(Untitled)

[yamazaki_san]

Susumu sat in the meeting room with the ambassador’s assistants; his elbows on the table and fingers laced underneath his chin. He knew the ambassador was not irresponsible, and his absence from the meeting had roused the ninja’s suspicions. But Souji had left the room with such a determined look that Susumu fully expected him to return with the

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[first_captain]

Souji waited, eyes hard and arms crossed as he watched the Ambassador scramble inelegantly. He did not like this. He did not like to see a grown man reduced to this state. It was not good. He knew that was an understatement. The Ambassador was the most important man in the building, and easily the most important japanese in the country, and although Souji did not like him, or the government, he was the man who would represent them all here. When the door opened again, Souji turned to Susumu who had just burst through, finally having received his summons.

“Yamazaki-san.” He said, the formality called by the situation. They were not friends or companions at the moment. They were soldiers of rank, in a crisis.

“We have something of a problem on our hands.”

He was silent, turning to watch the Ambassador, letting Susumu see the situation for himself.

“You’re smarter than I am. What do we do?”

[qr_npc]

For his part, the Ambassador was curled into a near-fetal position, trembling nervously on the floor as one, widened eye peeked out fearfully from behind a hand-made mask,

"My guards! Where are my guards?! They're already here!!"

[yamazaki_san]

His eyes found Souji first, then slowly drifted to the floor and the Ambassador. He watched for a moment in shock at the man’s actions, then the expression fell from his face and like Souji became a soldier.

“Have someone capable go to the house and retrieve the flat black box from the top dresser drawer in my bedroom. They should bring it quickly, and they should know there will be severe consequences if I find anything is broken.” He mentally reviewed which medications he had put in which boxes. Everything he needed would be in the black one.

“If he gets any worse I may have to sedate him.” Susumu concluded, at a slightly lower volume. He moved slowly toward the cowering man and knelt next to him. He doubted he would be able to talk him back into a normal state of mind, but at the very least he might discover more about his ailment.
“Taishi-Sensei, who is here?”

[qr_npc]

"The enemy...", his wide eye surveyed the room from behind his hands as his voice trembled, "We killed them in the war, and yet they're here!"

Then, in a flash, the man sprung up and pointed at a table in the corner of the room, then a plant, and then a plaque hanging on the wall, "Surely, you can see them for yourselves?! The Ronin of Ikedaya have returned for my head!"

[boy_named_crow]

It was officially no fun being human.

The boy called Crow could feel a very human pounding in his chest as he trotted down the hall, away from whatever it was he'd just encountered. It hadn't been Johnny Walker, he told himself repeatedly; he'd seen Kafka's father die, had read the article about it in the papers and helped rinse the blood from the soaked shirt. His claws had ripped the old man's face, wings beating vainly but Kafka was safe and it was all going to be different now. Johnny Walker didn't have power here.

Unfortunately, if the angry vibe shivering through the air was any indication, whatever it was that did have power here was much, much worse.

Rounding another corner, he caught sight of the man he was looking for. He didn't burst into running down the hall like a child; that wasn't to say he didn't pick up the pace a little as he half-trotted toward Souji. "Nii-san!"

[first_captain]

Souji could feel fire rushing through his body, familiar and reliable fire that would keep him from feeling drained and tired until they settled matters. He didn't have confidence however. He had been good at following orders. The executioner. He doubted, somewhat, if he could take on the demon commander role. He wanted someone else to do it, and have that responsibility.
But he had Susumu here. He needed Susumu more than he could say, especially now that something like this had happened.

He rounded a corner walking with purpose, but quickly, and felt a sense of relief when he saw Crow. He'd taken to the boy, trusting him perhaps too quickly.
The child--he wasn't really a child tho, was he? No more than he himself had been--flew at him, keeping a wildness in check.
He wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder as he drew close. Comfort and for privacy.
"Something's happened." he said quietly.

[boy_named_crow]

Apart from the instinctive wave of relief that rolled over his shoulders (there must be children living nearby, clouding his cool with little ticks like that), the contact brought with it a hard black feeling like a slug slinking from Souji. Something burning and ready for the fight, but tempered with a dark doubt and sticky desire for a crutch.

Poor bastard. It got a slight grimace tugging the boy named Crow's lips back in what was hopefully the gesture of a normal person confronted with this sort of situation. Tilting his head slightly, he tried to tough it off, eyes sharp and avian again for a second as he examined the older man's face.

"Tell me about it. All kinds of creeps running around here and women screaming like someone's dead."

[first_captain]

Souji could understand the irritation at the screaming. It took time to be able to put it behind you and push it to to the backround. "I have something I need you to do." Souji said, drawing the boy into one of the empty rooms. Oh to have a copetant, well trained group at his disposal... Well. He had one boy, perhaps that could be enough for now.

Before he could relay Susumu's request, he realized Crow's words sat uneasay with him. "What do you mean creeps running around?" He asked carefully. Perhaps the boy simply meant some of the officials who worked here. Maybe he had a run in a secretary or minor diplomat... but he would be sure, before he sent the boy off.