Dragon's Trip[Kenichi, Vanyel]

Several weeks have passed since Vanyel was confined to a bed, his humanity returned without no secondary aftereffects. He wasn't familiar with the role, but playing caretaker for his boss and a man he viewed as a great friend was quite the experience. Fortunately, he'd had Rita's countless butlers and nurses to assist him in the endeavor. During their recovery, Kenichi had offered to treat his fellow dragon to a vacation. Where? His stomping grounds, of course. His family's home was situated in the capital of Okinawa's Prefecture - Naha. Apart from the technological advancements over the span of a hundred years, the capital city remained relatively unchanged. A mixture of island, brilliant sights, and popular establishments proved too compelling a case for Vanyel to reject. Hesitation turned into eventual acceptance, and Kenichi set the date once Vanyel had recovered enough to move around without issue. The promised day is here, and the Rising Dragon is already occupying a seat in a dragon-themed yacht. He has already messaged Vanyel on his mobile device; the only thing left to him is to wait as he enjoys a large, hearty breakfast.

Usually, he wasn't one for vacations. Partly because of a mild fear of spending too much out of habit in his teen years, but also because he hadn't really been one for travel. But, with the ground he had covered in his search to find someone to turn him back, being reverted, and Kenichi's incessant pestering about it, he finally caved. The destination? Kenichi's hometown in the capital of Okinawa.

Admittedly, that was somewhat interesting -- seeing the home of someone he was beginning to consider as a brother of sorts. It still felt...weird to be around someone so energetic and positive, someone that was human. For the last few years, almost his entire live had centered around demons, so much so that he felt a comfort with them.

But, now wasn't the time to think about that. Waking up considerably early to ensure he had plenty of time before getting ready, he got showered, dressed, and got his things together. Phone, playing cards, a book or two about Chinese mythology, at least one of his knives, and a pair of wireless earbuds.

Getting a text message from Kenichi not long after getting his belongings together, he checked it, looked at the port where he was supposed to go, and headed out to grab his motorcycle, cruising through Japan before he eventually arrived at the port...only to suddenly lift his sunglasses to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

The motherfucker always went above and beyond, but an entire dragon-themed yacht?!

As he stepped off, kicking the stand open and setting his helmet next to it, someone approached him. This man had gone as far as to get a fucking valet to take his car somewhere safe while they were away. Stunned speechless, he handed the keys to him, before walking onto the yacht.

All of a sudden, he felt...severely underdressed. He was wearing light formal, but this made him feel like he should have shown up in a full tux, dressed to the nines with cufflinks and everything. He knew exactly where to find him this early in the morning, and Vanyel made his way to the cafeteria. The wave of scents hit his nose and his stomach, on cue, growled as he sat down next to Kenichi.

"Was this really necessary? We coulda just gotten a fuckin' plane, man. This just seems excessive."

"What you call excessive, Van, I call a brilliant display of showmanship!"

Kenichi turned toward Vanyel, a sort chortle escaping his lips as he requested for one of the ship's waiters to bring him a large plate of food. He had hardly failed to notice that grumble in his tummy. Along with the return of his humanity, it seems as though he's developed a strong appetite too. Turning towards him as the waiter set the food down, Kenichi would nudge his fist playfully against Vanyel's shoulder. To him, even if it did seem a bit exorbitant, the rising dragon was the type to leave no stone unturned for special occasions. He's taking him to where he was born and raised, after all. Of course he's gonna be flashy. That was simply the man Kenichi was. Whether on the battlefield or his daily life, he was always aiming to put on a show.

"Sure, I thought of an airplane, but I want you to see my hometown in all it's glory. The islands. The lush trees. The towns. Oh, and I'd love for you to meet my family. After speaking mention you on the phone, they're really excited to finally meet you."

If there was one thing he was thankful of when it came to him being a human again, it was having a normal appetite. He didn't really need to eat a whole lot when it came to being a demon, which, honestly, fucking sucked, but was cool at the same time. It saved how much he needed to spend on groceries, cut down on how much he used, and was overall something that he tried to view as a net benefit.

But, he hadn't had anything to eat yet. So, sitting down next to him, Vanyel began partaking in the food set down in front of him, he chuckled, returning the nudge. Well, at least for this instance, the flashiness was more understandable. He wanted to hype up his hometown with everything he had -- plus, it'd probably be a sure-fire way of giving his family a giant signal that he was home.

"Really? Well, I'll try 'n be a good guest, then. Is it just us and staff on this thing? There's no way you, fuckin' somehow, got a whole entire yacht just for us...right?"

Kenichi shook his head in response as he pointed his finger towards some other men and women who worked under Rita that he'd felt deserved a break. It wasn't the entire team, but it was at least enough to justify having an entire yacht. It was almost as if he had expected Vanyel to ask the question once he'd seen it, but that is neither here nor there. In all honesty, he was simply happy to be spending time with a man he viewed as a brother. He would continue eating his breakfast, savoring a mixture of eggs and seasoned meat.

"Nope. I brought a few people along that wanted some time off from their job, too. When I first bought this thing, I recognized that it might be a little wasteful to have a yacht specifically to ourselves. Money isn't easy to come by, not even for me."

Good, he was glad that he wasn't that reckless with his money. These kinds of things were expensive, and getting it just for those two was a level of wastefulness that Vanyel probably would have smacked him for. But, thankfully, it wasn't just them. The place would feel awfully empty and barren with just the two of them and the staff. At least it was some folks that he would somewhat recognize.

"Good, because I'd beat the shit out of you if you had."

He chuckled softly, continuing to eat his own breakfast. He was hardly one to eat light for the first meal of the day, so, he had no problem in getting seconds and thirds. Besides, with him breaking the habit of accidentally starving himself from all the time he spent as a demon, he certainly needed it.

"So, what's your family like, anyhow? You've told me that they wanna meet me, but not a lot else."

"Trust me, I know."

Vanyel's response had elicited a chuckle as Kenichi nodded his head in reply. He certainly understood where he was coming from, though. To be quite honest, he didn't particularly value wasteful spending. Even if the two of them had been hired by a woman with a surplus of resources, he was humble enough to respect the money he earned. Indeed, the only reason he's even spending extra today was simply done on account of him viewing this as a special occasion by his definition. He was meeting the Murata family. His father, his mother, and if some of his sisters were present - them as well! Kenichi was already imagining the conversations they'd share on the Journey To The West alone.

"They're all a group of lively people. My father's a very loud and passionate man with a booming voice. He could command an entire room with his sheer level of energy. My mother is far more soft-spoken. I'd say she's the most level-headed of us all, a nice balance in our family structure. And, the sisters. Well, I have many sisters. They've all grown quite a bit in my time away. It's a tossup on how they'll be, but don't be surprised if one of them wants to fight you to test you out as a fighter. It's a shame Kohaku won't be there, though..."

Even in the somewhat brief period they'd known each other, Kenichi already knew well how Vanyel was, especially with spending. He had been harping him to make sure he wasn't going overboard -- though, admittedly, it was somewhat just him projecting. He just didn't want him to be going through his money and enjoy more than just one thing per paycheck.

Then again, he was a pretty easy to please guy, so, he was probably fine with it. Nevertheless, as Kenichi started talking about his family, Vanyel smiled as he turned to face him, halting his breakfast for a bit. It was nice to hear him talk about his family, though he was surprised that they somehow seemed to hit the lottery when it came to popping out a boy instead of a girl.

"Holy hell, what kinda odds do you have to get that many daughters before a son?"

In spite of the little prod, Vanyel noticed Kenichi was a bit downtrodden about one of them in particular. Given that she had a name, as opposed to the rest of them -- at least, in this conversation -- this one meant somethin' more. He nudged him lightly as he let an arm drape over the back of his chair.

"Well, I can't promise anythin' too spectacular, but, if they wanna throw hands, I'll do my best. Who's Kohaku, though? You always call her by name, compared to the others. She the oldest?"

Kenichi held back the urge to burst out in laughter at Vanyel's response, noting how his father might have reacted to those words. It was a matter of pride with the man, after all. Sho had hardly cried foul at the hand he'd been dealt with - he was unequivocally as proud of his daughters as he was Kenichi. HIs intent was always going to be raising them as the ideal version of themselves they desired in life. His aim, quite simply, was to teach them how to be honorable and committed in their pursuits. That was the Murata way. That was Kenichi's way. The path of endless pursuit.

"If he heard you say that, he'd likely burst out in laughter and try and challenge you to a fight simply to defend his pride. That said, he's never really cared about whether he raised daughters or sons in this world. To him, his intention was always to raise us to be well-meaning people, to live lives we could take pride in until our last breath. He treated us all the same, too."

A warm grin caressed the martial artist's lips at Vanyel's next question. Kohaku. Of course, he'd mentioned her several times, but he hadn't specifically recalled a moment where he divulged any information on the type of woman she actually was. He supposed it was time to do that now. Pointing his fingers towards Van as though wielding a pair of guns, Kenichi snaps his fingers.

"Simply put, Kohaku is.. partly the reason why I stand here with you today. Not entirely, of course, but she's certainly a big part of it. My love of adventure. My penchant for brilliant displays of showmanship. In one aspect or another, a lot of my inspiration stemmed from her. My father, too, had a hand... but she was always the one I wanted to overcome the most. My first true rival. My first muse."

Vanyel chuckled awkwardly at the prospect of throwing hands with Kenichi['s old man -- especially when he was just recently given the clear to walk around and be more active again. He could work out and practice his martial arts, but he still had to restrain himself. God knows what would happen if he was challenged to a fight by him.

"Didn't mean nothin' bad by it, just...surprised at it. I don't think I've ever heard of a family that had that many daughters before havin' one son."

It was a strange phenomenon, but one that was a bit humorous. But, then Kenichi finally started going into detail about Kohaku. He had heard about the girl for a while, small snippets and mentions here and there, but now, he was finally going to actually learn why she was so important. He found himself taking another bite of some sausage and eggs as he listened.

So, she was basically the girl that made Kenichi such a sucker for adventure, someone who made him realize his passion towards martial arts, and his incessant penchant for showin' off. With how dragons acted in both Japan and China, the title of "Rising Dragon" was more than fitting for him.

"Well, ain't that somethin'. Didn't really have anythin' like that growin' up, but...it sounds nice. Havin' a cool sibling rival like that. Why do ya think she won't show when you come back home?"