jigokulogs | ( open ) 002

Entry tags:

( open ) 002

Who ⬤ Hizen & you
What ⬤ Catchall for the underground and tdm (funeral) prompts
When ⬤ April
Where ⬤ See prompts.
Content Warnings ⬤ TBA

ABOVE GROUND

(The best way to stop people from getting in is to watch the entrance. He doesn't expect anyone to just waltz in through the obvious entrances and there are plenty of people keeping an eye out there. Instead, Hizen opts to watch a smaller, less obvious entrance that people can use to sneak in past whatever guards might be on duty.

He keeps his distance, preferring to watch from the shadows of an alley and enjoys how slow the job is for the time being… by enjoying a rice ball. It might be a job but he's still entitled to his snack breaks. Not even the government back home can take that away from him.

When he catches someone poking around, he finishes the last of his onigiri and begins to make his way towards his new target, )

It's closed.

(Some oni have thrown some boxes or something in front of to make it more difficult to get through but it's not impossible.)

Try somewhere else.

UNDERGROUND

(When it comes to closed, dark spaces, Hizen has always had an advantage. After all, wakizashi are convenient for assassinations and all wakizashi spirits seem to inherit a natural talent for sneaking around in dangerous places. Being the sword of an assassin only makes it easier for him.

He knows how to walk quietly, making sure he makes as little sound as possible in the tunnels. Let the sound of water below and the streets above drown out most of his sounds so he can sneak around. He keeps to the shadows and knows where to hide or how far back to stay to keep out of sight. There are no special abilities or powers at play here— it's all skill so anyone with a special talent or sharp senses will be able to sense him eventually but he's good at lying low in wait, stalking potential prey.

His eyes adjust to the darkness and he can make out who his allies and enemies easily. When he sees a fellow Shuten member, he makes a point to take a heavier step so he's heard but stays out of sight a moment longer before revealing himself. He's been shot once this month and he's not in the mood to get hurt again because of friendly fire fo all things,)

It's a dead end.

(The direction they're heading in right now.)

(If he sees someone who isn't a Shuten, he sticks to the shadows and just... keeps watching! Eventually, he might yawn and warn though,)

Keep going and you'll be in trouble.

UNDERGROUND: TAMAMO BULLYING EDITION

(You are a Tamamo and you have managed to make it underground. Somewhere along the way, you've called Hizen out for stalking you or just ran into him. Either way, with alliances established and so on, he doesn't look impressed when he realizes he's stumbled onto a Tamamo.

He tugs at the scarf over his face and let's out a short laugh,)

You guys really came? Thought you'd be worried about breaking a nail or something.

WILDCARD

❀ If you have another idea for a prompt or would like to plot anything out, let me know
❀ I'm open to the other TDM prompts if you'd like to use any of those
❀ contact; [plurk.com profile] eski | discord: eski#9874 | PM

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He's fast, she'll give her that. Moreover, he keeps his strikes smart. Musashi's eyes flash briefly, before she shifts just a hair to the side, her sword dropping to catch his, though rather than block she aims to push his momentum further and to the side. He risks winding up in the water if he goes further...

The wild thing was how fluid the movement was; almost as if she had seen the attack before it happened. It wasn't a perfect counter, but it was still uncanny. ]

(He's so close and she still isn't reacting. It isn't for very long but he knows something isn't right about this. She should be reacting by now unless she's stupid or... looking down on him? Is that it? Is she looking down on him?

He doesn't have long to really think before he's deflected. He keeps moving, too late to slow down but not so unskilled that he can't control his own force. He keeps going and instead of resisting and forcing himself to stop before he's ready, he keeps going. He manages to stop naturally, sliding to the other side of the wall and catching himself, his center of gravity low to the ground and sword raised up defensively as if expecting a retaliation attack.)

... Got lucky.

(Maybe. It was strange. He's still processing and even then, he feels like... he's missing something.)

You can only call it luck so often before you have to recognize that it's skill.

[ No counter came, just a quick step back to put some distance between them again, and a grin that was best described as "shit eating". Her sword was kept steady, once more aligning the tip with her eyeline, focused on the Shuten before her. ]

A lot of dead men thought I was "just lucky", too.

Then show me what you got.

(He isn't deterred. If anything, he's just getting excited now. It's been awhile since he'd last had a good sword fight.

A single attack was too easy for her. He'll have to step up his game. Adjusting his position just slightly, he kicks off again, charging once more for her. This time, he's going for another quick attack, a series of strikes if she'll let him-- shoulder, down across the torso, an upward slash, and he'll stop just short before he goes for her neck. Again, he doesn't have killing orders.

He might not be the strongest fighter physically but that doesn't stop each of his attacks from being intentionally heavy. Just because he's avoiding killing that doesn't mean he can't seriously injure. His style might start to seem familiar to her if she knows about Izo's style already.)

[ Again, her eyes seem to flash, before her sword is up and meeting each slice with a cut of her own, the sparks from steel against steel bursting within the dark tunnels, splashing light against the stone walls.

And again, the fluidity of her movements, done with such ease as if she'd known they were coming... It was movement that seemed to be beyond instinct.

But she did pause after the last one, shifting her blade sit near her shoulder, eyebrow raised. ]

Wait... I know this style...

[ Which was wild considering who she knew it from. That guy didn't really use formal technique, just a mashed together tapestry of things he'd picked up from fighting others. It was wild but also... genius. ]

... Okada Izo?

(Wow, this is really pissing him off. He knows he's a better swordsman than this. He is a sword spirit and he tries one more time to see something. He aims for her neck this time... but diverts his attack to miss on purpose. He just wants to see if she'll flinch or anything at all.

Holding his position, he looks up at her, red eyes dark but filled with a lust for blood,)

What about him?

(He recognizes the name.)

There's no one else who fights like him... and yet...

[ Here was this guy, using that same amalgam of styles. There was no way that was mere coincidence. Someone like Izo couldn't just be replicated, he was a product of years of learning from other swordsmen, just like Musashi was...

Suddenly, leading this guy back to a trap was far from her mind. ]

Who are you?

(No one else that fights like him. Izo is a one of a kind swordsman with a one of a kind style and he's proud to have inherited it. It's what makes him strong, after all.

He pulls back, sword still raised as if ready to keep fighting. If she can recognize his style, he isn't letting his guard down.)

A killer.

Hitokiri...

[ It's spoken quietly, tone low. It's difficult to say whether it was respect or distaste. It was, as always, a mix of both. Something she could never be, herself... but couldn't help but admire. ]

I am Shinmen Musashi no Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu... But you probably know me just by the name 'Miyamoto Musashi'.

(He smiles. Yes, that's him. The sword of a killer and therefore, a killer himself.)

Just a killer.

(The title of hitokiri belongs to his old master, not to him.

Ah, but that sure is a name. There isn't a swordsman in Japan who doesn't know it and there's that initial flash of confusion before he remembers a certain conversation.

Hadn't he said Nobunaga was a woman, too?)

So you're like that too, huh?

(A "heroic spirit"?)

Dunno what you mean by "that", but whatever it is, I hope it's a compliment, coming from a cute guy like you.

[ Spoken with the edge of a smirk, just the slightest flirty tone in her voice. ]

Whoever you are, I hope I get a chance to fight you at full strength... That'd be a pretty interesting duel, wouldn't it?

(He glares. Flirting won't work on him. It just makes him more annoyed. They are in a dark, damp, mildewy, dirty, smelly tunnel and they're supposed to be fighting!! Now is not the time for flirting. Not that he'd ever appreciate it anywhere else, to be honest.)

Don't got anyone like you back home.

(No swords affiliated with Musashi at the citadel as far as he's come to know,)

You aren't even gonna try? (She hasn't raised his sword against him yet,) What a waste of time.

Given I'm down to one hand, it'd be impossible, so yeah.

[ She'd shrug, but that'd just hurt, and she she thinks the point gets across. ]

I guess it depends on whether or not you'd be satisfied taking me down as I am now... or waiting for me to actually be at my usual ability.

...

(He considers her words for a moment and frowns. He wouldn't describe himself as an honorable person. He'll attack from behind and he'll attack when people are down if it means taking out a target. Between dying honorably and winning to live another day, he'll always choose the latter...

But this isn't life or death. This isn't a hit. He lowers his sword slowly,)

'S not like I got killing orders this time. But I still got a job.

(To make sure those from the Tamamo clan don't gain ground. Toraguma was quite serious about claiming this place for the Shuten clan, after all. Like the master he inherited his character from, he sees his jobs through to the end, too.)

Oh, I'd planned on running away after a few traded blows, regardless!

[ Musashi laughed, brightly, rubbing at the back of her head, which probably looked a little awkward with a sword still in her hand. ]

Then hurry up and get lost!

(He's irritated

but also maybe just a tiny bit relieved he doesn't have to fight unnecessarily.)

And lose a chance to get to know such an interesting person?

[ Musashi chuckled, shaking her head as she shifted her sword back into position. ]

Sorry, but even if I know I'm not at full strength, I can't pass up a chance to do that! And there's no better way to learn about someone than to fight them, don't you think?

[ She doesn't give him time to answer, her eyes flashing once more before she drives in for a cut, carefully aimed, like a needle through a weave to catch at the edge of his ear. ]

(He's ready to snap that he's nobody interesting (he's nobody) but before that, he can see what's coming. Immediately, he's ready for her and moves away. He can feel her sword cut through he air close to his face and he growls, dropping low to slash upward at her now that she's close. )

Make up your mind already!

(Fight or don't!)

[ It's uncanny, really, how she was able to move her sword, with the same momentum she'd used in the initial thrust, to catch his counter slash. It was almost as if she'd known where his sword was going to be.

One had to wonder how much of that was knowing Izo's fighting style, and how much of it was just something beyond that. ]

When two blades cross, you see the most honest version of the other person... No one can lie with a sword.

(And there she goes again but he doesn't relent. Surely, if he keeps trying, something will work. He pushes back against her blade, applying pressure to try to keep her off of him.

"When two blades cross, you see the most honest version of the other person."

Ah. His eyes are lightless but behind the darkness, there's a hunger and drive. He smiles. There's no warmth.)

I already told ya who I was. (A killer and he uses all of his strength to try and push her off of him, aiming the sheath of his sword at her now. If he can't get a hit in, he'll push her back until she's gone.) 's not like I was trying to hide it!

(Aggressive, relentless, fast, each attack aimed to cause as much damage as possible, wild but not without talent or skill. This is Hizen.)

[ She was on the defensive now, catching blows as quickly as they came but steadily working her way back. Sparks flew from the blade-to-blade clashes, bits of lacquer were cut away parrying his scabbard.

She really did wish she had the use of her other hand, right about then. But she reminded herself the goal wasn't to beat him...

Every time her blade seemed to move to just the right place it needed to be. Was she simply reading him, or was it something else? Where was the line between talent and skill, here? It was almost impossible to tell.

Eventually, she leapt back to give herself more distance, sword steady before her. ]

Your sword almost agrees with you... Almost.

(With the new distance between them, he stops his attack, using the moment to catch his breath, gather his energy, and figure out what the hell is going on here.)

You don't know me.

(His sword is him, he is is his sword.)

What're you doing? How're you doing that?

(Catching his attacks so perfectly. He knows the stories about Musashi but surely... he isn't that outmatched, is he? He's fought against strong opponents, too! He's challenged plenty of stories. He's confident in his skills. He can't really... be this weak, can he?)

[ Musashi narrowed her gaze, bringing her sword once more in line with her eyes, holding Hizen in her view over the edge of the steel. ]

In my mind's eye, I saw each of those cuts hundreds of times, each direction they could swing, based on how your body moved, the position of your eyes before the cut, the weight of your swing...

I dedicate every single thing to the parry, to the motion, to the path of victory. That's the Eye of Heaven, the way of Niten Ichiryu. If I wasted even a single breath, a single twitch...

[ But then, she chuckled slightly. ]

I'd actually be just fine. Because, like I said, you say you're a killer, but... those weren't the strikes of a killer. Not even one that was holding back.

(This sounds like time probability bullshit but for a random fight instead of a significant moment in history. Being able to predict or outright see every outcome and prepare for it before it even happens--)

So you're just wasting my time?!

(Does he even stand a chance against something like this but even worse than that is what she says next,)

Shut up! I told ya what I am! (His temper skyrockets,) And I told ya I don't have killing orders!

(That's why he's holding back, clearly. He isn't trying to kill right now. That's not the goal.)

If I was being serious--

(She would see. He would show her. He's a killer.)

If you were being serious... I guess we'll have to see then, huh?

Unfortunately, if we kept going like this, I'd definitely lose, eventually.

[ She had no problem admitting that, shaking her head. ]

But that was never the point.

[ She spun her blade about in her hand before slamming the pommel into the wall nearest her, activating a sigil that quickly began to glow and spin rapidly. ]

Have a bath on me, okay?

[ She almost wondered if he'd be able to dodge it... the spectral wall that shot out from the actual wall, intent on pushing him into the rushing water below. ]

(no subject)

harimaya - 2022-05-05 02:11 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only