[center][u]Julian Drake[/u] [youtube]fH4SsriD9wc[/youtube][/center] Julian looked up at the sky. It was one of those days - one of those rare, once-in-a-blue moon days - where the sun manage to pop through the black clouds that usually loomed over the city. It warmed him and he held out his arms to his sides, taking it in slowly. He was a top a water tower, standing at the roof of the sturdy structure that still functioned - something as rare as the day that embraced Julian with open arms. Julian took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, smiling as he reached for his Lutar. He had gotten it to work, and it kept him sane. He sat down atop the tower and began strumming away. [i]Funny, eh? The 'pocalypse... it's made me strongah'. I... I feel....[/i] [i][b]"Always with the day dreaming, Jules."[/b][/i] Julian stirred in his calm, and then smiled as he realized it was his onikage, Senyuko who spoke. "Aye, Senny. It's nice, yuh know? Escapin' the world for a secon'. Let's you... drift off...." Deep within Julian's spirit, Senyuko rose until he completely filled Julian with his spiritual energy. Julian could feel his presence, but he wasn't worried. He had changed Senyuko - who, according to the onikage lore, was to suck away his free will and use his body as he wished. No, Senyuko and Julian were one. They were a team, and that's how they would live the rest of their years. [i][b]"Julian, tell me something. Why do you feel no pain? No sorrow?"[/b][/i] Julian chuckled and continued to strum on his Lutar. "Y'see... I do feel pain. I do feel sorrow. But I simply embrace it, accept it. Once you learn tah love your weaknesses, to let them define you, well... that's when they become your strengths. Y'see, I let my sorrows in, I welcome them. And when they get right at home, right here," Julian smiled and placed one hand on his chest, over his heart, "that's when I say t'em, 'look now, I'm gonna need yeh to work with with me, aye?' And y'know what, brothah? They do. They choose to work with me, and 'fore yeh know it, they become strengths. They become allies." Senyuko emulated a laugh, and then spoke up once more, [b][i]"Like me, huh?"[/b][/i] Julian smiled, "Aye. Exactly like you." --- [center][u]Ishigo[/u][/center] "[i]...and make sure they're trustworthy. No military ties whatsoever, alright, hermano?[/i]" Ishigo was perched up on the tip of a guard tower's peak. From here, he had an amazing view of the fallen structures around him. His holopad was placed in a portable socket located on the strap of his backpack, which single-strapped diagonally along his torso. "You got it. You guys stay together, and I'll start rounding them up." He pressed a single button on his Holopad, closing the comm, and began eying his surroundings. [b][i]"Rather empty today. Why do you choose to remain in this sector?[/b][/i]" said the voice of his Kamikage, Jin. Ishigo continued looking around, giving a second before replying. "Jin. You're the kage, how come you can't sense it?" Jin sighed, [b][i]"I can... but... he's not... He hasn't awakened yet, Ishigo. His host has no idea. It could be messy, we won't be sure.[/b][/i]" Ishigo shook his head, "We'll be able to handle it, Jin. That's how we've survived this long." As he spoke, he narrowed his sights on a lone, young man, running across an array of rooftops below him. He seemed carefree and was running without purpose, almost embracing the wind that brushed past him. [i]Well... I'm not one for making assumptions, but...[/i] Ishigo relaxed his body, which was tensed in preparation for combat. Over the year, he had been constantly hunting and searching. He had been hunting the violent conduits who sought the kill other hosts and absorb their power - lowly scum and thugs, really. But at the same time, he aimed to unite those hosts who could keep their kages at bay or cooperate with them. Ishigo was one of the few who can tell, no, he could [i]feel[/i] a war coming, and he would need every able hand at his side. With a quick leap, he jumped off the tower and slid down it's wall until he reached a point at which the sunlight failed to reach the surface. His body seemed to dematerialize, like sand diffusing into the wind, but instead, his body fused with the shadow that was cast along the large wall of the tower. Ishigo felt his body lose mass, and eventually, he reformed at the shadow of a small water tower that stood upon a rooftop that was directly in the boy's path. [i]Let's see where this goes...[/i] --- [center][u]Kisheto Yashime[/u][/center] [i]Faster, faster, faster! WOOO![/i] Kisheto was dashing across the rooftops of... well, he had no idea where he was. All he knew was that he was much stronger, faster, and able. He could leap great distances as if they were mere bunny hops away, and he could run fast enough and with enough force to scale up a wall as if gravity had given up on him. Why? He had no fucking idea. The last year had gone by rather quickly for him - his constant movement had provided him with a great deal of food and shelter, which he refused to carry. No, he survived using guerrilla tactics, taking temporary shelter in one place, and finding another the next day. Sovereign was large enough for him to do this repeatedly without stumbling upon the same place twice, and it was great for the young lad, who enjoyed the freedom. However, he was plagued by a small bout of amnesia, as he had forgotten the events of the disaster. Or rather, he had forgotten the specifics. What had caused the apocalypse? Why did he suddenly wake up in the rubble of the capitol building floating in floodwater? He refused to ponder it - no, he was simply glad to be alive for so long. He had rarely met anyone, excluding a few families who he managed to lead to shelters he had used previously. Luckily enough, there was no sign of hostility in his path. And even now, he continued to run about freely, like a child in a playground. [i]Yeah... Sovereign, you're my playground. Uh-huh, howzzat' feel, yo?[/i] Kisheto smiled as he pushed up and leapt from the rooftop of his current building to the next. As he prepared to land, however, his body was met with a large boulder that was hurled toward him. The large piece of metal completely threw him off course, and he crashed into a generator located on the rooftop below him. "FUCK!" Kisheto exclaimed, slowly pushing the boulder off of him. It had hurt, undoubtedly, but instead of killing him, as it would have naturally, it simply bruised him a bit. Kisheto didn't take a moment to wonder why he was alive. No, he quickly turned to his left and right, looking for the source of the attack, but it was too late. A large man, about 6'4" in height with broad shoulders and a massive structure, flew his way, his fist outstretched. The fist met his face instantly, and threw Kisheto even further back the path from which he came from. He crashed through two layers of walls, and this time, the pain was more noticeable. He groaned as he got up, pushing off debris and bricks. "What the hell is your PROBLEM?!" Kisheto yelled. The man, who seemed to be rather young, was wearing a torn white tanktop and tattered jeans. He stared with icy blue eyes, and instead of replying, he let out an inhuman roar that shook Kisheto's nerve. The roar was loud enough to cause the building that Kisheto was on to rumble, and Kisheto staggered back a bit. "What... in the name of fuck..."