Cobalt takes a deep breath, taking his bag and resting it on his shoulders and walking out; Azule follows in similar fashion, tightening the back of his cap. They step off the train and onto the platform, immediately greeted by a rural sight. Orange and Red lights illuminate the town-resembling the more traditional towns of Inkopolis that kept to the old-fashioned roots of Inkopolis' history that were based on eastern culture. Cobalt looks to Azule and nods his head, leading him from the train station and into the town of Meiju. They take a brief trip from the station and arrive at the town entrance; Azule's mesmerized by the size of the town.
"Wow…!"-Azule gasped, astounded by the town's display- "This is Meiju!?"
Cobalt smirked, pleased to see Azule's excitement, "Mhm. This is Meiju, an old but golden town. Known for its prosperity and peace, rarely does anything bad happen around here; everyone knows each other, so it'd be bad if anyone tried to make an enemy here."
The duo walked the busy streets, seeing many of the little markets n shops that were set up trying to sell goods. The overall atmosphere felt like a merchant town, yet at the same time, it felt like a very distinguished one at that. Cobalt greet some passerby's that seemed to recognize him, even hugging one of them. The duo didn't say much to each other, instead choosing to let the ambience of music playing from the local townspeople, the chattering of elderly over the past, and the aroma of delicious food lead them throughout the night.
The clashes of red, yellow and orange was captivating in aesthetics, but not only did it stop there; the deeper into town they went, the more historical the town became. Unlike the first layers of Meiju that were filled with all the shops and markets along with other forms of entertainment that served as the "life" of Meiju, the middle of Meiju was where more of the residence was, with old eastern-style architecture being the primary sight. Many houses and gardens they passed by, unfortunately they couldn't see the full beauty since it was dimly lit around this area.
Cobalt stopped and looked back at his buddy, "Hey, you must be hungry about now, eh?"
Azule nodded rubbing his belly, "All that walking definitely got me hungry…but shouldn't we meet your teacher first?"
Cobalt considered the distance they still had to walk, "…No worries, she's not one to sleep early. Besides, I'd be a bad friend if I didn't treat you to some tasty food."
Azule shrugged, "I'll trust you on that."
The boys went back into town, stopping by a local food hut and having a nice bowl of noodles. Azule took up the strange pair of sticks and looked at them with wonder, "Cobalt, what these things…?"-holding them out to Cobalt- "Where's the normal utensils?"
Cobalt smiled enjoying Azule's ignorance, "These are chopsticks. Around here, we use them more frequently for eating than the modern style that you're used to eating."
"Oh…well how do I use them."
Cobalt took the chopsticks from Azule and broke them at the part that they were joined, "Like this…"
The boys ate and enjoyed their late meal, returning to the area that they were previously; Cobalt didn't look to be too comfortable with walking around this late in the night. Azule kept vigilant, even though he was informed by Cobalt that the town was very safe, he couldn't help but feel like they were being watched by someone. About twenty minutes later of walking, the boys arrived at a large estate over in a rural area of Meiju; it was well lit and resembled many traditional edo-period estates. Cobalt rang the gate bell, propping up his bag that contained his clothes and katana or his shoulder.
"How may I help you at his late hour…?" a voice said from the other side of the gate.
"I'm here to see Hanazami-sensei…" Cobalt said solemnly, bowing his head without hesitation; Azule thought it weird since the voice couldn't even see them.
"Sensei…? Could you perhaps be…"
"Ao…Ao Tokugawa…"
The gate opened immediately, and awaiting them was an old man who had his eyes closed; He reminded Azule of that mysterious Cap'n Cutttlefish he met back at the Mahi Mahi resort. The old man was wearing a dull navy-blue yukata, had on some round bifocals, and was hunchback. Cobalt's eyes watered as he saw the old man stand before him, trying to contain his emotion. The old man smiled pleasantly, looking at the young man before him; he approached the duo and observed them, specifically Cobalt.
"May the Great Kraken bless us…you've returned, Good Ao…"
Cobalt began to cry, covering his eyes with his arm and looking up-not wanting to show this side to Azule nor the old man; the old man smiled brighter, patting Cobalt on the shoulder. Cobalt sniffed, wiping away his tears, "It's been so long since I've been here…it's nostalgic."
"It seems like all your memories hit you as soon as you saw the old man, huh?" Azule grinned crossing his arms; Cobalt nodded.
"This is…another home after all, one I had pleasant experiences in."
The old man nodded, "You should save those tears for when you see Master Hanazami…I know she'll be pleased to see how you've grown…"
The old man leads the way for them as they walked through the large estate, seeing beautiful gardens from left to right, homes where the staff lived, and a lovely courtyard that had collection of statues surrounding there; they arrived at the main building that served to be Hanazami's living quarters. Cobalt's heart beat slower and heavier as if it was about to pop out his chest, nervous for the response he'd received from his teacher after such a long time.
The old man opens the sliding door, "Pardon the intrusion, Master Hanazami. You have a special guest who came to see you…"
"Let him in…" a commanding voice said; Cobalt's red eyes sharpened once he heard her voice, losing all the nervousness he had before, marching in and bowing his head before his mentor.
"Sensei…!" he bowed; Azule peeked from behind the door to see what the lady looked like seeing a lovely woman with a nice figure despite the fact she was wearing a kimono-she kind of gave Azule a reminder of Shiva, minus the seductive personality. She was tan, had tentacles that were black with strands of pink, with Purple tinges on the ends of the parts that were pink; she had her pinned up. Her appearance didn't match her intimidating tone, she was cute-in a mature way, but still she had a presence of someone not to take lightly.
Azule studied her face, sharp purple daggerlike eyes…a nice round face, but no smile present.
Sensei Hamazami stared at her former pupil smoking a kiseru pipe, "You've grown…to think I'd see the day you showed your face in here, and be it as a ronin. My, have you fallen from grace…" she said, getting up from her spot of meditation. "I was beginning to think you'd never show up…"-She said in a slightly shaken voice, a loud and painful slap occurs as Hamazami leaves a red hand mark across Cobalt's left cheek.
Cobalt kept silent, bowing his head; Hanazami's eyebrows wrinkled and she frowned, setting the kiseru pipe down. She knelt down before Cobalt, "That was for becoming a ronin and abandoning your values as a samurai…"-then, she gently grabs his hand and places it on her right cheek, leaning on it- "And this is for abandoning your family, you foolish…ignorant…"-her lips quivered, and her eyes began to shake-"poor…child…I can't believe what you did" she said in a softer tone.
"I'm sorry sensei, I've brought shame to your name…"
"Shut up…give me a hug you dummy…" hugging him.
Azule entered in the room awkwardly, not wanting to ruin the touching reunion. After that tender moment, Hanazami sensed incredible bloodlust over her shoulder; a very dangerous presence entered the room. she looked up-seeing Azule, and immediately her guard was raised once she locked eyes with him. Hanazami stood up and glared, "Who might you be…?"
Azule came forward bowing his head in respect, "My name is Azule, a friend of Co-ah, I mean Ao."
"A friend of Ao's, huh…?"-she observes Azule's features, trying to figure out why she became so defensive. She noticed some features of Azule were oddly familiar, especially the cold eyes that hid his immeasurable bloodlust. She tilts her to the right a little bit, narrowing her eyes while doing so- "Have I…met you somewhere before?"
The boys stare at her with question; Hanazami continued to study Azule until she could draw the connection. She got and approached Azule getting in his face, studying his face intently; Azule felt uncomfortable with his bubble being popped, but she was so intimidating for him to back away.
Hanazami's eyes widened as if she had an epiphany, "Ah! I see! You remind me of an agent I was knew…"
Azule and Cobalt quickly realized who she might be referencing; Cobalt decided to take the lead, "what did they look like?"
Hanazami tried to go through her memory, "Hm…she had green eyes, long green hair, she seemed to always be serious, but at the same time she was very reserved…Ah Agent 3 was her name…"
Azule felt melancholy after hearing about his mother, he barely remembered anything about his parents since those memories were closely around the time when he went into that nightmarish orphanage-a place he'd like to forget. Hanazami noticed the sudden change in Azule's behavior and quickly realized that he was the rumored last child of Agent 3; the child that the world never heard about because Agent 3 kept that pregnancy a secret. Hanazami put her hand on Azule's shoulder and smiled at him, "That's your mother, isn't it?"-Azule slowly nodded his head; though he was aware that his parents were agents, he didn't remember them well enough- "Hm. I knew her…surprised she had a fourth kid after all."
"Knew!?" Cobalt replied with an outburst.
"Remember I served in the war…I became friends with her at one of the bases where my platoon was staying at during a mission. I met her there, and man, was she one tough person to talk to."- she laughed, thinking about the first time she met Agent 3- "she would rarely talk to anyone, always chose to be by herself-yet she commanded a large platoon; did I mention she was a beauty? Oh man, If I hadn't already been married, I'd have pursued her-totally my type of girl."
Azule seemed confused, "Married…? Hanazami-sensei, do you…?"
She shook her head, "Yes, I have a wife. I married her three years before I got deployed into the war."
Azule still seemed confused-but now he sprang to life with interest; Hanazami noticed the change in his demeanor, "But aren't you a woman…? Isn't it weird for two people of the same gender to be together in that way…?"
Hanazami smiled-understanding Azule's ignorance, "It's not weird at all, Love is love. No matter who you are, you're free to love whoever you want; love has no boundaries, remember that." She said, patting his head. "Well, we'll pick things up tomorrow; you guys must be exhausted."-Hanazami crossed her arms, looking outside-seeing how dark it was- "Go get some rest, my subordinates will guide you to your rooms."
The boys exited the room, being led to the guest rooms. Hamazami heads to her bedroom, thinking about her old comrade Agent 3-wondering why she kept Azule a secret from the world. She thinks back to the many times she interacted with Agent 3 during their missions in the Second Great Turf War. She then thinks about Azule and his stirking resemblance to his mother, especially the same cold eyes that somehow become full of life once you get to know them.
"He's definitely got your genes and traits…Maya."
