Log:Games of the Heart

Hope Must Die 2015/04/18 Paragon Yutaka 7

Townhouse 311

You have entered Townhome #311. It is a lavish ultramodern Townhome with the lastest in gadgetry in the kitchen, recessed behind a hidden panel is a large 75" Holovid/plasma Television, the best in electronic equiptment, all of Shin-Sony design.

The floors are hard wood floor, not the synthwood that has dominated modern living, but actual sandlewood harvested from the deep forests of Japan, they glow with an inner fire, deep and vibrant, more a form of art, than a flooring device. There is a rich Asian rug dominating the living room floor and a low Japanese table sits upon this rug. 10-12 Zabuton or overstuffed cushions are placed around the table, and it seems that there is only one western device on the 1st floor of this room, and that is the holoscreen computer with port for a PDA that sits on a hutched rosewood desk on the back wall of where the dining room would be.

It is unlikely that the upstairs is any different,but there is a closed door that separates the Living areas from the sleeping areas upstairs. Another closed door leads to a full bathroom and opposite that door is a door to the Laundry room.

As you enter the kitchen you are impressed with the organization of the kitchen, Stainless steel, professional grade appliances, and not a utensil out of place. Also, in his rosewood china cabinet is a stocked liquor bar featuring a full service bar it seems of only the most expensive of Alcohols and Liquors, yet the feeling you get is this person does not drink, as much as he entertains.

All in all, this town home looks and feels welcoming and warm, organized and austere, while seeming rich and lavish.

There's a knock on the door. More accurately, a thunderous banging that sounds like someone's trying to ram the door in. But it's just Third, knocking with her knuckles instead of the usual finger taps. She looks quite cross.

The door opens but no one is at it...

Third has taken a breath to verbally blast Yutaka for the kitten incident. She hasn't even figured out how to deal with his revelation of feelings, or told Porter yet, but she knows she'll have to do something about it. But she lets out her breath without a word as she sees it open without someone at the door. "Yutaka?" she calls out as she peeks inside. It sounds more like she's calling him out than greeting him.

Yutaka drops from a hidden nook in the ceiling.."You scared me....whats going on?" he says landing gently and gracefully.

Third would never think to look up. So she startles when he drops down from her blindspot. Now who's scared? She recovers quickly and goes back to having that cross expression of hers. Clearly she's upset. But it's rare for Third to look truly enraged. She has a healing, grazing cut along her temple that disappears into her hairline. Even though it's spring, she's still wearing her winter coat and scarf with some skinny jeans and a pair of black knee-high boots. "What's going on?" It's been about three day since she thinks she's encountered him.

"I would've come sooner, but I was...indisposed." She puffs up her chest as she takes another forced breath for speech. "I don't know what you were thinking, kicking that kitten. You can be mad at me, you can hate me, hit me, whatever. But don't you dare take your anger at me out on another innocent creature, Yutaka Yamaoka!" she lectures as she pokes Yutaka in the chest to make a point. Well, that was her intent. It has a bit more force to it than intended. Not enough to knock over or back, but it has some strength behind it.

Yu takes the poke, not expecting anything coming out of her mouth. "Um..what are you talking about?" he steps back and rubs his chest..."And.." his voice seems to soften, "What happened to you?..your head.." his hands start to glow.."Let me take care of that for you.."

Third leans back and away from his touch, her brow furrowing. "I'm...fine. It'll heal. It was just a grazing shot." Porter never told her how serious it was, or what karmic dieties he had to bargain with to bring her back to him. "I'm talking about your behavior at the cafe. I can understand you being upset that I turned you down, but kicking that helpless, innocent kitten as you were storming out," her eyes well up with tears. "That was just cruel!"

Yu seems truly confused..and hurt, as she shies away from him..his hands stop glowing, as if in tune with his feelings, they flicker, then die out completely. "I'm not sure what you're talking about..what cafe? what kitten?..what did you turn me down for?" He steps back now, "Computer, close door, protocol Yamaoka0alpha3" and the door closes behind her. "Are you ok?.."

"The Neko Cafe, the kitten...three days ago," Third says in disbelief that he'd forget. "Were you got upset that I decided to remain monogamous with Porter instead of opening up to be polyamorous with you," she says in a 'you know what you did' tone.

With the door shutting behind her suddenly, she glances over her shoulder and mutters, "I'm fine. But you have left me very confused." She looks back to him steadily. "First you do not want to share me, then you do not even want to be friends, and then you decide you want to try to be with me and get angry that it's no longer an option," she makes her confusion very clear.

Yu's eyebrows crinkle..."Would you like to sit down?...this seems like a conundrum wrapped in a mystery.." he teleports into the kitchen, then teleports back out with some japanese treats, which he puts down on the table, and pops back into the kitchen..while in there, the sound of a dish dropping is heard..

Third rests her hands in her hips. "No, I'm fine. I didn't intend to stay long. There should be no confusion. I was very clear that I would no longer be able to date both you and Porter, and that he and I are only dedicated to each other and Kysmette now. You may not respect that decision, but it is -my- decision to make. I just came to tell you your behavior that day was unacceptable and you had no right to take your anger out on another creature."

Yu teleports back out from the kitchen, his eyes blazing...

Yu says with venom in his voice, "You deserve each other. The mediocre man who only gets by because of his luck, and the girl who doesn't understand herself, let alone anything else. She can't even see how poorly she's chosen.." his armor forms around him and his voice goes metallic, and he winds up..a clumsy punch..not like his normal dangerous graceful and somewhat deadly manner.

It may have been the clumsiness of the attempted strike that made Third think it wasn't as serious as it could be. Still, she's not going to stand there and let someone strike her out of personal anger or love out of principal. She moves her forearm up to block, but Yu just maneuvers around her effortlessly and strikes her with more force than she's ever felt from him during their spars.

It would wind her if she needed air. It would probably kill a human outright from the pressure she can feel on her ribs that jars her internal organs and hardware enough to distrup her systems. She flies back only a few meters before crashing into the door and becoming embedded into the super thick security metal that it's made from, ending in a slumped position with her head swimming. The door is nearly off its hinges from the impact. Third's vision becomes blurred from the surprisingly powerful blow.

"Yu...please...stop. I...don't want to have to hurt you..." Third says dazedly, but she's in no condition to make good on her warning.

Yu jumps on Third, straddling her, "You have already hurt me, you say that all the time..but you do. Now I'm going to hurt you." he draws back again, and strikes again..

Yu's positioning, while advantageous is not a good position to strike from, the ground and pound doesn't work as well as one might have thought, he strikes solidly into Third's face, but..its simply not a well wrought attack...he goes to strike again.

Yu says as he strikes again, "You do not care about me..only about yourself. Played with me, so here we are again playing...do you enjoy it? its just like you do to me. Hit me again and again when I am down.."

Third tries to keep her guard up, but with Yu on top of her and being prone, it doesn't leave her much room to block his attacks. "I...I DO care about you...I never meant to play you," she tries to appease Yu. Her head snaps to the side with a thunderous crack at the latest blow, her cheek stinging from the strike and bruising slightly. More color may appear later.

Yu laughs...a laugh she's heard before, but not from Yutaka.."You care? You pretend..I didn't think you had it in you..but you're just a pretender...that's all you are, and now you're exposed!" Another strike..his hand draws back once more...

Third's eyes widen suddenly as her mind makes a connection. It's a brief connection as Yu's fist draws back and shoots forward once more, slamming her head back hard. Her eyes flutter closed as she passes out from the onslaught, her body going limp at last.

Yu spits on her. "I will destroy your world. Hope must die." he draws back once more and strikes her again while she's out.

Yu standing up, he transforms..into an amorphous being..then blinks out of existance.

Sirens are heard approaching..

Third is so far unconscious that she is in some literal ways, dead to the world. The sirens don't stir her at all.

Police have a difficult time, but with the use of special equiptment, they are able to pry the damaged door open only to find a bloodied and knocked out Third lying pounded into the floor. In the kitchen, an equally..perhaps more hurt in ways Yutaka Yamaoka lies unconscious on the floor in that room, a tea pot and 2 tea cups lie on the floor next to him..

After long minutes and attention by medical staff Yu is brought from unconciousness, with help from the police, he struggles to a sitting position..his first words are.. "W..where is third?" concern in his voice.%rThe police keep him back.."Mr. Yamaoka..what happened here?"%r Yu seems confused.."I...I don't know. I came into the kitchen..to get some tea for us, and Third was here..she struck me..that's all I remember."

Third suddenly starts to stir as she regains consciousness and her systems start up again. Her movements are pained and slow. The grazed cut on the side of her head has reopened from the blows she received, and her cheekbone has turned a purplish-brown bruised color. She doesn't get up right away. Her body just shifts around a little and her eyes blink open slowly as she tries to regain her bearings.

"She's awake!" says one of the paramedics. "Miss..miss..relax..relax, don't move...are you alright? Where are you..what is your name?" the female Paramedic says softly...but the police have guns drawn on her.

Yutaka hears that from the Kitchen and struggles to get up.."Third?" he says wheezing. He clutches his ribs, "uhg....." on weak legs he gets up, somewhat helped and hindered by police who try to gently restrain him. "Mr. Yamaoka..you need to stay here until we clear the situation."

Yu shakes his head.."What happened to her..is she alright?" obviously..even though she hurt him badly, he is still worried about her.

Third feels well enough to at least sit up. Ignoring their recommendations, she rolls over to her side and pushes herself up to raise the upper half of her body. That's when she sees the guns drawn and hesitates, looking puzzled at the reaction from the police. She looks to the Paramedic. "I'm in Yutaka's house. My name is Third." She winces and puts a hand to the reopened cut on her head. There's a few dripping trails of blood leading back into her hair from how she was laying. Now that she's a bit more vertical, it's begin to trickle down along the side of her face.

The paramedic nods, "Very good Miss Third..Please sit back down." there is fear in her eyes though.."We just want to check your vitals, and maybe you can answer some questions.."

Third relaxes gradually as directed by the paramedic once she sees the fear in her eyes. "I don't understand...why are you scared? Why are the police pointing their guns at me?"

"Third?!..Are you alright?" says Yu loudly from the Kitchen. One of the police officers puts his gun away and puts his hand up, as if trying to Parley with third, "Third..what happened here?"

Third's head turns towards the kitchen area and tries to move to peer in that direction. "Yutaka? Is...is that really you? I'm...I'm fine. Just a little beat up," she tries to reassure him. She then turns her gaze towards the police officer trying to get information from her. "I just came to have a serious talk with Yutaka. He went to get tea, I..." her brow furrows as she tries to recall through the pounding in her head. "I said I didn't intend to stay long, and some other things. Then I heard something break in the kitchen and he attacked me. Only...it wasn't him. They looked and sounded a lot like him. But there were inconsistencies." She adds to protect Yutaka, "And when he hit me, he was much stronger than the real Yutaka, so I knew it was definitely not him." But the words he said felt real enough.

Yu frowns and winces..."W..what did she say?..." he tries to go to her, and the police again tries to stop him, but he twists with some pain to enter the living room..he see's the blood and the bruising. "Third.." he takes a deep breath, and his hands start to glow.

The Paramedic tries to wrap her head around what was just said, and interrupts the police officer, "wait..so..Mr. Yamaoka attacked you but he didn't?"

Third's eyes widen slightly as she sees Yutaka using his powers more openly. She's not sure if he's supposed to do that in front of the police, but at least that makes her more certain it's really him. "Someone that disguised themselve as Yutaka to make me think it was them, I think. I don't know if it was magic, or shapeshifting, or just in my head...but Yutaka couldn't do the things that the person who attacked me could."

Yu slips past the cops and the Paramedics..and places his hands on her head..he is taking long labored breathes..he is trying to keep his concentration...he needs to concentrate to do this..."You're going to be ok Third..I promise." he's stopped listening to her, but when aggressive hands grab him and pull him away from her violently, the healing chi ends, and with a very pained grunt he's pulled away. "Get away from her!" the cops say...whether to keep him safe or her safe..its uncertain, but that he's being further hurt or pained by the action is clear.

"I-I'm fine! Don't hurt him, please! He was just trying to help," Third begs, feeling considerably better, and warmer, from his chi healing. She tries to move to help, getting her legs under her to get ready to stand. But then halts again when she realizes the guns are still on her. "Yutaka, what happened to you?" she asks in gentle concern.

The police handle him a little more gently..mostly because he can't really fight them much..or so they think, "...I...when I came to the kitchen..you were some how there, " he pauses..not believing the next thing he is about to say..."And..you hit me."

Third shakes her head slowly. "I wasn't. I didn't," Third says softly in her defense. "I heard something break in the kitchen. And then you were suddenly in front of me and attacked -me-. But they obviously weren't you, since when they hit me, they were much stronger." Well, not obviously. For her it was hard to tell and only small clues gave it away. And Yutaka could hit her about that hard. But she has to exaggerate the truth for the police. Because if getting punched by a super strong Yutaka wasn't a surprise, it would give away his secret. And she swore she would keep his secret safe.

Yu now seems frightened.."How could I have attacked you..you...hit me."

"I know I was upset...but I wasn't upset enough to hit you. Why would you think that?" Third asks quietly. But she thinks she knows. If it was the same thing that happened to her, maybe 'she' said some more things, hurtful things, before hitting him. Things he may not be able to say in front of the police.

The police look at each other.."Ok..whatever..for right now, you're both going downtown.."

Third blinks in surprise and looks up at the police. "Yutaka didn't attack me. He couldn't do this sort of damage to me," she lies on his behalf. "Get him to a hospital to get cared for. I'll go downtown without resisting."

Yu looks at the Officer..."You..no.." he says shaking his head, "I don't need a doctor..and I'm not going downtown..and neither are you." he says to Third. "Officer, I am not pressing charges..Third?"

Third nods slowly in agreement. "I'm not pressing charges, either," she follows his lead.

The officer looks at the two. Then he looks at the Paramedic who chimes in, "He needs medical attention.."

Yutaka shakes his head, "Listen..I have been taught how to heal by the Heroine Fist. I will be fine."

The police officer looks at the Paramedic "I remember that Hero, she had some kind of energy healing..." she looks at Yutaka.."Wait..I know you, you used to heal people too right? I remember you when I was in the academy..."

Yu nods, "That's me.." he says with a wince.

She nods, "I think he will be ok.." she looks at Yu, "If you need anything please call EMS immediately, we're here to help." She looks at the Officer, "I don't think he needs to go to the Hospital..the rest in in your hands.."

Third remains still to try not to provoke the police into opening fire.

The Officer sighs.."If we have any other disturbances, we will be back and you will both be going downtown."

Yu nods, "Yes officer..of course.." he says slowly between long breathes.

the other officers put their firearms away..the paramedics put their things away, and begin to leave out the ruined door..

With a last look, the lead police officer give the two a look, shakes his head, and leaves as well, the last of the officers and paramedics to leave.

Third continues to remain still, just in case, as she watches the officers and paramedics leave. "Thank you for your assistance," she says quietly. It lacks the usual encouraging tone she would use in such a sentence. She doesn't tack on citizens, or officers to it either. She looks exhausted, physically and emotionally.

Yu slumps down on the couch and begins to breath a little harder, and he closes his eyes hands begin to heal himself slowly..

Third rises up to her feet slowly. "Are you going to be alright...?" she asks in concern, clasping her hands in front of her in worry.

Yu flinches at her voice, he opens his eyes, and says softly..."Why did you hit me?"

Third looks wounded, metaphorically speaking. "I didn't, Yu. It wasn't me...I'm not sure who or what hit you. But it was probably the same person who attacked me."

Yu still seems hurt.."Why did you come here tonight..?"

Third is starting to wonder that herself, now. The other Yu's words cut deeply. "You asked me to meet with you at the Neko Cafe...you got angry at me and left, like I said. I tried to catch up with you to talk to you then about your behavior, but you hurt a kitten, and I tried to save it, and," her speech becomes faster as she gets more emotional, until she finally stops and lowers his head and eyes to gaze at the ground. "...and I failed. I was so upset...I knew I needed to wait to get a level head. And then...and then other things happened, and I couldn't come until tonight..."

Yu seems as confuses as he was when she first came. "I never met you at the Neko Cafe..I would never willingly go there. When are you saying this happened?"

"Three days ago," Third answers. "You texted me...asked me to meet up with you there. I thought it was just because it was nearby where I was."

Yu shakes his head..then groans. He fishes his pda out and pulls up his itinerary for the last week. He was in Japan 3 days ago on something called "investigate sister" there is full detail of where he was and what he spend on the trip.. once he pulls it up, he weakly throws it at Third. "I also would never kick a cat..no matter how upset I was."

Yu adds, "I..I don't understand how you could think I would."

Third just barely catches the PDA. She fumbles it at first, it bounces from hand to hand, and finally she catches it by clutching it to her chest with both hands. Once she's got a handle on it, she looks over the screen and looks increasingly confused. "But...then...if it wasn't you...how did he know about us? He things he said..." her voice trails off and she looks to be at a complete loss.

Yu closes his eyes and holds his hands to his ribs on the left side as he heals himself, remaining silent until his breathing evens out, the shape of his rib cage becomes whole again and the wheezing stops...he puts his hands down clearly exhausted. "I..I don't know what to say except..I never stopped caring about you, and I never asked you to stop being my friend...and I never gave up on you."

"That's...that's not what you, I mean he, said," Third is clearly having trouble keeping up with this. She may need a new processor after Despair blew it out and her systems did what they could to repair it. "At the cafe...he said...he realized he still wanted to be with me, even with Porter in the picture. That he was willing to give polyamory a try, and he'd regret it if he didn't make an attempt. And I tried to be kind and gentle when I said I couldn't anymore. That we decided to become exclusive and monogamous. That's when he got upset with me and said he thought I was worth the risk, but I didn't think he was. Then he stormed out and kicked a kitten and injured it badly."

Yu sits up slowly, "Third..I have always respected your relationship with Porter. Have I not always been respectful of that? Have I ever been upset with you?...Have I ever made it clear or muddy that I will never be polyamourous?...You come here tonight assuming the worst of me as well?"..his tones leave the rest to accuse Third, without sayig anything more.

Third's trusting nature worked against her before. And the words from earlier return with a sting. That she doesn't understand anything else, that she hurts him and plays with him without meaning to, that she is a pretender. She knows so little and has to pretend to understand or mimic a lot of things about humanity. "You are correct. I'm sorry, Yu," she puts a hand to her head, looking fatigued. She sets the PDA down within arms reach for him. "I should go...I'm sorry," she murmurs an apology again, then turns away and walks towards the door. Her gait is off from the remnants of her injuries. She feels like her head is in a fog as she tries to process everything.

Yu sighs, "I will always care for you Third..but..I don't understand why you do not care for me..please.." he says in sad remorseful tones, "Leave.."

Third's shoulders hunch up slightly from the painful words. "I do, Yutaka. Just...nevermind. Goodbye," she murmurs sadly with regret. She continues on until she's out the door and finally, out of sight. She doesn't leap off. She merely walks to try and clear her head, and to take time to think on what happened. So many strange things happening so soon.

Yu sits up, and stands without apparent efforts. "This Yutaka is an interesting fellow. I will have to follow him more carefully." says..yutaka? before he laughs to himself and disappears from sight.