Who: Ajisukitakahikone, Raiden Nakashima What: SUDDENLY, A BEAUTIFUL GIRL APPEARS. Where: New York street, outside Dorian Rubis place of employment Warnings: Eros shenanigans
There hadn't been many weather phenomenons this winter (at least, not like last year's “Snowmageddon”), and so there hadn't been much work for Ikazuchi. The lack of solid work had left him a little unfocused, wandering up and down the east coast, snapping photos of landscapes and skylines when he found them interesting enough to stop.
But New York was always changing, ever moving, and he always found himself coming back. The weather was now in that awkward phase between winter and spring, warming and cooling without warning, and so to try and combat the unsettled feeling in his stomach, he got dressed early in the morning, carefully packed all of his camera gear into his bag, and set out into the city to find something new.
It was still cold at times, but Raiden had slipped on one of her pretty blue dresses under her gray jacket when she went to visit her father. She made sure to come at least once a week, and with him being alone today she thought it best to slip by on his lunch break. She had no more trinkets to give him, but had sushi with him just the same. She was starting to learn little things about him in these days. He was still coarse and mean, but Raiden couldn't be more happy at getting at least a little wedge into his time these days. Someone needed to give him the attention. She didn't care if it would backlash against her later, right now she was just enjoying it for what it was.
She stepped outside from the glass doors, the wind blowing past and catching her hair within it's grasp. Pulling her hair around to one side she tucked it behind her ear and made her start down the street. She paused for a moment to look up to the window her father stood at. She gave him a tiny wave with a smile. At least someone still believed in him.
New York had enough contrast to provide decent photos, he just had to remember where to look. There were places that new architecture clashed with old, where light suddenly shifted into dark, where industry and the sprawling human empire met with nature. It was these points that Ikazuchi focused his lens on at first, but eventually, the bustle of people and hum of conversation around him became too insistent, and he slowly lowered his camera, taking photographs of the arch of a doorway, of a person's colorful hat, a girl's dark hair, and -
Oh. He snuck one last picture, because as she turned, he saw the most interesting eyes, like the sky and the sea and home. Which struck him as odd, because a color really couldn't look like “home,” but it was how he suddenly felt, and it felt right.
Raiden was unaware that she was the intrigue of another, but she felt the prickle hit her skin. Just as the wind pinked her cheeks, curious blue eyes searched behind her. Eyes that belonged to her father and not at all eyes of a typical Japanese girl. She hadn't seen him yet, but it sent her heart fluttering.
Wrapping her collar close around her neck she started from the door, though part of her was inclined to stay.
As she walked down the street toward him - toward him - he took a deep breath. His chest swelled. He was drawn to her, even more so the closer she got, and he felt a distinct pull. Even though he'd never met her (had never even seen her before), she was familiar to him in a country that had been wholly unfamiliar since he'd first arrived. It was like life was moving in slow motion and he didn't know what to do with himself.
He did what he thought was easiest and most natural. When she passed by him, he lowered the camera from his face, his hands still curled protectively around it, and said “Hello.”
That same jump he felt radiated through her. A pull she couldn't quite understand but it was familiar, much like her father was to her. There was something else too, but she assumed the pink in her cheeks was just the fresh air.
“Konnichiwa,” she said instinctively. Her english was excellent, but sometimes it was so much easier to say things in her native tongue.
“AH!” he shouted, so startled and excited by her use of Japanese that he almost dropped his camera. “Nihonjin?” That must have been it, clearly - he was feeling this way because she was Japanese. Not her pink cheeks, or her blue, blue eyes, or her mouth, or -
'Calm down.' He took a deep breath. 'Don't get ahead of yourself. Everything is cool. You're cool. You're super smooth.'
“I took a picture of you!” he blurted out suddenly, and the whole pep talk fizzled into nothing. “I hope you don't mind, it's just your features are very interesting. You're really cute. I can give it to you, if you want, once it's developed!”
The way he seemed so energetic was relieving for her, it made her feel more comfortable. She was nothing like her half-brother or sisters. Her father only put up with her right now, and Lady Amphitrite absolutely despised her. It was nice to see another cheerful face.
“Yes,” she said with a girlish laugh. He was cute. Adorable really. She slipped her hair back behind her ear where it had fallen in front of her face. “Arigato.” Most people back in Japan didn't open their arms to her unique features as he had in one minute. “My father is Greek. That's where I get my eyes.”
He nodded, though it seemed a little odd, but cultures were colliding all the time, now. Apparently even in Japan. At least there was an explainable reason for her to have the features she did, and not something ridiculous or corny like 'the stars had fallen into her eyes.' Even though that might have been what he'd been thinking earlier but quickly dismissed because who thought like that?
“At least you have a reason.” It was easy to talk to her, although it was easy for him to talk to anyone, really. He mostly just talked at people, whether they were listening or not. She seemed to be listening intently, though, and it made something in his chest thump just a little. “I tell people I dye my hair. I don't.” He said that last part quietly, as if he were sharing a secret that he only wanted her to hear.
“Ah, I'm so rude!” The moment was gone, then, and he was back to being loud. “'jimemashite. Ikazuchi Takashi desu.”
“It's not the only reason,” she said quietly. For the first time since she could remember she actually kept her father's real identity silent. For now at least. She was extremely prideful that Poseidon was her father, but right now all she could think about was this beautiful boy in front of her that seemed just as curious about her as she did of him.
Raiden held out her hand politely with a nod. “Watashi wa Nakashima Raiden desu.” She was used to saying
He repeated her name in his head, wanting to commit it to memory. “Well, we all have our secrets. It's what makes us mysterious and appealing, ne?” He said it with a bit of a joking tone, winking at her.
“Hey, let's go get ice cream. I want to take some more photos, but it's nice outside today. You like ice cream, right?”
“Yes,” she said with a fervent nod of her head. Her smile branched wider.
“I do!” She put her finger to her lips. Once the soft breeze settled she took off her gray coat which showed off the ocean blue dress. “Let's go!” She said taking his hand within her own without a second thought.
Her hand seemed to fit into his perfectly, like she was always meant to be with him. Ah, she was so cute! He wanted to die right then just to be reborn and see her smile.
He carefully fit his camera back into the bag over his shoulder and zipped it closed with his free hand, and with a confident, genuine smile, pulled her along down the street.
It was quite the switch for Raiden to focus her attention on any other man than her father, but with Taka it came easily. It was as if some kind of switch had been hit inside her and she could think of no one else. She'd spent the entire afternoon with him. She'd even followed him back to his apartment. He reminded her of home, it was a comfort she'd never stop wanting. He'd been so easy to like that slipping into his arms was almost magical.
When Eros' effects had finally worn off she was still perfectly aware of where she was and what had happened. She'd just never done anything like this before. Softly she padded from his futon and back into her dress. She wasn't sure where Taka was but she was ready to face whatever outcome came from this. He'd either never talk to her again or she'd made a new friend. Part of her hoped he didn't just let her leave. Even without Eros, Raiden felt comfortable with Taka.
The thunder god had woken just before sunrise and was only mildly confused. He had memory of all parts of the previous day (and subsequent night), it was just the fervor he remembered having seemed a bit extreme. He recalled thinking strangely, like in a half-fog, but he wasn't one to mull over things for a long time, so after a brief moment, he just shrugged to himself and went about getting dressed.
He let Raiden sleep, because it seemed like the nice thing to do. He made sure to close the bedroom door most of the way before turning on the television in his living area and the overhead light in his kitchenette. He set about making himself something to eat (and a little extra, in case Raiden wanted something), and then perched himself on his kitchen counter, watching the muted news while he ate toast.
Pulling her hair behind her ears, while still a radiant beam of sunshine, Raiden was a tad shy. “Hi,” she said softly as she approached the seat beside him in the kitchen.
He made sure to pull the toast out of his mouth before speaking. “Good morning. You're up earlier than I thought you'd be.” His voice was entirely too chipper for such an early hour, but once he was going, he was going. There wasn't much down time for Takashi.
“Are you hungry? I made toast and tea, but I can make you something else, if you want. Eggs?” She didn't seem like the type that would eat a traditional breakfast, but then again, he didn't know much about her at all.
“Tea is fine,” she said politely, her cheeks pink. She sat beside his seat admiring his pretty face. Where had he come from? She was mesmerized still by the events and not at all upset.
As she swished in her seat she cleared her throat. “I should tell you something,” she was worried but there was a pull to him that was familiar besides his heritage. “My father, I told you was Greek. There's more to that.” For some reason she felt he'd understand.
He slipped down from the counter and turned toward the stove, where the teapot sat cooling on the burner. He grabbed a clean cup from the rack (thankfully, he had done the few dishes he owned the day before) and poured some of the green tea he'd made into that.
As she spoke, he handed her the cup. “Hm?” His eyebrow raised at that. “What is it?” She seemed a little nervous. He wondered if her father might be some sort of mob boss or something.
She gingerly handled the cup he gave her careful to blow over the top before taking a sip. It was good, nothing like the fake green tea some of the shops around tended to carry. This was legit.
She took a mini breath, keeping herself calm as those bright blue eyes starred straight into his. “He's Poseidon. My father is Poseidon.” She had no idea what had compelled her to tell him, it just felt like she should.
Both eyebrows raised at that, and he set his own cup down. It sounded slightly familiar, like something he should know, and the name was odd enough that he should be able to remember it.
“Ah!” He darted around the small bar that separated the kitchenette from the living area and ducked down, jumping back up only when he found a particular book on the shelf that hid there. “Hold on. Hold on....” He flipped through pages quickly, first to the back, then somewhere in the middle. He drew his lower lip in between his teeth as he read.
“HA,” he shouted, loudly. “Found it. That's what it was. I knew it was something!” He was very pleased with himself, and a bit excited by this new information. This, he realized, changed everything.
He leaned across the bar, his hands extending the book out toward her. “I should tell you, then, since we're being honest. I know I told you my name is Takashi.” They'd jumped to first names pretty quickly - almost immediately - and he almost always went by his legal surname, these days. “That's not entirely true. My full name - my real name - is Ajisukitakahikone.”
Raiden watched him with excitement as he fumbled through his book. She shook her head up and down with a pleased smile. “Yes, he's the god of the sea.” It was why she held such vibrant eyes. They were just like his. When he said his own name she squeaked loudly, quickly covering her mouth with her hands.
“I'm sorry,” she whispered suddenly bounding out of her seat and hugging him. Another sea god, this one from her homeland. She kissed him softly on the cheek then took her place back on her seat. “You don't think I'm crazy. I'm glad.”
He wanted to put his hand on his cheek, but he decided instead to scratch the back of his head. “Of course you're not crazy. Or you might be crazy, I'm not sure. It's not as if we really know, right? I could be crazy. We could both be crazy.”
He was rambling, he knew, and he came back to his tea to give his hands something to do. “I'm still not really sure exactly what happened yesterday. So I apologize if I did or said anything strange. It was just...this feeling I had.” It was typical for him to act on impulse, but yesterday had been a little random, even for him.
@ 2012-05-29 10:08:00 Entry tags: ajisukitakahikone, raiden nakashima Who: Raiden and Ajisukitakahikone When: May 19 Where: Raiden's apartment with her mother. What: Things aren't okay in Raiden's household. Warnings: Likely none
Raiden was a little panicked. No one was listening to her, not even Poseidon. She knew her father was busy, but she couldn't understand what was going on right now. It was bigger than her, but her half-immortal self could seemed that something bad was going on.
It was dark now, her mother was usually either out running an “errand” or locked up in her room. After dinner she'd slinked out saying she had a 'date'. Raiden had grown suspicious, so she started to sneak around her mother's room. For some reason she was scared to. She was glad Takashi would be there soon.
It had begun to rain. Just a light drizzle, nothing too serious, but enough that Takashi decided to walk to Raiden's instead of taking the subway. He didn't really like being underground anyway, it made him nervous, so the rain was a good excuse to ignore that method all together.
He didn't have an umbrella, didn't wear a hood, and the more rain dropped on his head, the more people looked at him with sympathy. Which was silly, he thought, as his natural state was to be comfortable in the storm, and this could hardly even be called that. It was relaxing. Comfortable. Which was good, because he was worried about Raiden. They hadn't been seeing each other long, not even by mortal standards, and he'd never met her mother, but if Raiden was concerned then he'd come check things out. At the very least, he could help her feel safe.
By the time he reached Raiden's apartment, his hair was plastered to his head, his shoulders were damp, and he had calmed considerably. He thumped his fist against the door, the knocks resounding in the hallway.
Things were anywhere but calm for Raiden as she searched her mother's room for anything out of the ordinary. There was an odd smell creeping from the floor boards, but it was faint. Enough to seem like some old sandwich had been left under the bed for a few days. She was about to look under the rolled futon when she heard the knock.
She jumped up a little startled. Quietly stepping out of the room she shut the door behind her and peaked through the peephole. When she saw Takashi she swung open the door and hugged him as hard as she could. She was made of stronger stuff than this, but the Vibe she'd been feeling for weeks just wouldn't go away. Part of her didn't want to find out, but she was persistent.
“Hey!” he greeted, the word broken by laughter as he was attacked. “Hey,” he said again, a little more softly, reaching to move her arms with gentle hands, “no point in you getting wet, too. Least let me take my jacket off.”
He could feel her panic. It was creeping up his spine like a cold shock, like someone had dropped ice at the bottom of his shirt. It was a palpable feeling in the room.
“I don't care,” she said, tears nearly lining her eyes and she wasn't even sure why. She waited for him to remove his jacket before tackling him again. She needed to feel someone there because she'd felt alone for weeks. She hadn't been sleeping either, which would reflect poorly on her grades.
He shed the jacket as soon as she pried herself away from him, deposited it near the door because he could see her coming in again and didn't have time to really look for the proper place to hang it. He took the few seconds he had to shake his hair out a little, causing it to go in different directions.
“You're a girl, you're supposed to care about all that stuff. Clothes getting wet and makeup smearing. Right?” Maybe not. Her father was some sort of sea god, wasn't he? She was probably comfortable around water. Or maybe that was just that movie about the boy at the camp that made him think that way. Either way, she didn't seem to mind, which was good for him, as his hair was dripping water on her.
He placed a hand on the back of her head, smoothing her dark hair down. “Wanna tell me what's going on?”
She just wanted to feel someone close by. She'd felt alone for weeks. The water felt good dripping against her skin. She couldn't let him go and refused to.
Clear blue eyes looked up when he asked and she felt those tears rush again. “This is so bad.” She wiped them away. “Otousan would be furious that I was being such a baby.” She let herself calm down before dragging him towards her mother's room. “I found blood on the bed,” she opened up the door. There may have even been a cat paw on the patch but it was hard to tell. “She said she cut herself cooking. Rushed out the door for a date.” She shook her head. “She doesn't date. She hasn't dated since....my father.”
“Pretty sure he'll get over it,” he replied dryly. He wasn't really someone who could fault another for crying - it was his most defining trait. Granted, he had been a baby when he'd done all that, but showing emotion was A Good Thing. People without a full spectrum of emotions were frightening. He let her lead him into the apartment and through the door, keeping a tight grip on her hand the whole time, letting her know he was right behind her.
“Well,” he began, pausing for a moment. It was all the tenderness he could muster. He wasn't good at wording things and always ended up just being blunt. “You're older now. She doesn't have to really look after you anymore. She probably just put off dating until you could take care of yourself.”
It wasn't unheard of. Although her father had probably done a number on her mother, so who knew? It was the blood that gave him pause. “Cut what - a major artery?” And to not clean up after. There was a sharp copper smell, something else he couldn't pinpoint, but some part of him knew what it was. “Should probably open a window.”
She tightened her small fingers around his, clinging to his hand. “I know all that. She's...” she wandered off watching his facial expressions with acute interest. “It's not like her.”
“I don't know.” The scene was rather horrific in a way. Her nose twitched letting go of him long enough to open the window. “Do you think she's okay?” She could feel her heart palpitate against her chest wildly. “What is it?” Poseidon hadn't come over to investigate a week ago when she asked, now things were just getting stranger.
He took a deep breath when she opened the window, dragging in the smell, the moisture. He didn't realize how stifled he'd felt in this room until she'd opened it up to the outside. Just the one breath relaxed him considerably.
Truth was, he didn't know what was going on. He wasn't a detective. “I don't know, Raiden.” He knew he was just repeating her. It sounded almost hollow. He tried again. “I wish I could tell you. But I've never even met your mother, so I don't know how she even acts normally, let alone abnormally. I can barely remember who I am, some days. I can tell there's something old in here, like I've got an itch, somewhere deep. It's lingering somewhere. But that could be you. I can't say for sure.”
He dropped his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, offering reassurance. “I know you're worried. You should just confront your mother when you see her again. Do you want to stay with me tonight?” There were no undertones to the question. If she stayed, he'd make up the futon under his bed.
It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. It should have given her relief but it didn't. How could she even explain what that feeling was in the pit of her stomach that told her something was terribly wrong? It just came out as her being over-obsessive about something that was probably so minor.
She huffed, brows curving in a displeased fashion very reminiscent of her father. It wasn't the answer she wanted and she wasn't going to take it. “It's not me,” she waved her hand around. “I mean I know my father's old and that's there, but this feels....from somewhere else. From home.”
She sighed again with frustration. “I've tried, she just...she doesn't even talk to me Takashi.” She hung her head a little feeling silly for having snapped at him. “Yes. I'll stay with you,” her voice like a meek child.
He didn't so much mind that she'd snapped. He was used to it. He honestly wished she wouldn't regret doing it - she acted as if he'd slapped her before he even had a chance to reply.
“Do you have any theories? Any other clues? Anything else out of the ordinary? I just don't have a lot to go on, and I don't want to worry you if you don't need to be worried.” He brushed her hair behind her ear. “I promise I'm not going to think you're crazy. Just tell me whatever you're feeling. We'll work it out.”
She was shaking she was so upset with too many emotions swirling at once. It was a tidal wave.
Raiden tried to think, remembering the first time that things swung off-kilter. It had been a few weeks ago when her mother almost seemed sick. “It was a few weeks ago when this started. She got sick, or so I thought. She stayed in her room for days on end never coming out and wouldn't even eat.” She was still shaking and starting to tear up again, but this time out of frustration. “When I came in after three days to help her up, get her moving she hissed at me. Almost like a cat would the moment I drug her to the shower.” There were other 'strange' occurrences that had happened, but she was trying to put it all together.
“Hey.” He turned her to face him, placed a steady hand on each shoulder. He bent slightly to face her directly. “Take a deep breath. Everything will be fine.”
Except it probably wouldn't. There was obviously something strange happening here and nothing was going to be fine. He tried not to dwell on it. “Do you think it's a possession?” He winced after the words left his mouth. It seemed like a worst case scenario, but Japan had a lot of spirit types that could have piggybacked on any of Raiden's things.
Raiden calmed considerably as he catered to her worry. It dried her tears long enough to think clearly now. “Possession, “ she nodded. “Maybe. Her appetite is bigger. She eats like an animal.” If she wasn't mistaken it could be like a werewolf attack. It was hard to think something like that existed, but her mind was open in knowing her father.