Welcome to Gaia! ::

Argh sry it took me so long to post! Been busy but don't worry should be able to post daily from now on. Don't mind you being NPCs Nakago, in fact, it's rather helpful smile

'This place is a dump,' Tasuki thought but not without feeling. The bandit felt a good deal of pity for the poverty striken people surrounding him and it seemed the further he drew to the palace the worse their state got as opposed to more prosperous.

He looked up at the looming palace and was caught between a grin and a frown. 'I'm here at last but uh...how the Hell am I gonna get in there?' "Where the Hell is Kouji anyway?" he wondered aloud. 'Oh well I guess he'll have to accept whatever I steal as proof.'

With a wide, fanged grin the bandit approached the palace confidently, oblivious to any stares from the locals.

Amiboshi remained close to his twin brother as they made their way to the gates, afarid of loosing his brother to the rather rude crowd. He turned his head and gave a last look over the busy city before sighing out. Why did people have to act like such animals at times.

"So where to now?" Amiboshi asked, looking up at the other man as they were barely at the foot of the exit. He was unsure if they had anything else that needed to be done before the end of the day.

//Okay, in order to get my intro in I'ma throw in a few twists so I can propell Tama in a certain direction - can't believe I'm playing him so please scold me if I enter too many parody moments.

Also making my additional character more accessible for me at a later date and can provide me with ops later on.

I have no qualms with you playing some NPCs for now Naka-san but it isn't overly required.

As was anticipated, she was not particularly thrilled to see him but as the eighteen year old slipped into the abode and gazed around at the valuable artefacts the silver haired woman did at last present him with an offer of tea and he could only assume that she had somehow come to terms with the fact that for some obscure reason he had dropped by for a chat - all the way from Konan.

"Now what is it this time?" She enquired in a delicate manner, carrying the tray laden with various utensils upon it. She wasted very little time in setting the tray down though and he winced as it made a small clatter upon the table before the ceramic cups upon it seemed to steady themselves. "If it's money again then you know I can't afford it." A flicker of guilt passed through her youthful features and she could only offer a fond yet wry smile.

"No, well -" He paused briefly, his hand in the air as some sort of half gesture and grimaced briefly at the approach he had taken - wow, he wasn't very good at being subtle, now was he?

"You see, I know you can't afford to give me any help that way but picture this." Now that he had decided upon his approach his eyes twinkled (like the true salesmen) and he proceeded to offer up his proposal to the silver haired woman who sat patiently by the small table with her hands loosely clasped in her lap - her expression was that of quiet consideration.

"You wish for me to return to Konan?" She seemed skeptical at this proposal and yet remotely she also seemed to like the idea of a little bit of travel - she had terribly itchy feet and simply couldn't help herself when it came to wanting to see new things...she hadn't been to Konan since she was a little girl!

"But you want me to take care of your family...while I'm there?" This is where she was most skeptical as, for one who liked money, he seemed to have ignored the fact that she became another mouth to feed within the household and would further his debts.

"Yes!" The young man clapped his hands together and offered one of the boyish grins she was so familiar with, "And don't worry - I promise to make sure you're well fed and -"

"How exactly will you do that? Tama-san you already have trouble taking care of your family as it is." The woman sighed and very gently pulled at one of the ribbons within her hair, "Do not get me wrong, I would gladly come to your aid but you must consider the proposal you make and the issues that arise from it..."

"It means my younger brother can spend more time at work." The now named 'Tama-san' looked slightly uncomfortable at what she had reminded him of but upon his words some form of understanding seemed to flicker in her steel grey eyes, "Trust me Douin, I know what I'm doing." He assured her while mentally noting that although her heart was in the right place, she was lousy with money.

"Well..." She fidgeted where she sat and glanced pointily at the tea which seemed to have cooled to a suitable temperature in which to drink from, "How soon do you intend to leave?" She asked at last, raising a brow as an expression of triumph clambered onto the young man's features and he seemed to rub his hands together...Well she could take that in a number of ways but she refrained from commenting.

"As soon as you're ready?" He chirped, the grin still riddling his face as he indeed felt triumphant but he was more delighted of the prospect that his father would finally have someone more mature to tend to him as opposed to all the strain being placed upon his little brother - that and Douin was a fantastic cook, but he would never admit that.

It was only a matter of hours (and much persuasion from Tama) before Douin was goaded into pulling together a small package of her things. She had brought a few utensils but mostly clothing and under the assurance that she would not be held for years in his sway (only until his father recovered - which could in fact take years but he didn't tell her this) she was at last ready to leave.

Aided by the 'gentleman' Tama, she was escorted to her steed and her parcel was carefully attached to the saddle...it was only then that she herself was 'thrown' up onto the mount and with a few grumbles of discomfort she settled herself for the long ride.

So far, Tama (or rather 'Tamahome' as he so frequently demanded to be called) had outlined the course in which they were to take...

Sairou Desert -> One of the harbours of the North -> Boat to Konan.

It was really a very simple route, there was just the problem of poor Douin getting rather sea sick in the process...

"Yeah," Suboshi agreed. He knew it had been a stupid question, but he had to ask. He needed some bit of affirmation that their way of life was the right one. He needed his brother to tell him they were doing the right thing. "But it's nice to dream, nee?"

The atmosphere was heavy now, and Suboshi was determined to change that. "So Aniki," he said a more cheerful voice, "What do you say we take that road?" He pointed out a smaller, rougher road than the main one out of the city. "If I remember right, there's a stream along the way, and we can get some fresh water for the road."

Ok Devil's Pet...sorry for the delay. sweatdrop



It was only so far away as far as physical mileage...but the Konan and Kutou Palaces were a world apart in so many ways, just like the countries over which each governed. In both however, there were many things which needed to be done, and some of which, required the direction or approval or action by the youngest emperor in the known world. The head advisor to the crown was frustrated, as he had slept late, which was no like him, and he knew there were some things that Saihitei needed a little prodding to get him engaged in...so it was highly unlikely that he would have been attending to them alone. And he recieved yet another report of the emperors lack of interest in the harem that was prepared. It was time to choose an empress on top of all the affairs of state.

That being said and done..there was a slight ruckus in the Konan Palace, because the head advisor was trying to find the emperor. He had checked the bedroom, no answer, the throne room had the rest of the advisors waiting, where had he gone off to?

Tomo did as Nakago commanded, and headed toward the main stables. He wished there had been time to go back to the caravan and gather some clothes, but that would have taken too long, and was not entirely necessary. He needed not carry more clothes should he wish to change his appearance when such an effortless method was at his disposal. He did not plan on getting terribly dirty, so he could live with his current ensemble for the time being.

When at last he arrived, the stables were bustling. Provisions were being loaded, and the company was scrambling to complete preparations in the most timely manner possible. His presence went mostly unnoticed in the chaos, and so Tomo sunk back into the shadows until Nakago appeared, and they were ready to leave.

The road was, for the most part, quiet and empty. The stream was just a little ways out of town, it would not take too long to reach.

"Aniki," Suboshi said with come concern, "Something wrong?"

He felt as though something was weighing on his brother's mind, and that bothered him. He did not like it when his brother was anxious or sad. Their closeness was so much that most of Amiboshi's emotions were also felt by Suboshi, and vice versa, so it was usually best to resolve matters quickly for both their sakes. But more than that, Suboshi was resolved to let nothing and no one do his twin harm. He wanted his brother to be happy. Suboshi's hothead sometimes got them in trouble, and he was always sincerely sorry for causing Amiboshi grief. Truthfully, he did not know what he would do without his aniki.

"Is what I said before bothering you?"