Kiske Harin's Story

"Ah what a beautiful day..." Kiske said aloud to himself as he walked down the road with his hood down, exposing his unusually white hair to the sky and letting him enjoy the view of the bright blue sky. Kiske sighed and looked back down to ground level and his eyes quickly refocused on a pair of attractive young women walking down the road in the opposite direction. "And the day gets better." he says as he slightly alters his path to bring him closer to the two women.

As they near passing he casually waves to get their attention and says "Oh what a wonder it is to find something, no, two somethings even more beautiful then the day itself. What luck I have to make your ladies' acquaintances. My name is Harin Kiske and it is my unending pleasure to meet you." He takes a polite bow and hears the girls quietly giggle as the compliments peak their interest. And now that I have their attention... He straightens back up "I'm a traveling monk simply out to help people in need, if that need be expelling demons, spiritual teaching, or..." he pauses, "helping with certain more entertaining needs if there is a requirement." he says with a wink.

The girls can't help but to giggle again and one of them replies with "Aren't monks supposed to be celibate?" in a joking tone. Kiske feigns offense as he says "Most certainly not this monk, my good woman. How could one such as I deny a person in need simply because of a silly rule such as that? Not only that but it is a truth that not helping a person in need goes against our creed even more then not following that rather archaic tenant of the recluse monks." The women laugh again and begin to warm up to him, prompting him to ask "Is there a village nearby? Certainly such wonderful ladies as yourself wouldn't be wondering too far from home by yourselves without some form of protection?"

The women point back the way they came from. "We live in a village just a little further down this road." One of them leans close and whispers, "If you wait for us there we'll be back tonight after collecting fruits from the nearby forest and maybe we can get to know each other a little better." She leans back again and the two of them burst out into giggles again.

Kiske bows "It would be my utmost pleasure, good women. If I may ask your names as to know who to wait for?" The two girls shake their heads and giggle again. "No, dear monk. We shall search you out instead. We haven't had a monk in the village in a very long time so one such as yourself shouldn't be too hard to locate in our small village." The girls wave as they continue walking and Kiske can hear them whispering and giggling down the road a ways as he looks after them, watching their most attractive backs, until they disappear around the next curve.

With a new kick in his step Kiske continues walking and it doesn't take long before the village comes into view but as he approaches the outskirts he realizes that there seems to be some sort of commotion in the main area of the village. "Well that's odd..." he mutters to himself as he closes in to investigate. What his eyes behold is a clutter of various villagers and in the middle a group of the most unusual kind. "That's 2 humans and a demon...no wait that's one youkai, one human, and a fox demon and... Kiske stops mid sentence as he notices the strangest group of all, the four humans, especially the three young ladies. "Well my day just doesn't seem to be able to falter." Suddenly one of the strange humans lashes out at the heavily armed human who promptly lays him flat on his back. That can't be good he thinks to himself as he quickly steps out to discover what exactly is going on in this strangest of scenes.

As he approaches he waves to show a non-threatening intent as the air gets thicker with tension. "Hello my good people and demons and..." he looks at the 3 strange girls "my most attractive ladies. I can't help but to notice there seems to be a problem of sorts here and as a traveling monk it is my duty to help where I see a need, whether that need involves expelling demons, spiritual training, or sating some of the more pleasurable needs, I am at your service." he bows formally and clasps the hand of Deirdre as he notices the cut on her head, "My dear you appear to be injured and these ruffians aren't tending to you?" he then notices the strange fox demon with a bottle of medicine. "Ah how kind my dear fox. Please don't let me get in the way of your ministrations." he says without letting go of the girl's hand and actually slowly caressing the back of her hands in a non-nonchalant manner.

As Kiske's wrists were grasped and torn away from the girl he quickly lifted his hands up in a sign of surrender. "If I offended I do apologize. I simply wished to make sure of your friend's well being." Kiske quickly sized up this feisty female. Well well. This is an interesting bit of information. He takes a step back and bows again, "My name is Harin Kiske, traveling monk at your service. If you wish to test my claim I apologize but I do not carry around any form of identification other than my skills themselves. If you wish I can show you them but that would have to be at a later time as this current moment there are much more pressing issues than my monkhood."

With that said Kiske's eyes change from laughing to serious as he looks at the four strange humans. "Now you all appear to be human, but the garments you wear are not familiar to me. As such there are certain questions I would like answered. Are you truly humans? And if so from what village? If not why are you impersonating them?" his steely gaze took in each human as he sized up their potential, whether as threats or as non combatants.

As the smallest human of the group spoke up Kiske turned his attention to her and immediately noticed something different about this one. Where she had been yelling at everyone not too long ago now she still had tear streaks showing on her face. The monk's interest in this strange group of people increased and he became more interested in their story then in the female's bodies, which was an extremely rare event for the young man.

"Well that I can understand and I know it must be hard to trust anyone around here but I can give you my solemn promise as a monk of the order that I am not here to harm you in any way and in fact am much more interested in assisting the group of you if you would only permit me to." Kiske said without a trace of lechery in his voice. "Of course I can't speak for the rest of this odd gathering of people so I shall take my leave and if you wish to talk about your circumstances you are more than welcome to follow me and we can find a more secluded spot to discuss how best to assist you three young ladies and my young lord." he nodded his head at Keisuke, indicating he had no wish to attempt to exclude the young man. "If you do not wish to come with me that is your choice of course but then you will be left in the possibly less comfortable hands of these demons and half-demons. Either way I shall be waiting just outside the village a ways, probably in a nice shady spot, until the evening comes should you wish to join me at a later time."

With that said Kiske again bowed and without even an attempt at attracting any of the female's attention he turned back around and took a few steps back the way he had come before pausing to seemingly see if anyone would follow while he carefully scrutinized the reactions of the others, specifically the unpredictable youkai but also to an extent the strange heavily armed man. He had no idea if these strange humans came with them or if they stumbled upon each other or even if maybe the youkai and the man were bandits and had kidnapped the humans from some foreign land. It's never easy accomplishing anything around demons and why should this be any different... he thinks to himself as he secretly tightens the straps on his gauntlet and begins to store up energy if there became a need for a quick release.

The half-blood bristled; visibly upset that Bishamon had yet to respond. A thought crossed his mind, and he wondered if his brother had actually just run off and his scent was simply lingering among the trees. If his elder sibling decided to fight and cause trouble, Katsu wasn’t entirely sure how it would end. Lord Bishamon was considerably stronger, faster, and better with his weapons than he was. The only thing Katsu really had going for him in a fight was his ability to keep a level head on most days of the month. His brother, however, was relatively hot-headed, where most of the mistakes in battle were made. Out of the few encounters the two of them had, few of them had been violent, and none of them Katsu actually won on his own. Granted, at this time he had the demon slayer Jin with him. The two were tentative allies for the time being, although Katsu was not sure how long that would last. They had few reasons to work together, aside from the fact that Katsu generally didn’t cause trouble for humans and preferred to be left alone. That and he had recently developed a ‘helpful’ reputation among the local human villages. It wasn’t that he went out of his way to help; it was simply more troublesome to have the people around him suffer while he was around. It made his stays in villages much more comfortable, considering that despite his demonic appearance, those he helped were more than happy to provide him with a little bit of food and shelter. Although, as often as someone was happy to help, there was an equal amount of people who were displeased with his methods or still quite perturbed that a demon—even if it was only a half-breed—was anywhere near their village.

He drew the onyx blade from his back and drove it into the soft earth before him. It would simply slow him down as it was and it wasn’t like it was particularly sharp or worthwhile as a weapon at the moment. Eventually he intended to find the name of the blade to bend its sealed power to his will. But until then, it was mostly dead weight. His claws could handle most adversaries. With the silence from his brother, his attention was drawn once more to the cluster of strange people. Tahra was busy attempting to tend to the wounded one, whose blood was toying with his sense of smell. When she addressed the fact that they had seemingly appeared from the bottom of the well with no previous scent, he scoffed, shaking his head. Obviously humans couldn’t do that. He took the lull in his ‘conversation’ with his sibling to examine the group more closely. He didn’t move from his spot as the male lashed out at Jin, holding back a laugh of amusement. To think the strangely dressed human could even touch the demon slayer. From what Katsu had observed, he would have trouble hitting Jin if he tried. And he was a half-demon. Then again, Katsu was more than capable of ripping through the demon slayer apart if he really wanted to. He was unable to keep back a chortle as Jin put the human in his place, on the ground. One of the human girls seemed to freak out, which caught Katsu off guard. The male on the ground pleaded for space and he gave the lot of them a skeptical look.

Troublesome. How very troublesome they are. What have you done, fox? He thought, frowning as he sighed heavily. He gave Jin a bitter look, but managed to hold his tongue. The monk approaching was a strange development. What is this? A show? How many more humans are going to disturb my lovely day? He tilted his head, remaining silent for the time being. It was becoming less and less amusing, this day. The monk seemed to be more interested in the ladies than the others around, leaving Katsu with a bad taste in his mouth. Not that he cared all too much. He wanted to lie down and go back to his vivid nightmares. They seemed more preferable than the panicked humans that stank of strange smells. He blinked slowly as the monk offered to take the lot of them away from the half-breed and his two ‘companions.’

“Tch. They’ve got even less of a reason to trust you than us. Not that I care much. Go with him if you want. Less trouble for me.” He scoffed, turning his attention back to the tree line. “They’re too jumpy anyway. The fox should have left them in the forest where they came from.”

As Kiske makes his planned exit from the group he picks up a sudden tingling at the edge of his senses and his eyes begin searching all around attempting to pinpoint the source of this...strange energy. The weapons master? No, not the human. The demons? No they each have an individual aura about them and its not that powerful anyways. The half-demon? The youkai's aura itself was interesting but nothing too unique but wait...what was that aura coming from him? Its not his own no its that sword of his!

Kiske quickly pivots and begins to make a beeline for the youkai, his eyes firmly affixed to the blade as the aura he was picking up got stronger and stronger as he got closer. There was something...sinister about that blade that he hadn't sensed in a very long time. The last time I sensed an aura like this was many moons ago when I was fighting this full blooded demon...

Several Months ago and many miles away

That codger of an old man had promised me there was a village of beautiful women up this path but I've been walking for hours and yet I still haven't seen any sign of habitation. I doubt that old man could even walk this far much less be in any condition to entertain the ladies once he got there... Kiske's mind returned to the stories the old man had told him of the secluded village of women who had come together as refugees from the wars when they lost their families. Just the thought of a village filled completely with women was enough to steady Kiske's resolve to find that village.

After trudging for another mile his resolve was beginning to wane again and he was just about to turn back when he found a beautiful clearing with enough shade to get him out of the sun. "I think a nice rest is in order, and then I'll decide if I should continue or not." he said to no one in particular as he settled himself down comfortably under the trees and quickly fell into a doze.

Kiske was suddenly awoken by a loud scream from not too far away. He quickly sat up in the now dusky daylight and began searching around for the source of the scream. A second scream came followed quickly by a cry of anguish. He began sprinting towards the location of the noise and could eventually hear more screams and the sound of someone laughing all the while a strong demonic aura was getting stronger and stronger. Kiske eventually broke through the forest wall and out into a clearing where he saw a secluded village and the only inhabitants he could see were beautiful young women. Kiske's eyes shot open and his mouth opened as he just stared at his own personal paradise until another scream brought him back to the more urgent concern of a nearby enemy. He eventually saw a dust cloud from the south side of the village and sensed the strongest demonic aura concentration there.

"There you are!" he called out and quickly began running in that direction, dodging through the streets of the village until he turned the last corner and saw the source of the commotion: a humanoid full-blooded demon carrying a small sword. As Kiske watched the demon swung out with the blade and suddenly the blade was ten feet long, cutting a nearby house completely in half. Kiske dived to the ground as the sword whistled back over his head and sliced through a house on the other side of the street, scrambling back to his feet and sending a surge of power into his gauntlet.

The demon's sword shrunk back to its original size as it sized up Kiske. "And what are you? You smell like a monk but you don't carry the staff of one so are you trying to be smart or are you just unarmed?"

Kiske grinned, "If you think I'm unarmed why are you not simply attacking me like everyone else here?"

"Simple curiosity. It gets boring simply killing everything without any sport. Maybe you'll be some..." and with that the demon lunges at Kiske, the sword gripped in his right hand. Kiske connects his right fist and left palm and begins cycling energy through his body, creating a solid barrier around himself as the demon slashes out with its sword, colliding and deflecting off the barrier. The demon snarls and lunges again, but this time the sword turns into a thin line, creating a needle sharp point which drives into Kiske's barrier and through it.

Kiske's eyes shoot wide open as the blade doesn't break his barrier, but seems to simply ignore it as it passes through. He only has time to lean out of the way far enough for the sword to pierce his left shoulder with a small prick when suddenly the sword grows in size, slicing up through his shoulder and leaving a deep gash. Kiske cries out in pain as his barrier dissolves and he falls over, almost passing out with the pain. As he falls he sticks his right hand out and catches himself, sending a wave of explosive energy through his gauntlet which propels him back up into the air about 10 feet with his head pointed down and his feet in the air.

The demon looks up and snarls as Kiske sails overhead, right arm extended with open palm facing the demon. "Sunbeam Strike!" A beam of white hot light builds up in his hand before exploding out and creating a pillar of light several feet in diameter that pierces through the demon who's cries of pain are cut short as its body disintegrates in the blaze of heat from Kiske's gauntlet.

Kiske ungracefully lands on his side a few seconds later and simply lays there for a few moments as the pain in his right arm begins to spread. "Well that isn't something I want to have to repeat..." he mutters to himself as he struggles back to his feet. Suddenly he senses the aura from before again and his weary body quickly scouts the surrounding area but doesn't see the demon anywhere around. Slowly he realizes that next to the scorched spot on the ground where the demon had been laid the sword, pulsing as an evil aura emanated from it. That can't be good...so it was the sword that had all the power not the demon himself. No wonder he was so easy to destroy. Kiske turns away from the sword and then a thought hits him, That kind of powerful demonic aura is going to attract more demons to it. I can't simply leave it here to terrorize this village again...

Kiske returns to the sword and bends down to pick it up but as soon as his hand touches it the sword sends a surge of energy into him and Kiske can feel it almost clawing at the seal in his back. "No! Not that again! Not ever again!" he yells as he realizes the sword is trying to unlock the sealed energy inside him. He tries releasing the sword but his hand refuses to listen to him and it continues to firmly grasp the hilt. His own spiritual energy fires back to life and begins pushing the sword's energy back into itself but the sword itself fought back almost as if it had a mind of its own leaving Kiske no choice but to put all his energy into removing the swords clasp on his soul and to bind it back into its own shell.

Eventually the last vestige of the sword is removed from Kiske's body and he is able to release his grip on the blade. In his final act he summons spiritual energy into his gauntlet again and drives it into the blade of the sword, smashing the demonic blade into pieces that go flying in all directions. As the demonic aura finally dissipates Kiske allows himself to sit down and slowly he realizes he has fallen onto his back. I guess the loss of blood is getting to me more than I thought..." Kiske looks over at his shoulder and realizes that his entire arm is covered in blood and its leaking out into a pool around him. He tries to reach over with his good hand to put pressure on the wound but before he can he sees people coming in from all sides. As his vision slowly fades to black he can feel something being pressed down on his shoulder and several mumors of female voices calling for a doctor. Well there are worse ways to die then surrounded by beautiful women... Kiske thinks before he looses consciousness.

A few days later Kiske wakes up in an unfamiliar house but with the kindly feel of an old ladies house, lovingly maintained and cared for. Kiske tries to sit up but realizes putting pressure on his right arm to sit up is almost impossible and even raising his head up brings a bout of dizziness. "Oh my dear you shouldn't be up yet! You're still recovering!" a clear voice comes from just out of his sight range, the voice of an elderly yet still strong women.

Kiske turns his head to the side and smiles at the old women. "My good lady I assume I have you to thank for my returned good health? I deeply appreciate it ma'm and if I must say simply the sight of your kind face returns strength to my body. Might I ask what happened?"

The old lady chuckles, "You almost died defending that women's village from that demon and you probably should have but luckily for you one of the women there was a trained priestess and managed to stop the flow of blood from your shoulder allowing you to be transported to my humble house a ways away from the village where more serious medical attention could be given." the old lady frowned, "It was still a close call though. If you hadn't have had such a strong will to live I doubt you would have made it. Even so I'm glad you did and you are more than welcome to stay in my house while you recover."

Kiske nodded, "Thank you my good lady. You have saved my life and for that I shall be eternally grateful. However I do believe I should rest a bit more...I seem to be having trouble keeping my eyes open..." Kiske's voice trails off as his eyes close and he returns to a much more restful sleep. The days go by as he slowly recovers and as his strength returns he helps the old lady about the house, chopping firewood, doing repair work, or doing whatever was needed to help the old lady. They grew to become great friends, sharing jokes at meal times and simply enjoying having a chat every once in a while. The old lady even taught Kiske some of the healing arts and he was surprised to find out that the old lady was actually a fairly competent priestess who mixed holy sutras with healing remedies to increase their potency.

Eventually the day came where Kiske decided he needed to return to his travels, but not before he checked out that village of women who were sure to see him as a returning hero. "Oh I'm sorry Kiske, but that village was so damaged by the demon that they all returned to their homes or found new ones in the surrounding villages. That area's a ghost town now." the old lady said when he mentioned his plan.

Kiske's face simply locked in a distraught appearance and he hung his head in defeat. "Well that makes sense...thank you for the information. I guess I'll be on my way then." he said and he bowed to the old priestess and turned on his heels to head back down the road that he had come in on, only to realize that in all the time they'd spent together they'd never exchanged names yet she had somehow picked up on his. He turned around to correct this injustice but he stopped with his mouth half open as he stared at a completely empty clearing, devoid of any form of habitation except for the tree stump he had used to cut firewood on. He thought he heard a faint laugh on the wind that sounded just like the old priestess but he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from so he simply smiled and shook his head as he returned to his previous path to continue his travels.

Present time

Kiske's left shoulder throbbed in remembrance of the last fight he had with a demonic blade and he approached Katsu with trepidation. "Excuse me my good half-demon, but might I inquire where you got that blade of yours? Or should I call it that lump of rock that holds a semblance of a blade?" he asks in a nonchalant manner even while his insides are boiling with questions.

Katsu’s eyes narrowed as the monk approached him, seemingly more interested in the onyx blade rammed into the earth than the half-demon. He wasn’t particularly keen on interacting with the monk at all, but if he was going to come say ‘hello,’ there wasn’t much he could do to stop him. Something in the back of his spine bristled as he was once again addressed as a half-demon. If the fox had kept her large mouth shut, the human would have likely mistaken him for a full-blooded youkai. Humans surely couldn’t tell the difference and even most demons had trouble telling the difference between a half-breed and a true youkai. The only real way to tell was usually to ask nicely or spend a full month with one, as all half-breeds had a night on which they lost their abilities.

“This useless lump of stone happens to be mine, holy man.” He scowled, shifting to stand partially between his blade and the strange monk. “And unless you think you can take it from me, I suggest you back up. I don’t like the smell of you, much less the look of you. What makes you think you’re entitled to know where I got it from?” While the frustration in his voice was misplaced and better suited to be aimed at his elder sibling, who had still managed to avoid bursting through the trees spouting in fury, he spent a great deal of time and effort sniffing out his blade and wasn’t about to let some strange monk get his full story. He had barely shared it with Tahra and Jin, for that matter. When it was clear they had no idea what his sword was supposed to be, let alone its name, he stopped talking about it altogether, except to periodically complain about how very worthless it happened to be.

The blade was quite the trouble to retrieve, as the crypt he dragged it from two months ago had been crawling with a dark energy that disturbed the corpses in the burial grounds around it. These disturbed corpses seemed fond of animating when someone laid their hands upon the blade and tearing them limb from limb. While Katsu had little trouble defeating them individually, the mob posed quite a bit of a problem and was a tax on his stamina. With the added weight of his newfound and currently unusable sword, he found himself struggling a great deal, only to barely escape the mass of dead. By the time he had left the burial grounds, the undead had returned to their sleep, presumably waiting until the sword was returned by some unknown force and aside from the fact that Katsu could barely carry the monstrous sword, there were no real incidents involving the blade’s power. In fact, Katsu couldn’t even call upon it. While he could smell the almost recent blood on the blade and could practically feel the power locked inside, the sword had become little more than dead weight, an unfair trade considering what he went through on his own to fetch it. Since then he met the fox and the demon slayer, less concerned about their travels and troubles than he was about figuring out how to use the blade as the stories he heard had said.

Well apparently that was NOT the right thing to address him as... the monk realized when Katsu bristled when he was referred to as a half-demon. Should probably stick to calling him youkai for now...

The monks eyes continue searching the blade for clues as more and more things connect and all point to only one conclusion. The sheer size and weight of the blade, the multiple handles, the strange aura emanating from it, this blade could only be one thing, the seven bladed weapon once used by a swordsman of great skill who became corrupted by his own blade..

Kiske turned his eyes to the youkai for the first time. "How you came across the blade is obvious, you stole it from a grave but that knowledge is really of no consequence. What I want to know is how have you managed to wield it at all? Surely in its current form it isn't much use and I was told that this particular blade had been sealed to prevent use by anyone other then the true owner which leads me to ask how did you break the seal." Kiske searches Katsu's face and then a realization hits him as the youkai's face betrays him. "Ah...I see. You HAVEN'T unsealed it and have been wielding it around like a lump of rock. Well I guess if your strength holds up wielding a club is better then your bare hands but if you wish I may be able to help you unseal its true potential. Ah..." Kiske closes his eyes and shakes his head. "I almost forgot you don't like the "smell" of me. Well forget I offered any help since I'm sure you wouldn't want any from a lowly human such as myself even if it did mean increasing your own power."

Kiske pauses to peruse the half demon's face again. "But if you are interested in hearing what I know I'll be more then happy in sharing my knowledge and helping you unlock that blade of yours if for no other reason then because I have a particular fascination with powerful objects, be they sacred or demonic, and I would much enjoy finding out if that blade is a form of evil, neutrality, or good because I've seen all forms before." Kiske retreats into his thoughts, And evil weapons and objects have only one possible end, destruction. Every evil, tainted object I remove from this world is one less that will be around to terrorize the people for I have seen how much damage an evil blade can wreck with even a lowly demon. Allowing a lord of demons to posses a blade of pure evil would bring about a swath of destruction I don't even want to think about.

Kiske's eyes return to their usual happy appearance, "But if your blade can be harnessed and controlled then I would be more than happy to leave it be and simply study it to better understand its construction as I am also a designer of enchanted objects and in fact use them to harness my own energy when needed. As such every new trick I learn increases my own abilities and that is an invaluable chance to pass up."

Kiske’s words stabbed straight through Katsu’s pride. He bit his tongue, holding back what could have been a long string of poorly chosen insults. While he prided himself on his patience, this monk seemed to know exactly where to strike to make it hurt. It was true that he had absolutely no idea how to use the blade and it was his personal mission to wield it for his own means. He hadn’t considered for what end he would use the sword of legend, however. He didn’t much care for helping people out, nor did he wish to ruffle the feathers of powerful demons. However, he held little malice for humans and didn’t see himself bringing it down upon innocent people. He couldn’t even recall why he wanted to find it so badly in the first place. He had spent over a year trying to find the damn blade, and even heard rumors that someone had already robbed the grave and was wielding it to butcher people where they stood. While the crypt had shown signs of previous intrusion, Katsu had assumed that the undead creatures had overwhelmed the last robber and it was returned to its rightful place.

“My bare hands could tear you limb from limb if you don’t watch your mouth.” He scowled, visibly upset at the monk’s words. It was bad enough to have his brother think he was worthless and incapable of handling simple tasks, such as wielding a demonic sword, but a mere human monk was just too insulting. He may have only been a half-breed, but he still maintained the pride of a full-blooded youkai. “And I don’t even bother to wield the worthless piece of junk. I know what I’m missing to command the sword. I don’t need any help from you.” He caught himself a moment¸ trying to figure out how to recover from the lie his pride had pushed through his mouth. The name of the sword was scratched out of every version of the legend he could find—though not being able to read made that considerably more difficult to discern—and any assistance he could find regarding the blade’s true nature would have been more helpful than following around a fox and a demon slayer in hopes that they stumble across it in their journeys. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, pressing back everything in his body that screamed to punch the monk into the next town.

“However…” He began, his face returning to his standard look of mild annoyance. “If you would like to look at it or whatever, be my guest. I doubt you can hurt it any more than I have. Let’s sort these morons out first, though. I’m getting sick of looking at that panicked look on their faces.” He huffed, returning his gaze to the four strange humans. His eyes darted to the treeline and back again. “It appears my dear brother isn’t going to bother with us. He’s not the type to attack us while we’re sleeping either.” He mused, pulling the onyx blade up from the earth and strapping it to his back. He frowned at the cluster of people, and then exhaled another heavy sigh. “I suppose we should feed you or something. The Fox seems hell-bent on keeping you around.” He paused and bristled at the appearance of yet another human. I need to stop hanging around human villages. It’s getting tedious. Do I have to accommodate her as well? He thought bitterly. As the two of them talked, he fidgeted, smelling something strange in the air. He considered going to investigate it when Jin hopped aboard his over-sized cat, the new girl perched atop it as well.

"My friends......need me back home. I have appreciated your companionship, and occasional help in battle, on my journey........but i must leave now. Good luck with your further travels.........be safe."

Katsu blinked as they took off. “H-hey! Don’t just leave me with this mess!” He barked into the night sky. “What am I supposed to do with them?” He was counting on Jin to take care of the excitable humans if they were going to stay. He didn’t particularly trust Tahra to make good decisions on a whole and he wasn’t good at handling human problems that didn’t involve killing something. Did he call me a friend? He was likely just being polite. He turned to the others and heaved a third heavy sigh. “My beautiful day... I knew it would be ruined. Fine, let’s get you lot inside. The local youkai like to eat stray humans after dark.”

Kiske chuckled inwardly when Katsu made his aggressive claim. He was more than welcome to try but the monk had trained most of his entire life to prevent demons from tearing him and others around him apart. He'd at the very least make it a challenge for the youkai and besides that he doubted the half demon really meant his words. But at his acceptance of help Kiske could hardly contain his excitement. This was just the chance he had been looking for ever since he had started designing enchanted weaponry. A close up look of a legendary weapon and a chance to study it in depth. True he only had rumors of stories to go on but he was sure with the actual object within reach he would be able to unravel the mystery much quicker then just reading the stories.

"Oh I'm glad to hear you say that and I would be more than happy to assist you." Kiske said but then turned his attention back to the strange humans who seemed to be frozen in place, not moving and not speaking. "But you are right, we need to take care of these humans first as they are sure to attract attention from the nearby youkai..."

As the half demon turned to call to the humans Kiske cringed when he mentioned that bit about the youkai. You just had to mention that to an already half terrified group of strangers, didn't you...Something tells me your people skills are a bit on the lacking side. Kiske thought to himself as he stepped forward to place a hand on the youkai's shoulder. "Do you have a house in mind, my good youkai? Is there a large enough residence that you have access to? If not might I suggest we find a nice inn where we can rent some rooms for the night? Assuming of course this village has such a location."

Kiske paused to address the group of humans as a thought occurred to him. "It just occurred to me that not a single one of us has asked what the group of you wish to do so I do believe now is as good a time as any to find out wouldn't you say? So how about it? Would you like to stay with this odd group of friendly people until we get this whole mess straightened out or would you rather strike out on your own and hope to find your way?"

The monk blinked a few times before looking first at the half demon and then back at the boy, surprise written clearly on his face. Trusting a demon over a holy man? That's simply unheard of and frankly I'm insulted! the monk thinks to himself as he hangs his head and lifts his hands up in a sign of befuddlement, Can't a guy simply show a little concern for the well being of an attractive female without being instantly branded anymore? It usually takes a few days at the very least...

The monk looks back up at the humans. "Well I'm sure we'll come to an understanding eventually but until that time you are more than welcome to count on the good youkai here to...protect you from the various dangers of this world." he says with a slight chuckle. "That being said, I will be accompanying this demon myself for a spell myself so we will have plenty of time to get over this distrust and I'm sure we'll all become fast friends."

Kiske takes a sidelong look at Katsu's stony face, Although with this one's disposition that might be a bit harder then originally advertized...

The half-demon was taken aback by the young male human’s willingness to trust him over the monk. While neither of them had done anything that would earn a great amount of trust, the typical response was ‘die, demon, die,’ and ‘save us, holy man.’ Not a polite, ‘I’d rather follow the demon, thanks.’ Not one person he’d ever met had essentially complimented him on his honesty. He was greeted more with malice and sarcasm for it. He blinked, confused a moment, and then shook it off, addressing something that had been grinding upon his nerves for quite some time. “Tsk. Half-youkai, youkai, canine-man, I have a name you know. I’d appreciate it if you lot’d use it for once.” Katsu scowled. It took him a moment to realize that he had not introduced himself properly to the group, as he was more concerned with his brother’s presence and the Tahra’s jabbering mouth. He ran a hand through his hair and let it rest upon his neck for a moment. “My name is Katsu. Nothing more, nothing less.” He said simply, not caring much to find out what the others were called. Although he knew their names, he still addressed Tahra as ‘Fox’ and Jin as ‘Demon Slayer.’ He was uncomfortable being familiar enough with a person to refer to them by name. It meant being attached, and being attached often meant weakness or coming despair. This he learned the hard way many times in his early years. Keeping them at an arms length was much easier to deal with than having to suffer someone he was fond of. Why he felt obligated to keep them out of trouble at this point was beyond his comprehension.

“There is a small shack you all can stay in. I think the demon slayer left some food behind, it should be enough to hold you off until tomorrow.” He stated simply, turning heel and expecting the others to follow. “I’ve traded one human for five. Bisha-nii will surely believe I’ve gone soft.” He muttered under his breath. “We won’t all fit in there comfortably, but I prefer sleeping outside anyway. It’s really only built for two or three people.” He paused, mulling over his options and what the monk had said earlier. “I’m not going to baby-sit you all. If you wander off, I will let you die. If you’re not happy with that, I suggest you go look for someone else to cry to.” He slid the door open to the small shack-like house, revealing it to be mostly empty, save for a fire pit and a bit of travelling food. Katsu frowned, and looked over the group of six. “You can fight over the space yourselves. I’ll be on the roof if you need me. But I suggest not needing me.”

The monk silently watched as the humans slowly trekked into the one room shack which quickly filled up the small space. Once the last one entered the room he stepped up to the door but didn't enter, expecting their distrust to make them uncomfortable with so many people in such close quarters. Besides he was sure they needed time to talk about what the group of them was going to do without an outsider intruding. "I do believe I shall sleep under the beautiful stars myself tonight and let the four of you keep your own company to make certain decisions that you need to make. However do not hesitate to ask if you need any assistance as I will not be far from the residence myself." Kiske paused and then took a step inside just far enough to provide Keisuke a flint and tinder set. "There is some firewood stacked in the corner over there it seems. Feel free to use this to start yourselves a cozy fire if you get cold or desire more light." He stepped back outside the doorway and bowed back to the group as he shut the door behind him.

Once done Kiske looked at the slowly descending sun and wondered when those beautiful women from earlier would be returning to the village. He had just about decided to go look for them when he remembered his promise to stay near the residence and with a mental sigh he resigned himself to staying near the shack for the night. He looked up to the roof of the shack and saw Katsu sitting alone and decided it wouldn't hurt to get to know his new traveling companion better. He nimbly clambered up the side of the shack, lifting himself up seemingly without effort and then walking across the roof until he reached the apex and took a seat a few feet from the youkai.

For several minutes the monk simply sat in silence, meditating on the events of the day and what possible futures might be coming their way. Eventually he addressed Katsu while keeping his eyes closed in meditation, "Well Katsu, I'm not sure if I ever introduced myself to you so allow me to do so now. My name is Harin Kiske, a traveling monk of the order and it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. If I might be so bold as to say, you are not like most other youkai I've ever met. The majority of the Full-Blooded demons I've met have been for the most part bloodthirsty monsters, and the half-demons only one step short of that, most desiring nothing more then to cleanse themselves of their hated human side that they saw as weak." At this Kiske turned to look at the demon, his grey-blue eyes questioning, searching the half demon's face for answers. "How is it then, that I managed to find one such as yourself? Who seems to actually have a soft spot for us lowly humans? Are we not seen as inferior in your eyes? Also, why do I have a feeling that you're more...protective then your seemingly callus comments lead us to believe?"

“It’s um, nice to meet you, I suppose.” The half-breed smiled slightly, although more out of a hesitant politeness than out of genuine interest. He nodded slightly at the humans as they headed inside the shack and then climbed up to the rooftop to make himself comfortable, laying his blade across the rooftop beside him. The stars began peeking out from amongst the clouds in the blackening sky and torches were being lit and put out around the village. The half-breed glanced around, testing the scent of the air. The strange smell still lingered, but was faint, and nearly indescribable. Similar to the scents that poured off the four strange humans, different and impossible to describe in words. He glanced to the monk as he was joined on the roof, but decided to take little notice of him until Kiske opened his mouth.

Katsu’s eyes narrowed and he resisted the urge to shove the monk off the side of the roof, resigning himself to lying back with his arms behind his head. “I don’t have a soft spot.” He said simply, watching the night sky absently. “Humans are mostly weak, worthless creatures, incapable of keeping themselves from falling over tree roots. Killing humans is like crushing insects, a waste of time and effort.” He shifted his weight to examine one of his hands and pick at his nails with his thumb. “I hold no malice toward humans either. They pose little to no threat to me, so why should I bother? It’s not like humans can really prevent me from doing anything I want, so what does it matter that they dislike my kind? As for trying to become more demonic, I don’t have the time to waste trying to purge the human blood from my veins. It is who I am, and what I must live with.” He paused, looking over to Kiske. “You haven’t tried to kill me. I haven’t met a single holy man or priestess who gave me a second thought. I guess you must have a soft spot for youkai.” He remarked, closing his eyes. His thoughts turned to the beautiful human woman he could remember from his darkest nightmares. Perhaps he did harbor some soft spot for his human half. After what he did, perhaps it was guilt that kept him from abandoning the group of humans. Either way, he wasn't particularly ready to admit he was unlikely to leave them stranded to die.

“I don’t hate humans… they’re just bothersome. Youkai aren’t much better, you know. Just because they are stronger doesn’t mean they are any less insipid.” He said simply, sliding his hand back behind his head, his eyes remaining closed.

Kiske chuckled, genuinely amused. "Soft spot for youkai? It could possibly be seen that way. But to me it is more I simply don't judge a being based on their lineage. A youkai could be a good and honest person and a human could be a horrible and murderous being in which case I would attempt to destroy the human while helping the youkai if I could. Simply because MOST beings of a certain species may act one way doesn't mean they all do and that includes humans." he chuckled again, "And you're right, most of us ARE hardly able to keep ourselves from falling over roots. But that's one of the wonderful things about humans. If one of us trips, there will almost always be another one nearby willing to help you back to your feet. We watch out for each other and that's what makes us strong."

Kiske looked at his gauntleted hand questioningly, "But there are always those of us who strike out on their own and have to rely on their own strength. These select few probably become more like youkai then they would care to admit. Most youkai desire strength not in numbers but in themselves and as such go searching for means to that end. The weak always look for a way to make themselves stronger while the strong continue to maintain their superiority by feeding on the weak. I myself must admit to expending my energy fighting off youkai and yes even humans through my troubles and I'd be a fool if I said that those encounters did not make me stronger. Does that make me a good man? Or a bad one?" Kiske asks, not expecting an answer, as he closes his gauntlet into a fist.

He turns to look back at Katsu, "However if humans are as weak as you say, why did you spend so much time and energy gathering up that sword that was wielded by a human and was made by humans? At least according to the stories I have read."

“I think it makes you terribly boring.” Katsu remarked, wishing to doze. Despite spending most of his day napping in the sun, it felt as if the encounter with the strange humans had drained the life out of him. “Good and bad is all subjective. I don’t make it a habit on dwelling on it. If I did, I fear what I may find about myself.” He sighed and sat up, bringing his knees to his chest and wrapping his white tail around his ankles. “Weak and strong doesn’t matter in the long run, it is how you choose to live a life you did not choose. A very beautiful human told me that once.” His expression fell and he stretched out to lie back down once more. His thoughts returned to the beautiful human woman from his dreams. How she would simply smile reassuringly amongst the crimson. It was almost too painful to recall. He glanced to his sword as Kiske turned the conversation toward the stone blade. He frowned and rolled over to face the monk as he lay.

“And it was made by demons… who were slain by a human. That’s what I came to understand. Although, every story is a little different. What I know for certain is the sword smells like a youkai itself, while the crypt I dragged it out of stank of human.” He huffed, shaking his head. “I even heard rumors that some youkai had dug it out and was using it while I was still hunting down the crypt, but I found it where it was supposed to be.” He wanted to dodge the real question, but figured the monk would only press the issue, keeping sleep from the half-demon. “I fetched it from its resting place because it gave me a purpose. I don’t currently have one, you see. I haven’t had one for years.” He sighed, rolling over once more to face away from the monk. “I haven’t figured out how I want to live this life. I hope the blade will give me something to do while I decide.”

The monk didn't say anything for a time as he mulled over Katsu's words. The belief that strength didn't matter wasn't often seen in a youkai or even a half-youkai. This was one strange being indeed and Kiske was glad he had decided to hang around. His curiosity was already killing him about the sword but now even the blade's wielder was becoming an object of much interest himself.

"Well that explains why you took the humans in. It gave you a purpose beyond that of your sword although the two purposes might soon be clashing." Kiske stood up and dusted himself off. "Anyways, it was good to get to know you a little better and I for one believe we will become friends one of these days. Might just take a little bit of time." he said with a chuckle as he climbed back down from the roof. Before jumping off and returning to the ground level Kiske turned and said "Something tells me that on this adventure we're going to have to rely on each other more then either of us is used to. We're both normally solitary fighters but from this point forward I'll be counting on you to watch my back and I hope I can expect the same in return."

With that Kiske jumped off the roof and returned to the ground. He slowly wandered over to the side of the shack and sat down, leaning his back against the wood as he settled himself in for the night.

“I haven’t ‘taken in’ anyone, Holy man.” Katsu barked over his shoulder, refusing to roll over to face the monk as he left the half-demon to sleep on the rooftop. “They’ve intruded upon my little world, I haven’t adopted their troubles. And I won’t make any promises to keep you safe.” His ears swiveled, picking up the sounds from within the small shack. He sighed slightly as he listened to Tahra chat with the humans within. So long as he let the fox follow him about, he had pretty much taken in the lost souls. He could simply abandon them all, leave and find somewhere else to go. However, it seemed more troublesome to have to sneak off in the middle of the night than to stick around and suffer the company of the strange people. Then again, suffering their company was already beginning to try his patience. Six humans and a fox, perfect company for a lazy half-youkai. He sighed heavily, rolling over onto his back and closing his eyes. “Forget it, Fox. Go to sleep. Nothing will get you while I’m on the roof anyway.” He remarked loudly, talking toward the sky, though the thin walls of the shack would allow his voice inside. “I don’t want you tired and cranky in the morning. You’re insufferable when you’re tired.” He glanced upward at the waning moon and closed his eyes. He still had several days before the new moon. Keeping the humans around wouldn’t be a problem until then. Perhaps they could read. That would surely give him reason to keep them around. His eyes snapped open at the strange scent returning to the wind. He sat upright, glancing around in the dark. A figure wandered into town from the forest, a strange low jingling emanating from it each time it took a step. He hopped up to his feet to get a better look. The figure was small for an adult human, although not nearly to Tahra’s scale, which was sized like a small child. The scent drifted across the breeze once more and he recognized the scent.

“That person… smells like a corpse.” He muttered under his breath, watching the figure pause at a doorway. The door opened and the figure and the occupant seemed to speak for a moment before the occupant disappeared inside, returning with a small bundle. The figure bowed repeatedly and turned to return to the forest. “Strange…” He hopped down from the rooftop as the jingling figure vanished among the trees. He tapped his fingers against the doorway of the house and the occupant opened the door once more. “What did that person want?” He questioned.

“Ah, Youkai.” The elderly man who answered the door mused, smiling gently. “The young lass wished for some food is all. I gave her a bit I could spare.” Katsu was regarded as an unofficial resident of the village by several of the locals, including this particular old man and his three granddaughters. The half-demon had once saved the youngest from a vermin Youkai, earning the trust of the man. He had only done so because her screams had interrupted his nap, but he wouldn’t actively admit that to what could be a friendly face.

“Have you ever seen her before?” Katsu questioned, sniffing the air before him. The smell of a dead body lingered, but the scent of an unfamiliar live human over-powered it greatly. Was she carrying something on her?

“No, Youkai.” He replied. “But she was strange. Poor child had shackles on her wrists, like she escaped from some place. Her cloak was covered in dirt and blood as well.”

“Don’t open your door for strangers anymore.” Katsu huffed, shaking his head. “Go to sleep.”

“You too, Youkai.” Katsu paced a moment, unsure of what to do. When it seemed that the strange figure wasn’t to return, he walked back to the shack, hopping up onto the rooftop once more.

“Too many strange humans at once. This is bothersome. Now I’ll never get to sleep.”

Katsu’s eyes traced the tree-line, wondering if his sibling would run into the strange human. The scent still lingered on the wind but was fading fast. The strange girl must have been moving quickly to get so far away so fast. He glanced at monk and shook his head. “I wasn’t. I thought I smelled something I didn’t. Just a bit edgy, I guess.” He remarked, sitting down upon the edge of the roof and allowing his feet to dangle over the edge. His gaze returned to tree-line. “Humans are just troublesome. Maybe I should consider living as a hermit.” He mused, sighing heavily as he lied back, using his arms as pillows. His eyes turned to the moon and he exhaled slowly, allowing his eyelids to close. “Go to sleep. There’s nothing to worry about. You’ll be more useful well-rested anyway.” He assured, positive that he would not be sleeping that evening. He was unexpectedly wrong. Perhaps the exhaustion from the previous nights had finally gotten to him, for he found himself in the same dream he suffered each time he managed to close his eyes.

Crimson painted the ground and palms of a small child. Through its eyes he could see a tall, shadowy figure looming over the painted ground. “Look what I did!” A familiar voice crawled out of the child’s mouth. It seemed to echo in the stilted silence around him. It was hard to see the scenery around the two. The child lifted its hands to the taller figure, as if to show off the sticky mess. A sharp pain shocked through the side of the child’s head as the view was forced to the ground by the taller figure’s clawed hand. It turned to leave, whispers filling the silence. “I didn’t mean it! I’m sorry!” The child cried out in despair.

Katsu’s eyes snapped open and he sat up, the sun still hiding behind the curtain of night. He stretched and rubbed his face, trying to wash the images from his mind. It had been awhile since he had taken the point of view of the child in his dreams. “Ne, mother, aren’t we being troublesome today? It’s not even dawn yet.” He muttered, pulling himself up to stand on the rooftop.

Kiske let out a sound halfway between a grunt and a chuckle, almost a snort. Like hell. Whether this youkai wants to admit it or not he has concern for humans, a long with the curiosity of a cat. Strange in a dog demon. Kiske shrugs and gets back to his feet. "Well ok then. If you say so. I'll just go back to my corner and catch some sleep. Good night, my good youkai." Kiske says as he jumps back off the roof and to the ground.

Before he manages to actually get to sleep one of the humans, Deirdre if he heard correctly, comes out of the shack and looks around. He watches curiously as she slightly clumsily climbed the nearby tree and leaped onto the roof. Not hearing any sound of conversation Kiske wondered what exactly the girl had in mind but decided to simply stay where he was and listen rather then intrude on something else.

More rustling at the front door to the shack pulled Kiske's attention once again. Well well. Yet another of the strange humans is out and about. Wonder who it is this time... Kiske leaned around the corner and saw Keisuke wondering away from the shack in the general direction of the river. As Katsu began talking to the girl who had made it to the roof the monk was torn between staying and listening to their conversation and following the boy to see what he was up to. His first reaction was to stay in case the girl needed assistance getting down but decided Katsu could more than handle that bit.

So with a few silent movements Kiske got up and followed Keisuke at a distance, being sure to keep far enough back to not draw any attention to himself. Unfortunately this caused him to lose track of the boy in the woods until he heard a familiar sound: the sound of unarmed combat practice. A sound he had heard for years ever since his time training with the half demon monk in the mountains.

Kiske moved closer and found the boy completely engrossed in his stances, moving between different techniques with surprising skill. Kiske found a seat next to a tree and watched, recognizing some of the boy's movements as slight variations of techniques he used himself. Kiske sensed something off about the young man as he became more and more engrossed in the movements it became apparent that there was something deep inside troubling him. The sudden leap into the river surprised even Kiske and he almost let out a sound of surprise himself.

When the boy climbed back out and began changing out of his now sopping wet clothes Kiske saw what could possibly be the cause of the young man's troubles as burns and scars became apparent across the entirety of the boy's body. As Keisuke returned to the water Kiske backed a ways away from the clearing where the boy had been and then returned, letting himself stumble over an exposed root and letting out a sound of annoyance to let Keisuke know he was in the vicinity before he revealed himself at the edge of the river. "Oh. Hello young master. What brings you out this far this late at night?" he asked nonchalantly.

Kiske blinks once when Keisuke horridly dives back into the water at his approach. So he doesn't want anyone to see the markings...well that's interesting indeed. He held up his hands in mock defense as he said "Follow you? Of course not. You should have noticed by now but I'm not interested in meeting a handsome male as I am in meeting an attractive female. If I had the choice I would have found a beauty bathing in these waters rather then a young man. Although apparently that's not my luck tonight. he added with a chuckle as he let his hands drop.

"Anyways, I shall let you return to your relaxing and shall continue my stroll. Maybe I'll run into the aforementioned attractive female somewhere down this river although the chances are slim." He laughed as he turned to go back the way he came before turning back to call over his shoulder, "Oh, and be careful out here alone. There are some pretty nasty creatures out in the forest. Just call if you need assistance with anything."

As Kiske returned to walking down the river he contemplated over what he had observed about the young man. He was obviously a troubled boy and Kiske assumed it had something to do with the burns and scars all over the boy's body. Maybe he had gotten those scars while in a fight? No if that was true he probably wouldn't be so deeply enthralled when going through the stances. They'd probably bring up the memories every time he ran through the motions. Maybe, instead, he learned to fight BECAUSE of the scars? That would make more sense considering how the techniques seemed to put him in a trance of sorts. Its how he battles the memories of whatever happened.

"Interesting...very interesting..." he muttered to himself as he got close to the shack again. No matter what the reason Keisuke knew how to fight was, Kiske had to admit he was fairly skilled at it and wondered if maybe he should suggest sparring one of these days and maybe getting to know the boy better later on.

As Kiske heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming up behind him he slowed his walk and turned slightly to see the young man he had just left at the river coming up behind him. At the boy's comment Kiske paused in his steps without turning around. At the sight of the young boy's apparent shame he figured out the connection between the boy's trance like fighting and the markings on his body. "I saw nothing that one should be ashamed of. What I saw was the markings that come with living a life. Every person who ever lives ends up with scars whether they be on their skin or on their soul, sometimes on both. Sometimes they bring it upon themselves while sometimes it is forced upon them for some unknown reason."

Kiske takes off his outer robe, revealing the previously hidden hexagram seal on his back, surrounded by scar tissue from where the original burst of energy had torn right through his skin. "Some decide to deal with it themselves and keep knowledge of their scarring a secret while others choose to flaunt them as battle scars. I personally see both external and internal scars as simply marks of learning. Each one a lesson in how something should or shouldn't be done." Kiske replaces his robe about his shoulders before turning to face the boy. "In your case you learned that you needed to know how to defend yourself and those around you, which I admire. Turning a negative experience into a positive one is one of the hardest things for the human psyche to do and you've done quite a good job of it. Yet...there seems to be a lingering sense of failure somewhere in there which baffles me. It is not shameful to be defeated in battle. It is only shameful if you don't take that experience and LEARN from it. It is simply impossible for any being in existence to win every time and honestly you will face defeat more often then victory. Wasting such a valuable experience as loosing is one of the more saddening things that I see in many people and it brings joy to see one as young as yourself being able to apply what you learned so realistically and effectively."

Kiske bows in respect to the boy before turning back around to continue walking. "If you ever wish to continue your training I'd be more than happy to be your sparring partner, considering you might be here for a while anyways. I might even be able to teach you a trick or two." he calls back over his shoulder as he lifts a hand up in farewell.

Kiske returned to his spot at the side of the shack and sat back down on the ground, leaning back against the shack's wall with a sigh. It had been a long, and very, interesting, day and he was more than happy to simply relax and let the night pass in comfortable silence. His plan was interrupted however when another of the human female's exited the shack to approach Keisuke. Kiske was once again tempted to approach but mentally reigned himself in. Better to not alienate this strange group of people with his bad habits so soon if he ever wanted his curiosity about their appearance to be sated. Besides there were other women around who were probably more amiable to a monk of his stature.

Kiske let his thoughts drift back to his earlier encounter with the two women on the road and wondered where they had gotten to. Mayhaps they had not yet returned which could be a sign they were in trouble but even if they were he didn't have any way to follow them. Although the half demon did seem to have a keen nose. Maybe he would assist? Kiske shook his head to get that ridiculous thought out of his head. There was no way he could convince the demon to go hunting down two people he had never met much less simply for the monk to meet them again.

Keisuke and the other girl's conversation was only mumbles to the monk from where he sat but he could hear the conversation going on the roof quite clearly although it also seemed to be going no where. With another sigh Kiske closed his eyes while leaving his other senses open until he entered a type of meditative doze state. Not fully asleep but not fully awake either. It was how he spent his nights when he was alone on the road to avoid being attacked while he slept and it would work admirable for allowing him to maintain attention to those around him without giving away he was listening.

Kiske climbed out of the river in nothing but his undergarments and laid down on the bank next to his pile of clothes, letting the newly risen sun begin to dry him off. With a sigh he sat up and looked around the clearing he was in, enjoying the last few minutes of relaxation before he put his clothes back on and stretched himself before heading back towards the shack.

As he arrived he noticed the fox demon jumping around on the roof, climbing up a human figure. With a questioning look on his face Kiske approached the pair until he recognized the human as the demon slayer that had disappeared some time ago. As the fox demon returned inside Kiske grinned and sent Jin a wave, "Well hello there my good slayer. Where have you been all this time?"