#versus-written; Taru

[madeofthreads]

@versus-written | X

Noak tilted his head in what looked like a gesture of understanding. Would he actually consider such a rough touch up to the towering lad? No. Not one hair on Rahel's head would be harmed by his hand.

But he could understand the intrusive thought of it.

"I almost made the mistake of cautioning him. Almost." He exhaled, his shoulders deflating a little. "I know if I told him to be careful it would only add more fuel to that fire."

Though Rahel wasn't particularly in danger. If he set off a violent temper, he had his guardian to shield him... and something in Noak didn't sit right with that... Taru could handle herself, but wearing the knocks aimed at a teenager who didn't have control over his own anger wasn't fair.

Alas, he was only an outsider looking in. There were whisper faint marks scattered across his own skin. His forearm, where he had intercepted lashings. His back, where he had worn the punishments. His cheek, marking a violent reunion.

Noak would have taken every single blow for Enok for the rest of his life. But now here he was, a washed-up guardian tossed into the salt. He didn't even know where he had been, only where he belonged.

"... mh. Enok had his moments. I think the anger was growing in him too. There's only so much you can shield them from, they grow up, and they understand the world for what it is. One day you wake up and realise protecting them isn't enough anymore. You have to guide them through lessons and pray to your goddess that they might even listen."

Noak exhaled a small laugh, chased closely with a pained wince. That long fall had not been a kindness. It was a miracle he had survived.

[spoilerfreewrestling-blog]

ZERO1 New Year Dream Series 2017 Match Ratings: Takuya Nomura vs Chris Orndorff *1/4 Taru & Kamikaze vs Yoshikazu Yokoyama & Buffa ** Ikuto Hidaka vs Kotaro Suzuki vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa **3/4 Kai vs Hartley Jackson ** Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto (c) vs Koji Kanemoto & Minoru Tanaka **1/2 Shinjiro Otani (c) vs Takuya Sugawara *** Masato Tanaka & James Raideen (c) vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Shogun Okamoto ***3/4 Kohei Sato (c) vs Yusaku Obata **** Show Rating: 6/10 What a fantastic second half this one was!

Written review below

ZERO1′s first show of the year and the first wrestling show by anyone of the year, was New Year Dream Series 2017. ZERO1 doesn’t have the benefit of running full matches on their TV show. As a result most of the undercard matches are cut down for time in order to fit the two hour limit they have. Still, that’s not too bad, usually only entrances are missed.

 The two rookies started off the show as ZERO1 young boy Orndorff took on Takuya Nomura, who was called 2016's rookie of the year by some. Not much to this match. A nice suplex and a sloppy finish.

Next was a fine, inoffensive comedy match, not much more. No real significance.

Then came a pretty fun three way. Maybe it wasn’t the smoothest but still enjoyable to watch. Kotaro Suzuki picked up the win which played a significant role later in the show.

Taru tried his best to help Hartley Jackson with the win but the returning Kai fired back against the odds and got the big win setting him up with a 1-0 record since returning. That played a role for later as well.

Kodaka and Tsukamoto defended their NWA International Light Tag Championships in a draw against Koji Kanemoto and Minoru Tanaka. When Kodaka went to pin Tanaka, his shoulders were down too resulting in a double pin. The two agreed to another match at another time.

Shinjiro Otani defended both his titles in a match against Takuya Sugawara. The champion was successful in victory, ending it with a Kesagiri Chop in what was the first notably good match of the night. Kotaro Suzuki came out post-match and laid down a challenge for the title. Otani agreed without hesitation.

Now for the meat and potatoes of the show as the NWA International Tag Championship team of Masato and Raideen defended against Daisuke Sekimoto and Shogun Okamoto. Boy-howdy, if you enjoy big dudes beating each other up for 15 minutes, this won’t get any better for you. This was an incredible match that could have gone even longer and would have only been better. These two teams can fight forever as far as I’m concerned. Seek out this match, I beg you!

The main event featured the World Heavyweight Champion, Kohei Sato defending against Yusaku Obata. Obata was the ZERO1 star of 2016. He won both the Fire Festival and Furinkazan Tag Tournament, coming into this match hot. He had to get by the man who has held this title the longest and most frequent. This was a tall task for the challenger. They worked an amazing big man versus small man match with Obata needing to find creative ways to get the much bigger Sato to the ground. There were fantastic near falls leading into a hot finish here. Just like the last match, you need to see this one, fantastic match. Kai, coming off his win against the odds earlier, came out to be the next challenger for the championship and was accepted. A great way to end the show.

ZERO1 started off 2017 in a real strong way. They finished off the show with two matches that delivered in spades and are building up the challengers underneath. Go out of your way to see those two main events.

[madeofthreads]

The words tumbled out carelessly, without any hesitation or doubt. It would be easy to assume that Noak was a trusting man — he was not. The years had built up. Stone by stone, he had a decade of mistakes that governed who he was and how he presented himself.

Quietness was a skill that kept him alive. Better to be good at saying nothing, and here he was spilling words that dripped with fever and delusions like a wild man.

But there was a deep comfort in medicine. Not every touch could be a soothing one, he knew, though all of it contributed to him being in better health than he arrived. Taru taking her time to clean and dress his wounds meant she was worthy of trust. She didn't have to help him. He was a man of no reputation, he had no coin, nothing of value to trade, everything had been stripped of him. And still she helped. Selflessly.

All it took was for that gentle touch on his arm to anchor him again. Noak followed Taru's guidance and sat back down. He looked at her masked face in earnest. He didn't apologise for his outburst or try to take any of it back, he waited for her response, even if it meant he had to sit with an uncomfortable feeling for a little bit.

Her hesitation wasn't anything to fear. His lips spread into a half-smile, equal parts boyish and amused. That was the first time in his adult life someone asked whether he could do something.

"So long as I don't have to make haste there, I'm certain I can survive the walk." Noak tipped his head, his smile growing a little. He was probably going to eat those words. "You would invite me to your shrine just like that?"

It felt almost surreal.

Even back in Galahd, if a stranger landed on the northern isle he called home he wouldn't invite them so readily to his private shrine to Mahasra.

That was a sacred place. A deeply personal one. He couldn't place his trust in a complete stranger to treat it with the respect it deserved, and here Taru was, offering a visit to her shrine of Maea so quickly. He really must look beaten down.

And suddenly the man just leapt to his feet. Taru could barely keep him from tossing over one of the little bowls at the sidetable. His talking could be interpreted as being delirious – some headwound finally getting the best of him… but Taru listened.

Her hands folding in her lap, still holding onto the gauze she had planend to apply to some of his scrapes.

He thought Mahasra had held her hand over him and saved his life. Protected him at the cliff, in the ocean and brought him all the way to tehri shores… if Taru was anyone less spiritual, she might have scolded him to lie down again immediately.

But she had her own connection to Maea… so, why shouldn’t she believe in the one Noak seemed to have to Mahasra.

Nevertheless, getting up, her hand found his arm and she tried to gently guide him to at least sit down for the moment. Her eyes cast down for a moment, before she looked at him again. She seemed to hesitate with her own words.

“We can go and pray to Maea together… there is a shrine I built in the forest. But can you make it to there? You still are weak and by what I heard and saw… you shouldn’t even be alive. It’s no planked walkway deep into the forest.”

Of course she wanted to help him. And if he put his trust into her goddess this easily… how could she deny him? It was worth a shot, yes.

[madeofthreads]

Noak dipped his head. 'We should find him', she said, as though it were something possible. He couldn't give voice to his own doubt. Not to the person diligently cleaning his wounds. Though the doubt was there, loud and immediate, challenging that such a task was too big for a man with so little.

He didn't have a network to communicate with. No coin to his name. Not even a hint to help himself out.

Then Taru spoke again, offering a prayer. He slowly perked up at that. His brow creasing as he thought over her questions. There had to be something.

Before any helpful thought came to mind, Taru spoke some more, offered an apology for his sorry past. His lips tugged in a smile that was stained with sadness. "The last of my blood family died in the attack. Though my village may yet have surviving members. Some that may even like me." he half-joked, brows raised at the mention of a Captain. "... goddess, I would love to meet her. Maybe she'd accept a busted up crew hand."

... oh.

He had a thick head. The thickest in the world. Eyes widened, Noak suddenly rose to his feet while Taru was in the middle of her work still. "Mahasra!" Oh, goddess bless his heart, he had been slow to figure that important detail out. He turned to face Taru looking like the desperate man that he was.

"I was in the ocean! I had been thrown from the jagged cliff, should have hit the rocks — somehow I hit the water." These were some of the details she already knew, but there was one piece he hadn't connected. "She was there. Mahasra. I... I can't have imagined that. Maea, your goddess, maybe she can help seek her sister out."

It was a start. The gods understood the lands differently to them. But surely they could help with this.

"It's worth a shot, right?"

So. No trace. No hint. Not even an inkling about where this young man could be. Sixteen years, that was almost more child than man at times. At least that was the impression many youths left on Taru. She never judged them for it, for surely she had been similarly a spitfire with far too many ideas to better a world that couldn’t be changed like this.

Galahd. She knew where those islands were and what had befallen them years ago. Her goddess’ sister had cried for many moons over it. Mahasra’s most loyal followers shaken up and tossed into the seas. The witchhunterking was merciless and knew no shame, a vileness that had been rare, even in history books.

Cleaning out another abrasion on his skin, Taru glanced to the few lines and dots on Noak’s skin. He had been stolen away after he had already become a man apparently. If she had to guess, they were a similar age. And he spoke that way too. Though his experiences surely could fill two lifetimes already.

“We should find him, if he is hurting and alone, enslaved under the witchhunter.”, she stated bluntly, though she was aware of how hard that feat was. If she imagined her Rahel would experience something like that and then find himself all alone… he’d get into deeper chaos and trouble – deadly ones.

“I could pray to Maea for any whispers on the wind. Can you tell me what you saw last?  What you smelled. What animals you saw. Anything can be a hint.”

Maybe it was futile though… shaking her head a little, Taru finished bandaging another part of this broken man.

“I am sorry for what happened to your people… I know it broke Mahasra’s heart. From what I heard the islands have hardly been the same since. But there still are survivors there. Do you have family there? Friends? If you healed fully, we could also try and bring you there. There are rumours of a fearless Galahdan Captain sailing a ship named Chainbreaker. She is freeing and collecting your stolen people to bring back home. I saw her once. So very young but with a fire inher eyes like lava at the ocean#s shores.”

[madeofthreads]

That gentle, steadying hand was an unfamiliar touch. Though not an unwelcome one... Noak didn't shy away or puff his chest up to appear more stoic. He was comfortable enough to allow himself to have a vulnerable moment with the person who dragged him out of the shimmering rosy gold waters that carried him here.

His gaze shifted to study Taru's masked face. Like this, she was shrouded in mystery. Only small hints of her emotions could be conveyed through her eyes.

She pitied him. Not unkindly, but it was something uncomfortable. Something she didn't quite know how to handle. How could he be upset at that when he didn't even know the right path himself.

"... Enok is some years older, aye. He reached an age where he would be adorned with his first tattoo as a man. Though I always argued it was the first step towards being a grown warrior, sixteen summers and they think they know it all, and yet there is still so much more to learn." That was a sly answer among his reminiscing. The stubbornness with Rahel was only beginning.

"I was kidnapped from Galahd. To where, I don't know. Their crest was a pointed cross. Their King's name Emmanuel. The soldiers never explained things like where we travelled, what a forest's name might have been, they told us nothing about the terrain. That was tactical. They kept us confused for so long, and it worked. Even though I want to go back now that I have been freed of my chains, I have an entire Kingdom to cover. Enok could be anywhere."

Anywhere, alone, thinking he had no one left. "My lad was betrayed. He made a friend, the kind that trouble followed, he didn't want to hear the warnings because he never got to make friends his own age. Then she told a lie to put herself in a better lot and here we are. Wherever he is, I know he's hurting, and I know he's going to act without clear thought."

Noak was a smart man. Careful in how he acted and what he said. He knew how others ticked – an amount of empathy that came very rarely.

It made Taru smile a little, a quiet amused hum under the mask. He knew how Rahel would just spit more at being “threatened” with any correctional consequences to his behaviour. Only his mother could do that and he’d hang his head. Taru herself… sometimes.

Sure, sometimes Taru had to pray to Maea to give her more strength and patience in silence. The boy was challenging.

But Noak seemed to understand that very well.

Though Taru had very little context to what had happened to Noak in these past years. The branding on his arm spoke for itself… but what had happened exactly?

Dipping another cotton swap into water to clean around the wounds, Taru laid a hand on his side, as if that could settle the pain that his own laugh had caused. Surely a few ribs were broken. It was a miracle he was still drawing breath anyway…

“… it sounds like you had a way harder position to be a mentor and guardian than me, though.”

She had her own rooms. She had food, clothes, water and all amenities and luxuries that came by associating of the Naa of this tribe. And times were peaceful – at least here, so far. The wars had been far off, on the horizon yet, but passed them by.

Noak’s life was very different.

“Your Enok was older than Rahel, right? That means you can tell me whether this boyish stubbornness will end soon. And I am sure if he followed just half your lessons, he will be fine… at least somewhat.”

It was hard to try and be encouraging and Taru felt the guilt on her own tongue. How could she sit idle, if his own charge was far away?

“Do you know where the witchhunter king’s troops were heading? I could try and find yours.”