Jou sat in the trees, waiting. He sat, then watched, and waited. He waited for the pale boy in the mansion to come wandering out side. To play, perhaps? No, no fourteen year old would come out to play. Most likely he would be wandering out side since his parents sent him out to get some fresh air, or to not mope around the house. Jou grinned. Ah yes, a depressed and insecure target would be an easy one. Yet, he felt a slight bit of guilt for using the boy to gather information and to get inside Team Rocket. However, Jou could see no other way. Soon, just as Jou had been waiting for, Amano Mason came out side. Jou waited some, then dropped off into the bushes.
"Hello there, you!" Jou came tumbling through the bushes, a friendly smile on his pale, young features. Mason looked up. He had never seen the boy before, yet he looked as if he should know who he was. The boy that was running to him had lavender hair, long, with blue eyes and was built rather small and skinny for his age. Mason judged that the other boy must be about his age, yet something about his eyes seemed to make him uneasy.
"Hello..." Mason returned Jou's greeting. Jou skittered to a stop next to him and grinned.
"I have seen you before. You seem so lonely! However, I thought... that maybe you'd like to be friends with me? I have none... and I am new here, too, so I thought maybe I could try to talk to you. My name is Hasegawa Jou." Mason noticed that Jou had an accent similar to his father's. Something seemed familiar about the hoarse-like, soft voice of Jou's.
"My name is Amano Mason. I live there" Mason pointed to the large building behind him "I've been here all my life. Have you just moved here? Where did you live before?"
"Hm. Yes, I just came here... I travelled by foot. I came from Mahogany. My parents are both dead, though. I have some family, so I have been looking for them. I heard that they lived in Viridian, so I trekked here to find them."
"Oh, man, that's... I'm sorry. You have relatives here in Viridian though?"
"Yeah, but they don't have the same last name. It's a brother and his family. He had a different mother than I, and he had taken her name. He's older than me, too. I heard that he had two sons, too. That would make me an uncle! Haha, that is strange! But... I need some place to stay while I am here. Could you help me? I will try to repay you any way I can after wards!" Jou looked a little embarrassed to ask such a favour. Mason looked the same.
"I ... I guess so... I'll have to ask my parents... There's plenty of room, though, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Jou turned red and looked down.
"I really shouldn't have asked something like that of you so quickly. We only just met. We barely know each other. Forgive me..."
"No, no, really, it's okay! Hey, maybe we should talk a while now, or hang out or something to get to know each other better!" Mason turned red as well, and didn't want the newcomer to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. Jou smiled again. The two decided to walk around for a while, trying to become more acquainted. Jou not only conversed, but watched Mason intently. He didn't go so far as to pry his mind, though. Instead, he noted small nuances and little things here and there to pick up on any parts of Mason's personality that he could use, or to see if there was any thing going on in his life that he could make use of. Jou was very observant. It was dinner tide by the time the two headed back to the team rocket head quarters, both having found things that the two were both quite interested in. Mason was happy and excited to bring his new friend to meet his parents, then to ask them if he could stay, explaining the whole situation. Amano Makato, Mason's father, did not seem to like Hasegawa Jou too much. And Jou seemed a little uneasy around Mason's sire as well. There seemed to be a strange degree of recognition between the two, and they seemed to dislike each other. Amano Mariana, on the other hand, liked Jou and greeted him warmly, scowling at Makato's disapproval.
"This is Hasegawa Jou. He just arrived here in Viridian, from Mahogany. We just became friends, too. But, he needs somewhere to stay, since he's trying to find some relatives in Viridian. His parents are dead, you see. He has nowhere to go. Can he stay with us?" Mason proudly presented his new friend to his parents. Makato looked at the small boy that was standing next to Mason. He frowned. He recognized at once that the boy was not who he seemed, that he was some one in disguise that he knew quite well.
"I don't know, Mason-kun. We don't know him that well. You say that you only met him today, am I correct?" Makato glanced back at Jou, who was fit with a countenance of pure seriousness and intent dislike. However, whenever Mason looked back at Jou, this scowl was replaced by a cheery and content expression. Mariana rolled her eyes at Makato.
"I don't see what the problem should be, Maka-chan. Jou looks like a respectable enough boy. It would be horrible not to show him hospitality. Come, Jou, Mason. I say that Jou shall stay until he locates his family. We need to find a room for him, though."
"Kaasan, he can share mine. I don't mind." Mariana smiled.
"Why, Mason-kun, that is so sweet of you! You're growing up to be a fine young man. Now, then, let's find some bedding for our guest, shall we? Let's get him settled!" Mariana whisked the two boys off for a supply closet, leaving Makato alone.
"I know who you are, 'Hasegawa Jou', or what ever name, or what ever form you are hiding in now. Ryan, you can't hide from me, and you know that. But you do know how to make things so very tricky." Makato clutched his right arm and growled. His own brother had taken it from him, long ago when he had finally gained his trust. Ryan was known for treachery any way. Many thought he was insane, come to think of it. And, many thought that he had died years and years ago. Starved to death in some remote mountain chain. Found by an old friend. Had just died, apparently. News of this little brother's death had grieved Makato and Ryan's father so much that he died not more than six years afterwards. A demon returned to Viridian that day to mourn in place of Ryan for Sakaki Giovanni's death. The demon killed Ash, Ryan's friend. Yet, in the same way the demon it self was killed, and was Ryan himself, though little more than a skeleton any more. He was taken away by the legendary cats... And now he was back, after ten years.
"Why couldn't you have stayed dead? Why are you here now, Ryan? Are you here to kill me and my family, as you said you would do, years and years ago? Why have you returned, Ryan?"
"Hello there, you!" Jou came tumbling through the bushes, a friendly smile on his pale, young features. Mason looked up. He had never seen the boy before, yet he looked as if he should know who he was. The boy that was running to him had lavender hair, long, with blue eyes and was built rather small and skinny for his age. Mason judged that the other boy must be about his age, yet something about his eyes seemed to make him uneasy.
"Hello..." Mason returned Jou's greeting. Jou skittered to a stop next to him and grinned.
"I have seen you before. You seem so lonely! However, I thought... that maybe you'd like to be friends with me? I have none... and I am new here, too, so I thought maybe I could try to talk to you. My name is Hasegawa Jou." Mason noticed that Jou had an accent similar to his father's. Something seemed familiar about the hoarse-like, soft voice of Jou's.
"My name is Amano Mason. I live there" Mason pointed to the large building behind him "I've been here all my life. Have you just moved here? Where did you live before?"
"Hm. Yes, I just came here... I travelled by foot. I came from Mahogany. My parents are both dead, though. I have some family, so I have been looking for them. I heard that they lived in Viridian, so I trekked here to find them."
"Oh, man, that's... I'm sorry. You have relatives here in Viridian though?"
"Yeah, but they don't have the same last name. It's a brother and his family. He had a different mother than I, and he had taken her name. He's older than me, too. I heard that he had two sons, too. That would make me an uncle! Haha, that is strange! But... I need some place to stay while I am here. Could you help me? I will try to repay you any way I can after wards!" Jou looked a little embarrassed to ask such a favour. Mason looked the same.
"I ... I guess so... I'll have to ask my parents... There's plenty of room, though, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Jou turned red and looked down.
"I really shouldn't have asked something like that of you so quickly. We only just met. We barely know each other. Forgive me..."
"No, no, really, it's okay! Hey, maybe we should talk a while now, or hang out or something to get to know each other better!" Mason turned red as well, and didn't want the newcomer to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. Jou smiled again. The two decided to walk around for a while, trying to become more acquainted. Jou not only conversed, but watched Mason intently. He didn't go so far as to pry his mind, though. Instead, he noted small nuances and little things here and there to pick up on any parts of Mason's personality that he could use, or to see if there was any thing going on in his life that he could make use of. Jou was very observant. It was dinner tide by the time the two headed back to the team rocket head quarters, both having found things that the two were both quite interested in. Mason was happy and excited to bring his new friend to meet his parents, then to ask them if he could stay, explaining the whole situation. Amano Makato, Mason's father, did not seem to like Hasegawa Jou too much. And Jou seemed a little uneasy around Mason's sire as well. There seemed to be a strange degree of recognition between the two, and they seemed to dislike each other. Amano Mariana, on the other hand, liked Jou and greeted him warmly, scowling at Makato's disapproval.
"This is Hasegawa Jou. He just arrived here in Viridian, from Mahogany. We just became friends, too. But, he needs somewhere to stay, since he's trying to find some relatives in Viridian. His parents are dead, you see. He has nowhere to go. Can he stay with us?" Mason proudly presented his new friend to his parents. Makato looked at the small boy that was standing next to Mason. He frowned. He recognized at once that the boy was not who he seemed, that he was some one in disguise that he knew quite well.
"I don't know, Mason-kun. We don't know him that well. You say that you only met him today, am I correct?" Makato glanced back at Jou, who was fit with a countenance of pure seriousness and intent dislike. However, whenever Mason looked back at Jou, this scowl was replaced by a cheery and content expression. Mariana rolled her eyes at Makato.
"I don't see what the problem should be, Maka-chan. Jou looks like a respectable enough boy. It would be horrible not to show him hospitality. Come, Jou, Mason. I say that Jou shall stay until he locates his family. We need to find a room for him, though."
"Kaasan, he can share mine. I don't mind." Mariana smiled.
"Why, Mason-kun, that is so sweet of you! You're growing up to be a fine young man. Now, then, let's find some bedding for our guest, shall we? Let's get him settled!" Mariana whisked the two boys off for a supply closet, leaving Makato alone.
"I know who you are, 'Hasegawa Jou', or what ever name, or what ever form you are hiding in now. Ryan, you can't hide from me, and you know that. But you do know how to make things so very tricky." Makato clutched his right arm and growled. His own brother had taken it from him, long ago when he had finally gained his trust. Ryan was known for treachery any way. Many thought he was insane, come to think of it. And, many thought that he had died years and years ago. Starved to death in some remote mountain chain. Found by an old friend. Had just died, apparently. News of this little brother's death had grieved Makato and Ryan's father so much that he died not more than six years afterwards. A demon returned to Viridian that day to mourn in place of Ryan for Sakaki Giovanni's death. The demon killed Ash, Ryan's friend. Yet, in the same way the demon it self was killed, and was Ryan himself, though little more than a skeleton any more. He was taken away by the legendary cats... And now he was back, after ten years.
"Why couldn't you have stayed dead? Why are you here now, Ryan? Are you here to kill me and my family, as you said you would do, years and years ago? Why have you returned, Ryan?"
