A hunt for one's own dark path

The moon was drawing high in the sky. Clouds scattered along like an army being blown out of formation. The temperature was dropping by the hour. Kouichi seemed lost in a daze. Dragging his feet along the ground without any energy. Dressed in his usual dark colored keikogi with purple cherry blossoms on the shoulders and back. His hakama matching with no purple. His katana and wakizashi set at his left hip. Why he was at this lake confused even him. He was looking for someone. A hunt in a sense. "I could swear it was around here..."

"Hey! Dark Path! You here?!" He yelled, his face distorted with the frustration of trying to remember the name. Yet when he could feel the cold water on his toes, he froze. Why was he even hunting this girl down like she was a friend who disappeared. A growl escaping his lips. It wasn't like they had agreed to meet. He might have even had to wrong location.

His nostrils flared, as he inhaled deeply. Recomposing himself back to his smirking self. His eyes opening as he began to snicker. The electric blue hues seemed bare. Lacking the spark of life. Then it clicked. He remembered the name that dark path claimed as her own. "Kalika!"

"Purpose? Boredom I suppose." Right arm lifting, his wrist flicking away the question. "Perhaps I have become irritated by the 'joys' of living." His voice held a snicker. What could have possibly possessed him to hunt this dark one? He truly could not answer that. His left index finger began to stroke the hilt of his wakizashi slowly. Ignoring the katana. "Or perhaps I have simply become intrigued by a certain Dark Path..." His right hand flicked one last time. The heel of his sandal pressed the soft earth, and allowing a simple spin. Even with that stupid and foolish smirk, he still lacked life he once held in his eyes. The Electric blue staring at the inhuman companion he sought out. One might have thought her tempting, another could possibly be cautious. "A better question, would be why you answered?"

His left digit seemed stuck on repeat of its own actions. Stroking the silk wrapped grip of his short sword. "Answering to someone who once drew his blade on you. Either you are confident or stupid..." His lips curled into a much more vile and taunting grin. The lightning blond of his hair swept back lazily. "I doubt you accept being called stupid. No, in fact, you'd more likely label me stupid." He understood the situation. He was staring a possible death directly in the eyes and did nothing but grin. Not that he complained any. The sight was easy on the eyes.

Compared to her, he held no logical sense of style. She dressed with intent to seduce the mind. Where Kouichi dressed for not such reason. Simply tradition. Those glass like containers lacked their contents. As his eyes stared at the inhuman being before him, he remembered their last encounter. It was somewhat entertaining. "You answer my call directly. Holding back the urges to hide and stalk." His grin faded into a serious expression. "Is it possible you enjoyed our last little chat?" He spoke as though attempting to draw out any aggression she may hold. His head tilting back so he stared down his nose at her. Tempting the beast within her to wish for his blood filled throat.

He couldn't hold back a snicker. This inhumane woman. Whether conscious or subconscious, seemed to hold a form of physical beauty. "I have a bad habit of growing bored with nothing to do." His right hand disappearing into the sleeve of his keikogi jacket. Only to slip out of the opening in the chest. Resting on the intersecting sections at the waist. His head dropped though, and he stared blankly at the cold water around his feet. Taking a large step back to escape its touch.

"This water doesn't suit my likings." He snarled. In truth he didn't really know why he chose to meet her by the water. "If others heard my calling you a Dark Path, then I would have broken my word." That was the most logical explanation he had. The feeling of cold water left his feet, and he stubbornly stepped back once more. His knees bent, and his squat seemed off balance from his katana pressing to the ground. "I prefer a desert heat." His head turned away. As though trying to avoid eye contact completely.

His facial expression stated so stolid. As though he simply awaited the actions which followed. His eyes locked on the surface of the water now. "Though this place has a nostalgia surrounding it. A place I've long forgotten. or perhaps a memory I have misplaced." The location brought back memories he would otherwise have ignored. Faces were nothing but blurs. Sounds nothing but static. Still, the location matched. It was as if he couldn't escape it. His left finger tips began to trace his wakizashi once more. As the memory began to distort, reality came back to focus. Still, the being before him stayed a blur. Was it that he could not recognize it? Or perhaps because his mind could not grasp how to distinguish its features? "Curiosity does not demand being unarmed. Nor does it dictate to come dressed provocatively. If you are truly curious and not cautious, then you'd have no problem revealing your weapon to me." He may have lacked the will to live, but his senses were as sharp as his blades.

"Pet name?" His lips flipped into a slight frown. "I suppose some may. I have a habit of renaming people I meet." His lips sealed shut as though he had no more to say upon the subject. It wasn't any one else' business why he assigned new names. She refused to show the weapon, though hinted towards its location? This woman, origins aside, seemed to have forgotten the reason humans were to be feared. It made no difference in the long run. She obviously lived longer. "You choose an outfit distracting to the eyes. Even if you enjoy it, men will swoon. What a female tactic..."

His head shook in disapproval. Leaving a river of steam from his hot breath. "Your movements. Learned by studying the minds of simple men? Or perhaps as a way to draw in prey. A wise way of life." It made sense she felt that he blade was unneeded when most would see her unarmed and feel relaxed. He pitied those men and women. "What fools your prey must have been." His left digits curling around the sheath of his blade, as his thumb pressed against the hand guard.

"Do not think your threats will frighten me. I came knowing my life may lay on the line." His right hand, though still resting upon the waist tie of his keikogi, waved her warning off. Still squatting in his place away from the freezing water. It was though he ignored certain thoughts within his mind. When his lips flipped back to his smirking face. He seemed almost sage like. "If I had come here looking for death, would you have still kept it hidden?" His question was not exactly uncalled for. Perhaps unneeded, but not uncalled for.

"Wouldn't it be foolish for me, a human?" He snickered, his head canting to the right a bit. "To attack you. It would be like a fly trying to fight the swatter." With a shrug, both arms jumped into the air. His face seemed to restore back to its original smirk. His lifeless eyes remaining. This one didn't talk as much as the others he found amusing. His knees remained bent, ready at any point to spring away if need be. Yet he saw no need. In fact he wished to stay. "I guess you could say company. You are a very interesting being..." A thin spear like tongue tip slid over his lips.

The blond mop atop his head was very wild. Though it easily could hang over his brow, it stayed caged by a bandana. Its tips finding any and every direction to jab outward at. "Do you not wish for my company?" He chuckled. "And here I put in all the effort to remember your name and the location we met last time." His voice full of a playful tone. As though he was teasing an old dear friend. Perhaps it was not the best choice. Fighting urges to jump around and be the foolish street performer he once was. "I must admit, I've come to be curious about you."

Then it finally dawned on him. She had called him 'Dear little Kouichi'. Was this another one of those pet names she had mentioned before? It didn't bother him much. Just set tiny questions to be asked later. Most surrounding why she chose to come live with humans. Others deviated towards more shallow directions. These questions only caused his brow to twitch slightly. As though the expected answers disturbed him slightly. "If you would rather I could draw my blade, but I don't see a point. Even if its just an illusion, I try not to harm people."

"What do I enjoy?" His face twisted to confusion. What an odd question that was. "I suppose I don't truly enjoy anything. At times it is possible to find temporary entertainment." His shoulders jumped and fell. His right hand lifted and removed the bandanna from its assigned job. Allowing hair to fall down over his brow. Wrist flicking to open the fabric up completely. Before he idly began to refold it. As though trying to find an answer to her question. Or at least address her statements. "I've long since forgotten the burn of that spark." Once he had answered, he replaced the bandanna.

Glancing back over the location she hinted of her blade. Trying to guess its size. To imagine the craftsmanship. Even to picture the very moments it was used to slice away at a person. This left a twisted entertainment in him. What she must have looked like, performing such actions of violence. "You are a sly one.." He began to alter his point of focus. "Suppose you had the ability to bring that spark back. What would you do with it? Torture a human that dared treat you like you were his at his low level? Play cat and mouse, monopolizing the joy of being the only one to ignite my life?" His lips curled once more into a chaotically playful smile. His left digits divided and locked down over the hand guards of the swords at his hip. Securing them and making it impossible for him to draw them.

Upper body lunging forward, his body dashed directly to her. Staying parallel to her body perfectly. As their gazes met, his head canted to the right and he chuckled slightly. His smirking face almost completely like a mask. "Perhaps you'd choose to destroy such a precious key." He teased, with a taunting tone. Still he held no physical intent of drawing his blades. Nor did he hold a killer intent. If one had to categorize it, possibly more of a playful intent.

"This will be an answer for when you earn more of my trust. Agreed?"

It was slightly disappointing how quickly Kaliika had retreated. His smile dying down only to turn it into a smirk. His head head dropping forward. Shoulders rapidly moving in a slight laughing fit. As though he could not hold it back any longer. "Oh that's priceless." It was becoming obvious that the nervous, indecisive conflict in her was starting to at least entertain him. "I'm starting to enjoy you more and more." His voice cracking with laughter. He took a single step closer. When he finally lifted his head back ups, his eyes were wide open. Though no spark a true life danced. The look of a deranged pleasure reflecting within them. Laughing had ceased, yet that looked remained glued to Kalika.

Still slightly bewildered by her swift retreat from him. "I wasn't aware you despised me so much, Kalika-chan." His left hand released the lock he had placed upon the swords. Lifting along with it's right sides twin. Not only did Kouichi shrug, but the care free approach made him possibly look more sane than he truly was. His insane laughing fit had ceased, and his eye lids returned to their resting positions. Leaving only a sliver of possible gaze. "The same reason I'd want your trust?" His shoulders still up in the shrug. "Because of bordom and intrigue.."

His shoulders fell and as though respecting her wishes, stepped back away from her. "Oh what a boring subject we seem stuck on...." With a sigh, he lost interest at the moment on their subject, and even went so far as to just simply change it. "Kalika-chan, you hold decades over me. May I ask some advice?" It was the first thing to pop into his head. Who better to seek advice upon this subject but the very person who would enjoy his death just as much as his life?

Kouichi burst into laughter. A small tear swelling in the corner of his left eye from the strength of the laugh. "Me? A new toy?!" That was a good joke. Did the long years of life distort her views on the adjective new? Still, he couldn't control his laughter. "Oh my, Kalika-chan. Your flattery will get you everywhere." He joked, covering his still grinning lips with the tips of his right fingers. Those slits he called eyes merely gazed over her once more.

"Broken is a much more accurate a description. The action site must have been lying if they told you I was shiny and new." His laughter dying down to a mere chuckle behind each word. "If I were you, I'd demand a refund. Refurbished is not shiny and new." His left hand balled into a fist only to extend its index finger and wag it like he was scolding someone. His mind had done such a jump. Was it possible he simply required that new person around. The street performer in him required an audience.

"Anyways, my question is answered." He waved off the last bit of their conversation. "I suppose as long as we both view each other as toys, we'll be just fine." His grinning face with the closed eyed facial expression. How could anyone have actually trusted a word he said? "To tell ya' the truth, I probably wont ever trust ya... But you don't seem like the type who cares." He still chuckled as though she was telling nothing but funny jokes.