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1Behind the Glass Flower - (Private/NK) Empty Behind the Glass Flower - (Private/NK) Mon May 18, 2015 8:42 am

Tenmei

Tenmei


D-rank


It had been years since she was here last, and yet nothing had changed.
The Land. The sun. The Feelings.
Nothing

-------

Following from horizons and silhouettes

--------


Ever since the special jounin had breached the slowly fading barrier between the trees and the sand, it was like everything that had happened... everything she had seen and done... everything she had experienced since she had left the place she once knew as home; all of it, every bit of it came crashing around her like the waves of Kiri. From the moment she fled the the mist with a boy's blood on her hands and the fight with Senju Hokage, to the day she met her perfect match and sat down with someone who smelled of blood and the ocean; All the anger... the furiously restless stirring she held deep within her centers, those feelings she had shed back in kiri ignited a new and this time...this time there was nothing she could do to ease the smouldering. However this didn't stop the young female from trying. Oh no. There was nothing long past or still breathing that could stop Tenmei Sotsuji from telling the sun and it's shadows exactly how bloody furious she was.

But nothing helped


Wind knotted hair. Stern set expression. Her silver tinged eyes glanced around the sun burnt landscape and what her efforts had caused. What mess she had made. Everywhere, scattered and intertwined with her shallow made footprints, the young female could see the the glistening glass shards speckling the honey amber sand and the whispy coils of smoke still seeping from the ground below her feet. The scorched onyx granules in painted patters stretching out in to the settling storm in the distance and the diminished pinnacles of the surviving dunes. In a matter of days they would fade. In a few weeks they would be forgotten. And given enough time these scars would be buried beneath the layers or this lands essence, never to be thought of again... but the monument the ebony haired female stood behind. The monolithic structure with it's crystalline arms reaching... clawing for the sky and its roots buried deep in to the cool of the earth.... that would not be swept away so easily. And it would not be easily missed.
Not even the great sandstorms of the Suna desert could cover up this mistake.


This flower made of glass.


-----

How long had it been since it grew?


She no longer knew. Transfixed by the myriad of rainbows now dancing across the glittering ground, the fiery kunoichi had found herself curled up beneath the light shadow of one of the large petals, knees brought to her chest and leaning back in to reflected heat of the smoothed glass.
She could feel it now. Everything ached. Beneath the lingering emotions and simmering heat, she could feel the rhythmic throbbing of her lacerated soles and the heaviness of over strained limbs. Her exposed skin had become tender with light burns, the sand had rubbed everything raw. It felt like the land she had nestled against was determined to make her as dry as the grass that shriveled away from her scorching touch. She was dehydrated, exhausted, starving and drained. And even though she had released all that pressure in that crimson white fire ball that created all this chaos, Tenmei had held on to just enough hateful fire to keep herself conscious and protected. Bur protected from what?

I need water

If you try now, it will boil before it reaches your lips.

Do we have any food left

Save it. There is still a way to go

But I'm so tired.

Someone is coming.


She didn't move. The woman didn't so much as flinch.
With only a slight flickering of her steely tangerine eyes, Tenmei remained calmly poised in her space behind the glass, the heat around her creeping out in waves as she strained to hear...to smell... to sense the being that warranted the stern warning. But there was nothing there..... she could see nothing but the magnified light beams playing across the sand and distant dust clouds running further away. The only sound that reached her ears was the crying wind that sung it's stories through the newly made structure. But then again.... once upon a time she had seen how this alien heat played on the senses. Tricking and testing with its false images and deceptive domain. So, the Sotsuji soon found her voice calling out anyway despite what common sense had said, her hand slowly moving to the knife at her hip.

"What was it that drew you here? The fireball that reached high in to the sky... or what was left over? Perhaps it's a better idea to not answer and walk away"


After all who knows when another monstrosity like this might grow

-----------
Words: 815

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
The deserts of the wind country were calm, as they always were. The seemingly endless sea of golden sand was many things, but lively was not one of them. Even for those who were capable of successfully navigating these lands, it was entirely possible, probable even, to go days on end without encountering another person. For the poor souls who were unable to manage that… they needed only wait as long as it took for the sands to claim them to gain relief from the cruel and unforgiving sun above. The desert was almost merciful in that sense. Death, one of the few mercies it did afford those brave or foolish enough to enter unprepared.

To many, the desert was a dark place, filled with bad omens and unknown terrors. In his time in the Wind Country Bokuden had spent time with several of the desert-dwelling tribes and listened to their stories of malicious spirits of lost wanderers and demons that lurked beneath the sand, waiting patiently to drag the unsuspecting down beneath the sands. To the less superstitious, the desert represented a far more practical and universal fear. The sheer scope of the lifeless and empty space resonated with a fundamental human fear; solitude. There were people that enjoyed their space and learned to appreciate time to themselves, but few and far between were those that longed for true solitude. There was a reason that solitary confinement was promoted as a punishment in prisons that housed even the most hardened of criminals. Something about the idea of being alone, truly alone, was as dreaded a concept for the human mind to wrap its thoughts around as any.

However, it was precisely that solitude that drew Bokuden to this place. For a time, after his departure from Kumogakure, the Ryuzoji had lived in the relative comfort and safety of Sunagakure, a modern city which had long since removed itself from the dangers faced by the desert-dwellers beyond their walls. It was as comfortable a life as a wanted man could ask for, but that comfort would fade not long after a certain item had come into his possession. Before long the loud crowds and bustling streets that had provided a sense of familiarity for him had become a hammer that clashed and rung in his mind constantly. The same cities that had once made him feel at home became little more than elaborate prisons with means of tormenting him far more cruel than any cell he could be thrown in. His new life in Sunagakure had come to an end seemingly before it truly began.

This was where Bokuden had made peace now. Here, in the company of nothing but the sands and howling winds that blew over the dunes. He had learned all he could from the desert-dwelling tribes on how to survive out in the desert and had long since become self-sufficient. For almost two months now he had relegated himself to this solitary life, aimlessly wandering the vast Wind Country desert. What little human interaction he did expose himself to came in the form of brief trips to settlements to stock up on necessary supplies and the rare encounter with travelers or bandits on the main trade roads through the desert. There was rarely any trouble out in the sands, even with the occasional highwaymen, who themselves were as superstitious as the tribes from which they hailed, were easily frightened off with a little lightning.

That fact only made the loud boom of an explosion and a crimson stream of flames jetting skyward from what should have been an otherwise innocuous point in the desert over the hills. His attention immediately drawn to the signs of danger, Bokuden took off in the direction of the explosion, his robe covered body appearing as little more than a white blur as he weaved in and out of the dunes.

Upon reaching the hilltop just beside the site of the explosion the Ryuzoji would stop and look down at what awaited him below. The heat from whatever had just occurred still lingered, the hot air causing the landscape to appear as if it were wobbling steadily. Fortunately the white cloth wrapped over his face and head shielded him from more than just the climate of the desert. His eyes winced slightly as he peered below, not due to the heat, but rather trying to make sense of what his eyes were witnessing. A large, spherical trough had been hollowed out between the dunes, no doubt the work of whatever had caused the explosion that drew him in.

As he scanned the curved walls of the trough, he immediately took notice of what appeared to be large shards of glass mixed in with the unturned sand, indicating an extremely high level of heat in the explosion. In the center of the trough, most interestingly stood what appeared to be a glass sculpture in the shape of a tree or flower of some kind. And from behind that sculpture Bokuden heard a faint voice, likely the source of the rather heavy emotions he was picking up in the area. He approached cautiously, stepping slowly and making no effort to hide his presence as his reinforced sole boots cracked the glass beneath his feet with every other step. In a moment’s time he found himself at the base of the glass sculpture, a woman curled up on the ground in the shade of one of its extremities.

One look at the woman was enough to see that she was in less than ideal condition for desert travel. Her skin appeared to have suffered heat damage from the explosion, although far less severe than one should have reasonably expected. In addition, talking to oneself and making threats to imaginary assailants while stranded in the middle of the desert was about as sure a way as any to tell that a person was in dire straights. Still, he played along. “And if I walk away you’ll do what? Take a nap under the shade of this sculpture?” he replied, his voice calm and strong, clearly audible even through the cloth that concealed the lower section of his face.



1039~

3Behind the Glass Flower - (Private/NK) Empty Re: Behind the Glass Flower - (Private/NK) Thu May 21, 2015 11:20 pm

Tenmei

Tenmei


D-rank


The village hidden in the sand
One upon a life time ago when the kunoichi was much younger and the world, much simpler. She had always been curious about the Wind country. How could anything be hidden in sand? Just billions upon trillions of tiny golden stone granules, clinging to the earth... to each other. Until a gentle breath of wind blew them from the ground's embrace and tossed them up in to the air.
Konoha had a venomous forest protecting it's borders and Kiri had it's blanket of mist. But sand? How could something so...versatile protect an an entire village the way that mountains and storm clouds could? It only took a day of wandering this place to find the answers to those innocent questions.
The desert sands were always moving. Always shifting always churning. Like a ravenous python it would move around it's prey, surrounding, burying, swallowing everything. Devouring bones and trees and all forms of life... eating up sound. It was because of this that she couldn't hear his heavy footsteps crushing the crystaline shards in to the sand as he slowly drew closer. Why it took her a spare few moments to register that he was there, speaking to her and not another of the desert's tricks.

“And if I walk away you’ll do what? Take a nap under the shade of this sculpture?”

"Perhaps... or I might end up making another"

Allowing her hand to slip from the hilt of her dagger and find it's way to the pane she was leaning against, the Sotsuji slowly...carefully made her way back to her feet once more. Her amber tinted silver eyes locking on to his. She wasn't fooling anyone. She didn't even try. From the slight wince when the heated sand pressed in to her lacerated soles to the light frown creasing her stern set expression at the the tenderness of her exposed skin. Even he could see that if she were to let off another blast of that magnitude, the female would probably be out for longer than a couple hours. Then again... if she push comes to shove....
Taking care not to step on the shards that surrounded the skyward structure, Tenmei removed her hand from the stability of the glass and took a cautious step towards him, never breaking her gaze.

"Why are you here?" she asked again with quiet words and a strong voice.
"Did you come to make sure I don't damage the village? Wouldn't be surprised it's not the first time. Don't worry, I wont. I have nothing against the people here. Or did you just come because you were curious about what caused this monstrosity? .... Unless there is another reason?"


She couldn't help it. She was angry. She was frustrated at herself for her lack of control and furious at the people her pushed her to this point. She hated the world for what it had done to her but that wasn't just it. Tenmei was scared. What if she had not lost it until she had reached the village? What if the pressure building from inside was too much and she was forced to live out the same fate of her parents. What if she lost all that control right here and now? The half masked stranger standing before her with his
stone like steadiness and unsettling patience. She could sense he was strong but what if even he couldn't stop the very thing that wiped out her entire clan? No. All these fears and anger....the sadness, she couldn't help  but watch as the ground in front of her slowly grew hotter and the air began to ripple like the shore bound waves of the place she once called home. Just like this place, nothing had changed.

"Who are you anyway? What were doing in the middle of the desert? I'm sure the blast wasn't big enough to see it from the village..... ?"

Could he not feel the heat that crept over her skin? Was he that confident that in her state she wasn't capable of releasing that sort of attack again? Was he that sure of his abilities? Well, she didn't trust him. The last person the ebony haired female had met with that same level of assurance challenged her to a fight and made her so utterly furious that she made threats she still regretted even though everything had been forgiven. The one before that sent her to the water with a single attack... and before that. Well. She had got so close to that person, that when they left it hurt more than the blows Seven Bells had done to her.
No, people like him, she didn't trust. Not at first anyway. So it came as no surprise that the female's hand had returned to her dagger's hilt with the step back wards and a flare in the tangerine tinted gaze.

"I'm sorry for all the questions. I just find it strange that out of all the places in this expansive place, you would come here...."

And I stopped believing in coincidences years ago


----------------

Words:878
Total: 1693

Chakra: 235/250:

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
The fact that the woman removed her hand from the knife at her side meant little to Bokuden who did not feel particularly threatened by the stranger’s aggressive pose or tone of voice; a remnant of his former self. It was not that he doubted she was willing to draw and use that weapon against him, in fact it was quite the opposite. He had felt her anger before he had even set eyes on her, which was what had led him to trek down to the center of the blast zone to investigate. He could feel her anger, her misguided hatred. That combined with the physical state he had found her in only led him to the conclusion that she was desperate, whether she realized it or not. And few things were more dangerous than a person backed into a corner who felt they had nothing to lose. On the other hand, it had been quite some time since the Ryuzoji had encountered someone who was actually capable of reaching him with a blade, perhaps making him a bit too comfortable in the face of someone taking a threatening posture in his direction.

Bokuden’s eyes would quickly glance down at the sand around them, taking note of the small splatters of what appeared to be blood that followed her footsteps. He assumed that could be attributed to walking barefoot in the midst of all of these glass shards could. Between the open wounds, the burns on her skin, and the fact that she seemed to be talking to herself as if someone else was there before he had even approached made it more than clear that she was not in a suitable state to be left on her own out in the desert. They were quite a ways away from the nearest settlement he could identify however, and given how aggressive she had been behaving, he didn’t expect her to be too keen on the idea of receiving help from a complete stranger. But there was more to her than just anger. One could argue how desirable the powers of his shakujo really were, being forced to take on the emotions of those around you, but a gift or a curse it was effective. Beneath the rage that seemed to be bubbling to the surface on this woman there was a distinct, deep sorrow and a lingering feeling of fear. Bokuden could feel the depth of her emotion and had he not trained himself to control his own response to what was fed into him by the staff, he might have responded to how strong it was.

More surprising than the range and strength of her emotions or the physical state Bokuden had found her in, was the fact that she was still so chatty despite all of it. Being both physically and emotionally exhausted to the point where it was visible with the naked eye, even without the staff, and still feeling compelled to spout of a line of questioning like that was unusual. She also asked a lot of questions for someone who is on the side of the situation that would typically be the one to draw suspicion. People don’t just sit in the middle of the desert beside a glass-blown sculpture that seemed to be of their making. “Who am I?” he repeated calmly, his deep and unwavering voice giving form to his stoical demeanor, “Simply a vagabond, nothing more. As far as why I’m here, right place right time, I suppose. I’ve been wandering the deserts of the Wind Country for some time now. That I happened to be in the area to respond to that explosion is sheer coincidence.”




623 | 1662~

Tenmei

Tenmei


D-rank

This sense. This feeling.
Tenmei hated it

------
One look. One glance through the glaring sunlight and hazy dust clouds was all it took to know that he was watching. Those judging blue eyes, flickering from the crimson spotted trail through the glassy ground, to the light red flushing colouring her olive tanned skin... to the ever so slight gasps that slipped from her lips between. It was the same feeling that she got when standing around in the medical offices back home, with the doctors watching with their scrutinizing gaze, waiting for her condition to change.... waiting for something to change. It was unnerving. Unsettling. Intimidating almost. Yet the female wasn't all that afraid. Not of him anyway. If he wanted to do her harm, he would have done so anyway, or at least that was what she hoped.
And so despite her emotions the female managed a short smile and curt nod of understanding, before turning her back on him and allowing her cooled silver eyes to turn back to which path she would take around the glass, the sky scraping flower and towards the village of Suna ga kure. The reason why she was wandering this sand sculpted land in the first place.

"Oh.... I see. Well... if you have no business with me..."

Carefully now. Carefully. Tenmei slowly made her way around the stem of her creation and looked back at the stranger through the glass. Allowing a figment of her curiosity to peer back at him through the clear barrier.
Even from here, she could sense the questions on his tongue. How could she be up and wanting to walk through the desert on her own when a few moments ago she was curled up in the shadows of her chaos? Why ask so many questions when she was just as desperate for food and water that she was for answers? What the hell was she thinking expelling so much chakra for needless reasons and still giving off heat. Had she no concern of her state of being? Did she even realize? Well.... yes. Tenmei knew very well. She knew because those questions, those simple, common sense questions had being running through her mind too.

But the truth was. She had been through worse.
They were not exactly hard to see behind the well worn sleeveless cropped vest and loosely slit trousers. The severe burn scars that covered her left side. Marring her skin from thigh to shoulder, curving around her ribs, branching out to her spine. Snowy and flawed against the pinkish tan. The kunoichi had been only young when they were bestowed upon her all those years ago. Young and alone, she was left to wander these foreign lands with dwindling chakra, low energy and no resources to speak of. A lost and fractured chin doll, wandering the mountain base. And yet somehow, out of some damned miracle she had found her way to the nearest road. So when some stranger... some unknown human being with calculating eyes and stern judgment appeared at the right time and the right place....it was what was supposed to happen.
So why was she talking now? Why was she still moving? Why push past the limits she had obviously already surpassed.

Because when she was speaking, moving, when she was fighting.
She wasn't focusing on the pain.


Biting her lip with a deep breath Tenmei turned back around to face the ground before her and took a tentative testing step between the glittering shards, her stabilizing hand slipping from the warmed glass surface... She regretted it the second her sole pressed against the shifting sands.
Oh yes, she could suppress the wince and hiss of pain that followed, but there was no disguises the falter in balance, the near awkward stumble and the barely audible string of cussing. It appeared that the already long trek to Suna just became endless. But what other choice did she have? The stranger who happened on her by chance. The vagabound as he addressed himself as; How could she trust some one who she had never met, and wouldn't even give her a straight answer? Her pride was already hanging by cobwebs. And it would only be a matter of time before her body cauterized the wounds and numbed the pain. It was only a matter of time before she had cooled enough to hold water.  No, he was right. She had to go this alone. The only person who she could rely on, was herself. And the one person who had never left her, no matter what. Only him.

"It's been a very long time since I was here last. But I think... this is the way to Suna... right? So... I guess, unless you are interested in maybe telling me the truth and answering my questions why you would willingly walk towards an explosion despite the danger, then this is goodbye"

You wont see me again

-----

Words: 831
Total: 2524

Chakra: 230/250

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
Bokuden merely observed silently, as the strange woman attempted to recompose herself against the crystalline structure. Even as she unwisely forced herself up onto her feet, bare, bleeding soles being dug into by the heated glass shards in the sand he remained silent. The manner in which her gaze kept turning his way, even from behind the glass betrayed her attempt to seem aloof and detached. She was wary of his presence and suspicious of his intentions, which he assumed she had every right to be. He could sense her curiosity. She had asked him so many questions already, but none of them were real. They were just the first things that came to mind to say when trying to identify whether or not he was a threat. He knew she had so much more to say, even if it wasn’t meant for him specifically. Something was weighing heavily on her, causing her more extensive mental fatigue than perhaps even the physical weariness she was imposing on herself.

Normally this wouldn’t be a noteworthy trait, however. Everyone has something weighing on their hearts or on their minds. It’s was almost a universal trait of human nature. Those who made their way through life completely unburdened were few and far between. Bokuden had yet to encounter a single soul, young or old, man or woman, rich or poor that did not have their own darkness to contend with. But this was different. The darkness that was weighing on this woman’s heart and mind was not her own. It was a different feeling for him, something he had not yet encountered since his staff had come into his possession. He and she were not alone out here in this desert. There was someone else. There was something else. She was angry and afraid, which in itself is a dangerous combination, but there was no true malice to be found. The malicious intent he sensed from her was not her own. In fact, the focus of that ill-intent seemed to be focused on her.

“Why would I willingly walk towards danger, hm?” he answered her as stoically as ever, “You learn a great many things as a wanderer. If you’re willing, that is. One thing I’ve learned is that there is no such thing as a truly ‘safe’ road to travel. Any step in any direction one takes is a risk. Some of the dangers are clearly visible. Some are so far down the road that those who walk it are lulled into believing they do not exist. But they are always there.

People don’t like to acknowledge those dangers. To acknowledge that they’re real means that the fear that comes with them is real. Sometimes it’s the fear of the danger itself. Sometimes it is the fear of letting others see them being afraid. Because to them feeling fear is a bad thing. To be afraid is to show weakness, or so they believe. They’ve learned their whole lives from parents, teachers, or friends to cover up their fear and avoid the most urgent dangers at all costs. But danger is not something that can be chosen. It simply is.

Although I find it curious that you spoke as if I was being deceitful. Nothing I said was untrue. I don’t believe myself to come off as such. So if what you’re really looking for is just why I came here despite the danger, the answer is because it was no more dangerous than any other path. Explosions do not occur in the middle of the desert without cause or intent. I imagined there might be someone that could be in need of my help. Now tell me, was I correct?”




632 | 2294~

Tenmei

Tenmei


D-rank

Be cautious little candle
I don't trust him... and neither should you

----------

It wasn't that she didn't believe him. Of course not. That familiar presence with his guiding reach and bonfire voice. The calming strength whispering confidence in to her thoughts. He was the only one that had stayed by her side no matter what. Not once had he ever led her astray. But how... how could someone that reminded her so much of that man.. of him? How could someone like that be deemed so untrustworthy?

Back then... all those years ago; when the young kunoichi had reached that hidden valley road, she wasn't sure what to expect. The village, the people... any signs of life, they all seemed so far away. Everything just seemed so blissfully distant, that she found herself closing her eyes and slipping to the ground, allowing it's cool embrace to cradle her there against it's hard surface. Until her mind started to wander the borders of sleep... But unfortunately she couldn't cross that line. Before she could move on, down the road came something unexpected. Or rather someone unexpected.
Oh yes, from the moment she saw the older merchant she knew there was something strange about him. Maybe it was the odd things he was carrying in the horse driven caravan he had brought with him, or maybe it was the way that he helped her heal while never once being close enough to touch. No, it was the way that he spoke to her. How with every conversation came a lesson and with every answer; another question. Tenmei could remember being so frustrated with him, and yet loving him as a part of her family. When he had passed away shortly before the Seven Bells War. It was like a part of herself had slipped away as well.

Maybe that was why her anger was slowly giving way to sadness

Hearing his words, the ebony haired female stopped in her trail and turned slightly to face him, this time giving the stranger her full and open attention. There was no hiding it this time, her distrust for him and his twisted answers. The conflicting words within her consciousness. All the questions still on her mind and the pain coursing through her body. The fading anger and the growing sadness. It was all there reflected in the tangerine glow in her eyes and the clenched fists by her sides. But that and the words floating among her thoughts was not enough to make her walk away with a glance over her shoulder. Not yet anyway. Instead, she faced him straight on, her rippling heat waves snaking around the glass petals with in her reach.

"So you are saying that... that fear isn't a bad thing? No, that can't be true. Fear can bring someone to their knees, cause them to freeze and shake. It can even cause a weaker heart to failure. Don't you think that's its a good thing to take the safer.... or more less dangerous path?"

Tenmei careful what you say

"Yes. I suppose you are correct. I guess it is rather.... unusual to find something like this in the middle of the desert. But needing help?"
She hesitated. Whatever cobwebs were holding the remainder of her pride together were blowing in the wind and hanging on precariously at best. To have someone see her in this hopelessly pathetic state was something... and to watch her trying to push through it and fail. But to ask for help from a complete stranger who, just a minute ago, was lecturing her as if she were nothing but a child... no. No. The younger female wasn't prepared to dash away those final threads just yet.
  "No. I will be fine. If you can believe it, this...is not as bad as it looks. However.... if it is company that you are offering, then I wouldn't say 'no' to someone who has traveled these lands more than I have. Unless, of course, there is somewhere else you need to be"

She averted her eyes but her attention was still mostly on him. She could tell that he was disappointed in her, but these constantly shifting sands were as confusing as Kiri mist. She could make it there herself with time but with him guiding her; it would be an easier journey.

Just watch where you tread little candle

Don't forget

I promise. I wont.

------------------
Chakra: 225/250

Words: 752
Total: 3276

Bokuden

Bokuden


D-rank
Judging from the way the woman had stopped in her tracks, Bokuden surmised that his words had finally gotten her attention, for better or worse. When she turned to face him, he could clearly see the distressed and confused look on her face, the glare in her eye, and her clenching fists, all projecting what exactly her attitude towards him was in that moment. It wouldn’t require the staff or even a trained professional to read her at that point. It appeared as though the words he chose were successful in their aim to strike a nerve, perhaps reaching at some silent, internal conflict that she was clearly going through. His eyes dipped down to the sand for just a moment, taking note of the small pulsating waves that seemed to be emanating from her body, pushing the sand around her on layer at a time. He had already had his suspicions, but at the very least this now confirmed that she was a shinobi and the source of the unnatural heat in that hollow.

Despite her flare up of emotions and the waves of heat that came with them Bokuden stood silent and unnerved still, waiting for her to finish before making any motion to reply. He had gotten her talking, that was good. Internalizing is akin to emotional poison, slowly eating away at the victim until claiming their lives. Interestingly enough, it appeared as though the idea of her needing help from him had offended her somehow, despite it being in her best interest to accept his offer. Even she seemed to understand this however, as just a moment later she would find herself attempting to accept his offer in a way that would be less hurtful to her pride. In a younger Bokuden, the situation might have drawn a smug smirk from his lips, but his face would remain unchanging throughout. There was once a time where the Ryuzoji would have reveled in her stubbornness and counted it as a victory for his own ego, but that time had long since passed. Arrogance and snark would not remedy the situation at hand. Nor would brute force.

Since she had looked away, Bokuden would begin walking forward at a slow pace, easily made out by the jingling of the rings at the top of his staff and the sound of glass and sand being crushed or displaced underfoot. Although walking in the woman’s direction, his path was never intended to cross with her’s, aiming to move past her instead. He would stop himself as he reached the point where they stood along the same line just before he actually passed her, always keeping his eyes trained on the path in front of him without looking in her direction. “And how do you feel about other emotions?” he inquired, “Joy? Excitement? Love? Love has brought many a man to their knees. I’ve seen people so overcome with joy that they could do nothing buy freeze and tremble as their minds attempted to make sense of what they were feeling. A strong enough surge of excitement can even cause a weaker heart to fail. By your words that would make these all qualify as ‘bad’, would it not?”

The man would pause for a moment to allow her a moment to attempt to understand what he was saying before turning his head slightly to meet her eyes and then looking her up and down to re-evaluate the severity of the injuries she had sustained. “I don’t know exactly where you’re heading, but I’m assuming that you’re looking for the Village Hidden in the Sand. It’s a two day trip Northwest of here. In your condition, probably three.”

“If it’s a guide you’re looking for, I can take you where you need to go, but it would require a short detour,” he spoke as he turned to face to horizon once more, pointing the head of his staff in that direction, “A settlement, about 2 hours from here. There’s someone I need to see there. You’ll be able to replenish whatever supplies you need there for the trip, as well as have someone see to your injuries. I would imagine that would be the ‘safer’ path you’re looking for. If not, that way is Northwest.”

With a slight turn of the wrist the head of the staff would point out in the intended direction for a moment, long enough for it to be clear. He would then begin walking once more, saying nothing else and leaving the woman to her decision. He knew he had at least piqued her curiosity and definitely commanded her attention, but whether or not that was enough he was still unclear. She needed help, of that much he was certain. What he was also certain of was that she was prideful and distrusting, too much so to ever ask for that help from a stranger. But perhaps framing the situation in a way that allowed her to choose would be the best course of action.




854 | 3148~

Tenmei

Tenmei


D-rank

There was no point in hiding it now
Not that she was really trying

Shredding through the desert sands with her fierce unrelenting heat. Carelessly casting out chakra as if that would were the cause of her unpredictable anger. Shifting dunes and disturbing the wind, creating a crystal monument as tall as the trees in Konoha, to show the world that this Sotsuji still had a flame to bear. Even when this peculiar stranger came wandering over the dunes and crackling glass to see the cause of this chaos, she would wear those raw emotions on her skin like an impenetrable shell. Her armour.
It didn't matter that he could read what she was feeling, no more that it mattered that he could see the burns upon burns and scars marring her pink stained tanned flesh. It did not matter that he could see the exhaustion hanging from already tired limbs or the desperation in the lightly taxed exhales. No, he saw what the rest of the world saw. And what they would see, was that this kunoichi was one who would walk through the desert as a skeleton if it meant she was free of the the ties that once bound her to the feeble creature she used to be. Nothing could stop her from reaching her goal. No stranger. No words. And not the pride that she bit back once again.


Sounds. Movement.

The quiet jingling of the staff's decoration. The notes of glass being returned to the sand it once was. Those traces of movement caused the younger shinobi to look up from her thoughts and take an instinctive step back. Her own inner heat flaring for a bare moment to caution them both. A gently subtle reminder. A warning of sorts. So while those ginger tinged silver eyes followed his slow calculated steps and her chakra continued to flow freely from her pores, she stayed where she was. Hesistating Watching and listening to his questions. The strange prying words that wiggled their fingers beneath the hardened layers of her outer shell. What was he trying to get at with this line of interrogation? What was he trying to discover? What was he hoping to achieve by talking about such things?
And why was she bothering to answer them when there was clearly more important things on her mind? She didn't know. She couldn't say. So maybe... maybe that was why she was humouring him at a time like this.

"Joy? Love? They are fleeting and fragile. Yes love can bring a man to their knees. And yes, this... joy you speak of can cause a weaker heart to stutter. But neither can last. It only takes a small nudge... a tiny little push for one to stumble across the line. A line that is as thin and as frail as the emotions it protects" Another pause. Another flicker of a memory.
"Good or bad? It doesn't matter. A moment of joy can be shattered with disappointment. A second of chaos. Or a flash of regret. And love... love can be broken by betrayal. By lies and false gestures. These feelings you keep asking me about. Fear, joy, love.... hope? They are both and neither good nor bad, they just there until they are not. It's just some... last longer than others. And that's all there is to it."

"So tell me. Why are you asking me all this?"


But just like that, the moment was over and another topic had come to question. Which way should she go? Which voice should she trust this time?  There was him. For as long as she could remember he was by her side. Taking her hand in his, guiding her along the safer path, aiding each step. Embracing her in a warmth that he swore would keep her safe. Even when she had thought he was lost forever, he still found a way to come back and be there for her in the darkest hours of her short lived life.
And then there was him. Another stranger armed with knowledge and direction and the right line of questions. He had appeared right when she needed him. Right when she was was missing the places and needing the people that belonged there. It was uncanny how she felt like she could trust him because he reminded her so much of the other. And it was almost unheard of to think that she would even consider listening to his offer of help and company over his voice begging to tell her to go the other direction and make the trek alone. And make it in the two days...

It seemed that common sense would be the stronger emotion this time.


So following his silence and his footsteps, Tenmei adjusted her bag over her shoulder and started to follow, being careful to keep some distance in between them. Because even though the anger she felt before had reduced to just a simmer deep in her gut, and she was calm as she was ever going to be while walking through the desert with someone whom she had never met, there was no stopping the heat that clung to her skin like a cold night's fever. There was no controlling it. And as much as she was wary of her new found guide and temporary traveling companion, she wasn't about to repay his blind kindness with a burn like hers. No. She had learned a long time ago that, that was not what she wanted to be remembered for. Not anymore. And so the special jounin would simply follow behind with her eyes on him and her focus on the chakra inside.

Making sure the past didn't repeat itself again.

Exit Thread
--------

Chakra: 220/250

Words:966
Total: 4692

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Naruto Saga » Kaze no Kuni » Kaze no Kuni Wilderness » Kaze no Kuni Border » Behind the Glass Flower - (Private/NK)

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