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Neutral areas where Igura battles are prohibited, allowing Igura participants to rest. The "Meal of Duty" bar and hotels are examples of neutral areas. Here, participants can also find things like food and other supplies to trade their junk tags for.

The perky little blond boy smiled as he walked down the streets. He was quick on his feet and when he saw Akira he picked up the pace a bit. "Hey! I thought I told you to wait at the hotel," Rin said walking over to him. He had water in his arms for them to share.

(Hey Akira remember you have to do at least 5 sentences per post.)

Rin giggled as he moved closer to the silver haired teen. "You are so sweet Akira!" He wrapped one arm around his smiling at him. His bright blue eyes held great mirth as he gazed around them before passing him some water. "I hear there are some new nasty Executioners running around... I hope we don't get involved with them."

Executioner, this is the title he wore boldly and proudly. Not so much because he felt pride in the title but because of what it allowed him to do. Black hair fluttered in the slight breeze in the quiet of the Neutral Zone and eyes of the darkest blue gazed through crowds that supposed themselves safe. Poor, pitiful creatures that had "won" their way into the Igura.

Nikuyoku Bushii wore a smug smirk that told nothing of the sinister man beneath the pleasant mask. A normal person saw the mass of people trading tags and food supplies. Nikuyoku saw walking corpses just waiting to fall to the ground amidst blood and their own entrails. Even in the neutral zones, no one was safe from an executioner.

It was from his position, leaning against the crumbling remains of a building, that he heard the word that perked up his ears. And so, with steps quiet and measured he tailed the pair, his katana held across his shoulders so that it might be less intimidating at first glance. Though, there was only so much one could do in posture to make an unsheathed, seventy-six centimeter, folded steel katana less intimidating.

It would be only for the fluttering of supple leather trench or shifting metal that the two would hear the man behind them until he wanted to be noticed. Admittedly it would be harder to hear such sounds amongst so many people and their own conversation than if he'd been stalking them amidst the more desolate area where the Igura's main action occurred.

Akira looked confused but nodded and followed Rin to the hotel still looking around him his grey eyes scanning the area cautiously. He wasn't going to take any chances of being caught by Gunji and Kiriwar. And he defiantly had to avoid running into the newer Executioners now that he knew about them. Though he mostly kept his eyes out so he wouldn't run into Shiki. The silver hair boy knew it was better to keep an eye out so that he could defend the blonde boy with all he had. He was just worried things might continue the way they had for him.

What the hell am I doing here? This was the thought that ran through short little Minerva's mind as she walked gracefully through one of the Neutral Zones of Toshima, weaving through crowds of people swapping cards or supplies for different things. She was not here to trade these useless tags, which jingled around her thin neck on a chain, as a child would baseball cards; that much was certain to her.

A delicate hand reached up to grab the chain as she walked into the Hotel, her mind drifting to the horrid events that brought her here. Her father's death at the hands of Vischio thugs, her mother's broken heart and whoring out her body to pay the so-called "protection money" they were loaning her to live. The grip on the tags tightened, and her pace quickened. That was why she was here. She fought for her mother's freedom, and her father's vengance.

She had been moving blindly the whole time this soliloquy occurred, and thus paid no attention to what was infront of her. Because of this, she soon found herself colliding into two boys in a corner of the building.

Minerva's body instinctively jerked itself back after crashing into the gray haired boy. Snapping out of her thoughts, her face reddened with embarrassment. "I-I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." she said nervously. "A thousand pardons, sir. Are you alright?"

Mentally, her inner fighter was kicking herself for being unfocused on the task at hand. She was supposed to be searching for a competitor, not bumping into strangers in Neutral zones. What a great first impression, her inner voice sarcastically said. The other fighters will SURELY take you seriously now.