Kioyo's Return

[Kioyo Kamen]

It was well past three am by now and yet the city of Tokyo was at it's busiest; the streets were lit with huge neon signs proclaiming that this restaurant had the best Kobe in town, that that shop surges the best ramen and the night clubs were in full swing with a steady stream of patrons waiting outside it's door.

If below or in any of the large skyscrapers around Tokyo looked out their windows at the Tokyo tower they would see a young man, standing atop it's spire looking down at the city; or they would have if then were looking through binoculars.

Kioyo Kamen felt at home and for once at peace being in Japan once again. This was after all; a place he had once called home.

Looking down on the streets now he only felt hatred towards the humans, but he also felt sadden by this emotion... Had he Kioyo Kamen not one been a human?

No less than six years ago he knew nothing of the guild nor of the Guardians and certainly not of the Allied. Kioyo had once walked the streets of Tokyo a human. Hr still remembers the times he spent then with his friends.

Walking from street to street taking in the sights, smell and sound of the city, getting into fights whenever a cute girl walked past their group just to show off.

A small part of Kioyo wished he could go back to that time, wished that he would be able to relive his childhood and wished that when the Guardian recruiters came to his home he had never followed them.

For now it was too late to turn back, he was locked into tis world of the guild. Regret so much regret filled his heart now that his head was clear from the rage it had been consumed in, now that he had some time to think, he actually would have prefered the rage over this peace and guilt.

[IvySeeker]

Somewhere in this city, there's going to be a Gifted born.

Sometime in this hour, a new life will grace the planet.

And yet.. Now, in this reality, somewhere in this city, I feel a darkness.

Ivy breathed in the cool night air, her lively brown eyes scanning the crowd with an unusual alertness. To anyone who looked her way, they would have simply seen a young graduate, walking home with a worn out floorball stick in their hands. That was the power of a simple disguise, fabricated by magic and held by magic. In reality, Ivy was clothed in a simple sweater to keep out the cold, and warm yoga pants to maximize her movements. Not what some would expect from a Head Guardian. The only thing that defined her as such was the glimmering, pearl white scythe that she so casually held.

I feel a pulling to the West, and a block to the East. Which one should I handle first? She needed to find the newly born Gifted babe, and place an enchantment over the infant to hide it's powers for the next few years- Hiding it effectively from the Allied's senses. And yet... Ivy could feel the taint of darkness pooling in one area- A sign that an Allied was present.

Decisions, decisions. So much to think of, so little time.

Secure an area first before moving in. With that done, Ivy turned around and brisk walked to the East, tilting her head this way and that, as if casually observing the scenery. Following an unknown pull, her eyes drew up to one of the spires- the top of a hotel.

The spire was a dark needle against the sky, and there was a regularity when it came to the bumps and curves of the structure. Where each delicately crafted rope of chiseled stone was draped across another, was yet another bump. But there it was- A small hump that broke the pattern- a tangle in the threads.

Ivy fixed her mind on the roof of the building behind the spire, and willed herself to teleport there. There was the familiar sense of stepping through a seam in the fabric of creation, a cool tingling, and she was then high above the streets of Japan, and a few mere feet away from an Allied. One she knew all too well.

[Kioyo Kamen]

His long overcoat blew forward in the wind and for a moment he inhaled the cool air. The he felt it; the presence of two distinct beings both with a strong pull to it, but one in particular had more pull; arch more immature scent or feel to it.

Kioyo smiled. "A gifted Baby, so young so mani-" his words were cut short as he felt a familiar presence seemingly materialise behind him. At that moment his expression changed, when he had sensed the baby he felt happy and pleased, now he felt anger boiling over him.

He knew it was too late to teleport away, the new arrival would simply lock his powers if she was not already doing so now. One could never tell when ones powers were being sealed, it was only when one tried to use them did the full realisation kick in.

Kioyo balled up his fist, ready to strike; even if he had to fight this Guardian with hus barehands he would, it was either that or be taken back to the Guild a prisoner and he was not about to go back in chains.

"Ivyseeker, long time no see" he said his voice hoarded from the lack of use these days, his words carried a light Asian accent to it mixed in with just a hint of British influence, his time spent in England was showing, but one could not deny the hatred beneath his voice.

"and what do I owe this pleasant little visit from the head Guardian, on this fair night?"

[IvySeeker]

"You flatter yourself, as always,Kamen." Ivy remarked nonchalantly, leaning against the support pillar of a satellite dish. "I came here for another reason." He would feel the pull too, Ivy knew it. Once a Guardian- Some things never left you. The urge to protect and guard, the senses, the training. And yet, Kioyo had seemed to let his be tainted into a lust for power, revenge. "Revenge is a bottomless pit, Kioyo, your path is futile."

Gently, she drew in her threads of magic, and slowly wove an illusion around the two of them. It was weak enough so she could conserve her energy, and for him to dissipate if he wished. The picture showed a smiling, eager young boy entering the gates of the Guild. Then his progress from Desto to Volente, to Guardian.

"You had all this, you're not going to throw it all away because of a setback?" His Gifted's death was not just a setback, but a harsh blow. It was like a smack in the face saying ,"You failed!" But there were worse failures than his- some even ending in the Guardian's death.

Slowly, the scene around them changed-a doing of her illusion. It showed fires, charred burnt bodies laid out on the ground, and the horrible sound of anguished wailing reached their ears. "You caused this, by exacting your revenge on that one human that murdered your Gifted. But did you know? On top of that bridge, that very night- Two other Gifted were burnt to death." Her eyes filled with a sadness, as she played the scene in front of them. Her voice slowly lowered to a whisper, "Is this what you want?"

[Kioyo Kamen]

The sight if these illusions merely made him laugh. Kioyo let his head fall backwards and laughed.

Yet there was pain in his eyes, it wasn't that he had killed the human and the two gifted but the realisation that all his hard work had gone to waste, and if there was ever a thing that Kioyo hated the most it would be wasted effort.

"I slaved through three years of training, only to fail?" he laughed half heartedly almost forcing the laughter af times.

Tears began to roll down his eyes, but were quickly brushed off, and he fell silent once more, his fist relaxed and with a single move wave of his hand he swept away the threads of illusion with magic.

It would seem that he wasn't going to be carted off... Yet, but he wasn't about to give this Gaurdian a chance to arrest him should they meet a second time. No he would make sure that this would be the last time she caught him unaware and he would make her regret coming to confront him today.

"you have me, unarmed and unaware of your arrival, a golden chance some would say to thin down the ranks of the Allied yet... You hesitate? Why?" he asked. His voice unreadable.

Before he makes his move he wanted to understand what drives the Guardians to not strike when they have their prey cornered.

For an allied would have struck down his or her prey in a heartbeat.

[IvySeeker]

"You'll only fail if you continue down this path," Ivy murmured, wishing for just one chance that Kioyo wasn't all lost to the Allied. But no- The sad truth was, what once would have affected him didn't now. He was lost. She shook her head, before hardening her expression as the illusion swept away. The agonized cries faded away, only to be replaced by the howling of the wind.

Ivy tilted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow at his question. "To put it bluntly, your Allied are like a bunch of headless chickens without a leader. For the best interests of the Gifted, and what little peace we have, I will let you remain." She dipped her head in a small nod at the end of her sentence. There was no way Kioyo was going to leave without hurling a few spells at her, or something.

Her grip tightened on her scythe, before relaxing. A clear warning that she would defend and attack if she herself was attacked. Suddenly, the pull intensified by tenfold, and she knew the Gifted was born. Her icy eyes swept over Kioyo once, staring directly into his eyes. She could feel his energy, a pulsalating dark ball of magic. Deftly, she reached her awareness to his magic and Contained it. Not permanently, no, but perhaps for a good ten minutes, at best.

Ivy had not had as much practice with Containing as her other abilities, and the moment she did the deed, she immediately felt slightly wearier, not as alert as she was before. "And like I said earlier, I did not come here for you. Adios Kamen, and I do hope to never see you again." She visualized the location of the pull and forced herself to teleport there, hoping to get the seal on quickly before the Containment wore out.

[Kioyo Kamen]

"Tch, Guardians never really had the stomach to do what was necessary" he whispered to himself. His tone flat and calm.

He knew he was about to be contained, and he had been, and fight he would have pulled off would have served to drain him of his energy and he needed his energy, Dawn was fast a approaching and the new gifted had just been born, soon it would be time to test the Guardians resolve in protecting their gifted.

He could feel his blood boiling again, but this time it was different, it wasnt anger for one it was anticipation, he would level all of Tokyo to ind this Gifted if he needed too, and if he could get his hands on the chil then he would ensure that the Guardians won't have the infant either.

"Should have killed, me right here and now Seeker, you will ne regretting this missed oppourtunity soon" he mumbled.

Before he returned to his absent minded gazing , Tokyo looked so beautiful now, he wondered what it would look like in rubble or ash, as he felt the containment spell weaken, gathering all his energy he concentrated on the pull from the infant just as Ivy had.

He vanished from the spire. The child would ne in his hands or it would be dead on the floor.

[IvySeeker]

The hospital was quiet, save for a whimpering infant baby that squirmed in his cot.Such a beautiful child, destined for a troubled life. There was no one around, so Ivy bent down and picked up the infant, cradling him in her arms."Shh, I'll make sure you're safe." She cooed, tickling him in his belly. The baby in her arms quietened down, and his breathing evened out. Now was the time.

Ivy laid a palm against the baby's forehead, closing her eyes to concentrate, "Seal of Guardians/ Descend on him now/ Hide his Gifts/ From those who seek/ Till the morn of birth/ a decade from now/ remain and protect/ guide and guard./" An unnatural hush fell over the two, and a gentle white light glowed before fading. Now, as Ivy checked. She could feel no pull to the child. She placed him down on his cot, and glanced around at the security cameras. 4 blinking red dots stared at her, and she idly waved a hand, erasing about five minutes of it's memory.

It was as if she was never there.

Now, the decoy. Kamen may have thought her weak and predictable, but she had far more planned that she had let on. Never underestimate your opponent. It was something Kamen had failed to learn. The woman teleported to a garden, a good few blocks away from the hospital. Ivy poked around until she found a shivering little bunny."Sorry, little guy," She whispered to it as she gathered up about a quarter of her remaining energy, and storing it inside the bunny. It was just the exact amount of power the Gifted infant had.

Ivy let the bunny jump out of her hands, and she let out a small smile. "Let him track that." She murmured, before grabbing her scythe. She turned on her heel and disappeared into the shadows.

But then again, no one really stops watching until all is clear, isn't it?

Going back to the hospital was too obvious, so what was her next best choice? Stalking Kamen. Oh, today was a fun day, wasn't it?

[Kioyo Kamen]

Feeling a slight shift in the pull from the gifted Kioyo stopped for a moment briefly on top of a building.

He could have sworn that the pull had been diverted just a bit, right now the pull of energy was coming from a Garden?!

Something was not right, he knew it he could feel it. He knew that the pull was coming from a garden, he had once loved near there, even played there at one point in time: his lips curled into a smile. "Ivy, ivy underestimating my knowledge of the area, tsk-tsk" he mumbled softly.

Placing his hands together as though praying before slamming them to the ground beneath him. Smoke erupted around him, any human passing down below would think the smoke came from a kitchen but in effect the smoke a from a portal opening and closing.

Now before him stood a giant salamander, in the early morning; where everyone was scrambling in ass rush to the trainstations or otherwise to preoccupied to see anything that wasn't infront of them, no one would notice a huge reptile movig a cross the roof tops.

"Find the Source of the pull, and when you find it... Eat it, oh an one more thing, if you see a guardian eat that one too" Kioyo commanded shortly after the Slamamder took
off at a steady pace down to where the Garden would be.

Now Kioyo had bought himself sometime to think, ivy had a head start and judging by the sudden shift in pull the infant had already had a seal placed on it.

"Drats, should have drained her on the tower" he whispered to himself. "ouwh, well no use crying over spilled milk" he said this time more audible, before following his Salamader at a steady pace.

There is no reason that this journey would be a complete waste of time, he would atleast be able to watch a good show.

[IvySeeker]

She saw it all- crouching on a roof of a house, a few blocks away. She was far enough for him to not be able to pinpoint her exact location, but enough to for him to know she was still in the country. Her eyes watched as the giant creature was summoned, and sent racing across the rooftops in search of one elusive bunny. Her frowned deepened as she saw how slack he had become in his discreetness. Really? Summoning a giant salamander in the middle of a large populated city. That idiot, Ivy thought, shaking her head. Someone might see, and where would we be? Humans were not to be underestimated. Sure, magic could kill them pretty easily, but their weapons had devastating power as well.

Tonight's work seemed to be done, and what Ivy wouldn't give for a nice nap before she had to return to Cielo. A smile curled the edges of her lips and silently, the woman vanished from the scene.

OOC: End thread after your post?

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