Ark 4 Episode 32: Blooming Flower Part 2



(This gain of knowledge and a short amount of power for Isabel was over the course of a few or more days after she had met Miazaki, and recovered from her traveling up the mountain and fighting against Miazaki the first time, then progresses from there.)

I'll Make A Man Out Of You
Shit! Two balled fists had been sent in my direction as I was too late to react as they had hit my stomach square on, *AH!!“ the punch was a surprise, but I knew I had let my guard down…it sent me flying backwards, hitting the ground on my right shoulder I rolled until a plume of smoke from the shifted dirty was caused in my wake. “You need to be more focused Nakayama! Your reaction time was slow!” I let out a cough as I rolled onto my back wincing from my shoulder… We had been at this for a few days, and I had started to gather more burses, and cuts then I would have liked, but it was for a cause. I took in a breath then jumped onto my feet as the smoke died, I felt my anger start to rise and tighten at my chest. Why couldn’t I do this! “Don’t let your anger get the best of you Nakayama!” His yelling brought me out of that trance until I settled back into a /zone/ “Anger leads to hatred. Hatred leads to killing. Killing leads to falling.” An angel falling from the graces is no longer an angel at all. I had heard it enough from him to know what he meant. “Falling leads to disgrace. Disgrace leads to wondering. Wondering leads to death!” I shouted back at him, it was motivation that drove us both to live in all situations. The old man and I came to an understanding, a bond if you will. Not because our pasts were similar, but the struggles were the same. “At a girl. Now come at me again!” I let out a heavy breath, alright Miazaki-San. I shook out the pain in my shoulder. We had been a two hour long spar, no one had one, and both had taken equal amount of shots to our bodies. I got into a stance, drawing chi into my body slowly coating both my arms and hands, building it up. It had gotten easier the past few trainings with Miazaki to draw chi, he taught me further on what I already knew thanks to Keyome…I gave myself time to think on Keyome…I missed him, missed him dearly but I had to do this for myself… “..Now!” I wasn’t paying attention to what Miazaki was yelling tell he said now in a rather harsh yelling tone. Alright old man, you asked for it, you shall receive. I pivoted off my foot setting off at a quick pace towards him, He didn’t seem to move at all. What was he going to do? Probably hit me again…I hated when he knew what I was going to do. *WOSH!* I sent both my fists at him directly at his chest outstretched. “Kyyaahh!!” *CRACK!* The Chi I had built up was released on the man’s chest causing it to have a harder and harsher affect when my knuckles made contact on his chest. *WOSH!* A large gust of wind had come up behind me and blew my hair in my face causing it to catch in my face when I looked up, but when I looked up the older man was sent flying a good few feet with the cloud of dust covering his feet and to his knees. The fact he dug his feet into the ground to fight back against the force of the punch seemed futile to him. He had skidded back a good foot holding at his chest as he let out a cough. “I’m too old for that punch of yours.” He shook his head. I brought my arms back down and looked at him as we both took normal standing positions. “You have come a powerhouse with that punch.” I gave him a smile then a bow. “And you are always so humble about the praise. What will I do with that nonexistent ego.” I looked at him and blinked a few times…what wait. Ego? Waiiiittttt. We both started to laugh at his comment as I shook my head, laughing more. “Ego you say? What Ego?” He just shrugged at me and turned and walked back to the compound. Leaving me to “clean up” was the way he put it, but truly it wanted me to go and reflect on what I had learned.

I found the older man’s way of processing day to day things different and odd then say another man’s way of doing it, but if Miazaki said jump I would always ask how high. He was the one teaching me, so I couldn’t question his method really no matter how strange or unusual those methods were. Though I had taken a dislike towards the now normal routine to being given a good beating during the morning or afternoon sparing sessions….he said it built character, somehow I felt like me getting a beating but then coming back was more than just building character. But, to grow one must learn from their mistakes so I couldn’t complain. I had let out a sigh as I walked back towards the compound, different direction then Miazaki, I needed to clean myself off. *CRACK* I quickly spun around towards the forest that was a good distance away from the edge of the dust sparing arena. That was a branch that had been stepped on. I drew in my gaze towards where I thought the sound came from, and slowly approached it. '**Inner Voice** Don’t, it’s dangerous! **Voice fades** 'I couldn’t help agree with that inner voice I had come to learn through Miazaki was my mother in my head. He called the ability to hear her, or others Divination (Refer to Tenchi Soul page to information)… It still confused me on how it worked. But if she threw that red flag up, I listen. Keeping my eyes on where the sound came from I backed up slowly from it and headed back towards the compound. Miazaki had told me that these woods held the spirits of lost souls… and those that help the Kamis….but something about that crack was more human sounding then supernatural. This was causing me to be a bit jittery going over what Miazaki had said about his abilities, and the possible abilities that would be given to different people. He said he couldn’t hear them himself, but he knew they existed and thrived. It caused me to shiver the more I learn about myself, the more I learn about the reality of the world around me. When I entered the house closing the shoji screen behind me, I slipped out of my sandals at the door and padded through the house in a quick matter to get as far away from the edge of the forest as possible. But it was probably futile really; we were surrounded by the forest and whatever lied beyond its range. I was about to walk past the dining area when I heard Miazaki’s voice. “Ahh Isabel. There you are.” I stopped in my tracks to look at him and gave him a smile, he had laid out food *Groowwlllll* Blasted stomach, sometimes I wonder if I was going to eat more and gain weight. Then stay at a small frame. Miazaki thought it was funny as he waved me over to come and sit down, I did was I was told by an elder…blasted manners…. As I knelt on the pillow that was there, I looked at what was offered, a bowl of rice with vegetables that grew in the garden, select choices to drink…Mainly either water or wine that was about it. Miazaki had been teaching me to be thankful for what I have, as he has put it, money doesn’t grow on trees. One day someone may come along and steal it. Returning me to the state when I was seven… Which this made me see how fortunate I was growing up when I was handed over to my Oka-San… and as I am now, having the ability to pay for this or that whenever it was needed I had a home, heat, water, clothing, even a job. Much more fortunate than most of anyone else out here, or back in Kasaihana….which, whenever I returned to my beloved district, things would change greatly. We had sat in silence eating for a few minutes before Miazaki started to speak. “Rumor up the mountain that I caught from one of the priests says that the villagers saw a man enter the village.” I quickly looked up with a hopeful look in my eyes, was it Keyome? I put down the chopsticks and placed my hands in my lap and waited for him to finish what he was going to say. When he looked at me and saw the look in my eyes, something serious and stern grew over him. “They don’t know if he left the village or not, or headed up the mountain pass to the shrine. But it wasn’t Tasanagi if that is what you are hoping for Isabel. The villagers that saw him said he carried guns on him, large weapons.” I had to blink a few times. Why would anyone literally carry heavy weapons all the way up a mountain, it made no sense, but the part that had to hurt was when he said it wasn’t Keyome, it caused me to look down. “Isabel, you will return to him shortly. But first, focus on yourself.” I looked up at him; he had a soft smile on his face, so I gave him a node. “Hai Miazaki-San.” He gave me a nod with a grin on his face. “Atta’ girl. You have learned a lot the past few days, you are like a sponge. You have a lot of knowledge within that head of yours, and more space to go. You will go far with your mindset.”

I had to smile a bit as I looked down at the chopsticks, He had said I was a sponge, I remember when he took me to the woman who was healing people and treating their wounds. Miazaki and myself helped her out. Something took place within that time, I don’t know how to put my finger on it…but it I just picked up on healing those people, but at the end of the day, I ended up feeling like crap but when we went back the next day to check up on the people who we had treated, the ones I had treated were doing amazingly, and repeated if it wasn’t for me, they would feel like they were dying. The old woman that took care of them, she couldn’t understand either what happened, neither could I but Miazaki knew exactly what was going on. Went home that evening and he flopped books in front of me of old texts that still contained dust on them…seemed someone didn’t do spring cleaning that much. But the old texts spoke about people that had the ability to “heal others” in a sense he explained that, I was able to take on the wounds of the person I was healing through touch. Upon figuring that out, Miazaki made sure to check up on me once in a while after that and spaced out our visits to the woman. It seemed the older man held the answers to anything that came up, it was considerably questionable sometimes. During  a spar, I had made contact with his exposed palm, and a feeling shot through me, a fierce determination and a small underlining of frustration, it wasn’t of my normal feelings. Which made me shutter at first and halt me in my tracks, of course Miazaki being the caring one, he asked what was wrong stopped the sparing completely to allow me to explain to him what had just happened. Once again, the old man had a look of pondering on his face, walked off mid thought and went off in search for the answer as to what transpired. Miazaki walking off caused me to frown. *Keyome….what did I get myself into?* Somehow I found comfort in wondering what Keyome would say, something witty and smart probably knowing him. At dinner that night, Miazaki sat down once again with a dusty old book, I looked at it then finally spoke what I was thinking. “You really need to spring clean Miazaki-san..” Miazaki himself couldn’t help but laugh at my statement and nod his head. “I know I know.” He slid the book my way as I picked it up and flipped through it tell I hit the page that was marked *Empathy Empowerment of the human Body and of Human Mind* When I looked up from the marked spot back and at Miazaki I gave him a funny look which caused him to chuckle more to himself then anything really. “You have the ability of an Empath. The healing, the ability to know my feelings during our spar? It’s truly the only answer.” I apparently gave him a funny look, but I was more thinking to myself as to how they could be connected until he spoke. “Empaths use the ability through touch. To feel what the other person is feeling. What you did the other day with the sick men? You took their ailment into yourself. May have not known that, but you did. It all ties into THAT.”….He did have a point, old men and their wise age..It needed to stop really; him pulling out books was like making him the wise old librarian back in Kasaihana city. When I went through the pages slowly to take in all the information I could about Empaths and how they used touch as a means to channel their abilities, I didn’t notice that Miazaki had gone quiet as well, normally the old man had stories to tell, something to say for him to be quiet was unusual. Looking up from the book and closing it I looked at him. “Miazaki-san..” He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. “Huh. Uhhh….Yes, sorry I was just thinking about the next phase in your training.” He wasn’t going to tell me what was on his mind was he? I wasn’t surprised in the least, why would an older man tell a young woman like myself….I could get that much. When I didn’t answer, Miazaki continued talking and going off of what he wanted to do. “I will teach you the things I know. Skills that benefit more the Tenchi Soul, your chi and your combat…Tomorrow we will start training on manipulating your chi so you can grow wings.” He gave me a node of his head in a wise acknowledgement then got up and left the now emptied table, leaving me with the old dusty book. I gave him a polite bow as he walked out.. “Miazaki-San….why don’t you trust me enough like I trust you..?” I let out a soft sigh as I picked up the book and pulled myself up from the table and headed towards my room..I had gotten better with this Divination he talked about, to the point where I could see a faded image of my mother.. It was like I had to whisper even though her voice would be more in my head. “Is it because I’m a yakuza chairwoman..or a yakuza in general..?” The image shook its head at me giving me an answer. '**Inner Voice** He is a very closed of man little flower…He never trained anyone in this…not even his own children… His children fell to modern times… and all hold sin they do not care about… Since the death of their mother Maria… They feel it not worth speaking to their father… So in return… Miazaki-Sama takes it upon himself to keep just to himself. **Voice faces** 'This caused me to frown, when I looked straight ahead, I knew the image of my mother would probably frown at this, and know the inner workings of how my mind worked. I was processing more along the lines of... Why should someone be so closed off from the ones who were willing to listen? Modern times… I had fallen to that, at some point, was it only fair in return to listen to his thoughts as he had listened to mine, days ago when I came here. I would never understand really the older man any time soon.

Today You Fly!
It had been a day or so after Miazaki added on knowledge of how I could manipulate my chi further, I could not only place it in my hands or my feet, but I could also place it within my spin and shoulder blades to create wings that Tenchi Soul users can use. Which seemed pretty out there, but apparently Miazaki had a plan and he knew what he was doing and where he was going as he lead the way through the forest. The sun had already crested over the mountains as it gave us a beautiful view of the valley below.. “Watch your step Isabel.” When I heard him I quickly took my eyes off the valley and where I was going and.. “Crap..” I almost stumbled off the side of the cliff and quickly stepped away from the side taking in a deep breath. “Careful.” I gave him a node and we continued our little hike through the mountain trail that seemed to have been walked through a lot. “It seems that this is a used trail Miazaki-San.” He gave a node of his head as he shifted his foot then I did the same and continued on. “One of my ways to patrol from above, and it was used as an escape route for the house back in the Edo period if I remember correctly.” I blinked at him…wow, that far back? That was impressive. After another hour or so, we reached a place that was suitable for whatever Miazaki had in mind; he stepped up to the ledge and looked down. I cautiously stepped up behind him. “Alright, I think this is good..” I think he said it more for himself then anything…which scared me really. Because whatever this man had in mind, I definitely was scared to know. “Prepare your chi, prepare it in your spine, than spread it into your shoulder blades.” I quickly looked up at him and blinked a few times, “O-oh okay...” I took in a breath and drew in chi into my body, letting it wash over me slowly, as I laced it around my spin then made it sprout like roots of a flower to my shoulders. Miazaki waved his hands in my direction. “Come close so I can tell you what exactly I want you to do…” I stepped closer to him as I approached the ledge and slowly looked over the edge. “Alright..this is what I want you to do Isabel..I want you to manifest wings..and be able to fly..” Oh that seemed easy! But I felt a hand on the middle of my back giving me a good push. “But I want you to learn while falling of this cliff….. While gravity pulls you close to the ground….” Wait…what….. I felt my body shift and then…*WOOSH* the gust of wind brushing past me while I was falling to the ground before. “AHHH!!!” My screams were echoed throughout the valley **Inner voice** Stay calm little flower…Push the chi like Miazaki said and you shall bloom like the beautiful flower you are… **voice faces** I took in a breath and closed my eyes, feeling the chi grow out from my spin to my shoulder blades, then with a good push of effort, I pushed the chi out of my body, and as the chi sprouted out of my body it seemed to flourish out of my shoulders until it found the ends and formed the image of 6 pair of wings, three to my left shoulder and three to my right shoulder but all connected to the center. (For visual reference: http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/178/8/b/seraphim_angel___commission_by_petite_emi-d3k63vq.png )  Once the chi was solidified and formed to create wings with feathers…. I was still flailing because how do you tell a human being to be a bird..you couldn’t. '**Inner Voice** Don’t think…Be. The eagle doesn’t think of how it exists in the sky.**Voice fades**' Don’t think..just be. I took the image of the eagle into my head…with just being… I willed the wings to spread out, the great wings took a giant flap against the gravity and wind that was rushing up to meet me. It was like when a baby bird took its’ first jump to flying and was learning what its arms were truly used for. The sudden flapping of the wings to stop the ever coming ground caused me hitch and jolt in the fall. I looked down at the ground in a daze… “I’m…in the sky…with wings…holly cow…” Looking up, I looked up at the edge of the cliff that I was pushed off of…*That old man is probably laughing or something…* With that thought in my mind, I flapped the wings hard, which caused me to be sent into the air quickly with another flap of the giant wings I was again sent into the air but quicker and past the ledge. Behind me there would have been a giant *WOOSH!* of air then a “YEAH!!” that echoed behind me which caused me to giggle a bit to myself. I had gotten to a point in the air where  I just let myself stop, then fall back to the earth, my arms stretched out. Free-falling and free, it was invigorating and an adrenaline rush all in one. “WOAH WOAH WOAH!” I had to smile, Miazaki seemed more concerned then I was, but when I turned around the wings behind me quickly spread out and flapped against the wind currently to in a sense glide me safely to the ground. With one good gust from my wings, the dirt that was kicked up was gone, and revealed that I didn’t smash into the ground and die or some horrific turn of events. Miazaki gave me a stern look as I let out a laugh covering my mouth; I pulled the wings so that they were pressed against my back now. “You are a very daring young woman. And since you came, you have bloomed like a flower in summer. Keep this attitude with you when you return back to the demons and the spawns.” I looked at him in a shocked, yet sad and maybe even a happy feeling all balled into one. “I will, Miazaki-San.” We both had our laughs then after a few teachings of how I could posses the ability to fully someday control the ability to fly; we headed on our way back to the house, as the sun was setting in the west, we were both tired, so was I. I think it was before some time dark that we finally reached home, we said our farewells for the day and headed to our own rooms, skipped dinner and called it a night. Training seemed harder then I wanted to accept it…somewhere in my heart.. I felt like something was off keel. Was it just the fact I was tired? Or was it a sense that was telling me that something was truly wrong? Once my head hit the pillow, I was out, like a light….

Contact From The Outside World
“Sir, I need to give this message to the young Miss that is staying with you.” A low grunt was emitted; I had been up for about two hours now, when I had come across the sounds of Miazaki exchanging word with someone else. I had taken a place near the opening of the shoji screen with it slightly open so I could hear.. “And what makes you think there is a young woman living here?” Miazaki was really lying to this person about my whereabouts that well, were true? The man sounded furious when he answered back to Miazaki’s lie. “Samurai-Sama…there are armed men in the village, asking for her. We told them we haven’t seen her in weeks. You do your rounds early in the morning than late at night, that is different for you. Since that girl has found herself in this village, nothing but trouble has come to our recluse village; that robot looking machine of a man, the walking spirits…and now these men. If it makes any difference to you Samurai-Sama, just give her this note. They said it was from their boss….” Something was handed towards Miazaki and he took it, I was still back at what was said about me coming here..the trouble it has caused…It didn’t settle well on my conscious '**Inner Voice** Don’t let it bother you little flower…people say things when they are put under the heel of a stronger foe.. **voice fades** 'Words said out of anger and stress? I don’t see how that works. The man was still standing there when he finally gave the man a node and headed back to where I was kneeling, I quickly scooted back as I slide the shoji screen back as he entered in and slid it closed and looked down at me, as I looked up. “You heard that didn’t you?” I knelt up and nodded my head as I fixed the kimono that I chose to wear. He looked at the closed shoji screen then back at me handing me the given object the man had given him. “Don’t listen to what he says alright…He is a stressed man, and old in his age. But as he said, this came for you. Seems someone needs your attention finally.” I gave him a small smile as I took the envelope that had my name “Isabel Nakayama” written on the front, I could tell that the person wrote it wasn’t all to happy. I still was holding onto it, but hadn’t taken it out of his hands. Miazaki had placed his hand over mine as I looked up at him. “Whatever is in this envelope, trust me, I am not here to judge you, and if it calls you back. Well, it calls you back.” I gave him a nod and slipped the envelope out of his hand as we both turned and headed into the living space with the table… Whatever was within the envelope surly didn’t settle well with me..and honestly…it frightened me to know what was in it…a letter saying that Keyome died? A letter saying one of the twins got killed? Both of them died? The Clan came crashing down to the ground in my absence? “Well…go and open it Isabel.” I looked up at him and nodded my head. “Hai..” I flipped the envelope over, the one thing I noticed about the envelope it had the watermark stamp of the Kagemaru clan…I took in a deep breath and tore it open and took out the fancy paper that had a lot of scribbles, a lot of crossed out words on it, tell finally something was said at the bottom…

''Hey Isabel… ''

''I’m writing you this to tell you that. My.. Secretary, Alex Stone has passed... In a really bad crashing incident. We're having her funeral in a few days. And... I'd really love it if you were there.... I... I really need it. I mean.. I'd.. really love it.. Please. If not, then... that’s ok too... I got the information of your whereabouts from the twins... don’t be angry with them... ''

''Sincerely, Keyome Tasanagi''

I looked up to see Miazaki looking at me to see a reaction. All the reaction I could muster was place it in the middle of the table, then lower my head. He had started to read when I found my voice. “I need to return to Kasaihana…” he looked up from the paper and gave a node of his head, like he knew that without being in my shoes, it was the most definitely right thing to do. Keyome’s words gave me that sense of, he truly needed me. “That it seems..” To return back to the city on my own, could cause a lot of problems for me… I wondered if Miazaki could accept the thought that was in my head right now… “Miazaki-Sama..” His eyes were on me, like I could feel them burrow into the top of my head, I looked up at him and gave him a serious look. “It would honor me greatly, and honor my clan greatly if you joined me on the trip back.” I saw the shock on his face as I asked, but I didn’t look long enough before I gave him a bow, somehow in a plead for him to say yes. “Isabel Nakayama…you honor me with your sweet wor-“…”Please Chihana-Sama..you have done so much for me the past few weeks..I am still in need of your teachings..but me traveling alone by myself at this time it isn’t wise..Please Chihana-Sama..” I could hear the sigh that he let out under his breath, in frustration maybe? Or the fact, I was persistent about asking him for his company, and assistance on the way back to the city. “Alright. Lets get everything packed and locked.” I gave a low bow and after a lot of exchanged thank you from me. We gathered what we needed, text books of Tenchi Soul, his weapons and armor, the kimonos he had offered me that were his wife’s…and food that would last us the trip back to the city. It took us about a good hour to get everything packed and put on the horses that he had on the compound. Cars in the city, horses out here. How interesting. Miazaki sat on a brown sand colored and black maenad male horse. (for reference: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wy/programs/wildhorses/2011/wmlc-gather.Par.2940.Image.-1.-1.1.gif ) It looked wild but tempered. The horse I was put on was a all white Clydesdale mare, with a sweet disposition. (for visual reference: http://media-cache-is0.pinimg.com/192x/a0/80/48/a08048b3355d94f9c288240c7d5ab26e.jpg ) A massive creature compared to a small person like me, it made it look intimidating. Miazaki, made sure someone was left at the house or attended to it so it wouldn’t get robed. Such a careful person it was. We had made our way back down another passage through the forest, the large animal I was on, was making me feel like I was on top of the world from here, luckily I had remembered how to ride horses… *few hours or so after exiting the forest* We were now in the valley heading towards the village when I had a sudden thought. “I need to pick up the rest of my stuff…” Miazaki looked at me and nodded. With that he quickly rode ahead into the village, to literally the only in that was in the town. Luckily we knew that both. When I had entered into the village, most of the people saw me in the massive creature and stayed where they were at…. It was like in that one show…Game of Thrones, the twins always liked and hollered about. When Daenerys Targaryen. When she was upon the only white horse from her husband while the Dothraki looked at her. Yeahhhh. That is pretty much how I felt. But on my end, these peopled looked at me like I was trouble, if only they knew I didn’t mean them any harm or what they thought. When I pulled on the reins to make the horse go into a gallop to get passed all these people, I could see Miazaki on his way back. When he caught up and we both headed for the gate I looked at him and gave a firm look. “I think the trip will go must faster if we had them go faster than a gallop.” Miazaki gave me a smirk and nodded his head. “That is a good plan…they do not seem pleased at all..”…”Oh more then not pleased at all…” With those few exchange of words we went at the horses full speed out of the village and on the passage way back to Kasaihana city…what would the city honestly look like from my absence…what has honestly happened to Keyome and everyone else. The lack of communication has done wonders for my abilities, but for the sense of security it hasn’t done any favors. But on my return I shall see what I have missed these past few weeks….