Empty Grave

[Lazarus]

He let himself slump back a bit lower in the booth he had found. The bar was seedy, but at least they didn't check ID too closely, otherwise they might have had an issue with a 19 year old sucking down a cold one right in the middle of the place. The game on the screen was some stupid local team, weren't all that good - he supposed they weren't all that bad either, just kind of 'meh'.

He let the ash of the cigarette in his other hand fall where it wanted, in a dump like this who was going to actually care? The important things were here, no one was bothering him, he had a beer and he had a smoke. Now adays that was what he considered a good time.

[Takashi Koji]

The door opened and closed with hardly a noise, but the silence of motion was quickly filled with the sound of jingling metal. Takashi Koji strode into the room, the metalic bracelets on his arms, the chains hanging from his neck, and the rings and studs that pierced his ears all combining the sound of their rustling and banging together to form a jingling maelstrom of noise that quickly filled the entire bar by drowning out the quiet music coming from the Jukebox in the corner.

He was, of course, stopped and carded before allowing to enter further. Despite being the appropriate age to drink in the United States of America, he hardly looked his age. His Japanese features made him look like a boy no older then seventeen, but his ID card said otherwise.

With that hassle out of the way, he made his way towards an empty booth and sat down. He adjusted his weight in his seat until he was comfortable, and then became quiet immobile, sitting extremely still and hardly moving. His eyes, however, made up for the lack of movement as they moved about, taking everything in. Across from his table say another man, who was slouching horribly while sucking on a cigarette.

Koji made a brief face of disgust.

Five minutes later he had a short glass of scotch sitting on the table in front of him, untouched. He took alcohol, like all things in his life, very seriously in the way that he only drank what he considered well to do drinks and never anything as lowly as beer or ale. He also always ordered his drinks with ice. He preferred to take it slowly, to savor the drink, even before he had yet to taste it. He liked to suck in the ambience of the bar, to smell the air, watch the people, and, of course, feel their emotions. His mutation allowed him to sense and effect the emotions of others, thus if he put himself in an emotional state similar to that of all bar-goers, then there was no chance of his powers acting up and changing everyone's emotional state to something different if say, for example, he was angry. Anger never got him anywhere, and just turned the cool bar into a maelstrom of angry, violent, and sometimes drunk, people.

Finally, he reached down and daintily picked up his glass using only his thumb and index finger. Lifting the glass to his lips, he drank lightly, a sip only, and then set the glass back down. All the while he watched the man across from him...

[Lazarus]

He caught the guy enter out of the corner of his eye, the place didn't have many people in it, but he'd sat right across from him. Wasn't that always the way?

He grumbled a bit, but went back to the game, taking another slam of his beer. After a few moments he became aware - aware of those eyes burning a hole right into his brain. He was staring at him, even better. He sank lower in the seat and tried not to notice, he HATED being noticed - it usually led to pain.

[Takashi Koji]

His stare did not relent in the slightest, and he became quite capable of sipping his drink without so much as taking his eyes off the American sitting across from him. The man had noticed his stare, and looked quite uncomfortable. Good, he deserved it. The entire world, all of existence, deserved to be uncomfortable. Murderers and thieves the lot of them, pining away at their own problems while ignoring the problems of others.

Judgement would come, but not from on high. It'd come in the form of a lowely man with truth in his heart, revolution on his lips, and the burning torch of the future clutched in his hand.

"You'll hurt your back sittin' like that," He said when he could no longer keep the thought from escape. The man was slouching so much that Koji had to point out the negetives of it, "Unless you want to be a hunchback?" He continued, in his even, asian-accented voice.

[Lazarus]

He rolled his eyes and straightened up, if ever so slightly.

"Thanks Mom, should I do my homework next?"

He pulled back another bite on his beer and just looked at him cooly. The man was still staring back without missing a beat. "Take a photo, it'll last you longer." He smirked to himself, cheesy? Yeah, but the classics were always good. He didn't know who the guy was, or why he was staring at him like that. Didn't much want to. A worrying thought hit him though, what if he was sent to settle debts? He'd racked up a rather nasty betting debt with Bruno, this wasn't one of his goons... was it?

[Takashi Koji]

Frustration turned into fear, although slight and seemingly misdirected. This man was a wide range of emotions, spreading nearly the entire spectrum, which in turn only meant one thing: confusion. Sometimes he wished he had telepathic abilities to go along with his empathy, so that he may glimpse into their minds and see what it was they were thinking that made their emotions fluctuate so. Pity he did not possess such abilities.

"And here I am with no camera," He replied without breaking his gaze with the man.

The man was twitchy. Dangerously so. How long could he push buttons before he snapped? He would enjoy finding out.

[Lazarus]

He fidgetted uncomfortably in his seat - he hated being watched. He hated being talked to, and at the moment he was really hating this guy.

"And here I am with no camera."

He twitched a bit, and grumbled under his breath. He'd found a decent little empty place to be out and about without being bothered - and now that was being taken from him. Great - fantastic - whatever. He picked up his beer, finishing his cigarette and stood up - he'd just find another seat, flight rather than fight. He'd had enough of those.

"Whatever, man." he shrugged and headed towards the other side of the bar to get away from the guy.

[Takashi Koji]

"Why are you so afraid?" Koji called out as the man began to walk away. Finally he broke his gaze and focused on the glass of alcohol in his hand. He shook the glass softly, causing the ice to swirl around pleasantly.

He was truly curious. Why was fear mixed in with the rest of the man's emotions. He was afraid of something, and that made Koji interested. Fear was so strange to him, near alien. In a dangerous situation, fear was the last thing Koji felt. Rather, he usually felt angry as opposed to afraid.

So, what did this man have to be frightened about?

[Lazarus]

A cold sweat began to cover his brow. He glanced at the bartender, who wasn't really paying attention - thank goodness. What did HE have to be afraid of? Not much really, what was the worst that could happen? He'd die, not too bad - and it wouldn't be the first time. The pain though... he winced at that thought, it wasn't dying that was painful - it was coming back.

He hated that pain, and after 6 experiences with it - did everything he could to avoid it. That's why he avoided humans, they were always so quick to freak out when they found out he was a mutant. That's why he'd died 2 of those times - the other times had either been natural, of his own cause, or accidental. But twice, TWICE it'd been the stupid irrational hate and bigotry of humans.

Fear? Yeah, he feared humans. They called mutants freaks and monsters, when the most monstrous thing HE'D ever experienced had been those so-called normal people.

"I got my reasons." He said quietly, trying to not draw attention to himself as he kept walking towards the other side of the bar.

[Takashi Koji]

"Tell me," He replied, still transfixed on his glass, almost as if this conversation meant nothing to him and that his drink was far superior. It was not a command, but it did hold a grain of demand at it's core.

He had his reasons for questioning this man this way, although those were for him to know and no else to ever discover. He liked his secrets...

[Lazarus]

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "That's none of your business." He grumbled. The place had suddenly become far TOO uncomfortable - and this guy was freaking him out more and more each moment. Forget the drinks, forget the bar - he just wanted out of here. He headed up to the bartender, and fished through his pocket to pay his tab.

Sooner he was out of here, the better. It was the only thought that made sense at this point - some weird guy comes in, starts staring at him, asking him questions he didn't want asked. This was going a direction he didn't like, a direction he'd seen before.

[Zereth Lancer]

Sorry. Wrong Character. Delete!

[Takashi Koji]

"Very well," Koji called after the retreating man, "But if you ever wish to speak, you have only to look for me," And then the man was gone, lost perhaps eternally to the winds. Did it matter? Not really, but Koji had hoped to convert the man, to put him on the path of truth, of revolution. There was another chapter of the 3rd Street Revolution waiting to take place, and he would need all the allies he could muster if he was to destroy his next target.

So, he drained his glass, ordered a refill, and slowly sipped it's contents while he planned out the next stage of his plan.

The world would burn soon enough...

[Lazarus]

Leaving the bar he headed outside - the whole event had felt emotionally draining, and he needed to clear his head. Lighting another cigarette up he took a long drag upon it, letting the smokey feel hit his lungs before exhaling and flicking away some ash.

He knew just where to go to get some air, and so he started walking. It'd take him a few hours to get there - but what did it matter to him? All he really had was time. Several hours and a quiet walk later he found himself at the gates of the small cemetary - it had started to get dark already and the gates were closed and locked by now. That'd never stopped him before, and it wouldn't this time either.

Hopping the fence he headed towards the back of the cemetary, to a small section that was reserved for young children. He walked slowly up to a small tombstone, in the fading day's light the amber glow of the lit end of his cigarette shining brightly against the darkness behind him, and stared down at the tombstone before him.

Malachi Rayner. Beloved son.

"Hello, me. It's me again."

[Takashi Koji]

As soon as the man up and left, Koji watched the clock for five minutes to pass, and then he finished his drink, paid for it, and tipped the waitress, before getting up and heading out the door, his jewerly jingling as he went. He followed the man, although at a great distance, using his empathic powers to center on the man's unique emotional status and following it.

All around him, people he passed felt rather confused and depressed as Koji's empathic field latched on to their minds and swapped emotional states between them all, but usually overrode their happiness with Koji's saddened, depressed feelings. If the suicide rate of New York jumped today, it would because of Koji's powers.

Following the man brought Koji to a cemetary. How quant. He quite enjoyed cemetaries. Absolutely quite, yet possessing an infinite crowd to listen to your wants and worries. He could often be found in cemetaries, not because he believed that the dead could hear him, hell, he did not even believe in spirits or ghosts, or gods for that matter. He ventured into cemetaries because it was quiet and people never bothered you. He did a lot of his thinking in cemetaries, or in the abandoned church he discovered, the one that had become a meeting place for his revolutionary forces.

"Why do you seek the counsel of the dead?" He asked as he walked up behind the man with his hands thrust in the pockets of his tight, black pants. He kept his distance, standing several yards behind the man. "You are quite a complex man, are you not?"

[Lazarus]

He had been content to just enjoy the quiet time with himself - so to speak - before it was shattered by an increasingly annoying and familiar voice. Turning sharply he shot a glare, his anger finally beginning to flare - as well as his fear. Did he know? Was that why he was stalking him - or was he just a collection agent for his bookee?

"You could say that..." He half whispered through clenched teeth and narrowed his eyes. "So did Bruno send you? Tell him I can pay off my tab in a few weeks, I just need time."

[Takashi Koji]

Koji did not smile, he did not react at all. His face remained just as bland as ever. "No, I am not sent by this... Bruno. I am not sent by anyone. You intrigue me, that is all. But I can see that I am intruding. Excuse me," He turned and began to walk off deaper into the cemetary.

[Lazarus]

Now it was he who was intrigued. He didn't care much for people - too much pain had come his way as a result of them, but he at least knew how they worked - or figured he did. The way the Asian man was reacting wasn't the norm by any standard of the word.

He glanced at his own tombstone for a moment, then at the man who had started to wander into the cemetary. Wincing slightly his curiousity finally got the better of him. Running after the man he caught up after a few moments.

"I intrigue you? You followed me several miles into a closed cemetary because I intrigue you? Okay, consider myself intrigued - who are you?"

[Takashi Koji]

Koji paused, looking over his shoulder at the man as he followed after him. "You would be amazed what a passionate curiousity can do," He said before turning his body around to face the man. His hands were still in his pockets. "I am Takashi Koji, of Japan, and that is all I am. I am not anyone of importance, simply a man making making his way through life using a different highway then that available to others..." He paused, "But who do you think you are, other then emotionally confused?"

[Lazarus]

"M..." His eyes glanced back at the tombstone behind them a ways, and he winced again. He'd almost given himself away, and there was no telling how he'd react to that piece of information.

"You can call me Rayner." he nodded at the man a bit, "What brings you to this neck of the woods, 'Takashi Koji, of Japan'?"

[Takashi Koji]

Koji's eyes followed the man's quick glance to the tombstone. How curious. Whoever was buried there must have been of significant meaning to this man, Rayner, he said his name is. What a curious name, but it fitted the curious man it was tacked to.

"American has it's allures and Japan was getting too small for me. American has much more to offer, and more intriguing people," Koji said as he ran a finger across his slender cheek, running it along his pronounced cheek bone, and then up and through his brown, bleached-topped hair. His appearences made his look much younger then he was, but it also had a way of making him look quite feminine. It was always embarrasing when your in a room full of girls and your the first one that gets hit on by a passing guy. Oh, well.

"But the question is, do you know why you are here, Rayner?"

[Lazarus]

Why was he here? It was an odd question to be asked, to say the least - he chewed his lip for a moment and thought of the deeper conotation of it all, but finally gave the most obvious answer.

"I'm visiting, uh, family." He glanced at the tombstone again, wincing as he said it - "A little brother." Sort of, anyways. "Unless you mean why am I here, as in, why am I here." He shrugged a bit, "If that's the case, I'm not exactly sure..." He was here, because he couldn't die - there was the simple answer.

[Takashi Koji]

Koji nodded his head. So, a little brother. How quant. Yet, he was not one for sobby stories.

"I believe I know why you are here, Rayner. You where in that bar today so that we could 'meet'. You were destined to act in those ways so that I would become interested, just as I was destined to develope a personality that would become interested and intrigued by such things. I was meant to follow you here, to ask these questions and come to this conclusion, and that conclusion is that it is fated for you to join me in my crusade against the world's hidden oppressor, the government. I have long been looking for someone to be my second-in-command, my right hand man so to say, and I believe you were destined to be that man..."

[Lazarus]

He blinked, and turned his head... he had heard what he'd said - but he couldn't believe it. No, on second thought, he could. It made sense now.

"You're insane. That explains it, you stalking me to a grave yard, you finding me interesting. It all makes sense - you're psychotic."

He shook his head, sticking his hands in his pockets, "I've got a good relationship with the government, they don't bother me - I don't bother them."

[Takashi Koji]

Koji blinked several times also, completely taken off-guard by the fact that this man did not instantly agree with him. But desinty was with him, so why was this man not coming to his side with open arms? Perhaps he had interpreted fate incorrectly. No, matter. There was obviously another out there still who was destined to be his brother-in-arms.

"Since when is zealous passion psychotic? Perhaps it is alien to someone as lost as you, Rayner. But if you want to wander aimlessly till the day you die while I am ascending to the pinnacle of my existence, well, then you can rot here and die a worthless man. I, on the other hand, shall bring around the destruction of a corrupt government and save humanity from it's extinction. To fight mutation is to embrace death. We are the next step of evolution, and we will not be denied our place, nor the place of humans at our sides."

Koji's right hand slipped out of his pocket as he spoke and moved behind his back, lifting up the back of his shirt and coat to get at the weapon stashed there, hidden from view. As he finished his speech, his hand came around, the SIG P220 caming into view. With a click Koji removed the safety and then lifted his hand to grab the top of the weapon and slide it back, letting it snap forward loudly.

"I have heard this american saying: 'If you are not with me, then you are against me.' Quant, and it fits here perfectly," He lifted the gun and trained it on Rayner, pointing it at the largest target, his torso. "Are you a religious man?" He asked, his finger slipping around the trigger loosely.

[Lazarus]

"But if you want to wander aimlessly till the day you die while I am ascending to the pinnacle of my existence, well, then you can rot here and die a worthless man."

He laughed as he said it -the talk of his 'death' made him do so, it wasn't something he could stop or control. It just made him giggle. He didn't fear death - he had no reason to. He was going off on some rant about whatever it is crazy people think about when something he said made him stop laughing.

"We are the next step of evolution"

He knew - that explained it. He knew that he was a mutant - more so, he seemed to be saying that he was as well. Those are words that would have put him at ease in most situations, calmed him down. He hadn't had many problems with fellow mutants - just humans with their hatred and bigotry. In most situations - he'd have relaxed, what Takashi Koji, of Japan, did next however made that rather impossible. He pulled a gun.

"I have heard this american saying: 'If you are not with me, then you are against me.' Quant, and it fits here perfectly. Are you a religious man?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and his lighter. He brought both to his face and lit the cigarette, taking a short drag on it. He flicked the tip a bit.

"Once upon a time, I may have been. Haven't had much need for religion in a while though." he smirked, leaving the cigarette dangling from his lips he pulled open his jacket, exposing his torso to the aim of the weapon fully.

"Go on then. Pull the trigger, I have things to do - so lets get this over with."

In a way he had to admire Takashi's dedication to his belief, no matter how crazy he said he found it.

[Takashi Koji]

A smile crept across his face. It was not a cruel or evil smile, simply a smile. "Religion is the weak man's way out. Enlightenment comes from facing the truth. You are a wise man to not believe in such rot. I sensed such fear in you in the bar, but now, here we are, one of us pointing a weapon at the other, and your as calm as rain. Is there no end to your intrigue? I would sooner break a stained-glass window then a man such as yourself, but since I cannot have you following me either..." His smile faded and his finger tightened around the trigger, and as it did so he closed his eyes.

This was necessary, although he did not like it. He had to fight for the rights of humans and mutants alike, and if this man leaked information it would be the end of his mission, his calling. No, he had to do this. No looking back. Too late, anyways...

The handgun bucked in his hand...

[Lazarus]

He hadn't heard many kind words in his life - at least not in years. Most were sharp, bitter and full of hatred. Mutant, monster, demon. They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die. He'd found it to be true, each and every time. He was pulled back to his youth. A childhood full of pain and sickness, always seemingly just barely alive. Age 12, and he rest on his young deathbed, surrounded by family.

He went quietly, almost peacefully - the ambulance had come, taken him away - his parents traveling with him. Declared dead at the hospital, and was being taken to the morgue, several hours had passed since he had passed on. He didn't know if natural causes were harder to come back from, or if his mutation just hadn't kicked in till right then - but he sat up, gasping and struggling for air, for the first time in his life feeling well.

His parents however, could not - would not deal with it. His family had strong religious convictions, a member of a church who believed mutants not to be a step of evolution, but a demonic possession. When their son suddenly rose from the grave... he was no longer theirs. Age 12, and he found himself cast out, legally declared dead, a mock funeral held, a tombstone put on top of an empty grave - and he was left to wander.

Death meant nothing to him, not after experiencing it so many times. Sometimes for something stupid, sometimes for something grand. This time because a crazy man couldn't cope with him not wanting to be part of his 'cause'. At least he'd given him a nice eulogy...

The round struck his chest, and he barreled backwards hitting the ground hard before coming to a stop on his back. It'd been a good shot... he let out a gasp of pain, fingers clutching his chest without much thought to his action. He coughed, blood spattering his lips before with a violent jerk he gasped hard, and all went silent and dark... now there was only the wait...

Muscle and sinew pushed against the bullet, forcably removing it from the dead form, until it rolled from the now closing wound and onto the cold ground of the cemetary. Another moment passed, and what had been a dead form let out a loud gasp, and jerked up into a sitting position. He coughed violently, half mixed with dry heaves as his hands scrambled to find the lit cigarette he had dropped when he had fallen back dead. Finding it he picked it up and pulled it to his lips, taking a hard drag upon it - almost back the entire burn. Finally he released, and blew a long trail of smoke, short coughs slowly subsiding. He brought the smoking stick back to his lips.

Casting a glare at the asian man he started back to his feet, cigarette dangling from his lips. "We done here... or do you want to try again?" The pain was already starting to subside, and would be gone within the hour, especially if he went and got a shot or two of whiskey to help the process along.

[Takashi Koji]

Koji watched the body fall to the ground, lifeless before it hit earth. Sighing, he turned away and began to walk away. Yet, he only managed to get a few yards away before the sound of coughing and hacking caused him to spin slowly on his heel. There, the man, Rayner, was getting up again, while smoking of all things! "Impossible..." Koji whispered, mesmerized as he began to walk back to the man. Not angry, but intrigued all the more.

"My, my. You certainly do know how to keep me enthralled, my good Sir. Will you ever run out of surprises? I should hope not, or our relationship would get nowhere. Now, I believe I just shot you, and yet here you are, alive and breathing. If I was religious I would worship you as the Lord Jesus Christ himself..." click, the gun came back up, "...But I'm not religious," and then he slipped his finger around the trigger and emptied every bullet into the man's body.

Barrel smoking, Koji lowered the gun. Waiting for Rayner to get up again. But he didn't, not yet. Reaching around his neck, Koji removed the small, silver cross necklace he wore for decoration alone. Tossing it onto Rayner's chest, the necklace became tinged with red. "A little something to remember me by. Goodbye." And then he turned away and quickly made his way out of the cemetary before Rayner could return from the dead once more.

Someone was certain to hear the gunshots, so he needed to find sanctuary somewhere to hide out the searches for awhile. And then, off to the church for the next meeting of his revolutionaries.

[Lazarus]

He barely had time to react before the the blinding pain hit again, and he was back on the ground, dead once more. It'd take a few minutes to recover from that much damage. By the time he came to the flashing lights could be seen in the distance, approaching rapidly. With a hacking cough, and nasty dry heaves he managed to pull himself up and run from the cemetary as best as he could.

He didn't feel like explaining to a bunch of wondering cops what had happened - HE wasn't even sure what had happened. He rolled a silver charm in his hand slowly - the only thing left to remember that man by, other than the bullet holes in his shirt. He frowned a bit and looked at it. Should just toss it out, forget he ever met that lunatic.

He searched for a cigarette in his pocket, and came out empty handed. Damn. He glanced at the silver cross again and shoved it in his pocket, he'd figure out what to do with it later... he supposed. He needed another drink right about now... with that thought firmly in mind he wandered away, leaving the flashing lights of the squad cars in the distance as he tried to decide where he was going next.