Bonds to be Built [Shugo]

[Amakusa Takehiro]

[OoC: For the sake of plot, this takes place after the Dragons vs. Giants thing.]

- The first morning since the Giant had been on leave, he decided it was time to get back in the swing of things with the men he once knew. All he had gathered from them at the time-being was that they all had their own situations, most importantly Valo. He did not know how to get in touch with the young Dragon, however, so he turned to a man he was never close with, but a man he had something in common with through Valor alone.

- Zeke Wilson, one of the men under Takehiro's command, was sent out for Shugo Yuy. It was because of this that he was at Shugo's house, knocking on his door. He would be unfamiliar, of course, but he was only a messenger now.

[Date Masamune™]

The Dragon Guard would allow Amakusa's envoy to enter the Manor's grounds. Shugo and Jeeves would be in the study going over plans for the Refugee Camp. Some of the population had dwindled which made the workload a little bit harder. Some of the families had moved from the Manor to Midgard. To Strike's new world.

"Here I'll get it."

"But Sir!"

"You were on a roll Jeeves! I'll let you finish up while I get the door."

The blue haired boy would rise out of his seat and leave the room. Opening the front door he would raise a brow at the stranger.

"Hey there. Anything I can help you with?"

[Amakusa Takehiro]

- "Hi! Mr. Yuy, I presume? Pleased to make your acquaintance. The name's Ezekiel Wilson, everybody calls me Zeke." He smiled, holding out a hand for the blue-haired man to shake. He felt really uncomfortable here, though, and wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. Unfamiliar territory and all that jazz.

- "I have some very important, delicate information to discuss with you, regarding one Valo Morei." But, no, that wasn't right... it made it seem like he had the information. "Or, no, excuse me - I come delivering a message from Takehiro Amakusa; he is the one with the information. He has asked that the two of you meet, and he would've come himself, but he didn't want to seem imposing or anything. Y'know, not his place, Dragon territory, yada, yada. How's that sound?" He seemed rather cheery, mostly due to the fact that he had no clue who the hell Valo Morei even was.

[Date Masamune™]

Takehiro has information about Valo? He is a Project after all... It's worth going into... even if all of this meeting in neutral territory nonsense sounded a bit shady. I scratched the back of my head and sighed. This was Valo. There was no questioning it. I was going to help him.

"Of course. Just give me a moment."

I walked back into the study and grabbed my gauntlets and vambraces before pulling the Feather Cloak over my shoulder. You never know what happens in neutral territory. Better to be prepared. I walked back to the front door and closed it behind me.

"Let's go."

[Amakusa Takehiro]

- "Alright, this way, Sir." Zeke would lead Shugo away from his home, and out of Dragon territory. It would be quite a ways for a walk, but it should be reasonable. After all, Takehiro and his men were not Dragons, and as far as their side saw it, the Dragons were terrorists.

- Once at a public park, just outside Dragon territory, Shugo would find Takehiro sitting at a bench, facing away from him and Zeke. "Now, this whole business is between you two, so I'll just hang back."

[Date Masamune™]

I followed the man out of dragon territory. For some the walk might have been cumbersome, but for me, it was like half of my morning jog. I nodded to Zeke after we approached the park. I walked over to Takehiro and took a seat next to him on the bench. Now normally I would make a funny one liner about this bench having high weight limit, but I was a bit too preoccupied with Valo.

"So I hear that you have information on Valo's condition?"

[Amakusa Takehiro]

- "I see you're doing well, Yuy," the behemoth began, smiling to the man. It was straight to the business, though he could assume things weren't going to go so smoothly once allegiances were revealed. "I can cure him, and I plan on doing so within the next few days, however, you must be made aware of my allegiances." He paused, aware of how this could affect the situation. "I work for Strike, and in order for me to cure Valo, I must recruit him."

- Another pause would allow Shugo some time to think. "But there is something I must ask of you. An alliance, of sorts."

[Date Masamune™]

Amakusa... works for Strike? And he has to recruit Valo to save him? I smirked a bit. He had to be kidding. I could feel my heart rate increasing and a tightening feeling in my gut. An allegiance? A FUCKING ALLEGIANCE? AMAKUSA WAS FUCKING SERIOUS?! I lost myself for a moment, and before I knew it I was standing up on the pavement next to the bench, my fists tightly clenched and my muscles flexing slightly.

"Are you serious right now? You want an allegiance... right after telling me you're black mailing Valo into helping you?"

[Amakusa Takehiro]

- He expected the rise out of the young man. Strike seemed to be everyone's natural enemy here, for one reason or another. Though, blackmail was never his intention. He could have retorted to match Shugo's tone, though that would only serve to hinder his purpose.

- "An alliance would give me proper means to keep you safe, you must understand. And my intention would never be to blackmail Valo. The only means I have of saving him requires that he be a member of Strike's army. I cannot divulge too many details, but, Yuy, you must believe me, this is the best chance he has."

[Date Masamune™]

"There's no way I would align myself with a criminal megalomaniac. Amakusa, this guy killed two-thirds of the worlds entire population. He leveled New York... People I cared for... PEOPLE I LOVED DIED BECAUSE OF THIS MAN! AND NOW HE PUTS EVERYTHING I CARE ABOUT IN DANGER AND YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE VALO ONTO HIS SIDE?!"

My fist clenched tighter and electricity came from my Gauntlets. Amakusa was stronger than me back in high school. But I've grown. I'm a lot more powerful now than I ever was back then. If I had to force Amakusa to back down... I would. I couldn't let Valo join Strike. I would find another way to save him. I had to.

"I'll find the Projects. Destroy them and take their research and get him an antidote. I will save Valo through other means, and if you don't back down from this Amakusa... I will stop you."

[Amakusa Takehiro]

- So, it would come to this. Takehiro sighed, standing to his feet. It seemed Shugo was hell-bent on stopping him, and that was understandable, but he failed to think it through as the behemoth himself had.

- "You fail to realize the strength of the forces under VALOR, Yuy. And you overestimate the time Valo has. You think I don't realize what this means? Do you truly believe I have failed to consider these things?" Electricity would cackle from his own gloves as well. "Fine, then. If I truly must, I will fight you, but know that I will not hold back. Lives are at stake here, and not just Valo's. Yours, as well. And if I must crush you to keep you from fighting... I will."

- Takehiro turned to face Shugo, but other than that, he made no movements. If this fight was truly to begin, it would be the young Dragon's move. Admittedly, while he preferred not to fight a former student, he was eager to see just how much he'd improved since those days.

[Date Masamune™]

"There's a reason I was chosen as the first Project, Amakusa... While Project Guardian was deemed to be a failed experiment because of a lack of immediate results... It unlocked my hidden potential. If I have to activate SEED mode to defeat you, I will."

I smirked and pulled my right foot back and my left arm in a defensive stance shielding my body while I closed my eyes. Find the center... find the resolve to strike down your opponent and activate the SEED. The electricity in my gauntlets flared for a second and as I opened my eyes I felt myself entering SEED mode... but... my vision blurred. I couldn't activate my Qi powers for some reason. I grimaced... in a fight against Amakusa this would be a huge setback. I charged electricity in my right fist quickly and launched forward, but low. I threw my right fist aimed for Amakusa's diaphragm.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

- Shugo was indeed a success, and where he had succeeded, Takehiro had failed. That much was certain, but the effects the experiments had on their bodies were completely different.

- Takehiro stepped into Shugo's punch, taking the full force, but to his side rather than the intended target. Before Shugo reached him, Takehiro placed both hands together above his head and, as he was struck he would slam them down onto Shugo's shoulders. His shock gloves would activate as well, sending an electric pulse throughout the boy's body upon contact.

[OoC: Basic actions: Hammer-blow to Shugo's shoulders. Shock gloves activated.

Strength of blow: 89 + 80 (Shock gloves) = 169]

[Date Masamune™]

What? He's moving in? He thinks he can muscle through a punch like this?! Is he making fun of me? Craccckkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!! Shit... I guess not... Amakusa's giant fists smashed down on my shoulders... They both felt horrible, but i felt a searing pain go through my left shoulder. I knew where that crack came from now.... my left shoulder bone was broken.

"Grrhh..."

I grimaced and winced as I bared the pain. I had to quickly retaliate. I lifted up my right foot and smashed it down on the ground below me and Amakusa, cracking it and causing a crater of about a meter in diameter. Hopefully that knocked him off his guard. I would then pivot on my right foot, attempting to smash my left into Amakusa's shin.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

- Takehiro felt a small amount of remorse as the bone broke beneath his force, but he did warn the boy. He had hoped that such damage from the get-go would persuade him to discontinue the fight and submit, but such hopes discredited the boy's determination.

- When Shugo created the small crater in the ground, Takehiro fell back a little. However, his actions failed to account for their close proximity. As he fell back, Takehiro's hands would grip Shugo's sides and pull the boy with him. He'd exaggerate his fall, pulling Shugo to the left, and slam the boy's head into the ground, between his stomach and his right arm.

[OoC: Basic actions: Pulled Shugo as he fell back, attempts to slam his head into the ground.]