[Episode] Homesickness

Yugo was happy that the Kamaitachi didn't desire to kill him that moment and instead chose to at the very least give him a chance to prove himself. Yugo had to agree that actions speak louder than words, though he didn't think the wind deity would be fine with him helping with their problem. The young shinobi guard was blown backwards as the jet black yokai rode the currents to pursue the crooks. "H-hey wait! Yokai-sama-" he would try to say something before skidding backwards. Thankfully, the smooth rubber soles of his tabi boots provided more than enough friction with the ground to stop his momentum. "...I can't fly..." he would conclude his phrase.

Thinking fast, the shinobi instead elected to use his old training to keep up with the self proclaimed samurai. He would find the nearest climbing surface and quickly ascend to the rooftops. His new body granted him a great deal of mobility and fluidity to his motion, though he would have to keep his powers on the down low. In his time on the island, he had researched just what kind of fruit he had ingested. He hadn't got specifics but based on what he could do he had turned into a Logia type devil fruit user. If the texts were to be believed, there were three kind of fruits that gave special powers on consumption and the powers he had seemed to align with possibly the rarest type of them all.

Yugo deftly moved among the rooftops, watching as the weasel soared further away before plunging down below. The speed difference between the two was astounding. He couldn't possibly outrun the Yokai if it thought to pursue him and it certainly would start looking for him if he tried to run away now. One way or the other his hands were tied, he had to see this through to the end before he would actually be falsely accused.

Dropping down from the roof, the ninja frontflipped in the air to land on his feet. Looking down he could see that the wind yokai had already knocked out one of the perpetrator and was ready to pounce on another. Realizing he would probably only be a nuisance if he tried to fight alongside the mythical beast, Yugo elected instead to assume a more supportive role. He would quickly roll off the fall and dash towards the group. Sliding in from the left, he would conjure a wakizashi by imagining to be holding a weapon and letting the power within his body to manifest unimpeded. A blob of mercury would manifest and harden into the selected shape, which would then be used to block the first attack aimed at the Yokai's back.

"Yokai-sama! I'm dealing with this one, worry about the others." He quickly stated, kicking the guy further back so that he could properly engage and let the wind weasel have enough space between them to not worry about bumping into eachother.

The shinobi wouldn't have the weasel repeat itself. The young logia user would drop like a potato sack and kiss the dirt like if it was the most beautiful lady in the world. It was a good thing he did, because he would have gotten beheaded otherwise. The tail flick from the yokai was so incredibly quick he was so grateful he had been given prior warning.

He would scramble back up, back to back with the weasel, and morph the blade in his hand back into a blob and then into a ring. Said ring was promptly launched at the first approaching bad guy, hopefully latching onto the perpetrator's wrist like a cuff and pull them off balance with its surprisingly heavy weight. The Yokai would be able to take it from there. They were outnumbered but not outmatched. The wind deity clearly had powers and lethality to spare while he had his techniques and his new powers at the ready.

Yugo really had little time to contemplate the fact he was really fighting alongside a wind weasel, the surreal feeling immediately freezing over into slight panic as he saw the real gang boss come at him and swing with a switch knife again. One of the enemy's motions was deftly if barely avoided, while the other grazed his chest. Thankfully, the leather armor covering his most vital organs was more than sturdy enough to prevent a nasty wound.

He was thus momentarily locked into a scuffle with the big guy, traing blow for blow close quarters while trying to not overdo it. He could probably not worry about wounds considering his fruit's power did allow him to not only manipulate but also be mercury. Still, he did not wish to show his hand at present moment. He did not know if the Yokai would go for him next, thus he wanted to keep his virtual intangibility card for when he really needed it.

WC: 1996

"Yield." He growled at the charging enemy, ducking under the swing and then give a few paces of space between him and the perpetrator. "I won't say that again." He would soon add after the supposed bossman didn't stop attacking. He was taken aback by the Yokai taking to the skies again, mostly to follow and capture the fleeing stragglers, but he couldn't dedicate much attention to other things since there was still one pissed off dude that really did want him dead at this point.

The fight would drag on on for a little while, neither side gaining over the other, but slightly favoring Yugo's more speedy and fluid fighting style. The only problem keeping all of his technique at bay was the overwhelming power behind the bar fight style of the Smart Fella. The big guy was clearly stronger than him, continuously slugging him left and right. Yugo would sidestep the next knife swipe and deliver a sweep right at the guy's legs. Sadly, the young ninja would fail at toppling over the goliath, as the man was just able to resist Yugo's attack. The knife was lobbed at him and Yugo just managed to escape getting it plunged into his neck by slapping the man's arm out of trajectory.

Seeing as there was no one there anymore and all the people had fled, with the yokai occupied too, Yugo began thinking if it was the time to use the other side of his special powers. So far he had only made it look like he could create weapons, as one would guess a normal devil fruit could do, but he wondered if he should actually push himself a little more, just so he could break past the weird stalemate he was in and get the KO on the guy. For the moment, he elected against it. He was supposed to capture this alive as part of proving himself to the wind yokai and he did not want to create a witness. It looked like he would have to fight smart and find a more creative way to get the guy to go down.

Yugo was about finished with the big guy, turns out that once you get some heavy shackles onto the guy it was going to be hard for him to attack the shinobi. One swift kick in the nuts, a followup to the chest and the bad guy was sent into a wall, where he slumped down no longer able to continue fighting and most certainly unable to stand up.

Dropping down on a three point stance, Yugo breathed heavily. The confrontation took a good lot out of him. He had just discovered that creating all that mercury was kind of straining. He should be way more careful with doing it. It would all be easier if he could just use his powers the way they were meant to, but he still wasn't sure it was worth it to let the news spread. Standing back up a little tattered, his ears heard something drop behind him. Turning around still half winded, his purple orbs saw the familiar silhouette of the Yokai, approaching him. Despite his visage still going pale as he also took notice of the wounded people moaning on the floor, meaning that the wind deity pretty much effortlessly took out five whole people compared to the amount of effort he had to put in just to capture one, the shinobi of Hoshima island stood his ground.

He shrunk a bit as the weasel towered over him with a hard stare. "A-as I said earlier, Yokai-sama, I'm not your enemy." He repeated, his labored breathing finally calming down. "I...believe I did not introduce myself earlier, apologies. I-I'm Yugo, of the Shirogane clan." He sheepishly said, unable to keep eye contact and thus preferring to stare at the ground. "I-if you wish to detain me...I'll follow you willingly."

WC: 2650

"Oh sh-" Yugo jumped back stunned at the sudden drop from the weasel. He was clearly taken aback by the sudden 180. He didn't expect the weasel to go from all out assault to asking forgiveness. That was not something he imagined would happen after the dust settled. His concern soon shifted from not getting the angry weasel to kill him to not get the weasel get angry by her apparent shortcoming. He wasn't sure he would survive the lethal currents even when they weren't explicitly aimed at his person.

"That is okay, Yokai-sama. You acted the best you could despite the circumstances. It is only natural that you'd-" He was cut off as the weasel decided to commit seppuku right then and there, which had young Yugo's soul pretty much leave his body for a moment. Without even thinking he would move to grab the blade bare handed if he had to. He didn't care if the weasel was a samurai and the ritual couldn't be stopped even in the event of a pardon note. He was not a samurai, thus he had no obligation to follow the code, he wouldn't let someone die over a misunderstanding. Thus he acted on instinct to preserve a life.

He slid eye level with the yokai, noses one inch apart, his left forearm turning into pure shining mercury as he clutched the blade in an attempt to stop it from going through the kamaitachi without him getting his fingers cut off by the edge of the weapon. The weasel thankfully stopped itself from spilling its interiors on the pavement and elected to say its name instead, but by that point Yugo's secret was already out and his hand around the blade was already sizzling as the mercury his body was made of seeped into the small pores of the katana, attacking the structure of the high carbon steel and causing it to corrode the weapon thus turning it brittle. He probably put a little too much oomph on his grab, he wasn't at all able to control his powers yet...even more so for his full logia powers.

"Y-Yumiko-sama."  He stated. "Thine honour remains pure and untainted. Please sheathe your...oh." Yugo realized he was squeezing the sword a little too hard, the metal underneath growing way too brittle he could probably snap it in half if he kept it up. "I uh..." he stuttered, releasing his hand from the weapon and grimacing at the awful mark left behind. He swallowed and nervously chuckled. "I uuh...gomen nasai t-these powers are new to me, I just...well I thought... hrm."

Closing his eyes for a moment and sighing. If he kept being scared he would only make things worse. He already caused the Yokai to almost off itself and then probably ruined its blade. "Yumiko-sama." He stated with a little more confidence, though elected to hid his mercury hand behind his back until he figured out how to un-mercury the thing. He sat on his knees in front of the black furred weasel. "What I am trying to say is...what happened is no fault of yours. I should have made mine intentions clearer and peerless without doubt, but the sight of your legendary form shook me, for I had no idea Yokai existed and was scared for my life. Never would I have thought I would see a beast of legend in the flesh, let alone speak and know their name." Yugo concluded, looking back down at the Kamaitachi's blade.

"I have been lost to sea for three days with nothing but a weird awful tasting fruit with swirls to sustain me. Upon washing up on the shores of this island by fate or luck, I was rescued. My permanence here taught me the foul thing is both boon and curse. I may be able to...flow like mercury as you have seen, but the sea now is mine sworn enemy. I apologize for ruining your blade, a samurai's most prized possession, I will make up for it but I must stress: you need not to offer your life to me in atonement, for no dishonour was given upon my name."

WC: 3345

"I could say the same about you, Yumiko-sama." Yugo replied with a sheepish smile, before nodding once more. "I am certain. Your life is precious, please take good care of it for your sake and the sake of the people you most hold dear. Though if you may allow one thing..." He raised his normal hand up and very gently booped the vicious' kamaitachi's nose. A touch so light he almost didn't make contact. "You seem to be knowledgeable about this...curse we share, not to mention the place. I am quite in a predicament, thus I would ask thine help in finding a place to stay and occupation while I labour to return home."

He leaned to the side to keep an eye on the groaning captives behind them both, before turning back to the yokai to address them again. In the shape they were in, they weren't going anywhere any time soon. Once more, he was impressed by just how much power the being in front of him held...and he was just making idle chitchat with them. It was crazy just how easy it was for the Kamaitachi to switch from murder mode to happy go lucky weasel mode. In truth though...he quite liked the bubbly personality the wind deity seemed to have on the regular. "You seem to be working a dangerous job, Yumiko-sama. While I don't doubt you are most capable, perhaps I could put my powers at your service in exchange for your help? Would that be agreeable and fair?"

WC: 3600

Well that was a start. As he would have guessed, the Kamaitachi didn't know much about the curse or how it properly worked, but he would take any information over no information at all. Going about things completely blind was going to be highly dangerous. It could also probably kill him if he wasn't careful.

Yumiko memtioned a comrade being native of the island, perhaps it was due to them that the two were able to meet in...well...such weird circumstances. The yokai would then agree on helping him on the condition he'd swear loyalty to de la Croix, who Yugo believed was a high ranking official of the peacekeeping force operating around the blues.

"Considering mine experience it shouldn't be too hard to do. Thus I shall join your organization, if Lord De la Croix is willing to accept me, of course." He stated. All in all it was a much better offer than remaining jobless and stranded on that island. Not that it wasn't nice and all but he kind of needed to get back to his place and an organization with access to ships and the means of travel back to the Grand Line was just what he needed to get his life back in gear after his shipwreck.

WC: 3810

"Mini...Oni...can't say I have hear about it, then again it is very far away from my homeland, so it is very possible that my knowledge of the area may be faulty even after consulting some maps at the local library." Yugo would comment, trying to recall if he had read aboy any island called Mini Oni. It sounded vaguely familiar in the sense that it sounded like it could be a place from his own are but the name was lost on him.

He was then informed about his soon to be enacted test upon arrival on the island. That was fine, he wasn't really scared about showing his mettle to others. He had done it before in order to rise up through the shinobi ranks of hoshima. One does not become the personal guard of a Hoshima Lord without being excellent. "That is fine by me, I will use the time I have to train myself and further my knowledge of the curse. I shall not squander the chance and trust you have afforded me."

He flinched lightly as the yokai approached and then dropped low on the ground in what was arguably...a rather cute pose for something so fluffy yet so murderous. The next sentence though left him completely off guard. The situation was already weird but right now it got to copletely ridiculous. The kamaitachi had just invited him to settle on their back so that they could get to a ship faster.

"Y-yumiko-sama..." Yugo stumbled, blushing lightly. "I-I-I'm not sure..." the shinobi didn't finish his sentence as the look on the weasel made him understand the intent was serious. So with a light blush on his cheeks, the shinobi's tabi boots squeaked lightly as he tip tapped closer to the mythical beast and very slowly raised a leg up and over, very gently sitting down on the weasel's back. For added safety, he leaned forward slightly and carefully wrapped his arms around Yumiko's neck. It now dawned on him that the deity's fur was actually very soft and quite fluffy to the touch. Thankfully, his arm had turned back to normal by now. He wouldnt want to accidentally harm the beast with his mercury.

"Is...is this alright to you, Yumiko-sama?" He asked. "I'm ready to go if you're fine."

WC: 4193

"G-gome-" Yugo tried to apologize as the yokai made aware their discomfort as the shinobi huggled up on their neck and held on for dear life. He tried to explain again that his body was basically made of mercury, which was much denser than humans and thus weighted more, but the weasel decided to use their powers to fly. Yugo was actually scared shitless about the run up and the super strong wind the weasel summoned in order to lift his sorry ass off of the ground. His hair got all ruffled up and he had to use all of his willpower to not just strangle Yumiko. He was terrified to slip and drop in the water, which would spell instant death due to his curse.

If anything, the wasel spoke the truth, they were over and done real quick. He was taken from the shore all the way to a huge vessel. It was even bigger than the one he shiprwrecked in, meaning that the yokai's organization had alot of funds to sink into gear. As they approached, he felt his grip loosen as Yumiko implicitly asked him to dismount. Seeing his landing point, Yugo happily allowed himself to slip. In the few moments he was in the air, his training kicked in. With a flip, he properly oriented his body. He steadied himself with his arms and used his powers to help himself dampen the fall. With a roll to disperse more energy and the help of his tabi boots stretching to absorb most of the shock, the shinobi ended up in his cool landing pose right next to Yumiko. He just needed more space since, unlike the kamaitachi, he wasn't able to use wind to slow down. Interally, he thought it was kinda cool what they just did, but he also was glad he knew how to take those kind of falls without breaking his legs. Not that he could break them, really. He was made of mercury, it was much more likely he'd go through the wooden boards rather than breaking himself.

He stood back up to his feet, instinctively stepping closer to Yumiko after he felt the gaze of pretty much every single member of the ship glaring at him. He hated being the center of attention. Then, one man distinguished himself from the crowd. From the way the Yokai replied, it was clear the man was the Lord of the place. As soon as he asked about the silver haired boi, Yugo bowed hoping the customs of his land would be accepted in the Blues as well, as a form of courtesy.

"Mine name is Yugo Shirogane. It is an honour to make thine acquaintance, Sir." He stated, slowly, pretty much hoping Yumiko would remain at his side and help him with introductions.

WC: 4662

Yugo didn't mind where he was sleeping. He had to make do with worse spots than a brig. He wasn't expecting to be treated like a prince either. He was basically starting back from zero. His rank and position on Hoshima mattered not. So be it, prove himself he would. As Yumiko stated, he would be tested.

"Understood, Oldgeyser-taichou. I shal-" He was interrupted. Turning around, he didn't expect the man behind the face of the monstrous wind yokai to actually be a woman...and a gorgeous one at that! Her voice was unmistakeable though. That was Yumiko. He had to do a double take, just to make sure he was actually seeing the real thing and was not hallucinating. Shaking his head slightly, he still saw the raven haired lady as she stated she would sleep on the floor. He wouldn't interject, only because right now the samurai and captain both outranked him. He would take this as Yumiko's way to help him be fresh and ready for whatever trial he was to undergo at Mini Oni.

The shinobi waited for the other two to finish speaking. It seemed that the captain already had some chores for him to do, but an order is an order. This was his chance to get his life back in order and hopefully get the means to sail back to Hoshima and see his family again. Perhaps he should inform his newly acquired superior about his powers. He wouldn't want his inability to control them to sour the meals of the other people there. He didn't like being this open, knowing how rare his fruit was, but honesty was the first step to greatness. Humility the second, resolve the third. Thus, the shinobi's tabi boots squeaked lightly as the young man clicked his heels together and raised his left arm up high. He hoped that by mimicking the motion Yumiko had done when first landed would be the appropriate one to address the old man.

"Thine wish is my comman, Oldgeyser-taichou." He stated, firmly, arm to the forehead, palm inwards. "I pledge my skill, my sword..." He would add, turning his left forearm into shiny, liquid, polished quicksilver: mercury in its purest form. Telltale sign of a Logia Devil Fruit "...and my Curse to your cause." He concluded.

He held the pose for a couple seconds, then turned around towards the once-weasel. "I shall not squander the chance you've given me, Yumiko-sama. Please point me to the kitchen, I must begin my assignment in earnest."

WC: 5083