sure the shop isn't damaged in any manner so Kitano and Shino can continue with their plans"
"Do you think that's wise master Yuki?"
"...Don't question me."


Yuki's voice lowered slightly as he ran his fingers along the glass the animals were contained in..
Katsumi sighed softly..

"Can we leave? I'm scared and I'm hungry."

Katsumi nodded,kissing Kitano on the cheek..

"Yes,let's go..I'll head out first..Kitano-kun follow behind me please once you're able."

He said and left the room at once,heading through the tunnel...Kitano would be instructed to go next and then Shino...Yuki would follow and then Nori would stay behind..A few portals would open up..Figures clad in black,red trimmed uniforms with metallic masks covering their faces would step through and begin dealing with the lab...

[Kirin]

Kitano followed Katsumi. He peered back to see if Shino was following and he was. Shino sighed softly, rolling his eyes. He kept to the walls. Why couldn't anything go right?

"Don't forget that book." Shino muttered to Kitano.

As soon as he hand entered the shop, he grabbed the book and hid it on his person. Kitano smirked, wiggling his fingers after hiding the book. He turned to Katsumi and grabbed his hand. "Let's go." He walked with Katsumi to the door and turned to Shino and Yuki.

"We'll drop this off at the cathedral. I..I don't know how I'll give this to Aiko-sama. It's probably going to hurt her."

Shino seemed annoyed, but he was silent.

[Katsumi Viora]

"We'll drop this off at the cathedral. I..I don't know how I'll give this to Aiko-sama. It's probably going to hurt her."

Yuki sighed looking at Kitano,his cheerful demeanor was gone but he was not bitter with any of them..He just seemed upset about the lab being there and mostly the animals that had been used in such a manner..His voice was soft when he spoke but it lacked the emotion it once had.

"..Aiko can use one of the eejits to turn the pages of the book and handle it in general for her..It shouldn't be a problem then..and you'll all be able to get your answer about things....I need to stay here to make sure my dolls have no problem cleaning everything up..They should take another hour and a half tops.."


He said..Fresh dirt could be smelled from the tunnel where the lab was,the sound of things being moved around and destroyed also heard..Occasionally,Nori could be heard giving instructions..
Katsumi grit his teeth lightly when Yuki had mentioned the eejits..A-lot of people didn't agree with what they did when it came to having eejits..He didn't know how Kitano and Shino would take it either...He sighed softly his hand still in Kitano's...


"Let's head back up to the cathedral...Shino,if you're staying behind..Yuki can port you back once you're done doing whatever..if you're coming along,then..well..let's go then.."


He said..he'd follow Kitano out of the building once able..

[Kirin]

Kitano was clueless about what an eejit was, so he didn't say anything. Shino just made a face that quickly vanished. He was displeased with the idea, but he also wasn't going to voice his opinion on it for fear that he would offend Yuki and Katsumi. Shino stayed behind. He just wanted to work on the shop. Kitano grabbed Katsumi's hand.

"I feel weird for asking, but where is there a good place to eat? I have not had food that has been made outside of the way it is made in the Empire. It should be interesting. Or is it similar?" Kitano asked. He was curious.

Kitano's diet didn't consist of a lot of meat, so he wasn't sure how he would fare against something that was not fish, rice, or vegetables. The village seemed to be a melting pot of sorts. There were different people from the Empire. And some people were the same. It was sort of like that in the harbor city and in some parts of the capitol. He was mostly left alone, but he was stared at. He wanted to ask, but he didn't.

"I guess you don't get a lot of new people that come here, Katsu-chan."

[Katsumi Viora]

Yuki stayed with the dolls,he just stood back watching a somber expression on his face..
Despite being so cheerful and easy-going half the time he seemed to be able to get things done and remain in a serious manner,able to direct and order when needed be.
Katsumi left the shop with Kitano,Katsumi's hand still in his as they walked along..


"I feel weird for asking, but where is there a good place to eat? I have not had food that has been made outside of the way it is made in the Empire. It should be interesting. Or is it similar?"


Katsumi canted his head..He was lucky they were ordered to learn about certain human necessities so they could conduct searches and make sure the shops and kiosks were running in a healthy manner..
They couldn't feed off the sick after-all.
But mostly,it was to make connections with the shop & kiosk owners,so they could bring in what they needed to the manor or to the cathedral during specific times/events etc.


"None of us can eat human food normally,we get very sick and can end up bed-ridden if it gets too horrible for our systems..However we can indulge in very small amounts of human food and drink if we limit ourselves properly,but even then we end up getting rather nauseous.."


He said sighing.


"Outosan ordered us to learn about all the shops and such in the village here so we could conduct proper safety and control measures,so ending up finding out how they chose to prepare their foods was something we couldn't overlook..We have a large bazaar in the village center that sells different goods and foods from outside of our territory..Many even have little restaurant kiosks that are open so you can bring your food over and have them cook it for you...The most popular things at the Bazaar are soups and a huge assortment of bento boxes "


He gestured slightly.


"Then there's the tavern,it's right down the road from the village center...It's pretty basic food..stuff you can take with you if you decide to leave the tavern for the night..nothing honestly fancy..mostly Rice balls,Kebabs..Sandwiches and a variety of fried foods..You know,stuff along those lines...People really favor going to the Bazaar over the tavern because it's mostly fresh and home-made food and a bigger selection and obviously they get to taste food outside of what is usually made here in the village..even though we do have a good handful of our own villagers that cook and sell things at their own kiosks in the Bazaar as well.."


He shrugged.


"I guess you don't get a lot of new people that come here, Katsu-chan."


Katsumi shook his head,frowning.


"No..unfortunately not..The volume of people that travel here or move here has grown a bit since the new sector was established by the outsiders..It's a change,but it's not a very large change..We have certain groups living out in the Elder Forest as well..but..I'd suggest not going there without Yuki,me or one of the others at the manor to accompany you...It's..not a friendly place."


He added...

[Kirin]

Kitano listened quietly, like a good student. After a while, he poked at his stomach, which growled in return. Kitano smiled a goofy smile and looked up at Katsumi.

"Just lead me somewhere. I don't really care where anymore. My stomach is growling and I'm terribly hungry." Kitano took to whining. He didn't particularly enjoy whining. In fact, he hated it. But Shino hated Kitano's whining more.

Kitano looked around. He could smell food and he drifted off in that direction. "It smells so good.." He muttered, reaching for Katsumi's hand while walking away from him.

He stood now, in front of a small building. "It smells like noodles, Katsu-chan." He said with a grin.

He walked in, following his nose. "Oh..you didn't tell me about this." A woman seated both Katsumi and Kitano.

[Katsumi Viora]

Katsumi canted his head,he really didn't pay much mind to Kitano's 'whining' it was sort of cute in it's own little way..
He himself wasn't one to get bitter or short tempered like a few of the other elders or his father was.
Katsumi nodded about to head off in a separate direction until his hand was grabbed and he was lead off by Kitano another way..
He quietly obliged heading into the building,the smell of noodles filled the area mingling with other spices and such.

"Oh..you didn't tell me about this."

"I've..been gone a while..this store must of just opened while I was away..It wasn't here before."


He said softly as he looked around the room,sitting there next to Kitano..


________________________________________________________________________

Back at the shop Yuki stood in the laboratory as the Nori and the other dolls worked..
The other dolls that had been called all wore black uniforms,each with matching masks with the right eye covered,in general none of them seemed to have any sort of gender distinction amongst them like Nori had..
The dolls worked relentlessly without breaks or further orders,not needing to know what they needed to do next or to be instructed to do anything better...




If one was to get close to any of the other dolls,they would feel a rather intimidating presence about the doll and would hear raspy shaky breaths taken inside the mask..Each doll was rather tall and skinny,any flesh exposed looked normal just like any human's would but their strength and abilities were anything but normal..
Nori herself,under such a flawless gentle appearance was quite the monster herself when needed be.
Yuki's figure vanished suddenly and he appeared in the end of the tunnel,he sat there watching Shino if he was still in the shop.

[Kirin]

Kitano smiled eagerly as a girl began to dictate their specials to Katsumi and Kitano. Kitano took a bowl of noodles with fried fish and vegetables. He smelled the air.

"It smells like this old noodle shop I used to go to when I was younger. There were a couple of them owned by the same family. That was all they made, noodles with broth and some sort of fish or vegetables." He explained to Katsumi. "Before the first war, we could do pretty much whatever we wanted to as children. Things were very carefree. My sister and I would go to this noodle shop all the time and she.." He paused in thought. "She didn't really like the broth, so she ate her noodles and gave me the broth."

He hadn't thought of his sister in a while. Kitano welcomed the distraction when the girl came back with two bowls of noodles. "It smells so good."

At the shop, Shino was singing to himself while he boxed up the books. He didn't even realize that Yuki was watching him until he turned around.

"Oh, Yuki-san. Is everything all right? Thank you for helping us with the lab." Shino didn't smile, but he meant what he said.

[Katsumi Viora]

Katsumi nodded to the shop owner and then turned his attention to Kitano listening to him quietly now...


"It smells like this old noodle shop I used to go to when I was younger. There were a couple of them owned by the same family. That was all they made, noodles with broth and some sort of fish or vegetables...Before the first war, we could do pretty much whatever we wanted to as children. Things were very carefree. My sister and I would go to this noodle shop all the time and she.. She didn't really like the broth, so she ate her noodles and gave me the broth."


Katsumi canted his head..


"You seem to really love your sister and Shino very much....You have a big heart,not many people do these days..."

He stared at the bowl of noodles,despite knowing some of the little Kiosks in the village center made soups and such,none of them smelled so nice as this did.
He seemed to be debating on whether he wanted to try any or not.

"It smells so good."

"Yes,it does."

Katsumi said softly,nodding.
______________________________________________________________________

"Oh, Yuki-san. Is everything all right? Thank you for helping us with the lab."

Yuki's Fusia eyes met Shino's,staring at him for a moment before he smiled the sudden expression change might of seemed weird.

"Oh,you're welcome..That sort of lab shouldn't be around here,especially one that's hurting poor little animals."

He said and then sighed..


"You two are going to be a nice change around here...Your brother won't hurt Katsumi-kun's feelings like that lady did,will he?...That lady was so mean..I still need to get Katsumi's back healed so his wings will regenerate."


He canted his head and moved his hand out flicking his wrist..One of the boxes Shino had finished would close itself up and lift,stacking itself onto another finished box..

[Kirin]

Kitano smiled. He was in the middle of eating noodles while listening to Katsumi. He just nodded.

"Eh, well. I'm not supposed to grow attached to people." He played with the fish. "But I can't help it. I've got fears. I'm afraid of a lot of things. Shino and I have been together, as partners since we were children. We're close friends, almost like brothers."

He finally ate the fish. "I'm supposed to be silent and ruthless. But that's not me. I'm glad that I am finally trusted enough to do things my way." He grinned. "You should try like..a tiny bowl or something."



Shino looked at Yuki. He shook his head.

"Kita-chan is not my brother. Though, I guess we're close enough that we could be brothers. I don't think he'd hurt Katsumi. He's a very good person. Very nice. The opposite of what we used to work for. What we did back then was wrong. If anyone deserves good, it's Kitano. And if anyone, out of the two of us, is going to do good, it will be him."

Shino finished another box and sealed it up. "He and his sister have always been good people. Which is strange, given his family's history."

[Katsumi Viora]

Katsumi listened to Kitano quietly not once did he interrupt..Only speaking after Kitano was finished each time.


"Eh, well. I'm not supposed to grow attached to people But I can't help it. I've got fears. I'm afraid of a lot of things. Shino and I have been together, as partners since we were children. We're close friends, almost like brothers."


Katsumi nodded,canting his head...

"I actually thought you two were brothers this whole time..There's nothing wrong with having friends and finding that special person you come to love...This world can be very lonely,and sometimes not many of us can take it..and that drives us down a road we'd rather not have followed to begin with...."


He said...


"I'm supposed to be silent and ruthless. But that's not me. I'm glad that I am finally trusted enough to do things my way."


Katsumi laughed softly,with a light sigh.


"Of course,everyone deserves to find their path in life and mold themselves the way they see fit...No one should be allowed to govern your decisions accept yourself."


He said,smiling some at Kitano..
They were lucky,even from where they were..they had more freedom then
most if not all the Viora family had...


"You should try like..a tiny bowl or something."


Katsumi blinked and nodded,he'd gesture to the shop-owner and lean in whispering to her asking for a smaller bowl of noodles with fish and some blood sausage if she had any or to even add in some animal blood/broth to the noodle bowl to make it easier for his stomach..
He knew some backgrounds,give or take added blood to their soups and such to add flavor and/or thicken it to some degree..and of course there was always blood sausage...
He hoped it wouldn't come off too weird and startle the woman,he not knowing how she'd react to what he was..
Being as the shop had to be new,he was certain the Squad hadn't come in to check for health procedures and such...Or if his father knew about this shop at all.
He sat back down in his chair and sighed.


____________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Kita-chan is not my brother. Though, I guess we're close enough that we could be brothers. I don't think he'd hurt Katsumi. He's a very good person. Very nice. The opposite of what we used to work for. What we did back then was wrong. If anyone deserves good, it's Kitano. And if anyone, out of the two of us, is going to do good, it will be him."


Yuki blinked canting his head..He smiled.


"Oh okay,I just really didn't notice,with how close you are you might as well be family and Good!..Katsumi-kun doesn't deserve anymore problems....I hate to see my Oniisama so upset..That woman was such a monster."


He added and trailed off a moment,he giggeled.



"You both have big hearts,even though you're rather closed off despite your obvious good intentions and kind personality...I bet you and Aiko-sama or even Mamoru-kun would get along really well..Mamoru is pretty nice once you get him away from Outosan.."


Yuki said shrugging..



"He and his sister have always been good people. Which is strange, given his family's history."


Yuki arched a brow,seeming to be confused by Shino's logic for a moment before speaking.


"People don't always let their history taint them..they become better then the faults that damaged their lives or their families to begin with."

He seemed to like analyzing people's personalities and once in a while got them right...
Yuki liked to see the good in people,and the possibility they could change the world for the better.

[Kirin]

Kitano rose an eyebrow, then coughed as Katsumi asked for something called blood sausage. He shook his head briefly, raising an eyebrow. The waitress looked at Katsumi with a stunned expression. She kept the issue to just Kitano and Katsumi's table as she whispered.

"We do not sell such things at this restaurant. I am sorry. Just fish or vegetables." She seemed to be waiting for the worst.

Kitano just smiled briefly. "Our religion forbids us from eating anything beyond fish or vegetables..or eggs. We don't really eat meat, Katsu-chan."

He looked down at his noodles and then just devoured one bowl. He asked the waitress for more then drank the broth. Kitano was hungry, but he often ate a lot when he did eat. He looked at Katsumi, blushing.



"Eh, war changes people, Yuki-san." Shino said after a while. "The Empress was very nice and very good until the war came. Then she changed. While things in the Empire changed for the better, she has changed into someone who just seems cold."

He looked away. "I know you do not approve of her. I still will defend her because she is my leader. I guess that's what good warriors do."

"Ah, Mamoru..he's the one with Avice..right?" Shino asked, tracing a finger along his lips in thought. "Avice-sama travels between the Empire and here. I'm surprised. Does she ever visit?"

[Katsumi Viora]

"We do not sell such things at this restaurant. I am sorry. Just fish or vegetables."

Katsumi sat back down,he seemed embarrassed to have even asked the woman in the first place..Why was he even bothering to indulge in such meaningless human treats that would end up making him sick?


"No-No,it's alright..I'm not mad..calm down,I'm not like the others...Your place is new here,to me at least..I've been gone for a while,and hadn't been updated on any new establishments here by my father or siblings..I apologize,I didn't mean to make that uncomfortable for you.."


He said softly,he was blushing faintly..He brushed a bit of his hair from his face..


"I'll just have a small bowl with fish..please."


He said and looked at the waitress,smiling calmly..
Once she left he sighed and looked around the shop some..


"Our religion forbids us from eating anything beyond fish or vegetables..or eggs. We don't really eat meat, Katsu-chan."


Katsumi looked back to Kitano.


"I apologize,I hope I didn't offend anyone...with me being gone for such time,I haven't been able to keep up with my work and studies I'm assigned everyday..I really,wasn't aware.."


He said and canted his head looking around a bit...Despite the
few rare awkward moments he and a few of his other family members had around humans..and the rare
circumstances where their kind was not welcomed,
None of them would want to change anything..they took pride in what they were.
Katsumi sighed contently and looked back to Kitano,he blinked noticing him blushing he canted his head blushing now as well as he laughed softly.



"I love you Kitano-kun."



He said softly.


_________________________________________________________________________________


"Eh, war changes people, Yuki-san....The Empress was very nice and very good until the war came. Then she changed. While things in the Empire changed for the better, she has changed into someone who just seems cold."


Yuki just listened to Shino quietly--Nodding some,not willing to interrupt him even as he defended the other who had made Yuki's brother's life,so miserable.


"I know you do not approve of her. I still will defend her because she is my leader. I guess that's what good warriors do."


Yuki blinked,giggling lightly..

"She has no standing here,as far as Outosan and the others are concerned she is at the same level as any villager here now..People like her really do us no good..they only close Outosan's and the others minds further..and put your kind further down the scale."


He explained...
Nori and the masked corpse dolls appeared in the room..Yuki turned to Nori who bowed..
She and the other dolls were considerably taller then young little Yuki.


"Master,we've finished taking care of what you asked..the establishment has also been filled in and will not be accessible any longer.."



Nori said..The third corpse doll was standing by the entrance to the lab that had already been sealed in..It went about sealing the tunnel off now the sound of earth collapsing in on itself could be heard in the tunnel before it stopped at the entrance..The doll made a gurgled noise,almost as if it was trying to talk under the mask..As it did the wall itself would repair itself,as if nothing had happened to the wall to begin with..Any traces of the lab would be gone for now.
One of the corpse dolls turned it's head toward Shino and made a growling noise,the gurgling like talking accompanied it as it's hands twitched and it immanently went at Shino.
Yuki gasped and held out his hand,a rusty collar appeared around the doll's throat and a large chain in Yuki's hand as he stepped back and pulled the chain hard..
The corpse doll was stopped in it's tracks and actually thrown back as the large heavy chain was pulled taught..The doll having been inches away from nearly slaughtering Shino..Or at least trying to.
The doll seemed disabled at the moment as Yuki pressed a hand over his face.


"What did I tell you about them?!..."


He said and looked at Nori who was rather,indifferent about it all.


"I apologize master,I wasn't aware that they would go after him."
"The hell you wern't!..Who gave that doll orders?!"
"Kiyoshi-sama..He said he wanted to welcome the half-breed properly.."


Nori wasn't able to lie to Yuki when spoken directly to by him..
Yuki narrowed his eyes and moved,backhanding Nori.


"You will NOT use that word [half-breed] in-front of me or anyone else,you and the others are MY toys and only my toys , therefore you will only take orders from me and ONLY me..do you understand...?"

Nori moved her head back and looked at Yuki and bowed.

"Yes Master."


Yuki's eye twitched slightly,he was rather strong for being younger then the others.


"Good!..If any sort of lapse in judgement happens again...I'll dismantle you all and feed you to the Ravens in the Elder Forest."


He said..The chain in his hand vanished but the collar would remain on the doll that was laying on the floor..Collars would appear on the other corpse dolls as well but not Nori..
Yuki sighed brushing a bit of his hair out of his face trying to calm down,he didn't seem to enjoy being mad..He turned to Shino...


"I'm really sorry about that..What happened to make that thing go after you was done behind my back and wouldn't have happened if I knew...are you alright?"


He asked..He'd go over and help Shino up if needed be..

[Kirin]

Kitano ordered more noodles and the waitress hurried away. He sighed heavily.

"Katsu-chan, you must live a miserable life if all you do is work." Kitano's eyes closed halfway. "What do you do for fun? Isn't there something around here that's fun to do? I mean, it must be boring all cooped up in that cathedral place all day." He played with the leftover noodles in the broth.

He looked up when Katsumi told him that he loved him. Kitano's heart skipped a beat, but he gradually became a little guarded. He pressed a finger on Katsumi's lips. Was it too early to be in love like that already? Katsumi knew. But Katsumi was older than Kitano, more than likely. Kitano smiled halfly and bowed his head. He was still blushing.

"Are you sure?"



Shino just sighed softly. "Regardless of what your village government makes of her, she will be the Empress in my eyes when she comes to visit. Though, I doubt she will unless something were to happen to our new colony. Susumu-sama has been doing well on her own."

He heard the low growl and immediately lept to the wall. He climbed the wall as though it was not a problem. Shino looked down at the doll from just out of the doll's reach. His eyes were wide.

There were so many strange things. He was not sure if he could even begin to comprehend them. "All I am trying to do is live hear peacefully." He said quietly. "I mean, I've been banished from the Empire and I have no where else to go." He was still clinging to the wall as though he was a gecko.