Of Mice And Men [FINISHED]

[Oracle]

[This takes place hours after "(Not-So) Ordinary People," located in the Ningenkai]

This was taking too long.

He presented his papers to the guard after he so boringly entered the palace of Kouzetsu Gin. He missed appearing at places out of nowhere; it allowed a bit of invigoration for the wingless Malakite. But being checked like this upon entry to this place was starting to become tiring.

"I'll have you know that the Ha-Ou has given me permission to enter this palace upon presentation of this declaration and this coin," Oracle said as he held up the two tokens of proof. "You have no right to hold me back from my meeting."

"I'll be the judge of that," Oracle heard a voice of authority come from inside. Soon, the body of the voice made itself known. It was the odd thing Oracle had ever seen. He could sense a Kyrum, but what he saw was nowhere close.



"So," the mechanic monstrosity said, "you must be Oracle."

The Malakite rose an eyebrow. Interesting, he thought to himself. He watched as the machine folded it's arms in response to his presence.

"I was directed to be very watchful of you, Oracle," the being said.

"Well," Oracle said, "your... directions seem to be keeping me from my meeting, mister..."

"The name's Azazel," the machine spoke. And even though it was hard to tell, the Malakite could tell that he was frowning. "And you make sure you don't forget it."

Oracle smirked as his eyebrow was still raised. "You have my word, Azazel," he said.

Oracle watched as the mechanized Kyrum stepped out of his way.

"You're free to go," he said.

Oracle nodded, still smeared with his smirk as he walked past the Kyrum named Azazel. And soon after direction, Oracle found his way to the Ha-Ou's office; populated with pages upon pages of books, scrolls and paper. Finding the guest chair, he sat and waited upon the Ha-ou's entry.

This was taking too long...

[Kouzetsu Gin]

[This thread takes place for Gin after Semper Fi, Winter's Return, and Recall Pt. 2]

Gin had been informed of Oracle's presence in the palace and began to make his way to his office. Adorned in his usual viridian garb, with his ivory pants and lavender sash, Gin walked through the halls of his estate, finishing his review on the results of the preliminary series of tests using the Elementech subjects. The tome was rather large, but Gin could appreciate the intricate detail in which Ikasu used to describe the battery of tests, as well as the Elohite's impeccable hand writing. Walking past the large vermilion Elementech that stood within high ceiling confides of of the palace. With a clasp of the book, Gin turned to Azazel, looking high to look upon the robot's face.

"Has Oracle arrived yet?" Gin said, adjusting the glasses on his nose as he placed the book underneath his arm.

"Yes he has Ha-ou, he is waiting for you in your personal quarters." Azazel said in his usual digitalized voice, the sound of gear and pistons in the background as he motioned to the door. "He arrived no more than several minutes ago."

"Very well, thank you." Gin said as he walked down the hall into his own private quarters, opening the door and seeing the his guest, Oracle seated, with a look of impatience on his face. "You've returned I see..." Gin said, placing his book on the shelf among the the hundreds of others, turning to face Oracle. With a wave of his hand the door closed soft and Gin found a seat adjecent to Oracle. "What is it you have to report to me." Gin said, folding his hands in his lap.

[Oracle]

Oracle couldn't stop thinking about the robotic rogue of an angel, even as the Ha-ou entered the room. He stood in acknowledgment as he placed a book away he brought with him in the room and bowed in respect.

"You've returned, I see," Gin stated.

"I have, my lord," Oracle replied; the phrase uttered through his lips was so foreign to his nature. But he guessed he had to get used to it until he returned to his own kingdom.

Oracle watched as the simplest of hand movements from the king closed the door behind him. It wasn't until he assured that Gin was seated until he reclaimed his own. He crossed legs when he did, resting his left hand on his left leg and keeping his right elbow on the arm rest, keeping his right forearm upward to pop his knuckles.

"What is it you have to report to me?" the king asked the Malakite.

"An arrangement of sorts, my lord," Oracle answered Gin's question, trying the word a second time only to find that he would never truly get used to saying it. "But first I believe that I must speak on the task you had already assigned me on.

"I gave my assigned operative Toushi the location on which to find Hakaisha Abbadon, along with my knowledge of the wanted Mishiranu Arashi. He told me that your men would retrieve Abbadon and his Sword of Darkness and at the same time take care of the fallen I queried was after the sword. I ask your permission to know if they were successful in both captures..."

[Kouzetsu Gin]

Gin could sense Oracle's pretentious nature, it exuded from him as if it were some manner of rancid stench, making any all conversations with him unpleasant to those not adept in dealing with such smug politeness. Gin would ignore these thing insight of the greater tasks to be dealt with as he heard Oracle's inquiries as to the status of his latest assignment. His query, the status of the two men and the beast detained by his personal guard, but not without great cost, injuries suffered and old wounds reopened.

"Yes, your information was vital in the apprehension of Hakaisha Abbadon, and his accomplices. As to their whereabouts and that of the artifact they are none of your concern.The Fallen responsible for the massacre in the second Arashi was also present, but eluded capture, but the blame for this does not fall unto you. At the moment, I am not questioning the truth of your information, all that was retrieved or lost was in the place you specified, but exactly to what degree am I and my constitutes receiving the information, and just exactly what are you not telling us."

"I have chosen to meet here with you today within the confides of my chamber because the situation as to which your mission was completed came under circumstances tandem to nigh failure. Whether it was intentional or not, vital information that was needed to ensure the safe of those to apprehended, the artifact in question, as well as the lives of my men were jeopardy. Such failures in a military excursion would result in a dishonorable discharge, but as you well know due to your extensive history, the times for such benevolent mercies have long since past."

"Your status as an agent of mine is currently in dire straits Oracle, for the cries for your blood ring high from my men. I will not tolerate such failures in the future, so before I continue you will explain to me why were you privy to the happenings of all things present that day except the most dire, why was one of the most dangerous criminals in all of Sanada Tomo's army, Kanjin Taiyou present, and why in all of the Realms of Heaven and Hell was this not reported?"

"You do realize that your very life depends on your answers Oracle, so this would indeed be the best time to make use of the guile so are supposedly so revered and feared for, but be warned, such petty theatrics and parlor tricks as those used to annoy other will have no effect on me, and their use will only cause to end your life at an accelerated rate." Gin said, looking at Oracle.



For the first part of the conversation, the Ha-ou was able to hide his disappointment until the very end, when he uttered the name of Kanjin Taiyou, his attention now on Oracle's response and his beautifully polished sword which hung above the mantle of fireplace between the book shelves in his room, gleaming with an ominous glow. Gin himself was not partial to threats, but the situation was now elevated, and Oracle had to understand that there was no room for his usual theatrics, to say they would have been out of place here would be verbose.

[Oracle]

Oracle should have known that what Gin wanted with Abbadon and the sword was none of his business; it was a fool's decision to believe that he would give up the ghost so easily. But upon hearing all of these sudden accusations threw him off rather so. It was true; there were things that the wingless Malakite did not share with the Ha-ou. But they were things that in no way would jeopardize his current situation here in Heaven. And so the Zaihou cleared his throat and clasped his hands together, preparing to speak and doing something he thought he would never have to do.

Defend himself.

"I can assure you that I have been displaying the truth since our last encounter, my lord," he stated. "Everything I told Toushi about Abbadon, Shadow, and the situation as of late was true. The only reason why I knew about Arashi was because I could sense his magic present. And that was only possible because of the presence of the chaotic essence in my blood that has been suppressed as of late thanks to your sedative that I humbly thank you for.

"However," Oracle continued as he sat forward in the chair, grasping the ends of the armrests as if he were in complete interest of what he was watching currently, "this news of Kanjin Taiyou's presence is foreign to me; I can assure you. When I told Toushi about Taiyou, It was only what I knew about him back when I was under the employ of Tsubasa. I wasn't even aware that he had fallen until you told me just moments ago that he is apart of Sanada Tomo's regime.

"All I knew about Taiyou was that before I banished Abbadon to the Ningenkai all those years ago, was that they both served in Heaven's military forces and became good friends. I know that he went to Taiyou to train in the ways of fire because his chaos magic was in the form of flames. And I know that he was apart of the rebel alliance against Tsubasa's scheme to rule all of Heaven.

"And whereas I am deeply regretful about your men's state of health after what they must have went through, I must beg your pardon in advance to tell you that Taiyou's involvement in this situation was not my fault."

Oracle sat back in his chair, strangely out of breath from speaking against the Ha-ou's accusations. With a swallow and a sigh, he began to speak again.

"I understand that I am looked upon as a lowlife to both you and your kingdom, my lord," he said rather contently, "and that I do not deserve even the thought of being given the benefit of the doubt. But if there is anything I cannot allow, is the tarnishing what is left of my reputation."

Oracle closed his eyes and sighed deeply, preparing for what the Ha-ou had to counter his defense.

[Kouzetsu Gin]

Gin listened as Oracle spoke, the Ha-ou's word and tone spoke of an imminent threat to Oracle, Oracles words now unmasked from arrogance and pomp, his voice speaking clearly as he defended himself. His words rang true, and Gin himself sensed no treachery, his speech truthful as he paused briefly, speaking again only in reference to how he was personally viewed within the Kingdom of Heaven, a view Gin himself shared, but he listened as Oracle pleaded in order to salvage his reputation.

"I am aware of this Oracle, as well as many other trivial aspects of the lives of those we have apprehended, especially those pertaining to Kanjin Taiyou. You must understand that despite whatever field of expertise you claim to have dominion over, you are directly responsible for that operation, an operation that you requested to head with your information. You claimed to have information, and that said supplied information was to be supplied to my informant and guard, and whether you were aware of certain elements or not, you heading the mission with your intelligence, makes you culpable for all that transpired. In the future, assure that all your facts are in place, another failure of this magnitude will not be tolerated." Gin said to Oracle, turning his attention back to the man who sat next to himself.

"That man, Kanjin Taiyou is one of the most dangerous Celestials in existence, Upright or Fallen, him among those closest to Sanada were the key to her resistance and an integral factor in the crippling of our military, and the vanquishing of several of our allies. The fact he is still alive and active is more than enough ground to enact several policies of swift aggression against the enemies of this state, something I will elude to as far as you are concerned later. If you make any attempts to contact or interact with him, he will kill you, so it would behoove you to keep your distance.

"Your reputation is of no concern to me, for if it were you would have been executed for the various treasonous acts committed against the state and it's people, you along with everyone else with tarnished pasts. But as long as I have use of you, as long as what you have to offer is of value, your life is assured to continue, my word given. With that said, the only person's view you should be concerned with is my own, all other are contrary and subject to my will, do I make myself clear?" Gin asked Oracle, his voice obviously perturbed, his anger at Taiyou contained in all aspects but his tone.

Gin was in no mood to tolerate anything other than what he expected. The growing escalation in hostilities toward Heaven had begun to grow since his arrival to the seventh as Ha-ou, and they would prove to unravel his regime if left unchecked. The times now called for drastic measures on his part as far ensuring the safety of his nation was concerned. "On to other matters that require you attention, what is the current situation within the Mortal Realm pertaining to unnatural movements of people, power, and among other things, fallen Celestial activity. Also, I would like to know the last time you had contact with Sanada Tomo, and if possible, would you be able to contact her again?"

[Oracle]

Oracle's face stayed emotionless as Gin scolded him with his authoritative tongue. If this were any other situation, the Malakite would not have stood for such degradation. But this was indeed Kouzetsu Gin; the Ha-ou of all Heaven. He had to appear humbled before him in order to stay within his good graces. He was not ready to fall.

Well, at least not yet...

Oracle expected Kouzetsu to care less about his reputation. He also expected him to reveal a bit more information about the ally of the last of the Hakaisha, Kanjin Taiyou, by stating what he did when brought upon with the information about his intervention with Abbadon's capture. The last time he gained knowledge this easily involving the Ha-ou was when he gained information of the heavenly archives through his operative Toushi. And the last time he pretended to become ignorant of a certain situation, he gained an army for himself.

Yes, this was a good day indeed...

"To my knowledge, the Ningenkai has been lacking the presence of fallen as of late," Oracle told the Ha-ou. "And personally, I have no intentions on ever seeing the Yami-ou, unless otherwise instructed by you of course. But I can't imagine you would ever want me anywhere near her at all..."

[Kouzetsu Gin]

"Yes... outside of the presence of a certain Fallen that nearly jeopardized several month's worth of research and preparation, your report coincides with that of my other operatives and informants. As far as your proximity to the Yami-ou, I am well aware of the subtleties of the perverse relationship that you shared with her and Chiyo, and therefore you are the most capable of dealing with Sanada as an intermediary between myself and her, her ability to see through lies like a pane of glass rendering your uncanny ability to flaunt and dawdle to gain an unnerving advantage in a battle of wits useless.

Besides these facts, there are none of my men I am willing to risk in the endeavor of sending as messenger, your ability to distract and deter productivity only matched by your equally inconceivable ability of self preservation, it still amazes me to this day how you made it along this long, looking at your most intimate relationships." Gin said, his sincere glance at Oracle almost as noticeably factious as Oracle's tone in reference to Sanada, his authoritative tone unchanged despite his attitude having returned back to a milder demeanor.

"It would appear that in comparison to Chiyo, Tsubasa, and even Sanada, your life remains the safest in my hands Oracle, so please refrain from leaving teeth marks in my flesh of my palm if you understand the scope of my words, do not take for granted the position you now hold, for it and your life are forfeit at the slightest inclination of treason. When you meet with Sanada inform her that the charter between the two nations is in need of revising, as well as several mutual enemies of the state are now to be sought after and executed, and I must be made away if these killings fall into the purview of a breach of tolerated violence against her countrymen." Gin said to Oracle, adjusting his clothing after having reminded seat for a period of time, removing creases from the shoulder, arm, and cuff areas of his robes.

[Oracle]

A perversion. So that's what he was looked at as now. Whereas years ago his fellow brethren in Heaven deemed him an abomination, now he was nothing but a perversion. Oracle could only find happiness in the degradation. Because while being an abomination, it implies that you are an isolated incident that was not supposed to be common in this world or any others. You were isolated; alone. A perversion however, meant that others could be tempted; persuaded to become apart of the growing ideal in general. So when the Ha-ou subsequently called the Malakite's relationship with both Tomo and Chiyo a mere perversion, Oracle took it as a compliment.

But regardless to how he took Gin's comment, he was inwardly debating Gin's order. To meet Tomo once again was something that he honestly did not want to do. He was foolish the first time to try and talk to her during their last encounter; the only thing he gained was an uncensored notification that any chance that the two had to live happily ever after was over; that there could never be anything more between them as friends, and even that was slowly starting to depreciate in value.

He swallowed as Gin's words about his nature cut through his buttery flesh with the heated blade of a tongue he had. He didn't grimace, nor did he complain. It wasn't because Gin was of higher authority than the Malakite, even though that was indeed the case. It was because he was absolutely right. There should be a logical explanation to the reasoning behind his survival as of late, but there wasn't one. Sure the Ningenkai had been a refuge for him to escape the pains of his past, but one can only go so far before his past starts to catch up and bite them. And this new assignment was going to prove Oracle's past to be as ferocious as a rabid wolf.

He committed the message to memory before nodding at the Ha-ou, silently agreeing to his directions. He swallowed again before speaking.

"I can leave for her palace immediately if there is nothing else you wish to inform me of, your majesty," Oracle stated to Gin, grabbing the end of the armrests in anxiousness.

[Kouzetsu Gin]

Gin was not happy in the least at the moment, but he establishing that a meeting between Sanada in himself to discuss matters of diplomacy was very important, and satisfied knowing that it would happen soon. Tired but still having so much left to do in dealing with the return of a Celestial whose mind and age had been altered, as well as the return of a powerful and dangerous artifact, he rubbed his forehead and prepared to release Oracle from his verbal grasp, setting him free to once again roam the dregs of the mortal realm, under his authority.

"Yes, I would prefer if you carried out this task rather hastily. As far as the specifics of my request goes, tell Sanada to kept her lack dogs at bay, and come to the meeting alone preferably, there is no need for children in the company of adults, as her people proved to be so disrespectful in our last meeting. Also inform her that I seek to change the organizational structure of Heaven's government, she might want to consider this among other things before we meet." Gin said, standing to his feet, a wave of his hand causing his chamber door to swing open.

"Inform her that our meeting will take place within the confides of the "Otherspace, or the Heimenkai to be exact, in a place that is truly neutral ground, I'd like to conduct the meeting somewhere away from the stench and debauchery of the mortal realm." Gin said walking back to his bookshelves to retrieve the tome he was reading prior to the meeting. "You are dismissed Oracle, as far as this meeting is concerned. Report back to me either when you have been summoned to do so, or when a development occurs that requires my attention.

[Oracle]

Oracle stood after Gin did after the Ha-ou added more information to the message he assigned the Malakite. Being officially dismissed to leave, Oracle bowed in respect to his authority.

"Yes, your majesty," he said. He smiled. 'Majesty' was so much better than calling Gin a 'Lord,' at least in his train of thought and pattern. As far as the mission he was given was concerned, he dwelt all he needed to on the subject matter; it would be foolish to only make himself more frantic dwelling on the matter.

So he left the office, dwelling on what he should do to help establish the new order of the Tenmeigakure. Maybe a new name would be suitable...

"And where do you think you are going?" he heard a familiar voice. Once he turned toward the Kyrum Azazel, his arms folded and his head staring down at him; his mechanical wings slowly folding back.

"I'm going to accomplish a mission assigned to me by your ruler," Oracle stated.

"You mean our ruler..." Azazel retaliated. "Don't forget you are in no position to hold power here."

Oracle raised an eyebrow. "And you do?" he asked.

"Your party tricks have no affect on me, abomination," Azazel retorted.

He smirked. "Then what will?"

Azazel's eyes glowed green, probably symbolizing a frown.



"I believe you have overstayed your welcome," he said.

Oracle continued walking toward the mechanized angel. "With me?" he stated. "Or here? Because if it is indeed with this place, then I believe that you fall underneath that category as well, Azazel."

And Oracle walked out of the palace laughing, knowing that the establishment between mice and men would soon be made; if not with Gin, then with his followers...