Starring:
Yuuichi, Kanami (emitter for the Rei NPC charbit)
Date: November 30, 2010
Summary:
Following the match between Kanami and Mune, some startling revelations are added onto the already large pile of confusion that Kanami has generated for those who observed the fight. Who is Hino Rei? Why does she look so similar to Kanami? And who is REALLY in charge of the Evolution Agenda…?
"Welcome To The Project"
Evolution Agenda Main Office - Kusagakure
Late afternoon finds Yuuichi inside of the main office of the Evolution Agenda. It is quite crowded this evening, as it tends to almost always be no matter what time of day it is. Still, the young man is standing off to the side, watching as people mill about. In his hand he holds a brochure which he is looking through, reading all of the details laid out within with quiet curiosity. A few people that pass him offer hello's and he smiles at them, but doesn't say anything back, just looks back to the brochure.
When an Akimichi, who seems rather eager, gets close and practically squashes him against the wall he grunts slightly, but just waves the man on when he tries to apologize. "It's alright. I'm fine," he assures him before he lowers the brochure and looks around. Lifting a hand, he rubs at the top of his head through the hood of his cape. "So busy today. Wonder if I should go see if they need help."
After the dramatic reveal at Kanami's tournament match, that apparently Seishino Kanami and Hino Rei are the same person, Kanami has decided she has sown enough confusion for one day. Even though they have seperate bodies, and even THAT is in question by some due to them having merged into one body at the end of the match, Kanami was not disqualified. For one, the proctor hadn't even noticed there were three people in the Ring. She had been sleeping. Kanami should be glad for that, she supposes. But instead she is just a bit tired. She is going to take a nice long bath and think about how lovely Mune looked all sweaty and gasping for breath. Oh, and maybe she should think about explaining to Mune what happened in their match too. But she has a high opinion of the Medic-Nin's intelligence, so she might just figure it out herself.
So, in through the doors comes Kanami, in her white kimono and a red obi. Her pale skin and ebony hair are as untouched and as smooth as always, even after a rather hectic battle. She did not sweat so much as a drop despite her efforts. She sees Yuuichi once she is in the lobby, and tilts her head, trying to see if she remembers him. Then her eyes widen a bit as she gets a look of understanding and says, "Ahhh…" as though something had just been explained to her. She then hmmms and says, "Go ahead then. I will meet you upstairs." A moment later, perhaps to the surprise of anyone looking in her direction, the red-garbed 'Rei' steps out of thin air right next to Kanami, as the actress herself walks away towards the elevator. Like a ghost, Rei just appeared. And now she approaches Yuuichi and says, "Good afternoon, Yuuichi-san. I am glad to see you found our office safely!"
Yuuichi practically jumps when he's spoken to. He hadn't been looking in Kanami's direction so he didn't notice her walk in or see Rei suddenly appear. He had, in fact, been about to head further in to see if anyone needed his help, but with Rei approaching him and speaking, he settles down a bit and smiles, his momentary fright fading away once he notices that it's her and not someone else. Lifting a hand, he rubs his forehead before offering a smile and bowing to her in a rather deep, respectful fashion.
"Hello, Rei-san," he says to her before straightening. "And yes. I had some help from Mune-san, though. Well, sort of help. Mostly me ending up squished against her…" He clears his throat and shakes his head before looking at her more closely and in a curious fashion. "I went to your match with Mune-san. I admit that I am… confused, I guess. I didn't see it coming…"
Rei hmms? "Oh, so you have met Mune-san already? How nice! I hope she was—" she breaks off as Yuuichi continues to explain. "…soft enough." She blushes, the redness quite evident on her nearly paper-white flesh and says, "Well… That was not my match. That was the match of Seishino Kanami. I was just called upon to be ready to assist her if necessary. It turned out to not be necessary. Though it did contribute to ending the match quickly. Mune-san determined she would not proceed when she felt that Genjutsu was being used. Which it was about to be, so I suppose she had reason to forfeit."
She sighs. "I did not appreciate having to stand by while all that violence went on, but thankfully Mune-san is a Medic-Nin. She is probably already fully recovered and thinking up ways to defeat Kanami if they meet a second time. Which they just might, given the skill that Mune-san possesses. Most of those in the Single Loss Bracket are not on her level of skill."
Yuuichi flushes bright red at what Rei says and looks down at the ground, hiding it as best he can. "She was quite soft… It was rather embarassing," he admits with a small sigh, though his mouth turns into a small smile after a few moments. "I do look forward to seeing her again, though. As awkward as it was she was rather nice." His smile remains on his face as he looks up from the floor and to Rei once again, noting the way she looks and taking her in once again, though the smile fades again.
"I don't understand, Rei-san. It looked like you came right out of Kanami-san. And you both kind of look alike…" He trails off for a moment before lifting a hand to rub at his temples for a moment. "Leaving home has made me very confused at times and this is one of them. Also leads me to find people I don't think should be allowed to live, but that's besides the point, I think."
Rei nods silently along with Yuuichi's words. She was going to explain, but then he finishes with THOSE words. "…I see. And I am one of those people you do not feel should be allowed to live? I did not deceive you, nor did I intend to. If you feel I should be punished for some reason…" she trails off. Seems some misunderstanding has occurred here. Surely Yuuichi can't mean he wishes her dead!
Eyes go wide at what Rei says and Yuuichi immediately lifts his hands up and waves them defensively in her direction while looking appalled at what she says. "No, Rei-san! I was talking about the shinobi from Kumogakure named Mitsu, not you! I would never thing that you should die!" he tells her, looking almost frightened at the mere notion of those thoughts. He gulps a few times and lowers his hands once again, rubbing them at his sides for a moment before he lowers his gaze once more.
"I was just thinking out loud, really, about how strange I find things," he assures her before looking up again and smiling at her with a pink tinge to his skin still. "I did not mean to make you think that. You are a nice woman, Rei-san." He shakes his head and takes a deep breath. "Can you please explain to me what has me confused? About you and Kanami? I will tell you about Mitsu after."
Rei seems to relax a bit, and now it is her turn to blush across her pale skin. "Ahhh… I see. Gomen nasai. It just seemed… Unlike you to speak of someone dying after expressing your dislike for fighting and killing. But you are absolutely right. You did ask a question. I will attempt to explain." Considering her words, Rei looks up at the ceiling high above.
"Seishino Kanami is a Nogakujin. She uses the abilities of special Noh masks in place of normal Ninjutsu. However, she has a primary mask, the 'Mystic Noh-men'. It is effectively a physical representation of her spirit and its current state and strength level. She has advanced as far as a Nogakujin can with her Mystic Noh-men, and has accumulated so much spiritual power that her mask has split off some of its energy to create a replica of Kanami herself — though at half her strength. This is not just a normal 'Clone Technique', nor is this duplicate a seperate person. The duplicate possesses half of a soul and full sentience… But her existence is not able to continue long-term without the original Kanami."
Rei finishes the explanation, seeming to assume it is obvious what she is talking about. And if she sees any signs of confusion, she clarifies further with, "I am Kanami's 'Mystic Clone'. An aspect of herself that is both seperate and bound to her. We have two minds, and a total of one and a half souls between us. But I must dwell within her body occasionally, in order to sustain my own life. As well, I can simply merge with her for transport purposes, or to avoid evoking suspicion."
Yuuichi blinks a few times at what Rei says, seemingly unphased by what she says. Then, suddenly, he nods his head and smiles. "So you're almost the same person, but not quite. Do you… represent a part of her that she doesn't readily demonstrate, or are you just what came of this.. Mystic Noh-men?" he questions of her as he looks her over and reaches out a hand to, if allowed, poke her arm lightly. "It's very convenient for her, I must say. Extremely impressive."
He seems to realize then that he touched her without permission and flushes bright red once again, looking down at the ground and shuffling his feet a bit. He takes a few moments to collect himself, mostly staring at the ground, and maybe a little at her feet as well. When he does look up at her, he looks quite composed.
"You remember when you told me that ants fight because it's what they do, and not because of some ill begotten reason? I met a shinobi, Saito Mitsu, from Kumogakure. I was talking with a Jounin from Konohagakure, and he came along and interjected himself into the conversation about how I believe the tournament is really an exercise of war, a war game if you will. We talked and he went on about how Shinobi only exist to fight and kill. I disagreed and said that shinobi could exist without such things and he railed about how I was weak. I don't know though, he just seemed very much like a cold-hearted killer. Someone who would kill without care."
He licks his lips and then tilts his head. "Sometimes I think it's necessary that certain people be destroyed for the betterment of the world. Mitsu is one of those people."
Rei nods. "Yes, we are almost the same person. And no, I am… Someone else. You are aware how each individual is individual, due to a combination of genetics, actual biological development prior to birth, and the experiences that a given person goes through after being born? Experiences and one's environment shape one greatly… To the point that even a life time of pain and hardship can gradually be undone if enough pleasure and kindness is provided. I am essentially identical to Kanami both in terms of genetics and biological development, but not all of my experiences are the same. I suppose you can consider me to be what Kanami MIGHT have become if she had lived a slightly different life. She is willing to fight and kill if it is necessary. I, however, greatly prefer to avoid all manner of violent confrontations, regardless of the reasons behind them."
She then looks down at the poke in the arm and then arches an eyebrow at Yuuichi when she looks up. She endures a few awkward moments of silence before the man feels up to speaking again, and then listens to what he has to say. "I see… Well, that is not part of the Evolution Agenda's method of operations. We do not remove people from the world simply because they are wrong, stubborn, cruel, or anything else. Such an absolute methodology as 'death to those we disagree with' is one of the problems that we face."
Then she glances around briefly, making sure no one is close enough to hear her. Then she crooks her finger a few times in an indication to follow, and begins leading the way towards one of the passages leading further within the building. Assuming Yuuichi follows, Rei moves into her office here on the first floor, and waits to be able to close the door with the two of them inside.
Yuuichi nods his head once or twice at what Rei says, smiling a bit. "I understand. I like you, myself. You're really nice," he says. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he waves a hand a bit as if thinking of something. "I've… killed a few people before. In defense of my home. They attacked us and had to be stopped so I stopped them. I… well, I regret having to do it. But I wasn't going to let them kill harmless people just because they were bloodthirsty."
She motions for him to follow after her and he nods his head, walking along with her through the passage and into the office which he looks around a bit and then looks back to her. "I have no desire to fight him, anyways. He tried to get me to fight him and I said no. I would not regret his death, but I will not go out of my way to make it happen. I am… not like that. Besides, if I talk to him enough, maybe I could change his thinking."
He shrugs and looks back to Rei once again, tilting his head some as he regards her. "I don't know, though. He didn't seem willing to even listen to what I said. I think his heart is too hardened."
Rei nods and closes the office door. It is her office, and is rather spartan. Not much in the way of decorations or furniture. Two chairs, a desk, some file cabinets… "Well, while the Evolution Agenda is not necessarily in the business of ending lives, nor is it within our interests to pursue such… There are others associated with our company, such as Mune-san, who are able to operate outside of our methods and in areas we do not officially hold any interests in. Some of these 'associates' think similarly to you. They are, in essence, members of the Evolution Agenda who do not show up on any roster or registry, and hold the same ideals as our company… But they are willing to take steps to correct certain 'problems' and prevent future problems of the same nature from occurring. They do not like doing all that they do, because unlike most, they know that to take a life is a terrible thing. They feel remorse for the few instances where such is necessary, and seek to avoid it whenever possible. The reason I tell you about this is that I feel you would fit right in."
Rei takes a seat behind her desk and leans back in her chair. She crosses one long, pale-skinned leg over the other and interlaces her fingers in front of her face. "Please, keep in mind that these associates are not officially members of the Evolution Agenda, and people do not know what they do or necessarily that they even exist. But sometimes… Well, as much as it pains me to admit it, when a cancer is eating away at society, and strangling the life out of the people… When a sickness is this deep, and this wide-spread, it may need to be cut out before it kills us all."
The words that come from Rei leave Yuuichi to blink repeatedly. He stands beside the chair across the desk from her, listening to what she says as she explains things, not daring to look away from her. Eventually he settles into the seat across from her, his eyes focused on Rei's face as she speaks, mostly on her lips, not drifting away for anything. It's like he's afraid that if he looks away from her he might miss something important or get lost in confusion. His hands rest in his lap and he leans forward just a little bit as if trying to get closer so he can hear better.
When she finishes speaking, he settles back in his seat and just looks at her for a few moments, blinking once or twice. "I don't like to kill," he says in barely more than a whisper, "but sometimes it's necessary. I understand what you're saying, Rei-san. If you believe that I would fit in, then I believe that I would because your… judgements always seem sound to me. It's what led me here, after all. Well, that and that I think you're beautiful and I couldn't resist," he says, blushing a bit before he tugs at his sleeve lightly. "If I can help, I would be happy to do so. I am not the strongest Shinobi, but I am progressing."
Rei nods. "Keep in mind that you will not expected or asked to hurt or kill anyone. No one will be in charge of you or your actions. All will be left up to your discretion in terms of how a given situation is handled. If possible, a problem should be resolved peacefully. But if it can not be resolved peacefully…" she trails off.
A silence hangs for a little while, and then she smiles. "Welcome to the project."
