Takeover 2.0 (Open)

By the time the story was done, so was his sandwich. He'd gotten up to pour himself a glass of water, drinking that down too. It looked like Jynx took the story well, even the parts about him killing people, beheading people, bombing villages and taking them over, including the one they were currently in.

”Well... that was certainly an interesting story. Still, I'm glad I know now. But, it doesn't change my opinion of you; you let me out of that cage after all. Plus, you don't really sound like a bad guy; I mean, it sounds to me like all of those people who you killed or hurt – well they all either deserved to die, or interfered where they shouldn't. Some people don't learn lessons the easy way...” she'd said.

Jynx seemed pretty intelligent for someone who'd been locked in a room their whole life. It seemed like her captors weren't so cruel not to give her an education and some basic knowledge of the outside world, but they still deserved to have their insides ripped out for doing what they did to her mother, and keeping her captive in a basement. Alec almost wanted to kill them again for this.

"You're right," Alec said, putting his glass on the counter. "I'm only evil towards people who deserve it. All of those morons back then... they deserved it. We're not going to make a criminal organization here if you're wondering. This village is pretty amazing, almost as amazing as back home, so I figured we may as well be a legit village, and try to make friends with the other villages once we get everything back in working order. Artemis will probably introduce you to Kinzoku and Kuro. Kinzoku acts normal enough I guess, but Kuro isn't good around most people so he doesn't talk much. Don't take it personal, it's just how he is."

Artemis had been half expecting to see Jynx get up and go running out of the building with all of the honest truth her father had hit her with when telling his story – especially considering she'd been basically a prisoner locked in a cage since she was a baby. Yet, instead, she seemed to be taking it rather calmly. Jynx said that it didn't change her opinion of him any, especially since he had allowed her out of the cage she'd been locked in. She also commented that all of the people whom he had harmed or killed sounded like they deserved what they got.

Artemis chuckled a bit as she swept up the remaining crumbs from her sandwich off of the counter and into her hand. She got up off of her chair and walked over to the garbage can where she dusted them off of her hands and into. She nodded towards her father when he mentioned that Artemis was likely going to introduce her to Kinzoku and Kuro, and grinned a bit at his description of them.

”They're both cool people. I figure it best I introduce you to them because you're probably going to see them around a awful lot, and I figure it'll be good for them to know who you are in case they see you coming and going from here.”

Jynx shifted on her stool into a bit more comfortable position. She listened as Alec explained that he didn't have any intentions of making a criminal organization this time around, but instead he wanted to do things the legit way and run a proper village. He even mentioned meeting up with some of the other village heads.

Alec then explained about how Artemis was likely going to take her to meet two other people. Kinzoku was described as being normal enough, but Kuro ws described as being the silent type to which Alec added she shouldn't take it personally. Jynx nodded to this, figuring it was a good idea too to meet the other people who were going to be around, too. ”No worries. I'm not normally this talkative either... so it's all good.”

Kurai didn't want to ride on another boat. The up and down and the smell of the sea were too much for him, and seeing as this boat ride wasn't as long as the first, Kurai took to flying. Little Kong rode along with him. He remained close to the boat just in case it was attacked by pirates or something like that, but he was told nothing like that had happened in a hundred or so years now.

Kurai landed on the docks as the boat came to rest, allowing Little Kong to jump down from his back. Their first time setting foot in a new land... again. Now it was time to put his newfound skills to the test taught to him by Alec, in order to find he, Artemis, Kinzoku and Kuro.

Alec probably would have told him to stay behind, to watch over the village. Kurai saw so little action. He'd trained hard everyday, and sharpened his skills to a fine razor's edge. Alec had plenty of help, and was a force to be reckoned with on his own, so it wasn't like he'd need any more help, yet Kurai couldn't help but feel like he was missing out.

So if Alec was going to bitch him out he was prepared to take it. There were many trails leading in many directions, but several began to seem familiar. Making adjustments to his jacket he and his simian sidekick began to head away from the small settlement situated around the docks, blending into the traffic of travelers headed toward what Kurai assumed to be the main villages of the continent.

Hikari didn't actually mind the trip on the boat; it was rather pleasant, and the rocking didn't make her sick like it did so many around her. Shiro, the lemur perched on her shoulder, had also liked the trip, however both were glad to disembark and get away from the throng of people: too many people tended to be a bit overwhelming with all of the different smells and sounds going on any a single time.

Hikari spotted her twin brother through her chakra radar and shinsai once he landed, and after making quick work of adjusting the blind fold that covered her useless eyes she followed after him while Shiro settled up on top of Hikari's head so she could get a better look around.

Hikari was rather glad for the chance to travel again; nothing really tended to happen back home – it was as peaceful as can be. With all of the medics back home now it wasn't like she would be needed either, so there was no need to worry that her leaving would cause problems. Even Shiro had been getting a bit antsy with all of the sitting they had been doing which was why the lemur was much happier now and exceptionally excited.

As Hikari walked she adjusted her sleeveless shirt a bit, as well as the band around her left arm with the medical symbol on it: if she wasn't careful she was going to end up with a sunburn out in all of this sun.

Alec was about to say something else, but he suddenly turned his head off to the side, frowning some. He stared at the wall for what seemed like a long time, but he wasn't really looking at the wall. Maybe it wasn't really them, these two... they felt different. They looked different. One of them had a chakra beast inside of them. One of them was a girl. one of them was an animal, and even it was strong. The girl seemed stronger than the male, but this was probably a ruse. Seeing as the male had a beast in him, he could probably become much, much more powerful.

Maybe they were friends of the guy he just fried upstairs with his own technique. Alec stood up from the table, taking his Blind Fury stick with his left hand. "Hmmm," he said, walking towards the living room while still looking towards the wall. "I... should go check something out."

Alec walked through the living room to the front room. he noticed several villagers headed towards the house from the middle class district, while keeping an eye on the powerful people getting closer to the village. Some of the villagers came and bowed to Alec on their knees. "You're the boss now, we pledge allegiance," one of them said. "Go easy on us, show mercy..."

"Get up," Alec said, helping the people back to their feet. "Come on, no need for all that. I'm no god or anything, stand up. It's dirty down there."

Some of them looked confused. "But... but aren't you going to tell us to fall in line or we'll be punished or something like that? Aren't you evil?"

"Only towards those that deserve it. I'm going to run this village now, but not with an iron grip. My name is Alec, by the way. Alec Kane. I have a few others with me. The guy with the big gourd on his back, his name is Kinzoku. Another guy dressed in black with crows following him, his name is Kuro. My daughter is here too, she looks like me. Her name is Artemis. They'll be helping me get the village back in working order, and to keep things safe. You won't have to worry about us, we're not going to over-tax you, or be cruel rulers, or anything of the sort."

The villagers began to calm down. "Maybe we can open our shop in the marketplace again," said one of the women.

"Maybe I can become a sailor again, start back working the docks," said another man.

2 sisters stepped up, both of them quite attractive, smiling towards Alec. "We were live in maids here before those others took over the village," said the older one. "I'm Lindsey, this is my younger sister Andrea. Might we be of service to you now, Mr Kane?"

Alec rubbed his chin some. "Sure thing, Lindsey, sounds like an idea. We kinda made a mess inside getting rid of those guys. I hope you don't mind the sight of blood..."

"We don't mind, Mr Kane," answered Andrea.

"Alright, help yourselves. I'll be coming to see the rest of you in the marketplace soon about getting things up and running there too. For now I have to check something out..."

Artemis looked over at her father curiously, noticing that he was about to say something but instead seemed to stare at the wall for a good bit of time. He then got up, stating that he had to go check into something. Figuring that if it was important, or if he needed help he'd let someone know, Artemis shifted her attention back onto Jynx with a bright smile plastered on her face: she was determined to have a new friend, and to ensure that Jynx was nice and comfortable from here on out.

”Why don't I show you to you room? We can see if you like it; I'm sure if you don't we can find some paint or whatever and change it up a bit; I kinda like 'do it yourself' projects.”, Artemis said with a grin. Were the other female to agree she would stand up from her stool once more and lead the way out of the kitchen: she was already beginning to get a hand on where everything was.

Because of this it wouldn't take her long to locate the stairway that would lead upstairs. She would then lead the way upstairs, down the same hall she had gone down before, and stop outside of the door to the right of her own bedroom. ”My door is on the left, and I think there's a joining door in here hidden in the closet...”, she would explain before opening the door to what was going to be Jynx room if she wanted it, and leading the way in....

-Exit-

Jynx 'watched' as Alec left shortly after growing quiet. She instead focused her attention onto Artemis and nodded to the girl when she mentioned showing Jynx her new room. Jynx stood up while thinking that she was sure she'd be satisfied with whatever she could get. Still, the idea of having a room all to her own, looking exactly how she wanted it to be? It was like a dream come true.

Jynx had the general layout of the building thanks to her sensory ability, but followed Artemis all the same. She was careful climbing up the steps, as each time she lifted her foot it became impossible to 'see'. But, she made it up to the top without tripping which was all well and good. She turned her head towards the door that Artemis said led to her own room once they arrived, though she didn't actually see it with her eyes.

Grinning a bit, and feeling rather excited, she followed Artemis into her own room... It was perfect for her.

-Exit-

The traffic began to thin out the further along they walked, until there was no one else but his sister and Little Kong. It was easier now to follow the trail. Clearly Alec, Artemis, Kinzoku and Kuro had come this way.

Before he knew it, the scenery around them suddenly became dark. It was early evening, but this sort of darkness reminded him of back home, especially with the many things slithering and snaking around. "I'm starting to see why Alec and the other came this way," Kurai mumbled to Hikari. "Remind you of somewhere?..."

The trail broke off to the right, off the main path and became thin. Kurai speculated that the 4 of them started running for some reason. Sure that Hikari would follow, Kurai began to run himself, with Little Kong right at his side. The 4 ran through the trees and wilds until they all stopped at a cliff, over looking a large village.

Kurai had to have himself a look at the place, noticing the sheer scale. Big buildings, towers, temples. Lines connected some of the buildings, and looked like people could have used them to zip between the structures. There were many stairways and walkways.

Kurai crouched to look closely at the ground around the cliff. The tracks were deeper here, leading Kurai to believe they stood here for a while, probably to form a plan. He sniffed and could smell blood in the wind. "Looks like something went down here," Kurai said. "If I know Alec and the others, they probably took over this village. Why don't you have a look around with that radar of yours Hikari, I don't want us rushing into anything blindly."

Ankoku, the shadowy chakra beast within her, responded to Hikari's thoughts about the sun and being burned by coating her suddenly in her own shadow; thankfully it was thin enough to keep the people around her from noticing – they were too busy going about their normal daily lives to notice that she had a thin grayness coating her skin. When they were further away from everyone the coat became darker – at least until they reached the actual darkness and the sun could no longer reach her. Then her shadow returned to the ground, moving and wiggling slightly.

She kept uncharacteristically quiet as Kurai tracked Alec, Artemis, Kinzoku, and Kuro; she didn't want to break her twin's concentration. At least, until Kurai actually spoke, ”Just like home.. I can definitely see the appeal of this place.”

When Kurai sped up so did she; Shiro held on tight to her head so that she didn't fall off as the two went. Hikari switched to using her chakra radar; she preferred it when moving fast because she didn't get broken or distorted images like she would have when using Shinsai. Once they reached towards the cliff she slowed, coming to a stop next to her brother. She too smelled the blood, the scent tickling her nose and getting her chakra beast stirring; evident by the way her shadow began to twist and move beneath her.

She nodded to her brother's suggestion, watching the entire village as a whole. She spotted all four of the individuals they were looking for; though Alec was the only one headed towards them. ”I see them all, but Alec's the one heading towards us... It looks as if they took over..”

Lindsey and Andrea, huh. Now he had maids living with them... Alec waved to and spoke to others he passed on the way through the village, informing them had he now ran the place. Many of them thanked Alec that he and the others took out the former rulers, and for the opportunity to get things running again as they were before they showed up. Alec was sure to inform them that he wouldn't rule things in a cruel fashion; that they would be taken care of and allowed to live as they pleased. He explained that he would soon travel to the other villages to establish trade routes to bring economy to Kurayamigakure. Many stared at Alec strangely since he was blindfolded, yet seemed to be moving around just fine, but no one questioned him. He was able to easily kill the former boss, so there had to be something special about him, is what most were thinking...

As he suspected, the 3 powerful figures were Kurai, Hikari and Little Kong. He wasn't surprised at all. Alec figured sooner or later the twins would come along, seeking him out. He'd wanted them to stay back home, but with the peaceful state everything seemed to be in, the thrill of adventure had to be itching at the 3 of them.

Alec continued walking through the Middle Class District, speaking and waving to people that came out of their homes to see him.

Kurai jumped off of the cliff, his jacket flapping around behind him like some sort of cape. Little Kong jumped with him. After a short fall, Kurai and hi simian sidekick landed on a roof and slid down the slanted side to the edge to jump again. They bounced between walls until they reached the ground. Standing from a crouch, Kurai made his way from between the buildings out onto the main street.

He and Little Kong walked until Alec was in view, greeting people. Would he be mad that they came all this way looking for him? Kurai was prepared to be bitched out. It was peaceful back home, and there was no use staying there where there was nothing to do.

"I hope you're not mad," Kurai said once they got close enough to him. "The itch to come looking for you all was too much to ignore. I hadn't been away from the village in so long. You all may not need us, but we had to come check on you."

Little Kong gave a screech sound to add to this, jumping up and down.

Hikari watched Kurai and Little Kong jump off the cliff; looking to be aimed to land on the slanted roof of one of the houses below. She waited roughly a fraction of a second before following suit; Shiro still clutched to her head. She landed a second after Kurai and Little Kong and slid down the roof as well. Reaching the edge she launched herself at the last minute into the air, where she then landed on a nearby roof safely. She followed her brother's general direction, jumping from roof top to roof top, and running across clothing lines. Reaching him and hearing him speak she jumped off of the nearest roof she was on and landed next to him.

Shiro let out a chirp sound which was her own usual greeting and waved an arm to wave before returning to clutching to Hikari's head like normal. Hikari meanwhile nodded to her brother's words: she hoped he wasn't angry, but she was of no use at home – there were plenty of medics to take her spot; and she was more useful out in the field. ”Yup; there's more then enough medics at home, so I figured I'd come along with Kurai just in case anyone needed anything.”

Hikari tilted her head a bit, sniffing the air; she could smell the blood a lot more now that they were on the ground, but she couldn't see any bodies through either of her abilities. She reached up with her right hand and adjusted her blind fold before turning her attention back onto Alec. Was he going to be angry that they'd come? Or would he be happy to see them?

"I hope you're not mad," Kurai said once they got close enough to him. "The itch to come looking for you all was too much to ignore. I hadn't been away from the village in so long. You all may not need us, but we had to come check on you."

”Yup; there's more then enough medics at home, so I figured I'd come along with Kurai just in case anyone needed anything,” Hikari added.

Alec only grinned some and chuckled. None of them were getting any younger. It wouldn't be right of him to confine them to just one village when there was a whole world out there to be seen and explored. "Nah, i'm not mad," Alec said. "I was just talking about you, in fact. Good to see all of you..."

They looked different, even Little Kong. Kurai maturing into a man, still wearing the Kage jacket from Kusagakure, the land of grass. Hikari maturing into a woman. Little Kong was getting bigger and stronger. Alec pulled both Kurai and Hikari into a hug, patting Shiro on top of her head in the meantime. After hugging them he reached down to pick up Little Kong, if he would allow it.

"Don't you squeak at me," Alec said chuckling some. "You're looking more like your big brother everyday." He started walking back towards the north district, noticing people coming out of their homes to help clean the blood from the streets. They continued to wave at Alec and Alec waved back, to their amazement, even though he was blindfolded.

"So, when we got here, this village was run by a band of clowns," Alec began to explain. "4 bosses in each of the districts with goons that took their orders, a big boss up north that gave orders to the lower bosses to filter down to the goons. There was some kind of armored guy with swords here; Kuro took care of him. A Taijutsu woman was south, in the slums. She was taken care of by Kinzoku. A Genjutsu expert was East, in the Rich District. Artemis took him out."

Alec walked up a flight of stairs and between 2 buildings, shortcutting back to the north district. "I took care of the big boss in the north... He had 2 lieutenants with him. One could make himself faster, the other could turn his skin into metal sort of like how Kinzoku can do. The big boss could do both at the same time. None of them were really a problem in the end, and the big boss was even nice enough to leave me his house. Artemis is there getting herself situated right now. There's more than enough room, the two of you can stay there, or, feel free to go pick yourselves out houses in one of the districts with Kinzoku and Kuro..."

Alec said he wasn't mad, to which Kurai nodded his head and let the building tension in his neck disperse. He hugged Alec back when he hugged he and his twin.

"Alec. Greetings," came the voice of Kua while they were all embraced.

Little Kong didn't mind being picked up and gave him a hug of his own. "...But you know I don't like talking much," said Little Kong in response to Alec saying not to squeak. Little Kong couldn't help but squeak again when Alec said he was looking more like his older brother. "Please don't compare me to my brother. He's fat..."

While walking and waving to the villagers who were cleaning the streets of blood, Alec explained what happened here. He, Kinzoku, Kuro and even little Artemis had taken out an organization of what sounded like criminals or thugs. The villagers looked happy to see them gone, seeing as how so many were waving and smiling at Alec.

Alec said that he and Hikari could stay in the big house up north, or go and sort out their own living arrangements in one of the districts. "Sure... I'll look around some first before I figure out what i'm doing. This place... it's almost as big as back home..."

Alec said that he wasn't angry at them to which Hikari grinned from ear to ear and Shiro bounced on her head lightly while making a happy chirping noise. Hikari returned Alec's hug when he hugged her and Kurai; and Shiro was delighted at the attention she was given. The lemur settled somewhat and perched herself on Hikari's left shoulder, looking around and sniffing the air in a curious manner.

Alec then picked up Little Kong, commenting that he was growing up to be more like his older brother. Little Kong commented that he didn't want compared to his older brother because he was fat; something that made Hikari stifle another grin - she was pretty sure Little Kong was far too active to ever have to worry about that.

Hikari followed Alec as he began to walk back towards the north district. She noticed many people coming out to clean up the blood in the streets, some of which waved to Alec and were surprised that he waved back. She then focused her attention onto Alec as he began to explain what had happened when him, Artemis, Kuro, and Kinzoku had arrived and how the village was run by some thugs and criminals before they had shown up and handed them their own asses. She wasn't shocked to hear that they had dispatched of them so easily, though she was a bit shocked to hear that Artemis had handled her own against a Genjutsu boss: she must have done a lot of growing since the last time Hikari had saw her.

Alec mentioned that they could stay in the house he had taken from the big boss if they wanted, or that they could find a place to stay in one of the other districts. Hikari turned her attention onto the house, noticing Artemis and another... girl? Monkey? ”Alec, whose that girl with Artemis? She... looks like she's half... monkey?”, she asked curiously.

Alec could hear the voice of Kua the 11 tailed beast while hugged up with Kurai and Hikari. Little Kong said he didn't like talking much, and asked that he not be compared to Kong because he was fat. Alec just chuckled some at the sound of Little Kong's voice, since it was so rare that the monkey spoke.

Kurai said he'd have a look around before figuring out living arrangements, and Alec nodded his head. Hikari asked who the girl that looked like a monkey was near Artemis. "It's funny you should mention her," Alec answered. "I was telling her about you two just before I noticed you all arrive. Her name is Jynx, she's a Yanagi like you two. The people who used to run this place did experiments on her mother while she was pregnant with her, but it only affected Jynx. She'd been locked away in that basement forever before I freed her. She's smart, so I think those assholes weren't so cruel as to not educate her somewhat. A sweet girl, just oblivious to the way of the world. Maybe you two can give her some family history, tell her about who she really is?..."

By then they would have reached the north district again, walking down the long cement path between the academy buildings towards the big house in the rear. "I think I still have some exploring of my own to do. This place will take some getting used to..."

A half monkey girl... Kurai listened to Alec explain that the girl was a Yanagi like them, and that she'd been held captive, probably since birth, in the basement of that house they were walking towards. "Yanagis, here? on this continent too?..." Kurai mumbled. He frowned some to know that her monkey-like appearance was the result of experimentation, but the anger faded to know that the people that did that to her had been dealt with by Alec.

"Sure, I don't mind..." Kurai answered. "I think Hikari knows more about the family history than I do though." They kept walking until they reached the north area. There was that big house and what looked like academy buildings. Perhaps one day they would be open again, and this area would be filled with many hopefuls.

"So have you made any contact with the other villages that are around? And, what would you need of me? Kinzoku and Kuro will probably run security like they usually do, and Hikari will likely get the hospital up and running..." One thing Kurai didn't want to do was just sit on his behind and get lazy while everyone else did everything. He wanted to pull his weight here. Seeing as the village had more than enough security he was curious as to what part he could play.

Hikari listened as Alec explained that the monkey girl she was seeing was someone named Jynx who was also part of the Yanagi clan. The girls mother had had experiments preformed on her by those who used to control this village, only instead of the experiments working on her they had worked on Jynx. Up until Alec had freed her Jynx had spent her entire life locked up in that building; a prisoner. Alec said that she was smart, which meant that they hadn't been so cruel as to not give her an education. Still, Hikari was glad to know that those who held her captive were dead and Jynx was free.

When Alec mentioned them helping her Hikari nodded: she knew the Yanagi history rather well – it was mostly saved to memory but she was sure she could find a book on it. ”I'll help any way I can. Perhaps... I should take a look at her too? If she'll allow me. I'm sure they probably didn't have the best medic around to make sure nothing was wrong with her....”

She became quiet, thinking and plotting. The village likely did indeed need a hospital, and that was only one thing she could help do among the loads there was.

They closed in upon his big new house, walking up the stairs onto the large, spacious porch that had outdoor couches and two swing seats. Inside, they would be greeted by Alec's 2 new maids Lindsey and Andrea, again dressed in their maid uniforms. they both greeted Alec with "Master Kane" while giving a slight bow.

"Ha. No need for all that," Alec said, waving his ungloved hand. "I'm nobody's master. Just call me Alec. Nice job, by the way," he said, noticing that they'd cleaned up the blood. There was a smell of a fruity flavor cleaning solution in the air. Both the girls bowed again blushing and made their way out of the room.

Alec propped his hands on the top of his walking stick. "I haven't made contact with any of the the other villages in the area yet, but I plan to soon. Hikari can obviously get the hospital up and going, being the medical expert and all, and you... I don't know what to expect with these other villages. They could be hostile cannibal barbarians for all we know, so it's a good thing you came along. You can be the village powerhouse, seeing as you have Kua, Little Kong and all that Sage training. When I start traveling around, you can come with..."

He took off the Metal Cestus Glove, putting it back into one of the pockets of his black cloak. "Jynx is right upstairs, Hikari. It's a good idea to give her a look over to make sure she's in full health. I mean, it doesn't look like anything's wrong with her, besides being a little on the thin side, probably from not eating right. I gave her free reign of the kitchen though..."

Alec began walking for the stairs. "But anyway, it's good you all are here, have a look around, get comfortable. If you need me for anything, I hope you kept your comms," he tapped his left ear. "I'll be around somewhere, so don't be shy..."

Alec ascended the stairs to the 3rd floor to return to his new office...

Alec replied that they hadn't made contact with the other villages yet. He appointed Hikari as the village medical expert and charged her with getting the hospital up. He told Kurai that he could be the powerhouse of the village, as he had Kua and Little Kong, as well as Sage training.

Alec said that when he started to travel, Kurai could come with. Kurai knew Alec wasn't the sort to need a bodyguard with how well he could fight, but even he said he didn't know what to expect when traveling to these other villages. Kurai wouldn't mind going with him, and he suspected neither would Little Kong. "No problem," Kurai replied.

Alec went upstairs after saying that it was good that they came, and that Hikari could go up to see Jynx. Kurai kept his Communicator just in case Alec decided to get the party line back going, which turned out to be a good idea seeing Alec tap his left ear.

"I think i'm going to go have a look around here," Kurai said to Hikari, leaving the family history thing to her. "Get a feel for the place. Call if you need me, huh?"

He and Little Kong went back out the door...

[Exit]

Hikari looked around with her Chakra radar as they neared the big house: the porch was nicely furnished and the inside of the house was quite nice, too. Hikari figured she'd likely end up staying in a special suite of the hospital after she got it fixed up and running properly though: she liked to be close by in case her skill set was needed in a emergency. Being a medical nin was a job she took very seriously after all.

Once they were inside two maids greeted Alec, calling him Master Kane, which made Hikari stifle a chuckle: she was sure Alec would tell them not to call him that, and sure enough he did. Alec said that they had done a good job in cleaning up the mess, and she happened to agree; even with how sensitive her nose was she couldn't smell any traces of the blood.

Alec said that he hadn't contacted any of the other villages yet, but that Kurai could accompany him when he did so. Hikari had no doubt that Alec could take care of himself, the same as her twin could, but the extra backup was definitely a good idea like Alec said. There was no telling, after all, what the rest of these villages had gotten up to considering Kurayamigakure had a girl that was half human half monkey. When Alec said she could get the hospital up and running Hikari couldn't help but grin: it was going to be hard work but it was also going to be very fun – and it would keep Hikari nice and occupied which was what she liked.

”Alright, I'm going to go take a look at her if she'll let me. Afterward I'm going to figure out where I want to put the hospital; I want a big location so I can do a lot of expanding. I've got my comm with me in case anyone needs anything...”

With that said Hikari would head up the steps and off towards what she knew to be Jynx' room. Stopping outside of the door she would raise her hand and knock softly.

Artemis had left Jynx alone after ensuring that the room was perfect for her; and it was. The walls were decorated with a forest scene that looked like it was painted by someone who had been staring at the real thing while they worked. It had large windows which were now open to tempt in any breeze of fresh air and get out the last of the dustiness of the room: it was clear that no one had used this room in quite a long time – it was in pristine condition besides that. There was a decorative miniature water fall in the corner surrounded by brown and green chairs and floor to ceiling bookcases that were crammed full of various books. There was also a private bathroom with a tub big enough that Jynx could swim in it if she wanted to, and a large comfortable bed. There was also a walk in closet that was stocked already with a variety of sizes in both male and female clothing: which was a good thing because Jynx couldn't bring herself to go back down into the basement and get the few clothes she had left behind in the wicker basket.

Jynx was just settling in on one of the chairs to get comfortable; her stomach was full and she was feeling a bit tired and very relaxed; when she heard the knock at the door. Not bothering to put her feet down from the foot rest they were on to see who it was through Shinsai, she simply said ”Come in, please.”, loud enough to ensure her voice carried through the door to whoever was on the other side of it.

Her head shifted towards the door as she waited for it to open, curious as to who was on the other side: Artemis said she would likely just use the door that joined their two rooms if she needed anything, and the knock had been light as if it had been done by feminine hands. Could it be one of the maids she had seen cleaning up earlier? Or perhaps someone else?

Alec returned to his office. He straightened out the rest of the room, cleaning up the messes made by the former boss and his cronies. Lindsey and Andrea came in soon after, cleaning the blood from the floors and having the office smell of the same fruit fragrance that was on the lower floors. Alec was sure to thank them.

Alec sat at the desk and cleaned out the smoking pipe. He noticed a special door in the floor on his right side, containing a large stash of the green, among other things, like documents, money and jewelry. Alec had been sitting there for a while, having smoked at least 3 bowls of the green, clouding the air around him with a light green colored smoke, when he noticed something underneath one of the legs of the desk. Standing and lifting the desk he picked up a scrap of paper. ordinarily he would have just thrown it away, since it looked like just a scrap of paper, but there was something about this.

Alec sat down again, tapping his pipe to the ashtray to empty it. After cleaning the bowl, he stuffed it with more of the fresh green, using Katon chakra to ignite it while putting the end to his lips for a long drag. Choking back a cough, Alec put the pipe down and leaned back in his leather chair, unfolding the scrap of paper. exhaling the smoke slowly, Alec came to find that the paper was really a map, and had another scrap attached to it that looked much older. The older scrap was also a map; a piece of one. "A map of other pieces of a map," Alec said. "I wonder what the other map is a map of?"

This had to be pretty important if a map was torn into several pieces and spread around the village, according to the first map. There were 4 other pieces in various places. The other guys that ran this place probably didn't get to it yet, or didn't think the prize at the end of it all was really worth it. Alec saw it as something else to do. Whatever was at the end of it all had to be pretty cool, or perhaps it really was nothing to get excited over. Either way, the adventurous nature of Alec was nearly pushing him out of his chair to go find the rest of this map to see where it would lead him.

Jynx was in a room, and Hikari was outside of it, knocking on her door. She would be in good hands, so there was no reason to worry about her. Alec had already began to see the girl as another one of his kids, whether she knew it or not. He couldn't help but feel bad for the girl; she'd been locked up in the basement of this house for as long as she'd been alive. Perhaps now things could change for her. When he began to travel around, he would have to take her with him.

Alec stood from the desk and began to head towards the stairs...

Hikari heard a feminine voice say come in and reached down to the doorknob; she gave it a turn and pushed the door open gently. She paused a moment and then walked into Jynx's room. She kept the door opened slightly, she didn't know how the other female would feel about a stranger being shut in the room with her after all. Hikari would reach up absently to adjust the cloth covering her eyes and push back some of her long black hair before folding her arms over her chest; her medical band on her left arm sticking out amongst her mostly black outfit.

”Hello. I'm assuming you're Jynx? I'm Hikari; Hikari Yanagi.”, she explained in a soft voice, pausing to give the other female a chance to process it all – and to get over the mental freak out of her being a Yanagi: Hikari was no psychic but she was pretty sure it was something that would startle the girl all the same.

”Alec is a friend of mine, and he told me and my twin a little bit about you. I'm a medic. I was wondering if you'd allow me to examine you? I wanted to make sure that there was nothing wrong: I figured that those who kept you captive didn't likely take the best care of you...”

Hikari took a deep breath before continuing on, glad that she had been a bit of a social butterfly when she was younger because she knew that this would have been a bit awkward otherwise. ”Also, I heard you might like to hear the Yanagi history? Or that you might have some questions... Whatever I can do to help.”