Empty Grave

[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.