[Graded]Why is this Happening?

[Kabu]

To say that Hikaru had had better days would be an understatement. Business had been slow, well this day it was nonexistent really, and she had been taking advantage of her free time to do some cleaning, rearranging rooms and making beds upstairs when she heard a sudden loud crash from below. Normally she would have paid it no mind and gone to get it later, but she faintly heard voices as well.

"Bandits. Of course it's bandits." she whispered to herself, grabbing her sword from nearby and heading into the hallway, the voices becoming clearer and clearer as she got closer to the stairs. Casually breaking things and having no regard for others? Yep... definitely bandits.

Now, it had been a long while since she had been in a real fight and her senses had certainly dulled, but she felt confident that she could handle a group of bandits at the very least, and so she quietly made her way downstairs and around a corner, eyes going wide as she saw that her place lay in ruins, her few valuables gone. Everything she had worked towards since quitting the mercenary business... gone in the blink of an eye.

In that moment, she made her greatest mistake, in a fit of rage she forgot all about stealth and dashed forward, blade raised high as she prepared to strike the nearest bandit.. only to be struck from behind, a single blow to the back of her head causing her to fall over unconscious.

---

And so we come to the present, the woman still unconscious and now draped over the shoulder of one of the bandits, weapons gone and wrists bound, but otherwise entirely untouched. Even if she were to be awake, she would have no idea where she was however as she was being carried into an unfamiliar building, some of the bandits boasting about their plunder, while others were mentioning things about winning their bosses' favor with the woman they had captured.

Surely though their boss would be better than that, right? Right?

[Willoria]

Another long night had come and gone, but just because Takashi was slightly hungover didn't mean he hadn't noticed something amiss. When he had come downstairs late in the morning and found several of the working girls cleaning his place, he realized his men were nowhere to be found. He frowned of course, and set himself up with a drink to start his day. He helped the girls get the bar clean, clearing out all the trash and remnants of the night before. It wasn't long before the place was clean, the dance floor was clear of debris, the lounging area clear, and he had even had the girls push all the shoji screens open so the place was open to the fresh air of the day. He stood at the edge of the wood floor, above the one step that led into the place now, and he waited.

He wasn't all that shocked to find the bandits he had taken over had gone on a raid in the morning, probably fresh after their night of drunken debauchery no less. He had often encouraged them to find work, but he hadn't expected what he saw. There were two men who had been trying to get his favor since he got here, since he took over by killing their vile leader, and these two often caused him trouble. But today certainly took the cake. He watched as about half a dozen men came along, grinning from ear to ear, and one of the two men in question had a girl over his shoulder who he promptly deposited on the ground at Takashi's step, just below his feet.

Takashi chewed on his lower lip a moment and licked his lips before taking a sip of his drink. "Explain, Koji." he directed the man, his tone cold.

Koji seemed to take Takashi's cold tone as a good sign, after all he wasn't yelling yet, and he grinned. "We went for a raid last night, few towns over. Found this girl, the inn she ran, completely unprotected. Wiped it out!" He grinned and looked to his friends, who laughed, and he turned back to Takashi. "We thought she might make a good addition to the brothel, or maybe your personal collection?"

Takashi had to resist cringing visibly as he glanced back at his establishment behind him, the center of a large pleasure district. Most of the girls there now were there by choice these days, though most of his men didn't realize it. They only knew they could only take freebies when offered, and forcing a woman carried a penalty. Certain details had been kept from them so far. Those that weren't there by choice were only "Takashi's collection" in appearance. He paid them for jobs that were never done in the interest of keeping them safe, and when they disappeared it wasn't for his displeasure, it was for a better life.

[Kabu]

As the exchange went on, Hikaru was slowly coming to, wincing in pain from her pounding head. What had happened? Oh yeah.. her place had been raided by bandits. The building had been trashed and she had been knocked unconscious, and from her bindings and lack of weapons, she could assume that she had been kidnapped as well.

In her discomfort, she was content to just lay on the ground for a while and accept her fate, that is until she finally caught onto the conversation happening right above where she lay on the ground, eyes going wide as she attempted to stand, only to become overcome by a sudden dizziness, mentally swearing as she fell back onto the ground.

There was no way she was going to just let this happen though and so, she did the next best thing, she slowly stood up, glaring up at the two men, very well aware that in her current state she wasn't very intimidating, especially as she could tell that the dizziness was threatening to overcome her again. "Like hell. There is no way I'm going to become some whore. You'll have to kill me first." her voice shaking as she spoke, turning towards the man whom she assumed to be the boss, growling all the while. She acted angry, and to some extent she was, but really she was terrified. Who wouldn't be? Even if she was still the hardened mercenary that she once was, she would still be terrified.

"By the way, what is this place?"

[Willoria]

Takashi swirled his drink in his cup a moment in thought, turning to look as the girl woke up and did her best impression of brazen courage. The men, including Koji, started laughing. Takashi only raised an eyebrow in response, not answering her question at all as he turned his attention to Koji once again. "How much bloodshed?" The men started falling quiet, and Koji began to look nervous. There was one rule Takashi had instituted as absolute since he had gotten there, any action that ended in bloodshed required his approval, to ignore this was equal to treason in their group. As Koji stammered, Takashi turned his attention to his place behind them. "Rita!" He called a girl's name and as she came closer he waved his hand in the direction of Hikaru.

Rita seemed to know what this meant and nodded. The young woman was rather scantily clad but wore a kimono robe over her lack of garments that reached the floor and tied at her hip. She rushed over to Hikaru's side and slipped a hand under the girl's arm, another around her waist. "Come on, sweetie." she said kindly, and quietly, as she would try to lead Hikaru into the open building. As they walked further in it would become clearer that this was a bar and pleasure house, but not one girl there looked beaten, and most even looked well rested as they restocked the bar and finished their cleaning.

Of course, there was about to be more cleaning necessary. "You committed violence in my name, without my inolvement?" Takashi was snarling as he suddenly reached out and grabbed Koji by the throat, dragging him into the building behind the two girls. His words could easily be heard echoing through the building as other girls rushed to close the shoji screens. Soon the lights were dim without real sunlight, but everything was clear as day. He threw Koji on the ground just as Rita would help Hikaru to a comfortable seat and getting her a glass of water. "Did you defile her too?" he snarled.

Koji looked panicked from his position on the ground and shook his head. His panic only rose as Takashi took what looked to be a three foot rod from the back of his belt. "I swear! We only knocked her out! I didn't touch her like that!"

Takashi paused and turned his pale grey eyes to her now. "Is it true, girl?"

[Kabu]

In her current state, even so much as standing was exhausting for Hikaru, the woman breathing heavily as she fought to keep standing. If someone were to attack her right now, there would be no way for her to defend herself and that thought was more terrifying than whatever it was that they could possibly do to her. That said, her terror was gradually making way to confusion as the boss seemed to be very angry with his subordinates, some part of that confusion turning to gratitude as he called for someone, a woman, presumably rita, soon emerging from the building and holding her up, acting as support as she was led into the building. [color=#A3AF07"I feel so pathetic right now, but thank you."[/color] she very quietly muttered, seeming to address no one in particular, as she was led through the area.

As they walked along, she took the time to look around, her confusion becoming more apparent as she began to realize that this was a pleasure house, which in itself wasn't too surprising, but the girls that she could see all looked to be well rested and without any obvious marks. What kind of place had she been taken to? More than ever she wanted an answer to that, but it seemed that any questions would have to wait a bit longer as the ongoing exchange didn't seem to be over just yet, in fact it seemed to be just beginning as Takashi entered the building, dragging Koji inside as well.

Having accepted that there was no real hope of escape, as well as being very curious about this place and the people within, she was content for now to simply wait and watch to see what lay in wait. As such she let herself be sat down, accepting the glass of water offered to her without an ounce of her usual stubbornness. This entire situation was strange, but there was really nothing she could do but watch as Takashi seemed to only get angrier as the exchange went on, her brow raising at the mention of her being defiled. She truly had no idea of what could have happened while she had been unconscious but she felt fine... aside from a headache she wasn't hurting at all, and so she quickly nodded as he turned to question her. "It's all true, as far as I can tell. All they did was destroy my inn and kidnap me." she spoke with a bit of an angry tone, her attitude and general demeanor seeming to gradually be returning to her as she recovered, though she seemed to falter after a moment, wincing as a surge of pain rushed through her. "I will say though, that blow has given me a hell of a headache."

[Willoria]

Koji nodded furiously. "See! See, we didn't harm her!" he was getting frantic as his leader stood over him, but once Hikaru had confirmed things for him, Takashi turned his eyes back to the man before him.

"Congrats, you get a quicker death." he snarled, and as Koji opened his mouth to protest Takashi funneled chakra into the rod in his hand. Even as it extended, he spun it in his hands and brought it around. It sliced so deeply into Koji's throat it nearly cut his head off before his body crumpled to the ground. All around the girls in the place whimpered and flinched, but non cowered, as Takashi turned to the group of shocked men behind him. "I will say it, AGAIN." he snarled. "Any violence done in my name, I must sign off on. You do nothing behind my back, understand?!" The men looked shocked and even horrified, but most nodded before Takashi turned away. "Daichi! Clean that up!" One of the men, the other who had been such a headache to Takashi, turned a shade of white before nodding slowly and going to get to work.

Takashi walked over to where Hikaru sat on the couch and Rita offered him a cloth, which he used of course to wipe his halberd clean before putting it away. It was back to being a three foot harmless looking rod before he put it back on the back of his belt and he looked at the girl before him. "Rita. Take her upstairs to my quarters, I'll deal with her there." he told her, turning away to tend to other business.

The girl, Rita, nodded before turning to Hikaru. "Come on, honey. This way." she told her, attempting to help the other girl up and lead her towards a set of stairs at the back of the very large room.

[Kabu]

In a move that may have seemed strange if anyone had been paying attention, Hikaru didn't so much as flinch as her main captor's throat had been pierced and the man crumpled to the ground, instead simply raising a brow as the rod Takashi wielded suddenly extended and had turned into more of a halberd. How had he done that? Unless maybe... She had suspicions based entirely on rumors and old stories but there was no way to be sure and she didn't dare interrupt the scene in front of her. Really it brought a strange sense of satisfaction to see those men so terrified and cowering over what had just occurred, she just wished that she could have punished them herself and avoided this entire situation. It seemed in the future she would have to double up on her training, and perhaps do something about her irrational temper as well.

That said... it scared her just a bit that the boss seemed to have no qualms about killing his own subordinates. She would have to stay on his good side for now, or who knew what could happen. And speaking of not knowing what could happen... after finishing his business, the man approached... and she could practically feel the color drain from her face as he told Rita to take her up to his room. But why? Was he going to take her after all? Was he just angry that the kidnapping had been done without approval? While she didn't particularly mind the fact that he had just killed someone, she was absolutely terrified at the prospect of being alone with such a man without knowing what their goal was.

She knew that she couldn't fight back though, at least not right now, and so she reluctantly let herself be helped up and led to a set of stairs, all the while thinking of a possible escape plan, just in case.

[Willoria]

Rita would take Hikaru up a circular set of stairs into an upstairs apartment. It was rather lavish and almost beautiful. The stairs opened into a formal living room that clearly also functioned as a tea room. The table in the middle was circular with inlaid shells in an intricate design of cranes and fish with cushions all around it. It opened into a kitchen that lined one corner of the apartment on either side, a dining room table off in the other corner with a similar intricate design. But Rita led her through a door to the right and into a bedroom that also was rather lavish. The bed was low but the blankets were fluffy and piled high, a chaise lounge under a large window off to the right was where Rita led her, helping her sit. Rita went to a bar in the corner of the room and grabbed a small box as well as a bowl of water and a rag. "You're bleeding a bit, dear." she explained as she sat beside her and wet the cloth before reaching up to help try and clean the other girl up. "Don't you worry, you're in good hands with Master Takashi. Don't let all that nonsense downstairs scare you." she explained, even as she heard steps on the stairs.

Takashi stepped into the bedroom a moment later with a sigh, running a hand through his hair as he glanced at Rita. "You can leave us, Rita." he told her, his tone far quieter and even calmer than the one downstairs, and it wasn't nearly so cold. The girl would boy and go before Takashi walked over to where Hikaru sat. "I'm sorry they put you through all this." he said quietly, picking up the wet rag from where Rita had left it. He gently put two fingers under Hikaru's chin to lift her head and get her to look up at him before he started dabbing gently at the cut on the girl's forehead. "What's your name?"

[Kabu]

Upon entering the room in question, Hikaru blinked a couple times to make sure she wasn't seeing things. It was a beautiful room, very lavishly decorated and seeming to be designed entirely for comfort. In her time as a mercenary, she had seen some beautiful places, and even had a couple nicer rooms back at the inn for wealthier clientele, but she had seen nothing quite like this. Why would a bandit leader have a room like this? It wasn't impossible she supposed, but incredibly unlikely.

It wasn't long before she was sat down once more, and it was pointed out that she had been bleeding. "Oh huh, I didn't realize." she quietly spoke, briefly reaching up and touching the cut on her forehead, wincing in pain as she withdrew her finger. "Damn, those bastards got me good." she muttered to herself, being brought out of her musings by Rita speaking once more as well as hearing steps coming up the stairs. So.. the boss's name was Takashi, huh? It was certainly a suitable name for such a handsome man. She thought to herself, eyes going wide as she mentally chased the thoughts away. No, for all she knew she was at the man's mercy. She couldn't let herself be drawn in, even if by some chance he did mean well.

Soon enough the man in question entered the room, and they were soon left alone, Hikaru beginning to internally panic even despite Rita's words from just a moment ago as they were left alone. It was strange though.. Even in her state of panic she could tell that he seemed somehow different. Her confusion growing as he tended to her, Hikaru unable to sense any hostility even as her head was lifted and she looked up at him. "It's not a big deal. I'm Hikaru." she said, confusion apparent in her tone even as she quietly introduced herself.

"What's going on, here?"

[Willoria]

"Appearances." Was Takashi's reply to her question. When he was done cleaning the blood from her forehead he took a closer look at it and, when he was satisfied it was done bleeding, started putting things away. "I have to keep up appearances here, ever since I took over this bandit crew." he added, putting away the box of bandages and herbs, as well as getting rid of the dirty water and rag. When done he poured a fresh glass of water and brought it over to Hikaru. "Most of the girls who work this brothel now do so willingly, and I try to keep them under stricter rules here. But as you saw, some of those men are having trouble transitioning to my new rules... I have to keep punishments harsh. They think I have a group of women as my 'personal collection' for only my own use." Takashi couldn't help a chuckle, in all honesty he couldn't remember the last time he actually let one of the women touch him in such a way. "In truth I don't touch them, I'm simply helping them find a better place away from this life."

He sat down beside her, leaning against the wall with his hands resting in his lap as he looked at her. "As I said, the women here who are prostitutes are only such by their own choice. I force nothing on no one. You're safe up here." Of course, he couldn't help a bit of a smirk though as he spoke. "But you'll have to let them think you and I have done things we haven't, in order to keep you safe."

[Kabu]

"I think I understand what you're trying to say." Hikaru said, pausing a moment to take a drink from the glass of water, twirling it between her hands as she let out a sigh, wriggling her nose in displeasure as old suppressed memories came back to her. "Being a former mercenary, as well as an innkeeper, I very well know what it's like to have to keep up appearances, in so many different ways you wouldn't believe." she added, a smirk of her own rising to her face. "And I'm no stranger to having done certain things. I would say I'm pretty well experienced. So that's not a problem." she continued, any fear she had been feeling seeming to fade.

"What is a problem is that thanks to your boys I have nowhere to go. The inn was all that I had left and now It's gone, completely trashed. I could probably rebuild but it would take money and resources that I don't have." she quietly spoke again after a moment of silence, letting out another sigh as she recalled the events that had led up to the present.

Really though... what was a now homeless woman in need to do? There were only a few options really available to her and she liked none of them, at least out of what she could actually think of.

[Willoria]

Takashi couldn't help the way his smile vanished and a frown came in its place as Hikaru spoke of the loss of her business and livelihood. For a few moments he fell silent and leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he thought over what he might be able to do. Sadly he was coming up empty. "I came out here to prepare for a war and so far all I've done is spent my time fixing the shit these idiots fuck up." With a slight snarl of frustration Takashi stood and began to pace the room, his hands coming up behind his head and fingers intertwining as he thought it over. Sadly it wasn't a false statement. He spent so much time helping those who came to him, often because of things his men had done, that he hadn't been able to begin building the resources he needed. 'At this rate I'm never going back... perhaps its time to admit that all I can do is live the life I have left here...'

He leaned against the doorway between his bedroom and the rest of his apartment, turning to look at Hikaru a moment. "I'm sorry I can't just hand back what they took from you." he said quietly, frowning still. "Worst part is, knowing them, they likely torched the place and any buildings surrounding it before they left... the most I can offer right now is work for me. It wouldn't have to be as one of the girls, I can find another position for you. And in time maybe I can help you rebuild something from this."

[Kabu]

"Yeah, I thought that might be the case. I really feel for those poor people. This is the second time I've lost everything at the hands of bandits, so I'm very aware of how it is." Hikaru said with a quiet sigh, not quite realizing the implications of what she had just said. What she did realize though was that it hadn't been just her but several lives had likely been ruined in that raid. It was upsetting really, but there wasn't much to be done about it. She couldn't afford to be worrying about others right now, as much as it hurt to admit, finding some way to keep herself alive and sheltered was of much more importance. And it seemed that Takashi was somewhat willing to help with that with the words that he spoke next, the man seeming to be offering her a job, an offer that she was admittedly hesitant about accepting, but knew she had no real choice, she would have to be a fool to turn down a job offer that was right in front of her, though she did know that she had to make a few things very clear.

"Depending on the job, I may have to take you up on that offer. I think you'll find that I'm pretty open minded and willing but I have a single rule. I refuse to draw my weapon unless I absolutely must in order to ensure that justice is done. But I will never, ever, harm a child, no matter how guilty of whatever they did, they may be." she responded to Takashi's offer without seeming to think at all, legs crossed and eyes slightly narrowed as she spoke.

[Willoria]

Takashi couldn't help bristling a bit at her comments, but he knew it was well deserved. He might not have sanctioned it, but it was his men that went off the rails. 'I need to recruit protection for the girls... and drop these unpredictable assholes...' he thought to himself, still leaning in the doorway as he thought things over. He was brought out of his quiet as Hikaru spoke again, statements that only made him frown deeper. "You saw what I do to these men when they hurt women. You don't want to know what I do to those who hurt children." he remarked rather darkly. It was something he detested above all and he found her statements rather out of the blue and sudden considering the situation.

But her statements and his own thoughts bled together as a different idea came to mind and a smirk started to return to his lips. "I think I have the perfect idea." he remarked, moving to sit beside her again. "My girls need protection they can trust. You saw how unpredictable the men can be and I can't always stem their destruction. Eventually they'll rebel against me. I need some loyal to me, willing to protect the girls, so I can drop these blowhards and keep things as they should be." he looked at her a moment, silently wondering just how much he could trust this girl. For the moment, he only saw a little leeway that he could take. "Help me protect the girls who work here, and help me recruit the right sort for this business."

'Maybe if she proves herself, I can trust her with more than just this business...'

[Kabu]

At first Hikaru simply rose a brow at Takashi's request, seeming to frown a bit as she thought it over, sighing after a moment, as she had been seeming to do a lot in just this one day alone. "That's... honestly a tough request." she began, pausing a moment, chewing on her bottom lip as she looked over towards Takashi. Despite any misgivings she may have had, as well as some uncertainty as to whether she could entirely trust the man sitting beside her, she had seen firsthand on more than one occasion the sorts of mayhem that a group of rogue bandits could cause, and really, she didn't have much of a choice, did she? She had nowhere else to go, and she didn't particularly like most of the other options that came to mind. It was a bit funny really, to think that of all the possible outcomes her kidnapping could have resulted in, it had led to what was, in her mind, the best case scenario.

Perhaps my luck is beginning to turn around... in some weird way. she thought to herself, unable to resist a very quiet chuckle at her own thoughts.

And so, for perhaps the first time in quite some time, she finally smiled and looked straight forward, something akin to fiery determination in her eyes. "However, after a bit of consideration, I have no reason to refuse so I'll take you up on your offer. I have my limits and this event has made it very clear that I'm not quite at the level I once was or would even like to be, but if you'll take me, I'm willing to do my part and help out in whatever ways I'm capable of." she continued, her smile turning into a smirk as another thought came to mind. "And if ever need be, you'll find that I've picked up a few things over the years and I can be quite useful for other things as well. I think I could blend in pretty well around here." she finished, some small part of her very much enjoying this exchange, even as serious natured as it was. Granted, some other part of her felt she was pushing it a bit, but really that was just who she was, and that in itself was quite enjoyable as well.

[Willoria]

For a few moments, Takashi honestly thought she was going to turn him down. It was a rare thing to happen to him, so he honestly wasnt' sure how to take it if she did, but thankfully a moment later he breathed a sigh of relief. He truly did need help, and though he barely knew this girl he had a feeling she could help him. He nodded as she spoke, and he couldn't disagree. His men were barely organized, if she truly had any talents in fighting she should have been able to defend herself better in his opinion. But naturally that wasn't something he was going to state aloud. As she spoke he stood and began pacing a bit again before looking at her. "I can offer you something else too." he mentioned, thrusting his hands into his pockets as he looked at her.

"I know secrets from my old home, things most of the locals out here think of as magic." He reached his right hand back to grasp the three foot rod on his back as he had downstairs, but instead of threatening anyone with it, he held it out in front of him, parallel to the ground. A short channel of chakra with the tell-tale blue of it swirling around his hand and it expanded into the halberd she had seen before. "My old village already considers me a criminal, so I see no reason not to share these secrets. I can teach you chakra, tricks that will help you survive out here better than any bandit, and things that might even make you a force to be reckoned with against an entire crew." He couldn't help an odd smile as he channeled chakra once more and the halberd collapsed. "Seems the least I can do after what happened."

[Kabu]

Hikaru simply blinked a few times as she took in the information presented to her, her gaze fixated on Takashi's halberd and the blue glow surrounding it. It was just a tad unbelievable, but her suspicions seemed to have been correct after all. But what was he doing all the way out here? By his own admittance, he was apparently a criminal, but what had he done? Bah, that wasn't important. What was important was the prospect of gaining a new kind of power, one beyond anything that she had ever seen to this point. She had only seen one singular use of it so far, but she knew it had to be incredible even based on just that much. It was so incredibly tempting but..

"If you're truly willing to teach me, I have no reason to refuse, especially if it'll help to make me that much stronger. But is this chakra really something that just anyone can learn to wield? What will I need to do?" She asked, tearing her gaze away from the weapon and looking up towards Takashi, eyes narrowed in slight suspicion as she questioned him. Even despite her acceptance of the situation, she had her suspicions on if she could even learn such a thing, and she felt it important as well to learn just what would be required of her to even do so.

[Willoria]

At first Takashi only nodded to her questions, putting the rod away when it was compact enough and leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "Anyone can learn it, for some its more work than others, but its possible." he explained. "Just let me know when you want to learn it, you'll want to get up early that day and eat well. Chakra is a combination of both physical and spiritual energies... learning it, especially as someone who didn't grow up knowing of it or its theories, is going to be incredibly difficult. You need to be at your peak, your most focused, your calmest... and most of all you'll need to bury any frustrations you have. Anything can interfere with a proper balance of it."

He knew it wouldn't be easy to teach her, and before this he had told himself he wouldn't teach anyone. Chakra was a closely guarded secret among shinobi, but if he was going to try and trust Hikaru, he knew he would have to trust her with something first. He would have to test the waters, and this might just be the perfect thing to use.

[Kabu]

Hikaru silently listened to Takashi's explanations with a somewhat perplexed expression, wondering to herself just what type of power this was, that it could require such a great deal of control and discipline, which she liked to think she had in spades. Her temperament however could prove to be an issue, but luckily her time as an innkeeper had helped her to quell it, to a reasonable enough degree at least, hopefully to the point where it wouldn't end up being a problem.

"I see, it sounds like quite this task will be quite a challenge." she said once he had finished. "But, I've never been one to turn down a challenge, especially not one such as this. I'll make sure to be fully prepared when the time comes." she added with a smirk, feeling reasonably confident, even despite any issues that may crop up.

All that could wait for another day though, for now there were other things to be taken care of, namely related to her new position. "In the meantime, there's business to attend to. Now, what do I gotta do to better fit in around here? Also, I need some new equipment after your boys took what I had." she said, standing up with a smirk and a certain vigor not seen from her in quite some time. "So, shall we get to business? Boss?"