( open post ) hizen tadahiro

[harimaya]

HIZEN TADAHIRO
ああ？随分と久しぶりじゃねえか。
まーた斬らせたい相手でもできたかよ？
Huh? Been a while. Did you find
someone you want me to kill?

A CATCHALL FOR HIZEN TADAHIRO FROM TOUKEN RANBUCRAU from Jigoku-cho available but we can also scrub the serial numbers off and just treat things as assumed CR. Hizen is from a canon that deals with time travel and (vaguely) other worlds so I can toss him into your character's world or have them recruited into his world to be a potential new master to save the world from a mysterious force that wants to rewrite history. I'm open to any setting and I'm happy to continue old threads too. contact: yosakoi | eski#9874

Comments

eventual CRAU for Hizen-kun... but first a brat

[onesighted]

Oh? You're still here.

[After school, Seiji almost never went home unless a car was waiting for him. Instead he made a detour for manju and was goofing off at the abandoned shrine building behind Tenmangu.]

[A sticky wrapper drops carelessly off the edge of the shrine building's veranda, but he's not looking at it. Instead, he's looking at the sword spirit with the dead eyes who has been lurking about his family for generations, to the point that he was believed to be an omen of ill fortune holding a grudge against the family. But in secret, sometimes he approached Seiji like a lost dog or a stray cat, and that amused him.]

Was this what you were after today? [Matoba holds out the sweet bun between his fingers as if he was going to offer it, then promptly pops it into his mouth to take a bite, instead.] ...Haha, oh well. Offerings are for enshrined gods, not tattered ayakashi.

[harimaya]

(The wrapper flutters over the edge and begins to tumble away on the ground... and Hizen steps on it. Bending down to pick it up between two fingers, he looks over at Matoba with lightless eyes,)

You shouldn't litter.

(He's sure the kami here would be annoyed. It's enough of a pain when people leave junk in place of offerings or something. He keeps some distance away from Seiji-- the same way he's done for generations with this family. Dressed in a torn kimono with a tattered haori that as well be a rag... he really isn't an impressive looking spirit. He has a tired and quiet air to him too-- an uninterested cat, a spirit that is happy to mind his own business even if his business is watching this family.

He's gotten closer in recent years... but only to Seiji. He tries to not make it obvious to others but considering how flighty and distant he's been for over a century, he knows Matoba-- Seiji-- has noticed.)

You didn't come here to offer anything, either.

[onesighted]

I was going to pick it up. [Seiji pouts at the spirit, brushing a crumb from his lap and taking another bite of the manju. The shrine was still occasionally visited by students around exam times, but this storage building towards the back had not been used in decades; far off the beaten track of the rest of the shrine, its wood was weathered and splintered, and the inside was lightly covered in a dusting of soil from the winds. A perfect hideaway for an exorcist clan's young lord, looking to escape for a while.]

[He stuffs the rest of the manju into his mouth, as if to punctuate Hizen's accusation.] 'ay'ee. [(Maybe.) Gulp.] What shall I make an offering to? You?

[He straightens up then, tucking his legs under himself, and diligently claps his hands together with his eyes lowered in prayer. (Both eyes. The right was the same as the left.) It was a facetious gesture, to be sure, but he offers it towards Hizen nonetheless.]

"O spirit of destruction, whose divine hands and blade unmake mine enemies, to you we give our thanks; may we seek shelter in your benevolence once more."

...How's that? Good enough? [Seiji's eyes open again, sharp red, as a malevolent energy suddenly manifests out of the back of the woods behind the shed in the direction from which Seiji had climbed on his way from school. The huge youkai emerges flying like a shadow, a cyclopian specter with clawed hands, and climbs itself over the roof of the shed building to salivate at Seiji's back.]

THERE YOU ARE....... CHILD OF MAN, DID YOU THINK YOU COULD JUST RUN AWAY FROM ME?

[His eyes land on Hizen's, smiling softly. His hands are still clapped together.] Oya. So you followed me after all...

...I have another manju, you know.

[harimaya]

I ain't that kind of kami.

(He's a much humbler one. He doesn't desire offerings like the older and more powerful ones. He can tell he's being teased and he snaps,)

I said quit it!

(A destructive spirit... is that how they still think of him? It was annoying back then and it's annoying now, still. He tries to protect this family and make sure they live like they're supposed to and this is how they regard him, huh.

When Seiji looks up, Hizen is staring at him. It's the same Matoba but not. He knows he's getting closer and closer to that moment he's been waiting for but he needs to be careful. He can't betray any information to the younger Matoba. He can't let him know his own motivations and reasons for lingering so long in this timeline.

There's a sense of dread in the air and he reaches for the sword that is ever present at his side. His hand rests on the hilt and he shifts into a ready position. There's a shift in Hizen's own aura-- the air feels like the edge of a knife, ready to strike at any moment. His red eyes, always dark and lightless, seem to glow a brighter red in the shadows of the building. Even a lower level spirit like this is something Hizen takes seriously (as lazy as he may seem, he doesn't slack when it comes to his duties).)

Just stay back. (A warning to Seiji as he places himself between the cursed spirit and the boy,) And stay out of this.

[onesighted]

Is that so?

[He had been taught it since he was young, the stories of this mysterious ayakashi whose blade had been drawn to the clan's curse now and then, before disappearing with no explanation- becoming both an ill omen and an appealing servant in one. He was also one who had managed to evade the clan's attempts at contract or subjugation, despite their efforts- and yet, it still appeared before him sometimes, the mere heir, when all of the clan histories had said that it wouldn't appear outside of attacks on the head.]

[He hadn't told any of his elders, of course. It'd be boring if Matoba-san got the idea to try and use him to bait it out and capture it; whatever this spirit wanted with him would be far more interesting and useful for the future- for the day when he would be Matoba.]

[And anyway, it means he gets to watch interesting things like this, too. With his hands still clasped together, he's gathering power. He was still young and inexperienced compared to his older self, and he hadn't inherited the spiritual power that accompanied his curse yet- but for a child, there was still an unsettling coldness from the amount of purified energy that settled around him.] What, are you going to get rid of this guy for me? [He teases, as if this hadn't been his plan ever since he'd felt the shadow passing over his school, as if he hadn't walked straight to the shrine instead of the arcade or home because he could feel the heavy presence that had been dogging him for the last 3 days, waiting for its chance to strike.]

[Like he hadn't brought a second manju. Did he guess that Hizen would appear to help him?]

HNNNN....? MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, TINY. [The ayakashi hisses in Hizen's direction and takes a swipe towards the ground, as if waving off an annoying fly.] I SAW THIS FOOD FIRST! IT'S MY PREY!

[(Of course he assumes that Hizen had come here for the same thing.)]

timeskiiiip

[onesighted]

Matoba-san's still in recovery,

[Is what Seiji says, casually and without any real emotion, the next time he comes upon Hizen. He'd felt him lingering like a worried hen ever since the last attack, where the curse had managed a fresh wound over the clanhead's face.] But the eye is safe.

[And that's all that matters. Seiji sips loudly over the straw to his softdrink, a brightly colored paper cup from the conbini, and leans against an ancient tree that was swathed in shimenawa, much to the chagrin of its spirit which was grumbling about the insolence of children of man in the branches above. It was a lovely spring day, getting warmer, almost into summer.]

Anyway, I'm meeting someone, so what did you want? Come to tell me what you want in exchange for your contract?

[harimaya]

...

(Hizen is on the opposite end of the tree, crouched down over the roots and picking at some of the dead leaves. He's aware of the spirit above them and he tries to minimize his own presence. Maybe he can just clean up a little or something... It's idle and pointless work though because he's more focused on listening to Seiji from the other side.

He's aware of the attack and he'd made sure to... not be around. Things would play out as they were meant to. All would be as well as could be. His presence would only make things more frustrating, he thinks.)

D'ya think it'll make a difference?

(If they had him for a shiki? Do they think it'll prevent more incidents like this?)

[onesighted]

Hm? [Seiji's mouth pops off of his straw, turning to peer around the tree at Hizen.] ...What, you? Haha, well, maybe. [He sips on his drink again, then adds,] Maybe not. The way it came at us this time was quite frustrating... I don't think a weapon would have helped.

[Ominous and vague, but he doesn't go on to specify any further. Instead, he takes a step off of the tree and toes at a root as the spirit above complains again.]

Besides, if you were contracted to me.... Nevermind. We're doing a job today. Going to help?

[harimaya]

(There are simply things that can't be helped, even when you're in a position to try and make a difference. He only nods once to himself and sets his dead leaf collection off to the side in a neat pile by the roots. He can sense Seiji trying to look at him and while he doesn't move, he doesn't look back.

After a moment he stands upright and looks out from around the tree,)

"We?"

a few years later........ Halloween, aka inheritance eve

[onesighted]

[Time may pass, but some things barely change. On the rare occasions that Hizen approaches him, Seiji makes the same aloof offer- it's a running gag at this point, he's decided. It's clear that the heir to the Matoba has no intentions of attempting to forcibly spellbind the sword spirit, and no expectations as to Hizen accepting his offer. As he watches over them, both Matoba and Natori's powers blossom from potential to realization, but the divergence in their strengths and weaknesses become abundantly clear. Matoba's methods become more calculated and cut-throat. Natori, unable to decide his path, finds himself drifting. It becomes obvious too, over time, that the two were not simply partners. Though they may have took jobs together, their interest in each other hardly ended there.]

[For someone like Matoba, it was the dalliance of youth. But it was reaching its twilight.]

[In just three short years, Matoba Seiji's 18th birthday draws near. With much anticipation and fanfare, both the Matoba clan and the exorcist community at large is aflutter with gossip about what the young exorcist may be like as head, but on this night, Hizen finds him as he would find any teenager on Halloween night:]

[Sitting on an old stone wall, a ghoulish mask pushed into his hair, and shoveling candy into his face.]

Want some? [He holds out the twisted end of a wrapped hard candy.] I'm not big on these.

[harimaya]

(He continues to watch the family from a distance the same he always has. Sometimes he strays a little closer, helping with the odd job or reaching out for the occasional snack when he feels like it but for the most part, he keeps his hands off. He also watches the other boy-- Natori Shuichi-- and sees how he grows without the limitations of that other world.

In his observations, even he catches on to their relationship but he says nothing. It isn't his job to meddle. He's observed enough history to understand why things move the way they do. What a typical story, he thinks. The noble heir and the commoner.

(It reminds him of an old story. He won't think about it too much, though.)

A fated day is approaching and he always feels more on edge when these markers happen. If this was a regular mission, now would be one of those times where he expected an increase in enemy activity. He's yet to encounter any of the Revisionist Army here but he still keeps his guard up. Habits are hard to break.)

Shouldn't you be home?

(Figuring out this inheritance stuff or whatever they do at the Matoba house.

Hizen does, however, come close enough to hold out his hand and take whatever candy he's offering. Years of treats and convincing the spirit that he isn't going tobe tricked or forced into a contract has paid off. Hizen is still on guard and quick to flee but he does get a little closer from time to time.)

happy birthdayween to baby....

[onesighted]

Huh? [Seiji pauses briefly, mid-bite on a taffy that stretches out from his hand to his teeth. He snaps it away, little tendrils dangling, and chews. Then, he just chuckles.] ...What do you mean? Ahh... Of course, a spirit wouldn't know. It's a western tradition.

[Seiji gestures to it all- his mask, the candy, the bright orange, pumpkin-printed plastic bag he was digging it out of- and shrugs.] It is called "Halloween". Supposedly, on this night in the western world, the veil between the human and ayakashi realms is weak and youkai would come out on this night and trick humans if they aren't paid tribute. Or something like that....... Anyway, so now human children go around dressed up in costumes like monsters and ghosts, and adults give them candy.

[He tosses the rest of the taffy in his mouth. Of course, he knows exactly what Hizen is really asking.] Did you come out to ask me for tribute? [He grins from under his half-mask.] Or perhaps it was to treat me?

now.... he is Big

[worldbent]

[Matoba Seiji's ascension comes to pass and it takes no time at all for word of his actions to sweep across the countryside.]

[It's ruthless and unrelenting, like a military expansion. He revives old properties of the Matoba's to use as bases of operations, purging the surrounding forests of ayakashi that might pose any threat to them. Bounties on ayakashi become more commonplace, encouraging opportunistic exorcists to come out of the woodwork. And, even among exorcists, those who opposed the Matoba find themselves in a tough position- work nicely alongside them and bow to their might, or face irrelevance.]

[The Matoba have always been spoken of in hushed and bitter tones by ayakashi, but this spate of activity only brings on more rumors, more fear. But none would dare to make an attempt on that exorcist's life- except, naturally, the one who always would.]

[Despite all his aggressive expansion of the clan back into the business, Matoba mostly worked alone when he pursued a job himself. The Matoba traveled in groups and his trusted branch clan-heads at the inner circle would act as the backup with most jobs, but he still preferred to hunt on his lonesome. It was an unwise move, perhaps- one he'd surely been warned of. But sometimes, that sort of young hubris can only be undone by experience.]

[The head of Natori had continued his activities, too, and it wasn't as if they never saw each other. But what once had been a warm and teasing camaraderie was now a cold and thorny rivalry of sorts, each prickling the other with asides as they brushed past at an exorcist meeting, or in some private conversation. They could never forget one another, but the lump of unpleasantness would never leave between them, the misunderstanding of each others' hearts that had occurred.]

[Even over months that passed, Matoba Seiji's heart had not forgotten. That's why, even though it was so strange to see him out there in the middle of the forest, why Matoba had lowered his bow and called out his name. He was too distracted to see how Natori's face had been turned away to hide the right side, how he didn't speak even when he called out. Not until he had been too close, and that wicked, skulking monster's ruse was revealed too late.]

[It was at least fortunate that the rest of his clan had been nearby enough to sense the aura and hear the cry, but blood had still been drawn. After much panic and fuss and rushing Matoba to the sort of surgeon that would not ask too many questions, relief rippled through the clan at confirmation that the eye (and the head attached to it) was safe. Matoba was resigned then to bedrest, much to his chagrin, and left to stew in his own failures.]

[He doesn't expect such a visitor.]

Didn't I tell you not to appear before me? [There's a square bandage plastered to the right side of his face, with the familiar- to Hizen- ward draped over it.]

[harimaya]

(A fated day arrives and he makes sure to not be around. There are too many in the family that could sense him and read into his lack of action. They're aggressive enough towards spirits-- ayakashi-- and he doesn't need to threaten his standing with them. All of these years would mean nothing if he blew it at the last moment and got himself exorcised too soon.

So he stays away and only arrives at the last moment to watch the spirit flee like it always does. He wonders if anyone senses him in the chaos but once all seems taken care of, he disappears again into the shadows.

He doesn't approach again until after the hospital's hours end for the public. The late-night shift clocks in, the staff thins out, the guests are gone, and most of the patients are tucked in for the night. The security makes no difference when he can come and go as he pleases through the shadows. It's easier at night, even.

It's the first time he's appeared near Matoba since that birthday. He only comes close enough to keep watch. The night is when spirits are most active, after all, and hospitals are emotional places filled with vulnerable people.)

... I'm not.

(He keeps his distance still, staying off to the side, close to the shut door so he can hear who comes and goes on their night watches. It's a cheeky response, really. He didn't appear in front of the Matoba head. He even tries to hide in the dark though, surely Matoba's eye has adjusted to the dim light by now.

Hizen is the same as he was just a couple of years ago. Spirits are unchanging. He hasn't grown a single millimeter. He still looks as surly as he did before but he probably seems boyish compared to Matoba who has had to grow more in a couple of years than normal.)

[worldbent]

[Matoba's head turns just enough in the pale moonlight to level an exhausted sort of 'really?' look at Hizen's cheeky answer. The room had been warded by the clan to prevent any spirits from getting in, and Matoba's shiki prickled by his bedside at Hizen's intrusion. But wards kept out malice; and Hizen was not malicious. That, and powerful enough to push through them.]

[With a long sigh through his nose that's probably a more familiar reaction to Hizen than anything he's seen in a long time, Matoba sits up slightly in the hospital bed and turns his head back to lay against the pillows.]

So they are talking about it.

[The youkai. How else would he know? If he had witnessed it, surely he would have intervened, as he had every other time in their written histories.]

at long last, CR canonpoint 🙌

[worldbent]

[The man that Matoba is meeting is tall, with an oppressive aura and dead, black eyes. He's familiar, a man who used to walk amongst the Matoba clan as one of their own when he was young; a man with his face may have walked with the prior generations, too, that Hizen watched.]

[Now he looks like a man who could- and would- reach out and snap Matoba's neck, if he had the right chance. But the way that Matoba looks at him is the same as how he looks at all others- with gentle disregard as a threat, lacing words around him that make him unable to act, and handing over a large, wrapped pot before parting on his way.]

Neechan hates cats, you know.

[With those parting words, Matoba leaves the man with the cold eyes behind and begins to walk down the stone steps of the temple, to return to where his people were going to pick him up after this meeting. But something stops him in his tracks.]

[It's like... a force. The sudden rush of strange memories where there had been none before; it takes his breath away for a brief few seconds before his training kicks in and he represses everything carefully once more. But it's still there- the intrusive existence of memory, like he had taken one step into an ayakashi realm and then taken another and he was back, here, on the stone steps again.]

[And with that sudden rush of memory came... understanding.]

[For a long few moments, Matoba stands where he is on the steps, looking out over the mountain before him. The trees were rustling. The shade was dappled. And if he closes his eyes, perhaps he can sense a familiar presence........]


[Rather than continue on down the steps to where his car was waiting, Matoba takes a side path through the woods. These were old trees, many of them home to spirits; but he ignores them, how they scatter and hide at the sight of him, until he can find a clearing that is quiet and alone.]

................Well? How long are you going to hide in those shadows, Hizen-kun?

[harimaya]

(The time is coming, it could happen any day now and it's hard to not get impatient in the weeks and days leading up to the right moment but he stays true. He continues as normal, keeping his distance and making sure to not change his habits. The last thing he needs is to tip off that guy and let him know something is changing.

He isn't even sure if this will really work. He knows how he remembered-- he'd suddenly appeared back at home, a flood of memories and experiences overwhelming him in the middle of his day as if he'd experienced a long mission in a single second and returned him the next. He'd spoken to Norimune about it and they'd wondered if their remembering was in part to their nature as spirits that already travel between times and worlds.

He doesn't know if it will be the same for a human.

But it happens. He hears someone in this world call his name and he goes alert. No one has called his name in so long but instead of rushing to answer... he makes a point to drag his feet. He can't go looking too excited or anything. Because he isn't. He's not!

After a few seconds, there's that familiar aura from the shadows nearby and familiar spirit-- more familiar than before-- reveals himself,)

Took ya long enough.

(A beat,)

And it's Hizen.

(NO -KUN!!!!!!!)

[worldbent]

Yes, yes, [Dismissively, waving his hand. A few seconds to Hizen is rushing to Matoba, still, and he has to stifle down a chuckle at how predictable it is when he pops out of the bushes to immediately grouch at him.]

[He turns to face him, to give one of his annoyingly bright smiles when he appears. There he is..... As if only a few days at most have passed since they saw one another in that city. And yet....]

...You know, I was just teasing you when I said to come visit me. Who knew you would come running?

[Trying to make up for lost time by annoying him? Hmmm. Something like that. Matoba chuckles under his breath, and speaks up again past the grousing he knows is coming,] But that's not why you came, is it.

[And then he's quiet. He lets the silence in the clearing settle- and watches Hizen, expectantly.]

shiki training :)

[worldbent]

Get up.

[Hizen has been at the Matoba house for a few weeks by the time Matoba comes to his little room one morning after breakfast and leans against the doorframe from the veranda side; the morning light shines in over his shoulder, outlining him in a halo, a dark black shape blotting out the sun.]

[Arms crossed into his sleeves, he smiles down at Hizen, who inbetween his guard duties and a few smaller training tasks to root out vermin, has been mostly given time to acclimate to his new surroundings, his new social standing. Well. Maybe not that new.]

I'm taking you on a job today. This one should be easy for you; actually, it will be quite familiar, I think. [A shiki enters in after him, carrying a drycleaning bag on a hanger and laying it out for Hizen. Inside, a uniform: a black suit, white shirt, black tie.]

[See? Familiar.]

Get dressed and come to the front gates before noon.

[harimaya]

(He's been settling into his duties. Sure, it's a pain in the ass when the kitchen staff keeps forgetting him every other day but it's the price he pays for his existence in this world. Today is one of his days off, though. He's free from his kitchen and house duties and allowed a day to rest, to sleep in, to eat, and mind his own business!!! He doesn't even have to wear the black kimono he's grown accustomed to today. So here he is, lounging in his sweatshirt and worn jeans when....

...Matoba comes to bother him. Hizen knits his eyebrows together in irritation. He wants to say it's his day off but he knows there really are no days off for a shiki. He looks at the suit in front of him and growls,)

I ain't some doll, y'know!

(Matoba can't keep giving him new uniforms to wear!!!!)

[worldbent]

Of course you're not, [Matoba scoffs dryly, as if the notion was absurd. He pushes off the side of the doorframe and turns to head back down the veranda.]

You are my servant. Hurry up and change.

[By the time Hizen struggles into the suit and makes it to the entrance to the Matoba house, the sleek black car he'd arrived in is waiting there, along with Matoba, now changed into a suit of his own. He's conversing with Nanase and a few other Matoba exorcists when Hizen comes skulking along, and turns his smirk on him when he notices.]

--Oh, finally. [He gestures to the back seat of the car- just like they'd ridden before.] Get in. The ride will be a little long, this time. I will explain along the way.

[He turns to Nanase with one last adjustment to his tie.] Well, I will leave things here to you, then.

[He slides into the back of the car next to Hizen after that, and the door shuts behind him.]

[Settling in as they begin to drive, he folds his hands in his lap.]

...By the way, it'd be useful if you would confirm for me now: are you able to manifest and demanifest your blade at will?

[He hasn't even explained anything yet and already asking questions.]

[kikuichi]

[When they returned, it's without any alarm or fanfare. As if their time away from this Citadel barely pass. Maybe a couple of hours? Norimune doesn't remember the time before they showed up in Hell.

Temporal differences are nothing new, when Touken Danshi occasionally take missions that take place over many years yet only a few days moved at their Citadel.

It's fortunate, but it doesn't mean they can trust it'll be the same next time. What if someone went to another world, and their absence is more notable?]

Yo, Hizen. Got a moment?

[Norimune calls out to Hizen, hoping to talk.]

[harimaya]

(No one seemed to have really noticed they were gone. Mutsunokami and Sensei had greeted Hizen simply like he'd wandered off for a moment which is nothing new for Hizen who prefers to be left alone.

... They had noticed he seemed different, some how, though. Mutsunokami had asked if something was wrong and Sensei had simply watched Hizen, waiting for the wakizashi to explain things whenever he was ready. The other wakizashi seemed none the wiser, too.

It's just their story. Hizen's and Norimune's.)

Mhm. (He nods and gets up from the floor that he's been laying down on,) What d'ya want?

[kikuichi]

Why, can't I have a nice chat with you?

[Norimune say as he slide the door close behind him, and then walking over towards him. He's quiet for a moment, confirming no one's around to listen.]

First thing first, can you still use that skill?

[The shadow travel. If Hizen still have that power, they should talk about it. And it'll naturally tied into the main topic Norimune's after.]

[harimaya]

(Ah, this feels serious and Hizen adjusts his attitude just slightly. He's giving Norimune his attention now and waiting to see what the purpose is...)

...

(He's quiet for just a moment. He knows what Norimune is talking about.)

... Yeah. (They're in an open room, the shadows are all tucked away in the corners and not in the center of the room where they are now but he suddenly feels very aware of the lights and shadowing around them.) Only tried it once to see... but it still worked.