Out of the Woodwork (Ryuzaki/Jude)

[Ryuzaki]

"A world this ruined... This world is not ruined. Merely tainted. It will take much scrubbing to clean and renew, but... It is my life's goal."

The assassin shook his head slowly, his eyes flashing with fire and brimstone. There was nothing he wanted more, and he wanted Mila quite badly.

"Listen, Jude. I don't know what our futures will bring. But I know that slowly, we can cause change. We can bring a new, radiant dawn to this troubled world. We walk a long and deadly path... But if we work together, if we fight, if we strive... We can succeed."

Ryuzaki slowly shook his head, looking at his new compatriot. The kid was headstrong and wild, but he had so much potential...

"Heroes are overrated. Leaders in the light so often turn dark. We must bring our own light, out from the darkness. So. Come, Jude... Come and understand. Learn my ways. Become strong. Steel yourself, trust in your blade, and... we shall prevail."

The town ahead loomed, glowing faintly in the dull light as the two men walked closer, cloaks shrouding them in the fading, hazy dusk light. The peace seemed to draw, to crackle, to become still and brittle as the assassin spoke once more.

"I have been so long on this road... I will break out of this prison of inability, of inaction, of hopelessness. I will show the world my goal, and I will bring light to those in darkness!"

Ryuzaki's eyes gleamed, looking into the distance with a grim, set smile.

[Jude]

"Hmph."

While not immediately responsive to most of the assassin's words, they were not lost on Jude. He thought about the weight of what the man said. In all of his time, short though it may have been, Jude had really only seen two types-- the kind that wanted to do harm, and the kind that wanted to prevent it. But somewhere, toeing the line between good and evil, he saw the two men standing. He saw outside of himself, these two men, trying to do something worthwhile that was bigger than themselves, and bigger than the labels that he had, all his life, clung to. Maybe Ryu was right, Jude thought. Maybe there was something more to this, something worth pursuing. He wasn't much on heroic business, especially in his pirating days, but... It seemed to silly to live out the entirety of his life that way. Searching for one person, earning coin where he could... Surely, he thought, there was more to life than that.

Okay. Jude figured his mind was made up. "Fine." Jude said quietly, taking a seat at a cliffside that overlooked a small, quiet town. It was growing dark and the town looked to be going to sleep, much like Jude wished he were. "I guess if you're right, and if the world is made up of light and darkness... Then we'll be the darkness." A wicked smile peered across his lips, hungering devilishly for the new title he wanted to place upon himself. "It's got enough light. A whole lot of good that's done. And you know... I guess maybe you're right. I hate to admit it, old man, but maybe the world's not as lost as I thought. Maybe we really can... I don't know, it sounds hokey. Maybe we can restore the balance."

He sighed, falling back onto the ground. He blew a tuft of pink hair out of his face. "I guess we've got a lot of work to do."

[end thread]