Juka floated along just above building height, anvils slowly rotating around him. He had been patrolling the streets nightly for some time now, almost since he discvered his lack of need for sleep. His rather spiffy Green Mage outfit on the other hand, complete with matchng green ninja mask, were far newer. He had been acting the proper super hero for months now and the costume meant that he finally looked the proper super hero as well which was, all things considered, quite the accomplishment.

Tonight had been a relatively quiet night compared to some. He had managed to scare off a would be purse snatcher right at the beginning of his shift, floating after him and threatening him with grave anvil inspired bodily harm until he dropped the poor woman's purse but other than that, nothing. And nothing meant that he was starting to become bored. That seemed to be the most agonizing part of his vigilante agenda: the boredom of a slow night because it wasn't too often that he had to face off against other mutants and that meant it wasn't too often that there was any major sort of danger involved. Oh, there were pumps and bruises a plenty and the occasional sprain and he had even been shot at once or twice, but he rarely actually felt like his life was in danger. OK, so maybe when guns were involved he felt like his life was in danger but that was about it. No, sadly his most serious problem was boredom.

As often happened with Juka was bored, his mind started wandering and as often happened when his mind started wandering, he became less observant about those thing happening around him. which is why he didn't notice the rather familiar ninja figure far below him.

Luckily for them both the ninja had saw the bubblemancer floating along and thus he was sprinting as hard as his little lizard legs could carry him, he moved three buildings ahead of the bubble and took a right turn and ran right into and up a wall. he kept up his feverish pace and managed to get there just in time. Koga sprang at the bubble from the edge of the building. his hands catching and sticking and his feet gripping the building ledge for dear life.

You pant. are pant pant it the ninja heaved for breath he was surprised he made it in time. he then thrust away from the bubble as his eyes caught an anvil in the corner of his eye lazily floating toward him. he fell back onto the tar papered roof top and his butt. I yelled at you for a block or two but you didn't ssstop, ssso I took it asss a challenge, you ok?

"You are it. I yelled at you for a block or two but you didn't ssstop, ssso I took it asss a challenge, you ok?"

Juka blinked down at the rather familiar voices and its elongated s's. "Koga?" The little ninja boy was just about the last person he expected to see outside late at night. He seemed to recall something about the kid saying that he did this sort of thing sometimes so maybe it was inevitable that they would meet up eventually, but it still came as a minor shock. Well, at least he knew the lizard boy wasn't one of the bad guys.

Realizing that his anvils were getting rather close to the ninja, Juka mentally commanded them to stop their rotating, sending them hovering above his head. "I'm sorry, Koga, I guess I was kind of lost in my own thoughts. Its been a bit of a slow night." He should really stop doing that, shouldn't he? But it wasn't really his fault that he had so much to think about lately. How was he really supposed to react to the fact that he'd just learned that he probably was never going ot age another year?

"So, what brings you out here?"

Koga grinned and started speaking in Japanese, The one the onlyHe tended not to practice his second language out of courtesy of others he would sometimes with Shin, but he preferred not to do so in front of those that might not understand. but hanging off a roof and onto a bubble, he was pretty sure they had privacy as no one was screaming.

he pushed off the bubble and skittered down the wall for a second and then back up, sitting on the ledge.

Yeah, the mussst've heard we were both working the city tonight, decided it wasssn't worth the trouble tonight. ssso whats on your mind? Koga said with a bit of pep to him, if Juka could smell him, he would have the tale tale sign of coffee breath, explaing the coffee induced energy working through him.

Nice, outfit by the way. not that I am sssurprisssed.

"How positively lovely to see you out here," Juka replied to Koga, also in Japanese. So few people around the city spoke it and it felt good to exercise his knowledge. He was afraid that if he didn't use it at all he might lose the language all together, and that really would be a shame.

"The baddies must be terrified," Juka agreed, smirking. It was good to know that he wasn't the only one patrolling the streets in an effort to route out and punish evil doers. Or at least, wasn't the only one using non-lethal measures. He hoped. On second thought, maybe best just to confirm that thought.

"Uh, Koga, just so we're clear, you don't kill anyone while you're out patrolling the streets right?" Juka remembered all too well the measures Abyss used to punish the bad guys and he simply couldn't hang around anyone that took killing that casually.

"I guess I have been a little distracted lately. You ever have to deal with your powers dealing you a completely unexpected blow that just isn't easy to process mentally?" Juka sighed, still unsure what he thought about his whole ageless state.

"Why thank you my dear, you're outfit isn't half bad either." It needed a little work, by Juka's critical eye, but nothing that a few hours and a sewing machine wouldn't fix up nicely.

Koga grinned at the banter and the eager reply in Japanese.

He tilted his head at the question. “ no, I don’t kill people, I mean I sssuppossse there could come a time when that wasss a measssure that had to be taken, but I certainly wouldn’t relisssh the thought and would have trouble ssshaking it.” his shoulders shook at the thought “Are you ok?” Koga furrowed his brow, if someone made Juka kill them well then he would….um be frustrated that he couldn’t do anything about it?

Koga couldn’t help it. Laughter sped out from his mouth. He held up a hand. ” Sssorry, that wasss rude. Yeah, my powersss have been tosssing me curvesss sssinve the day I got them., I woke up on the ceiling for a week ssstrait. Sssometimes my armssss will spasm and cconssstrict to the point that It hurtsss. I grew ssspikes, have ssscalesss, crazy eyelidssss, I can’t sssay s’sss.” He smirked “its all worth it for what I can do though. What is the issue?


Koga looked down at his suit” I dunno, I could ussse a sssewing machine or sssomething, I did my best though, ssso thanksss!”

"Well good, as long as you don't kill people than I fully approve of helping to make the streets safer at night." Juka nodded his head, satisfied with the ninja's answers. Not that he had expected him to be the murdering type, but it was good to be sure. "Its just that I met someone a while ago doing what we do, helping make the city safe, except instead of pummeling the bad guys into unconsciousness he killed them." He had to suppress a shudder, remembering the broken bodies Abyss had left behind.

Juka blinked at Koga's laughing response to his question and then grinned. He really should have remembered who he was talking to here. "You're ok now though, right?" he asked in concern. He didn't want to make it seem like he just using Koga to vent to, after all.

"Well, I haven't really told anyone except Hunter but...I think I may not be aging anymore." The entire story came out in a rush, with barely enough time for breathing in between. "First it just started doing weird things then I found out I no longer had to sleep or eat. And apparently I'm not even able to get injured or drunk or else I get stuck in my bubble. I found out it controls time then I realized I probably don't age any more and that fact is kind of messing with my head." He stopped talking abruptly, not too sure how all of that would sound to someone who wasn't facing the prospect of immortality.

"Uh, if you want I can help fix up your stitches," Juka offered helpfully, in an effort to change the subject. He hadn't really meant to go on a gigantic rant like that.

“nope, no murdering for thisss vigilante. What doesss he look like incassse I need to keep an eye out for him.”


” Yeah, I am fine, I think it isss an effort by my body to make it fair for the other guyssss, I mean if I wasssn’t ssso reptiley, there would be no ladiesss left for the ressst of them, I’m joking!” he put his hands up in mock surrender. not that juka would mind really. He didn’t think. Maybe. “Which brings me to my next point you’ll be fine, what is the problem?”

Koga tilted his head and looked concerned. “Juka dear, He said patting his bubble affectionately “Not aging isssn’t the worst thing that could happen to a gorgeousss thing like yourssself. Besssides, with time comesss control. If we have learned anything about the xgene it isss thisss, it isssn’t a fine ssscience, often given time, mutantsss can learn to control their powerssss. For example. Koga took off his mask and to the best of his ability he reproduced the coloring of the make up that Juka had on his face the last time he saw him. he then raised a hand to his face. ” I am putting more and more tricks up my sssleevesss, right now the bubble isss taking sssubconsssciousss care of you, but given time you will be able to control it down to the rate you age at and make yourssself hungry. I’ll tell you what, I’ll develop a dragonsss lifessspan and help you train.”

Koga nodded quickly accepting the offer of stitching. “That’d be great! I have thisss nightmare that the back of my pantsss are going to give out while I am on tv sssaving sssomeone. “ The fact that the she was the news witch Maxine Ralls need not be mentioned.

“ I might not be kidding about the dragon thing.” he swallowed a bit harshly “ I got a weird letter the other day. I want to look into it, but I dunno.”

"You can't miss him," Juka answered with an expression kind of between a grimace and a grin. "He's big and red although I hear he's got a number of brothers that look exactly like him." The only brother that really mattered was Venus anyway and he was pretty sure his lovely Prince Venus wouldn't get himself in too much trouble. Or at least wouldn't get himself into that kind of trouble.

"Hey, don't count yourself short. There are plenty of people who would love to get with a scaled reptile like you." Juka's grin this time was authentic and amused. Increasingly he found himself attracted to unusual looking mutants although Koga was too young for him to think that way about him and was more of the friend type anyway. That and he was pretty sure that kid didn't swing that way anyway.

"Not aging isn't really the thing that bothers me." Juka couldn't quite bring himself to beam at the compliment as he normally would. "Its not aging while everyone I care about does. Its watching them wither and rot before my eyes. And I've learned to control the time thing, at least the basics, I just don't know that this is something I'll ever be able to control." Based on, admitadly, indirect evidence but it was good indirect evidence.

"A dragon?" Juka blinked at Koga. Not that he wouldn't make a very handsome dragon, but still. "What letter? Is there anything I can do to help?" Because he always helped his friends out, whenever they'd allow him to.

“Oh, those guys. I met a couple of them, the ones I met were pretty hateful towards human’s, not sure if I could take one of em, but I suppose I could distract them long enough for whoever else to get away.

"Hey, don't count yourself short. There are plenty of people who would love to get with a scaled reptile like you."

Koga laughed. “I wasn’t, I am just saying, the fellas at the school are lucky to have as much of as a chance as they got. Thanks though. It doesn’t hurt to hear, but you know that don’t you fabulous?” He laughed again, obviously being silly about the whole thing, not too worked up about it either way.

“Hmmm,” Koga sobered slightly at the topics paired with each other, he hadn’t thought about that. Well, I know there are othersss out there with the sssame predicament, I guess you might make friendsss with them. but then I have heard you talk about justice, and given the amount of time you could also see the world flourish and turn into something great.

"A dragon?" "What letter? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Koga’s hand went to the back of his head as he messed with what would normally be his hair, but in this cas was the back of a ninja’s hood. Well, I haven’t told anyone, but my, uh. Well, who I think, thought, think? Thought. wassss my grandpa sssent me a letter. He talked about a legacy… he talked about my name, Ryuichi…Ssson of the dragon. He sssaid my parentsss aren’t who I think they are, not that they were much of parentsss any way. He sssaid, that with time, I would be like him. if he isss what he saysss he isss, you might make friendsss with him. He’sss been around a long time. He also claims to be my biological father.

Koga takes a deep breathe. ” He isss coming to the ssstatesss sssoon, he told me I wasss to visssit with him, when he got here. You could come with me, if you wanted.” It was plain as day, that the offer was more than a simple request. “If its true, we could watch the world decay together…”

"Distraction is definitely probably the way to go," Juka agreed, remembering what, exactly, Abyss had been able to do to those poor humans. They hadn't stood a chance and Juka was pretty sure that even he probably wouldn't stand much of a chance. Distraction followed by run for your life really did seem like the way to go.

"Just making sure you don't suddenly go and developing self esteem issues or anything." Juka winked at Koga. He didn't really seem the type to go all angsty on them all of a sudden, but it couldn't hurt to be certain.

Juka hadn't really thought about the opportunity to see the world flourish before. His mind had been so preoccupied with images of his friends dying that he hadn't even stopped to consider the up sides to his newfound state. "You know, Koga, you might just have a point there. Hunter's all ready agreed to be a friend through the ages. Maybe what I have to do is find others like me and maybe you apparently, so we can all enjoy eternity together." If anyone had the ability to find other immortals, surely it would be him?

" He isss coming to the ssstatesss sssoon, he told me I wasss to visssit with him, when he got here. You could come with me, if you wanted. If its true, we could watch the world decay together…”

"Koga, if you want me to come you know I'd be honoured to." Juka spoke seriously. He knew what it was like to discover the prospect of watching the world decay, and he could guess what it must be like to discover you had a legacy and that your family wasn't who or what you thought it was. "And I promise not to say anything to anyone."