***
As Niko drives through a neighborhood, Kitsune looks out the window at the view.
Niko continues telling Chisai his story. "....and then, I saw Kitsune surrounded by water, so I rushed to his aid. You should've seen him – it looked like he just got out of the pool or something. So I helped him-"
"Niko! Stop!" Kitsune calls from the back.
Confused, Niko looks back at Kitsune. "I was just finishing up the story, Kitsune."
"No, stop the car!" Kitsune yells.
Stomping on the brake, Niko's car screeches to a halt in the neighborhood. "Kitsune, what's the matter?" Chisai asks looking into the back seat.
Kitsune is looking out the window like a child seeing a toy he really wanted through a storefront.
"Kitsune? Hello?" Chisai says.
Niko looks out a window facing the same direction as what Kitsune is looking at. He sees a small, oriental-style house, surrounded by a large wooden fence. The layered-stone walls stretch all around the house while a stone pathway leads through a zen rock garden. "Is that what you're looking at? It looks-"
The sound of the back car door opening cuts off Niko's sentence, followed by Kitsune walking towards the oriental-looking house.
"Kitsune?" Niko calls out, trying to get his attention.
Kitsune doesn't respond as he continues walking forward, straight through the gate in the fence.
Niko moves the car forward to park in an adjacent driveway. He and Chisai get out and follow Kitsune.
"Kitsune, dude? Anybody home?" Niko says as he snaps in front of Kitsune, once again trying to get his attention.
Kitsune stops in front of a dark brown wooden staircase, leading up to the wrap-around deck with the same dark brown wooden color. As he looks up at the front door, he says, "I'm home."
Niko and Chisai look at each other with a sense of confusion and wonderment. "This is your home?" Chisai asks.
Kitsune doesn't answer, but instead starts walking up the stairs.
The front door slowly opens inward, with a slight creak. "Dad?" Kitsune says softly.
"NII-SAN!" A high-pitched voice comes from the door, followed by a large amount of orange hair leaping from the doorway, straight towards Kitsune.
Ready to defend, Niko grabs hold of his sword handle, and Chisai gets in a ready fighting position.
As the large amount of orange hair tackles Kitsune to the ground, Niko and Chisai get a better look at what is attached to the hair. Arms are wrapped around Kitsune while the person is wearing a white lab coat and black pants.
Falling to his back was the last thing Kitsune expected at a time like this. "'Hey' to you too, sis."
"Nii-san! You're back!" Kitsune's sister says as she pushes herself off of him. "You had us so worried!" She falls back down to give him a bigger hug.
"You're...squishing...me!" Kitsune says as he slightly chokes.
"Kitsu-kun! It really is you!" A male voice says as a person approaches the door looking up from a glowing tablet reflected off of his glasses. "Keshi, get up off of your brother." He says as he walks down the steps towards the group.
Keshi pushes herself up off of Kitsune, and runs back to her father, her large breasts bouncing with every step. As Kitsune stands back up, he rubs his back from the impact. "Sis, you've gotten bigger since I last saw you."
Keshi's smile grows larger. "Yep! I'm all grown up now!" She says with a bubbly attitude.
Sticking the tablet device in his coat pocket, Kitsune's father speaks up. "Kitsu-kun, I'm assuming these are your friends?"
"DAD! Don't call me that! My name is 'Kitsune', not 'Kitsu-kun'. I'm 22 now, not a little kid anymore." Kitsune grunts.
"Oh, you're still my little boy to me, Kitsu-kun." He says. As he puts a hand in the air to wave at Niko and Chisai, he speaks. "Hello. I'm Kitsune's father, Kiban Kaji."
"Hi. I'm Chisai Konami." Chisai says.
Niko doesn't say anything as he stares at Keshi.
Chisai and Kitsune look at Niko, wondering if he's going to say anything. After a few moments of silence, Kitsune snaps in front of Niko's face.
Coming to, Niko blinks a bit and spits out a few words. "Oh, what, I'm, uh, who, uh, blue....."
"Uh, what?" Chisai asks, semi-rhetorically.
"I believe I have an explanation." Kiban says. "It seems his teenager hormones are kicking in. Keshi has been attracting a lot of male attention in the past few years. I can't say I blame them."
Keshi just smiles bigger as she slightly arcs her body to the side.
SLAP! Kitsune slaps Niko across the face. "Dude, that's my sister!"
Shaking his head like he had just woken up, Niko looks around to figure out what he's doing. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I'm Niko Sakuna."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Keshi says with a slight bounce. Niko's stare refocuses on Keshi's chest as it moves.
"Same goes for me." Kiban follows up. "Listen, it's been at least ten years since Kitsu-kun's been home."
"It's been only seven" Kitsune growls.
"Really? Only seven? My, it seems like longer." Kiban says.
"And you call yourself a scientist?" Kitsune says under his breath.
"Anyway, it's been a long time since Kitsu-kun's been back home. Why don't you all come inside? Keshi, can you prepare the tea?" Kiban says.
"Yep!" Keshi says as she stands back up, her breasts bouncing. "Hope everyone likes Jasmine tea!" She says as she runs back up the stairs, inside the house.
"Please make yourselves at home, and pardon the mess. We're running a few series of experiments and needed to spread out the technical equipment." Kiban says as he extends a hand towards the door for the trio.
Kitsune walks past Kiban, slightly aggravated.
"Thank you." Chisai says, while Niko seems lost in a trance. "Come on, Niko!" She says as she reaches out for Niko's hand and drags him along like a dog on a leash.
Sitting around a short chabudai table, Niko, Chisai, and Kitsune are sitting on zabuton cushions while Keshi pours the teapot into each of their cups. Every time Keshi bends to pour the pot, Chisai hits Niko to keep him focused.
"Thank you for the tea, Mr. Kaji." Chisai says as she holds up her cup.
"Please, call me Kiban. I've always hated titles." Kiban says as he sits down with them.
"What kind of experiments are you running?" Niko asks.
"It's a...." Kiban looks away, "how to explain it...". Looking back at Niko, he continues. "Ever looked up something on your phone, like an article or a reference?"
"Yeah, I do it all the time." Niko says as he takes a sip of his tea.
"Well, this is a kind of.....it's hard to explain." Kiban says nervously.
Putting his cup down, Niko starts to get curious. "What is it?"
Kiban looks around the table, then back at Niko. "You're probably going to think I'm crazy for saying this. I know many people have."
"Try us." Chisai says as she sips.
Kiban looks around the table one more time, making sure he feels confident enough to say what he wants to say. "The whole world relies on facts, and transmitting information faster than possible, right?"
Niko and Chisai nod. Kitsune's trying to stay out of the conversation.
"Well, these experiments deal with.....I feel stupid even saying it." Kiban says as he looks away feeling embarrassed.
"Look, you've already started telling us. You might as well finish." Niko says.
Taking a deep breath, Kiban exhales and says, "You're right, you're right. I've started, therefore I must finish. Okay, here it goes."
Niko and Chisai lean in towards the table to hear what he has to say.
"Damn it, dad! Just spit it out already! Your experiments deal with the demon world!" Kitsune blurts out.
Feeling like he had just made a presentation in front of thousands of his colleagues in his underwear, Kiban's face becomes extremely pale.
"'Demon world', huh? Sounds fishy." Niko says.
/> Following the ruse, Chisai follows up. "Yeah, I guess we need to call the government on this secret research you're doing."
In a heartbeat, Kiban is reaching across the table at Niko and Chisai. "PLEASE PLEASE DON'T DO THAT!" he begs.
Niko and Chisai look at each other, then slowly crack smiles that turn into laughter.
Pulling himself back to his cushion, Kiban tries to curl himself up and away from any more embarrassment. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"
Wiping a tear away from his eyes, Niko controls his laughter enough to talk. "Don't worry about it. Both Chisai and I are half-demons."
The feeling of awe goes through Kiban as he is unable to speak for a moment. "You-you-you are actual demons?"
Sipping his tea, Niko answers. "Well, I'm a real half-demon – have been all my life. Chisai's a synthetic demon. She just got her powers yesterday."
Chisai chokes a bit on her tea. "I'm a WHAT?"
"It dealt with Lord Tora. Ask him." Niko says calmly.
"I don't believe it. A real demon and a faux demon, right on my doorstep." Kiban says as he tries to comprehend the amount of research that is basically sitting in front of him. Feeling a sense of joy, he stands up and runs around the table, getting between Niko and Chisai. As he places his arms around their necks to give them a tight hug, he says, "Do you have any idea what kind of progress this will make on my research?"
Niko and Chisai try to look at each other, starting to get worried. "Uh...maybe we should go." Niko says.
Realizing that he was scaring his guests, Kiban lets go of their necks and backs away. "Oh, no, please no. Please don't go! I promise I won't dissect you or perform experiments on you or anything!" He pleads.
Unsure about their current situation, Niko and Chisai look at each other, hoping to get a confirmation from each other. "You absolutely promise?" Chisai asks.
"You have my word. As of now, all of my research has been based on rumors, skeptics, stories, you know, all of the gossip across the network." Kiban says. "I've never actually been able to prove the existence of actual demons in this world. The whole context was just a theory, or in some parts of the world, a joke."
Keshi walks over to Niko's part of the table and pours more tea into his cup. Slightly distracted, Niko starts talking. "Well, as long as you promise not to do anything weird to us, we'll help you."
Bowing on the floor in respect to his new "demon assistants," Kiban expresses his gratitude. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you."
As Keshi steps over stretched cables and moves around some equipment to leave and enter another room, it occurs to Niko as to what he just said, and he needed to make sure that the deal was one that he could live with. "On one condition."
Kiban stops bowing and pushes himself up to listen to what Niko has to say. "Yes?"
"Whatever research you get from us, you must keep secret."
"Understood. No problems here. 100% secret!" Kiban says in an animated fashion.
"Because you know what the government will do and other scientists will do to us if they found out." Chisai adds.
"Unfortunately, yes, I do." Kiban concludes.
"Good, because I don't know and I don't want to know." Chisai says.
"I'm glad we have a deal." Kiban stands up and starts to walk into another room. "Listen, if you don't mind, I'm sure you don't want to spend your whole lives here. How about I give you something to take with you?"
Niko, Chisai, and Kitsune all look at each other, curious to what this item could be.
Before any of them can answer, Kiban walks into the other room. "Be right back!" he says as he steps over cables stretched across the house.
"Well, that was...slightly weird." Chisai says.
"That's just how he is, and how he's always been." Kitsune says.
Niko looks around the room to see more of Kitsune's house. He sees a photo on a mantle surrounded by candles and flowers. The female in the photo looks a little like Kitsune, and a little like Keshi. "Kitsune, who's that?" Niko asks as he points to the photo.
Kitsune turns around to see where Niko is pointing. As soon as he sees the photo and the surrounding items, it all comes back to him. "That's...." he tries to hold back a tear as he turns back to face Niko, "my mother."
Niko spits back up in his tea a bit, not expecting to hear that type of answer with the emotional attachment.
Feeling his emotions go from slight frustration to sad, Chisai extends an arm to Kitsune, trying to comfort him. "Did something happened to her?"
Sniffling, Kitsune's mind relives the dark memory. "When I was six, I was at home with my mother watching TV. When I got up to get something to drink, there was a loud crash through the front of our house. I was scared and hid in the kitchen.
"I heard a deep creepy voice talking. I couldn't understand everything he was saying. I went around the corner to see who was talking, and saw my mother cowering in the living room. Her face showed that she was completely terrified – I'll never forget it.
"The person talking in the deep voice started getting closer to her. All I could see was his shadow overtaking her. Then...." Kitsune pauses as he sniffs a bit, a tear forms in his eye.
"It's okay, you can tell us." Chisai says, trying to offer some moral support.
Kitsune continues. "Then, the shadow grew larger and larger, and had tentacles grow out of it."
Niko and Chisai look at each other in confusion. Tentacles? They both silently mouth to each other.
"All I could do is hide in terror as the tentacles speared through my mother." Kitsune leans over to Chisai and starts crying on her chest. She pats him on the back.
"She cried out in pain. Her voice still echoes in my ears. I saw...I saw her blood covering the wall. I saw the life fade from her eyes. I saw her.....DIE!" Kitsune starts crying unbearably. His tears start staining Chisai's shirt.
The noise that Kitsune was creating prompted Keshi to come back in. "What's going on?" She looks down at the table and sees Niko and Chisai, and Kitsune laying on Chisai's chest crying. Her attitude turned from bubbly to serious in an instant once she recognized the situation her older brother was in. "I know what this is about." She kneels down between Kitsune and Chisai, slightly nudging Chisai out of the way. Kitsune moves his head from Chisai and on to Keshi. She puts a hand on his head and starts rubbing it. "He always gets this way when he thinks about our Mom."
Whoa, she got really serious all the sudden. Niko and Chisai think.
Curious to the situation, Niko holds his hormones back to ask his question in a professional manner. "Why aren't you crying, Keshi?"
"My dad and I were out at day-care. I was only a toddler when mom died, so I didn't get to know her much." Seeing how her dear brother was caught up in his memory, she felt obligated to finish the story. "From what I've been told, when dad and I got home, the first thing that he noticed was the large hole in the front of the house. I was too young to know any difference."
Keshi continues. "When he ran inside, he saw her laying on the floor, covered in blood and with giant holes in her body. He didn't know how to deal with it, and went mentally insane for a while. I basically lived at day-care for a few months.
"Afterwards, when he and Nii-san finally talked about it, he devoted his life to researching more about demons and how to get back at what Nii-san saw."
"I'm so sorry." Niko says. "If I had known that he would have broken down like that, I wouldn't have asked."
Holding Kitsune tightly to help him recover, Keshi looks up at Niko. "It's okay. We've had to deal with this on multiple occasions. I'm sure this is the first time he's thought about her in so many years." She looks behind Kitsune at the photo. "We keep that photo of her to remind us about her; not the bad times, like this one, but the good ones, even if we don't all remember her as others do.
"Since Nii-san was abducted seven years ago, we haven't had to worry about his breakdowns around here. It was peaceful for a while, but then we missed his crying. It just didn't
feel like....home, without him here."
Slightly choking on his words, Niko tries to speak. "I....can't imagine what it would be like to lose a parent."
Holding and looking into her tea, a tear falls from Chisai's eye into her cup. "I know what it's like to lose a brother." The tear causes ripples in her faint reflection.
Concerned that old memories were resurfacing, Niko reaches over to Chisai for support. "Chisai, are you okay?"
Chisai sniffs, holding back her emotion. Wiping her eye with her free hand, she looks at Niko with a forced smile. "I'm fine. I'm okay."
Niko looks into her eyes. "Good. I was getting worried that this was going to get even more sad."
Chisai sniffs again. "Nah, it's okay." She looks around as if to find a distraction. "Hey, where'd Mr. Kaji go, anyway?"
"I'm right here!" Kiban says as he enters the room. "I heard Kitsu-kun crying, so I went to his room to get something to help him."
Hearing his father's voice offer some form of support, Kitsune lifts his head from Keshi's chest to look at him and what he's holding.
"Kitsu-kun, look what I have." Kiban says as he holds an item towards Kitsune.
Kitsune slowly sits up and leans forward, reaching out to grab what his father was handing him: a round, plushie fox, slightly smaller than a bowling ball, with orange and white fur, small black paws and ears, and short orange tail with a white tip, looking well past its prime and overdue for a wash. Kitsune quickly snatches it from his father's hand and hugs it like there's no tomorrow.
As Kiban sits at the table, he places a tablet-like display on the table. "When Kitsu-kun was little, my wife, Shizuka, bought him that little fox, he would never let it go, and he had it with him ever since. Although she got it for him, it helps him relax and come to peace with her memory."
"How touching." Chisai says.
"How fitting."Niko follows up with a slightly sarcastic tone. Chisai punches Niko in the arm for that comment. "Ow!"Niko says softly as he rubs his arm where she hit him.
Sniffing, Kitsune says in a cracking voice. "Okay, I'm better now."
Trying to move the conversation along, Niko notices the tablet-like device on the table and points to it. "So, Kiban, what's that thing?"
Kiban regains his focus on the device. "Ah, that." As he picks it up to show to them, he continues. "This is my latest little invention: a portable demon database reference guide with built in 3D projection array."
"That's...a long name." Chisai says, trying not to sound offensive.
"I know." He sighs as he places the tablet on the table. "I'm great at creating things when it comes to designing and developing them, but not naming them."
"I know!"Keshi perks up. "How about the 'taiseki'? Seeing as it's a storage database, the name fits."
Kiban thinks on it. "'Taiseki'? It has a nice ring to it."
Niko and Chisai feel a little left out of the conversation. "So...what's it do?" Niko asks.
"I'm glad you asked!" Kiban says as he picks it back up. "I'm still working on the mass database referencing listing, but it can query whatever you like for whatever I've been able to find. And, if something new is found that it doesn't have, then it automatically updates the reference and syncs it with the server here!"
"So, how do we use it?" Chisai asks.
"Let me show you." He turns it around so the screen faces the trio. "Give me a demonic item. Any item."
"The Banish Blade." Niko calls out.
"Um....uh...I'm sorry, but I don't have that entry." Kiban says nervously.
"But it's a demonic item. I have it in the car!" Niko says.
"Does it have any other names, perhaps?" Kiban asks.
Niko tries to think back to what his parents said. "What about 'The Blade of Demise'?"
"Accessing." The tablet device says in a digital voice. The screen lights up and a series of lines and circles appear, with one large circle rotating in the middle.
Surprised by the sudden reaction of the device, Niko and Chisai hop back a bit.
A few moments later, the device speaks again. "Item found: Blade of Demise." The small embossed circle in the top of the device rotates forward, then emits a series of lights producing a rotating 3D representation of the blade and its sheath in front of the device. "Description: Legendary Sword. Attacks: Unnamed attack generates dark vortex, creating a gravitational force pulling all surrounding items into it."
"Whoa." Chisai says.
"That's what the legend says." Niko says. "But I have an update for you. The only attack I've been able to produce is Hellfire, and it creates fiery fissures along the ground. And it told me to call it the 'Banish Blade'."
"It....told you?" Kiban asks in astonishment.
"Yeah, yeah. Long story. But listen, if that record of yours needs to be updated, then let me update it." Niko says.
"All you have to do is let it observe you, and it will update the record, hopefully with some video proof." Kiban says. "Please, take this, and carry it with you on your travels."He says as he hands it to Niko. The 3D projection fades away, but the screen stays on. "I'll stay here and make improvements on the database, and try a few more things out."
"I got something I want to ask." Kitsune says as he places his plushie fox on the table.
Niko, Chisai, Kiban, and Keshi all look at Kitsune, surprised that he wants to talk after having his breakdown.
He reaches into his jacket pocket to pull out the medallion piece. As he holds it up in front of everyone he says, "What about this medallion piece? How many more are there?"
The tablet device responds. "Query unknown. Please restate."
"Try this." Kiban picks up the tablet and faces it towards the medallion piece in Kitsune's hand. "Examine item." Kiban says in a commanding, monotone voice.
The embossed circle at the top of the tablet flashes once, then starts to display the lines and circles again on its screen. "Accessing..." the tablet says. "Item found." A 3D image of the medallion in full is rotating in front of the device. "The fire fragment of The Medallion of Tsukaneru. The Medallion of Tsukaneru is a powerful medallion controlling elemental powers: water, fire, earth, wind, and psychic. Each piece interlocks, forming the full medallion, which can then combine the elemental forces. The jewel in the middle allows the user to control the powers with a mental link, instead of calling out each power." The 3D projection fades away.
"Wait. I thought the five elements were 'earth, fire, wind, water, and metal', not psychic." Niko says.
"Don't blame me. I didn't write the legend." Kiban says as he places the tablet on the table.
"Well, at least that helps us identify how many pieces we need to find. We have the 'fire' piece, which means that we have to find four others." Chisai says, reaching over for the tablet.
"Don't forget the middle jewel. I didn't see it after the whole 'explosion' disaster back in the forest." Kitsune says.
"Do you think Omego has it? It could have flown up with him." Niko says.
Kitsune crosses his arms. "I don't know, and I don't want to find out."
"Well, until we find the other pieces, why don't I hold on to the Taiseki?" Chisai says as she tries to shove it into back pocket.
"Okay. Kitsune, you hold on to the fire piece. Chisai, you carry around the database, and I'll drive the car. Our little adventure is falling into place, and we'll be back at Lord Tora's with the medallion before he knows it." Niko says.
"Right!" Chisai says as she nods.
"You can go back, but I'm not going with you." Kitsune says.
"What?" Niko asks, thinking that Kitsune's adventure ended right here.
"I'll help you get the medallion pieces, since I was there during its destruction. But after you get all of the pieces back, I'm not going back to Tora's."
"But...why?"
"I'm 99% sure he's the one who captured me."
"Wait! Lord Tora?"Kiban slightly yells as he slams his hands on the table. " As in the ancient wizard that has been eluding me for y
ears?"
"Uh...yeah." Niko answers with a slight hint of fright.
"I've been trying to catalog him in my database for years, but every time that I get a bit of new information, or some photos or a location, it always vanishes without a trace!" Kiban says.
"Yeah, digital records are wiped clean. Physical documentation disappears." Keshi speaks up. "We've even had couriers try and deliver the information to remote destinations, to see if it was just us, but when they arrived to deliver the package, the package was gone without their knowledge."
Surprised at this information, Niko and Chisai try to comprehend what they just heard.
"I have no doubt that Tora is evil, which is why I'm not going back with you." Kitsune says, patting his plushie fox.
"Okay, that's just...weird. But I've known Lord Tora for years – he's my personal trainer, and he helped Chisai stabilize her powers!" Niko says.
"It doesn't matter. My opinion doesn't change." Kitsune says as he stands up. "If he really is the one that captured me and held me prisoner for seven years,"he cracks his knuckles. "I'll make sure he pays."
Niko quickly stands up. "Okay, okay, you don't have to go back with us to deliver the medallion. It's your choice. And, I think that we're all a little tired from today's events." He faces Kiban. "Kiban, do you have some place for us to rest for a while, just to get our energy back before we head out again?"
Pausing for a moment to think of possible options to the question he was presented, Kiban finally responds. "Yes! Please! By all means, take a rest! Our home is your home."
"Ahem..." Kitsune coughs a bit.
"And, of course, it is still your home, Kitsu-kun." Kiban says.
Kitsune softly lets out a deep growl.
Kiban continues. "We don't have a suitable guest suite, so I hope we can accommodate." He looks at the trio. "Niko, you can borrow my bed. Chisai, you can borrow Keshi's, and Kitsu-kun..."
Kitsune looks at his father with an evil look.
"You can have your old room. It was left just the way it was when you left."
Kitsune stands up and walks towards the staircase to go upstairs. "Thanks, dad" he says under his breath.
Chisai stands up. "Thank you, Kiban. I'm sure getting a good rest will help us be ready for whatever comes our way."
"Agreed." Niko says.
Kiban stands up. "I'll lead you to my room. Keshi, can you lead Chisai to your room?"
Keshi quickly stands up, her large breasts bouncing due to the movement. "Sure thing, dad!" she says with a smile.
"Please, come this way, Niko." As Kiban walks down the hallway, he notices Niko isn't following him, but instead is entranced by Keshi.
Walking back to Niko, Kiban grabs his arm. "Come on, boy." Then walks down the hallway again as he drags Niko.
Keshi hops up the stairs. "This way!"
Chisai follows Keshi's path.
As they reach the top of the staircase, the noise of a door slamming is heard down the hallway. Keshi looks in the direction she thought the sound came from. "I'm sure that's Nii-san. It's been a hard day for him."
"Yeah, I can imagine." Chisai says.
Keshi bounces over to a door that says "KESHI" on it. Presenting her room like a business presentation, she holds out her hand. "So this is my room." As Chisai approaches, she continues the presentation. "If you want to rest up, you can use my bed! Extra pillows and blankets are in the closet, and the bathroom is down the hallway, first door on the right."
Walking past Keshi to get into her room, Chisai nods. "Okay, thanks." She notices the various diplomas hanging along the walls, the amount of shining trophies on the bookshelves, and the large piles of stuffed animals scattered throughout the room. Although the room had a certain “young female" touch, it certainly reflected Keshi's knowledge and experience in a large number of different fiends.
"How long do you want to rest?" Keshi says with an upbeat attitude.
"Um...maybe an hour or so? I think that should do it."
"Okie dokie! I'll come get you in an hour! Sleep tight!" She says as she walks away and back down the steps.
As Chisai sits on the bed, it bounces slightly. "How appropriate." she thinks. She stretches out her body along the bed and lays her head on the pillow, falling fast asleep.
"So here's my bedroom. The bed may be a little stiff, but it should be pretty comfy." Kiban says as he walks into his bedroom with Niko. "There's a bathroom down the hallway, and I'll try to be as quiet as I can in the lab."
To Niko's surprise, the room was completely clean, as compared to the rest of the house. The cozy colors of the carpet, the bed, and the walls made the room extremely welcoming, and the numerous digital displays across the wall made the room have a futuristic look to it as well. Walking towards the bed, Niko says, "Thanks. Can you wake me in about an hour or so? I could really use the rest." He slowly raises his arms, stretching while yawning.
"You got it." Kiban walks over to a digital display on the wall. After pressing a few buttons, the numbers "1:00:00" blinks in green. "In one hour, this alarm will gently wake you." The numbers start counting down by the second.
Niko sits on the bed, judging its softness. "Okay, thanks."
Kiban nods, then walks out the doorway and closes the door most of the way, leaving a crack in it.