Broken Rage [Lanza]

[Kouichi Osaka]

Kouichi growled quietly as he stalked through a quiet park, dark crimson eyes scanning the darkened, snow-dappled grass as if it could tell him what he wanted to know. He was absolutely furious and there wasn't much he could do that would calm him down at the moment. It wasn't like there was anything he could take his anger out on, his target having once again slipped from his grasp. He'd seen her through a crowd of people, but likewise she'd seen him. She'd run of course. She knew well enough what he looked like with his white wig and red contacts, and she also knew well enough that he would likely rip her apart with his bare hands if he ever caught her. There was no way she couldn't know, what with the scars she'd gained from her first encounter with him after the fire she'd set.

He thought he'd seen her run into this park, but there was no sign of the fighter at all. Not even a footprint in the slightly muddy grass. Snarling, Kouichi turned on his heal, intending on going home and getting some much needed rest. However, a scream caught his attention. Brows furrowing more, the tattoo artist turned to where the voice had come from, darting in that direction.

Soon enough, he came into view of a somewhat large foreign man, tall and imposing, standing over the form of a young woman who was laying on the ground, clearly having just been struck, if the blood dripping from a freshly split lip was any indicator. The woman was staring up at the man, clearly terrified, but pleading with him to stop. Kouichi smiled grimly at this. Looked like he had an outlit for his fury after all.

Running up to the pair, Kouichi grabbed the man by the shoulder as the man lifted his foot, likely intending to kick the woman. "I'd stop if I were you," Kouichi growled, glaring up at the taller man.

"Oh? And who's gonna stop me? A shrimp like you?" The man laughed, though he was thrown off when he noticed the shorter's crimson eyes and white hair, a brief gust of wind shifting his bangs to momentarily reveal the severe scarring on the side of his face. "Or should I say, freak?" he added, grinning as he recovered. "Hey, Miyako, how about I show you just what I'm going to do to you after I deal with this little freak?" He laughed again, but was cut off by a sudden punch to the gut. Coughing slightly from the unexpected force, he glared at Kouichi, who's expression had turned near feral, a dangerous smirk turning up the corners of his lips.

"And just who's going to be showing who what now?" the white-haired man questioned, voice growly, but unexpectedly calm for the look on his face. Before the taller man could regain his breath, Kouichi struck again, punching him hard in the face with all the force he could put into it. The man was knocked back, falling to the ground near the woman he'd called Miyako.

Miyako squeaked, scrambling to her feet and ducking behind Kouichi while holding the back of her gloved hand up to her bleeding lip. Kouichi just watched as she took shelter behind him, but then turned his head slightly to look at her with his good eye. "Go home," he growled softly, watching her for another moment until she nodded and started to turn only to suddenly stop and shout a warning. While he'd been looking at her, the larger man had managed to regain his breath and shake off the pain of Kouichi's punch, leaping to his feet.

Having not seen it thanks to being blind in his right eye, Kouichi had no time to react before the man had him by the hair. Being that it was a wig, it came off in the man's hand, slipping away from a mostly bald head littered in burn scars. A few sections of short black hair remained, all on the left side of his head where he hadn't been burned too badly. Over all, it was horrifying sight and the bigger man was thrown off once again, this time receiving a strike to the jaw. His head snapped back, his grip on Kouichi's wig loosening enough for him to snatch the wig out of his hands, though he didn't have the time to put it back on.

Suddenly, it was as if he hadn't had the upper hand at all. Shouting angrily, the man lashed out, kicking Kouichi hard in the side. Gasping harshly at the sudden burst of pain, he stumbled and the taller grabbed his arm, twisting it harshly behind his back causing Kouichi to let out another pained sound. The man's other hand came up, wrapping around Kouichi's neck. "You know what I do to shrimps who get in the way of me punishing my woman?" he asked, smirking. Not saying another word, he tightened his hand around the smaller man's throat.

Trying and failing to draw in air, all the rage left Kouichi's body as panic set in. He couldn't get the other man's hand off his neck, no matter how much he clawed, leaving bloody scratches on both his own neck and the man's hand. Slowly, he found his body giving way, hands limply falling to his side as his vision went hazy. He was going to pass out, and he couldn't help but think that maybe he wouldn't even wake up again. '...it's just a shame I never got to kill that bitch first...' he thought, making one last attempt to get free before the lack of air caused him to pass out, going completely limp in the man's grip.

Grinning, the man dropped Kouichi, letting him fall to the muddy ground in a heap. "Now, where were we before this freak interrupted us?" he asked, grinning at Miyako as he kicked Kouichi's unconscious form. The kick drew him out of his forced slumber, but barely conscious, he didn't move except to pull in deep breaths of the cold, early spring air.

[Lanza Riva]

"I believe you were going to leave her alone, weren't you?" interrupted a voice almost as cold as the spring air around them. It stabbed through the momentary silence like the steel of a blade, and it was meant to be just as threatening. Without giving the man much pause to think, a set of strong, thin fingers enclosed themselves around his wrist with a grip like iron before a swift kick to the legs knocked his weight out from underneath him, causing him to start to fall. His breath caught in his chest, ready to cry out from the surprise, or it would have had his attacker given him the time to do so. Instead, he was pulled by the arm and thrown through the air, the attacker having used his own falling momentum against him before flinging him over her shoulder onto his back before releasing his arm and lifting her leg and bringing it down hard into his gut. "Well? How does it feel? To be the one being kicked when he's down? Unpleasant, isn't it?" she asked, her voice still as cold as the snow that still covered the ground as she kicked him two more times. Once in the gut again and once in the groin. For what he did, he deserved that much, she thought.

Slowly, the girl straightened herself and then turned to look at the girl... Miyako, she heard her name was, and the boy laying on the ground. "Miss...Miyako, was it? Are you okay? You should probably get yourself to a doctor and get those injuries looked at, okay? I'll see to it that he gets taken care of." a lot of the edge had left her voice, but she wasn't the most "warm" person out there. At least she had been nearby and seen this happen. Slowly, she made her way over to where Kouichi lay and carefully knelt down. "...Are you all right?" she asked a bit tentatively, not knowing if he was fully conscious or not. He really looked like he'd seen some hell. His head was all burned and parts of his hair barely grew. Catching a glimpse of the now slightly muddy wig, Lanza reached over and picked it up, gently putting it back where it belonged before she pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at the blood and mud on him. "That was really reckless, you know..." she murmured almost to herself as she stared down at the barely conscious male. Did he have any self preservation at all? If he didn't, it was like de ja vu all over again.

[Kouichi Osaka]

Kouichi groaned softly, a weak cough being muffled by the grass as he lay there, too dazed to comprehend what was going on around him. Vaguely, he registered something tingling almost pleasantly, familiarly, at the edges of his senses, however, in his semi-conscious state he couldn't place what it could have been. Perhaps he may have not even noticed it had he been properly awake.

Becoming slowly more conscious, the sounds of a woman's calm, cold voice, and the pained cries of the tall man began to filter into his awareness, breaking through the haze that had covered his mind bit by bit. And then the woman's voice was right over him, talking, drawing him further into wakefulness, though it wasn't until she slipped his slightly damp wig back onto his head and began dabbing at the blood and muck that he completely woke.

Groaning weakly, he realized that his side hurt terribly and quickly decided to lay still for a minute or two while he assessed the damage he'd taken and pushed aside the pain. His arm was sore, and he was certain he'd have to wear a scarf for the next little bit at work. His throat felt almost like it had been crushed, and his neck was certainly heavily bruised. It felt like his ribs were bruised, or maybe even cracked from the force of the kick he'd taken.

Letting out a breath, he decided to distract himself by tuning into what the woman was doing, turning his head slightly more, even though it hurt, attempting to direct his blurred vision up at her. When she commented on his recklessness a moment later, he was slightly startled. Just how much had she seen? "...ah... I know, but... I couldn't... just leave things... alone like that..." His voice came weak and scratchy, barely a whisper and he winced. That sounded worse than it actually felt and he let out a somewhat irritated breathy sigh, his brows furrowing.

After another moment of laying on the cold, wet ground, Kouichi let out a soft breath, closing his eyes as he braced himself for moving. His fingers squelched a little in the mud as he got his hands under himself, slowly pushing himself up. It hurt and he let out a hiss of a breath, settling on his knees for a moment longer, just breathing shallowly to attempt to push aside the pain again before opening his eyes and attempting to focus on the woman again with blurry vision. Realizing his contacts must have slipped, he blinked rapidly to fix the problem before looking back at her again, only to be startled into momentarily forgetting his pain.

The ginger-haired woman was... kind of small. Not short, per-say, looking not TOO much shorter than himself, but enough that it was a huge surprise to think that she somehow took out that beast of a man on her own. But then, Kouichi probably would have been able to do that himself if he foolishly hadn't taken his eye off the brute, and he was lousy at hand to hand. It was hard to judge how much time had passed by after the man had gotten him by the throat, but it couldn't have been that long. Another look at the blue-eyed woman, the way she held herself, it seemed she was probably pretty well trained. She didn't look like she'd been hurt at all.

Impressed with both her strength and kindness in coming to a stranger's aid, he aimed a tiny smile at her, reaching up to straighten his wig so that the bangs, messy and mud-damp, properly covered the burn around his right eye. "Thank you for your help," he near whispered, voice still horse, but not as bad as if had been the first time he spoke. He then placed his hands on his knees, using them to brace himself as he slowly stood. Once he was on his feet, he canted his head slightly. Normally, at this point, he would have just walked away, grateful, but not feeling that he needed to do anything in return. However, he felt almost compelled to stay. There was something about her... something almost familiar.

Burnt-umber eyes and scarlet hair flashed in his mind's eye and he flinched, the motion barely perceptible. That was it. She reminded him of Yuuki, even though they didn't look the same. She held herself like Yuuki had, clearly confident in her abilities, and he got a similar feeling from her... not to mention this meeting. He'd been rescued. Again. Always being saved by red-heads, it seemed, even if this one wasn't so much red as a rather lovely shade of copper. Turning slightly away with a frown, he rubbed the back of his head in an almost anxious gesture. "...Osaka Kouichi. Call me whatever you want," he said, not looking back at her. He just... hoped she wouldn't call him Kou. That would be too much for him to take at the moment.

...maybe later. He frowned a bit more to himself at the thought, wondering what he was even thinking. Who even said there would be a later? There was no reason for even thinking that... except that he realized that he actually wanted there to be a later. It was stupid. He didn't even know this girl, and it would be unfair of him to try and make friends with her. He didn't want to get her involved with his problems. But yet, he couldn't force himself to turn away from this girl who felt so much like what he'd lost so long ago. It wasn't fair. Using his hair as a shield, he closed his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth, even as he forced the rest of his body to remain relaxed, waiting for her to respond.

[Lanza Riva]

Lanza glanced down as a weak groan hit her ears. It was one of a few that had escaped the man's throat since he had been kicked aside earlier. Slowly, his head moved, turning to look up at her as she wiped away the mud and blood and she peered into the dazed red orbs below. She folded up her handkerchief and pocketed it before she turned back toward the man when she heard the hoarse crackle of a voice.

"...ah... I know, but... I couldn't... just leave things... alone like that..."

"I see... Well, I understand that much..."Lanza replied, a small smile playing on her face for a moment. That was the truth. The fact that she was standing here was testament to that. However, her small smile quickly faded. "But you turned away from him. That was your mistake. You look like you're going to be okay, though, which is lucky." she said with a sigh, shaking her head as she pulled out a phone and turned away to dial a number. After a rather quick rapid-fire conversation in Italian, and a few inquiries, she had come across the names of a few family-employed doctors that were among those sent here to Japan. Perfect. That was just what she needed to hear.

"Thank you for your help."

Those almost whispered words brought her focus back to the man as she turned to look back at him and her mouth curved itself in a tiny smile in return. "You're welcome. I was nearby, and I couldn't leave things alone, so... Well... um... anyway, you're probably hurt, so you should get looked at by a doctor. I just made arrangements to have you examined by one, too," she replied, making a move to help him stand as he made the movement to try to get on his feet.

"...Osaka Kouichi. Call me whatever you want."

"...Osaka...Kouichi..." Lanza parroted with a bit of a furrowed brow as if sampling the name on her tongue. She wasn't from Japan, and in Italy, everyone called everyone by their given names, but "when in Rome, do as the Romans do"...right? But... he DID say to call him whatever she wanted. Did that mean she could call him by his given name? "Ah, I'm Riva. Lanza Riva. You may call me whatever name you like, too. I don't mind."

[Kouichi Osaka]

She'd called a doctor for him. Once again, he found himself grateful for her and looked slightly back at her as she said her own name, throwing back his own invitation. "...Lanza Riva..." he murmured quietly to himself. The L of her first name was honestly easier to pronounce than the V of her last and, glad she'd thrown his own invitation back at him, he offered her a small, tense smile, clearly not as relaxed as the rest of his body would have one believe. "Lanza-san, then..." He looked away again at that moment, aiming his gaze off in the distance, absently lifting a hand to rub at his side, as if such a thing could take away the damage.

Kouichi's frown returned as he shifted, already starting to feel awkward. He just wasn't used to really conversing with anyone anymore. He didn't even really talk to his customers, preferring to just focus on his art. It was easier that way. Talking was a bother, but here he was, trying anyway. Why was he bothering? It would be better if he didn't. Lanza didn't need someone like him around. Lost in thought and frustrated, his fingers dug lightly into his side, suddenly drawing him back to reality as he let out a pained hiss. He growled softly, almost inaudibly as he wondered just what the hell was wrong with him. First taking his eye off a dangerous opponent, then all these thoughts about wanting to make friends with the ginger-haired woman, and now letting himself get lost in thought out in the open? Did he hit his head or something?

"...idiot," he muttered under his breath, berating himself for acting like a fool. He felt like he should just go, but then he remembered that she's arranged for him to see a doctor about his injuries. He did need to make sure that his ribs weren't cracked... Letting out a soft breath, he turned back to Lanza. "...you said that you arranged for a doctor?" he asked, though he couldn't seem to bring himself to look directly at her.

[Lanza Riva]

"...Lanza Riva..."

Lanza watched him murmur her name like she had his and awkwardly glanced away, once again wondering what she should call him. Well, he had called her by her given name and told her to call him by whatever name she felt like calling him, so she should just relax and call him by whatever felt most natural. "In that case, I'll call you Kouichi-san in return," she replied softly, tilting her head to the side as she glanced away almost as if she was embarrassed. She was getting all worked up over something so... so stupid!

"...idiot."

"Hm?" Lanza couldn't help but snap to attention and look back over at Kouchi, wondering who or what he was talking about. Slowly her brow began to knit together and a frown began to frown on her face. Just what was going on in his head? She was about to open her mouth when he opened his again and cut her off.

"...you said that you arranged for a doctor?"

Ah, so he decided to change the subject from who or whatever was the idiot. Well, whatever. Lanza nodded at him, even though he seemed to avoid looking at her for some reason. "Yes. I arranged for a doctor under the employment of my family to take a look at you. Don't worry. We've only got good doctors," she said as she slowly moved past him, obviously leading the way, glancing back after only a few steps. "Do you need help to walk or will you be okay with just being shown the way?"

[Kouichi Osaka]

Realizing that Lanza must have heard him calling himself an idiot, despite how quiet he'd been, Kouichi found himself anxiously rubbing the back of his head again, then dropped his hand back to his side, forcing himself to relax as he took a careful step toward her. Finding that it didn't hurt bad enough to even think of asking for her help, he nodded slightly to himself. "I can walk on my own," he replied, then quickly decided that it sounded rude and short like that and tacked on a quick, "Thank you for the offer, though."

He couldn't help but wonder where, exactly they were going to go, though. It was late, and no where but the hospital would really be open at this time. It wasn't like they could just go to a clinic and expect someone to be there. He really didn't want to go to the hospital, either. He'd had enough of the sterile white halls to last a life-time when he'd been confined there, recovering after waking from his coma. At the same time, he didn't want to go 'home' while obviously in pain, either. He was still living with Yuuki's father, and the man worried far too much for Kouichi's taste. It was, in a way, like he was still living with Yuuki, except the Tsuchihara man's hair was as black as his own hair had been and going gray.

Thinking about it, after encountering his target that evening, he didn't really want to go back at all, even if he hadn't been injured. He'd probably wind up getting himself a hotel room for the night after parting with Lanza. Letting out a sigh through his nose, he started following her. Wherever they were going... it didn't really matter that much in the end.

[Lanza Riva]

"I can walk on my own. Thank you for the offer, though."

"You're welcome. I thought I'd at least extend the offer. You look okay on the outside, but on the inside, it could be a different story, so I thought I'd be safer than sorry," she said softly as she lead him toward one of the nicer hotels in the area. "This isn't a clinic or a hospital, but this hotel is where we are heading. A doctor under the employment of my father is waiting for you here. Follow me." With that explanation, she went inside, a number of people immediately rushing to her side almost as soon as she entered the hotel, receiving rapid and curt dismissals in Italian as she made her way past them toward the elevator.

Sighing softly, she leaned heavily against the elevator wall after selecting the floor, letting her head fall back a little. "...Sorry about that pack of wild dogs back there. They were worried about me. I'm their boss's daughter after all. I don't see the big deal in that, though," she said, standing back up properly as she looked away almost distantly for a moment of time as the elevator stopped and the doors opened, allowing her to lead him out into the hallway, which had only one door.

"Here we are, Kouichi-san. This is actually suite I have booked for my business, but since the doctor is up here as well, I am permitting you in the suite as well," after she unlocked the door and held it open for him, revealing the luxury business suite to the young man.

"Medico Arnoldi? Questo è il giovane ho parlato circa. Prenditi cura di lui," she she said sofly to the man in the middle of the room before she turned and looked at Kouichi. "Kouichi-kun, this is Doctor Arnoldi. He's going to take a look at your injuries now, so I'm going to the other room in the suite. It's late, so feel free to make yourself at home here if you don't want to disturb anyone. Buonanotte!" 

With that, she turned and walked into the other room, closing the door. "Geez...having to be mindful of your own gender is a real pain... At least I wanted to finally be out of these clothes..." she muttered to herself as she got herself changed into pajamas and headed for a bed, flopping onto it disgracefully.

[Kouichi Osaka]

As they walked, Kouichi realized that they couldn't have been heading for any sort of medical establishment. There was nothing of the sort in the area. His suspicions were soon confirmed as Lanza explained about the hotel and led him inside. He was soon startled as a bunch of people in suits flocked Lanza, only to get dismissed in a language that he didn't have any hope of figuring out as she led him to the elevator. Getting into it was a relief, even as it started ascending, causing an uncomfortable pressure in his chest. He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes as he attempted to ignore it, even though he was starting to feel faintly ill. She was soon apologizing for the flock of suits, and he opened his eyes to look at her. Now that she mentioned it, he was rather curious about that. What kind of business required that level of presence for the boss's daughter? However, he decided not to ask. It wasn't his place to pry. "...it's fine, don't worry about it," he replied, closing his eyes again.

When the elevator stopped, he let out a tiny, relieved sigh, stepping off after Lanza, into the hall. He didn't have a problem with elevators, normally, but while injured, they weren't enjoyable. The hall only had one door, and he wondered just what floor they were even on. The ride hadn't seemed that long, and he was sure that the hotel had looked huge from the outside. However, he shook off his thoughts as the ginger-haired woman started talking again, explaining how this was her business suite, but that the doctor was already waiting there. Nodding slightly, he followed her inside, muttering a quiet, "Excuse me for intruding," as he did so, closing the door behind him as Lanza spoke to the doctor in that other language again before turning back to him and introducing the doctor and inviting him to stay. Well, that settled where he was staying that night, even if he was a little on the reluctant side. "Good night, Lanza-san... and thank you again," Kouichi said to her retreating back, waiting until she was gone before turning to address the doctor.

The exam took a tad longer than Kouichi would have liked, considering how tired he was, but soon enough, it was over, bruised ribs being confirmed to be the worst of his injuries as well as heavy bruising and scratches on his neck. The scratches were treated, and Kouichi was left to his own devices. Once on his own, he sighed, locating the bathroom and using the sink to get as much of the muck out of his wig, jacket, and shirt as possible. He'd have to go back to change tomorrow, but now, he just wanted to rest. Once he was done with rinsing his things, he grabbed one of the folded towels from the rack, setting the soaked wig out on it to dry, then hung his wet jacket and shirt over the shower rod, hoping they'd be dry by morning. That done, he snagged a second towel to cover his bare head and shoulders as he left the washroom, sitting on the couch he'd seen earlier.

It wasn't long before he'd passed out, leaning heavily against the arm of the couch, unlikely to wake until morning.

[Lanza Riva]

Once morning broke and she was up and fully dressed, Lanza emerged from her room to find a half naked Kouchi collapsed asleep covered in naught but a towel. Sighing softly to herself, she made her way over to the young man and gently laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to be mindful of his bruises and injuries so she didn't accidentally hurt him by mistake. "Kouichi-san, it's morning. Time to get up," she called out to him, giving him a very gentle nudge as she did so. "Besides, you shouldn't sleep here with just a towel covering you, anyway. You'll catch a cold."

Sure, she was a bit naggy, and poking her nose where it didn't belong, but last night, Kouichi was thanking her for her thoughtfulness. She didn't count on it, but maybe he'd continue to do so if he felt so inclined to do so today. "I've called for breakfast, so it should be up soon. You might want to get yourself ready."" She settled down on the opposite end of the couch, watching him closely and almost curiously as another thought settled itself into her head. "...Ah, also, I hope you don't mind having Western style food for breakfast. All of us here are from Italy, so we're not used to Japanese style breakfasts yet."

[Kouichi Osaka]

The hand on his shoulder was enough to draw him from sleep, Lanza's voice serving to fully wake him as he slowly opened his eyes, sleepily listening to what she had to say. Right. He'd fallen asleep on the couch. Yawning, he straightened up, making sure to keep the towel over his head. The scars made him uncomfortable, and he really did prefer to keep them covered. "Good morning," he greeted, then canted his head slightly at the mention of breakfast and where she'd come from. Italy... then the language she'd been speaking before had to have been Italian. Good to know. "A western style breakfast is fine," he replied, than carefully pulled himself up from the couch, wincing as his ribs creaked in protest. He couldn't help but think he should have laid down properly the night before... Shaking his thoughts off, he turned to look at Lanza over his shoulder. "I'll just go get my clothing, then." That said, he disappeared into the bathroom.

Looking into the mirror, he sighed, closing his eyes. They hurt. Probably from leaving his contacts in while sleeping. He frowned, reaching into his pants pocket to pull out the case for them. He'd need to go without them that day, unfortunately. Taking a moment to carefully remove them, he then blinked dark sapphire eyes at his reflection. One was clearly blind, the blue milky and unfocused. Frowning a bit more, he reached for his wig. It was dry enough, so he carefully pulled it back on, finger combing it to get some amount of order back in the damp, messy locks. That done, he pulled on his shirt and jacket. Both were thankfully dry, and he brushed them out. His pants were stiff with dry mud, but there was really nothing he could do about that, so he ignored it, exiting the bathroom now that he was ready, glad that it appeared no one else had been in the room while he'd been half naked. It was bad enough that Lanza had seen that. He hadn't meant to sleep so long, at any rate.

[Lanza Riva]

"Good morning Kouichi-san,"she greeted in reply to his with a polite nod as she watched him get up, trying her hardest not to grimace. The poor guy. He Should have laid back, especially with the injuries he sustained the night before. She fought the urge to sigh and shake her head and just turned her head to look ahead of her as she sat on the couch, watching him disappear toward the bathroom, when... she saw it. In elegant lower case gothic font across the shoulder blades of the man's back was a name... Assiduous. So this man belonged to a unit. Well, he didn't make her ears ring like her brother did, so he wasn't a fighter. That meant that he was the sacrifice of the pair. If that was so, had he not met his fighter yet, or had something happened to them? She frowned softly, remembering the burn scars on his head and face and his "I don't care" attitude. That would explain something like that. But then... if he did lose his fighter that way... why was he still alive? It was obvious he was just carrying on because he was simply still alive and nothing more.

Everything was just a thought, but if it really was like that, Lanza understood why he might feel like that. After all, she was there herself once before, at the that very precipice of despair where you don't care if you give up and your life slips away, ending everything in the blink of an eye. However, she was no longer like that. She no longer held on to the "scent" of death and the hope of a new tomorrow had found its way into her heart a long time ago. What would have become of her had she been left alone? Would she even be alive today? A dozen of such thoughts swirled in her head and she almost didn't notice when Kouichi emerged from the bathroom. She only finally looked up once she saw his form standing in the middle of the room and she shook her head free of her thoughts. "Welcome back. When you left, I saw that you had a True Name on your back. Have you found your fighter yet, by any chance?" she asked, her suspicions clear. There was something keeping this man alive and it wasn't life itself and she was going to find it.

[Kouichi Osaka]

Kouichi almost seemed to freeze in place at Lanza's words, one hand slowly lifted to his shoulder, as if he could reach over it and touch the True Name scrawled across his back by Fate herself. Then, his expression morphed, going from calmly blank, to pained, to almost enraged with pain still burning behind dark sapphire eyes. "My fighter was a Blank, and he's dead," the white-headed man hissed, turning his head away to look out a window. He couldn't look at her right now. "Everything was taken from me by her," he added, expression once again changing. There was no way Lanza wouldn't ask now. He should be dead. He should have died with Yuuki and his mother, but he'd survived. 

"I'd known Yuuki for so long. We were lovers. He was mine. My fighter and almost my entire world. My mother was the rest of that world, and we were all living together. Mom didn't know about certain things, but she was calmly supportive of Yuuki and I." He let out a tiny breath, not looking at Lanza at all anymore, allowing his thick bangs to hide the tears already pricking at the corners of his eyes, making his right burn. "And then I met her. She shared my True Name, but I wasn't interested in her. I didn't want anything to do with her and made it clear. I had Yuuki already and didn't need anyone else. I thought she gave up and I didn't tell Yuuki about meeting her. There wasn't any point and I put it from my mind after she didn't come to me again. That was my mistake." 

He paused there to try and stabilize his shaky breathing. Just talking about this was stressful and his hands were starting to shake. It felt strangely good, though, even as he felt his rage and sorrow burning higher. He needed to keep going. "She did come back, but not in any way I would have expected. She'd found out where Yuuki and I were living, and set our home on fire in the middle of the night... By the time Yuuki and I woke up, Mom was already gone, and the house was a death trap. There was no escape... so Yuuki took me to the bathroom, and we waited for help to arrive in the bathtub of all places. He protected me, but..." Here, he trailed off, a tiny sob escaping him before he furiously wiped at his eyes, growling low. "She was outside, watching of all things. Watching with this smug look on her face as she burned my world away. I wanted to kill her. I vowed I'd kill her. That's probably the only reason I even woke up again."

Now it wasn't that he wouldn't look at Lanza, it was that he couldn't. Everything was boiling inside of him, words taking him back in time to remembered heat and Yuuki's calm warmth, sheltering him from the heat of the blaze. He was trembling, one hand gripping tightly at the key pendant around his throat, so tightly that he could feel the metal biting into the flesh of his palm, though now it did nothing to ground him. He couldn't seem to stop shaking, nor could he stop the burn in his eyes as tears threatened to spill. He just wanted his world back, but he could never have that again.

[Lanza Riva]

Lanza sat in silence, letting the sacrifice spill his guts and say everything he needed to say until she was absolutely certain he was done before she looked down, thought for a few moments, and then undid the jacket of her suit, sliding her arm out of the sleeve. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm kinda like you, in that case. I'm someone who also lost everything, and I have scars to prove it," she said bluntly as she rolled up her sleeve until just above the elbow revealing a rather realistic, but obviously prosthetic arm. "When I was 5, I was shot and I lost my arm and my family never took me back afterward, so I can understand the pain of losing absolutely everything. I get that. I really do."

"But I know better than anyone pity isn't what will help," she said cooly, rolling her sleeve back down as she slipped her arm back into the jacket of her suit, she looked back up at him, her eyes cold, hard, and determined. "I can help. As someone who knows that kind of pain, I don't want to let another suffer alone if I can help it. Besides... I'm also a blank fighter, so I'm useful." She stood and approached the sacrifice, holding out a clean handkerchief out to him. "I won't force you to take me as your fighter. It's your choice. I'm just saying that I can help you get the peace of mind you deserve."

[Kouichi Osaka]

Kouichi's eyes widened just slightly at her words, turning just enough to look at her, then fully as she revealed her right arm to be false. Hiding her physical scars, just as he did. She was... like him. A life obliterated in a moment. He couldn't help but lock his teary blue eyes on her hard, determined ones, looking for any sign of falsehood in her words as she offered to help, telling him she was a blank fighter as well. It was startling to know that she was like Yuuki. Maybe that's what it was, that reminded him so fiercely of his lost partner. It made sense. Slowly, he nodded, accepting the handkerchief with a silently thankful expression, using it to wipe his eyes of tears with a still trembling hand, though he was slowly pulling himself back together. This pain was understood. "Thank you, Lanza-san," he nearly whispered, a vague hint of a smile playing on his lips, though it never reached his eyes. "I think that I'll take you up on that... though I won't carve you. I have tattoo equipment back at... the place I've been living." He hesitated, suddenly unsure, even if he knew that he would still take her as his. How would Tsuchihara react to him bringing a new blank back to his place. 

He winced at the thought, frowning. Not a good idea. If he brought her there he'd have to time it so that Tsuchihara wouldn't be home. It wasn't that he was ashamed, it was more that Tsuchihara still felt Yuuki's loss almost as keenly as Kouichi himself. He didn't want to upset the man by bringing Lanza back there after the elder had so kindly given Kouichi a place to call home, even if it would never be home ever again. He let out a tiny sigh, forcing his lips into another vague smile. "Can I bring my equipment back here? My place isn't... very good for spending hours at." Turning his thoughts away from Tsuchihara again, a tiny spark of amusement entered his thoughts. Tattooing his true name on Lanza meant that he could match it perfectly. It would look like Lanza actually was his true fighter, rather than the monster that bore his True Name already. His smile turned a little more genuine at the thought, though it morphed into something akin to a smirk before he looked back out the window, hiding his face from Lanza once again.

[Lanza Riva]

The redhead watched the sacrifice's reaction, watching his eyes widen as she revealed that she was like him, hiding the scars that she received as a child, like Kouichi hid his burns with his wig. They both practically died the day they received their scars, but seemed as if Kouchi came back from the dead to get his revenge, while she was saved. That was their only difference. Otherwise, they were the same. They had lost everything all in one moment. One moment of mutual understood pain and suffering. One of them might have been saved and given a new life full of love and hope, but the other wasn't as fortunate. She could only hope to change that one day by putting an end to his despair and sparking hope in him somehow. Maybe through him interacting with her and her family. They had some sort of healing effect on people, from what she noticed.

"You're welcome, Kouichi-san," she said softly, smiling a little as well as she watched him, finding herself almost wishing his smile would actually reach his eyes. What would it take to make that happen? She was going to make it a mission to find out. "A tattoo...? That's fine. In fact, I know a Blank that's been tattooed." she nodded as she gave her consent to the type mark he was going to give her, watching him almost curiously as he made a face. She almost asked him what it was that made him make such a face, but she let him think things over until he sighed and a small vague smile parted his lips once more. Those smiles were almost... painful.

"Can I bring my equipment back here? My place isn't... very good for spending hours at."

"Yes, you can, but first, you should eat breakfast it will be here very soon," Lanza agreed with a nod before there was a knock at the door. "Speak of the devil... Potare in!" she called out loudly before some men in suits came in with trays and set them down on the coffe table by the couch. "Grazie, si può andare. Oh, e se si parla di mio papa, digli che ho trovato me stesso a Sacrifice." She waved off the underlings before uncovering a tray and picking up some toast and biting into it. "Go ahead and eat, Kouichi-san."

[Kouichi Osaka]

Kouichi relaxed slightly, still staring out the window as she agreed to not only let him tattoo her, but to let him bring his equipment back to her hotel. It was a relief, honestly, that she was agreeable. He didn't want to hurt Tsuchihara any more than the man already was. He didn't deserve that, and so Kouichi would never mention Lanza to him. Perhaps, it was time to move out. Staying in Yuuki's room was a good way to keep the rage and pain alive, but the longer he stayed, the less he wanted to go back, resulting in things like what happened last night.

Tuning back into what Lanza was saying, he turned to the door at the sound of a knock. She was speaking Italian again and he furrowed his brows, trying to figure out what all she was saying as a handful of suits entered with trays of food, setting them on the coffee table. He could guess that what she had said meant, 'Come in', or something to that effect, but what she said next just flew right over his head, though she'd mentioned him clearly, but the fact that she said 'Sacrifice'. Sighing quietly, he realized he'd have to make an effort to learn at least the basics of Italian now. It was kind of frustrating, being unable to understand a word.

When she suggested that he eat, Kouichi nodded, kneeling next to the coffee table. "...ittadakimasu..." he murmured quietly before beginning to pick at his share of the food. It was good, but he was feeling a little agitated, and so he wasn't really all that hungry. It wasn't that he was upset, though. More along the lines of surprisingly eager. He wanted to tattoo her, and soon. Once he had eaten as much as he could stomach (which truthfully was not all that much), he pulled away and stood, frowning momentarily at the crusty mud flakes he'd left on the floor where he'd been sitting. Gross. Definitely needed to change before coming back here. Maybe catch a quick shower. 

"I'll be back as soon as possible, Lanza-san," he said softly, looking directly at her. His tone was intent, clearly a promise. "Should I just come straight up when I get back?" he then asked, canting his head slightly to the right, his milky blue eye becoming visible through his hair with the movement.

[Lanza Riva]

...There it was again. She had thought so last night, but whenever she spoke in Italian to her family's bodyguards, Kouichi's face always seemed to scruch up in some form of frustration. She supposed that it was to understandable, however, since Italian wasn't a widely spoken language in Japan, and Kouichi wouldn't have a hope of even understanding, let alone speaking it as well. Sighing softly, she looked down at the ground, feeling a bit apologetic. She didn't mean to make him feel left out, but her bodyguards really couldn't speak Japanese very well. "I'm... sorry about that, Kouichi-san. My... bodyguards don't speak Japanese very well, so it's often easier to just speak to them in Italian. If you want, I can limit the amount of Italian I speak around you, or even teach you some so that you don't feel so frustrated and left out of the loop," she offered, kindly. "Oh, and what I said was 'Tell Papa I found myself a Sacrifice.' If that sounds confusing, the people who abandoned me were my real family. I'm adopted."

"...ittadakimasu..."

Once he was finished eating all he had wanted to eat, which was surprisingly little, Lanza's head snapped up, watching him as he turned to look at her, his blind eye becoming visible as he tilted his head to the side. It almost made her want to laugh the way they both had a scar that made something so important to their bodies so almost useless. Their similarities were almost ironically funny, if you had the warped sense of humor to enjoy it. "I'll be back as soon as possible, Lanza-san," came his intent voice, almost like a vow. Her ears twitched slightly as the soft promise broke the silence of the hotel suite, but she kept her focus completely on him, listening in closely. "Should I just come straight up when I get back?"

This posed a question in the fighter's mind and she immediately tilted her head in response. "You were kind of sick and out of it last night. Do you even know which floor you're on? I could wait for you in the lobby if you're not sure," she offered, deciding to cut him some slack. He was hurt and looking pretty ill in the elevator last night. "Is there... anything I need to do to get ready, myself?"

[Kouichi Osaka]

"...that would be very much appreciated," Kouichi replied, nodding slightly. "I'd like to learn, even if it's just the basics..." He trailed off there, listening to her again as she translated, explaining about the adoption, though he didn't say anything as he ate quietly. So she was adopted, huh? Well, he couldn't imagine a girl like her with all her snappily dressed bodyguards had been left all on her own after being abandoned.

Done with eating and ready to go get his equipment, he asked her about coming straight back up, then paused to listen to her reply. It was true that he had no idea what floor he was on right now, having spent most of the elevator ride with his eyes closed, but... "I should be fine. The elevator has a floor number display, does it not?" he asked, then looked thoughtful at her question about getting ready. "...have a shower, wash your back. I'll be sterilizing the skin regardless, but being as clean as possible would help as well. Also, see about getting some form of cover for your bed. You'll want somewhere comfortable to lay while I'm tattooing you, and I try to be as neat as possible, but excess ink and blood does happen to run sometimes, so you'll want to protect the bed." He couldn't think of anything else at that moment that should could do to prepare, so he left it at that, turning toward the exit. "I should be back in about an hour, if I'm right about our location. Two hours at most," the blue-eyed man stated, then left, disappearing through the door and down the hall to the elevator.

One almost nauseating elevator right later, Kouichi stepped out into the cold spring morning and took a steadying breath. This was really happening. He was about to take a new fighter, something he thought he'd never do... but it was for the sake of his revenge, so he'd do it. Breathing out, he started walking. It would take him a bit to get home, and then he'd have to call the parlor and play sick. He wasn't going to work today. He'd be too busy tattooing Lanza for that.

Half an hour later, he was back at the Tsuchihara residence. The man's car was in the drive, parked right next to Kouichi's and he frowned. What was the man doing home at this time? This was going to be a pain. He sighed, walking up to the house and entering. "I'm home," he called softly, and instantly burned-umber eyes were aimed at him from the livingroom couch.

"Welcome home, Kouichi. So you didn't come back again last night. Are you okay?" Tsuchihara asked, standing and eying Kouichi, noting the dried mud on his pants, the faint brown streaks in the formerly snow-white wig, the lack of contacts, and the too-stiff way Kouichi was holding himself... not to mention the dark bruising around the younger's neck. "...what happened last night?" 

"...tch..." Kouichi clicked his tongue, not meeting Tsuchihara's gaze. The man was too good at picking up on things he didn't want him to pick up on. He hated coming home after fights. "Got into a fight, if you must know. Had back up, though, so I'm fine," he stated, tone bland and cold. He wasn't having this conversation. "Anyway, I need to get changed and go. I have an appointment to make."

"What about the parlor? Don't you work today?"

"Yes. I'm going to call in sick. I have something more important to deal with than a bunch of idiots wanting me to tattoo them." Kouichi didn't bother to even look at Tsuchihara as he kicked off his shoes at the door and headed straight for the phone, quickly calling. It wasn't hard to imitate the rasp of his voice from the night before, seeing as his throat still hurt, and he was soon excused for the day. A glance back at Tsuchihara confirmed the worry he knew the elder man was feeling for him and Kouichi sighed. "...I'm not going to die, Tsuchihara-san. I'm fine, honestly."

"...Kouichi, you'd let me know if anything big was going on, right? You're colder than usual. Did you run into her again?" Kouichi stiffened at the question, looking away.

"Ah... s'why I got into a fight last night," he replied, barely concealed rage leaking into his tone, but he quickly shoved it down. He needed to be focused now, and getting angry wouldn't help that. Before Tsuchihara could get out another word, Kouichi had left the room, heading for Yuuki's.

Once in the privacy of the room Tsuchihara had given him, Kouichi leaned against the door, taking a couple deep breaths before stripping off his dirty clothing and wig. The wig was tossed almost carelessly onto his desk to be properly washed later. The contact case from his pants pocket soon joined it before he got clean pants on, the loose denim sagging slightly on his hips before he corrected that with a belt. He then paused, glancing at the mirror. His chest now sported a dark bloom of a bruise and he scowled at it, touching the black and blue skin lightly. That was going to hurt for a while. His neck also bore the same colouration in the shape of a large hand. No wonder Tsuchihara had been worried. He sighed, turning away and getting dressed the rest of the way, pulling on a low-collared, navy t-shirt and a loose, three quarter-length sleeved black blazer. Checking his appearance in the mirror again, he added a scarf to hide the bruising and nodded to himself. That was better.

Now completely dressed, he grabbed his spare wig and his contact case and headed into the bathroom. There, he washed his face, then cleaned his contacts before putting them back in. His eyes itched slightly, but he ignored the sensation as he slipped the fresh wig on, carefully finger combing the hair over the right side of his face. "...much better," he murmured, eying himself in the mirror a moment before heading back to the bedroom to gather his equipment, as well as a picture of his own True Name. He'd need that so he could get it perfect for on Lanza's back. Slipping the photo into his kit, he picked it and his jacket up and left the room again. 

"I'm headed off. I don't know when I'll be back," he stated, walking past Tsuchihara, who was watching him from the couch.

"...are you doing yakuza tattoos privately again, Kouichi? You know that's dangerous. You really should just get them to go to the parlor if they want your work." Tsuchihara stopped him again with those words and Kouichi laughed softly, the sound hollow.

"No, not this time, Tsuchihara-san. And anyway, I'm old enough that I don't need you butting into my business... I might not come back at all this time. Don't worry about me if I don't. We are both just consistently reminding each other of what's been lost, so there's no point." Without another word, Kouichi shoved his feet into his shoes and walked out, ignoring Tsuchihara yelling after him, almost begging him to wait as he unlocked his car and shoved his kit into the passenger seat. It had hurt, saying that to Yuuki's father, but he was so tired of the constant worry as well as the burning pain that filled his chest every time he walked into that practically unchanged room. He didn't want to go back. Not when he could feel his goal coming so much closer. 

Lanza would get him to there. He could feel it. Soon enough, this would all be over.

With that thought in mind, he shot Tsuchihara a tight, tense smile, then started the car and backed out, starting the drive back to the hotel before Tsuchihara could think to run back in for his keys.

Once at the hotel, he quickly found a place to park and leaned back in his seat with a sigh. He was starting to feel a little nervous, to tell the truth. Taking another fighter. Could he do it? Would Yuuki be upset at him if he knew? Or would he be happy that he was drawing closer to the end? "Ugh, get it together, idiot... Lanza-san is waiting for you," he muttered to himself, then grabbed his kit and got out of the car. After making certain the doors were locked, he headed back to the hotel, walking inside and heading straight for the elevator bank, pushing the button to go up.

Once again, he started feeling a little ill as the elevator went up and he scowled. He really hated elevators, but there was no way he was walking up the stairs with bruised ribs. Maybe after he healed, but not now. Stepping out once the death trap reached the correct floor, he headed down the hall, knocking on the door. Hopefully Lanza would be ready for him by that point.

[Lanza Riva]

"I'd like to learn, even if it's just the basics..."

Lanza nodded, making mental note of that. It made sense that if your fighter was going to be an Italian and speaking her native language here and there, you may as well learn at least the basics so you could understand at least a little bit, right? It made sense. "Okay, I can teach you from time to time. I'm sorry I didn't notice your frustration until now. I'm normally more observant." She really dropped the ball there. She was going to have to do better. Celino wouldn't be that pathetic, that was for sure.

"I should be fine. The elevator has a floor number display, does it not?"

He had her there. That much was true. "True enough. I'll wait for you up here, then," she replied with a half shrug. She was trying to be generous, but if he wanted to meet her here, this was where they'd meet. It was as simple as that. Her ears perked and she listened intently to his directions regarding how to get ready for her tattoo and she nodded seriously. "...Alright. I'll be sure to do all that. See you in an hour or two" She saw him out and then shut the door behind him, sighing softly into it as the nerves finally assaulted her. This was it. She was finally going to be given a Name and be taken by a sacrifice. This was the day that she had been told would happen to her since they found out she was a Blank fighter all those years ago, and she had been specially prepared for it, but she never anticipated that it would, especially for the sake of revenge. But she was a Blank. Most sacrifices taking Blanks had lost their fighter for whatever reason, but was this a common reason? She didn't know, but she didn't care. They were alike enough that they would get along and that was what mattered.

Taking in a deep breath, Lanza pushed herself away from the door and made her way to a closet and pulled out a large case. She opened up the case and pulled out a washable pad not unlike and laid it out on the bed before she headed to the bathroom, and prepared for a nice hot shower. She was out, dried off, had dressed herself in a rather unusual outfit of a t-shirt and shorts, and had just emerged into the living room area of the suite when she heard a knock on the door. There was only one person that could be. Taking in a deep breath and swallowing a ball of her last minute nerves, she walked to the door and opened it, finding exactly who she expected to see behind it. "Perfect timing, Kouichi-san. I just finished getting all ready. Come in," she invited, moving aside to let him in. "To protect the bedding, I borrowed a pad the doctor that examined you uses when he dresses particularly messy field wounds."