Hello and welcome to another one of my fictions. I know it has been quite a while since my last update and I will make no falsehood, my inspiration and work ethic comes at very bizarre and awkward spurts. I only wish that I would do more but alas here we are, in something that I consider one of my favorite projects lately. It takes place in the Blazeblue video game world and it considers Taokaka and one of my own original characters, something that I'm sure has happened a million times before. In any case I want to bring this to because I've loved this fiction ever since I started it and I wanted to post it to see if anyone else liked it. So without any further adieu, here we go!

(Disclaimer) I do not own anything aside from my OC, thank you and goodnight.

Chapter One: Heart Guy?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Rebel One: Begin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Booby-lady, booby-lady, booby-lady!"

The sweet, melodic voice echoed against the walls; innocent charm radiating off the otherwise vulgar words. The young woman who sang the melody danced down the street, casually avoiding collisions with unnatural style and grace on her angled shoes. Her massive cream colored jacket covered her from head to mid thigh, obscuring her face in shadow except for two glowing crimson eyes and a row of sharp spiky teeth, perpetually locked in a Cheshire smile. This precocious young thing, named Tao, was a member of the mysterious Kaka clan, a race of cat-beast men that dwelt beneath the city of Kagatsuchi. However, despite their somewhat shadowed past, Tao bounded her way down the sidewalk, idly swinging her gigantic paws while singing her ridiculous song. As a member of the clan, and greatest warrior of the small group, Tao was among the few allowed outside of the clan for a surface side 'stroll.' However this walk had a purpose, that purpose swinging from Taokaka's right paw at the very moment. A purpose made of simple paper that, had anyone known it, would change the fate of Taokaka and the whole of the Kaka clan itself.

With immaculate grace Tao landed before a door, easily turning the knob despite her bulky paws, and slamming the door open with a bright cry of "BOOBIE-LADY! I CAME FOR A VISIT!" With the wild shout every movement in the small clinic froze, old men and women gripped their chests as they stared at the excitable young Kaka. "Tao?" came a sound, a voice from the back room accompanied by short and quick footsteps. In a small flurry of beads Tao was greeted by the hospitals main physician, Litchi Faye-Ling and her generous bust, the main source for Tao's loving nickname.

"Hey yah booby-lady!" Tao said with a bright grin, bounding over to Litchi with quick and silent steps. Litchi gave Tao a resigned smile, "Hello Tao, what are you doing so far from the Village?" Catching the glances from the other patrons of the hospital and their curious glances Litchi amended her statement, "and what have I told you about calling me that. My name is Miss. Litchi, remember that okay Tao?" Tao gave Litchi a shimmering smile, "Alright booby-lady, I remembered it." Litchi gave a sigh of defeat, of all the days to give Linhua a day off, "So what are you doing so far from the village Tao?" Tao smiled and held up her massive paw, presenting Litchi with the small scrap of paper, "Tao was supposed to give this to meow! It's from the village elder and she said it was verrry important nya!"

Litchi accepted the paper from Tao, reading the note which spoke of a minor illness which had taken over half of the Kaka clan in under a month. Fatalities were not imminent but due to the possible seither nature of the illness, the elder was calling out to Litchi for support in their time of need. Litchi smiled and nodded, "alright Tao, did the elder tell you anything about the letter?" Tao shook her head, "nope, she just said to do this, nya!" Tao immediately stuck out her tongue, the normally pink organ was stained a sickly yellow and seemed to have light tinges of green on the edges. Litchi was shocked, almost to the point of jumping back from Tao's bold actions. However, Litchi almost immediately recognized the coloration as something encountered in the first few years after the black beast was defeated.

"Alright Tao, I'm going to give you some medicine to take back to the village," Litchi said, walk back through her beads, "just give one to every person in the village and everyone should be just fine alright?" Litchi had taken to the backroom expecting Tao to not follow, her skills for judgment overcome by her concern for the Kaka village. "Gotcha booby-lady," Tao joyfully spoke, hopping along behind Litchi in a flash. Litchi turned and was instantly face to face with Tao, the grinning cat girl leaning in close to the older and more experienced woman. "Tao," Litchi said with some annoyance, "go wait outside please."

"Aw but why, meow?" Tao whined, following Litchi despite the doctor's insistence. "Because there is still a patient here Tao," Litchi said, slipping past another barrier of beads into a hospital room. "Aw but booby-lady!" Tao said dashing through the beads, only registering her path before it was a might too late. In seconds Tao was frozen stiff, her eyes locked on the wall of flesh that stood before her, tanned skin marred by a massive ugly scarred slash. Out of pure surprise Tao stumbled backward, falling through the beads and coming to land with a heavy thud on her head. "Ow, ow, ow!" Tao moaned while sitting bolt upright and clutching her aching skull between her two massive paws.

"I'm sorry," a voice, deep and concerned, spoke," are you alright?"

Tao looked up into a deep azure eyes, twin pools of ocean colored irises stared at her with mild concern and slight amusement. Above these orbs was a head of shaggy chestnut brown hair, softly spiked of its own nature. Tao's eyes took in more of the person, a man obviously, as he knelt by her side, "Miss? Are you alright?" Tao felt her smile come much easier than normal despite the ache in her skull, "aw Tao is alright, meow! Booby-lady says Tao has a hard head a-nya-way." A single eyebrow raised in confusion, "if you say so Miss...Tao?" Tao nodded, hopping to her feet as the mystery man stood in a much more controlled fashion, "Yep, Tao is Taokaka!" The man gave Tao a small smirk, amused by her energetic response, "alright Taokaka, I'm sorry about bumping into you. Ms. Litchi was treating me earlier and suddenly ran out...to meet up with you I'm guessing?" Tao confirmed with a nod, "and when she came back I stood up to ask her what happened. Apparently that's when you came in the door and, well, ran into me."

"Aw Tao is sorry..." with this Tao paused, her sharp crimson eyes taking in every aspect of his body. The man was dressed in a thick sleeveless black sweater, the collar riding so high on his neck it threatened to swallow the lower half of his face. All along his arms were gloves, thick, flexible leather crawling up to his elbow with smatterings of metal along his joints for support. His dark blue pants were fairly loose, the cuffs tucked into a pair of flexible leather boots. Wrapped across his body from shoulder to hip was a thick leather sash, multiple bulges present in the numerous pockets sewn into the material. As Tao contemplated a name for the man her eyes landed onto his left arm, upon the small space of open skin between his high glove and the cuff of his sweater. Between that space was a large scrawling tattoo, winding and twisting patterns forming anything the imagination dare decide. Instantly Tao had his name, a bright grin adorning her lips as she spoke, "Tao is sorry for running into you Heart Guy!"

"Heart...Guy?" the man blinked, confusion evident in his tone. Tao quickly pointed to the man's left arm, indicating the tattoo dressing his skin, "Yeah Heart Guy, the drawing looks like a heart, nya." The man looked to his arm, silent for a few moments before he let out a gentle laugh, "Heh, first time I've heard that one." Before more conversation could commence the soft voice of Ms. Litchi broke the small silence, "Kagimaru? Are you still here?" "Yes Dr. Litchi," Kagimaru said, turning to head back into the room, "I'll be right there." With a swish of beads Kagimaru left Tao alone, but that wasn't to say Tao had left Kagimaru alone.

Tao rapidly followed after Kagimaru, finding Dr. Litchi talking to Kagimaru in soft whispers. Kagimaru nodded every so often, whispering back whenever there was a pause. "Booby-lady," Tao began, shifting uncomfortably at the entrance of the room, "do you have anything for Tao?" Kagimaru snickered a bit, unfamiliar with Litchi's nickname but was instantly silenced by a sharp jab from the doctor, "yes I do Tao, and the batch of medicine for your clan is being mixed right now." Tao smiled brightly, "thanks booby-lady!" "Yes, yes Tao," Litchi sighed with exasperation, "it will take roughly two hours to get the full amount prepared, can you wait that long?" Instantly, Tao's grin fell, "two hours? Aw...that like...nya! Tao is already bored! Will booby-lady play with Tao while she waits?" "Well I can't keep you company right now Tao," Litchi said regretfully, "I have a full schedule of patients."

"I'll keep her occupied," Kagimaru said with a small smirk, "I'm sure I know enough things around the city to keep Tao interested and off your back." Tao was instantly in full swing smile mode, dancing from side to side in joy, "nya! Heart Guy will stay with Tao! Yay!" Litchi looked to Kagimaru, an eyebrow raised, "Heart Guy?" Kagimaru smirked, "coming from booby-lady I'm not that insulted." Litchi rolled her eyes, "are you sure you can handle Tao, Kagimaru? With your injury you shouldn't try anything too strenuous." Kagimaru grinned, "Ah I'll be fine Dr. Litchi. Besides, you told me that the Kaka clan doesn't come to the surface that often so it might be a good opportunity to show Tao around." Litchi returned Kagimaru's smile with a soft smirk, "I also said Tao would eat you out of house and home if given the chance." Kagimaru's grin widened and a touch of amusement colored his tone, "we'll see about that."

"C'mon Heart Guy," Tao said, her gigantic pawed hands wrapping around Kagimaru's left arm, "Tao wants to go right neow!" "Alright Tao," Kagimaru said, being dragged out of the office as he called back, "I'll pay when we come back Dr. Litchi!" Litchi laughed lightly as she heard the door of the clinic open and close taking the animated talking of Tao with it, "good luck Kagimaru, you'll need it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roar of Time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Nya...Tao is so full..." purred Taokaka as she sprawled out on the floor of the small clinic, casually napping in the warm beam of light that streamed through the window. One paw rested on her stuffed stomach as the other supported her napping head, the ear flaps of her coat twitching every so often in her dreams. Not too far away Kagimaru smirked in amusement, his hands holding a book as he carefully read it. Entertaining Tao had been much easier than Litchi had led him to think, showing her some of the recently built arcades had been a brilliant plan especially when Tao latched herself onto a dancing rhythm game. Kagimaru was fairly certain that no normal human would be able to beat the score Tao racked up. Following the fun and games the offer of food more than held Tao's interest, attracting the cat like bees to honey. Litchi wasn't kidding about Tao's legendary stomach, Kagimaru thought he was a big eater but Tao had utterly destroyed him, easily racking up three times his intake without even slowing down. After such a satisfying meal it was only natural for the cat to nap and what better place than the clinic where sunshine and silence was almost guaranteed.

Dr. Litchi's surprise was evident upon their return. Not many were able to keep up with Tao let alone cause her to go into a food coma so she was more than happy to let them use one of the few examination rooms in the clinic, a place with a perfect pool of sun for the Kaka to nap in. Kagimaru flipped a page; casually casting a glance up every so often to make sure Tao hadn't died or awoken despite the fact that they had returned Kagimaru had volunteered to keep an eye on the hyperactive Kaka. So far she seemed pretty sedated, it puzzled him why Litchi had presented Tao as being such a difficult person...

"Tao? Kagimaru? Are you still in there?" sounded Litchi's voice, calling through the door accompanied by a soft knock. "Yes Dr. Litchi," Kagimaru replied, closing his book and slipping it into his pocket," you can come in." Litchi opened the door with a medium sized bag dangling from her hand, soft rattles and other sounds confirmed the medicinal nature of the items within. "Tao is still asleep hm?" Litchi stated, looking at the sleeping girl. "Yep," Kagimaru chuckled, "I still don't know why you said that she's a pain to get along with." "You don't have her calling you booby lady all the time," Litchi sighed as Kagimaru restrained an outright laugh, "but we need to wake her up, we've completed the medicine for her to take back to her clan."

Kagimaru nodded, standing up from his seat in a slow stretch, "hey Tao, wake up Tao." Tao didn't respond beyond a quiet mumble, rolling over on her side with a quiet meow. Bending down Kagimaru gently shook Tao's shoulder, "Hey Tao, time to wake up Tao." "Nya...Heart Guy leave Tao alone," Tao complained, yawning as she attempted to roll further away from his intruding presence, "Tao was just dreaming about delicious meat buns..." Kagimaru rolled his eyes, looking to Litchi for support but found her with an amused grin on her face. Feeling a small bit of determination build up in his chest he shook Tao harder, "Wake up Tao, you need to get home to save your village remember?"

Tao moaned in annoyance but slowly sat up, not feeling an upturned nail hook a stray thread on her hood. With a soft swish of material Tao's hood fell away, piling at the back of her neck as her full face was revealed. Her tanned complexion was smooth and angelic, platinum blond hair curling around from the back of her neck in two thick braids. Above a pair of sleepy crimson eyes was a fringe of bangs, blond uneven edges framing her innocent face. Tao's eyes glowed a brilliant ruby even in the sunlight and as she yawned, her wide maw opened to a row of pearly white fangs. Crowning the top of her head were a pair of feline ears, black midnight fur ending in a sharp ivory point. "Tao..." Dr. Litchi said in surprise, looking upon the young Kaka woman in surprise. It was rare to impossible to catch a Kaka with their hood down so Litchi was never certain what they looked like underneath their facial shadows. "Um...Tao...your..." Kagimaru started, indicating Tao's hood had fallen in her rise. However, in her half slumbering state Tao didn't understand Kagimaru, instead tilting her head to the side in slight confusion, "hm? Is something wrong Heart Guy?" Kagimaru pointed at Tao's head but Litchi was the one to respond, "Your hood fell down Tao."

This seemed to have an instant affect on Tao, her cheeks turning a bright crimson red as she reached up to feel her head. Upon realization of the fact Tao instantly covered herself, pulling her hood until it completely covered her face with cream colored cloth, "ah! Nya, not good not good! Look away right neow!" Litchi respected Tao's insistence but Kagimaru couldn't, his eyes still locked on Tao as he remembered her face beyond the shadows. Suddenly Tao jumped up, both paws still holding her hood as she dashed out the door, completely forgetting the bag of medicine.

"Oh no, Tao!" Litchi called, watching the blur of white streak from the clinic, "You have to take the medicine for the village! Tao!" It was too late, the young Kaka was already far out of hearing range, her paws clapped over her head to avoid being seen again. Litchi stared after Tao, wondering what earned that reaction from the usually confident and enthusiastic kitten. Litchi's ravine was interrupted by a soft rattling, her head turning to see Kagimaru picking up the bag of medicine and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'll deliver the medicine," Kagimaru said calmly, looking Litchi in the eye as he spoke, "where is the Kaka village?" For a moment Litchi was speechless, wondering momentarily if Kagimaru was that trustworthy. A soft smile came across her lips, "Do you know where the Dim Sum shop is?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roar of Time / Spacial Rend~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh this is bad," a soft voice whined, "this is very, very bad..." The voice belonged to Tao, her head still clutched in her paws as she rocked back and forth, swaying gently beneath the single ray of sun which penetrated the darkness of the Kaka village. Anxiety rocked every aspect of her form; from her flattened ears to her twitching tail Tao appeared to be a bundle of overcharged nerves. It didn't help that her paws continued to clutch at her hood, unwilling to loosen her grip on the material for any amount of money in the world. Perhaps it was this self isolation along with her quiet muttering that caused her to ignore the presence behind her.

"Tao?" Instantly Tao's ears perked up, her whole body tensing as she whipped around to face the voice. "Heart Guy," Tao said in confusion, "what...how'd mew get here?" Kagimaru smirked, slowly approaching Taokaka with the bag of medicine rattling across his back, "oh from a little birdie here and there." "Nya?" Tao exclaimed, her paw scratching her head in confusion, "what birdie where?" Kagimaru rolled his eyes, "it's an expression Tao. Dr. Litchi asked if I could take the medicine to you and she pointed me right here. After I got under the city I just followed the most worn path." "Oh," Tao said with a bit of rejection, her paw unconsciously tightening on her hood, "so why'd mew follow me here, nya?" Kagimaru gently sat down beside Tao, offering her the bag filled with the musical rattle of health, "you left this behind at Dr. Litchi's clinic. It's the medicine for the village you were supposed to bring with you remember?" Kagimaru could see the glowing eyes of Tao widen in surprise then close in sheepish embarrassment, "oh, nya...I forgot."

Tao accepted the satchel gingerly, taking it in her massive paw and setting it beside herself. Despite delivering the package Kagimaru didn't move. Instead he remained seated beside Tao, staring at her in a way Tao wasn't familiar with. Tao could feel his glance on her, the corner of her eyes just catching his deep blue eyes looking at her...

"Nya!" Tao shouted in frustration, her body turning toward Kagimaru and her arms coming up in preparation for a few punches, "you wanya fight Heart Guy?" Kagimaru blinked in confusion before laughing lightly, "what? Where did that come from Tao?" Tao crossed her arms in indignation, turning away from Kagimaru with her nose to the sky, "you were staring at Tao, it made Tao angry." This time it was Kagimaru's turn to be sheepish, his hand combing through his shaggy mane as he spoke, "oh, sorry about that. I was just wondering..." Tao gave Kagimaru a peek out the side of her hood, "wondering what nya?" "Why you ran off so fast after your hoo-"

Before he got a chance to finish Tao had pounced upon him, her massive paws clapping over his mouth, claws extended, as she hissed, "be quiet about that Heart Guy! Tao could get in a lot of trouble, nya!" Kagimaru nodded the best he could under the situation, being pinned beneath Tao was interesting, but at the moment the murderous gleam in her eye and the foot long claws made him more than a little worried. Tao stayed atop her capture prey for a few moments before gracefully sliding off of Kagimaru, returning to her prime location in the sun. Kagimaru wiped his mouth, still feeling the padded paws holding his lips shut as he asked, "so why did you run...and why did you attack me just now?"

Taokaka was silent for a long while, facing away from Kagimaru as she looked over the village. It was small but lively, little kittens running wild in the streets while adults walked about, looking up to the iron sky with wistful gazes. One couple walked hand in hand, strolling along as they smiled in the depths of their jackets. "Kaka are never supposed to remove their hoods," Tao said with calm resolve, an emotion that confused and slightly worried Kagimaru. "All Kaka keep their hoods on while outside of their homes and only when they are at home can they let them down. It's a Kaka clan tradition, nya," Tao explained, beginning to rub her paws together in worry. "If a Kaka lets down their hood to someone...for anya reason...they have to..." Tao began to fret slightly, her tail swishing behind her with nervous electricity, "they have to..."

"They have to what Tao?" Kagimaru asked, curiosity hitting him like a house of lead.

"They have to marry..." Tao said with obvious embarrassment in her tone as her cheeks burnt bright ruby through the shadow of her hood.

To say Kagimaru was surprised would be akin to saying the black beast was a minor threat. His heart thumped radically in his chest, thoughts racing through his head without abandon as he tried to rationalize the situation. The only evidence of his frenzied though was his fingers, idly rubbing against one another almost as if his muscles remembered something being there to work his stress out on. In contrast to Kagimaru's silent contemplation Tao was fretting endlessly, fidgeting and twitching as she spoke and meowed to herself endlessly. Her claws raked along the ground in frustration as she cursed anything she could think of, even the black squiggly found its way into her frustrated hisses. It was around the tenth time that she scarred the dirt that she felt Kagimaru's hand on her shoulder, a soft heat emanating from his palm and through her jacket.

"Tao," Kagimaru said, his deep voice having a strangely calming effect on Tao, "if anyone knew...would you be forced into it?" Tao nodded slowly, "nya...even if it was just an accident the Kaka must be married. It's a clan tradition." Kagimaru had a sudden smile on his lips, "So what happens if...three people are involved?" Tao blinked, remembering for a moment that not only had Kagimaru had seen her but Litchi as well. "Tao doesn't meow...Tao doesn't remember if it's ever happened before," Tao confessed, thinking with all of her might. Kagimaru smirked, "so first of all Tao, who knows about it besides you, Litchi, and me?" Tao tilted her head to the side, attempting to understand Kagimaru's angle, "no one..." "And if anyone did know, how would they force you to marry two people hm?" Kagimaru triumphantly smiled, realization dawning in Tao as she stared into his bright grin. "So if no one knows, then Tao doesn't need to marry a-nya-one," Tao said, slowly becoming more excited, "and if they did, how would Tao marry two, right?" Kagimaru nodded, "exactly Tao."

Before he knew it Kagimaru was knocked flat on his back, Tao lunging on him with impressive speed and strength, "oh thank mew! Thank mew! THANK MEW!" Kagimaru sighed and rolled his eyes, making Tao happy was a dangerous but rewarding sport. It was around the time that Tao began to furiously nuzzle his chest that he understood Litchi's pain, Tao was certainly the affectionate one...but then again, her innocent affection was rather nice...

Without a word of sound Tao was once again on her feet, springing right up with bag of medicine in her paw. "Thanks a lot Heart Guy," Tao said with a bright gleaming smile, "Tao will run into Heart Guy lots more, meow?" Kagimaru gave Tao a smirk, nodding as he stood up, "it's a deal."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what do you think? I know it's short but I hope you enjoyed! Don't worry, there is more in store! Don't forget to read and review! Thank you and have a good one!