Quiet Night; Home, Sweet Home

It was late. Though many hours passed, it was still dark and the night, still young. As tired as he was, it was only a bit of a ways away to his home in the center of the Bamboo Jungle, of which was in his sights. "At last..." he muttered under his breath, propping up his carry-on more securely, "... We may be at rest, young one." Walking up to the porch, hand crafted of bamboo stalks securely fastened together, he would enter his humble home and take in the air of old with all such nostalgia filling his head and his heart. "Home, sweet home..."

As he stepped further inside, he realized that everything was mostly the same, down to the very Tatami Mats that were lain about and sliding paper doors that made up his traditional Japanese-style house.  He immediately brought the tired girl to Meo's old room, where there was still a palette lain out on the ground and pillow for her head, where she could finally rest easy. "Mmm..." he groaned with content, "... I suppose, it is my turn, now." The girl would be safe as long as he was here.

(You may post whenever you like, but I'm going to continue)

Now, back within the comfort of his home, the Yojimbo saw no need to keep the mask upon his face nor the robe of darkness upon his back. Stepping out of the room and leaving the girl to rest in private, he would immediately remove the mask from his face as he escorted himself to the back porch, where a surprisingly ornate tea set and fire pit were in view, where it seemed he went to make his tea. He started the fire immediately before going to fill the kettle with water from a pump nearby dug deep into the ground to pull the water from the underground. He would place the kettle, once it was full, upon the stand above the fire in order for it to heat up gradually before sitting upon his back porch and gazing up to the moon with tired eyes.

As the man patiently awaited his water to come to a boil, he would realize that he was still wearing his dark robes adorned with feathers; a robe that went over his normal kimono, of which when he removed from his shoulders, would reveal the beautiful pure white, fine kimono underneath. It was clear from his taste in attire and decor that he was rather elegant and regal in style, despite his old-fashioned and humble nature and demeanor. He was no slouch when it came to the little things in life that he appreciated more than most would even care to pay attention to, and he was very content with that.

"Mmm..." He rose to his feet in order to hang up the dark, crow-like robe and mask inside of the house before returning outside to continue looking up at the moon. "... A fine night, it is..." He hoped that the girl was resting well. Soon, he would be, too. His back ached and his eyes were tired, but he knew just a sip of his home brewed tea would put him at ease and right to sleep. He had a special brew for such, in fact, as well as many others that did a variety of other things. He took the time out to make sure he had something for most every occasion, for he was quite the connoisseur of tea and their leaves, even to the point of having his own personal 'garden' of sorts, of which he tended to in his spare time. This was the life, for him. Waking up, tending to his tea, enjoying time with his daughter, training in the Bamboo Jungle and making peace with the creatures that lived within. He needed nothing more than that and could live out the rest of his days doing just that. "... If only it were that simple..." he muttered under his breath. Things hadn't been that simple for him in so long...

"But at least I can enjoy those moments as they come." He could be content with that knowledge. Despite whatever he had gone through and what continued to occur, there were always times of peace and tranquility that he would cherish and make the absolute most of, for he revered them the absolute most. Where most people stressed about their tomorrows and their issues of the day or problems of their past, he let all those things go to the wind when he found a spot to put himself at ease. If his hair weren't already naturally a fine whitish gray (as it had been even in his youth), it probably would have kept them from growing too fast. He laughed to himself at the thought.

Tama began to stir and finally came to. The amount of time that passed was undetermined. She felt rested though, and those weird feelings of fatigue had faded completely. There was this feeling of completeness within her though, and feeling of wholeness that she had only ever felt once and that was when she received Kon.

Sitting up, she looked around the room with a soft gaze before looking down at her lap. She wasn't sure where she was, at first, but remembered that the stranger from the bridges had been taking her somewhere and she assumed this was the destination. It was a quiet little room, seemed fit for a girl maybe around her own age or younger by a few years. Either way, Tama had never had her own room, and she basked in this feeling for a time before rising.

Curiously, she explored the room, rummaging through the closets and such, but she made sure to place any and everything back where it was as not to make a mess. It wasn't until she came to a particular outfit in a closet that she stopped and pulled it out. Without thinking, she changed into it, noticing how perfectly it fit, save for a small bit of tightness in the chest area.

She exited the room, to look for the mysterious stranger, and coming upon him around the back of the house. Quietly, she entered the area to join him.

As the Yojimbo awaited his tea to come to a boil, whilst also doing his best to keep from dozing off, his keen ears heard the shifting of someone in his humble home. He inferred it to be the girl coming to a stir, and didn't bother to get up. Hopefully, she would be comfortable where she was and not need his assistance.

However, it seemed that the girl made her way out to the back regardless, and wearing something that, when his eyes finally opened, he nearly confused her for his own daughter. "Meo...?!" He muttered, the fine silverish-white hair reminiscent to his own and his daughter's. He shook his weary head slowly, then closed his eyes again and smiled humbly. "No... I should know better." He opened his eyes again, this time seeing the woman for who she truly was, though he still missed his own daughter terribly.

"... Are you well?" he inquired, getting up only moments before the teapot came to a boiling whistle, "... I've started some tea. If you'd care to have some, you are more than welcome." He walked over to the steaming pot and lifted it carefully by the handle, which hadn't been heated by the fire due to its composition.

Tama jumped a little when the stranger exclaimed a name that she had never heard of. It was probably the name of the girl that the room she was sleeping belonged too. She hadn't meant to rummage through the girl's clothes, or disrupt any peaceful memories this man had of his daughter, the room, or this outfit, but Tama hadn't another outfit to wear and hers was terribly dirty.

She nodded her head, "I'm fine," before walking forward and sitting down beside where the man had been sitting. She rested her hands in her lap and keep her head down as well, thinking about the things she saw in her dreams and reflecting on the meeting with her father. It was a bittersweet thing, and she was happy it had happened, but sad that he couldn't stay.

Quickly she looked up, "S-sorry about wearing this. I didn't mean to upset you, or anything. My clothes were dirt and it was just..." She looked back down, a faint of red touching her tanned cheeks. There were other outfits, but Tama couldn't admit that the reason she had taken this specific one was because she thought it was cute.

The man chuckled softly, taking the teacup and a leaf from his collection over to the tray where his cup was set, near where the young woman had decided to rest. "It's quite alright," he said lowly, returning to the fire to put it out, "It is a nice memory... And with the request to take care of you whilst your father is away, it's best to think of you as my own." It would help him keep her that much more safe, quite honestly. He closed his eyes and moaned humbly, a passing breeze striding through his silvery hair that glowed in the moonlight.

He returned to her side, taking the pot in his hand and pouring the water in the cup, saying "Feel free to wear whatever you wish of hers, if you are in need of garments. My own daughter is..." He continued preparing his tea, but suddenly fell silent. Yet again, his family was split apart by unknown forces outside of his very limited control in this world. Despite how he knew it probably for the best, he did still intend to bring his family back together. That was his only purpose in this world... "... Well. She is somewhere in this world. But she is growing up, so she will be fine." He would allow his tea to cool just a bit before taking a sip. It was still hot, but not too hot. "Mmm."

Tama was glad to hear that it was okay she'd taken the clothes, but she still felt a little sorry about it. Usually she wouldn't have cared, but after meeting her father and absorbing whatever energy he'd given to her she was having trouble with freely expressing the emotions she had been trained to suppress. It seemed like the goal of her father, more than informing her of her upcoming meet with destiny, was to get her to be more honest with herself.

Tama wasn't a tea drinker, in fact she didn't usually partake in any edible treats besides military rations or nothing at all. She didn't actually need to eat anything because she fine tuned her abilities to the point where she could sustain herself by siphoning small amounts of energy from the atmosphere. It was more efficient, and it curbed bad habits and unhealthy desires, which made her all the better Sage.

She sat in silence, after the man told her about his daughter and went on to enjoy his tea, and just thought about the dreams she had had. There was a terrifying dragon, an angry man with long silvery white hair alongside a sad looking woman with raven colored hair, lots of blood and finally a flash of really bright light. Tama wasn't sure what any of those things meant.

"Did you..." She finally said, looking up at the man, "My name is Tama, Tama Tamura, did you know my father?"

The Yojimbo took his tea to the tip of his lips, sipping slightly as steam wafted from the rim. Yet again, another unexpected question, as well as confirmation of what he believed he knew to be true about that man. He closed his eyes and moaned solemnly, placing his cup of tea down and furrowing his brow. "Yes," he finally said, very sternly, and seriously, at that, "... I thought of him like a son to me." It was ironic how he who the Yojimbo thought himself a father to came to ask of the same paternity in the future for his own child. He chuckled. He was deeply missed, as well.

"Though, I cannot say the same for the man that he is now," he had to admit rather honestly. "I hadn't seen him since before you were born." Though it didn't look as though he were that old; and in actuality, he truly wasn't; he was still around when the young girl's father was about her age, if not younger. This was because of the severe time displacement with the departure of the Veritas, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect on the Yojimbo, himself. Perhaps because he, himself was not altered because the things inside the Veritas did not move any faster or slower, but the entire realm, itself had been accelerated to some indefinite time of which the Yojimbo was not quite certain.

He had little hand in these matters, but remained loyal to his faith, especially to his former village Kage. Very honestly, despite all of the destruction Khrona caused in his methods, the Yojimbo always felt dutiful to his cause and was not going to leave him behind. He would feel dishonorable in and of himself to do such a thing to anyone. "... Are you curious, young one, about your background?" The Yojimbo certainly was, as a matter of fact. He missed his honorary son dearly. However... there was tranquility in his meeting with that apparitious figure. He took another sip of his tea, then closed his eyes, resting them in their tiredness. Though he was still incredibly alert about all of his surroundings, the man was still tired from the journey. It was very late in the night, and he'd still had no rest from all those sequential scenarios. Hopefully, the tea would help with that; he did make a special brew to help him sleep more peacefully.

Tama look back down at her lap, rubbing her hands together as she usually did when she was anxious. It wasn't an occurrence that happened all that often, and she usually only did it when she was alone. Lately, though, she hadn't been alone since Kon was always with her now. "More than anything." Tama wondered about herself and where she came from more than anything. At first she thought it was fine if she didn't know, because she knew all she needed to survive. Her past didn't matter to her, but there were always lingering and deep seeded feelings of doubt and uneasiness.

"Like, I wanna know if I make my father proud, or what my mother looked like. I wanna know if I have his eyes, or her hair. Would she smile at me? Would he approve of the things I've done up until now?" Tama had many more questions that this, the usual ones of a troubled youth who had never seen or met their parents before. She trembled a little, though she wasn't cold, and Kon appeared by her side to wrap its arms around her for a warming hug. Something that she welcomed.

The Yojimbo took another sip of his tea, eyes remaining closed, but ears still open to the words of the young one. A smile of contentedness remained ever present on his face, cherishing her childish innocence as a daughter; something that most could barely appreciate in a woman, let alone a person. "Mmm. Well, I will say to you these words; do what you believe would make you proud of yourself, and that may incur such respect in others." He, too, wished to know more of this familial heritage simply because of the love he had for his son, of whom is part of it. That was enough for the old samurai.

"In time, if you are anything like your father, you will be able to find out these answers." Finally, he opened his eyes once the rather adorable figure appeared, resting with her and making for quite the cute scene, "But you must first grow stronger and expand your powers to their limit in order to meet your true potential." He took another sip, finding the warmth all too soothing to his stomach. It nearly lulled him to sleep as it was. "... That is probably why, before he left, he instructed me to take you to the Academy. They can help you." His own daughter was supposed to attend... And, in fact, she might already be there. He had trouble keeping up with everything around this place, as it sometimes became a bit hectic. But, from what he could see, there was nothing bad about it any longer... It was clean, unlike before, where all he saw was turmoil and destruction. It may have been simply because of environment alone.

Tama nodded her head and began stroking Kon's as she sat there. She figured that was the reason for why her father wanted her to go to the academy too. It was to get stronger, and to find her partner? She wasn't really sure about what that actually meant since she had always worked alone and worked better by herself. Which, as she could see from visions of the silver haired man in her dream, was a clear contrast to him since he could fight well alone, but was more formidable when using his sword. Tama wondered if she could get that strong to. She had to if she were to meet this person.

"My father told me I would meet my partner there, but I had Kon, what other partner could he mean?" she asked curiously. While Kon seemed like more of the none combatant type, it was only because Tama hadn't chosen her Personal Image yet. She was still thinking on it, marinating the ideas so that she could choose the best one for her. It wasn't a decision to be rushed.

"Perhaps," he began, gazing down fondly into his teacup, "... A special sort of partner made only for you." He chuckled tiredly as he finished his tea, placing the cup on the tray next to the kettle. He only felt like one cup for tonight; he was rather bushed. He rose slowly, looking at the girl with a warm smile on his face, saying to her, "I suppose it is something that will have to be figured out when you get there in the morning, hm...?" He lowered his head, as if trying to keep it awake, drowsily heading off to the doorway. "Forgive me for not keeping you company. I'm rather worn from the travel. If you wish to remain up, you may, but I must retire for the night." He opened the sliding door and walked into the next room, saying kindly to her before he shut the door, "Goodnight."

As the older man disappeared into the other room so he could rest for the night, Tama's father appeared before her again, knelt with a hand to the top of her head to stroke it gently. "Sorry about this, Tama, I know you, more than anyone, would have really liked it here." He allowed his hand to glow as he rolled his hand from the top of her head down to her cheek. He was smiling beneath his helmet, and he was sure she would be able to feel that.

"It's okay though, we'll find another place for you to play with your little brother." Working his ancient chakra techniques, Aeragon began to revert Tama back to her natural age and disappeared with her.

The man's eyes suddenly opened wide once he heard the voice of that old demon that once haunted him in the past. "... Waruze!?" He hopped up, trying to figure out where the girl went and why he was back. "How did you get here?! You've been slain, demon! Don't tell me you've come to claim another daughter that doesn't even belong to me?!" Somehow, the Yojimbo felt as he did in his youth... Not as the Yojimbo, but as Maruze Meikyuu. He didn't feel as tired as he once was at all, yet he couldn't figure out why.

*Note: These two topics cover how he got here, how he became the Yojimbo and how he went back into the past and got reborn anew twice at the exact same moment in time, and sent himself into the past to go make sure it all happened this way. Just for personal clarification

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When Maruze woke up, it would be with memories of a man named 'Shinra Tensei' within his head, and everything that he would have experienced after taking on Waruze and slaying him would be a flack back of the past and vision of the future at the same time. He would be named a Tensei in his dream through an Anomaly, and, in that, through the Phantom, he would be altered to harbor Tensei blood through receiving that of Khrona's father. Thus, in the unanimous acceptance of the name 'Tantra,'  Shinrona and Shintsuki could return to the Veritas along with the newest Tensei, who harbored the memories of the man he once was, the one he became and the new one that he is presently, his Living Shadow already awaiting him to wake up from his dream.

Shinrona stood at the edge of Tantra Tensei's dream of the past, and after the Past had passed in his head, Shinrona would be there to make his Dream into Reality with his arrival from out of his head.

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Through Shinrona, of whom needed to make the 'Phantasmagoria' into 'Absolution' and sustain it in Reality as a bound and stabilized reality in place of the anomaly, the Maruze would awaken after the Veritas had been removed from Vescrutia's influence and was at the cusp of its regeneration. Here is where they could monitor and manage the 'Dream' and the 'Data' from within the 'Veritas.'

When he woke up from his nightmare, he would be set in his place in the Tensei family as Khrona's Father; more specifically, Shinrona's Father, Shinra Tensei, now as Tantra Tensei.

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It seemed as though he'd been asleep for months. First, the Ambiguous Chaos where he fought his darkness. Then, his Daughter being separated from him just as his Son. Then, his taking shelter in a strange old Manor of sorts along the way. He wasn't sure what happened after he woke up, but he was no longer where he once was.

"... Where... Am I...?" Maruze said, opening his eyes weakly, "... I feel... Different, somehow... I just remember, for some reason, seeking shelter in a Manor and..."

He was unsure if he was still inside of it or not; in fact, he didn't know where he was at all. Perhaps that 'Ambiguous Chaos' he walked through in the Reversal Plains had more life-changing effects than he realized before.

After all of the events that transpired, all of which seemed to be the dreamy remnants of the End of the Dusk he endured before the move from Vescrutia, flashed in his head as if they'd been there since only moments ago. He awoke in a fright that morning, on the outside back porch, where he remembered it all happened so long ago... "..." The memories still felt fresh... Something one could never forget. "... I must have... fallen asleep outside on accident... I was so tired last night..." He rubbed his eyes, trying to come to a discernment between the present and the past. It seemed difficult when he first was awake, due to how vivid the dream was, and how much time it seemed elapsed inside of it... It had been quite a while since he saved that girl. He only wondered what happened to his honorary son... after taking his honorary niece away. Even to this day, perhaps, what nearly felt like centuries later, he worried about Koudo Tamura; the son he took up whilst his memory was lost. "Mmm. I hope he would recognize me in my rightful place, as Shinrona's father..." He, himself, could barely believe it sometimes, considering how his son found a way to save he and the entire family. "Mmm... Yes. You've done me proud, my boy..." He figured, he would simply bask in the peace of his humble home's beautiful Bamboo back yard. The serenity was to die for. "Both... My boys..." he muttered, falling back into slumber; hopefully more restful this time around.

The Shadow of a Man rested peacefully in the shadow of Tantra; an eternal memory of his past and time without memory. In that time, the Yojimbo would speak to his own son, the Phantom, in the midst of the temporal distortions and bid him farewell. "Well Done, My Son..." He was not expecting him to have unlocked such a great many Tensei Secrets and freed so many members of the family so easily. That was a feat that even Shinra couldn't accomplish... He barely found the way to save himself, and that was only through his son, here, who came back and made sure to do so. "Thank You..." As was customary for the Phantoms, the Dividing Enigma would don his crow-like Tengu mask before the Phantom and bow deeply to him, no longer as 'The Yojimbo,' but now as 'Allsgrim.' "I Love You..." He had to make sure that it was said.

"I will protect the Castle as its Guardian Spirit. When my duties are done, I will return to the Zero World. That is where the Devourists live, after all... And I do believe my kingdom needs its king." His memory had been shot for so long, simply because he wasn't connected to his own consciousness. He only hoped that his Devourist Children hadn't all destroyed themselves and all their resources... "I will be back to visit whenever my Vessel calls for me. But you may always reach me back at home, Khrona." He pat his son on his head as a form of endearment, "You've become much stronger since our last battle. Certainly living up to your potential; far beyond what even my eyes had originally anticipated." The memories of Shinra were present in Allsgrim, for, as Tantra's 'Living Shadow,' he harbored both they and the memories of his time in his lapse in memory. "Go on. I know we all have work to do. Businessmen, after all." He chuckled, letting the Phantom take his leave and assuring Shinrona and Shintsuki that all had been resolved with a serene calmness that washed over the atmosphere; as if things were brand new. With that, he would sink into the shadows and exit to the Trinity Plane, watching over the Manor from the shadows...