Today was supposed to be a relatively ordinary day. A man enters a bar in the Shipyards, sits down at the corner of the main bar, places his newsboy cap on the bar in front of him, and orders a beer. Relaxation was the goal of today’s voyage into the “Old Town.” It may have been a relatively small country, but the Tea Country was a majestic place from Hideyoshi’s perspective. The small country was located at the center of the Fire Country, but it was much more than an extension of its larger cousin. It was the unofficially center of trade in the southern region, and it’s irregular positioning in the region gifted the country with an everchanging climate and equally a unique locale. For instance, Kurosawa was somewhat of a technological marvel, rivaling the innovation of Kumo’s Susukino District, while the lush backgrounds of the farmlands reminded him of what he read about the Fire Country. The stark differences in climate within the country led to different customs and a unique experience in each area of the country that Yoshi had traveled throughout his voyage. At least, that’s how it seemed to a tourist. This foreign traveler’s expedition led to this bar— to what some could call a fateful encounter. But… how often is “fate” actually “fateful?” How often does mere coincidence give way to something more concrete, like a planned meeting between strangers? A woman sought to test this fate and Hideyoshi was her mark.
She sat across from him at the opposite end of the bar, tending to her miniature glass of crimson-tinged liquor with an alluring smile and a seductive gaze that entranced the man from across the bar. Perhaps, it was the glare of the reddened liquid that she circled around with her finger or a dreary foreshadowing of the fate that awaited the dark-skinned shinobi, but he could almost see the blood in her eyes. It was almost as if he could sense the danger, radiating off of her like soundwaves to a hard surface. However, the beer had dulled his senses and his inhibitions. Liquid courage fueled his hubris as he gestured toward the woman while asking the bartender to send his regards along with a drink that mirrored her own. A subtle wink and a sly move later, the woman appeared at his side with another beer in hand.
Great minds think alike, but even greater minds think ahead. Hideyoshi had fallen under her spell, his mind stuck in the present as he continued to drink almost as quickly as she fed him the liquor of his choice. Meanwhile, this beautiful femme fatale’s mind remained glued to the future… and the scheme that she had laid out for her mark. Liquid ecstasy, clear and ominous poured down the back of his throat, it’s toxins eventually being absorbed into his bloodstream, filling his system with endorphins as if he were under some sort of euphoria-type effect. Reality and fantasy began to blur as the room filled itself with wonderous florescent light that accentuated this woman’s beauty and heightened the effects of the aphrodisiac that had flushed throughout Hide’s system. “Hi-de,” the man slurred, his mind spliced into two with the “wrong head” began to take hold of his personality. What was normally calm, tenacious and unyielding became putty in this woman’s hands – malleable and highly impressionable upon the whims of its molder. “An outer body experience” is what most would call it. The introspective mind of Hideyoshi had suddenly withered, giving way to more primal and instinctual desires of man. The anxiety of his conscious mind that reigned in judgment over his every action had been locked in a box, screaming and banging against the metaphorical walls that bound him, attempting to alert Hideyoshi that something was amiss… that this woman’s intentions were less than noble and much more than human desire. She was something else.
However, the silent alarm that rang in the inner depths of his being went ignored as her lips pressed against his, the light from his eyes fading as the world around him ceased to exist…
Moments later, the man and the woman disappeared from the bar… their destination unknown.
[MFT: 710]
[Topic Entered/Left – Leaving the Tea Country in 30mins /To be Continued in Kumo]
[Part 1 on the Path to my Kinjutsu!]