Post by Reikiko on Jan 17, 2015 9:41:00 GMT
Somewhere within the Eastern Lands...
The sound of rushed footsteps resounded in Reikiko's ears while the petite bio-android disappeared into one of the nearby alleyways of the abandoned city she had fled into. For a moment she slowed down her breathing, doing her best to lower her presence to a miniscule level. While concealing herself in the shadows of the alleyway the bio-android watched her pursuers rush past her hiding place, clearly in a hurry to find her. So this was how it felt like to be hunted? It was a bit of a thrill in her opinion, especially since she had always been the one doing the hunting. Of course she couldn't really mingle into the streets, her appearance was too inhuman for her to be able to blend into the masses, what meant she had to wait for a right opportunity. However, she had not anticipated that the crime syndicate would have been so adamant about capturing her. What was their name again? For a moment Reikiko tried to recall some of her past memories, and soon drawn the answer from them. It was during a meeting between her late 'father' and the leader of the crime syndicate that she had heard their name. 'Chimera' was what they called themselves.
"There she is!"
A sudden shout came from the other side of the alleyway, and with a sigh of annoyance she rushed forwards. It seemed the one who had spotted her was a human, seemingly classified as a young adult in the age category. However, when the man tried to draw some sort of weapon, a crude tool known as a gun the bio-android chuckled softly, a swift increase of her speed causing the creature to disappear from sight. Of course at that same instant the man had fired his gun, the bullet soaring uselessly into a wall where she had been at a few moments ago. A wild shot, indicating that her opponent was nervous. The moment she remerged behind the man, hand raised upwards she heard a second shout coming from nearby.
"Behind you John!"
However, it was too late... The moment the gunman known as John turned around to face her, Reikiko's hand reached for the man's chest, a look of bewilderment on the man's eyes. For a moment she could easily read the curiosity on his face, likely wondering what she was planning when suddenly the bio-android opened her mouth and whispered softly.
"Sweet dreams~"
Accompanying those honey-flavored words Reikiko's index finger suddenly started to become surrounded by a spark of crimson energy, a second later accompanying a sudden ray of light that pierced the man's chest, leaving a narrow hole in the area his heart had been. While the man slowly tumbled backwards onto the ground, a final gasp of breath accompanying his death. Two more men came rushing toward the scene, one from each side. It was clearly a pincer attack, and judging from the fact both rushed at her unarmed, it was clear they intended to take her down in a brawl.
"Brave or foolish? Guess we'll figure it out soon."
The man who approached from the north, a rather tall and muscular guy swung with his fist at her, a motion she could easily counter by stepping sideways. However, by the time she had dodged the tall guy's companion had joined, a sudden attempt to tackle her being brutally stopped when she flashed her tail at him, the pincer narrowly avoided by a swift back step.
"You don't want to be stung? I promise it's a once in a life-time experience."
Giggling like a teenage girl Reikiko's amusement seemed to had hit her opponents' nerves, for the giant roared in anger, several more punches send her way, each one a predictable pattern that required little more than stepping to the left and right before she retaliated with a sudden kick in his abdomen, causing the man to be send reeling forwards, an uppercut seemingly enough to knock him off his feet and send him flying a few paces away, crashing onto the ground with a loud thud.
The final opponent's expression turned pale with terror, a look that almost made her squirm in excitement, but rather than basking in the feeling she stepped slowly toward him, her tail wrapping around the man's neck and lifting him upwards, the stinger a few inches away from his head.
"You must be in contact with 'them' right?"
The man gulped deeply, squirming desperately in an attempt to break free. Of course such a thing was impossible, with the tensing of the muscles in her tail it would take just a tiny bit of force to break this fool's neck, but she needed him. Slowly walking toward the edge of the city the bio-android hummed softly.
"My sisters are with you, aren't they? Call them..."
The man nodded his head feebly, gesturing at the apparatus on his ear. It seemed to resemble a scanner of sorts, but when she moved closer to him, slowly pulling the object from his head and held it against her ear, the girl could hear several voices from the machine.
"Peek a boo. Let's stop this game of cat and mouse, shall we sisters?"
A few moments later Reikiko could feel it, the approaching presences of her siblings. The two other creations of her father. This was just perfect, a perfect way for her to obtain the necessary power to challenge those interesting ones that would give her the euphoria of evolution once more. A few minutes passed when suddenly two beings, one who looked exactly like her, but with a black colored theme and another with a blue colored theme revealed themselves.
"Good boy."
The moment her tail released the man from her grip, the thug collapsed onto the ground, coughing loudly in an attempt to regain his breathing. Despite the fact her sisters were slowly descending toward her area Reikiko's gaze remained focused on the man.
"T-Thank you for sparing me."
However, it seemed those words were spoken too early, for the moment he tried to turn around and flee, the girl's tail punctured his back and slowly the man's body started to dissolve. The man screamed feebly for a few moments, while she hummed softly.
"That exercise you guys gave me left me hungry, so thanks for the meal~"
Finally she turned her attention back toward her siblings, the two bio-androids gazing at her several meters away from the spot she was at. The poor kids, she could easily see in their blank gazes that they lacked the free will she had obtained. Was it some measurement the Chimera had taken after her defiance?
"Return to Chimera. Reikiko, this is your only warning."
The robotic way her sister spoke in was enough to tell her that it was likely some idiot using her as a communication device. Perhaps she wouldn't have to worry about feeling anything silly like guilt for devouring her own sisters, especially if they lacked the ability to think for themselves.
"How about an alternative? You two become a delicious happy meal for me."
Reikiko's sarcasm was accompanied with a simple wave of her hand, a gesture that ended with her hand pointing toward one of her siblings. The 'Black Reikiko' seemed to notice in time that a surge of ki was gathering in her sister's hand, for a sudden crimson-colored ray soared toward her. Making a quick upwards leap the Black Reikiko was swift enough to avoid the beam, soon flying at a fast pace toward her opponent. It was a motion the second one accompanied, both of them rushing head-on toward her.
"Bad girls... It seems your big sister will have to punish you for your defiance!"
When the Black Reikiko lunged one of her fists at her the bio-android was swift enough to catch the fist of her sister, a sudden spin of her arm being enough to knock the Black Reikiko against the blue one, both of them tumbling onto the ground. The clumsy way they had collapsed was enough to tell her they weren't trained as much as she was, but it seemed that overconfidence was about to be her downfall.
Slowly stepping toward them Reikiko was too late to notice the sudden surge of ki that came from both her sisters, a pair of highly condensed ki rays piercing her right upper-arm with enough strength to tear it off entirely, causing a loud screech from Reikiko.
Collapsing onto her knees the Bio-android watched her served arm flail lightly, like an lizard's tail that was severed. They would pay... The Blue Reikiko stood up, walking calmly toward her, as if the battle had already ended while replying in a even toned voice.
"Proceed with capturing..."
However, the moment she reached for Reikiko the Blue Reikiko saw a flash of red pierce her vision before she died. In that instant Reikiko had raised her hand, launching a ki beam at point-blank into the face of her opponent, the fact she had aimed right for their brains being enough for an effective one-hit kill.
"I-Impossible!"
The Black Reikiko, who had just stood up was too late to prevent the stinger of Reikiko from puncturing the exoskeleton of her sister, the absorption slowly taking its toll. How was that possible? The sheer pain and loss of her arm should have left Reikiko immobilized!
"Need an explanation?"
Her tone flavored with self-confidence the bio-android slowly stood up while closing her eyes for a second, and while her blue-colored sister started to disappear, her arm started to visibly reform from the stub of her shoulder.
"My father used certain cells that were too precious to use on my sisters. That my dear, was my Namekian dna."
Still, it didn't exactly feel pleasant to reform a lost limb, she would have to make sure to be a bit more careful in the future. Flexing the muscles in her reformed hand the bio-android sighed loudly, the same sigh that one might make when they just finished a delicious meal.
"Now that Blue is gone, I guess Black is up next."
When her sister dropped into a combative stance, seemingly having planned to remain defiant until the end Reikiko shook her head to express her disappointment. So be it... Lunging herself forwards Reikiko launched herself toward her sister, finding her speed having suddenly increased thanks to absorbing her sister, and yet the Black Reikiko was swift enough to deflect the punch that was send her way. Several swift jabs and kicks were made by both parties, each of them dodged or deflected when suddenly the Black Reikiko's tail flung forwards, narrowly dodged by Reikiko who stepped sideways. However, this seemed anticipated by her opponent, who suddenly flung the side of her tail at Reikiko with enough strength to knock her backwards.
It seemed this moment of vulnerability was one her sister intended to exploit, for Reikiko saw her sister rushing into her direction. Such naivety! Suddenly bouncing back upright before she landed Reikiko took the first blow to her face, but instead of staggering from the effect she pressed onwards, a swift grapple of her sister's waist and shoulder leading into a simple but effective shoulder-throw, before raising her leg to kick the black Reikiko harshly in the gut. While most would have made a sharp cry of pain at that, the black Reikiko stared blankly at her, seemingly trying to regain the strength in her body to move, but by then it was too late...
Reikiko's tail had raised itself above her sibling, her gaze softening a little while she pulled one of her hands forwards, a sudden ray of ki severing her sister's tail to ensure there would be no more defiant actions. Almost akin to a serpent her tail coiled around her sister, lifting her upwards and bringing her closer to Reikiko. It was finally after they were only a few inches away from each other that Reikiko stopped the motion of her lifeless sister.
"Chimera, you can hear me right? Cease your futile actions, I am growing mildly annoyed."
Slowly she raised her hand once more, this time gently cupping and caressing the cheek of her sister. The fact that they were inferior to her likely was meant for this, the scenario that involved sacrificing the two of them in order to satisfy her thirst for power.
"Don't feel sad, you'll become a part of the perfect being."
And with those words the stinger embed itself into the back of her sister's neck, an odd feeling surfacing within her. Was it sorrow, or loneliness? Perhaps a malfunction from having devoured so many useless humans, something that caused her to inherit some of their emotions? Whatever the case had been, she'd best leave this area before some wanna-be heroes found her...
Several hours later...
The sound of ragged breathing came from within a small cave in the Bamboo Forest. It was within the shadows of this cave a small figure was seated, knees lifted before her, and arms wrapped around her legs. A burning sensation coursed through her entire being, and foreign feelings coursed through her mind. While she felt a familiar euphoric sensation, likely the after-effect of absorbing her sisters there was something odd within her mind. Was it anger? Yes, a certain intense frustration that dwelled within her, bitter anger at the event that had transpired. She shouldn't have felt such an emotion, in the end her sisters were destined to become materials to nurture her growth into the perfect being, but yet anger still clouded her thoughts.
It was all the fault of her father and Chimera. They had forced her sisters to become defiant, by robbing them of any form of free will, they had become nothing but simple tools for the Chimera to manipulate.
"They will pay..."
Slowly the bio-android closed her eyes, wondering that if she tried to do this thing those humans liked to call 'sleeping' would help pacify her boiling rage. It took several long moments before her mind seemed to drop in a state of tranquility, as if she had entered a state of inactivity. Was this what was called sleeping?
It was only when a sudden nudge against her body was made that Reikiko found herself regaining consciousness, her eyes gazing up at the elderly man who was looking at her with a satisfied smile.
"It's dangerous to fall asleep in here, don't you know about the dangerous inhabitants of this forest?"
Blinking in confusion Reikiko suddenly felt her instincts reacting, her tail swishing forwards in an attempt to stab the man when suddenly she found her stinger dig into some sort of red fruit, the content of it being slowly sucked into her body.
"Judging from that look, you like apples... Your face is as red as one."
It was only when the man commented about it, that Reikiko realized that she found the substance in the red fruit as delicious as the one she obtained when absorbing people. Of course she had not expected her delight was so strong that her head had turned a scarlet red color.
"Aren't you afraid?"
The bio-android asked the man with a hint of curiosity in her voice, but when the man grinned sheepishly at her she knew that whatever his answer might had been, he genuinely didn't fear her. Those kind but curious eyes, and that smile on his face were enough to tell her that.
"Why should I be afraid of something unknown? Only a fool fears that what he can't comprehend. But anyway, who or what are you?"
The bio-android went silent, seemingly debating the thought of answering the man. It would have been easy to merely stab him, but it appeared that absorbing her sisters had changed her, given her a certain range of emotions that were unfamiliar to her. This curiosity was almost akin to that of a newborn child seeing the world through her own eyes, for the first time ever.
"I am... Reikiko."
Seemingly finding herself thirsting for the same sweet sensation from before the bio-android raised her tail, ready to move when suddenly the man placed a basket of apples beside her, causing the tail to swiftly lunge into the basket and pierce one of them like a kebab stick.
"I am just an old hermit in this forest, but you may call me 'Uncle'"
Shrugging her shoulders lightly at the man's declaration Reikiko looked at the entrance of the cave, seemingly silently debating something when suddenly the old man asked her in a gentle tone.
"Are you alone? I haven't seen someone like you in the city before, so I doubt your family is around. Do you have a place to stay?"
The man's questions caused her to cease the sucking of the substance inside the fruit, silently pondering about them. She didn't have any family. She killed her creator and absorbed her sisters, so she was indeed kind of alone.
"Judging from that silence you are a loner like me. Any dreams, ambitions?"
Now that was an easier question for her to answer. Nodding her head firmly while she discarded the shriveled skin of the apple the bio-android replied with a hint of confidence in her tone.
"I'm going to become the strongest being in existence."
That was after all her desire, to evolve into the perfect being, just so she could experience that ultimate euphoria. Absorbing things truly was a delicious sensation. Humans, and this red fruit called apples.
"A martial artist? How fascinating! I used to be quite a talented lad back in my day. Want me to train you?"
Train... What was this training thing the old man was talking about?
"Training?"
The man nodded his head firmly at her question, rising from his seated position and gestured at the exit of the cave.
"My house is quite close to here. A lot of powerful warriors spend their time training their body to become stronger. Surely you will need to do the same. Shall we go?"
Feeling the man pull against her arm, Reikiko's tail swished around the handle of the basket and dragged it along behind her. This man...
"You're annoying... I kind of want to sting you, but I shall spare you as gratitude for those apples..."
Laughing heartily at those words the old man led her further into the forest while humming loudly.
"So you're what they call a Tsundere huh?"
It was clearly going to be a difficult time for her to deal with this stranger...
-Note: The old man is actually Kami in disguise, I received permission from Scargot to include him, since we got a little bit of interaction planned.-
The sound of rushed footsteps resounded in Reikiko's ears while the petite bio-android disappeared into one of the nearby alleyways of the abandoned city she had fled into. For a moment she slowed down her breathing, doing her best to lower her presence to a miniscule level. While concealing herself in the shadows of the alleyway the bio-android watched her pursuers rush past her hiding place, clearly in a hurry to find her. So this was how it felt like to be hunted? It was a bit of a thrill in her opinion, especially since she had always been the one doing the hunting. Of course she couldn't really mingle into the streets, her appearance was too inhuman for her to be able to blend into the masses, what meant she had to wait for a right opportunity. However, she had not anticipated that the crime syndicate would have been so adamant about capturing her. What was their name again? For a moment Reikiko tried to recall some of her past memories, and soon drawn the answer from them. It was during a meeting between her late 'father' and the leader of the crime syndicate that she had heard their name. 'Chimera' was what they called themselves.
"There she is!"
A sudden shout came from the other side of the alleyway, and with a sigh of annoyance she rushed forwards. It seemed the one who had spotted her was a human, seemingly classified as a young adult in the age category. However, when the man tried to draw some sort of weapon, a crude tool known as a gun the bio-android chuckled softly, a swift increase of her speed causing the creature to disappear from sight. Of course at that same instant the man had fired his gun, the bullet soaring uselessly into a wall where she had been at a few moments ago. A wild shot, indicating that her opponent was nervous. The moment she remerged behind the man, hand raised upwards she heard a second shout coming from nearby.
"Behind you John!"
However, it was too late... The moment the gunman known as John turned around to face her, Reikiko's hand reached for the man's chest, a look of bewilderment on the man's eyes. For a moment she could easily read the curiosity on his face, likely wondering what she was planning when suddenly the bio-android opened her mouth and whispered softly.
"Sweet dreams~"
Accompanying those honey-flavored words Reikiko's index finger suddenly started to become surrounded by a spark of crimson energy, a second later accompanying a sudden ray of light that pierced the man's chest, leaving a narrow hole in the area his heart had been. While the man slowly tumbled backwards onto the ground, a final gasp of breath accompanying his death. Two more men came rushing toward the scene, one from each side. It was clearly a pincer attack, and judging from the fact both rushed at her unarmed, it was clear they intended to take her down in a brawl.
"Brave or foolish? Guess we'll figure it out soon."
The man who approached from the north, a rather tall and muscular guy swung with his fist at her, a motion she could easily counter by stepping sideways. However, by the time she had dodged the tall guy's companion had joined, a sudden attempt to tackle her being brutally stopped when she flashed her tail at him, the pincer narrowly avoided by a swift back step.
"You don't want to be stung? I promise it's a once in a life-time experience."
Giggling like a teenage girl Reikiko's amusement seemed to had hit her opponents' nerves, for the giant roared in anger, several more punches send her way, each one a predictable pattern that required little more than stepping to the left and right before she retaliated with a sudden kick in his abdomen, causing the man to be send reeling forwards, an uppercut seemingly enough to knock him off his feet and send him flying a few paces away, crashing onto the ground with a loud thud.
The final opponent's expression turned pale with terror, a look that almost made her squirm in excitement, but rather than basking in the feeling she stepped slowly toward him, her tail wrapping around the man's neck and lifting him upwards, the stinger a few inches away from his head.
"You must be in contact with 'them' right?"
The man gulped deeply, squirming desperately in an attempt to break free. Of course such a thing was impossible, with the tensing of the muscles in her tail it would take just a tiny bit of force to break this fool's neck, but she needed him. Slowly walking toward the edge of the city the bio-android hummed softly.
"My sisters are with you, aren't they? Call them..."
The man nodded his head feebly, gesturing at the apparatus on his ear. It seemed to resemble a scanner of sorts, but when she moved closer to him, slowly pulling the object from his head and held it against her ear, the girl could hear several voices from the machine.
"Peek a boo. Let's stop this game of cat and mouse, shall we sisters?"
A few moments later Reikiko could feel it, the approaching presences of her siblings. The two other creations of her father. This was just perfect, a perfect way for her to obtain the necessary power to challenge those interesting ones that would give her the euphoria of evolution once more. A few minutes passed when suddenly two beings, one who looked exactly like her, but with a black colored theme and another with a blue colored theme revealed themselves.
"Good boy."
The moment her tail released the man from her grip, the thug collapsed onto the ground, coughing loudly in an attempt to regain his breathing. Despite the fact her sisters were slowly descending toward her area Reikiko's gaze remained focused on the man.
"T-Thank you for sparing me."
However, it seemed those words were spoken too early, for the moment he tried to turn around and flee, the girl's tail punctured his back and slowly the man's body started to dissolve. The man screamed feebly for a few moments, while she hummed softly.
"That exercise you guys gave me left me hungry, so thanks for the meal~"
Finally she turned her attention back toward her siblings, the two bio-androids gazing at her several meters away from the spot she was at. The poor kids, she could easily see in their blank gazes that they lacked the free will she had obtained. Was it some measurement the Chimera had taken after her defiance?
"Return to Chimera. Reikiko, this is your only warning."
The robotic way her sister spoke in was enough to tell her that it was likely some idiot using her as a communication device. Perhaps she wouldn't have to worry about feeling anything silly like guilt for devouring her own sisters, especially if they lacked the ability to think for themselves.
"How about an alternative? You two become a delicious happy meal for me."
Reikiko's sarcasm was accompanied with a simple wave of her hand, a gesture that ended with her hand pointing toward one of her siblings. The 'Black Reikiko' seemed to notice in time that a surge of ki was gathering in her sister's hand, for a sudden crimson-colored ray soared toward her. Making a quick upwards leap the Black Reikiko was swift enough to avoid the beam, soon flying at a fast pace toward her opponent. It was a motion the second one accompanied, both of them rushing head-on toward her.
"Bad girls... It seems your big sister will have to punish you for your defiance!"
When the Black Reikiko lunged one of her fists at her the bio-android was swift enough to catch the fist of her sister, a sudden spin of her arm being enough to knock the Black Reikiko against the blue one, both of them tumbling onto the ground. The clumsy way they had collapsed was enough to tell her they weren't trained as much as she was, but it seemed that overconfidence was about to be her downfall.
Slowly stepping toward them Reikiko was too late to notice the sudden surge of ki that came from both her sisters, a pair of highly condensed ki rays piercing her right upper-arm with enough strength to tear it off entirely, causing a loud screech from Reikiko.
Collapsing onto her knees the Bio-android watched her served arm flail lightly, like an lizard's tail that was severed. They would pay... The Blue Reikiko stood up, walking calmly toward her, as if the battle had already ended while replying in a even toned voice.
"Proceed with capturing..."
However, the moment she reached for Reikiko the Blue Reikiko saw a flash of red pierce her vision before she died. In that instant Reikiko had raised her hand, launching a ki beam at point-blank into the face of her opponent, the fact she had aimed right for their brains being enough for an effective one-hit kill.
"I-Impossible!"
The Black Reikiko, who had just stood up was too late to prevent the stinger of Reikiko from puncturing the exoskeleton of her sister, the absorption slowly taking its toll. How was that possible? The sheer pain and loss of her arm should have left Reikiko immobilized!
"Need an explanation?"
Her tone flavored with self-confidence the bio-android slowly stood up while closing her eyes for a second, and while her blue-colored sister started to disappear, her arm started to visibly reform from the stub of her shoulder.
"My father used certain cells that were too precious to use on my sisters. That my dear, was my Namekian dna."
Still, it didn't exactly feel pleasant to reform a lost limb, she would have to make sure to be a bit more careful in the future. Flexing the muscles in her reformed hand the bio-android sighed loudly, the same sigh that one might make when they just finished a delicious meal.
"Now that Blue is gone, I guess Black is up next."
When her sister dropped into a combative stance, seemingly having planned to remain defiant until the end Reikiko shook her head to express her disappointment. So be it... Lunging herself forwards Reikiko launched herself toward her sister, finding her speed having suddenly increased thanks to absorbing her sister, and yet the Black Reikiko was swift enough to deflect the punch that was send her way. Several swift jabs and kicks were made by both parties, each of them dodged or deflected when suddenly the Black Reikiko's tail flung forwards, narrowly dodged by Reikiko who stepped sideways. However, this seemed anticipated by her opponent, who suddenly flung the side of her tail at Reikiko with enough strength to knock her backwards.
It seemed this moment of vulnerability was one her sister intended to exploit, for Reikiko saw her sister rushing into her direction. Such naivety! Suddenly bouncing back upright before she landed Reikiko took the first blow to her face, but instead of staggering from the effect she pressed onwards, a swift grapple of her sister's waist and shoulder leading into a simple but effective shoulder-throw, before raising her leg to kick the black Reikiko harshly in the gut. While most would have made a sharp cry of pain at that, the black Reikiko stared blankly at her, seemingly trying to regain the strength in her body to move, but by then it was too late...
Reikiko's tail had raised itself above her sibling, her gaze softening a little while she pulled one of her hands forwards, a sudden ray of ki severing her sister's tail to ensure there would be no more defiant actions. Almost akin to a serpent her tail coiled around her sister, lifting her upwards and bringing her closer to Reikiko. It was finally after they were only a few inches away from each other that Reikiko stopped the motion of her lifeless sister.
"Chimera, you can hear me right? Cease your futile actions, I am growing mildly annoyed."
Slowly she raised her hand once more, this time gently cupping and caressing the cheek of her sister. The fact that they were inferior to her likely was meant for this, the scenario that involved sacrificing the two of them in order to satisfy her thirst for power.
"Don't feel sad, you'll become a part of the perfect being."
And with those words the stinger embed itself into the back of her sister's neck, an odd feeling surfacing within her. Was it sorrow, or loneliness? Perhaps a malfunction from having devoured so many useless humans, something that caused her to inherit some of their emotions? Whatever the case had been, she'd best leave this area before some wanna-be heroes found her...
Several hours later...
The sound of ragged breathing came from within a small cave in the Bamboo Forest. It was within the shadows of this cave a small figure was seated, knees lifted before her, and arms wrapped around her legs. A burning sensation coursed through her entire being, and foreign feelings coursed through her mind. While she felt a familiar euphoric sensation, likely the after-effect of absorbing her sisters there was something odd within her mind. Was it anger? Yes, a certain intense frustration that dwelled within her, bitter anger at the event that had transpired. She shouldn't have felt such an emotion, in the end her sisters were destined to become materials to nurture her growth into the perfect being, but yet anger still clouded her thoughts.
It was all the fault of her father and Chimera. They had forced her sisters to become defiant, by robbing them of any form of free will, they had become nothing but simple tools for the Chimera to manipulate.
"They will pay..."
Slowly the bio-android closed her eyes, wondering that if she tried to do this thing those humans liked to call 'sleeping' would help pacify her boiling rage. It took several long moments before her mind seemed to drop in a state of tranquility, as if she had entered a state of inactivity. Was this what was called sleeping?
It was only when a sudden nudge against her body was made that Reikiko found herself regaining consciousness, her eyes gazing up at the elderly man who was looking at her with a satisfied smile.
"It's dangerous to fall asleep in here, don't you know about the dangerous inhabitants of this forest?"
Blinking in confusion Reikiko suddenly felt her instincts reacting, her tail swishing forwards in an attempt to stab the man when suddenly she found her stinger dig into some sort of red fruit, the content of it being slowly sucked into her body.
"Judging from that look, you like apples... Your face is as red as one."
It was only when the man commented about it, that Reikiko realized that she found the substance in the red fruit as delicious as the one she obtained when absorbing people. Of course she had not expected her delight was so strong that her head had turned a scarlet red color.
"Aren't you afraid?"
The bio-android asked the man with a hint of curiosity in her voice, but when the man grinned sheepishly at her she knew that whatever his answer might had been, he genuinely didn't fear her. Those kind but curious eyes, and that smile on his face were enough to tell her that.
"Why should I be afraid of something unknown? Only a fool fears that what he can't comprehend. But anyway, who or what are you?"
The bio-android went silent, seemingly debating the thought of answering the man. It would have been easy to merely stab him, but it appeared that absorbing her sisters had changed her, given her a certain range of emotions that were unfamiliar to her. This curiosity was almost akin to that of a newborn child seeing the world through her own eyes, for the first time ever.
"I am... Reikiko."
Seemingly finding herself thirsting for the same sweet sensation from before the bio-android raised her tail, ready to move when suddenly the man placed a basket of apples beside her, causing the tail to swiftly lunge into the basket and pierce one of them like a kebab stick.
"I am just an old hermit in this forest, but you may call me 'Uncle'"
Shrugging her shoulders lightly at the man's declaration Reikiko looked at the entrance of the cave, seemingly silently debating something when suddenly the old man asked her in a gentle tone.
"Are you alone? I haven't seen someone like you in the city before, so I doubt your family is around. Do you have a place to stay?"
The man's questions caused her to cease the sucking of the substance inside the fruit, silently pondering about them. She didn't have any family. She killed her creator and absorbed her sisters, so she was indeed kind of alone.
"Judging from that silence you are a loner like me. Any dreams, ambitions?"
Now that was an easier question for her to answer. Nodding her head firmly while she discarded the shriveled skin of the apple the bio-android replied with a hint of confidence in her tone.
"I'm going to become the strongest being in existence."
That was after all her desire, to evolve into the perfect being, just so she could experience that ultimate euphoria. Absorbing things truly was a delicious sensation. Humans, and this red fruit called apples.
"A martial artist? How fascinating! I used to be quite a talented lad back in my day. Want me to train you?"
Train... What was this training thing the old man was talking about?
"Training?"
The man nodded his head firmly at her question, rising from his seated position and gestured at the exit of the cave.
"My house is quite close to here. A lot of powerful warriors spend their time training their body to become stronger. Surely you will need to do the same. Shall we go?"
Feeling the man pull against her arm, Reikiko's tail swished around the handle of the basket and dragged it along behind her. This man...
"You're annoying... I kind of want to sting you, but I shall spare you as gratitude for those apples..."
Laughing heartily at those words the old man led her further into the forest while humming loudly.
"So you're what they call a Tsundere huh?"
It was clearly going to be a difficult time for her to deal with this stranger...
-Note: The old man is actually Kami in disguise, I received permission from Scargot to include him, since we got a little bit of interaction planned.-