As per usual, Izumi rose at sunrise. As she expected, the morning was quite cool with a gentle breeze which only served to make it cooler. Izumi rubbed her eyes as the cobwebs of dream cleared from her head. Even though she had no plans for the day she still decided to dress and take her nearly traditional morning walk. Today she wore silk pants with a long sleeve blouse tight around her torso but loose on the sleeves also made of silk. The outfit provided warmth without threat of overheating later thanks to the breathable silk, however she still brought along a tight fitting leather jacket for her morning walk. Opening the door she was hit with a blast of cool air, colder than expected. The 7C air biting her skin and forming goose prickles on her beautiful fair skin and causing the redness in cheeks to show prominently. She shuddered briefly surprised by the cold and hastening the donning of her jacket. Her morning walk soon became a morning she jog to assist in her thermal difficulties. The familiar scent of the slums filled her nose as she jogged down the alleys and streets of the tightly packed slovenly district. The traditional stew served in the slums called “a bowl of sand”, so named because of the surprising dryness of the content of the dish. Luckily for Izumi she hadn't had to have a bowl of the disgusting slop since she graduated the academy and was able to afford actual ingredients from the Bazaar to cook into passable meals for herself and her mother.

While her mother Saki was trained as a kunoichi she hasn't been the same since the betrayal of Izumi's father Tamotsu. Izumi felt a phantom pain just above her left hip bone and instinctively pressured the source of the pain with her right hand. The source was a small scar about an inch across, the only gift her father ever gave her; bequeathed when he attempted to murder her in her infancy during a drunken rage. The pain only caused a moments hesitation, in fact she didn't even break stride continuing her jog down the foetid poverty stricken streets that she called home. While many would be revolted by the scent of the place, to Izumi it was home and was her favorite smell in the world. She couldn't help but feel a pang of hatred for the man she never met. To get her mind off the near inevitable spiral of anger these episodes tend to send her down she looked to the east to see the sunrise painting the skies with it's brilliant auroras. The sky still held the reminder of stars, its brightest members shining through the twilight of the dawn's sun giving the sky a sort of enchanting quality which lost Izumi in its majesty. Izumi couldn't afford to relent in her training, not with the Chuunin exams coming so soon. Unfortunately for Izumi, the absence of the Kazekage had left an administrative void  in the village. The village councils seemed to only concern itself with matters of state, caring little for small folk like herself as a result Izumi was left without a mentor.

Without a mentor she found that she was caught in the same training routines she underwent in her Academy days, hence her current run. Izumi had a very low opinion of the Kazekage giving her absence, how could she leave the village when it needed her so badly? In Izumi's opinion there was nothing worse than a traitor, and to her that's exactly what Midori Ningyou was. Izumi's brooding was violently cut short, when she ran into a previously unseen man knocking her flat on her bottom. Snapping out of the thoughtful trance brought on by the celestial majesty before her, she was livid ”Why don't you watch where you're going?”, yelled Izumi even though the accident was clearly her fault for not watching her path. As usual, Izumi's pride got the better of her and from her barely dignified seat her cornflower blue eyes sparkled and shined brighter than usual. Izumi sat where she was in the dirt, waiting for the man to meet her fiery gaze and fall prey to her quite literally, stunning beauty.

Chakra Pool:

720

'Why must it always be so cold when I want to go out and do something?

The older Uchiha sighed, the lines upon his face showing a bit more with the age he'd taken on in years since leaving this very village, yet still he was here. He was dressed in his black pants and black socks with black sneakers, opting for a black long sleeve shirt to combat the early morning cold bite. For a village in the desert, the cold was unusual, yet not unheard of. Syekren was spending time with the young girl he'd met in Konohagakure no sato, Chou Akimichi. He was walking her around the Sand Dune slums, waiting on the chance to find Ryu's bar, the Hound's Haven, open so that he could ask a favor of his old 'friend.' He didn't want to dump the young girl on anyone, but he made it clear on their journey from the hidden leaf that there was something he must do, and that he couldn't have her be part of it for her safety. Still, there was no telling when the lazy Jackal would open his bar, since Syekren had never actually asked when the Hound's Haven opened and closed. Syekren would look around the busy streets, silent amazement playing upon his mind.

It seemed that none of them were any the wiser that a 'criminal' walked among them. Much less than that, he was surprised none of them had come close to bumping into the little girl he had in tow. He had opted to let Chou hang on to his cloak for a while, to make sure she could stay warm. He knew it would be much too big for her, but hadn't had the chance to do anything about it. As they walked, He spoke quietly to her. "You know, little one, eventually we may have to get you a cloak like mine so that you can have the same benefits, but in a package that actually fits your size. I know it must get frustrating to carry around a cloak that's three or four times your size." He chuckled a bit, in a fatherly sort of tone. It was a joke, as the cloak wasn't that much larger than she was, but it was still a relatively large garment to have such a small child wear or carry around. That would be if she were even wearing it, with the streets as packed as they were, he wasn't bothering to check just yet, as he was making sure no one got too close too her.

'I've all but adopted this young girl, I'm so protective of her. I didn't think I would be like this for anyone after I left my village, such a strange effect kids have on me.'

Syekren was mostly lost in thought when he felt an abrupt bump, or rather crash into his side and shoulder. His body stood mostly resolute, as he was a well built man with plenty of strength and endurance to keep himself standing. His thoughts were immediately upon the small child he traveled with and after looking to make sure she had not been struck, he heard the person who ran into him speak, or rather, yell that he needed to watch where he was going. His eyes immediately lit into the crimson colour they were prone to, three tomoe spinning around in them. His gaze fell upon the girl on the ground, his eyes locking with her own. There was some sort of beauty to those eyes, a majesty he had experienced once before, many years ago. He was nearly lost in them, but his mind came back to and he realized this dojutsu was familiar to him, if of a different type compared to the one he'd dealt with. Karisuma.

His hands were by his side, and they began to crackle with electricity, sparks growing in his fingertips, which then enveloped the fists he clenched. He was ready to show this young girl just who should have been watching where they were going, but he forgot himself. He didn't want to set a bad example for Chou, and he sighed, letting his rage subside. The feared sharingan still glared into the beautiful eyes of the young girl before him, onlookers recognizing the man's face and the eyes that bespoke killing intent. A few rushed off after noticing the scene and recognizing who the girl had run into. Others watched, waiting for him to draw the tanto that was mostly unnoticeable on the back left of his belt. But he stood there, silently glaring, his eyes staring deep into those of the girl that had accosted him, bumping and jarring him, nearly running into his young Chou. There were many things he could forgive, but should she have hurt the child, he could scarcely believe he would control his anger.

835

285/300:

Curiosity burned for the little Akimichi. This was the first time after all she had stepped foot outside of her own village of Konohagakure no Sato in any way outside of the dreams she escaped to every night while staying at the orphanage. There was only so much you could learn in books, or hear about in stories, and it was still far different than experiencing it in person. It wasn’t just the village either, but rather where she would be ‘staying put’ in a manner of speaking while Syekren handled whatever it was he was about to do which would be too dangerous for her to tag along for.

Her golden yellow gaze darted every which way in curiosity as she trailed after Sykren while draped still in his cloak against the coldness in the air – a coldness she had not been expecting. No, she had been expecting to be sweating by now in the unrelenting and unforgiving heat she expected a desert village to have, not wrapped in a cloak quite a bit big for her to stay toasty warm. In fact, no sooner had the thought crossed her mind once more did her attention snap back onto Syekren as he commented on much the same thing.

She giggled happily at his words not quite minding the idea of a cloak of her own and once more pushing the hood a bit back so that she could properly see where she was going – something which she had done quite a few times by now as they walked: not that she minded in the slightest. ”I don’t mind it, it’s keeping me toasty warm.” As if the way had been opened for the curiosity and the question burning within her mind she couldn’t help but cock her head to the right a bit like the overly curious child she was before asking, ”Is it always this cold though? I thought it would be super hot… but I imagine I’d be shivering without your cloak on----” Her words came to a sudden stop as she realized fairly quickly that someone had ran right into Syekren. It wasn’t so much that she had seen it considering she was trailing along more behind him than beside him at the moment, but rather the abrupt stop that had occurred, the yelling that had followed, as well as the electricity dancing across his hands that seemed to abruptly stop as soon as they had occurred.

A frown formed on the otherwise happy child’s face at the words of the woman and she found herself feeling quite protective over Syekren to the point of wanting to say something or lash out: she had come to think of him as more than just a kind person or friend, more so a father figure in a way ever since he had eluded to such to those they had traveled with. Yet it was his example she followed as she chose to keep her mouth shut and her hands to herself instead of fueling the situation. She never bothered sticking up for herself when it came to the bullies who harassed her and hurt her because she was always afraid that it would make things worse – and on several occasions it had – but she found it much harder to keep her mouth shut when it came to dealing with someone else being disrespected. Oh, she knew Syekren could more than handle himself considering what she knew about him, but that didn’t make it any easier.

Of course, she was jarred out of this particular train of thought when she noticed several people vacating the area, and others still milling around and watching as if they were expecting something. The actions made Chou believe there was something else she was missing that was going on, and she found herself shifting from her position, the cloak still wrapped around her and covering her tiny form almost from head to toe, to one where she could better see the beautiful girl on the ground and Syekren – all while maintaining a careful distance from the hostile sounding female. She found herself doing a double take as she looked to Syekren’s face: the way his eyes had changed quite startling in a way and yet not entirely unexpected – it was no secret after all the dojutsu the Uchiha clan had, but she had never seen it before. She glanced between the female and Syekren once more, curious and waiting to see what would happen perhaps as much as those who were hanging around and watching.

Word Count: 765

Fury quickly gave way to dread, as the towering man dressed in all black turned to meet her gaze, his hand momentarily covered in electricity. More terrifying still, not only was he unaffected by her stunning gaze, his own eyes shined with power. This power however was very different from Izumi's for the man before her had the Sharingan. As Izumi began scrambling backwards and too her feet it dawned on her just who exactly it was that was standing before her. Trying her best to put on her “service” attitude she sheepishly muttered”S-sorry Syekren-sama. P-please forgive my insolence. What I meant to say was, I'm sorry for disturbing your morning sir.” Given the lack of administration within the village this was actually the first time she had even seen a Shinobi of this power since graduation. Awestruck by the living legend standing before her, it was the famous Uchiha, Syekren. Fearing that her pathetic grovelling wouldn't serve she felt the need to add, ”Syekren-sama, no matter what the elders say about you, the small people of the slums see you as a hero. While you were in ANBU you worked to not only keep the village safe from the outside, but also the inside. While no one can truly clean the eastern slums, you did more than they ever have. In my heart I know you are innocent, the proof stands before me. While the elders plot and the Kazekage hides, you are standing right here in the slums where they would never dare step foot.” As the sentence when on Izumi's demeanor and voice changed noticeably the trembling fear gave way to fierce resolve.

In all her haste to apologize to and (though she'd never admit it) admire this man. One of the only men she has ever admired, the other being one she had never met, her Uncle Synn whom she came to know through his diary which she inherited after his death. Worse still the man before her was strikingly handsome, the combination of her opening her mind to praise this man and the shocking new revelation of his devilish looks. The height of her embarrassment was when she felt the warmness of her cheeks, a clear sign that she must be blushing Izumi noticed that it seemed like everyone on the street around her was looking at them know. Her mind spiraled into distress for what seemed like an eternity before she was able to regain composure. After the few seconds of panicked shame Izumi would come to and notice something else new, a rather stout little girl with red hair and golden yellow eyes clutching at his black pants. She thinks she didn't notice him before because at first she appeared to simply be a cloak carried at his side given how ridiculously large the coat was for her young body. The portly red haired girl quite clearly was a companion to the living legend standing before her. Ensuring to remember proper manners (read flattery) Izumi smiled at the young girl and said kindly, ”I'm sorry I've been so rude, I didn't notice your beautiful companion, is she your.... daughter?” the last word said with the confidence of an injured impala staring down a hungry leopard. Glancing worriedly back and forth from Syekren to the newly discovered, fairly chubby her eyes suddenly darted to a spot on the street between  Izumi and the Uchiha party.

Lying in that spot was a well worn leather bound journal with the symbol of her clan the Karisuma branded on the front. It was her uncle's journal, which held some of the darkest knowledge of her clans history as well as some very troubling formulae for powerful illusions far beyond her ability. There were many other techniques that were developed for and died with her uncle, however she could not risk the terrible technique held within falling into the wrong hands. While she had her preconceived notions of the man staring deep into her soul with the sharingan standing before her, the risk was too great and she moved her quickest to pick up the journal before he could. Her lunge came before she could even consider that maybe the man wasn't even interested in the tome and her haste to recover it will only draw attention. This concerning thought flashed through mind as she began her dive forward for the book, much too late to do anything about this troubling new development in her naive, brash mind. It was in this same moment that she realized in the excitement she had forgotten to end the use of her doujutsu.

Chakra Pool:

[772]

Syekren kept his steady glare when the girl began to scramble backwards, apologizing. When she apologized for disturbing his morning, the glare receded and his eyebrow arched a bit, confusion on his face. He had never had someone apologize for ruining his morning, nor for them to seem so respectful when they recognized him. At most he expected people like Ryu to give him shit for being away for so long.  Syekren sighed and noticed the girl seemed to be in awe of him for one  reason or another, but it wasn't something he wanted. He was never the kind of guy who wanted grovelling or awestruck fans, especially now that he had Chou with him. He figured it would send the wrong message to have her see that there were people like this that would regard him in such a way that made it as though he was some sort of important person. He really wasn't, not even when he was a member of the ANBU black ops did he deign to think himself important. He was just another ninja in those days and in the ones after. So why did this girl seem to think differently?

It was after she spoke his name again and began to recant some sort of personal belief sermon that he understood. Word had been traveling around the slums about what had happened, which was strange but not unheard of. It had been nearly a decade since he'd left the village and they would likely have all heard the story and goings on of what he'd done. Not that he'd done anything particularly bad, he just destroyed a few files and left the village.  She seemed to think he was some sort of hero in the flesh, though. The council and the Kazekage would never dare step in the slums, yea, but that was because of the policies they brought forth to keep the poor, well, poor. The slums were a standing tribute to the bad leadership and socioeconomic principle that were severely lacking in the leadership of the village hidden in the sand. Syekren sighed and scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed that he was essentially being fawned over by this young woman, and he was definitely not used to such things. Especially from the opposite sex.

Syekren sighed and looked back at the girl who had already gotten her footing back and looked at him with a strange admiration. He noticed not long after that she was taking his appearance in once more and had a bit of redness on her cheeks. He shot her a quizzical look, tilting his head a bit but couldn't comment on it before she got closer and leaned down to speak to Chou. He instinctively had one hand come back to rest upon the hilt of his tanto, his other hand hugging Chou a bit towards his leg. He'd noticed her moving around a it during the kerfuffle and understood a child's curiosity, but made sure he could keep her safe. When The young woman asked if Chou was his daughter, without thinking he responded: "Yes, she is. Forgive me if I seem a bit overprotective." That was twice now he'd claimed the young child as his daughter, but it was the most normal thing about his situation at the moment.  He watched the eyes of the girl as some sort of realization fell upon her face.

He watched her lunge and scramble to grab something, a notebook or journal of some kind after looking over for it.  Syekren didn't think much of it, nor did he really care. He knew what it was like to have information that you wanted to keep secret, or to have private writings. There were ways to be less obvious about it, though. Still, the crowd looked from him to the girl who seemed to be flustered and after the lunge they seemed more worried. With a wave of his hand, he let go of his tanto, and motioned for them to continue about their lives. He looked to a familiar looking slum dog and nodded, speaking a few words. "Let the Jackal know I'm back." With that, the guy disappeared into the crowd and Syekren tried to decide what to do about the current situation. "Look..Kid. Whatever your name is. I don't know where you heard all this, but I'm just here for a bit of business. I have some things to speak of with an old friend of mine. But I want to know how you know my name, or anything about me." Looking between Chou and the young woman he sighed, shaking his head before adding on a few more lines of speech. "I'd also like to know your name. I'm Syekren, as you know, and this is Chou." After introductions, the male deactivated his sharingan, almost sure he wouldn't need it at all.

839|1,674
270/300 Chakra

Everything considering that Syekren had told Chou the last thing she had expected upon someone seemingly realizing who the man she was traveling with was was this kind of a response. She had expected something a bit more… brash, or violent at least – threatening if nothing else. He was a criminal after all: or rather that was what everyone considered him as outside of Chou. Of course, she preferred this kind of response than an all out fight but. Sure she was positive that Syekren could handle himself, but that didn’t make her any less concerned about it. Of course, the reaction he seemed to be bringing out from the woman who had bumped into him was equally as concerning and confusing: to go from so angry to so awestruck in such a short period of time made her head spin and her doubt to set in: was it an act?

As the woman seemed focused on Syekren she was quite happy to be left unnoticed, but it seemed that it wasn’t to last. Sure enough the female’s attention focused on her and Chou found herself shifting automatically towards Syekren while fidgeting uncomfortably with the cloak. Even as the words spoken were pleasant and kind Chou found herself doubting them: she had never in her life been called beautiful – well, by anyone but her mother and father perhaps – and she wasn’t quite sure how to take it. She was used to having insults hurled at her, mutters and other nastily spoken words, but never anything kind – it just wasn’t easy for her to accept.


The girl inquired as to if the pair were related and thankfully it seemed that Syekren would beat her to a response after shifting her closer to him. It was clear he didn’t trust this woman either, or so she assumed considering how protective he was being, and yet he once more claimed her as his daughter without skipping a beat. Chou nodded her head in agreement, choosing not to speak – there was no point repeating what Syekren had already said after all and she could think of nothing else more to add that wouldn’t give away the lie.


Chou’s golden yellow gaze remained upon the girl even as she went suddenly scrambling after something she had dropped. The way the girl reacted Chou assumed it to be important, and yet instead of saying anything she simply glanced up to Syekren, curious as to what his reaction and response would be as well. It was at that point she watched him focus his attention onto another who disappeared after a few spoken words into the crowd. With her curiosity burning now she focused back onto the woman, listening to Syekren continue to speak in her usual – or unusual for anyone who knew children well enough – silence: then again, Chou was a very anti-social creature usually, so meeting new people in any situation was awkward as could be for her. She was curious how the young woman would respond to such questions, while equally curious as to how the woman recognized Syekren so easily.


A brief bit of concern flashed over her face as her mind played with the question, yet she didn’t voice it – this wasn’t the place, there were far too many people around. Instead, she kept her stony silence and simply waited for the girl to speak again. The most of a reaction she gave was yet another nod as she was introduced.

Word Count: 600 | 1,365

"Yes, she is. Forgive me if I seem a bit overprotective." The rogue Uchiha said to Izumi, clearing up the confusion as to what his companion's relation to him was. To Izumi's relief, Syekren dismissed her protections of her uncle's journal as a mere fit of childish embarrassment. She would rather accept the shame than reveal any more about it than she had to, after all the truth about her clan was quite grave, she is related to traitors. Izumi felt that her eyes were beginning to dry out and remembered that she should probably get around to deactivating that. It hadn't affected the man at all anyways, nothing had made Izumi feel so powerless up to this point, she had grown accustomed to people being enchanted by her clans famous eyes.

Izumi looked the beautiful man in his terrifying, powerful, eyes once again getting lost in the grim beauty that was the sharingan. Izumi was snapped back to the present thanks to Syekren breaking the awkward silence as well as the staring match that was caused by her crippling infatuation with the man. Turning to his side to speak to an urchin and said something that must have been some sort of code that was beyond her current understanding, "Let the jackal know I'm back." The man made no response but to run back into the swath of people and disappear delivering whatever message was just sent. He turned back to her captivating her attention yet again as she awaited her sentence for her insolence, "Look..Kid. Whatever your name is. I don't know where you heard all this, but I'm just here for a bit of business. I have some things to speak of with an old friend of mine. But I want to know how you know my name, or anything about me." Looking at her then his daughter then back to her Syekren sighed and shook his head, "I'd also like to know your name. I'm Syekren, as you know, and this is Chou." The Uchiha deactivated sharingan revealing to her surprise that his eyes were two different colours. Izumi was once again relieved that she would not only escape this massive misstep with not only her life but with no punishment save the shame and sore bottom.

Izumi could feel the telltale warmth of flush cheeks for the second time that day, stemming from her coming to the realization that she presumed informality with a man she never met, she hadn't even told him her name yet. Izumi's mother would be horrified with her terrible decorum. Standing back up on her feet and dusting off her bottom taking a deep breath in hope of composing herself to do her best not to make a fool of herself yet again. Izumi finally spoke, first to Syekren's daughter bending forward to bring her eyes level with the girl's having noted that the girl was oddly quiet and didn't seem like she trusted Izumi. "Hello Chou, my name is Izumi Karisuma. I'm sorry if I scared you, yelling at your father like that. It was very rude of me." Standing back up and returning her gaze up towards the tall man, Izumi adressed the aforementioned father, "I know your name thanks to the vile propaganda of the village council," Izumi pulled a folded up paper that was sticking out of her uncle's journal and unfolded it, offering it to Syekren "this is a handbill for your capture dead or alive. The charge is treason. Be careful who sees you, I'm sure not everyone in the village feels as highly about you as I do. Everything I know about you is from stories told about you in the slums about how you killed some murderers and drug lords. As for how I identified you, Uchiha don't exactly grow on trees so I put two and two together when I saw the eyes. Plus, the drawing on the handbill is … accurate. Can, c-can I ask about your eyes? Why are they different colours? I-if you don't mind me asking." Izumi began to wonder to herself why she added the last three sentences. She had come so close to being a polite, proper, lady and instead acted like a smitten school girl for second time in front of this man who she'd often imagined meeting. Whoever said to not meet your heroes should have warned it that It's so you don't make a fool of yourself.



[745]

Syekren watched the young woman silently, his hand patting the head of Chou absentmindedly. He was still being rather protective of her in the presence of a stranger, not even mentioning that they were still in a busy part of the slums. Syekren sighed as the young woman blushed again, trying to discern what exactly there was to blush about. Then again, she'd probably felt she made a fool of her self, scrambling around in the sand for a journal and because she fell upon her bottom.  Syekren watched her closely, eyeing her up and down as she took a deep breath to compose herself, bending down to be eye level with Chou to speak to her. She said her name, which confirmed Syekren's suspicions. She was Izumi of the Karisuma clan, the one that used to be based in Sunagakure no Sato before their inevitable purge. She apologized for yelling at Syekren, saying it was rude, but this just made Syekren feel a bit embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away. He wasn't one to feel uncomfortable normally, but this one was doing a good job of embarrassing him.

When he looked back, he was the one being addressed by the young lass, telling him that she knew of him due to a bit of propaganda from the council. She pulled out and handed him a folded up piece of paper from her journal, which was unfolded before the hand off. Syekren sighed as he looked it over, it was undoubtedly a picture of him from ten years ago asking for his capture. The amount underneath the 'dead or alive' wanted listing was a measly fourteen hundred ryo. Not enough to bring about a serious man hunter, but enough that someone just desperate or stupid enough would try to claim it. It also seemed to have his affiliation as an ANBU and the image of his mask so that he couldn't use that as a cover. They'd though of everything. From what the girl said, not everyone in the village felt as highly about him as she did, which was such a strange thing. She should not revere someone like Syekren, he was a bad poster child for a hero. No pun intended. He sighed and folded up the handbill, giving it back to the girl.

"I don't know how accurate I'd say it is. I'm a decade older now and a bit more greyed than I once was. Still, not a bad picture if I don't say so myself." When she asked about his eyes, he looked at her quietly, looking down at Chou, while he thought. An idea came to mind and he motioned for Izumi to come with him while he reached for Chou's hand. "If we're going to have this conversation, it'll be best if we get out of the middle of public. There's a place not far from here I can take you both to and I'll answer your questions there. This place is guaranteed to be safe from watchful eyes and listening ears. Just try to keep up and you'll get your answers. I have a few questions of my own, as you may guess. Come along, Chou darling." He was not trying to sell the lie of the father figure anymore, as this girl had already bought it, but he didn't feel like stopping himself from speaking to Chou in an affectionate tone. She was a great kid and was definitely like the daughter he had never gotten the chance to have. He would wait for Chou to grab his hand and for Izumi to follow him before leading the two towards the eastern part of the slums to a bar called 'The Hound's Haven.'

643|2,317

Chou found herself tilting her head to the left once more, curious as she watched the female’s cheeks tint once more in what was clearly a blush – it was a bit too cold for it to be from the heat after all. She couldn’t exactly figure out what she was blushing about, but couldn’t help but guess that it had something to do with Syekren. She had witnessed more times than not girls blushing around boys that they liked or flirting, so she wasn’t exactly a stranger to it and she couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps this girl had a crush on Syekren – people watching while hiding in parks or in the market did that to you after all.


Remaining close to Syekren, still unsure as to what the woman’s intentions were, she watched as the woman shifted to eye level with her, speaking directly to her once more: properly introducing herself as well as apologizing once more for what had happened. She found herself glancing up at Syekren once more, double checking his facial features to see if he was perhaps giving any hints as to whether or not the woman could be trusted, before looking back to Izumi. ”It’s okay… I forgive you.”, the words left her lips softly and shyly, and before she allowed herself to think too hard on it. She was shy, yes, but she wasn’t mean: giving someone a second chance wasn’t too hard of an idea for her to grasp the concept of. In fact, Chou couldn’t help but smile a little after she finished speaking, feeling a bit bolder than she had been moments ago.


Once more though she fell silent, watching as something was handed over to Syekren, and listening carefully to the words spoken. Her curious look would remain, even as his status as a wanted man was revealed – it was no secret to her after all, and she had already been assuming as much. She listened further was the woman went on to explain how she knew of Syekren, and then went on to inquire about his eyes. Once more Chou found herself looking up at Syekren, curious as to if he would explain such to someone who was a stranger. It seemed he was willing to, though he mentioned getting out of the publics eye to which Chou found herself nodding along with in agreement. He had a place in mind to go and Chou didn’t hesitate to take his hand and follow along with him – his words causing her to smile happily. "Okay, daddy." She hadn’t been talked to in such a way since back when her mother and father were alive, and she found herself liking it as much as she had been then. It was easier and easier to think of Syekren as her father, and she found herself hoping she wouldn’t have to drop the ‘act’ anytime soon – or ever. It was definitely nice to have someone acting like a parent figure to her, instead of bullying or bossing her around.

As she had been doing since they arrived her gaze darted everywhere in curiosity, still finding everything to be strange and different and yet interesting all at the same time.

Word Count: 560 | 1,925

Syekren's obvious affection for his daughter, shown by his patting of her head during or speech and his kind pet names for her, served to embolden Izumi's opinion of him.  Izumi found it slightly embarrassing, if not endearing that Syekren appeared oblivious to her flirtations. Her charm was not without effect however, for at one point he reacted to her apology Chou by rubbing his neck and turning away. She could also feel his eyes on her while she interacted with Chou, who first the time since the encounter spoke, saying "It's okay … I forgive you.", accepting her apology for the outburst of her short temper. Izumi was happy to have earned the endorsement of the girl, and happier still when the young lady gave her a smile. She had always had a softspot for young women, especially ones who needed help or seemed to suffer from lack of confidence or guidance. Syekren  examined the handbill with a sigh afterwards he handed her the handbill back accompanied with another sigh, "I don't know how accurate I'd say it is. I'm a decade older now and a bit more greyed than I once was. Still, not a bad picture if I don't say so myself.".  Izumi was confused how such an experienced shinobi was so inexperienced in some ways. The rugged man didn't appear angered by her probing questions about his fascinating eyes, each being a different colour. In fact the opposite occurred as the man once again looked her in the eyes before reaching for his daughter, motioning towards Izumi to follow him and saying, "If we're going to have this conversation, it'll be best if we get out of the middle of public. There's a place not far from here I can take you both to and I'll answer your questions there. This place is guaranteed to be safe from watchful eyes and listening ears. Just try to keep up and you'll get your answers. I have a few questions of my own, as you may guess. Come along, Chou darling."  

With that he started off a few steps taking Chou in hand who replied to her father's call with a simple "Okay, Daddy.", leaving Izumi frozen in place her head abuzz and heart aflutter. In this short interaction to her embarrassment she had developed a full-blown crush on the older man. Blushing at this realization as he stopped in spite of his statement of wanting her to "keep up", waiting for her to follow. She followed him at once setting off to this mysterious safe place where she could talk to him to her hearts – currently quite large – desire. She was excited to learn about this man who had seemed larger in life, hear the stories of his successes and failures. Even if this is the only interaction she would get with the man in her life, the knowledge she could gain from him had the potential to be invaluable. They walked down the streets towards the unknown location, Izumi completely oblivious to the potential danger posed to a young woman following a potential criminal to mysterious meeting place away from watchful eyes and ears. Izumi noticed Chou seemed to be quite the watcher, her focus shifting around to her surroundings taking it all in, a good habit for any kunoicichi even if it was by nature instead of desire to get a full picture. The young girl seemed so curious and full of wonder about this place that appeared to be strange to her. Chou must have never seen her father's home before, it dawned on Izumi. He had after all, left the village over 10 years ago while Izumi was still a young child and curiously enough, Chou appeared to be about 10 years old. Perhaps this child had something to do with the mystery of his disappearance. Izumi continued on letting Syekren take her where he willed, speechless at her luck.

[672]

They reached the hound's haven, Syekren quietly looking around to ensure they weren't followed. When he was sure they were safe, he opened the doors and held it for the two ladies to enter before him. When they would, one last look around told him he was sure of them being safe and he entered after them, letting the doors close. It was a moderately clean establishment, fewer people than normal were drinking away their woes. When the two girls had entered ,the eyes of the bar, including the bar maid, were on them, a few stares being angry. When they saw Syekren enter behind them and stand there quietly, their glares turned to recognition and they went back to their own business. Save for the bar maid, who Syekren waved over. "Jackal not here today then? Could you bring me what I usually drink to a table in the back. Maybe some tea for these young ladies." He looked down at Chou and then over to Izumi and a thought occurred. "Scorpion tail soup and rattlesnake stew as well please, thank you. Keep what's left."

Syekren handed the bar maid a modest coin pouch and he led the girls back to a table on the far end of the bar, leaving the booth seat for them, taking a seat on the mostly wooden chair across from them. He watched the others of the bar quietly, some still having a distaste for him, touching their weapons, others happy to see him. There was, of course, a handbill on the wall near those with their angry looks and distaste for the Uchiha, which they kept looking at, trying to decide the worth of such a situation. To answer, the Uchiha silently drew his tanto from the sheathe, spinning it around his hand to balance the blade on his finger tip. His glare met their own and he tossed it into the air, casually pushing it by the pommel into the wall next to him for easy access. This seemed to tell them all they needed to know about wanting to attack the man and they let go of their weapons, drinking quietly. Within a few minutes their arrival was forgotten amid the drink and the bar came back to life with some new arrivals deciding to ease a tense feeling air.

Laughter was abound and the air around was joyous. The Uchiha sighed and held up a hand quietly for if either had a question. He waited until their food and drinks were brought to the table, the bar maid placing the large bowls of food in the middle of the table, a tea in front of each girl, sugar cubes and cream next to the food. The bottle she handed Syekren was large and looked as though flames danced within the amber liquid. It was, of course, his firebrand whiskey. While Ryu Myugan didn't create it exactly the same, the taste was impeccable. He shook his head at the shot glass offered, waiting until the bar maid left before uncorking his whiskey and taking a drink of it. The cinammon and slow roasted ember taste went down smoothly, and for the first time in a long time, the uchiha had a satisfied smile upon his face. He looked towards Izumi and spoke, quietly enough that only they could hear. "The way we'll do this is I'll answer one question, then you will do the same. Alright? Good." He took another drink before continuing on to answer the girl's question from before. "For reasons I won't disclose, the eye in my left socket was ripped away from me. I spent five years without a left eye, and found a replacement in another Uchiha. It was much weaker than my other eye, but I made it work, making both reach the matured state you see now." The uchiha sighed and rubbed the scar, locking eyes with the girl after, speaking to Izumi with his own curiosity. "You're the third Karisuma I've met, you're not exactly common. How did you survive the massacre of the clan?"

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Chou was definitely curious as to what all Syekren would be willing to tell Izumi: he had been fairly open with her about a lot of things, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he would be the same way with the older female. She supposed she would find out either way soon enough, especially as it seemed that they had reached their destination.


Chou walked through the opened door, curious as to what would be found inside. The looks from some of the individuals inside of the establishment seemed less than friendly, and it took all the nerve Chou could muster not to just turn and walk back out, curiosity be damned. Yet, she held her ground and stayed put, especially as Syekren entered in behind him, the gazes shifting towards him, and several filled with the type of recognition that spoke of them knowing who he was. Everyone went back to their own business except for the bar maid who Syekren made a quick order with – Chou nodding at the idea of some tea while quite curious as to the soup and stew that he had ordered. Did it really have scorpion tails and rattlesnakes in it?! She was willing to try almost anything at least once, and was hardly picky when it came to food, but that sounded a bit… dangerous, if nothing else.

Once Syekren had handed over payment for the order he had made Chou followed along to the table he had in mind, climbing into the booth first, scooting her bottom right across the seat, and leaving more than enough room for Izumi as Chou leaned back at a slight angle so that she could still see everything – sitting just a tad bit sideways in the booth.


Even as a little Genin it didn’t escape her notice the tension in the air, nor the way everyone seemed close to pulling or drawing their weapons. Syekren’s face was posted on the wall and it seemed as if some people within the establishment were debating if they wanted to take a whack at the money that they could get for him. It was with a slightly tilted head that Chou watched as he himself removed a weapon, and after a bit of flashiness that spoke of a practiced hand, put it into the wall nearby. It seemed that this was more than enough to convince anyone who thought of messing with Syekren it was a bad idea. As Syekren sighed Chou finally relaxed, surprised to find that while she had been watching everyone else her own right hand had been drawn to the weapons pouch worn around her right thigh: had she really been able to pull a weapon had someone decided to try their hand at Syekren? Or more than one someone? It felt so easy and so right to respond in such a way that she hadn’t even thought about it: she never bothered defending herself, and yet she had been more than willing to act on behalf of Syekren.


In silence Chou sat, legs dangling and not quite long enough to make it to the floor; swaying from side to side in a typical child-like manner while she ensured she didn’t accidentally kick anyone underneath the table, or the booth too much – she didn’t want to be annoying after all, she was just a bit bored with having to wait quietly. Thankfully the wait didn’t last long as the bar maid arrived with food and tea and the drink that Syekren had required. Chou wasted no time in adding sugar to her tea – preferring it fairly on the sweet side of things – before sipping it eagerly and throwing glances at the soup and stew she still wasn’t all that sure about.

Before she could decide on if she wanted to try the stew or the soup first she found her attention being pulled to Syekren as he laid down the rules for him answering Izumi’s questions: a tit for tat. He went on to explain about how he had lost an eye for quite some time, and how it had been replaced with another. He wouldn’t disclose why it happened in the first place, but went on to explain how he had made it work despite the new eye being weaker. It was then his turn to ask a question, speaking about the girls clan and asking how she had survived the massacre of her clan. Chou’s attention shifted to Izumi while she took another sip of her tea, not really staring at the girl as the idea of such violence, the elimination of nearly an entire clan, brought back memories from her own past – ones that were fairly recent. It was at that point that her gaze would become almost distant, as if she were there in body but not mind and that was precisely what was happening: her mind filling with images of what she had ran home to find – blood everywhere, the bodies of her parents laying dead and broken on the floor, tortured so badly that even with her lack of experience she could tell…

Word Count: 900 | 2,825

After a bit of a walk to the other side of the slums it finally appeared they had arrived at their destination a fairly run of the mill tavern in the middle of a normal road. Izumi wondered what made this place so special that Syekren, a wanted criminal, would be willing to speak openly with her. Syekren looked around before opening the door and ushering the two girls in. As she entered behind Chou she would look around the room and notice that every eye in the house was on the pair and from the unfriendly faces Izumi could tell this was not normally the kind of place someone like her would be welcome. Some of the people even looked downright angry to see the two girls, however, most of the gazes quickly returned to their own business when Syekren followed in behind her. The man was either intimidating enough to make them keep their eyes down or he was a regular sight in this tavern. Izumi noticed that handbills littered the walls in certain places, each group including one of Syekrens. Syekren waved over the barmaid, who beckoned to his call and made way. "Jackal not here today then? Could you bring me what I usually drink to a table in the back. Maybe some tea for these young ladies." The Uchiha seemed done with his order until a quick glance at Izumi and Chou gave him another idea. "Scorpion tail soup and rattlesnake stew as well please, thank you. Keep what's left." After handing the server a fairly heavy sack jingling with the tell tale son of coins, Syekren would lead the two girls to a fairly secluded table towards the back of the house. A lot of eyes were on them, or more accurately Syekren. The tall Uchiha eyes a particular group of them that had been muttering and pointing at Syekren probably considering if the bounty on the wall next to them was worth the risk. Syekren drew one of the swords he had nearly drawn on her and began deftly spinning and tossing it, showing a skill for handling the weapon that Izumi could barely fathom. Syekren pushed the sword into the wall next to his seat with a knowing look at the men which seemed to cow them for the moment.

The atmosphere had lost its tension by the time their food and drinks had arrive. The sounds of laughter and conversation abound, the waitress arrived to placing the rattlesnake and scorpion tail soup in the middle of the table along with steaming cups of  tea in front of Chou and Izumi, accompanied by cream and sugar both of which Izumi shunned in favor of the natural flavor of the tea. Although there was no way that Syekren could know, tea happened to be her favorite beverage. Smiling slightly she reached for the cup of the tea in front of her. As she did so the waitress handed Syekren a bottle of what appeared to be alcohol of some kind. Izumi thanked the kind Uchiha, looking him in the eyes as she took her sip. As Izumi helped herself to a bowl of the soup, a delicacy here in the village, the Uchiha popped the cork on his bottle and drank directly from it. The Uchiha smiled for the first time during his interaction with Izumi. He leaned in close and broke his silence "The way we'll do this is I'll answer one question, then you will do the same. Alright? Good." Izumi likes the sound of this, the man took another drink then continued, "For reasons I won't disclose, the eye in my left socket was ripped away from me. I spent five years without a left eye, and found a replacement in another Uchiha. It was much weaker than my other eye, but I made it work, making both reach the matured state you see now." Syekren sighed and rubbed a scar near his replaced eye, afterwards he locked eyes with her, ”You're the third Karisuma I've met, you're not exactly common. How did you survive the massacre of the clan?" Izumi dipped at her tea and pondered a response, as well as what question she wanted to ask Syekren.

While the massacre of her clan was no secret, Izumi’s life was something of one. ”My mother and the rest of the clan, had something of a falling out. I was raised in secret in the slums. Her brother, Synn is the only other Karisuma I knew anything about and even then, I never met him. Thank you for the soup Syekren, it’s been a while since I’ve had this dish. For my next question I want to know why you came back to the village.” Izumi batted her eyelashes as she thanked the man and smiled at him now that she was done talking. Continuing to look at the handsome man in front of her she raised the bowl of soup to her mouth and drank deeply, letting the well spiced nectar fill her mouth and warm her body. Having set down the soup, she now held the tea cup in her hands and sipped lightly waiting for his response the hint of a smile still on her face and in her eyes. Izumi had nearly forgotten about the small Akimichi girl who had been sitting next to her, the girl’s silence helping to conceal her.

[917]

Syekren looked over at Chou after he'd spoken and reached into the scorpion tail soup, plucking a whole scorpion tail from it. He smiled at her and put the tail in his mouth, biting down with a satisfying crunch. After a few moments of chewing which turned to the tail being swallowed, Syekren motioned towards the food, smirking. "Nothing to worry about little one. Go ahead and eat a bit, I'm sure you'll like it." His attention turned back to Izumi when she spoke, his eyes softening a bit at her story. He thought upon her words, the words of someone like him, who didn't know their clan any better than they knew strangers. He nodded quietly at her thanks, and took another sip of his drink, his form becoming more relaxed as he did so. He'd been on edge for the last ten years and never got to enjoy himself. He was always so worried about the next person that may attack or may try to hurt those he was near. It was hard for a 'criminal' to relax when he knew there were people dumb enough to try for a bounty if they saw one. This made things harder for not just himself, but those he traveled with.

The Uchiha's eyes met the young girls at her next question, fire dancing in them for only a moment, as if the crimson hue that struck fear into those that crossed his path were soon to come out again.  Still, they didn't change colour fully and retained the blue colour they were at normally. The Uchiha sighed at her question, one that normally he would have no problem answering, but he didn't want to give everything up now. "I'm here to right a few wrongs. The council will be killed, as will anyone else in my way. I came to this place specifically to ensure Chou would be safe with someone watching over her while I conducted the business I needed to." The uchiha quietly took another drink of his alcohol, more relaxed than anything after essentially telling the two that he planned to kill the leaders of the village as well as anyone who even stepped in his path. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but it was something that needed to happen for the good of the land of wind. No one else saw it this way, but for one who had been on the side of the ANBU for so long, he had enough information to know what was needed.

The Uchiha quietly thought as he sat there,  looking at Chou, trying to get a read for how she felt on the situation. The other girl would likely have her own words to say on it but he cared more about what Chou thought of him. Still, after a while the Uchiha took another drink of his whiskey, setting the bottle down upon the table. He ran a hand through his beard, trying to think of the best possible question to ask at this time. "What exactly is with that constant redness in your cheeks you seem to get? I've noticed it a few times and I can't say I know what it's about. It seems like it might have something to do with that journal of yours. If so, I didn't want to intrude any more than that,  we all have our secrets." The Uchiha leaned back and looked around the bar, crossing his arms over his chest. He waited patiently for the answers to come, as well as for the bar maid to leave. For she'd just come over to refill the girls' tea if it was needed and go back to the duties she had behind the counter.

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She watched Syekren pop one of the scorpion tails in his mouth, chewing it before swallowing it. His words of encouragement caused her to focus once more on the food even as she listened quietly to what Izumi had to say. While Izumi spoke she helped herself to some of the soup and the stew, figuring she might as well try both. Once she had some of both she tried first the soup without hesitation, pausing at the flavor before continuing on and trying the stew. In silence she ate, switching back and forth between eating a little bit of the soup and a little bit of the stew as she continued to listen to the conversation in silence.


Chou found herself pausing between bites as Syekren admitted exactly what he was planning on doing: murder was on his mind and in his heart, and he certainly had reasons for it. She didn’t so much as blink at the idea that he intended on commiting murder, or multiple murders as it was. She was utterly not phased strangely enough: she understood the concept of the corrupt needing weeded out so she wouldn’t fault him for it – she didn’t consider him an evil man, he had shown to her to be anything but that.

As Syekren mentioned that he had come to this place specifically so that she’d be safe with someone watching over her she found herself looking up from her food and cocking her head to the right in curiosity: was this why he was looking for this Jackal he kept mentioning? She wondered, but she didn’t ask. Instead, she focused her attention back onto her food, quietly eating away while her feet continued to dangle and sway.


As Syekren mentioned the constant redness of the woman’s cheeks Chou couldn’t help but giggle, though she tried to cover it by taking another bite of stew. She was curious as to what the woman would say, or if more blushing would ensue, so much so that she actually stopped eating despite the fact that she had found it all quite delicious – that and well, she was an Akimichi, and it took a lot to get her full which meant she definitely wasn’t there yet.

Word Count: 3,235

Syekren’s manner seemed to become more friendly and relaxed as Izumi spoke. It seemed that some of her words had struck a chord with the man. His eyes further softening from her continued speech and his continued drinking. After Izumi took her turn to ask a question, Syekren again returned her gaze this time however, it appeared for a moment that anger or even something more sinister flashed in his eyes. However the feeling was gone in an instant, Syekrens reply following the return of his eyes to their former relaxed state, ”I’m here to right a few wrongs. The council will be killed, as will anyone else in my way. I came to this place specifically to ensure Chou would be safe with someone watching over her while I conducted the business I needed to.", the man’s manner of fact way of saying this caught Izumi off guard. Even more shocking was the content of his reply, he was here to save the village from the corruption and greed of the council. Izumi looked to Chou to see her response, it appeared to not phase the round girl in the least. In fact it didn’t appear to solicit a reaction of any kind, the girl just maintained her pace on the generous food offerings, either Chou knew already or the gravity of the situation was missed by one so young. Not knowing if this was some kind of joke or test, Izumi simply nodded at this information, unsure how to feel in the immediate moments following this new revelation.

Izumi looked back to Syekren who seemed relaxed as ever, the man took another drink of his unknown beverage and ran his hand through his beard. Syekren finally opened his mouth to ask his next question, ”What exactly is with that constant redness in your cheeks you seem to get? I've noticed it a few times and I can't say I know what it's about. It seems like it might have something to do with that journal of yours. If so, I didn't want to intrude any more than that,  we all have our secrets." Izumi was able to contain the giggle she let slip until he was done with his question. Izumi noticed that Chou was giggling too, the bar maid had returned with another pot of tea, filling Izumi’s cup with the delicious dark nectar. Syekren was leaning back in his chair looking at he bar maid somewhat impatiently, evidently waiting for her to leave. The bar maid finally leaving, Izumi ran her hands through her hair, leaned forward towards Syekren and made eye contact. Izumi smiling slightly replied to the Uchiha somewhat quiet voice so that Syekren would have to lean forward a bit. ”They say those Uchiha eyes of yours can see so much more than mine. How come you can’t see when a pretty girl thinks you’re handsome? When I first recognized you, I was star struck. Now I think I’m quite enchanted, however, my attraction to you has nothing to do with the journal. The journal belonged to my uncle Synn, it has everything I know about my clan within. It also has some notes I’ve made on his techniques that he detailed within. Nothing embarrassing in there. Now I’d rather keep the journal to myself, however if you wanted to take it from me there’s not much I could do and I’d prefer you’d just ask for it if you really must see it. I believe it’s my turn now. Will you train me? The Kazekage’s disappearance has left something have an administrative void leaving me without a mentor now that I’m out of the academy.” Izumi crosses her arms under chest, supporting her leaning posture, also serving to make the “girls” look a bit more prominent, Izumi waited for Syekren’s response smiling at him warmly the whole time.

[669]

Syekren tilted his head as he heard a giggle from Chou that she tried to stifle with eating. Confusion should have been apparent on his face but he looked over to Izumi, noticing she giggled as well. When the girl ran her hand through her hair and leaned forward, Syekren did as well, a quizzical look on his face. She made eye contact with his azure hues and he got to get a better look into her own blue eyes.  Syekren listened intently, hoping for some sort of secret to be spoken of, only for his own cheeks to turn a deep hue of crimson, his eyes widening. This girl, this young woman was.. smitten with him? The man continued to listen but he was a bit confused and taken aback from what she was saying. He'd never had anyone say they were starstruck with him, let alone admit full on attraction. Hell, the last date he'd gone on fifteen years ago was one he'd had to defeat the woman who became Kazekage for. Still, he let he finish before he sat back, touching his beard. This was the first time he was caught off guard with anything like this and he needed a moment to collect himself. What better moment than to grab his bottle again?

The uchiha took a long drink this time from his whiskey, letting out a deep and satisfied sigh, placing the bottle back on the table after. "Well. Er, that is." He stopped and took another drink, sighing after finishing it once more and placed the bottle in the middle of the table. Trying to keep it away from himself more than anything. Getting intoxicated wasn't going to help him at all. "Well, I can er. Yea I can train ye. I'm sure Chou won't mind you tagging along or anything. We won't be in Sunagakure long and all that, right dear? I erm.. You can keep your journal I won't take it from you. Eh..." The man looked up to the ceiling, trying not to worry too much about what was going on at this point, he was more concerned with killing the blush in his cheeks. He wasn't sure what to ask at this point, nor what to say. Commenting on the girl being smitten with him could possibly make the situation weird or awkward, and he didn't want to make Chou uncomfortable. What else was there to ask or say?

"Well. Ehm..If Chou doesn't mind, I guess my last question is to ask if you'll travel with us? Can't train ye if you stay around here."

[EXIT Continued Elsewhere]

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Her giggle had subsided, food once more being put as politely but quickly in her mouth as it could: the hungry Akimich was well, hungry, after all and the food was definitely not bad. Despite the situation that was rising, one she thought was both amusing and weird at the same time, her focus was on her food. Or rather, it was until Izumi spoke again, explaining exactly why she had been blushing. She thought her father, well Syekren, was handsome, and she even went on to describe herself as being enchanted by him. The description reminded her of something from a fairy tale, the kind her parents used to read to her before bedtime when she was quite a bit younger. It caused Chou to actually cock her head, eyes squinted like she didn’t quite know what to make of the woman seated next to her, all thought of food abandoned for the time being.


It didn’t escape Chou’s notice as she listened to Izumi’s next ‘question’ that she was seated in such a way that seemed well quite provocative. She couldn’t help but wonder if she had done it on purpose to try and get Syekren to agree to training her, and considering the way her father began to drink… well it seemed he didn’t quite know what to make of all of this either. So in typical, blunt, child-like fashion Chou simply asked, ”Why are you trying to make your melons look bigger? You really shouldn’t try convincing people to agree to stuff that way, it’s not lady-like.” Then, in as matter of factly a way as possible Chou simply reached over to her refilled tea, adding more sugar to it and mixing it up as if she hadn’t just called Izumi out on such actions. Once her tea was as sweet as she preferred she sipped it, pondering on the idea of Izumi coming with us, and curious as to what kind of training Syekren would put her through.


Chou almost choked on her drink as her father mentioned that Izumi could come as long as she didn’t mind. That was definitely a position she didn’t see coming, and an awkward one to suddenly find herself in. If she said no she would likely hurt Izumi’s feelings which was something she didn’t want to do, but if she said yes she would likely have to deal with more of the one sided flirting and boob squishing. Chou sighed softly and shrugged in the end. ”I don’t mind… Long as you stop trying to make your boobs look bigger in front of me.” There, that was her stipulation – and once more she was entirely unfazed by her words, sipping her tea as she fell silent once more.

Word Count: 3,735

Izumi for the first time today had the upper hand, Syekren turned bright red at the mention of her feelings. Izumi smiled contentedly, the mans unease finally making her feel at ease. They were just people sitting at a table together having a meal. Izumi giggled once more at the mans clear inexperience in matters of love before returning to her tea and soup. Syekren took a big gulp of his drink, clearly having met his social match, a pretty 16 year old girl. Syekren look at her, mumbled some jumbled nonsense in affected accent and then once more hit the bottle. Sighing and replacing the bottle on the table it appeared Syekren finally had a response to her question, "Well, I can er. Yea I can train ye. I'm sure Chou won't mind you tagging along or anything. We won't be in Sunagakure long and all that, right dear? I erm.. You can keep your journal I won't take it from you. Eh...” The man has agreed to her request to train her. Izumi felt elated, she sat back in her chair and smiled. Better still, the Uchiha’s cheeks were still red the man tried to desperately to look away from her, looking at the ceiling to try to hide his embarrassment. “Why are you trying to make your melons look bigger? You really shouldn’t try convincing people to agree to stuff that way, it’s not lady-like.” Izumi chuckled at Chou’s childish honesty. ”I didn’t show them off to make him agree, I showed them off because I thought he’d like it.”

”Well. Ehm..If Chou doesn't mind, I guess my last question is to ask if you'll travel with us? Can't train ye if you stay around here." Syekren finally said, in the same affected accent he’d be using since her last question, it appeared that the combination of shame and the effects of alcohol had brought out an either covered up or forgotten way of speech. Izumi looked to Chou waiting eagerly for her response, hoping her boldness hadn’t put the girl off completely, her last statement still ringing in her ears. Chou choked on the tea when Syekren finished his sentence. The girl evidently didn’t like having attention drawn to her,  ”I don’t mind… Long as you stop trying to make your boobs look bigger in front of me.” Izumi again chuckled at her matter fact way about, ”I promise. It’s not like I need to anyways. You should get used to your father having this effect on women though, he’s very good looking.”


[448|Total Words: 4943]