The morning light was soft and filtered through the foliage of the Mansion grounds. Though it was technically Summer now, she just couldn't help herself.

"桜,　桜
[Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms]"

Maya didn't have to take care of the garden. They used to have a gardener that did that, though she hadn't seen Martin in some time lately. She hadn't seen much of anyone, really.

"弥生の空は
[Across the spring sky],

見渡す限り
[As far as you can see]"

But hey, she had free babysitting here with her Father as a teacher. That left her with a small amount of free time to take care of errands, but every once in a while she wanted to give back to this place that had given her so much.

"霞か雲か
[Is it a mist, or clouds?]

匂いぞ　出ずる
[Fragrant in the air]"

And she liked to come out in the early morning when hardly any of the students would dare to wake. That way she could sing to herself and get her hands dirty and not be bothered with questions or flying lessons or school life. She'd outgrown that all a while ago.

"いざや　いざや
[Come now, come now]

見に行かん~!
[Let's look, at last~!]"

There. The aeromancer sat back onto her heels with her bare knees still in the dirt in front of her. It was a rare day off and as such, Maya was wearing a skirt. She wiped her forehead, smearing dirt across the pale whiteness of her brow. She had a small pile of weeds and trimmings. She scooped them away from the healthy plants to survey her work now that her song had ended.

This planter looked a lot cleaner now.

The being known as Orochi didn't sleep too much, his unique metabolism always generating energy for him to burn. And most of that energy came from the Sun, so it was no surprise that Ryoga was always up early and finding spots to bask in, just like the reptiles he resembled so much. And his favorite spots were those surrounded by nature, beautiful wooded or flower laden spots where he could enjoy the smell of life while his body feasted upon the sun's light.

But this was a first for the dragon, his ears picking up on something he rarely got to enjoy here in America. He heard his mother tongue, and not just the spoken language but song. It was beautiful, and the large mutant found himself quickly searching out the source. And as if bound by fate, as the song ended the Dragon turned to spy a girl, most likely a mutant considering his location. Ryoga remained silent for a moment, his eyes sizing up the girl before him, trying to determine why she would be singing in Japanese of all languages here at this place so full of disrespectful children.

"素敵"
[Beautiful]

He said in his native tongue, his gravely tone quite a bit more smooth when he spoke in Japanese, and coming off more as a deep and powerful voice rather than a beast's.

"あなたが美しく歌う"
[You sing beautifully]

He bowed his mighty head, a rarity for the arrogant dragon but he couldn't resist reverting to his native manners after hearing something to pleasant.

"私の中断を許しなさい。
[Excuse the interruption]

"私はオロチ、と私はあなたの声で呼ばれていた"
I am Orochi, and I was called by your voice

He raised his head up after giving his introduction, and stared hard at the little mutant. His amber eyes heavy but friendlier than he was with most, her use of Japanese already placing her in his graces before she even had a chance to speak.

((While it would be amazing Japanese practice to write out all our dialogue in both languages, it would severely slow down my posting pace. For ease and speed, let's assume they are both speaking in Japanese unless otherwise noted. ))

A voice, resonant and profound, brought Maya back from to reality and out of the pleasant monotony of her task.

> "素敵"

His compliments made her pale skin blush bright pink from the roots of her hair down to her ears. "Ah. That cannot be." She waved her hand in the typical self-deprecating Japanese response and stumbled to her feet in order to properly reciprocate a polite greeting.

Of course when she saw him, she did have a brief moment of pause. He was quite impressive. This was the Mansion and not only was that a safe place, but he had been nothing but polite. Of course she would reciprocate in kind.

He bowed. She bowed in return with utmost politeness and posture. While living in Japan, Maya had been told that she seemed more Japanese than the natives. The culture came very naturally to her and it was all too easy to fall back into that.

"I'm Maya. It's nice to meet you. Please take care of me." She bowed again. Habit. This time she noticed her dirty knees and hands. How embarrassing. She tried to brush herself off. "Do you live here at the Mansion?" Despite his intimidating stature, Maya gave him full, open, and honest eye contact. She might not have said much yet, but the way that she treated him as a person spoke volumes about her character.

((Considering I don't actually speak any Japanese and would have to rely on translations, that would be for the best, was a fun way to start things though!))

The sudden flare of blush, the polite rebuttal of the compliment, and a gesture of apology, oh how Ryoga missed his home. More than anyone else he'd met here in the states this girl made him feel respected and comfortable with her attitude alone. "But it was, and I thank you for letting me listen." He praised her once more to cement his sincerity and as an excuse to thank her, another favorite of his native culture.

Her manners were impeccable, as Ryoga had all but forgotten how proper it felt to receive a bow when greeting another. So the mutant girl was named Maya, a lovely name the dragon thought. "Maya-san, a lovely name that befits your voice. It would be my honor to speak with you." Ryoga returned her bow, shutting his eyes for just a moment as he lowered his massive head down to match hers once more before returning to his impressive stare.

The girl quickly brushed her self off, clearly afraid the God before her would think less of her, an honorable gesture to save herself from embarassment. She continued the conversation, never faltering her gaze against his. Her will impressed Ryoga, possibly the first woman here in New York to do so. "Yes I do, but only for a short time. It has been hospitable and a personal room was constructed for me, here on the grounds. I am embarrassed to admit I do not fit so well within the main building." If the girl continued with her current attitude she might be the first to claim friendship with a God, as well as be the first to not realize that Ryoga was actually quite arrogant and rude towards most everyone else.

My! He was a flatterer. Maya self-consciously tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. She hadn't held such a civil conversation since she'd met Sebastian.

Now, that was a train of thought she wanted desperately to derail. She'd even started leaving her wedding ring at home.

"I'm so glad you've found your accommodations acceptable. I, too, lived here for a time some years ago." What better place to "fit" than at a Mutant compound? She was glad that they were taking proper care of their esteemed guest. Maya guessed by his size and voice that Orochi was too old for schooling, so "guest" was about right. "My father now teaches here and my adopted son attends." So she did at least have a good reason to be here.

"Are you, perhaps, Japanese? I haven't met a Japanese person in a while so please forgive my excitement. Have you recently arrived, or...?" Maya had a crisp Tokyo-ben, the most metropolitan of Japanese accents. It was probably strange that Maya was not Japanese by birth and yet so very Japanese by nature. Actually with her double eyelid, honey yellow eyes, milk white skin, and white hair, Maya didn't exactly fit in any genre other than "Caucasian," or maybe "Mutant."

So Maya no longer lived here? That would make sense, if this were a school then most of the residents must eventually move on. An adopted son, hopefull her boy had manners unlike most of the mutant children Ryoga dealt with. And hopefully he had not insulted her Father or son, it would come back as dishonorable if he had. The accommodations were fine, but the dragon wished that the American mutants were required to take some sort of course on manners. "My shrine befits me, but I find this country sadly lacking  manners and respect."

Ryoga laughed a bit, realizing how enjoyable it was to hold a conversation entirely in Japanese. It was a jovial laugh, and a short one before he responded. "Yes I am Japanese. But I am no man, I am a living God born in Hiroshima! From the ashes of atomic fire was I forged." That little outburst certainly showed that Ryoga wasn't as "normal" as his manners or speech had at first intended, but the dragon could contain his God complex for only so long before the need to brag would begin to itch. "And yes, I have been a guest of this country for only a short time." The dragon paused a moment, realizing something about Maya. "You speak like those from Tokyo?" He observed, recognizing her accent. Ryoga's accent was unique, his voice so far removed from anything that was human that you were too distracted to realize that his Japanese was somewhat different, mostly because he spoke int he Hiroshima-ben.

Shrine? The word was a strange choice. Perhaps she was remembering wrong the exact connotations of that word...

"The culture is very different here and they'll expect you to be the one to adapt." She might not have said it, but Maya's tone made the idea seem a tad ridiculous.

A living God, eh? That must be how he came to peace with his nonhuman appearance in a human world. It took every bit of her Japanese training in public face to not show pity and embarrass him for what he was so proud of. Honestly, if he had sprouted a second head she still would remain pleasant to them both.

"I meant no offense in naming you "person." Only that you are to my knowledge of one mind, body, and soul. You may not be a man, Orochi-san, but you are a person." It was a difficult decision to not up his honorific to -sama. On one hand it cost her little to be cautiously respectful. On the other hand, she felt it undermined her point. In a way, all mutants were gods. She may as well insist on her own - sama.

Maya bowed to head off any perceived insult in her words. "I have some small experience with living deities." She knew at least 3 different immortals. Could this be her fourth? It was just cruel irony for someone whose mutation was slowly making her fade into non-existence.

>"You speak like those from Tokyo?"

"I attended Fussa highschool, Tokyo. The one with the Navy uniform with white ribbon." Maya pantomimed the skirt and the trademark ribbon at the throat. "Do you know it?"

Perhaps at some point Ryoga could show Maya his room, a large earthen crafted Japanese style shrine that some of the Mansion's higher up's had constructed for him. Ryoga enjoyed it far more than he would have some normal room, the idea of living within a shrine appeased his ego.

Ryoga scoffed at the notion of adapting to their culture, blowing a breath out his large nostrils. "It's certainly different, but I don't believe you can call a lack of manners culture." He said, the statement somewhat of a joke but spoken in his entirely serious tone. His status as a God had actually been hammered into him since his birth, his Father pushing Ryoga's ego so he could use it himself to craft an empire of criminal power upon his mutant son's back. Though Ryoga was not able to recognize how his Father manipulated him.

Ryoga's eye opened a bit when the girl referred to him with the less than lordly honorific he was accustomed to back in Japan, but he decided not to press it at the moment. For now he'd just enjoy the polite compnay and pleasent conversation, he could lord over the girl later when it appealed to his mood. "I see you meant no offense, so I shall take it as a sort of compliment. However, as you come to know me you will find I am far removed from any person you have met before." The girl mentioned other deities, and the dragon's interest was immediately sparked, distracting him from any annoyance he may have had towards her previous statement.

"You know other Gods?" He lowered his head and leaned forward a bit, eagerly awaiting an explanation. "I have yet to meet another, please tell me of them." He requested politely, his bowing head apart of that gesture.

So Maya had attened school in his home country, no wonder she was so culture and mannered, having learned from his people. He shook his head a bit as he explained his thought. "I must admit that I do not, I almost never left my home in Hiroshima. Father often brought men from Tokyo to see me though, so I am familiar with the accent." These men his Father brought just happened to be corrupt officials and power hungry criminals whom could be manipulated around the idea of a Dragon God.

The aeromancer wondered if Orochi understood what Maya had even been talking about before. He was a person and entitled to all the rights therein. Setting himself up as a god excluded him from some of those most basic rights, in her opinion."Already I can affirm that I have never met anyone like you." How many dragon-like people could be walking around, let alone self-proclaimed dragon gods? Was he really so insecure?

> "You know other Gods? I have yet to meet another, please tell me of them."

"The first I met is the most benevolent. He can appear as man or horse and as any age he wishes. He has long white hair and a horn on his forehead. He is undying, can heal any wound, and can even bring someone back from the brink of death. He is generous and kind and uses his power freely and often."

Even though it had been about 3 years since she'd really spoken with her husband, Maya still missed him. The OLD him, anyway. Not this new one with his god-hood and church of followers. He'd promised to watch her grow old and care for their children's children's children. Those were broken promises now.

"Last I heard, he had a church in... Ohio or something." What a fool she'd been to love a god. A lump formed in her throat, but there were other immortals to discuss so she moved on.

"The next I met was a real demon. He too will never die. He appeared mostly human except for silver eyes and fangs which he used to sustain himself on blood. He killed and maimed at his pleasure. He used that strength to amass a small empire for himself that he one day left without word.

I believe he grew some consideration for others, and perhaps even a human wife because when I met him again years later, he seemed quite repentant." He'd said that Maya reminded him of her and that she had died. That was still no excuse for his behavior.

"I also know a man who can, upon sustaining injury, surrender himself to flames and be reborn young and healthy. I doubt he considers himself a god, though. He's very humble and enjoys anonymity." Paul actually rented a room from her, but since the man wasn't an active member of mutant society, she left that fact out in case Orochi would ask to meet him.

Maya had heard there was another phoenix in New York, but fire was a real hazard to her health. She would not seek him out.

Orochi's further comments about his life before the Mansion confirmed Maya's assessment of the dragon. They may have convinced him that he was a god and even physically pampered him, but without knowing more, in her book what they'd done was practically child abuse. "Have you traveled much?"

If he could have smiled, Ryoga would have in response to Maya's words, the dragon mutant loved any sort of praise to his ego, even if it wasn't actually a compliment. He thrived on attention and admiration. He listened intently as she explained the other Gods she had met, starting with what sounded like some sort of unicorn man. Ryoga had seen the creatures within various books, but never imagined anything like one actually existed. The idea of a horned horse just sounded comical to the Dragon. But the powers Maya spoke of, Ryoga could respect and admire those.

"A God always needs a church, my home in Hiroshima is often crowded with various members of my congregation. Mostly Father's chosen servants." Ryoga saw his home as a temple and it's residents as worshipers, but in reality it was more akin to a sort of Yakuza cult, run mostly by his Father in proxy of Ryoga himself.

Maya's second description sounded something like a vampire, a legendary creature quite popular in the manga culture of Japan. "Sounds something like a vampire." He thought aloud, not meaning to intterupt Maya's description. "Forgive my interupption, please continue." He became silent once more as he listened to his new friends pantheon of mutant Gods. She moved onto to what sounded like a phoenix, a legendary creature similar in majesty to a dragon, at least to most cultures that worship them.

Ryoga could respect such a creature, a brother in flames, a creature of majesty and awe, just like he was. He would enjoy meeting such a creature, but lost interest when Maya described him as humble. Nothing bothered Ryoga more than a lack of pride, pride is what made the man, his ambition and will that drove him. A man with no pride was no man at all, and a God with no pride? That was less than a man to Ryoga.

Ryoga was a bit surprised when she moved on to ask about his travels, to which he replied simply. "No, I have not had the chance to travel much. My status and size make it somewhat difficult to travel, especially within Japan." Ryoga loved his country, but Japanese cities were already cramped for normal citizens, a creature of Ryoga's size would be quite hard to transport, especially since his Father didn't quite show him off unless there was something to be gained from his appearance.

"I only came to visit this country at my Mother's request. She believed there was something for me to learn here." Ryoga referred to both of his parents using the utmost respect, ending each of their names with -sama, showing that he could in fact respect someone as being above or equal to himself in status. Though Maya might not realize that both his parents were completely normal humans and not giant reptiles like he was.

"Pin-pon!" She grinned at his revelation about the mythos. "Correct. Unicorn, vampire, and phoenix. I feel like all the deities have legends." Which begged the question... which legend was Orochi?

A god must have a church. Maya ruminated on that for a moment. "What benefit do you get from followers, if I may ask?" Beyond the physical of taking up a collection or calling them as an army, Maya just couldn't think of any use. "I know that I am not a god." That was painfully obvious, having met so many. "But even if I were, I don't think I could do it. To have that many people relying on me, I mean." She smoothed her skirt self-consciously.

> "No, I have not had the chance to travel much. My status and size make it somewhat difficult to travel, especially within Japan."

Maya appraised the dragon god before her with new eyes for his size, almost as if she hadn't noticed before. "I think it could be possible, given the right motivation." She could take him incorporeally... probably. He did have quite a bit of mass, and it wasn't the most dignified. Hence the need for personal motivation.

> "I only came to visit this country at my Mother's request."

That, too, made Maya's face light up. "I went to a Japanese high school at my mother's request. She was a firm believer in learning the value in other cultures."

Rarely did Ryoga laugh, his demeanor always that of a majestic or perhaps arrogant personality, but Maya's attitude and mannerisms were quite welcoming to the foreign mutant. It was a short laugh, but sincere enough to be enjoyed. "What would a God be without his story? The story is the soul of the deity." And Ryoga was hungry for his own story, a modern God forged in the shape of an ancient creature.

She questioned the benefit of having followers, an odd question the dragon thought. After all who doesn't enjoy being idolized and fawned over? The Japanese especially had a weakness for gathering around idols, as shown by their tendancy to favor one individual in a group for their excellent work or looks, or the vast culture of idols and idol groups that his country loved. She feared failing those who looked up to her, an admirable trait in a mortal.

"A God is a ruler, without something to rule his power is wasted. My followers worked for me, found purpose in their lives and inspiration in my presence. Father often collected money from them, but I merely desired the admiration. No one is more worthy of admiration than I." He laughed a bit again, remembering one of his favorite benefits of the group. "But I shall share with you a secret. My favorite benefit was having someone to turn the pages of a book for me." He motioned to his "legs" with his eyes and head, specifically his wings, which were not designed like a human's hand, making it nearly impossible for Ryoga to interact with normal human designed items.

He continued. "Fear of failure is a normal feeling, for a mortal. But I grew up in the compound, always surrounded by those who looked up to me, even when I was still small. A God cannot fail, for my will is unbreakable. " Ryoga's confidence was sickening for most, but he was not malicious in his delusion. He believed his presence helped those that served him, and if the time came he truly had to act on their behalf, the fury of a Dragon would shake the very world around him for his and their cause.

He tilted his head a bit as the girl talked of travel. His large size, coupled with his new found infamy with the Police made him quite sure traveling at all would be difficult. "I can do many things Maya-san, and no man has a stronger will than the Dragon!...But it's still difficult to travel a world designed for creatures as small as you." Ryoga often focused on the size of those around him, his body nearly 3 times the size of a large man, which made entering even the largest of buildings difficult, let alone area not made for large vehicles or animals. He was unaware the girl possessed her own mutant ability that could help eliminate that issue.

He was pleased to hear they had something else in common, their movitations driven by an honorable request from a Mother. "We have much in common Maya-san! And your Mother chose well, the Japanese culture is truly an honorable one to adopt." He wondered if Maya's mother might be Japanese or have loved a Japanese man to interest her in the nation's values. "I'm not exactly sure what Mother wanted me to learn here. She can be cryptic when she chooses so." He pondered for a moment, unaware that his own Mother had wanted him to master a Japanese belief as well, only by living out of Japan instead of staying here.

Ryoga had been sent here to learn humility and camaraderie, things highly valued by his people.

"No doubt your story will be one passed down for many generations." Maya hid her worry behind a smile. All the stories involved bloodshed, even her healer's. Immortality, it seemed, came at the cost of others.

Being honestly curious, she listened carefully to Orochi's reasoning. The elemental liked Orochi's father less and less and felt bad for her one-sided judgement of the man, but... seriously! He'd been running a racket in Japan!

> "My favorite benefit was having someone to turn the pages of a book for me."

Now that at least, was something Maya could relate to! "Should you ever need this service, or more books for that matter, please call for me Oorochi-san. I work at a small bookstore." Well, owned it. She didn't like to brag, though.

"An unbreakable will is an admirable trait," But not criteria for godhood and certainly not an excuse to be blind to the world around him. "Like many traits, it is one with a double edge. Please don't allow your conviction to blind you to other points of view."

She could waste her breath clarifying her fear of letting others down, but didn't feel it was worth it. Oorchi had yet to realize that he lived in the real world. If no one fought him on the point, he may never realize that fact. "I am very grateful to Orochi-san's mother. Without her encouragement, I would not have met Oorchi-san. I may have a small insight into her thoughts, having a mother who also encouraged me as your has, should you want to hear it."

Ryoga would have smirked if he'd had lips, his ego happily taking any compliment Maya would give him, even if she masked her true thoughts well beneath them. "My story will change the world. You'll see." What Ryoga would accomplish though was yet to be seen, a creature such as he having great potential for good or evil, all depending on who truly was in control of him.

Ryoga respected and admired his Father, but that was because his familial tie and sense of honor forced him to remain blind to his Father's short comings and twisted ways. Should Maya ever meet his Father, she would realize just how low he truly was, the entire cult a means for him to attain power and wealth through his son's divinity.

The dragon was eager to have a friend who could give him access to literature once more. "I would be most thankful for such help Maya-san, I spent great amount of time with my books in Japan." Working at a bookstore was almost too perfect for Ryoga, meeting someone well mannered with a sense of Japanese dignity and access to books, this girl was clearly meant to join Orochi's faith. He would make sure of it. "And please forgive me for the requests I shall make of you, I sense that we shall become well acquainted from now on." It was an odd custom, how the Japanese tended to apologize for nearly anything, even a forming friendship, but to Ryoga this was how social interaction should be.

Normally Ryoga took offense to any critique of himself, but Maya had already cemented her place within his good graces. He stopped for a moment, the suddenly silence almost oppressive as if the dragon had sucked all the air from the area in one breath. "A wise lesson. It would seem I still have things to learn after all." Somehow Ryoga imagined his Mother was smiling right now, she often got enjoyment out of teaching Ryoga a lesson, like a child might get out of outsmarting someone else. He would have to introduce Maya to her sometime.

Speaking of his Mother, it seemed Maya had a similar thought, praising his Mother's actions though they had yet to meet. "Perhaps it is merely the comfort of meeting someone with Japanese manners, but you reminded me of Mother just now." Some girls might take offense at being compared to an older woman like a Mother, but for Ryoga this was a compliment. His Mother was the one person in the world who could get away with ordering him around and not meeting the swift end of his tail. "I think that the two of you would get along well, and I would be grateful for another of your thoughts Maya-san. Please, tell me." He asked, curious what Maya was thinking.

As one of those in a position to affect change him and wield his influence over people, Maya sincerely hoped that Orochi would have a story that changed the world. A good story. With a happy ending. But she was a romantic at heart.

"Please tell me what genre you would like and I will bring a selection for you tomorrow." Maya bowed at his words. It was only polite. Besides, she had a feeling that Orochi would like just about anything she brought him since she had moved her store's specialty into higher end hardbacks and specialty books. He seemed the type to enjoy opulence.

It was a shame that Orochi did not seem to have the dexterity to write. A journal would probably do him good.

Maya waited with her eyes lowered as Orochi chewed on her offered thought. If he took offense, he was more lost than she'd thought. That was why she turned the most proud smile up toward the dragon-man when he rumbled an acquiescence.

> "...you reminded me of Mother just now."

Her hands touched her smiling cheeks. "Aw. That can't be." She replied to the compliment for the gift it was. "Perhaps because I am a mother and it warms my heart to see a son seek wisdom."

> "I think that the two of you would get along well"

"If you still communicate with her, please send her my regards. I should like to meet her, if I ever have the chance." Still grinning like a fool, it took Maya a moment to order her thoughts again. Orochi said that he would listen, but she had to say it just right...

"Orochi-san, please forgive my conjecture, but I believe your mother would like you to to have vast and broad experiences to expand upon your already steady grip of wisdom. It isn't about experiencing another culture, per se. It's about being able to see life through other eyes, to gain a new point of view, and to measure and weigh everything— even things you may have already judged."

There. That was the absolute most Japanese way to say that his mother sent him away from his father so that he could get some perspective. He didn't have to get it now. So long as he took the idea to heart, one day he could get there. Orochi could be free.