Daraku had grown tired of his swords. Despite using them in so many battles and relying on them so often. Nisebi was a wonderful blade from his father's collection but he felt its chakra ability starting to drain him every time he used it, and it was uncomfortable in his hand. Mugen Hikou had changed a lot over the years, and it was his primary weapon, but he wanted to forge a new weapon of his own. So, he got dressed and strapped both swords onto his back and prepared to head out to the Bazaar. He'd bought a wakizashi from a specific merchant a number of weeks ago, so he wanted to go to the same guy and try to offer him both of the swords. Now, this wouldn't be too difficult, since he had two high quality blades fit for a king and worth thousands of ryo. Or maybe it would be? He wasn't all too sure.

The shop was a small tent just outside one of the larger shops in the Bazaar, safe from the sun due to the shade. It was hot as hell outside, but he was used to this, living in Suna for so long. He arrived at the shop and took off his swords, holding one in each hand as he approached the merchant. "I'm back! And a brought you a few presents." He set the swords down on the table and gave the merchant a big grin. The merchant looked down at the blades, then back up at Daraku with a forced smile. Daraku wasn't quite sure what was wrong, but it was obvious that the merchant was...hesitant. "I'd like to sell both of my swords, if you hadn't noticed." he said, still smiling mindlessly.

"Well, I don't know how much you expect for these...these are amazing quality swords, but I don't have enough ryo to afford to buy these off of you." Daraku's smile slowly faded and then he ran a hand through his hair, looking sadly at the merchant. "I, um...I'm only asking for 2,250 ryo for this one...and 2,300 for this one...that's, what, 5,550 ryo total?...I think that's reasonable." The merchant shook his head no. "No. I can't afford even 2,000 ryo. This shop isn't as popular as you'd think, kiddo. Sorry." With a sullen expression, Daraku picked his weapons back up, and turned to leave. The Bazaar was huge, though! He'd be able to find someone to buy his swords, right...?

Just before he left the shade near the merchant's shop, Daraku was stopped by a voice coming his way. A woman was talking to him; he brought his eyes up from the sands and looked at her. She was much shorter than he was, with dark hair and gray eyes. "I will give you 6,000 for both." What he noticed most about her was the shape of her face; it was a face that he knew. His mind began to race...she didn't know him, nor recognize him. She would've greeted him by name or at least had that look in her eye if she had recognized him, so how did he know her if she didn't know him? Far enough in the past, behind his year in Kirigakure, back when he was still in the Aoi Bara. Names came to mind, Mitsuo, Yuudai, Kenji. It was during the war...the scene was built up in his mental landscape and he remembered the trees, the village, the flames, the screaming people, the fear. He'd watched it from afar, hidden in the shadows so that no one had seen him. Yuudai had used a Suiton jutsu to put out the flames. Mitsuo had tackled the woman who had caused the flames, both in an effort to save her and to get her out of the way. The chaos of it all had intrigued Daraku initially, but he left the scene shortly after, disappearing back into the forest. 

She was the woman, the one who started the fire.

Daraku had learned to never underestimate someone solely on their appearance. He wondered how much stronger she could've grown since then; her destructive power, those flames...it was certainly impressive. Of course, he wasn't afraid of her. He had enough confidence in his own abilities to admire other ninja as potential allies rather than fear them as potential enemies. The image of the woman engulfed in flames wouldn't leave his mind and as he grinned at her, deciding not to explain to her that he had seen her before, that he had been at that scene. The words she had spoken now registered in his mind, and he realized he had a buyer on his hands. She offered to take the swords off of his hands, and assured him that she wouldn't be reselling them or breaking them down for parts, implying that that's what the merchant would have done. Daraku's eyes made a sideways glance toward the merchant, who was still within earshot of their conversation. He knew that she was right, and the merchant certainly wasn't going to use them in battle. She wanted them for what they were; valuable weapons. This only made his smile wider. There wasn't much he could possibly do to ruin the deal considering the quality of the swords spoke for themselves and her desire for them was clear, but he was careful about how he spoke to her nonetheless.

"Well, that's an even better offer than I wanted before. How could I turn that down?" Daraku's hands lifted the weapons so that he was holding them out in display to her. He used his left hand to grab Nisebi so that he was holding both with it, then offered his right hand for a handshake as a greeting. "Ishido, Daraku. It looks like I'm pretty lucky that you showed up when you did." He kept his left arm outstretched, waiting for her to take the swords from him. He wasn't worried that she would run off with them without paying him, she didn't seem like that kind of person. And if she was, she would pay dearly anyhow. His crystal blue eyes stayed focused on her silvery grays.

She couldn't help it. That second of hesitation.... That half moment's pause.  For a fleeting instance the young woman's stern expression deepened further in to concentration before she finally reached out to grasp his hand firmly and return the polite gesture.
It wasn't that she didn't trust him. No. The memory was faded and a little obscured but Tenmei could vaguely remember seeing his face during her time in Kirigakure. On the streets, during the war, through the mist. He may have even been there on the day of the fire. Who knows? She wasn't entirely sure, but either way, that familiarity squelched most of the doubt in her gut. So really, the thing that held her back; was not the disbelief she had in him and his intentions, but the mistrust she had in herself. Because before she would dare to even bring her skin within near connecting to his; the female had to rapidly pull back the chakra from her fingers, her hands, her arms.... She needed to pull back the heat coursing through her system just in case he was burned by the same transparent flares that scarred the desert when she first arrived here. It was because, even though the wandering Sotsuji was perfectly in control, she was starting to feel the same pressure as before.

Maybe it was time to leave

"Tenmei" she said after another slight pause, her steely silver eyes locking on to his. Almost as if she was trying to read his intentions through the colour of his irises. To figure out if his words were as honest as her own
  "Sotsuji, Tenmei. Pleasure to meet you.... in these better circumstances. And please the luck is all mine. I was simply passing.... quietly through and just happpened to hear you mention about the sale. It my good fortune that I got to you first before anyone else had a chance to make you a more expensive offer....."

Without lingering on the context of her voice, she released his hand and gently took each of the blades that he offered; carefully feeling their weight within her grasp, their strength and their worth.  It was almost bizarre how fast she could detect the elements aligned with in them. How much she could feel just by simply holding them in her hands. It felt right some how. In some ways, but the not in the same way that Silver felt when she first started training with the broader sword.
That's right. Holding Silver for the first time felt good. It felt powerful. She felt like weapon suited her and that one day she was meant to have it. But with these two....these scalpel sharp, needle like blade, Tenmei knew that she was meant to have them right in this moment. She decided that she would never let them go. These would be hers now, and the female would do all she could to make that happen.

"The balance is perfect. The steel looks as sharp as if it were made only yesterday, and if I am not mistaken, these are katon and fuuton aligned?
The merchant was right, sir, these blades are magnificent. So... if you mind me asking... why would you want to sell such clearly loved weapons?
I've not changed my mind Im just....."

Her words fell away while her eyes remained on his. Silently now questioning if there was something wrong with the weapons that she just wasn't seeing. Or thinking that maybe he wanted to change his mind. And this maybe wasn't the first time he tried selling them.... It just simply didn't make sense to give away such well kept weapons.  Still the Sotsuji was keen enough to keep her grip tight on the hilts and her fingers loose around her coins. If he could no longer treasure the blades, then she would do so in his place. There would be no more second chances.
That was something she had decided the moment she left her home town all those months ago. So with that in mind, the female took both blades in one hand and offered him the bag of coins from the pouch at her side. Knowing it held the right amount that she was offering.

"It doesn't matter. My offer has not changed. So.... do we have a deal?"

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This woman shook Daraku's hand, all the while introducing herself. Her name was Tenmei Sotsuji, and she insisted that she was the lucky one to have stumbled upon Daraku before he could sell the swords to someone else. He smiled on, slipping his hands into his pockets as she spoke. She mentioned that she was passing through quietly, and the emphasis that she put on the word quietly was implicit of some clandestine status. He wondered what made her come to Suna of all places, and if she was in some sort of trouble back in Kiri, but he received the message either way. He nodded and without any further ado Tenmei took the blades from him, examining them closely. She seemed fairly pleased with the quality, as could be expected of anyone with a brain stem and a past with swords. Her tastes just so happened to be refined enough that she could appreciate the smaller details of his prized weapons.

She praised the sharpness of the steel, and added, "If I am not mistaken, these are katon and fuuton aligned? The merchant was right, sir, these blades are magnificent." Daraku was surprised; maybe the chakra signature of Nisebi was obvious enough, given its heat and her strong katon affinity from what Daraku remembered of her, but Hikou was a bit more complex in its nature and harder to identify, he would've thought. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to deny that she was spot on. "Yes, actually. I'm surprised you could tell so easily...all the more proof that you're fit to be their new owner. The shorter blade is called Nisebi, it's made from highly flammable, chakra-tempered, and durable metals. The other, Mugen Hikou, was a weapon I had custom made in Iwagakure a long time ago. With just enough chakra funneled into it, it can form deadly wind currents." He explained thoroughly so that Tenmei would know what both of the weapons were fully capable of. He was sure she could find her own uses in them, as well, but those were the particular specialties of each weapon.

Tenmei asked why he would want to sell the weapons, with hesitation in her voice. She assured him that she wasn't changing her mind, concerning the sale, and so the question was more brought to mind in curiosity. She said that the answer didn't matter, but Daraku still let out a sigh as he tried to find the words. "Well, it's hard to explain, but I feel I've outgrown these. I've changed a lot over the years and I figure it's time my combat style and my weapons change with me. So, I'm selling these and I'm going to use the ryo on materials to forge a new sword, myself. No more sword shopping for me! I'm a wannabe katanakaji now, heh." The pace of the conversation slowed once more and she pushed the transaction towards its terminus.

"My offer has not changed. So...do we have a deal?" She offered him a bag of coins. He looked down at them with a tinge of excitement, although he dreaded having to go out and buy raw materials for his new weapon. He hoped the endeavor would be worth it, in the end.

"Yeah, we not only have a deal, but the deal is also done. The swords are yours to keep. Thanks for the business. It's nice s—" he almost said "seeing you again", but his tongue quickly corrected itself as it pushed behind his teeth, figuring he would consider their relationship a blank slate. As far as she was concerned, they hadn't seen each other prior to that day, and Daraku would've rather accepted it that way than let her know that he had seen what happened in Kirigakure. "to meet you, Sotsuji-san."

However, as she grew older and her control became greater; the need for that layer of defense slowly stopped being as important. The land she loved, the people she cherished; the attachments that the special jounin had made started to slowly fall away. One by one, piece by piece, one thread after the other ... until one day... after that final fiber was torn away... all the reasons that kept her there were gone. Home no longer felt like home. It was time to go. It was time to move on. So... just like this Daraku with his swords, she too had outgrown the dull shaded village and sought something new.

It was just a shame that she couldn't shake her past so easily

Cool silver eyes returned to the steel of the blades once more. Nisebi and Mugen Hikou. It was strange. It had been a long time since she felt that fluttering deep within her stomach. The sprouting excitement growing from the pits of her abdomen. However when he mentioned their potential, the devastating abilities these possessed, she couldn't help the smile that pulled at her normally stern expression. A blade that's chakra would compliment her own and metal strong enough to handle it. A sword that could literally blow away any doubts standing in her path; it could not be any more perfect. Oh yes. These two majestic weapons may have been made for him, but they were destined to end up with her, and she would treasure them just as he had.
That would be another of those promises that the Sotsuji never intended to go back on.

And so she handed over the ryo. The deal was done.

The female sheathed both blades and adjusted them to rest with the other scabbard across her back. The extra weight seemingly not bothering her at all. The heat didn't bother her either, nor the people that stared when she returned the hood so it covered her eyes and left only the lingering smile. 
It had indeed been a strange day. When the wandering nin headed out that morning, she didn't expect to come home with more than a few vegetables to take back to the old couple for for dinner, or maybe even a loaf a bread or more tea. But this... this was a welcome surprise. And timely sign. Perhaps this encounter was the real reason why she had not left yet. Maybe the meeting was always planned and she just didn't realise it yet. Either way, she had out grown Suna and it was once again, time to move on.

"Thank you once again, Ishido-san" she said after another moment, offering a polite bow and a hand to shake. "They will be taken good care of, I promise you that. And I wish you all the best in your endeavor. Till we meet again" With that, she turned and left, disappearing in to the crowd leaving nothing but the ryo she had handed to him, and a slight trace of heightened heat lingering on the sand and in the air before him.
If fate was kind, she would see him again. But the female doubted it. In time he would most likely be another kind smile that would fade from her world but not from her memory. Another attachment to be pulled away from her grasp. Little had she known....

That one more had slipped away.


--Exit Thread--

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