01. (Accidental) [Video]

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

[The video shakily opens to a webcam framing the face of a young half-Japanese, half-Caucasian woman in her late teens. She seems to be vacantly staring through the screen, and the sound of typing keys can be faintly heard somewhere off-screen.]

[There is silence as the girl pauses, and she looks to the side and leans out of the shot, soon returning with a cup of tea brought to her lips. One hand is holding the cup, while the other can be heard typing still.]

[She lowers the cup and swallows, licking her lips as her eyes dart from one side of the screen to the other. She seems to be doing a mix of reading and typing. She has a tired expression, and her green eyes are rimmed with puffy red lids.]

[The typing stops, and she brings her hand up to her temple, scratching her fingers against her scalp thoughtfully as she sighs.]

The words are starting to blur together.

[She stands up from the desk, the camera remains stationary as it blurs and re-focuses on her hips. She sets her cup of tea down on the desk and turns to face the full-pane glass doors leading out to the balcony behind her. She walks towards the balcony until she's out of the shot.]

Comments

[brbgonefishin.livejournal.com]

Nasuti?!

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

[There is nothing for a short moment. At best a flicker of light, and Nasuti quietly hurries back to her desk at the familiar sound.]

Shin? [Nasuti stands at her desk, but leans over and looks at the screen. Had she accidentally set off a recording device?]

Hey, is everything alright?

[brbgonefishin.livejournal.com]

Yes! You've found the community! Everything is wonderful!

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

I am glad everything seems well on your end. [Nasuti gives a half-hearted smile.] Are you...?

[Nasuti sits down and looks into the screen, lowering her voice a bit.]

Have you seen Shuten?

[brbgonefishin.livejournal.com]

Nasuti -- I need to talk to you about that. This is going to sound strange, but can I ask what the last thing you remember is?

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

[A pained look appears on Nasuti's face, and she lowers her voice to a low hum.]

That's something I'd rather talk about in person, or in private...there are others I'd rather not hear.

locked;

[brbgonefishin.livejournal.com]

I've locked this thread, Shuten won't be able to see it now.

Nasuti, listen. I know this sounds strange, but Shuten is from our past. He's just become Kaos.

Re: locked;

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

[Nasuti paused, a perplexed look on her face. Well, obviously. Why was he surprised?]

...Shin. What's the last thing you remember?

Re: locked;

[brbgonefishin.livejournal.com]

--Defeating Arago.

What's the last thing you remember?

[aragosfav.livejournal.com]

....

Nasuti?

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

[Within seconds, a loud clattering can be heard off-screen.]

Ouch! [Nasuti runs back into the room, her slippered feet making louder-than-normal thudding noises against the dark wooden floors.]

Shuten-san...[Nasuti nudges the leg of her desk chair back with her foot while squeezing her index finger in the palm of her other hand, and stares intensely into the screen.]

Shuten-san?! [Her jaw is clenched, her eyes, already red and puffy from fatigue, were threatening to water at the very thought--]

[aragosfav.livejournal.com]

Nasuti, it is a pleasure to see you. I am sure Shin will also be delighted to see you!

[He gives a small smile.]

You look as if you've done nothing more but sit in front of your computer all day. I admire your determination to finish your grandfather's work, but I advise you spend some time to rest.

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

I...[Nasuti's mouth gapes open for a moment as she blinks back the tears a few times. She rubs her eyes a bit and examines the screen.]

...you're alive. [She says this in bewilderment.] B...but I saw you--where are you?!

[Yes, she's going to ignore his suggestion to rest for now. It's a good thing she was working like she was, otherwise how would she have seen Shuten...alive and well?]

[aragosfav.livejournal.com]

[He gives a small frown. This was not the same Nasuti he knew. He had just joined her and Yulie as he worked to finish the Ancient One's quest.]

I'm afraid I don't understand what you are referring to, Nasuti. If it helps, Yulie had just requested us to become friends and I had just fought Rajura.

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

[Nasuti pauses. Are they..was everything a dream?]

I...I see. Then...

[Nasuti looks behind her shoulder, turning partially away from the computer.]

...you're somewhere in the nearby, I take it..?

[It all seemed too real. The heavy splash his lifeless body made, the merciless laughter of Lady Kayura...but she wasn't going to question it. At the very least, it was a second chance at survival.]

[aragosfav.livejournal.com]

Yes. However, the timing is at our disadvantage. We would have to use a world hop if you wish to meet in person.

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

A...world what, exactly...?

[Was this another one of the Ancient One's abilities..?]

I just--[She steps back towards the desk, and forces herself to sit in her desk chair, lest she start pacing.]

Are you safe?

[Action]

[aragosfav.livejournal.com]

[Bright an early, Shuten arrived at Nasuti's world. It was so strange to interact with Shin and Nasuti only to learn that they weren't on the same time as he was. None of them were of the same time. The only thing in common was that Shin and Nasuti both seemed to know more then he did. He found that knowledge, frustrating.

There was something troubling Nasuti, and he had a feeling it had to deal with the time difference. Something big had to have happened. He didn't want to press her on the subject, despite his curiosity.

He agreed to meet Nasuti at the Sengoku University, where she worked. He scanned the crowds looking for her familiar pink sweater. The staff chimed gently as he walked. He ignored the few stares he received from people walking past him.

It was strange to be out in public. This was something that would take a while for him to adjust to. It was also hard to imagine to see how much the world has changed.]

[Action]

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

[Nasuti wasn't entirely certain that Shuten would be able to navigate the metropolitan streets of Tokyo, so she waited outside the university gates. She greeted several students who passed through the gates, especially if they recognized her by merit of association with her grandfather.

The arriving students had dispersed shortly before the chimes of that familiar staff sounded in the distance. Initially Nasuti was tense. She had to bury her recollection of what happened with Badamon in the Dynasty deep inside. This Shuten hadn't known the sacrifice necessary to free Kayura--if it was necessary at all. She still questioned it, to this day...but that was not for Shuten to be privy to.]

Ah--Shuten! [Nasuti lifted her hand up to wave and grab his attention. She could feel the bright smile on her face stretching high into her cheeks.] Over here!

[Nasuti wondered if she should have called Jun to tell him that Shuten was back. It was probably for the better, as the little boy wouldn't have been able to discern what topics would...or at least should be off-limits with the warlord-turned-monk. It would be enough for Nasuti to control herself, she really didn't have it in her to keep a little boy at ease, as well.

She started walking away from the university gate to greet Shuten mid-way. It made no sense to wait for him to meet her, especially since he was well within her sight.]

[Action]

[aragosfav.livejournal.com]

[Shuten smiled when he found her. This would be the first time he actually got to see her in her element. The place was alive with people. It was no longer deserted and dismal. They weren't grasping for anything they could hold on to for hope. Here he was a simple monk and she was a teacher at a university. Arago's influence seemed like one big nightmare.]

I arrived just as promised. I trust that you were able to get some rest?

[He had a feeling that it probably wasn't true, knowing Nasuti. He would have been more surprised if she did actually listen to his request.]

[Action]

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

[Nasuti laughed a bit and waved a hand dismissively.]

I just needed someone to actually tell me to go to bed, it seems.

[That was one way to dodge the question. Even if she had turned off the computer, what little slumber Nasuti got was restless sleep, which only seemed to exacerbate the uneasiness she felt with Shuten once again at her side, breathing, living--]

Please, come this way...

[Nasuti extended an arm, gesturing towards the interior of the university's walls. There was some sort of twisted irony in inviting a former warlord into the bowels of her family's base of research, and it wasn't lost on Nasuti. She wondered for a moment how her grandfather would have handled such a situation.]

You seem to have blended in really well, Shuten. [Starting a walk towards the humanities department, Nasuti gave the monk an encouraging smile. Hopefully he wasn't feeling too out of place in the thick of the modern and lively college students.]

[Action]

[aragosfav.livejournal.com]

Blended in? Far from it. It's loud and congested... nothing like the Sengoku period. It pleases me more to see you here. You were always so busy helping us with the knowledge you were given. I often wonder if they truly understood how much of a key role you played.

[He walked alongside Nasuti as he talked and continued to take in the surroundings.]

[Action]

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

[Nasuti nervously offers a grateful smile, unsure how exactly to take that. Sure, she was able to make sure of the technology and resources given to her, and it was just as much a service to herself to be able to contribute.]

I...well, sometimes it makes you feel better to help however you can, even if you can't fight. There's nothing worse than feeling like you're powerless against something while playing the waiting game.

[Nasuti paused at the bottom of the steps to the humanities building, a heavily-windowed, beige concrete complex with an open-air rooftop and adjoined balcony. She rested her hand on the handrail to the stairs, and glanced to Shuten over her shoulder.]

I apologize in advance for how cluttered my grandfa--my office is. I still haven't quite found a place for everything, not to mention some of Dr. Yagyu's colleagues had to come in to take over some of his classes...

[Nasuti pressed her lips together, forming a thin, tense line across her face. The wounds of Shuten's death were fresher, but still, her grandfather's untimely demise was still an unpleasant subject to bring up.]

[Action]

[aragosfav.livejournal.com]

[He placed a hand on her shoulder, understanding the turmoil Nasuti was going through. He only regretted that his fellow warlords had played a role in that destruction. He would have loved to have meet her grandfather and hear what he had to say. However, that was the price of war. There were many things he regretted doing.]

I had no idea how big of a project this was for your grandfather...

[Action]

[yagyu-nasuti.livejournal.com]

[Nasuti couldn't help but tense a bit at the sensation of Shuten's hand on her shoulder, but it was not one of apprehension, but more one of disbelief. It was still hard to fathom that the Shuten before her was the same Shuten who sacrificed himself for the young Kayura.]

...it was his life's work. We weren't able to have an appropriate funeral, under the circumstances. But I'm staying close by in case...

[Nasuti faded off. The lawyers had yet to read Dr. Yagyu's last will and testament. There wasn't any certainty that her grandfather left his research in her care. She could only hope.]