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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Nov 11, 2006 23:13:24 GMT -5
In retrospect, Naia figured he should have been more aware of what was going on - he shouldn't have trusted the Chinese men quite as much as he did. No, the close proximity into which the lieutenant general rode should have set off some alarm bells. And really, what kind of shinobi was he, losing his balance with just a little shove like that? The least he could do, under the circumstances, would be to fall with some grace...
... but instead, he fell solidly and in very short order to the ground, landing in a tangled pile of limbs.
The horse shied and came to a stop, tossing its head and looking down at him disapprovingly. Naia got to his feet and dusted off his uniform, trying (and failing) to restore some of his dignity.
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Post by Koyada Akihito on Nov 12, 2006 1:33:50 GMT -5
There was no movement from Akihito when Shen decided to take a u-turn around everyone else. He would continue on, refusing to let his eyes wander about curiously. Showing how much trust he had placed in the two. However, an interruption of odd noises caused him to slow his horse down. Instead of turning his head to glance over his shoulder, he moved himself to turn his upper half. To his horror he had caught the lieutenant general shoving Naia off his horse.
And that was all it took for him to come to a complete stop. His expression was bland, unchanging while he watched the other Japanese man tangle in a mess - only to stand up once again. It was even comical the way Naia had brushed the dust from his uniform. Akihito's breathing stopped, fingers curling around the reigns before he turned his horse around. In slow strides did he stop his horse in front of the lieutenant general's, making sure he blocked Naia off from Shen's sight.
Akihito wasn't at all surprised to find Shen's expression slightly amused. The last of his patience was being devoured by the anger within, but he swallowed it down. We are at war..we are enemies.. he told himself, eyes suddenly blinking. With one motion he had one of his katanas out and placed towards Shen's neck. His free hand placed down and out towards Naia.
His voice was lost in this world.
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Nov 12, 2006 1:50:52 GMT -5
The sequence of events left him in a state of surprise. He had turned at the sound of someone falling, and found Naia already recovering from his topple, and before he could ask if the man was alright, weapons had been drawn. The reaction to that was instantaneous, and without thinking, he butted Akihito's horse with the blunt end of his own sword. They were close enough that it hit the animal square in the jaw, and in a panic the steed jerked, jarring the katana from its rider's hand.
"What's going on here?" he snapped, placing himself between his Lieutenant General and their two other travelling companions. The answer was obvious enough, though, and he twisted around to look at Shen. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, voice rising despite knowing better, "We're not enemies now, Shen!"
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Post by Shen Rui on Nov 12, 2006 2:07:36 GMT -5
Shen watched Akihito struggle with his lost weapon. He even noticed the Japanese boy was shaking slightly - perhaps from anger. Suddenly it dawned on him that Kamlong's eyes were on him and his voice loud. In response his head bowed to the question, the smile on his face only growing. "I know that," he replied quietly. The expression suddenly vanished, finding it hard to hold when he realized he wasn't thinking. All of it happened too quickly, his moral code bending when he tried to protect someone.
Perhaps that is what he wanted, was to be blamed by a group of people - both on an onlooker's stance and by friends. It was suppose to end differently. And all of this suffering for...his eyes shifted upwards, glazed and indifferent towards Kamlong. "Sorry," he offered. Knowing he was anything but sorry, he had to lie. They weren't that far, he could turn back. Just when it was assumed he had nothing left to say...
"Now it's even and it eases nothing. It was wrong for me to project my frustration. My actions don't speak for China, it was selfish. I wasn't thinking." Was he sorry now?
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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Nov 12, 2006 3:44:56 GMT -5
Naia grabbed his horse's reins with one hand, but before he could mount, Akihito moved between he and Shen, and Naia's horse shook its head and took a few steps backwards. The shinobi would have touched Akihito's extended hand, but he saw that one of the prince's swords was aimed at the lieutenant general's throat.
"Akihito--" He would have said more, but by then, the general had fumbled the prince's attempt, and the horse's agitated movements nearly knocked Naia over. Not exactly enamored of the prospect of being crushed between his horse and the prince's, Naia mounted his quickly and nudged it a few feet to the side.
Thank goodness that Sze knew that they weren't at fault - more marks against his side were definitely not what he needed. He didn't think Shen looked all that apologetic, but it would hardly be beneficial to point that out.
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Post by Koyada Akihito on Nov 12, 2006 14:26:39 GMT -5
Akihito was somewhat thankful Kamlong intervened and prevented him from acting upon his instinct. He was angry but when he heard the lieutenant general's explanation, he shook his head in disbelief. Everything about war made people a bit stir-crazy, after all. The hand that was held out towards Naia moved back towards the reigns. Calming the horse down he suddenly turned to slide off the horse, to pick his dropped weapon from off the ground only to slide it back up with the other one.
Walking forward with the reigns he stopped a little ways away, eyes focused on the ground. If General Sze forgives him, Shen should be grateful to have a friend like him.. he thought sadly before mounting his horse once more. After stalling - to give Sze and Shen time to converse - he motioned his horse to stand next to Naia's. His eyes were focused on his companion. "Are you ok?" he asked. No one could be too sure.
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Nov 12, 2006 14:40:31 GMT -5
"That's not a viable excuse," Kamlong muttered, frowning. If things were this uneasy on the very first day, it was foolish to even think they would be able to make it through this at all. He narrowed his eyes. They knew each other better than that. "Don't lie to me. I know you want to help me, but if you really cannot cooperate then it might be better if you stayed in camp after all."
He sighed, turning to Akihito and Naia. He didn't know how to deal with Shen right now, since he could neither truly blame him for nor completely dismiss his actions. Frustrations were running high, he knew. This journey was a last-ditch effort itself. A lot more rested on their backs than just personal grudges, though. "Sorry for that," he said, nodding apologetically at the prince.
"And I apologize in his place," he bowed to Naia. "I assure you it won't happen again," he said, and it was more an order to the young man behind him than a reassurance to the foreigner. He pulled on his reigns and moved forward. "Ride beside me, Shen," he said, without looking back. The, 'where I can make sure you don't pull a stunt like that again' was implicit.
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Post by Shen Rui on Nov 12, 2006 15:25:38 GMT -5
Anyone who had known Shen long enough would have known his actions were completely out of character. And to let Kamlong down in such a way really hurt him more than anything - it was too late to make his apology sound realistic and true. Yes, excuses were all he could give at the moment. To have his friend apologize in his place made him feel completely disgusted in himself. Hearing the order his eyes slid off in the direction of the ground, pulling back on his reigns to ride next to Kamlong's side. The only person he really wanted to talk to was Kamlong and now he couldn't. Not with all this guilt.
Shen sat in silence, deciding it was better to just wait for his friend's word before doing anything.
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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Nov 12, 2006 18:15:41 GMT -5
"I'm fine," Naia replied on instinct, meeting the prince's eyes; only after speaking did he pause to mentally assess his condition. Everything seemed in order - he'd fallen from higher places before, after all. He figured his side would be a bit bruised, but that seemed to be the extent of the damage done.
When Sze apologized, Naia bowed his head, eyes closing briefly. "No offense taken," he assured. Looking up again, he glanced between the two Chinese men as Sze turned ahead and Shen rode beside him. He had caught the stern tone in the general's assurance.
Steering his horse a bit closer to Akihito's, Naia looked over to the young man again. "Don't put this plan at risk over something like that." If he'd been speaking to anyone else, he would've been reprimanding, but he tried to keep his tone closer to apologetic. "I'm not worth it."
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Post by Koyada Akihito on Nov 12, 2006 21:17:56 GMT -5
Akihito kept his gaze on Naia, listening to what he had to say. When his companion mentioned that he wasn't worth it, a slight frown settled on his face. Taking a deep breath in, he spoke, "Don't protect me. I am not worth the effort. Sounds like something I used to say until someone told me I was wrong .. instead, every friend is worth it. Everyone single one.." Apparently the topic was a little too sensitive. Akihito turned his head away, watching Kamlong and Shen.
"I really can't afford to lose someone I want by my side," he added.
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Nov 12, 2006 21:51:27 GMT -5
Technically, they were tracing over their own footsteps, following the path back to the more populated south. Both time and the unrelenting snow had long since erased the prints of their army's march, but the path was not a difficult one to recall. As they pressed on they encountered a bit of a storm, and noticing the pale sprinkling of white across the terrain, Sze realized it was the first snow of the year.
He hadn't said anything after scolding Shen, instead riding with eyes fixed on the road ahead. The snow and cold weather seemed to suffocate any sound, and even the crunching of ice under hooves became only a muffled drumming in their ears. Not addressing the problem wouldn't make any progress in terms of solving the unease between them, but he honestly had no idea how to handle it. These inbred prejudices took time to straighten.
If they continued at this rate, they would be able to reach the first gate check by nightfall, and the coastal city they had come from would not be much further. Within the city, it wouldn't be too difficult to find a greedy sailor, or perhaps just one that was not so law-abiding. It might be a little more challenging to find one that didn't mind risking his life, however. He hadn't been lying when he told Akihito that getting back to Japan would not be easy. They would have to search hard for a man that loved money more than his own neck.
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Post by Shen Rui on Nov 12, 2006 22:06:17 GMT -5
When the snow started to fall from the sky he had wanted to mention a snowfall that happened years ago, a faint memory. But talking to Kamlong would be so skewed and wrong. Instead he motioned his left hand to the lower part of his face, trying to block off the chill of the cold air from getting to his nose. Shen always hated the cold, after all. The white from the snow seemed to float in his eyes, since he had been watching the ground the entire time. Finally, he glanced up catching a flake in his right eye so he closed it temporarily.
Shen noticed they were back-tracking their steps and he found solace in the familiarity. It reminded him of a time when he built a snow man, only to steal one of the training general's clothing to finish off the product. That left the man in the nude, running around screaming his clothing had been stolen.
Removing the hand from his face, he sighed. Apparently it would be a long and painful night.
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Post by Shizukiri Naia on Nov 12, 2006 22:55:53 GMT -5
Naia was quiet, watching the prince curiously as he turned away. He gave the reins some slack, hoping that the horse was smart enough to run alongside the others without much direction from him. Still, he thought, his eyebrows coming together in half of a frown, I can't be worth getting rid of Akiyama, or all the lives that'd be lost in a war. Not even to Akihito.
"You're not going to lose me," he replied, half-grinning even though he knew Akihito couldn't see him with the direction he was looking. "At least, not because of those two. Getting this done depends on all four of us, right?"
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Post by Koyada Akihito on Nov 12, 2006 23:18:31 GMT -5
Naia's efforts made him smile slightly, even if it was unrealistic. There was no way the two of them could predict the future and Naia had been on the verge of death more than once. Perhaps his companion held some type of death wish. Akihito turned his head to see the other's expression and that made him all the better. "Right," he said, "as long as we work together.. we're possibly invincible."
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Post by Sze Kamlong on Nov 13, 2006 10:46:08 GMT -5
He caught the Lieutenant General's actions out of the corner of his eye. 'Ignoring' his friend only really entailed not talking or directly looking at him. It was impossible to completely disregard his presence, since that was something taken for granted ever since they were younger, and old habits were things that couldn't be broken by single mistakes alone.
Without a sound or a word, he bent to the side as he was riding and rummaged through his pack, finding what he was looking for by touch, as his fingers brushed against soft material, and pulling it out. He rolled the shawl up into a ball around his fist and set it on Shen's lap, all while only looking ahead. It wasn't an action that symbolized forgiveness, exactly, but it was reminder enough that, 'Even if you do stupid things, I'd still accept you.'
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