WIP and completed applications

Haru was born to two loving parents that worked for the town guard. He lived a happy life until he was ten. His parents helped to defend the town from a monster attack. They succeeded in slaying the beast, but it killed many guards in the process, including Haru's mother and father. He was sent to the orphanage to wait for someone that would accept him in his parents' place.

Shortly after he arrived, Kai was taken in by the same orphanage. Unlike many of the other children, Kai was quiet and kept to himself. It made most of the orphans uneasy to be around him. Haru quickly grew concerned and decided that if nothing else, he wanted to be friends with this boy. Kai's shyness around Haru began to vanish. Though he would still become silent to others, he kept close to Haru to the point that the head of the orphanage joked about them being glued together. Haru thought it was wonderful to have a friend that was always willing to stay with him. It made the days at the orphanage far more interesting.

The duo was eleven when they were adopted. A man named Ernest came by in hopes of finding a student. He was growing older and wanted to pass on his sword techniques to someone worthy. He took an instant liking to Haru and chose him. His interest did not expand to Kai, who had a breakdown at the thought of his only friend leaving. Haru put his foot down and declared he would not leave unless Kai could come too. Ernest reluctantly agreed to adopt both. He did not want to lose the chance to acquire Haru, and he figured that Kai could be refined and taught in a similar manner.

Ernest-who they began to call Master-started training both of them at once. The silver necklaces they were given marked them as his students. Haru's speedy combat style resembled Ernest's, and the favoritism he showed became even worse. The scoldings he gave Kai were enough to reduce him to tears. He tried to get Haru to leave with him, but Haru was worried at the idea of abandoning the man that cared for them. On their own, they would be vulnerable, and leaving the man who took them from the orphanage would have been ungrateful. Kai, not wanting to leave Haru, reluctantly remained to continue his lessons.

When they were thirteen, Ernest's house was broken into during the night. It was a group of assassins that had wanted to capture Earnest to make him explain his techniques. They had tried to make him tell them before, and his constant rejections made them decide to take action. Ernest did not want to face them, knowing he would be outmatched with their numbers. So he grabbed Haru and ran for it. Haru protested, begging him to go back to get Kai, especially when he heard his friend crying for help. But Ernest saw the boy as an acceptable loss and escaped with Haru.

Haru never fully forgave Ernest for that day. He believed Kai to be dead and blamed Ernest for leaving him, along with himself for not being strong enough to help. Haru decided he would never let anyone be taken from him again like that. He threw himself into his lessons. No longer did he hope to impress his master. He did it for the sake of having the power to keep people safe. They traveled many places as Haru continued to learn and practice.

At the age of eighteen, they went by the town where Haru and Kai had been adopted. Haru went in to relive a few memories and do some errands. When he came back, he found Ernest lying on the ground, dead from a large wound. To his shock, Kai was standing over his corpse, a bloody sword in his hands. Utterly overwhelmed, Haru stood no chance of defending himself when Kai attacked him. He was knocked unconscious and taken away, leaving Ernest's corpse for the townspeople to find.

Haru woke up to find himself imprisoned in Kai's home. He managed to get himself free, only to run into Kai on the way out. The two fought each other, as Haru could not get him to talk in a logical sense. It was only after one of them fell that the Ravenloft portal swallowed the defeated whole, leaving the winner to lunge in after.

Haru Kimura
Male Neutral Good Human Warblade, Level 1, Init +7, HP 15/15, Speed 30 ft
AC 18, Touch 17, Flat-footed 11, Fort +3, Ref +7, Will -2, Base Attack Bonus 1
Masterwork Rapier +9 (1d6, 18-20/x2)
Padded Armor (+1 Armor, +7 Dex)
Abilities Str 11, Dex 24, Con 17, Int 12, Wis 7, Cha 12
Condition None

Kai was born to parents who had never wanted him. Both were hardened mercenaries who saw their son as an unwelcome burden to their job. They left him alone more often than not, and when they were around him, they spoke harshly and even hit him on occasion. Kai grew up in constant terror until the two of them got killed. They were slain trying to take on a target that was far too experienced for them.

When he arrived at the orphanage at the age of ten, Kai retreated into himself. He feared that other people would be as harsh as his parents. He was proven wrong when Haru spoke with him. Kai saw Haru as the single safe haven amongst a confusing and destructive world. So he began to cling to Haru, afraid that if he ever let go, he would be swallowed by the hatred of others.

When Ernest adopted Haru, Kai panicked at the thought of Haru leaving without him. He was overcome with relief when Haru forced Ernest to bring him along. Kai thought that if Haru was so nice and could accept Ernest, perhaps the man-Master, as he began to call him-could be a better father than the one he had. Ernest did not actively abuse him like his birth parents had, but Kai found no happiness in learning from him. He yearned to be accepted no matter how much he told Haru he was uncomfortable with their teacher. His worries grew as he saw Ernest get close to Haru. The thought of Ernest taking Haru from him was unbearable to Kai.

At the age of thirteen, Kai was kidnapped by the assassins that had come for Ernest. Most of them were ready to simply kill the boy and be done with it. But one of them, a man named Orson, had an idea. This boy was a student of Ernest, so perhaps he could at least provide the basics of his techniques. He would make a fine assassin with some refinement, Orson decided. So instead of murdering Kai, he took him as a disciple.

The next three years were spent training without rest. Kai constantly suffered from Orson's abusive teaching methods. As the months went by, his thoughts became tainted. He still yearned for Haru, but not as a friend. Kai's mind was split on Haru. He felt betrayed by Haru not coming for him. Yet his heart remembered how Haru had been the only comfort in his life. His previous clingy nature evolved into a flat-out obsession.

When he turned sixteen, Kai had developed enough skills to handle himself for some assassinations. He found that the killing made him feel empowered, to the point that he no longer feared Orson. He killed his second mentor with pleasure. The other assassins were not of his concern, but he wanted them to suffer for their actions years ago. He left an anonymous tip as to where the assassins met up with the town watch. Three days later, all of the assassins were under arrest and waiting for shipment to the city, where they would eventually be tried and executed for their crimes. Kai left the town satisfied.

With no idea of where Haru might be, Kai decided to return to where they had lived as children. His patience was rewarded when he saw Haru and Ernest two years later. Kai slew Ernest with a back attack, making sure his last sight was of the boy he had abandoned. When Haru returned, Kai knocked him out to take back with him. He did not want to risk Haru leaving him again.

Though Haru was imprisoned, he managed to escape from his bonds to face Kai. The two fought each other, as Kai was not about to let Haru leave him. It was only after one of them fell that the Ravenloft portal swallowed the defeated whole, leaving the winner to lunge in after.

Kai Hiraki
Male Neutral Evil Human Swordsage, Level 1, Init +1, HP 15/15, Speed 30 ft
AC 12, Touch 10, Flat-footed 12, Fort +7, Ref -1, Will +4, Base Attack Bonus 0
Masterwork Bastard Sword +7 (1d10+10, 19-20/x2)
Leather Armor (+2 Armor)
Abilities Str 21, Dex 10, Con 24, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 21
Condition None

The land of sleep should have been peaceful. It was a place where Haru could retreat when he grew too overwhelmed with emotion. There he could dream, and in his dreams he would see Kai. His friend would stare at him with wide, trusting eyes. He would take Kai's hand in his own and lead him back to the orphanage, the place where everything was more pleasant. There were no hard decisions to make, no people to agonize over, no pain to rip into his heart.

But that dream did not come this time. A steady beat was in Haru's head, one loud enough to sound like a drummer trapped in his skull. He was dimly aware of his difficulty in breathing. A metallic scent became a veil around him, making his aching head be accompanied by a revolting sensation in his stomach. The pressure continued to increase, building up to a point of no return...

The blood-soaked figure, dripping sword in hand, looked up at him.

Haru's eyes flew open, accompanied by a startled gasp. For once, he was glad to be awake, to be free of the nightmarish realm he had been trapped in. It was only once his breathing became steadier that he realized he had only escaped one such location. He had jumped right from one terror into another, as his flooding memories tell him. He had been walking back to see Master, the lantern and oil he had bought for the trip stored safely in his backpack. He had arrived at the meeting place with the expectation that Master would be waiting there for him. He had found Master's corpse instead. And standing above it, staring at him with piercing red eyes...

Kai!

The sound of clashing metal cut through Haru's thoughts. He stopped moving, suddenly aware that he had sat up. His intention had been to spring to his feet and look for Kai. But he quickly learned that would not be possible. Around Haru's wrists and ankles were shackles. Each one was attached to the stone wall behind him. His quick movements had nearly caused him to trip over the chains linking him to the wall. He barely caught himself in time to roll back onto the soft surface beneath him.

That made him pause. He looked below to find that, of all the places he could have been, he had been lying on a bed. A bed with nice sheets, a comfortable mattress, and two fluffy pillows. The contradiction between the shackles and the place he was sleeping on jarred him. The remnants of his headache flared back from the brief moments of excitement he had taken part in. Haru placed a hand to his forehead gingerly before examining the rest of the room.

His confusion increased at seeing the rest of the location. The walls and floor were all made of stone, except for the wall across from where he was chained. Metal vertical bars made up that side. There were also bars covering a window above the bed. It was far enough that stretching to his maximum length would only let his fingertips touch the bottom of the window. Even if he managed to somehow wrench the bars off, the hole was too small for him to get through. The only way out was a similarly barred door that had a large lock on the outside. All he could spot beyond the bars was a stone hallway that went out of sight. From those factors, it seemed more like a prison cell than a room.

The only reason Haru did not instantly call it a cell was because of what was inside it. Aside from the bed, there was a fine wooden nightstand that had a stack of books on it. A small table with plates and silverware was within the chain's reach, meaning he could sit at one of the two chairs if he wished. Clothing was neatly stacked in one corner on a stool. His backpack sat at the foot of the bed within easy reach, though there was no traces of his rapier or padded armor.

It's like I'm in a guest room. The uneasiness in Haru's mind continued to rise as he looked from the shackles to the homely furniture. A guest room contained in a jail cell. Kai, what are you thinking?

His old friend's name brought back the image from his memory. Master's corpse, and Kai standing over it, the murder weapon in hand, his clothes dyed red.

What happened to you?

Haru put his head into his cupped hands to block out his surroundings. In the self-imposed darkness, he thought of Master. My first reaction was to focus on Kai. Master is dead. How have I not shed any tears for him? Why have I felt no pain?

The questions were ones that he already knew the answers to, even if he did not want to admit it. Haru had lost any true love for Master years ago. The act of taking Haru and leaving Kai to the fate of the assassins had destroyed any chance of a meaningful relationship between them. Haru had not wished for him to die, and in some small corner of his mind, there was a bit of sorrow. He had spent several years learning from Master, so it would have been odd to feel nothing at all for his passing. But the agony of losing a loved one did not exist. There was only that small amount of sadness that they had no way to connect before his death.

There's no sense in thinking about it. I can't do anything for Master. He's gone. Haru lifted his head to stare at the bars blocking him from the hallway. But Kai isn't. Something's wrong with Kai. I have to help him. But how?

With no answer forthcoming, Haru gave the room another examination. The stack of books made him curious. He shifted over on the bed to take a closer look. Having read many books as a child, he wondered if any of them were stories he would recognize.

A jolt went through him at seeing the top book. It was a title he knew from years ago as one of the last books he and Kai had been reading together before leaving the orphanage. He knew Kai must have deliberately chosen that novel. Kai had not forgotten what they had done as friends, even though they had been apart for five years.

Is he testing me, trying to see if I remember as well? Or is it something else?

Another glance around the room revealed more traces of Kai's memories. The way the silverware was set varied from what he remembered. Kai had always made a mistake of putting the spoon to the right of the plate alongside the fork. This time, the setting was properly done, mimicking how Haru had always done it. The clothing in the corner was made up of outfits identical to what Haru had worn for their training sessions with Master. It matched what he wore now, everything down to his favorite shade of green. Even the bed he laid on held traces of the past. Haru had a tendency to fold back the top blanket a few inches near the pillow to reveal the sheets underneath. Kai had never done such a thing. Yet the carefully made bed underneath him had that same fold.

He wants me... to feel at home? To go back to how things once were? It would have made some sense. He might have believed it if not for the heavy metal bands around his limbs. He traced a finger over one of the shackles while thinking, Then why imprison me? I don't understand.

Remembering how Kai had looked at him, a shiver passed through Haru. The innocent eyes that Kai had once looked at him with were now replaced by ones of a stranger. They had a frigid look in them, a gleam that hinted at a dangerous individual underneath. A killer. The thought comes unbidden and is hard to dispel, as much as Haru wished he could.

I have to get out of here. Kai... I have to find Kai.

Being imprisoned made that a problem. Haru had never tried to pick a lock in his life, and he was unsure of where to even start. Breaking the shackles was out of the question. His physical strength had never been worth mentioning. Without a weapon, he doubted he could even scratch the metal. Trying to slip out seemed impossible as well, for they were tight against his skin.

But there has to be a way. I just need to figure out how.

With more care than before, Haru scanned the cell and hallway. His eye caught sight of something he had not seen before. His rapier and armor lay in a corner in the hall. It was out of reach to him at the moment. That did not mean it was impossible to get.

Though it would be if he hadn't left my other items with me. Haru dug through his backpack until he produced a coil of silk rope. With fifty feet to it, it certainly could reach the rapier. The question was whether he could successfully lasso it. He had attempted such maneuvers in training before, but it was a technique that was not useful often. To actually need it now was surprising to Haru.

Haru's Duel of Wills
Kai's Duel of Wills
Haru's initiative
Kai's initiative
Kai's round
Haru's round
Kai's round two
*Continued...*