I Am Still a Beast at Bay

Memento Mori
"I'm hooooooooome!!!"

Souka Hanabira walked through the door to his home with a big grin on his face. This day had been productive. A faint scent wafed in from what would be considered the kitchen... Of course they were having soup. They had water, and it wasn't as if food was that plentiful...

But that was why he was in such a good mood!

As he began to brush himself off of in an attempt to remove some of the dirt and foilage that had collected on his clothes while hunting, he set a bag full of game, edible plants, his bow and quiver of arrows, and the kindling wood he had collected on the table inside the small hut him and his family lived in. Today had been wonderful! He had easily killed several low-level hollow feeding on one poor unfortunate soul... But beggars can't be choosers. Regardless, he had also found a lot of edible mushrooms and roots. Some fruit, a few berries...

His mother left the pot that contained their dinner and walked towards the bag of game. She held a stern look to her face until...

Souka hugged her, smiling warmly. Once he did, her own expression broke and she hugged him back, wearing a similar smile. "How was it, honey?" She asked, breaking the hug. Dinner wasn't going to cook itself.

"It was fine! Nothing special really happened..." He trailed off purposely. Telling her of the plus the hollows he killed devoured would unecessarily worry her.

"Good to hear. If you're not busy, I'd like you to go to the store for me, to pick up something."

"Alright!"

Souka's mother handed him some game from out of the bag to trade with, and he was out of the house in a heartbeat, walking along the road until he came to town.

A tightly-wrapped white package was in Souka's hands as he left the store. He just mentioned his mother's name, and the man gave it to him... It was special ordered? Because it was for his mother (and because he was sure he wouldn't able to look at it without being found out) he resisted his curiosity and did not look; but, from just holding it, he could make guesses as to what it was.

It was soft. Made of cloth, maybe. So, a piece of clothing? He couldn't imagine what his mother would want with something like that...

And, as he rounded the corner, he saw it.

A huge crowd had gathered in the street, and overed their murmurs of excitment he could hear exotic music playing. From the head count, he could see that they were giving something room to do something.... But, he had to get home to his mother! Dinner would be ready soon...

....

But he wanted to see!!

With his curiosity getting the better of him, Souka found himself pushing through the crowd.

A street performer was playing on a drum, male and shirtless. He had tattoos on his chest, stripes that raced alongside his veins. Combined with that, there was a girl in a black hoodie. The bottom reached over her waist, covering her shorts and leaving only the legs to show off. It wasn't a humble attire, but it certainly didn't make her a whore. That wasn't what was catching the crowd's attention; a skimpy attire would only earn a rather scolding remark and then a turn of the head, the attention passing away quickly.

It was like a snake charmer completely in control of a cobra.

She was dancing in rhythm with the music. Her body was a live wire, twisting, turning, and bending in a beautifully poetic manner. Even though she was far from being a slut, she was barely holding anything back as she moved. Hip gyration, bottom shaking, and even head twisting came into play. She was completely immersing herself in the drum playing, lost in her own world and allowing Mother Nature to play puppet with her.

Woah...

And, of course, Souka found himself captivated as well. Once he made it to the front of the crowd and caught sight of her, he was immediately as immersed as the other observers. Before his knees gave out, he moved into a pretzel-legged sitting position. He was barely watching the package his mother had sent him to get, which was precariously placed upon his lap. In fact, he could barely remember what he had be doing before he began watching the girl...

Some of the audience had braver minds than the others. Every time she moved into a more suggestive pose, there were wolf-whistles and cheers heard within the crowd. Others were tapping their feet, and some were even moving as if to step in to dance with the girl. Yet, she paid no attention, her eyes closed and a neutral curl of her lips as she continued to move poetically. To her, the crowd was nothing.... it didn't exist to her....

At least, until her eyes opened.

And for a moment, those very eyes had locked themselves into Souka's own.

Souka's tongue caught in his throat. For that very moment, he couldn't breathe, and he was paralyzed with a combination of nervousness, bewilderment, and fear. Why was she looking at him...? What did she want from him? Had she just opened her eyes and randomly focus on him, or was there a hidden meaning; a purpose to her actions? Before he even noticed, his face had turned a slight shade of pink.

The man playing the bongos was grinning from ear to ear in amusement as he saw his "helper" slowly make her way towards the shocked Souka. Out of the crowd, he seemed like the most....innocent, the most pure. Therefore, he could be easily made a target out of. She kept in rhythm, her gait holding a rather seductive look to it as she approached her prey. She bent low, raising a hand towards his wrist and grabbing it gently. Then, she mouthed the words "Come on..." before gently pulling him up to his feet.

Excited whispers raced through the crowd, and even some hands helped to push the guy up from his sitting position and towards the center.

"... H... Huh?!"

For the first few moments, Souka just stood there, still confused at what had just happened. She had pulled him up, to dance with her...? Why him? It wasn't as if he had whistled at her or made fun of her! He was just watching, like everybody else! But... if he didn't dance, he would not be able to stand the embarrassment. Immediately, his feet began moving, and though he was nowhere near as good a dancer as the girl, he managed to move into his own rhythm without disturbing hers. Of course, his dancing didn't include anything perverted, such as hip swinging or grinding...

And he was still very much captivated by the girl.

She was using that to her advantage.

Using the spell she had put him under, she put her movements in a position to where he would have to move accordingly while still keeping that attractive dance coming. The result was nowhere as near brilliant, as she had restrained some of her own movements. However, it was still enough to spur their audience on. Some had gained even more bravery, clapping along with the tune and lightly stepping their feet. Clearly, they were enjoying the show quite a lot.

It seemed like hours.... however, in reality, it only took four minutes for the song to complete itself.

Afterwhich, the bongo player and dancer stopped simultaneously. They were immediately awarded with the sounds of applause from every one of the crowd. Standing beside Souka, the girl performed a curtsy, satisfied with her overall performance. Under her hood, she was a bit sweaty and disheveled, having to use the back of her hand to wipe a bit off it off of her face. As the crowd dispersed, they paid the bongo master accordingly.

Souka bowed with her, and as the crowd was dispersing, decided to introduce himself. He smiled at her warmly and bowed slightly as he said "Hi... My name is Souka Hanabira... It's nice to meet you." There was no denying it now; he had a crush on this girl. But she probably wouldn't have anything to do with him...

Still, there was no law against trying.

At the sound of his voice, the girl immediately turned towards him to look him in the eyes once more. Though that rather "cat-eyed" stare was still apparent, it was apparent that she had regained her composure. "I'm Miyami Katabami..." She introduced herself, a slight smile onto her face. She had one hand on her hip while the other was hanging loosely. "Hey, sorry if I caught you off-guard back there. But, out of all of them, you were just so shy...." This was followed by a chuckle, and she reached to punch him playfully in the arm. "Just couldn't resist!"

The boy took no heed to her reasoning for picking him; he was still really happy that she did. "Where'd you learn to dance like that? I've never seen anybody move like you did. I could barely keep up... Thanks for taking pity on me and guiding me through the moves." Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, Souka gave a half-hearted laugh back at the girl.

"Hey, no problem!" Miyami reassured him. "Figured you wouldn't have a clue on how to do what I was doing, anyway...." Her eyes drifted off towards the side, catching the package in which Souka had been handling. "Guess I caught you in the middle of a shopping run, didn't I....?"

"Oh!" Following her line of sight, he noticed the package his mother had sent him to pick up. He had forgotten all about it... But, even though he was in such a rush before, he was still wary to leave the girl. "It was nothing, really. My mother just sent me to pick up something while she cooked dinner..."

"Oh.... guess your mom's gonna yell at you for being late, eh?" Miyami asked, frowning a little. Now, she felt a little bad for making the guy late - it was his choice on watching her, but she had ruined his chances of an early departure by pulling him in with her in that circle. "My bad...."

Souka looked back at her immediately. He could see some traces of emotion on her face. Guilt? No, that wasn't acceptable. He would fix that. "No, don't worry about it. Uh... This is probably kind of weird considering we just met, but would you like to come over my house for dinner? It'd help me explain to my mother why I'm late..."

The skepticism was still clear, but a bit of hesitation was in her eyes. "You sure....?" She asked dryly, raising her arms out in a gesture to herself. "I'm....not exactly wearing the womanly profession here. I don't think you want to get in trouble because your mom thought you brought a two-bit prostitute."

"Ha! I think my mother will be pleased that I brought such an attractive girl home. It's not like you're half-naked or anything, anyway..." Souka had become comfortable enough in the conversation to believe that he could walk over and grab the package without losing her attention. "So, do you want to?"

However, the reaction had come from the first word that caught her ears: attractive. A faint tint of pink came across her face, and she smiled out of pleasure. She placed her hands on her hips for a moment, walking over to his side as he picked up the groceries. "You say you don't know me and yet you're already trying to soften me up with flattery...." She said coyly, giving him a wink. "But since you asked, I'd love to...."

Souka's face turned a shade matching the girl's as she winked at him, but he kept his composure nevertheless. "Then I guess we should go now, before it gets cold!" Beckoning for the girl to follow him, he motioned ahead of himself. It'd take at least a half-an-hour's walk. Maybe he could win her over by then.

Folding her hands behind her back, Miyami kept her eyes on him the entire way. The smile had faded for a bit, but was still prominent on her countenance. "So.... Souka, was it?" She asked in order to start a conversation. "What do you do for a living? From the looks of it, you're a bit of a hard worker...."

"I don't actually have a job, persay, but I do hunt for food that my mother can cook." Souka explained, still leading. Because he was slightly ahead of her, he didn't notice her staring. "I mostly hunt hollows; Hollow meat is surprisingly edible."

"Hah!" This made her smile grow wider. "I just so happen to be a hunter. My parents taught me personally how to handle a rifle. Though, I usually do it now for sport and nothing else. Sadly, this place only has those hoodie Hollows in order for me to shoot up. What wouldn't I give for a deer or wolf or something that looks like that...."

"A rifle?" This made Souka look back at her in astonishment. "You use a rifle? Where do you find the ammunition? I use a bow and arrow, and I make the arrows myself... I also use some knives for skinning and collecting fire wood. Not to bad at throwing them, either."

"It's something I heard that's spreading around through the Rokungai. Kidō weaponry's the unofficial term for it...." Miyami explained, placing one of her hands in her hoodie pocket for an idle rest. She used motions with her other hand to explain. "Haven't heard much about them, but they use this stuff called reiatsu as its ammunition. Works just like a gun from the Human world, and it can kill just as good." This was when her smile turned a bit cocky. "Shoot.... I even managed to take down a Hollow the size of a friggin' bear once. Took me an hour just to drag it back home, and when I got there, my parents were freaking out."

"Oh yeah?" If she was looking for a boasting contest, she had found one. "Once I got attacked by a swarm of ten or twenty bird-like hollow, and I killed each and every one with a shot through the eyehole of their mask with my bow." He stopped for a moment, both for emphasis and to catch her reaction."You'd never catch me using a gun... I hate them. It takes the fun out of the hunt. Doesn't take any skill to use them, either."

If anything, she was quite impressed. She folded her arms across her chest, nodding at his statement. Certainly, the guy not only knew how to hunt, but handle himself in a tough situation. "Guess you've got yourself handled, don't you?" She complimented. "In that sense, I guess my family's a bit closer to tech compared to yours, seeing as you're relying on a bow and arrow to hunt with."

"It's not as if we're exactly swimming in money..." Souka replied lowly. On days where he couldn't find any food, they starved. It was his fault. He didn't deserve any praise for his hunting; it barely kept them alive as it was. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with a Bow and Arrow. Kills things just as well as guns do."

"Hey...." The bitter tone in his voice immediately caught Miyami's attention, her face expressing sympathy. "I didn't mean anything by it! Trajectory, having to position yourself at just the right spot, accuracy.... hell, that makes me wanna pick up a bow and arrow and start practicing. If anything, that requires skills gunmen wouldn't even think of having when it comes down to picking off targets."

Souka caught himself before he spoke further. He hadn't even noticed he was being bitter; it had come on naturally. After composing himself and his thoughts, he issued an apology. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean for it to come out like that. There's nothing wrong with using a rifle, I just prefer to use a bow."

"And I love using a rifle...." The smile was back. "But, we're both good at what we use, so I guess it doesn't matter much."

"I guess not."

And, finally, they had arrived. Surprisingly, the house was well-concealed. One wouldn't know it was there unless they knew to look behind the huge tree that provided it's camoflauge. The house was painted green. Possibly a defense from hollows...? Or just to make things easier for the inhabitants. As they neared the door, a delicious aroma could be smelled. Souka opened the door for Miyami and motioned for her to go inside. "After you."

"Ladies first...?" Miyami asked coyly, smirking. "You're too kind, baby...." Making a brief kissing motion with her lips, she turned and entered the room. Instantly, the smell of cooking hit her nose, and she found herself taking in a deep breath just to take in the scent. If this was a drug, she would be getting high off of the stuff! She took a few steps inward, just enough to let Souka freely enter.

Souka closed the door behind himself and caught up just in time to see his mother examining the girl. "Souka, who's this?" She asked teasingly. Before her son could protest, she continued. "You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend! It's nice to meet you, I'm his mother."

"... She's not my girlfriend..."

Upon seeing his mother, Miyami felt a bit more reserved. She knew she had to act on her best behavior. She folded her hands behind her back, looking over the older woman for a moment as she spoke. It was a simple act of waiting until your talker was finished speaking in order to respond back. However, if Souka was looking closely enough, she would see the girl's eyes shift for a moment. It wasn't the motor shift, as if looking in a certain direction. No.... something flashed across her eyes for what was a split second.

The corner of her lips curled into a smile.

"Same to you, ma'am...." She answered politely. "I'm Miyami Katabami."

Unfortunately, Souka's attention was elsewhere. Most notably, the food.

"I didn't realize we were having company, so please excuse me for a moment while I go get another chair." As the woman left the room, she winked at Sakou, who shot her back an angry look. When she was finally out of view, he pulled out of chair for Miyami and motioned for her to sit. "I'm sorry about that... My Mom can be a little... uhm... embarrassing." His cheeks flushed a pale pink and he averted his gaze. The hut was small. His mother surely heard him. He would pay for the comment later.

"I think she's nice...." Miyami noted, grinning. "But I understand where you're coming from. Parents just want to be difficult when you don't want them to be, after all...."

"Hey." Souka narrowed his eyes in a glare as he sat in his own seat. "Wipe that grin off your face or I'll pick on you non-stop if I ever meet your parents."

She stuck out her tongue at him for a brief moment before she allowed herself to sit down beside him. She crossed her legs, placing both hands on the top knee. "Oh, really....?" She asked, with a slightly smug sort of voice. "How could you possibly pick on me?"

"Well... I could ask your parents why they allow you to dress so provocatively. Or why they allow you to flaunt your body in the middle of the street for a crowd of strangers..." At this, his mother returned, setting a pot on the table with steam escaping from under it's lid. In her other hand, she had her chair. Souka awkwardly glanced at Miyami, hoping she would end the conversation while his mother was present.

"So, Miyami." The older of the three began, smiling thoughtfully. "Where are you from?"

He was fortunate.

Letting out a small "Hmph!" just for him to hear, Miyami turned her eyes towards the woman. The rather shy smile returned to her face out of respect for the mother. "I was raised in District 52. Since the law's a bit relaxed compared to the one-digit districts, my parents took up a business of sport hunting. Who knew I'd find someone else that happens to have almost the same profession?"

"Oh, well... He learned from his father. After he passed, Souka didn't really have a choice but to learn..." As Souka's mother remininsced, Souka decided to speak up. "You said your parents hunt for sport? So they don't hunt for food?"

"Nope." Miyami affirmed him with a nod of her head.

"Then how do they get food?"

Mikami raised an eyebrow, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her palms. "How else? We get it from the local stores." She answered. "The only problem with that is the lack of transportation. Mom and Dad, sometimes me, have to walk a few miles just to go down to buy something we need. But, it's no problem. We consider it to be a regular exercise, apart from our hunting...."

"Oh... And your parents, uhm, pick out your wardrobe...?" Souka asked. He was staring at his mother so he didn't have to look at Miyami as she answered, because she would either get mad or undoubtably tease him. Like she did before...

So this was deserved.

The girl put on a smirk, tilting her head to the side slightly. "You seem to like talking about my clothing." She countered deftly. If the guy wanted to call out her nice-girl attitude, then he was going to have to try a lot harder. "Are you trying to tell me something....?"