White Deception

[[.karasu.]]

It was late, and darker than anything outside; there was no moon tonight. Two boats creaked and banged each others' hull. A bat squeaked and streaked through the air. The fog was thick and desolate, cold and unwelcoming. And then, through the blackness and heavy fog, a light appeared. It wasn't anything remarkable or bright, but it was unusual. Where was it coming from? How was it moving? Lights don't move. But this one was. So it obviously wasn't just a light. And that's true. This light, wasn't a light. This was a fox.

A pure white fox.

A pure white fox with seven tails.

A pure white fox with seven tails and a katana strapped to its back.

The creature padded calmly through the shipyard, seemingly unhampered by the fog and cold mist. It's silvery white pelt glistened with collected moisture, giving it an eerie sort of feel; eerie, not frightening. Actually, the fox seemed quite welcoming. One would feel no sense of hostility or fear if they encountered this being. The fox's vibrant red eyes scanned the area before sitting down to scratch behind its ears. Seven tails swished back and forth across the damp planks of the shipyard and an ear twitched. Well, he'd made it. After a month of easy travel...

...Shiro had arrived.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

The sound of small footsteps sounded softly through the fog, no outline of a creature or anything could be seen. After a few seconds of the footsteps a shape could be seen, black in the mist and it determinedly approached the white fox. A slender vixen, her pelt pure ebon and her eyes the most striking hue of aqua, the swirling vortex of neverending blues and greens tainted the shimmering surface of her eyes in a mesmerizing whirlpool. Nine furred black tails swayed placidly as she looked towards Shiro, "How are you doing?" came the calm, musical trill of a voice from the fox, almost seeming telepathic, since the kitsune's mouth made no movement whatsoever when she spoke.

[[.karasu.]]

Shiro's ears pivoted around and his whiskers twitched at the sound of footsteps. Very calmly, the white fox stood and turned to face the approaching being. His eyes widened slightly when he realized it was another kitsune. And not just any kitsune, a black one. Seven tails continued to sway smoothly from side to side, making a soft, rhythmic sound on the planks they skimmed. "I'm well, and you?" came a smooth reply. The voice wasn't deep and husky like a man's, but rather innocent and welcoming, like a boy; even though Shiro was far older than any 'boy' you'd come across in the mortal realm. His red eyes held no accusations toward the black fox, despite how he knew where one obtained such a color. "I take it this is Twilight Moon Academy?"

[Señor Sunday Friday]

"Hardly... we need to get there first. This is the last leg of your journey- and I'm sure it's been rather unpleasant to have to travel whatever distance you did." She heald an odd expression for a fox, almost a smirk- if that was possible. She sat down next to the white fox, fully aware that Shiro was likely to know what her black pelt meant- and also completely suprised that there were no remarks made about it. Her large black ears twitched slightly as she looked into the mist that surrounded them, her blazing eyes shimmered with deep magic as they flicked from place to place as if there was something to differ the various places through the thick, white screen of fog.

[[.karasu.]]

The edges of Shiro's pointed muzzle twitched upward in an animalistic smile. "It was... a new experience, to travel so far." Actually, all those years ago, Shiro had traveled everywhere, but never did he have to actually walk the distance. The white fox hardly seemed to notice her next to him- not in a bad 'I'm ignoring you' kind of way- as he also surveyed the area. 'The last leg...' As if on cue, Shiro's red eyes were pulled to the direction of the lake, seeming to see straight across it. "And so, how are we to get there?" he asked with a light tone. A boat creaked somewhere among the decrepit bodies, but Shiro did no more than a simple twitch of a tail to acknowledge it. "I am Shiro, bye the way. Shiro Giman."

[Señor Sunday Friday]

"Akirameru Ijirashi Hitotsu... as you may have seen before..." she sat up on her hind paws- quite a feat for a canine, and even moreso she put her paws up in front of her, almost measuring a distance between them- obviously she normally had quite alot of free time on her hands... or paws... whatever. "on a few posters, about yay big- lovely picture in the center... though fairly inaccurate if I say so myself..." she nodded, most of the posters depicted her with claws and pretty little rows of sharp teeth- sharp expression and looking rather insane. She wasn't too terribly happy about that, considering she looked nothing like that. She rested on all four paws again and smiled towards Shiro, "You can call me Akira."

Yes- she was just refferring to a wanted poster that held hundreds of millions of dollars on her head, and yes she had said it as if she was reffering to the latest Geico commercial. She must have been pretty used to it by now. Akira'd only been caught twice- which was quite the record for over 2000 years of living if I say so myself...

[[.karasu.]]

// lol, funny mental image xD

Shiro craned his neck slightly to look up at Akira as she 'measured' the poster; he didn't have to tilt too far, he wasn't your average tiny red fox. The smile remained in its place as he nodded. "Yes, I remember seeing one of those..." A strange, barking chuckle escaped him. "Actually, I remember seeing quite a few of those. The picture isn't a good reference, I didn't recognize you from it." Though Shiro was being polite and non-judge mental, there was that small, old, caged part of him that didn't want to trust this black fox. Of course, after many long years, that part of him was more than easily ignored.

The white- slightly damp- kitsune stood and stretched on hind leg, arching his shoulders in the process. He shook his head, as though he had just woken up and turned his rich, russet eyes onto Akira. "Alright then, Akira," he started politely. "Where is the Academy, exactly?" Shiro had his ideas, but just wanted to be sure. He wasn't in a major rush to get there, anyway. Sure it was exciting, but after living for so long, one found it much easier to wait for things.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

"Of course you didn't recognise me from my picture- human form and fox form have some differences- and that picture is flawed." She nodded before looking towards The Academy, "It's accross the water, through the mist- as Li-Wa's friends wish it... and don't bother asking who Li-Wa is... things get complicated there." She chuckled lightly as she quickly morphed into her human form. She was a tall, elegant creature and she was just the right kind of slender- it was always said that kitsunes were attractive creatures and it never seemed to be a lie. She looked down towards the little white fox, "It's easier to get a boat while you're mostly human, mind you..." She smiled, her black fox ears twitched in the chin length hair she posessed and her bright turquoise eyes glittered. A faded gold chain necklace was strung around her neck with a jewel hanging from it- matching Akira's eyes. She was dressed rather plainly in a red and black dress as she looked at the rows of boats calmly, "Come on..." she muttered, still patiently...

(Yes, Akira is the only being in all of RPing who is openly aware in RPs that she is an RP character, just a little joke I keep around...)

[[.karasu.]]

// That's... odd xD

That same barking laughter escaped Shiro's throat. "Alright, I won't ask." As he padded over to stand beside Akira- the tips of his ears just reaching her waist- he looked up at her and took on a more serious tone. "Though, if you don't mind, I'd rather stay as I am for now." Shiro found that he always felt more comfortable in his fox form. Maybe it was some odd sense of homesickness he felt, or maybe he just found animals as peaceful creatures with simple lives, and that's what he wanted. For whatever reason, Shiro spent almost all of his time as a kitsune, his Eighth Tail strapped securely to his back. Then what would seem to be unusual, Shiro made an off-hand comment. "You have very nice eyes." Now, one must understand, a comment like this coming from Shiro was as normal as an informal greeting of 'Hey, how are you?'. If he saw something worth seeing, he'd make a comment about it.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

Akira chuckled, "Sure, whatever makes you comfortable, and thanks for the compliment." She nodded as she looked down the rows of ships. Finding a good ship with a good crew seemed harder these days and she really didn't feel like having to kill a crew of people- it was more trouble than she needed right now. She smiled as she almost seemed to skip down the docks, she was oddly cheerful on this fine, foggy day. "Please keep up, hunting you down would most likely take too long." She nodded, "You kinda blend in with the fog... kinda eerie." She smiled kindly as her right ear twitched slightly. "We're gonna have to plot out your schedule, though..." she nodded with a determined face, getting to the point of things, "You'll start with Magic, Weaponry, Alchemy, Beastry, and Master class... after that you get a break period. Theeeeen you get to choose some classes.

First off, seventh: Music with Ms. Lowal, History with Proffessor Nara, or potionry which is taght by Razi.
Eighth is just as simple a choice: Holy which is taught by Azure, Flare taught by Shade, and Summoning with Kalia.
Ninth- Dragoon with Valor, Samurai with Raidon, or Thievery with Zanthus." Akira winked at the mentioning of thievery with a smile, obviously she was quite fond of the Thievery class.
"Tenth- Puppetmaster with Ensuna, Survival which is taught by two teachers- Raissa and Gareth." She nodded, obviously quite proud that she hadn't forgotten something.

[[.karasu.]]

With that animalistic smile still in place, Shiro 'obediently'- for lack of a better word- followed Akira along the dock. The kitsune glanced at his silvery white pelt covered with droplets of moisture. Akira was right; at the right distance, Shiro could probably walk undetected among the thick fog. For a moment, he said nothing, pondering over his options. "Well..." he started thoughtfully. "Music sounds nice, and Flare would be interesting..." Shiro's smile turned slightly grim and a dry chuckle seeped from his throat. "I'll take-" The word 'Samurai' never made it out. Memories flooded him, ending with the one where he vowed to give up the life of a Samurai. But still, something inside of him longed to fight again. The white kitsune shook his head as though ridding himself of a fly and his 'smile' brightened again. "-Thievery, next. And Puppetmaster would be a nice change of scenery." Shiro had done enough surviving for one lifetime, and had graduated at the 'top of his class' as far as he was concerned. Seven tails swished silently behind him as he turned over his choices in his mind.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

Akira nodded, "Very good, then." She nodded with a smile as she looked towards a ship and she looked back towards Shiro, "Do you have your own means of reaching Twilight Moon Academy? Or will you require assistance, I have to ask you." her black fox ears flisked lightly as she looked around silently, "Otherwise I'll be providing our means of getting there." She smiled as she looked from ship to ship, obviously enjoying the various sights and such.

[[.karasu.]]

At this question, Shiro had to pause and think for a moment; actually, he didn't stop walking, just slowed down a bit, making sure he still had Akira in his line of vision. "Hmmm... well," he returned to his original pace. "I really don't have too much physical magic that would be... proper to carry both of us there, maybe not even myself." The kitsune's red eyes were fixed hard on the path in front of him, no longer scanning around. It's been so long since he's had to use any sort of magic... A soft sigh escaped him. How sad was that? Once a world renowned warrior, now nothing more than a kitsune with a sword strapped to its back and out-of-practice magical abilities. Then Shiro's eyes hardened as new ideas came to mind. He stopped walking entirely. His claws braced himself against the slippery planks and Shiro lowered his head while his tails raised. He closed his eyes. Not a moment later, the water droplets lifted- rather slowly- from his pelt and a white fire engulfed his figure. Kitsune flame. Something he hadn't used in a long time. He appeared slightly larger now, and his sword was gone; the fiery silhouette of an eighth could be seen among the others.

This particular fire wasn't hot or cold, that is, unless he wanted it to be. Making sure Akira was still safely in view, Shiro leaped from the dock toward the cold water below. There was no splash, there was no sound. "Well, I'm glad that worked. I don't particularly feel like swimming." Shiro stood almost weightlessly atop the water creating small ripples beneath him. Experimentally, he took a view steps before trotting a bit along the dock so he was 'next to' Akira. He called up from the water. "Heh, I could run across, but the only way I could see myself getting us both other there would be with you on my back." Shiro was confident in his reserve of fire; that wouldn't give out on him. Akira didn't look very heavy, and in this form a sprint could take them there very quickly. But it was up to Akira, as to whether or not she wanted to travel that way.

[Señor Sunday Friday]

Akira paused and looked towards Shiro, "Interesting..." she thought aloud with a slight laugh, "No thank, you though... how about a somewhat easier form of transportation, if it doesn't offend you." She nodded as she gripped her hand. A weapon shimmered into existance within her grasp, swirls of deep red and light blue graced accross the weapon's grip, the blade like that of a scythe and Akira sliced it through the air. On the other side there was a vast plain of depressing gray, stretching to the ends of the world and a large swirling gate, the only color in the realm as it glowed like an azure sea. "Waddyou think?" she asked with a mischevious kitsune smirk.

[[.karasu.]]

Shiro laughed smoothly. "Doesn't offend me in the least." Smiling, the flame engulfed kitsune leaped from the lake back onto the dock and shook himself vigorously. The flames deteriorated and his sword was back in place. He smiled at Akira before his red eyes were drawn to the portal-like 'structure, if it could be called that. Absentmindedly, he began to slowly walk toward it, careful not to touch it. His eyes swept around, taking in all the colorless void and then the azure light. "Wow... it's amazing... are we going into it?" he asked, excitement creeping into his tone.