Guess Who's Back - Back Again

[Mekiel Echigo]

[OoC: Orion/Open(?)]

I'm starting to lose track of how many times I've disappeared from the public eye, and then resurfaced completely outta nowhere. It was getting to be a sort of trend, but still, it was annoying. I was always out of the loop. You could say it was my fault, since I decided to leave when I did, but I'd just tell you you had no idea what the hell was going on. Why the world was fighting it's own insane battle with Barker, I had my own issues to deal with. It sounds a little selfish, and I hate that, but hey, that's life, I guess.

After some time, I found myself back in the city. It was a rainy, windy night, so I situated myself in a breezeway for a while. It was basically a glorified alley with a tin roof above it, but it was better than nothing. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem for me - I'd toughed out worse nights, no problem - but this wasn't exactly a normal situation. At my side, was young Ian Echigo; my nephew. Long story short, my brother disappeared and this kid needed someone to take care of him, so here we are.

Ian wasn't as used to these situations as I was, and he couldn't handle the cold very well. He was huddled in a corner, shivering, so I removed my overcoat and set it over him as a blanket. Then, I went about looking for things to burn for warmth. Living that hobo life, doe.

"You holdin' up okay, kid?" I asked, clearly concerned, but I kept a smile on my face. "I'll b-b-b-be fine..."

Here's to another night.

[Orion]

Orion wandered the streets out of boredom. Not like he had much else to do nowadays, hell it's all he ever did, just wander all across California. No one ever stopped him, so he had massive amounts of information. Not top secret, but not just common either. People spoke, spoke a lot, and sometimes they didn't pay attention to who was around them. But not the point.

Orion had just walked out from one of the many bars he cleaned out, and was now looking around. He just managed to glimpse a man putting a coat over a kid. The weather sucked, it was cold. And the man was searching for something to burn... and he looked familiar... No way.

"No Fing way.... Mekiel?"

Orion muttered this, before raising his voice to call across the street and weather.

"OI! You want some shelter from this crap? Bar's got a roof, walls, and supplies! I'd have to be pretty damn heartless to leave a kid out in this crap!"

[Mekiel Echigo]

Ian and I looked up, surprised. This was the LAST place either of us had expected to find a kind soul. I squinted to see if I could recognize the person, but the rain and lighting made that kind of difficult. But what kind of crazy ass would deny shelter from this weather? Heck, I wasn't about to leave Ian in it.

"Sure thing, Mister! One second!" I responded, a grin crossing my face. Turning back to Ian, I'd scoop him up in my arms and hug him tight against my chest and go back into the rain. "I gotta say, this is some mighty fine timing, showing up when you did!" I didn't know who it was, so it might not have been the best idea to accept so willingly, but what kinda guy is gonna double-cross a giant like me?

Eeeespecially when that guy, upon closer inspection, turns out to be a VERY good friend of mine!

"H'ooooh shit! Orion?!"

[Kazuya Hikari]

From out of the veil of darkness, a figure would appear on the wet, rainy streets. With the hood up, the figure's facial features could not be made out, but that wasn't what would draw attention, since the figure was completely engulfed in FIRE. The temperature of the fire hot enough that the rain evaporated upon contact, Kazuya would make his way down the street, back towards his home.

He was not afraid of being turned in by the civilians, as he was no longer a Dragon, but simply a neutral party. And when he was no threat to John Strike currently, there was no point in turning him in. His gaze passing over the two men and one kid also out on the street, he'd continue making his way home, only to get a few steps away before one of the faces finally registered in his brain, it was...

"... Mekiel!?"

[Orion]

"Yo Mekiel. How's life been?"

Orion would let the giant pass, the kid in his arms. He was correct: Mekiel Echigo, an old friend. An old friend who deserved something special...

"Oh, hey Mekiel, I almost forgot..."

Orion would turn away from the man on fire in the rain. Meh, he wasn't important right now. Dealing with Mekiel was. Orion would approach him, waiting for Mekiel to turn towards him...

And would slam his knee as hard as he could between Mekiel's legs, expression stone-cold as he would pull out a package of wootsticks and toss them on his body.

"Gifts for you."

Orion would then turn to the fireman.

"WE GOT MORE ROOM IF YOU PROMISE NOT TO BURN THE PLACE DOWN."

[Mekiel Echigo]

"Hey dood! Life's been pretty freakin' dandy, man! Long time no see!"

It sure was nice to see a friendly face after so long. I missed the little asshole, even though I know I'd never openly admit that to him. ESPECIALLY with the crap he was just about to pull, considering I also had a CHILD IN MY ARMS THAT I COULD HAVE DROPPED. Luckily for me,
I KEPT THE IRON DRAGON IN A CAGE
and Orion would find his knee colliding with an iron crotch guard. Still, it'd hurt a little from the push and whatnot, but it sure was a heck of a lot better than the full thing!

"Ya little prick, you," I laughed, before looking to see his gift. "What, a gif- OH MY GOOOD NO WAAY YOU'RE KIDDING HOW DID YOU EVEN FIND THESE I DON'T" I kept spouting out a bunch of gibberish as one hand reached for the legendary

BAG OF WOOTSTICKS

and I swear my excitement couldn't have grown anymore because right after that I saw

"KAZUYA?! BRO?!"

TODAY IS THE BEST DAY EVER

[Kazuya Hikari]

"... Not like I haven't heard that one before. You've seen firsthand my Qi at Underground Facility 2, glowing one, do not underestimate the control I have of my Qi..."

Though his words sounded threatening, Kazuya's body language and expression, or lack thereof, considering his hood of his hoodie was still up, was anything but threatening. His hands held in the pockets of his jeans, he would stride over to the entrance of the bar, the fire surrounding his body dying down just as he made it to the door.

"... Good to see you're still alive and kicking Mekiel."

Flipping the hood of his hoodie down, both Orion and Mekiel would be able to clearly make out the pupil-less eyes of The Fire Dragon, the telltale sign that he was blind, but based on how he moved and acted, it didn't appear like it at all.

[Orion]

Orion chuckled at Mekiel practically freaking out at the sight of him, wootsticks, and... Kazuya? The fire dragon... Though no longer, according to word from people in that territory.

"To be fair... you were bathed in flame, and I've met a few who wield them, so I couldn't assume your identity based on that."

Orion noticed the pupil-less eyes, but his movements suggested he was perfectly fine. Interesting... and Mekiel had a kid. When the hell did he..

"While I'm thinking about it... when did you get a kid? Who the hell did you knock up when Takehiro wasn't watching? 10 bucks says it was Tsubame, I wondered why she disappeared..."

In perfect deadpan. Of course Orion was just ragging the fellow Project Valor experiment, but hey, he could do that. He would wait for Mekiel to stop spluttering before speaking again.

"I'm unused to having guests. Please, come to the kitchen with me. It has food, a means to cook said food, alcohol, water, various other drinks... a first aid kit, and some chairs for sitting down."

That said, Orion would snatch his hand away from Mekiel's grabby one going for the wootsticks and walk back into the kitchen, tossing the wootsticks on the table there. Why was there a kitchen in a bar? Who knows. It's convenient though.

[Mekiel Echigo]

"You too, Kaz, man. And, dood..." Knock up Tsubame? Of all people? Really? "I freakin' wish, man."

A chuckle escaped my lips before I hurried into the dry comfort of the bar and brought Ian to the kitchen, setting him down gently. The poor boy was shivering. I knelt down and placed a hand to his forehead, and thankfully he wasn't ill. This was good, 'cuz I had no idea how to deal with that right now.

"Hey, man, you got some dry linens for the kid? I don't want him to catch a cold."

I myself would scrounge about for the first-aid kit and look for bandages for his scrapes and cuts everywhere. Didn't want it to look like I was abusive or anything. But, I also didn't want to seem ungrateful or something, so, small talk was essential!

"So what have you two been up to? Anything I've missed?"

Of course there was.

[Kazuya Hikari]

"... Fair enough. You knew me as the self-proclaimed title of The Fire Dragon, but introductions are still in order. I am Kazuya Hikari, The Azure Dragon."

Following after Mekiel and the glowing one into the bar, Kazuya would take up a spot against the wall the entrance to the kitchen was located on, his arms casually folded across his chest. Seeing the boy Mekiel was with shivering, pushing off of the wall, Kazuya would crouch down beside the kid, and engulfing his hand in a flame-red aura, would begin to dry his clothes, the heat surrounding his hand hot enough, but to the kid, would feel like his clothes had come out from the dryer.

"... Thank you for the hospitality... I was in the Dragons gang, and was promoted to a Dragon General, but I willingly left and gave up my title after being dismissed by Gemini, Mathew Amtrum's secretary, and unable to see him, and realized that a Dragon name isn't the only way for me to finally step out of David Blaze and Leon Sudeki's shadows and walk my own path, and be seen as on par with them, for myself. For some time, I planned on making my own gang, and my plan finally came to head, but I still need one more thing before the gang is complete."

Continuing to dry the boy's clothes, Kazuya would "look" up at Mekiel while doing so, his pupil-less eyes "looking" straight at him, while making sure he dried only the clothes.

"... Mekiel. You're one of my best friends. Would you consider joining my gang, as one of the highest ranking members and the facade leader if times of conflict come up?"

[Orion]

Orion snorted.

"I'm fairly well known, and I'm not a dragon. Mekiel is fairly well known from before he was a dragon. Delilah Black and Marcus Prasad are both fairly strong, though Prasad got crippled, and they're not Dragons. It's merely a title, one that has lost meaning for quite some time. If I understand correctly, they used to be only a few, and extremely powerful, like pillars of strength."

Orion's eyes became harsher as his hand gripped his weapon that was leaning next to him.

"Regardless... Starting a new gang? In the crap this place already is? There's no place to base yourself really. Aside from that, you need people who follow you, more warriors then just you and Mekiel, and resources, supplies. Finally... If I understand word on the street, you have a mask of John Strike, and Mekiel has a QI, while I'm an Experiment. I've heard bad things about those masks, Mr. Hikari."

Orion slowly brought his weapon closer to him, though was still relaxed as he stared down the pupil less man.

"Also... Mekiel has a lot of shit he's stuck in. I know, because I'm part of it, it's why I look like I do. Me, Tsubame Hirotaki, Mekiel, Valo Morei... Takehiro Amakusa. Oh, remind me to discuss that with you later Mekiel. Anyway... he has one fight, I doubt he wants another. But he is his own man, I am merely stating my opinion gathered from what information I have."

Orion gave an easy shrug.

"Still... you need more then just two men to bring about change like you are proposing, Fallen Dragon. And what name would you claim for yourself?"

[Mekiel Echigo]

I kept forgetting what Kazuya was capable of, and as soon as he'd started to warm Ian up, I gave him a nod of appreciation. Ian was still shivering for a while, but he too showed his appreciation through expression rather than vocalization. Of course, there was a lot I'd wanted to say, but I'd have to find another time, with the news Kazuya had just laid out on me.

His own gang? Well, I always thought he had the potential, and it was about time, but I never expected this whole "be in the higher rankings and facade leader" thing. At least, not right as I got back. It was good to see how much he'd trusted me, though. However, Orion's evident disagreement concerned me. He did bring up good points. I'd had my own battles, but how was I going to tell a dear friend of mine that I would not fight with them? Simple enough: that wasn't the case. Kazuya had been there for me time and again. If he asked me to fight alongside him, that was a no-brainer.

"How is there any question, Kazzy? You should know my answer: I'd fight with you to hell and back, man. But, Orion makes a good point. No point going into this without acknowledging the difficulty. It'd only get us killed." I shrugged, moving over to the bag of wootsticks. Reaching into the bag, I pulled out three of the tasty treats before handing the back to my nephew, and motion for Kaz and Orion to take one before continuing. "You have my resources, and so you have those of my allies as well, though unfortunately only to an extent at the moment. I'm not sure how many people realize I'm still alive. And," I took a bite from my wootstick before turning to my glowing friend. "I see you're iffy as all hell on this, but I'm going to do this and I'd like to ask for you to help us. I can't tell you to join the gang, that's Kaz's deal, but I would ask that your information-gathering comes to help us as you have always come through for me."

This was a big deal, y'know? Apparently I was making a life-changing choice.

"But there are a few things I've got to know: What do those points bring to the table as far as a problem? The mask, the QI, and the Experiment? And secondly; will I be able to trust that the boy WILL be safe?"

[Kazuya Hikari]

"... And did you think I decided to start my own gang on a whim? I thought of and planned it for weeks glowing one, and I never put any plans into motion until I have the necessary resources and power to back it up. I may not be part of the Dragons anymore, but it doesn't mean I don't have the means to gather resources of my own. I have an entire Yakuza gang that was in charge of the Kobe region of Japan that is part of my father's gang, the Hikari-gumi, under my command, one of my father's top assassins, and I recruited the first member of the gang months ago."

Once he was finished drying Ian's clothes off, he would unzip his hoodie and drape it around the kid's shoulders, leaving him in just his t-shirt and jeans, giving the kid a slight bow of his head.

"... And how do you know I have a mask? More importantly, what bad things did you hear, and how do you even know said things?"

"Looking" over and up at Orion, before slowly rising up, reversing the direction of stares, as he now "stared" down at the glowing man gripping his halberd before him, he would casually fold his arms across his chest, hardly intimidated of him or his weapon, and would turn to Mekiel.

"... John Strike is powerful, of that there is no doubt. But the Dragons have recently joined as one with the Gods faction, and it is possible they are planning something. Delilah is my close friend and ally, and I do not wish to destroy our friendship with whatever the Dragon Gods are possibly planning. I did not intend to place more upon your plate Mekiel, and limited or not, you have my thanks. The boy will be safe, as I live and breathe, all the members under my command will protect him. And though you are hesitant as Mekiel says,"

Kazuya would say as he "looked" over at Orion,

"As you said you are an Experiment, an alliance would sound more befitting. The mask, from what I heard, was one part of a entire mask belonging to John Strike, and as for the Qi, I do not see how it is a problem, seeing as I have a Qi of my own. I have already claimed a name for myself, Seiryu, or The Azure Dragon."

Returning back to his spot up against the wall, Kazuya would continue to carefully "watch" Orion and his halberd, his Qi activated constantly, allowing him to make out the heat signatures of the other three in the room.

"The Fire Dragon is simply a self-proclaimed title. The Azure Dragon is my official title in my own gang. And I've met Tsubame before. But it is as you said, earning a Dragon name is not all it's cracked up to be. Hearing Kiyr Barrial was promoted first to Field Marshal, then put in charge of the Sky Force, when I have not seen her do anything meriting the promotions, aside from the grove she made, though if Hiroshima and Nagasaki was any indication, the soil should not be deemed fit for growing, made me realize a title is simply that, a title. It's not a name that makes a person, it's what the person does, that represents their individuality."

[Orion]

Orion relaxed against the counter as both spoke, noticing that eyes were on him now. He shrugged, the others had spoken, and now he supposed it was his turn. Hopping up to sit on the counter, he leaned back, eyes closing in thought, before addressing Kazuya carefully, eyes still closed.

"Impressive resources. Where to begin... First, please stop calling me Glowing one, that's something only me enemies tend to do. Call me Orion, or Shadow, your preference, really. Truly, both do apply to me nowadays, though I'm less of a barbaric psychopath now. Regardless, you do seem to have a plan, and resources to begin, which is good, as I have seen many small timers try to begin with nothing but a hope. To match the likes of the Crows, the Dragons, the Gods!"

Orion threw his head back, laughing, before stopping and leaning forward, eyes open to reveal a smoldering molten gold with flecks of blood-red bleeding in. A blood-red Mekiel may perhaps recognize from previous operations together...

"Why I know things? I know many things. I am free to go where I please, as no one has seen fit to stop me. That means I meet many people, and all people like to talk. The trick is not entirely listening to what is said, but by who, and why. As you can notice" Here Orion gestured to the area they are in "I am not uncomfortable in places such as this, and information and alcohol tend to flow together for those less cautious then they should be. I know who has masks, who has names, people... As for what the masks do, it was detailed to me by another, Delilah, that they can enhance one's abilities and QI... At the price of becoming a puppet to Strike while doing so. It can also manipulate QI wielders to a certain degree, though she wasn't that specific.

"I am simply a diplomat, with few followers. I can't do much about an alliance... While I can personally help you as I see fit with what I have, the Experiments will require you to approach them. I can help with getting you access to a leader to speak... but that's as far as I can go, Seiryu. Following that convention, since Mekiel was named the Iron Dragon, I wonder if he would take the name Tetsuryu?"

Orion chuckled at that, before casting his eyes towards the giant.

"Speaking of you... we need to talk. I came across Takehiro a few times, and he has left me his resources, but we'll need to find them. Oh, and Shugo and Valo are here at Shugo's mansion, desperately searching for a cure for Valo, who is apparently sick. In the meantime, you are free to stay here, with the kid, and come and go as you please. The coming and going applies to you as well Kazuya, not the staying as I know you have a place to live."

[Mekiel Echigo]

I looked over at Ian and the boy seemed confused. To comfort him, I'd sit at his side and wrap an arm around him. That kinda stuff seemed to work, and I didn't want him to get upset about anything, least of all thinking I'm going to be put in danger.

A single glance at Orion and, for a moment, I was worried. Those eyes... If he was the same as I remembered, shit was about to go down. If he did something stupid in front of the kid, though, I was going to have to beat his ass. For now, I just waited to see before I did anything rash.

"If he will be protected, that's all I need." A smile, before I addressed Orion's remark. "According to this new breed of Dragons, I haven't proven myself worthy of my title for the second time, so I may as well not even have it. I get the joke and all, but chances are it's nothing more than a memory now. And, about Takehiro..." I shrugged. I had no idea where to begin with him. I hadn't seem him in months, and that was weird. "Yeah, I heard about all that. Well, minus the whole Valo being sick thing. I know Takehiro was sick because of Valor before, and I managed to find him a cure. Is it the same for Valo?"

I'd thank him for the place to live later.