Starring:
Date: December 17, 2013
Summary:
The Yakuza who've infiltrated Tea Country attempt to kidnap Nariko, only for Shuuren, Hiei, and the guards to come in on them, yet there is another twist in store.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"The Business of Revenge - A Double Trap"
Tea Village - Marketplace
While continuing their silent operation, the Yakuza have yet been keep an eye out for Nariko. She is one of the few high enough on the list of those they could kidnap and have leverage over this country's leadership. With her alone on a bench, things are looking up. All they need is for her to make a move that will allow them to snatch her…
Hiei was on his way from the suites to meet up with Nariko at the marketplace. She was going to help him shop for a gift for his Mother and Father back home in Kumogakure. However, as he makes his way over, he's stopped by a teenaged girl who is struggling to move her cart. The wheel on it is busted and Hiei offers to hold it up for her while she gets the replacement wheel on it. He grips the axle with one hand and lifts, easily holding the cart while the girl makes the repairs. He's chatting with her while she works and as she replies to him, her cheeks turn a light crimson color.
Nariko turns the page of her book, uncrossing and recrossing her legs. She doesn't move from her seat on the bench. She lets out a soft sigh. "I hope Hiei comes soon. This book is getting boring."
As Nariko seems to be alone for a bit still, the Yakuza decide it's a good idea to move forward with their plan. With a signal given, a young boy would frantically run up to Nariko, panting heavily as he seems to just run to the first person who doesn't look like they're doing anything. "C-… Can you help my friend?! We were playing in the alley, and I think he broke his leg!" he asks hurriedly, already trying to grab her arm and pull her toward where his friend supposedly is.
Nariko raises her head from her book. She looks right, then left. Then she stealthily raises a hand to her face. A finger sticks out, but then! a person appears near her. She pulls her arm away from the kid. "Where are your parents?"
Hiei continues to chat up the girl while she fixes her wagon. He flashes her a smile and then uses his other hand to casually flip a lock of white hair out of his eyes. The girl continues to speak with him as she begins fastening the wheel in place. He cheeks are still colored, but Hiei doesn't seem to be putting two and two together because the expression on his face shows that he's only trying to be helpful.
"They're out in the fields miles from here," the kid says, looking rather disappointed as the woman pulls away. His eyes start to tear up while he takes a few steps back. "If… If you won't help us, I guess I understand." He then looks around frantically, seemingly nervous about bothering any of the busier looking people bustling through the area.
Hiei finishes helping the girl and then double checks to make sure her wheel is secure before moving to walk away. She stops him by laying a hand on his arm lightly, and then leans up on her tip-toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. Hiei's cheeks go crimson at that before he smiles at her and then turns to move towards the marketplace once again. Nariko was going to melt his brain for making her wait like this. But at least he had a good reason. He's officially done his good deed for the day. She'd be proud of him.
Nariko lets out a very loud sigh. "Fine. Guess I'll have to read this book later." She closes her book and pushes herself up from the bench. "show me where your friend is." She was already annoyed at Hiei for being late, now he could wait on her.
With the woman coming along with him, the boy would hurriedly walk into the alley to lead her to where another boy about his age is laying on the ground holding his leg and wincing in pain. A few moments after they've stepped into the alley, however, several men would step out from behind different parts of the structure and trash bins to attempt to surround the woman. The boys can only look on solemnly as the men try to grab Nariko, bind her, and drag her into one of the buildings through a side door. "Move quickly before you're spotted," another man commands in a low tone as he steps out from behind the trash bin, a knife held to a woman's throat. "Please let her go now! We did what you said!" the boy who retrieved Nariko pleads hopefully. "Not quite yet, kid."
Hiei makes it to the spot where he's supposed to meet Nariko and turns around. "Huh. I'm sure this is the spot." He stands around the bench that she was sitting at no more than a few minutes ago. He reaches up to idly scratch his head as he rolls a shoulder to adjust the swords on his back. He figures that she probably went to one of the vendors to get something to eat while she waited for him, so he heads towards the kebab vendor that he knows she likes so much.
Nariko tries to wiggle free from the binds. "You really don't want to do this." She looks at the kid then to the others. "Let her go. You have me." She grumbles and keeps trying to wiggle free. "Wait til my cousin sees I'm missing."
Hiei hangs around the kebab stand for a few minutes and not spotting Nariko, he leaps up to the roof of one of the buildings in an attempt to spot her. He crouches on his perch, using the high ground to search for the Yotsuki kunoichi. "It's not like her to leave me hanging like this. If something has happened to her…someone is going to die." He was beginning to get angry. Not because she's not where she said she'd be, but because he would have been here if he hadn't stopped to help the girl with her cart.
"He may figure out you're missing, but we'll be long gone by then," one of the men says as they drag Nariko inside, the apparent leader bringing the woman held at knife-point to the door and looking around.
Meanwhile, most of the guards in the area would turn and begin to surround the building Nariko was carried into. A hand would tap on Hiei's shoulder, the familiar voice of Shuuren saying, "She's in there." His hand would point at the building before he'd vanish with a puff of smoke, a Shadow Clone apparently. "Sorry, but we can't have you running back to the guards," he says as he raises the knife and starts to plunge it into the woman's heart… Until the blade is struck by a swift-moving kunai that knocks it off course before another would stab into the man's hand to stab it into the wall with momentum to knock his grip loose on her and allow the woman to move. "Run," a commanding voice calls from a nearby rooftop, the Daimyo's bright blue eyes holding a rather dark look at he looks down on the Yakuza. "Move in! Capture the leaders alive!"
Hiei feels the tap on his shoulder and then notes the vanishing of the shadow clone. When he hears what's going on, he leaps off the building into the alleyway where Nariko is being held. He prepares his body for battle as his feet touch the ground. A hand moves to the katana on his back and slides it out. "This is the part where I offer them their lives if they would surrender. But they messed up when they took Nariko. All bets are off." Hiei's voice is cold, as this is what happens when he's made the conscious choice to kill. "Lord Daimyo…keep your men out of my way." He says to Shuuren as he kicks the door open and steps in. Lightning sparks and swirls around the arm holding the sword, though he doesn't infuse it directly into the blade just yet.
Nariko keeps wiggling, still crying, but maybe it's just to distract her captors. "Please, let me go. I'm not worth anything." She kicks her feet as she is held by the captors. "You'll pay for this."
"That's fine, but remember the orders. We knew this was going to happen. Don't let your emotions clouds your judgement and foil the whole reason for this mission," Shuuren calls out as he leaps down from the rooftop, placing hand on the man's throat that was his first capture and putting him to sleep before pulling him loose from the wall to drop him on the ground. As he steps through the door, guards behind him would bind the man up to keep him in custody.
As Hiei bursts through they door, the Yakuza look around at each other rather worriedly. They were caught extremely fast in this… A setup?! They're rather angry about being fooled like this, but it's a little late to do anything about it. Those who don't already have blades drawn would draw them, half a dozen charging Hiei right off while others try to push back the guards that are beginning to infiltrate the doors behind the Yotsuki.
Hiei nods as he lifts his blade to parry a strike from the Yakuza. "I understand. I'll refrain from killing them. But I hope you don't mind that there is some slight wear and tear." He turns his upper body slightly as he draws the shortsword from it's sheath, effectively using it to block the second attack towards him. "It's a shame really. I expected them to be tougher. I suppose as far as training goes, the Yakuza here are lacking." He flicks his wrist on the shortsword, the blade glows a neon blue as he strikes out with it before his body blurs from sight, re-appearing behind the second Yakuza swordsman as he attacks him at high speed. "Because there is no way they could have captured Nariko if she had been serious about fighting back."
Nariko hangs on the person's shoulder still and she turns her head. Her tears melting away. She gives him a flirty smile. "Hey, you know, I think you're cute. If you liked me enough you didn't have to tie me up and carry me away." She looks into his eyes, making him think she's some other hot chick he met in a bar or something. He blinks a moment and then sets her down. "Oh, sorry, my mistake. I thought you were someone else." He unties her and she gives him a nice smile, feeling her wrists. "Thanks. Now, don't do that again." She brings her arm up, throwing a fist to his face.
"They are but roaches that need to be stomped out," Shuuren's voice rings out as he steps into the building along with the guards, the Daimyo adorned in a suit as usual. "Maybe we'll let a few of them live if they give us the information we want, though," he says as he dodges incoming strikes, rather nonchalantly striking with the sides of his hands at throats and sternums to knock men out and leave them on the ground. It's at this point Shuuren starts to notice another tactic these men are about to try to employ. "Stop them!"
With the numbers of Yakuza in the building seem to be building from the lower level and other rooms with stronger and stronger men to attack the guards, Hiei, Shuuren, and the newly freed Nariko as the guy she tricked into freeing her is knocked on his back, things are starting to get rather intense. While these numbers grow, it becomes apparent that these Yakuza are even willing to sacrifice each other as what Shuuren is ordering them to stop becomes apparent, as the new men are attempting to use their blades on their own comrades to keep them from being able to spill any information.
Hiei looks a little relieved to see Nariko get herself free using those witchy ways of hers. However, momentarily taking his attention off his opponents cause his downfall as he is stabbed by one attack, and even though he tries to flow around the other one, he is cut again. The attacks pierce him, causing blood to flow down his chest. Another cut to go with the scars that already exist. He frowns slightly as he backpedals slightly and sticks his swords in the ground. He performs a handseal and then crosses his arms over his chest before throwing them forwards. "Lightning Release: Inspiration Wave!" A bolt of electricity shoots out of his hands, the bolts splitting into two before striking both opponents who attacked him. The attack would temporarily short out their nervous system allowing Hiei the chance to attack without them being able to move. He moves forwards, yanking his swords out of the ground and attacking with each one while still being mindful of not killing them. He aims his attacks for their thighs, seeking to take them down, but not out.
Nariko moves quickly, her body fading like a mist of air as the sword comes at her, moving yet again when the second comes in the same fashion. "Seriously? You try to kidnap me and this is what happens. Ugh, boys." SHe shakes her head and looks at the men, attempting to blind them and distract them.
With the lightning making them pause, the men would be struck and incapacitated. Those attacking Nariko would look around, a bit confused from her tactic before they're blinded and frozen in place by her Genjutsu. While a few of the men are bit injured by their comrades, between the efforts of Hiei and Nariko and the guards restraining and striking them, none of those taken down have died thus far. The remaining men that have not been incapacitated would continue to fight back, some of them even attempting to fight their way out at this point.
"No one gets out," Shuuren calls out as he continues to strike down those who strike at him. "The one who gets away may be who has the information we need."
Hiei explodes into a volley of movement. He goes into a series of flips, managing to dodge the first volley of attacks against him. However, he tries to use pure speed and only manages to get cut across the bicep this time instead of his chest. Another wound from these guys. They were really starting to piss him off. He rotates his body as he steps to the side to dodge a blow intended for the side of his head. "Nariko. Let's stop messing around with these guys. Show them the power of the Yotsuki." He performs a handseal before uttering the words. "Release: Lightning Aura." A light blue lightning infused aura appears around his body as he grips his swords in his hands a little tighter. "You guys gotta go.." He growls before his body vanishes as he brings both swords to bear on his enemies.
Nariko tries to get out of the way, but fails and then tries to charge her arm up with lightning to block the slash, but gets cut, he cut her so good. She looks to Hiei when he tells her to stop playing games. She smirks and crinks her neck from side to side. "Enough horsing around." She pulls out her little pez dispenser with a goat head on it and pops a pill in her mouth. She looks at the people in front of her and charges lighting around her palm, aiming a punch for one of the guys front of her.
As both Kumo-nin start to fight more intensely, Shuuren would watch them out of the corner of his eye. Deciding it's about time to get serious himself, he brings his hands into a seal, creating three Shadow Clones around him that dart out to begin striking at Yakuza and trying to bring them down before they can do harm to themselves or any of the others. Meanwhile, the remaining Yakuza appear to be making something of a last ditch effort versus the Kumo Nin. Strike after strike rains down at them as the Yakuza try their best to either take them down or get out of the building alive.
"What the-" Shuuren suddenly exclaims, his eyes getting rather large as a Yakuza strikes at him, actually getting a strike in that digs into the Daimyo's side, sliding through his trademark suit and his flesh. Suddenly, an incredibly dark presence rings out from the Daimyo as he would in a flash grab the man by the throat and squeeze hard. "WHO THE TRIGGER IS IN THE PALACE?!" he demands, almost frantically, the normally always-cool-headed businessman suddenly seeming freaked out. The mission at hand and not creating any casualties appears to have left his mind as he would hardly give time for an answer from the Yakuza's smirking mouth before spinning with his body to literally send it crashing through the wall by the force of his hand, sending bricks out in a splatter and shattering many of the man's bones in an instant in what will likely kill him in a matter of seconds if he's not already dead.
Hiei's body seems to not have bones as he flows around the attacks without getting hurt..that is until someone stabs him from behind in the shoulder blade. "You guys are making it hard for me NOT to kill you." After hearing Shuuren say something about there being trouble in the palace he calls out. "Go, Shuuren-sama. Nariko and I can handle this. You're probably needed in the palace." He vanishes, attacking his next opponent at high speed before his fist crackles with lighting as he shoves it towards the guy who actually got a strike in on Shuuren. "Lightning Shotgun!" He opens his palm as a blast of lighting flies on course for that guy. "I'm reluctant to go to the next level, Nariko. I may not be able to hold back from killing them. We've been in deeper than this before, though. Hang in there."
NAriko smirks at Hiei as she fades like the chesire cat from Alice, appearing just a few feet away. "Not so fast." She waggles a finger at the attacker. She raises her hands up, looking like palpatine, except a girl, much better looking, and no cloak. Her arms sizzle with lightning around them as she looks at a few. "Hope this is..shocking enough." Her fingertips light up as the force ejects from her fingers towards her attackers.
Shuuren would nod to Hiei before vanishing through the hole he just created in the building. "Men, help them finish this then move the prisoners to the jail!" he orders before his voice is out of shot. Hiei and Nariko are left with the guards to deal with the remaining Yakuza, whose numbers have dwindled from great to nearly nothing now as their attacks hit home, shocking and striking them down.
The people in the area surrounding the building and that can see Shuuren now leaping rooftop to rooftop appear confused. However, as he gets closer, more of them look freaked out as he gets closer to the palace. On arriving, what he sees are the bodies of guards and even some civilians scattered, some still alive, just barely, and some dead. Landing on the ground, he quickly moves toward where he last felt the presence of the shinobi working for the Yakuza that invaded the palace… the last place he felt her presence nearby. He runs through blood-stained corridors, eyes filled with an intense mixture of emotion that is about ready to burst from within him. As he bursts through the door to the room, all he sees are the corpses of guards who died guarding their queen. "No… They really did take her," he says, his voice growing ever more angry… How could this happen? Did they know about the plan? Is there a leak inside Kumogakure or Tea? Whatever it is, it must be found… Taka is gone, and there is no chakra or vital trail leading out of the palace, from which one can almost feel the tension rising as the Daimyo fights internally to contain the darkness brewing within him.
