It was another misty day in the Water Country; the temperature was cool. However, the weather did not hamper the construction going on near the outskirts of the village. The beautiful, ancient Kaguya Temple that used to stand as a stark white beacon amongst all of the grey had caught the eye of the Uchiha and had been burned down along with the rest of the village. While Kirigakure was well on its way to being rebuilt, the Temple, being used by just one clan and that clan being largely absent, was put on the backburner until now. Tsuneko had met with architects and stonemasons and had drawn up plans for a new building to be raised in its place.

The Kaguya Residence was to look much like the Temple had, with a few additions and modifications. One of the concessions that Tsuneko had been forced to accept was an imperfect stone. The pure white rock that had been used originally was impossible to find in the current day, and a blue veined marble was to be used in its place. That marble had been shipped in from the Earth Country and was now making up the beginning of the exterior walls. With the material being used and the design of the building, this would not be built in a day. However, this was Tsuneko’s personal project, and she was eager to see it coming together.

The girl had the day off and planned on spending it at the site. The workers didn’t really need her to do anything but write the checks; nevertheless, they saw their young employer’s enthusiasm and catered to it, charmed by the polite teenager who had taken the reins on rebuilding her family’s home. The foreman had the plans that had been drawn up, but periodically throughout the day, he would come over to her and ask her some little question. He knew that the Genin was normally busy with missions and wouldn’t be looking over their shoulders often and was happy to defer to her while she was here. Anything to keep the boss happy.

So, it was clear to any outsider who was overseeing this project: the slender fourteen year-old sitting on the edge of one of the many carts filled with the marble. She wore a feminine, purple-flowered dress with a charcoal colored sweater against the cool air; the color drawing out the violet in her eyes. Her long white hair was worn down. From the distance, she would likely look like a civilian, the muscles she had were lean and unimposing. However, as one neared, they would probably notice a few inconsistencies, such as the Kirigakure forehead protector and the function-over-fashion shinobi shoes.

The forehead protector served a dual purpose: it marked her as a ninja, and it covered her clan’s marks in an unsuspicious manner. As nonthreatening as the girl might look, there were many civilians in Kiri who remembered the Kaguya’s rebellion against their village and still held the resulting bloodshed against the clan. After the fire, the villagers whom had returned had more things to fret about than the crimes of a clan that occurred generations before they were born. However, she had seen some of the prejudice that existed before the fire and found it more comfortable to be an anonymous Genin when walking around the village.

Giving her body a day off, Tsuneko had purposefully dressed to keep herself from training. No matter what Academy Students liked to believe, shinobi were regular people and, like regular people, needed a day to recover every now and then. This was her’s, and she was perfectly content to spend it watching her dreams, her hope for a future for the Kaguya, come into being.

'This is it!' Eiji thought to himself angrily as he stood over the body of some ninja that had the unfortunate event of picking a fight with him. He had beat the crap out of his and he had no idea why he was attacked in such a manner. He knew that people did not like his clan, and it was getting pissed every time he introduced himself that people either became really quiet or tried to pick a fight with him. He was really getting fed up with it, and he wanted to know why this was happening to him. He grabbed the shinobi that he had beaten to a pulp and asked him in his deep growling voice, "Where is the Kaguya located at?" The man groaned out something about a temple being that way, and with that the man lazily pointed in the general direction of the temple.

Eiji got up and stretched, this person was a pushover. Clearly he was stronger than him and after taking about three blows to the body with some club it was clear that the person was not getting past his bones. Walking toward the Kaguya temple he was wondering if anyone else in this town was one of his clan. The defiantly did not pop up and say 'Hey! I am a Kaguya too! We should do lunch!'. He grumbled some things about not having enough booze and he took a swing out of his gourd of booze he kept with him at all times. The alcohol burned as it went down his throat, but it helped with the pain of being alone in this town. He continued to walk toward what looked like a construction site in progress.

He put on hand on his hip and one hand to cover his eyes, he had no idea what he was looking for. He was hoping he looked like he was looking for someone maybe someone would ask him if he needed help. He was only wearing a blank black bandanna today, and his very nice pirate coat he wore at all times. He left it open to show that he was wearing a thick vest to stop his chest getting cold and underneath that was his a white t-shirt. He wore his Kiri headband not around his head, but like a belt around his waist. It did not seem to keep anything up, especially since his slacks was being held up by another belt. He wore the normal ninja boots that all shinobi wore, mainly because he had always. Due to the fact that they were lighter and easier to wear than normal boots.

He noticed mainly a workforce making the temple again, or whatever they were making here. He looked to the left and to the right, and yet he did not see anyone else who screamed Kaguya. Hell, Eiji did not even know what he was looking for. He had no idea what other Kaguya looked like, except for what his mother and his father looked like. His mother had black hair and his father had white. Maybe that was a place to start. He quickly skimmed the area to see if anyone had black hair. He slowly lowered that hand that was above his eyes when he realized how stupid that idea was. A lot of people had black hair, maybe it was time to change it up. He started to look for white hair.

Then he noticed the slender girl sitting on edge of the cart. He walked up to her with his sly grin on his face, "Not often when ye see a pretty young lady like yeself hanging around some lump dogs like these guys." His accent sounded suave like most pirates did, and very rough. It was very apparent that he was trying to get rid of his pirate accent. Yet he was failing at it badly. Eiji was having a hard time judging this girls age, it was a bad habit of his. He had a tendency to forget that in normal towns guys are not suppose to hit on every pretty girl that they meet.

Tsuneko didn’t notice the man among the many workers until he approached her. When he did, she was surprised that she missed him. With his flamboyant red jacket, she would have assumed he was from one of the many pirate crews that plagued their island country; however, the bit of metal at his waist spoke differently, marking him as one of the Kirigakure shinobi. She didn’t recognize the man and wondered what he was doing here. When she had met with the Mizukage, she had gotten the proper permits for the construction and had made it clear that the work would be paid for out of the Kaguya coffers. There was no reason that she could think of for another shinobi to be sent here, and the temple grounds, being towards the outskirts, were not located in a high traffic area of the village. The only thing she could think of was that he meant to cause trouble.

Many shinobi that she had met had, upon hearing her clan’s name, seemed to be in respect of their renowned strength in battle; it was mostly just the civilians that still held their past against them. However, there were exceptions to every rule and the man in front of her could very well be one of the ninja that hated her clan. In too good of a mood to want to deal with any trouble today, she pushed a section of hair back behind her shoulder, a bit of a nervous reaction to the man's forwardness, and met his grin with a smile of her own that showed no indication of her misgivings about him. “It’s not often that I’m in their company,” she replied simply. Her polite, well-bred tone contrasted sharply with his accent and rough voice. Her mother, being put on a pedestal as a Shikotsumyaku wielder by their clan, had learned the social graces needed to balance the pressure of both the clan and the village and made certain that she passed those on to her daughter.

Not wanting him to keep on the line of questioning her doings here, for that would likely lead to her relation to the family, she commented, “It’s always so exciting to see new buildings rising up from the ruins. They make me hopeful of all of life’s possibilities.” The expression on her face was genuine, as this was truly how she felt about her project. However, her statement was meant to explain away her presence as that of an architectural fan rather than a person whom was personally invested in the rebuilding of the Kaguya’s temple. It would be ineffective if he had noticed the foreman coming up to her, but she hoped that he would attribute that to her being “a pretty young lady” at a construction site.

Eiji looked at the ruins that the young girl was talking about, then out of no where he had a pang in his heart. Like he had been here before, he started to feel that loneliness that happened once in a while. Eiji looked at the building as the people ran around it and then he could see everything.

"Son you are a proud Kaguya, we were once hunted for what we did. Now we are loyal Shinobi to the great Mizukage." His father looked down on his small son in pride, "You can become great things, but first you must understand and rationalize everything that happens to you." His father grabbed his son's small hand and started to walk off with him. "Some day we will rebuild all this into something greater. One day people will not hate us for our ancestors, but love us for what we have blossom too."

Eiji shook his head, that was a trip. Occasionally things like this would happen, just nothing this bad. He stopped and he looked at the young girl, and her voice kind of pissed Eiji off. Yet it still swoon him, she was small, cute, formal, and probably way underage. That last thought damped his view on the girl and he smiled at the fact she said she was not often in their type of company. It was so formal it was almost sickening to Eiji. He would get over it though, he had to put up with all sorts of people in the town. It was not that different, but he had to accept people how they are. Maybe he would be surprised by her.

"Aye" He said, "It also allows people ta realize the beauty of age." He was impressed that a young girl like this could think that far ahead. It was different to what he was used too, girls that look that young and innocent usually hid themselves from everyone. Until he got through them of course.

He stopped and smiled at her with his grin "Aye where is me manners, Eiji Kaguya." He told the girl, he was actually started to wonder if she was a Kaguya. Either way, she was going to hate him or accept him there was no changing that. He looked at her with his one eye, "I be looking for dis Kaguya Temple, trying to find things out about me past." He might as well get down to the point, she did not seem like the type to be swept off her feet with his roguish charm. "Ye would happen to know where ye would find one would ye?"

“…Eiji Kaguya…” ‘…What?’ Tsuneko was caught off guard by his introduction. ‘A Kaguya?’ Looking closer, she was certain that she had never seen him before. How could this be true? The Kaguya were a small family; they had been hunted to what was thought was extinction before a clan member had shown up at Kiri’s gates looking for a home for himself and his family. The chances of another group existing outside of Kirigakure were slim, and having not been born when Eiji left, she did not realize that he was from this village as well. The Kaguya were not like some of the other clans where it was not uncommon to bump into another member that you didn’t know. His claiming to be a Kaguya was similarly surprising and confusing as someone coming up and claiming to be a long-lost brother. As much as someone may have wanted to have a brother, it was hard to have a movie-like reunion with some stranger who appeared out of the blue.

As odd as his claim may be, she mostly accepted it on face value. Not only were the Kaguya not very populous, but they were also not very popular. In fact, they could easily contend for the spot of ‘Most Disliked Clan in Kirigakure’. It was not a clan that one would claim to be from, if they weren’t. While she had denied inheriting the Shikotsumyaku for years, she had never outright denied her clan; she had kept her clan markings from being a brand on her forehead, proclaiming to everyone on the street who she was, but she never denounced her clan. As he questioned her about finding a Kaguya, there was a slight pause before she replied, lightly touching the center of her chest above her breasts to indicate herself, “Tsuneko Kaguya.” ‘…but you knew that didn’t you?’ she added silently. His accent had made it sound as though he was certain that she knew where to find one, whether or not that was what he had meant.

Although she had accepted that his claim to her clan likely had truth behind it, she was still confused and full of questions. Using her hands to help her hop off of the cart, she was suddenly in Eiji’s personal space. Standing closer than was generally acceptable for casual conversation, the girl tilted her head back to look up at Eiji; her violet eyes were intense as she scrutinized him, her pale eyebrows drawn together from the thoughts that were going through her head: more questions than she could possibly glean the answers to from just studying him, no matter how intently she did so. “Who are you?” she asked earnestly. Her manner was quite different from before, the courtesy that she used as a shield against the prejudices of others was forgotten as she sought answers to her many questions with that single query.

Her actions, though a bit abrupt, were not really as antagonistic as they were eager. She had wanted to see her family rebuilt, for them to survive another tragedy just as they had survived their past persecution. Her closer relations, her actual aunts, uncles, and cousins, had been among the many whom did not survive the fire. Clan members that had made it out of the village had not yet returned, and she had yet to go and track down her cousin Hayato whom had disappeared to Kumogakure. For Eiji to just show up here, claiming to be family, was both wonderful and confusing...Definitely much more towards the confusing side at this point. It looked as though he had been through a lot himself, and time would tell if his appearance here would truly be a good thing or not.

Eiji could not hide his excitement of finding another kin mate, quickly stepping away he started to kick the ground in a dancing fashion and gave a short cheer. He continued to do the jig for a little while. There was no way that this small girl was going to attack her anyway, they were family right? Or maybe the clan was big enough where blood lines were thinned out. Like the annoying white eyed person that was apart of his old crew.

This was defiantly not the time to be thinking about his old crew right now, he finally found someone who can teach him how to act more like a Kaguya. He chuckled in his mind about that, he probably would not change. He was having a hard enough time not acting like himself in town. If not for the other peoples sake, but for the Mizukage. That man gave him a second chance, and more importantly a chance to go at Ripper. That man was a great man in Eiji's books and he would let him down.

He noticed that her personality changed quickly, as if she was trying to play him a fool when they first met. Yet it was more likely just to hid the fact that she was a Kaguya, or if someone knew who she was to act sweeter to avoid a fight. Eiji was definatly not going to do the two face thing. Eiji was Eiji and if they did not like it, they can walk the plank for all he cared for. He stopped dancing and gave her a serious smile and a sly wink to go with it. "Ye have the same color hair as me mothers. And me thought to meself. If me gonna find a Kaguya, better look for a Kaguya." He noticed her eyes were trying to question him, even though her question was simple as ever.

Eiji stood a little father back and sighed, "I am Eiji Kaguya, and you probably won't believe on that would ya." He started to think the only way that he could convince her is to use his bloodline. It had been a few years since he had to use it, and he still had no proof that it would speed up the sickness that could be festering inside of him. The fact her tone changed slightly proved that to him. Taking off his pirate jacket he walked by her and dropped it on the cart that was now behind her. Then going back to where he was before he started to feel inside his body. His bones felt like they were now not apart of him and he could move it at will. He quickly fidgeted his fingers as he could feel the whole left arm bones start to shift outward.

Making a hole at the end of his wrist he pulled out what looked like a short sword made out of bones. It was as heavy as a sword and could pass off even being used as one. He flipped it in the air and caught it, his other hand felt empty as his sword style required two broadswords or cutlasses that he was so used to carrying around. He looked at the girl and winked at her again, and quickly said "Aye is this enough proof for ya lass?" His voice was very serious now.

"I guess I owe ye an explanation or hundred of them. Me father passed on when I was wee lad, somewhere in Suna. Me mother and I were trying to make it back home. Yet the ship we were one got boarded by pirates. They killed everyone, my mother could not use out clan gift. Only me father, so they cut her down too. I had the clan gift by then and stopped all the attack on me. They offered me in the crew, young and confused me agreed. That crew taught me everything I know, but was cut down and taken in by this asshat of a person named 'Captain Ripper'" He put two fingers up on each hand and lowered them down when he said captain. "Dis here Mizukage, gave me chance to better meself. To become a ninja instead of a pirate. So here me am trying to find out about my clan, that I grew up without." He put the bone sword into the ground and leaned on it. Putting his left foot behind him and balancing on his toes with that foot.

He gave her a sly smile this time "I told ye about meself, now tell me about me. Why do all these people hate me? They ain't even know me." He said in a tone lower than he usually does. He was tired of people scowling at him and acting like he was yesterday trash, not because he was a pirate, cause of his name.

As Eiji began to dance a little jig, Tsuneko couldn’t help thinking that her newly found kinsman was a little strange. ‘Stop that,’ she scolded herself. Her initial judgments had done Eiji wrong before, he certainly was not here to cause the Kaguya trouble, and she didn’t want to misjudge him again by going with her quick, often non-generous, assumptions, as she normally did. Despite her resolving to tone down those thoughts, she was a bit taken aback by the wink and another one of his frequent smiles; clearly, her cousin was a ladies’ man. If she hadn’t been so anxious at his appearance at the construction site, she would likely have found him rather charming herself.

Tsuneko had not actually doubted that he was who he said he was, merely wanting more information about him personally and how he came to be here. However, she did not stop him as he moved to prove his identity to her, curious as to what he intended. She certainly had not expected to see him pull a sword of bone out from his wrist. There were many members of the clan whom were not heirs to the Shikotsumyaku. In fact, statistically, the chances of him not having inherited the Kekkei Genkai were hugely above him having it. She took half a step backwards from Eiji as he tossed the sword and caught it with practiced ease. ‘What’s going on? This man just shows up out of the mist and he happens to be a Kaguya and, oh yeah, he happens to have the Shikotsumyaku too? Something that practically no one else has? And he’s out here tossing his bones around like it’s nothing? In front of all of these people?’ “Aye is this enough proof for ya lass?” She nodded. There was no more undeniable proof that he could have showed her.

The girl listened with interest as he briefly explained his history to her. It explained a lot and answered many of her questions. She was not surprised that Sero had taken Eiji in. It was no secret that their clan was powerful in combat, and from her cousin’s scarred appearance, it was clear that he was experienced in battle as well; she had no doubt that the Mizukage would make full use out of the pirate-turned-ninja. As he lowered his tone to ask about the civilians’ actions, she was saddened although it was not unexpected he had ran into trouble, his veteran-like apperance embodied the villagers’ fears about the clan.

She noticed that the workers would soon be using the cart that they stood by, and if he truly did not know anything of his clan’s past, she assumed as much, for if he had known he likely would have figured out why they reacted so, than this would take a while. “Walk with me, Eiji?” she kindly invited him with a smile, her previous wariness lessened by knowing more about him; reaching behind herself, she fetched his bright red jacket and offered it to him. She had a feeling that he would not want to leave it behind to get dirty or torn up. If he chose to accompany her, she would lead him a bit away from the bustling site where they could speak without interruption. If he declined, obviously she would remain there with him. Walking, or not, as she talked, she began.

“Many years ago, a number of years before the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Kaguya were much larger than they are today. She paused, before restarting. “Have you ever found yourself to be, maybe, a bit over-competitive? Do you like to fight, particularly when the stakes are high?" Allowing him to reflect internally or to comment on it, she continued after a moment. “The Kaguya are known for those traits… The words they use when teaching about our clan in the Academy are ‘war-loving’ and ‘savage’.” She vividly remembered the day in class when they taught about her clan, all of the nasty comments and stares that accompanied that lesson. “A long time ago, back when Kirigakure was known as the Bloody Mist Village, our clan embraced that side of themselves without prejudice. They decided to prove their strength against the whole village by rebelling against Kiri. Many shinobi died on both sides, but our clan was on the losing end. The village slaughtered all of our clan. The only one known to have escaped was Kimimaro, a man whom possessed the Shikotsumyaku; he was the only user of our Kekkei Genkai at that time.” ‘Perhaps if there had been others, the result would have been different…’ she mused to herself. “He later died of a bone disease tied to the Shikotsumyaku, and we were thought to have been extinct. More recently, some generations ago, a man and his family, members of the Kaguya clan, returned to Kirigakure and were welcomed by the Mizukage then, disregarding the villagers’ feelings on the matter. Our clan’s attack on the village is taught as a part of Kiri's history to every child in the village, reminding generation after generation of what we’d done… The people hate you because they fear you. They fear all of us, because they are sure that we’ll rebel again… and massacre their children in their sleep.” As she finished her story, a bitter tone came into her voice. After a moment, she gestured towards the workers, whether they are close up or far away, depending on whether or not he came with her, “If you notice, everyone here is from Konoha. Not all of the villagers have returned, sure, but the fact is that most of them refused to work for me. The few that agreed, changed their minds after finding that their fellows did not. Even after all of this time, the civilians don’t want us here. If it was not for the Mizukage’s welcome and their fear of our abilities, they would have happily driven us out a long time ago,” she concluded.

Eiji calmly nodded as he took his jacket from the girl and threw it up in the air. This took lots of practice and it was worth it, especially because he did it when he had nothing better to do. Lifting on hand up his hand went right through the right sleeve and using the momentum he swung it around to put it on completely. This was just out of habit now, and even though he was showing off to her he knew that he would do it without her too. Flicking the front of the jacket he made sure that it was completely on.

He did not know what to do with his sword that he made, it would last for a good while without it coming in harms way. He slipped in his belt, just to make sure that it did not fall in the wrong hands. He brushed off his jacket and proceeded to follow the young lady. How could he refuse such a lovely thing like her not to walk with her. He joked around and said "Last woman to be asking me to walk with her was an assassin, after me blood." He smiled as he followed her away from the site into a much quieter area and here it seemed almost way different. Like the air was lighter and people were not glaring at him at all times. It really was a nice change of pace, it was nice to finally feel free.

He listen to her talk about their clan and why there was a mass hatred of their race. He could understood why people hated his kind, he was a fearsome fighter and was consider one of the best on both crews that he was on. So it was reasonable why people hated him now. He started to think about it, it was not reasonable at all. Don't they realize that people are different than what the clan is. That there are people who do not follow the clans way, yet make their own path. This actually made him more mad, as he listened about how they make his clan seem like a evil clan out for blood only. That only bad people come out of the clan, he was not that bad of a person. Sure he was pirate before, and he still even wore the clothing of pirate. He was proud who he, not his clan, is.

He put his hand in a calm fist and he put his thumb on her cheek and pushed it friendly, flirt like. "Ye look better when your happy, ell, even confused. Ye shouldn't be making such sad stories, I can tell da story from now on. Ye be to pretty to be in a dark clan. Smile for me, right?" He was being really sincere, he noticed the fact that she was going through some bad memories. He was a ladies man, and he knew how to read a woman pretty well now. "Dem land lubbers don't be deserving to work under such a fine lady. Dey should be proud to be working under ya." He gave her his signature sly smile. "So enough about dis dark clan we be born too, why are ya rebuilding dis building anywho? Sounds like askin for trouble." His grammar was horrible and he knew it, but he was just trying to get the topic changed. Maybe find out more about his clan from her in a different way. "Ey, can ye do the bone stuff too?" He points at the sword that is on his side "I just be wondering, if me be special or sometin. Me pa could do it too, but he died of some bone sickness."

The two Kaguya made an interesting pair, sharing little but the family name. Tsuneko had tried to blend in for years, looking as nonthreatening as possible to gain the acceptance of the village; she lied and flattered as a defense mechanism while avoiding training her strongest asset, her Kekkei Genkai. Eiji, in contrast, seemed to be a showoff, flirt, and well-versed in combat; he seemed to be the type to say exactly what he means, and everyone else be damned. He had picked up plenty of flash from his time spent as a pirate, always throwing his things up in the air. His little stunt with the jacket, though neat, had her rolling her eyes internally. It would take some time to get used to her flamboyant cousin.

Having kept her ‘friends’ at arm’s length for most of her life, it wasn’t often that she dealt with physical expressions of affection. Her family was the exception to the rule, and she supposed that he counted as one of their number now; she would have censored her previous words more carefully, had she not believed that. As his thumb brushed her cheek, the gesture caught her off guard, and she reflexively smiled. A nervous smile, some would call it, for the expression was born out of uncertainty, but it didn’t read that way.

His words…it felt like he was trying to look out for her. It had been a while since anyone had done so. She had escaped from the black fires of Amaterasu, journeyed alone to Konoha, and had killed a man with his own sword. Though she still looked as youthful as truly she was, she was not quite as innocent and soft as she had been before the fire, regardless of how she wanted to portray herself to others. Since the fire, she had been treated as a shinobi more than the girl that she still was; it was only at night when her nightmares from the events of the past months caused her to wake up in a cold sweat that she wanted to run to someone who could tell her that everything was alright.

Then, there came that grin of his and another question. Her eyes glanced back to where the workers were moving about. “You should have seen it as it was, before. The same Mizukage who welcomed our clan back gave us an old temple for our use. It was like it was built for our clan; whatever god the builders worshipped must’ve had some ties to the body or death or something, for they used a flawless, white rock and carved the building to make it look as though it was made of bones. It was so beautiful,” as she spoke, she truly sounded like the architectural fan that she had hoped he would take her as earlier. There was lightness to her voice as she spoke of the home that she had loved. “I grew up in the Kaguya Temple, and I’ll see it rebuilt. Even if they hate us, this is our clan’s home. I’m still not sure how many of us made it out of Kirigakure or were outside the village when the fire started, survivors are still making their way back to the village and many records were lost; I’d like to keep what’s left of our family close. We’re too small a clan as it is.”

When he gestured to his sword, she was reminded of the Dance of the Camellia, one of the traditional five combat-dances of their clan. ‘He said he was young when his father died. Does he even know how to take full advantage of his Shikotsumyaku?’ The dances were developed as extremely efficient and effective ways to use their Kekkei Genkai. Her mother had taught her in the theory of all of them, even if she had not been able to perform them herself before Sachiko’s death. She had resolved before beginning steps to rebuild the temple that she would stop hiding her ability, that she couldn’t afford to anymore in this violent world if she wanted to survive, and the Kaguya were nothing if not survivors.

A small hole opened on the tip of her right, middle finger as the skin was pierced from the inside. The bone, only a few inches in length but very sharp on both ends, extended from her finger and dropped off into her waiting left hand. Offering the small shard to him as proof, she said, “Inheriting the Shikotsumyaku is actually very rare. Having more than one heir in a generation hardly ever happens, though I suppose we come from lucky stock, in a way, for my mom also had it. When she developed the bone disease, the worthless medical-nins in this village did nothing for her, and she died.” Again, there was bitterness. She couldn’t afford to offend the very ninja that she needed to teach her Medical Ninjutsu, so she rarely spoke of her feelings on this; her residual anger and blame towards them was still very strong.

Changing the subject off of her strange, unresolved issues with other medics, she asked, “Why did you choose to pursue being a shinobi? If you wanted out of pirating, why not take up something else?...like painting, perhaps? I can tell you have a sensitive, artistic side inside you somewhere.” Her original question was serious, but her voice took on a teasing tone towards the end. Doing what she always did, refusing to dwell on negative topics, she came up with the most unlikely thing she could think of. The idea of her battle-scarred, one-eyed cousin taking up painting was almost impossible to imagine, and no stretch of the imagination could make that image appear to be anything but comedic.

Eiji felt bad as he saw the nervous smile come out of her face. He knew that everyone did not grow up like he did, pirates had a tendency of touching each other all the time. Either being rough housing around or just having a fun time, Eiji was really used to touching people at a whim. He quickly drew he hand back, as if he was embarrassed by this. He forgot that people in this town did now act as his crew did, and people wanted their private space. She was clearly was trying to hide it, Eiji knew though. He specialized in women, all of them. It often got him called a pervert, which he never denied.

He listened to her talk about her old home, and it sounded great. He grew up on boats, and the sea. Also in a bar, he grew up in a bar and he remember that place the most. He could picture the home she grew up in, the white seemed amazing. Bright and almost seemed like it was holy of some sort. The fact that she was so determined to rebuild the place was amazing. She must not be as old as Eiji was, yet she had so much fire in her soul. The fact she was like this made him more secured about his clan. The fact she like this proved that his clan was not full of blood thirsty maniac like he was once upon a time.

"Aye, I never be in one place long enough to have me a home. If this place be redone and I be movin in, it will be me first home." He was happy about that idea. He had a place right now, but it was just a place handed to him. It really did not call it home, it was just a place that held his stuff. "If ye don't be minding, me would like to move in with yer lots to get used of living with clan mates. Assuming that der be more of us." That last part stung as it left his tongue. He really did not know how many were left, and he did not want to be one of the last one of his kind left. That was to much pressure on him.

The fact that his bloodline was not in every Kaguya bugged him a lot more than it should have. It made him feel like he was one of the special people. That needed to be watched at all times, and the fact other people just let this girls mother died did not help that cause. "Aye people be royal pain in yer asses. Do all dis Kaguya be developing the bone disease?" He asked this nervously, he heard about the disease in the bar and around towns. He defiantly did not have it, yet it made him more cautious toward his use of his techniques that he would use all the time. He could hear the anger in her voice. She changed very quickly and dramatically, but this was normal for most women was it not? "Even if they be dicks, yer can't be choosin your crew mate. Just workin with them."

He barely got that comment out when she started to question him becoming a shinobi. He was not going to start lying to her now, there was no point in it. "Well ye see, I can dance, swoon ladies, ell I can even do a few paintins meself. Yet the best thing for me is killing. I love the thrill of a good fight, and doing that I be afraid that it would build up. I be becoming der next serial killer. Being a Shinobi, I be killin in the name of good. So why the ell not." He took his sword and started to draw on the ground, making what looked like a really good picture of Tsuneko's face. He painted a lot to attracted a woman that was a bet, and he found out that he was pretty good at it. It was just one of his many skills he did to sleep with every woman he met.

He gave her a look after he was done with his picture, stretching he looked at her. "So now be time for me to question ye. What ye do with yer ninja skills? Ye be to pretty to be a cold blooded killer like me." He laughed at that thought, he was not someone who killed just randomly anymore. At least he tried to hold that urge back. "Ye could be leadin da family house instead of being a ninja. Me think most people would be okay with dat."She was defiantly proper enough to do so. She was very royal, and that is a sign of a good money bag person.

Tsuneko had nodded in acceptance of Eiji’s request to move in after the rebuilding was complete. “Of course,” she welcomed him. Her intention had been for the clan to live there together, even if she hadn’t been able to come right out and say it to her cousin. At the moment, it would have just been the two of them and a few others that had already returned to Kirigakure and held the clan’s name, if not the bloodline trait, and she was not forward enough to suggest that.

Her resentment over the past had colored the situation differently than it actually was. Of course, the medics had tried. They had pulled together what little research there was on the disease and had tried to come up with a plan. Unfortunately the Kaguya body was too different from a normal body for typical medical techniques to work. However, when they explained that to her, she heard it as ‘we hate your clan and are going to make excuses to get rid of your mom’. This was one of the many things that she had bottled up inside. As a result, when she happened to speak of it, the feelings surrounding it were still fresh and had gotten stronger over time and resulted in the abrupt change that Eiji noticed before she reined it back in.

Eiji’s next question was a difficult one to answer. She denied the likelihood of her contracting the same thing that killed her mother as a way to keep sane; there was a deep-seated fear of the disease that she wouldn’t acknowledge to herself that she had, because, after all, she wasn’t going to get the sickness anyways. “So few of us have the Shikotsumyaku, there’s really not enough research to say...It hasn't been seen in any of the clan members who didn't inherit the Kekkei Genkai.” It was a doctor’s answer, a liar’s reply, but it was the only one that she could give him. The fact was that no shinobi with their bloodline trait lived to reach old age, and those who did not die in combat, as many did, perished of this disease. For no one before her had been interested in researching the condition, there was no telling if those that were killed would have or would not have contracted the disease had they lived longer, but she was banking on the latter. She needed there to be hope for herself, for Eiji, for Hayato. How could one go through life with the certainty that one would die young and painfully? The only options being that you would either be killed by another shinobi or by the very blood that course through your veins.

Soon they were onto easier topics, however, with her question. Easier than delving into the past anyways. It turned out that her cousin was drawn to killing. With his rough appearance and their clan’s propensity towards violence, it was not really surprising and did not cause her to draw back from him or move back towards other people, as a civilian might have. Choosing to be a shinobi was choosing to be a part of the village’s military. Whether you were a medic or a fighter, you were trained to be able to stop an adversary and killing the target was not an uncommon way of stopping them. Hell, she was a killer herself, although clearly not in the same capacity as her kinsman. Her draw was more of to the winning than the kill itself, but the fact was that she was a survivor and would put herself first, no matter what. If that meant that someone else’s death was required than she would carry it out and be thankful that it was his blood on the ground, not hers.

Tsuneko watched with interest as he began making lines in the dirt; they began to take shape, and it wasn’t long before she recognized the familiar lines of her own face. It was weird seeing her image rendered like that and in a decent sketch, nonetheless. A bit fascinated by the process and by her multi-talented cousin, she let the silence sit comfortably until he finished. She wasn’t sure that she liked the idea of being questioned, her paranoid mind hearing the word ‘interrogated’ instead; Tsuneko was not a fan of people delving into her personal life, but she supposed that he had a right to know a bit about her, as they were now family.

His first question was simple enough, although the suggestion that followed it was out of the blue for her. As he laughed at the description of himself being a cold-blooded killer, she laughed at his suggestion of her taking on the role of Clan Head. She had never considered taking the official position, although she supposed that she had been acting as such by meeting with the Mizukage on the Kaguyas’ behalf and overseeing the rebuilding of their family home. “Don’t you think I’m a bit young for the Clan Head?” she asked, although the leader of the entire village was barely older, buffering the idea but not outright dismissing it. It was a very public position for a private person, like herself, but she had already tested the waters and hadn’t drowned….yet. It was something to consider. In answer to his original question, she replied, “I specialize in Medical Ninjutsu.” She didn’t comment on the oddity of a Medic hating other Kirigakure Medics, merely adding with a smile, “Someone’s got to look out for our clan.”

Eiji stretched, his body was getting stiff again from doing nothing for prolong periods of time. He still did not like the fact that his clan seemed to be blown off due to the fact that they once were a blood thirsty clan. That just wanted to kill everyone to improve ones ego. That was the past for sure, he was sure that his clan was different now. Tsuneko was living proof of it. She was clearly not out for blood at all times. She was still young which means she could grow up and not be a cold blooded killer for whatever reason that she thought of.

'She had so much in her life just waiting for her' Eiji thought to himself, 'she could do anything she wanted, yet here she is talking to a pirate about life.' Eiji had a smirk on his face it was nice to know that people could talk to him without having their hand near by there choice of weapon. "That be sounding, to doctor like. But ye probably be tellin da truth. It be a lucky curse den? Sounds like pirate mumbo stuff to me." He said with a chuckle. Some of the pirates he hung out with were more superstitious than the ghost they believed in.

He noticed that she was watching him draw, he was good at it. Yet there were people much better than him, "Like da drawing? Me be finding that I can't capture true beauty in a picture. Women be, something completely different." He paused and gave her a small smile again. "Nothin can beat seeing the real deal, all the way." He had to stop himself now, he was getting into his perverted side of things.

He looked at the people working, and they seemed to work hard enough. Quick yet sure of their work. Like he was on the battlefield, and it showed that this is when a person true calling comes out. The fact they moved so quickly from some distance made Eiji wonder if he could help them later. He would make a note of that and come back to it.

He looked back at her when her question was asked. "Age does not be mattering in all things. Love, fate, and leadership is a few that be der. Me thinkin that ye would be best fitted? Unless der be other Kaguya just hiding under the carpet in the temple?" He made that a clear joke giving him a chuckle. He continued on after a small pause as if to catch his breath. "See ye be even looking after da clan, ye can do it both ways. Make sure that der leader here understands us and heal us for future battles. Ye can be da best one yet right?" He gave her a satisfying wink, he was confident in her, if he was great in battle being awesome must run in the family right?

"Any other questions be need answering by me?" He said after all that looking off into the distance, he had nothing to hide.

One of the perks of being a Kaguya was being able to draw upon a large variety and number of weapons without having to carry a single one; they were all within one’s body. It allowed a clan member with their Kekkei Genkai to always be prepared without seeming to do so. Tsuneko did not go out of her way to pick fights with people, preferring to fly under the radar, but had Eiji proved to be a threat, she would not have been without options. Fortunately, that was not the case; a Genin would not likely fare well against a Special Jounin, after all.

She had not thought of their bloodline trait as a ‘lucky curse’ before. Tsuneko preferred to think of it as a blessing and to do her best not to think of the, apparently always, fatal disease that came along with it. If she denied the chances of her inheriting, she wouldn’t catch it, right? It was still a bit strange talking about the Shikotsumyaku in the open after hiding it for years, and she certainly did not want to dwell on the negative aspects of it, so she simply offered him a nod in response to his assessment of her statement and let the topic drop.

Despite his heavily accented words, Tsuneko understood Eiji’s meaning as he spoke of women and showed her youthful innocence as a blush came to her fair cheeks. The girl was a teenager and, of course, understood the ways of adults, and working in a hospital, she was starting to take on the impartial mindset of ‘skin’s just skin, no matter where on the body it is’. However, when she was in the Academy, she was much too concerned with her studies; she would run from school over to the hospital where she would help out, watch, and learn until they forced her to head home. Because of this, she kept herself a bit separate from her peers and, partnered with a body that had yet to be able to be described as more than ‘cute’ or ‘pretty’, Tsuneko had not caught a boy’s interest and so still had the vague feelings of embarrassment or shyness when any such comment was made, even if it was not really directed at her personally.

Fortunately, her kinsman did not remain on the topic. As he spoke of love, fate, and leadership, she couldn’t help but think of her mother, who was of course a huge influence on the choices Tsuneko had made in life. Sachiko had been put up on a pedestal for inheriting the Shikotsumyaku, and now a similar role, though one with perhaps more power behind it, was staring her daughter down. It was true, of the surviving Kaguya, even the civilian and non-inheriting ones, she was probably the best suited for the job. Eiji, though supposedly skilled in combat, did not know the village, and with his history of being a pirate in a place often attacked by pirates, he would likely have even more trouble popping up for him, if he even was inclined to lead, which did not seem to be the case. However, the pressures of the clan had aged her young mother greatly; was she really so much stronger to be able to bear them? But who else was there?

Her worried thoughts were unreadable on her face as Tsuneko laughed lightly at the little jest. “Perhaps…I guess I walked into that one,” she joked, remembering her own words about looking out for their clan. At his offer, she thoughtfully gave Eiji the ‘once-over’ as she thought of what she might want to know. She could guess that he was a Kenjutsu user by the sword that he crafted, and if his father was anything like most Kaguya, he likely used Taijutsu and may have trained his son in a similar style as her mother had done with her. Though what may have been taught before his passing was uncertain. That would save for another day, though. He was her cousin today, not another shinobi. Going back to his history, she asked, “This ‘Captain Ripper’ guy cut down your crew…How did you get off the ship, and how did you get Sero to accept you? The Mizukage, I mean,” she corrected herself. It was hard to remember sometimes that she had watched a boy only a few years older than herself be promoted from Genin all the way to Mizukage. Continuing, “He wasn’t suspicious that you might be working undercover for the Captain?”

She would give him time to answer her questions before asking another, “I have to ask; is there anything that I should know about? Any other trouble that you’ve gotten yourself into over the years?” His issue with Captain Ripper certainly counted as ‘trouble’, but she wanted to make sure that there were no other surprises. As a small, mistrusted clan, one’s sins often fell upon another, and Tsuneko needed to know what other demons were hanging onto his bright, red coattails.

A younger Eiji, about 8 years ago stood on the deck of his ship looking out to sea. Even though he was apart of the crew he still hated the fact that they killed his last of his family. His mother, right in front of him also. He learned to get over it, not all of them were bad. He actually grew attached to them, once you get to know a few they treat people like family. He had no brother or sisters to go home too, and even then he was not sure where home was. That was not fully true though, his home was set on this ship. Right next to pirates that he has been growing up with.

His captain came up to him, he was a elderly man. His face now worn down from the sea and the fights he had to take apart of. His blue skin gave away what clan he was. Everyone knew him as the Terror of the Sea. Even though he was a pirate he was more 'civilized' than the rest of the pirates around here. His voice sounded almost royal and his stature was near perfect. Unlike the others around here to slumped around and did nothing. "Hey, Eiji. I have something to tell you, its about your mum. Why I had to kill her."

Eiji throat harden as he took a gulp of the saliva that had been building up in his mouth. Why was this happening now? the young Eiji thought to himself. He gave the elderly man a stern look and raised one eyebrow. "Cap, I don't be needed an explanation from ye. It happened, nothin I can to fix it." He looked back into the sea, he knew that he was going to learn it anyway. The older pirate nodded "Hey, hey, listen here you brat I have something to tell you and you better listen. Your mother was sick. I knew your family, before I left that village behind. Your father caught the bone sickness that your clan gets and your mother was sick with an unknown disease and did not want you to suffer the lost of two family members due to illness. They asked me to do it." Eiji was shocked at the new information, looking out to the sea he felt sick almost. His captain continued talking "If anything happens, promise you'll find a way back to Kiri. Make a new life for yourself." Eiji could do nothing but nod.

A flash back just happened in front of Eiji, when she brought up his loyalties to the village of Kiri. She did have a point, why would she have to believe him? She did not, she could be like everyone else and just pretend to ignore his existence. Yet she asked the question and it deserved to be answered. "Ye can't, there der no reason for anyone to be thinking 'Oi what a lovely pirate over there, he must be here to make friends,' or 'Look its a pirate traitor, coming here to betray us next'." He tried so hard to imitate a girls voice, yet with his voice it just came out like he was trying to joke around. He sat down on a nearby rock and started to explain what happened in his past.

"There is a storm brewing up Eiji, go to bed." The Kisame captain told Eiji. Eiji did not have a scar on his eye yet and he this was only a year or two ago. Eiji sighed "Aye captain, mummy knows best" He ducked as he walked away knowing that a sheathe would be coming toward his head. Eiji made due in his hammock and sweet sleep took over. A few hours later a loud thunder crack waking up Eiji, with a man standing over him with a knife. "Oi!" Eiji yelled opening up his wrist and letting out a bone to stop the knife. "What in da ell are you doing mate?" It was one of his crew mates trying to kill him now.

"I'm sorry Eiji! You would not join Ripper with us. That means you have to die with the rest." The person said with a sad tone as he made a swing at Eiji's heart. Eiji could feel the bones harden around it to save his life and he quickly stuck his sword in a non-lethal area to make the person feel an ungodly amount of pain. Eiji knew what was going on, and he heard it a few moments to confirm it.

"Mutiny! Mutiny!" Cried out one of his crew mates. Running up he noticed the boat was surrounded by two other boats and were being boarded on both sides. Some of the crew was fighting back, killing each other as this madness went on. Eiji knew what happens in a mutiny. The captain had to die, rushing up to the captain quarter he found out he was too late. "Captain!" Eiji yelled as rain started to pelt the sky, he knew what was going to happen and he was to weak to stop it.

The old Kisame looked up with a grin, his teeth were knocked out. Clearly he fought hard and long and when Eiji looked around his crew mates laid around. Wounded, not dead, even though they most likely wished they were dead. "Eiji, you gotta make it through this. Remember what you promised me." The old man gave him a grin "Join Ripper, he will lead you to the new home." Eiji could feel the tears go down his face as he pulled out yet another blade out of his forearm. He made a dash at the Captain in hopes of setting him free, and yet was greeted with a slash across the face from Ripper himself. Eiji then saw Ripper decapitate his old captain and laughed as he turned to the Kaguya.

"I'll let you keep the coat."

A year passed and a man came to confront Ripper, a brave man. He broke through the lines with ease and eventually made it to the point where he would have to face Eiji in combat. If this man wanted a shot at Ripper, he had to go through Eiji. Eiji hated that thought, and he swore everyday he woke up that he would kill Ripper and take his head like he took his captain's head. Eiji was one off thee best fighters in Rippers command, and was revered as the Kraken of the Sea. Due to his fighting style and mastery of his bones. Sero stood before him and the fight begun. The fight was quick and Eiji knew that he was out powered. 'This man has to be the Mizukage' he thought to himself. "Oi! Creepy man, let me join you. I be killing all these traitors for ye if ya let me. Ye and me have something in common, we both want Ripper dead."

Eiji had a flash back as he told his tale to her. Then he quickly explained the fight that happened. How he killed his old crew mates to prove that he was ready to kill Ripper and all those who aligned with him. "Me be hating to say dis. Dat man, Sero? He is a force to be reckon with. If me be a spy for Ripper then me might as well be signing a will to the Davy's Jones Locker." He was speaking the full truth, "No one, and I mean no one wants Ripper dead as much as I do." He let his anger get to him and he broke sword he was holding in his hand. "Oi, sorry bout that."

He laughed as he pulled out a piece of paper with his bounty on it. He kept it with him for good luck, and for the fact he loved how long the list was. Most of it was silly, yet fun to read. "Okay let me be seeing here" He said as he started to open up the small piece of paper. It looked like a normal size piece of paper until he open up the lace that held a scroll on it. Then a huge scroll came out of it and fell to the floor and started to unravel a good distance away. "Where to begin." He mutter to himself "Piracy against mankind, Murder of at least 1000 good men, arson, destruction of government property, violation of government property, nudity in public, nudity in general, lewd conduct, removal of clothing of females within villages. Pillage, rape, and plundering. Oi that just piracy! Me don't rape...Whatever" He said as he continued down the list. "Sexual harassment to political figures, normal harassment to political figures. Indecent exposure, wait dat be nude...Sex in public, destruction of at least numerous bars. Countless attempts to kidnap daughters from homes. Which be crap, I be takin dem home when they were done with me." He gave her a sly wink again to confirm any suspicions "Kidnapping in general. I could on for a while beautiful." He said to her. "What about ye? Ye be a trouble maker like me? Or just a perfect kid?"

As Eiji took a seat, Tsuneko, feeling awkward still standing, took a seat on a rock beside him, casually stretching her legs out before her and crossing them at the ankle. Their respective seats were in such convenient proximity for they had once been a single larger slab of stone that had been weathered and split in half by the ice wedging over the years. She listened quietly as Eiji told his tale, adding the information about Sero to the rest of her mental notes on the Mizukage. It never hurt to know more about the people you had to work with, and it certainly would not go amiss to learn about the one whom was in charge.

She nodded in agreement with Eiji’s assessment of the Osada; she didn’t recognize the pirate reference of ‘Davy’s Jones Locker’, but she was sure that Sero would take out anyone who crossed him. Tsuneko flinched at the sharp sound of a bone cracking. Her muscles tensed in her automatic fight-or-flight response and her legs snapped back in, half raising her body back up to standing before she corrected herself and sat back down. She was slightly embarrassed by her reaction. Although those reflexes would someday be useful, now they probably just made her look skittish as a deer. She had tried to draw attention off of her reaction by asking her next question, and as Eiji answered, she looked over to see that the noise was him snapping his sword in half. Perhaps he had not crafted his blade as strongly as their Kekkei Genkai could make them, but still, to be able to break a bone in one hand, it spoke of his feelings towards Ripper as well as his strength.

As he started reading off of the list, she quieted her nerves. After a moment, she leaned over to see the paper for herself. Looking over his elbow, she saw that it was clearly a bounty, and the price on it was an alluring one for hunters. Listening to him read off his long list of misdeeds was entertaining, at least, although it definitely showed her that she’d have to keep an eye on him. He certainly would not be the one to lead the clan; it would probably be all that she could do to try to keep him from causing too much trouble here and making them both look bad in the village.

She shook her head as he finished. “I’ve done my best to stay out of trouble and out of notice. It’s easier that way,” she shrugged. What she didn’t say was that it was easier to manipulate people and get what she wanted that way. If you went around saying how you thought that the medics were worthless or purposefully killed her mother, it fluctuated every couple days on which she thought, how could you expect them to welcome you into their fold and teach you what they know? She needed their guidance now in order to achieve her own goals in the future. Instead, her ‘it’s easier that way’ was portrayed to reflect it just being easier to live in a mistrustful village.

Thinking back to that sizable bounty, she joked, “In the future, when the bounty hunters come looking for you, try to fight them off outside, yeah? I’m just rebuilding the place, and I don’t want to have to do it all over again anytime soon.” With the number of workers, it should only take a few weeks before the building was completed, and they'd both be living in it, unless Eiji changed his mind by then. Fortunately, they would not be on top of each other, as it was being built for longevity and was much bigger than needed for the small number of people. Although her words were light-hearted and not meant anywhere as deeply as this: it also could be taken as a reminder that what he did now wouldn't just affect him alone.

"Oi me know that look, I promised Mizacap that I would behave while I was in town." He said when he she brought up the fighting within the temple. He stretch his arms out as he let the remains of the sword drop. He slowly brought his arms in and rested them comfortable in his lap. "Part of the deal was, I join his army, he be gettin rid of this list of crimes. Yet it still good to look on ye past to remind yerself of what and who ye were." He gave a look at the piece of paper that he had in his hand and he rolled it up and folded it up again that screamed of wisdom. Even though Eiji was not the smartest person in the world, he had life experience to make up for his lack of normal knowledge, and grammar.

He laughed after he was done explaining that the bounty on his head did not exist anymore. At least to his understanding it did not. "Well me be promising this, if me get in a fight I will make sure that I clean up the mess and the blood stain. I know how mummy does not like having red on the nice carpet." He teased. "Ell maybe ye will get lucky and I won't fight on dat table everyone eats at." He stood up gallently and started to pretend sword fight with a rapier, "Then ye get to see the Great Eiji in a epic battle for me life." He was not being very serious right now and was clearly just being goofy now.

It was weird that he grew up with pirates who never took a day in there life seriously. Now he was around people who all had sticks up their bums and were stiff as rocks. "I did not plan to be showing dis to everyone in town ye know. It be just a good lucky charm. At least I thinkin it be. Cause really, if it is this long and I be living, I be doing something right!" He said in a cheerful tone. He offered her a hand to help her up, he still was somewhat a gentleman in soul even though he was a ruffian in body.

Tsuneko could not help but laugh at Eiji’s antics, from the ‘Mizacap’ to his ridiculous play-fighting. Time would lend her more insight into who exactly this man was, but it would certainly be entertaining to find out. She rolled her eyes at his teasing; she had heard it before. With her fixation on time and schedules, she’d been called a ‘little mother’ for making sure that those she knew were in the right place at precisely the right time. It was true though, if he had survived with that bounty over his head, he definitely knew how to take care of himself.

Accepting the offered hand with a smile, she stood, brushing the dirt off of the back of her dress with her free hand. Glancing back towards the site, she saw that the men were packing up for the evening. It was hard to tell with the overcast sky, but it must have been getting late while they were telling each other tales. She was tempted to go back over there and check-in with the foreman, but with his tease, she realized that there was no need to. They knew what they were doing and didn’t need her looking in over their shoulders, as much as she wanted to.

Looking back to Eiji, she noticed the broken pieces of his bone sword laying on the ground. Her curiosity about another Shikotsumyaku user flaring up, she made the few steps over to where he’d dropped them. Picking up the smaller piece with the hilt, she held it loosely down by her side. Clearly, he didn’t want it, just as she had no real use for the bones that she herself discarded, and so she didn’t bother asking his permission to take it. It might appear that she wanted it as some sort of souvenir, or he might guess the real reason from her being a medical-nin, which was that she was interested in studying it and comparing it to her own. Perhaps there’d be differences, perhaps not.

Idly swiveling the piece back and forth between her fingers, she commented, “I’m going to head back in to town. Sero has put you up somewhere for the meantime, right?” She didn’t know how long Eiji had been in the village, but she assumed that these details had been taken care of. However, she felt that she needed to ask, just in case.

Eiji gave her another sly look that was very much on the lines of flirty. "Why be asking? Ye offering yer place to me if me don't? Ye moves very fast!" He did have his own place, but he hated staying in it. He rather be staying in the bar or singing Karaoke with some beautiful women. He made a grab at her hand and would swing her around as if he was dancing with her and then finishing it off with the famous catch with one hand. If not he would just pretend he had her. "Most women be wanting a dance!"

He then noticed that she kept a piece of his bone sword he made. He was curious why she would keep his bones. "Ye know if ye want a better memento ye could ave ask. Most women want a different bone if ye know what I mean." He had his grin going on again. He did not know where he was going with this. It just started to slip out of his mouth. It was a bad habit that he needed to break.

He broke off and stood a bit away from her, he was wondering if he went to far. He did not want to make her uncomfortable for any reason. He made a fidgeting motion in his hair and for once he realized what he was doing and for once in his life he realized that people maybe uncomfortable. It did show in his face too.

"If ye don't mind I can walk ye to yer house, maybe stop for food along the way." He was offering dinner, that was new. New was good right? He stretched his arms out and looked at the people working. Or not working in this case. How late was it, he really did not know.

It would have been out of character for Eiji to not have spun her words to make her harmless question sound like an invitation to spend the night. As he grabbed her hand and swung her about, including her in another one of his charades, Tsuneko allowed herself to be swept along. It wasn’t until his next remark that his shameless flirting crossed the line of decency.

Perhaps she was a bit odd for deciding to hold onto the piece, there may be nothing to be gained from inspecting it further, anyways; she didn’t really care much what he thought of her whim, either way. The innuendo that followed was what made her uncomfortable, for she did, of course, 'know what he meant' with that ever-present grin of his. Her cheeks coloring with embarrassment from the suggestion, the girl looked away, but it seemed that Eiji already knew that his brazen tongue had taken it too far; he had stepped back and, out of her peripherals, she could see him fidgeting, an odd action on the typically bold ex-pirate.

Eiji offered to walk her home and get her dinner; perhaps it was a sort of apology, perhaps not, but already made uncomfortable, she’d had enough of her kinsman for one day. “Nah, you don’t have to look after me, Eiji; I can make it back on my own,” she spoke the words lightly and in a friendly tone. Adding, as though it was an afterthought, “I’ve actually got a bit of a ‘Girls’ Night’ tonight that I need to get ready for.” Tsuneko was a practiced liar, and the falsehood came out convincingly. The first part came off as though she was considerately relieving him of any feelings of responsibility towards her; the second was a convenient way to give herself an ‘out’ from dinner and a deadline to be back in town by.

“I’m sure I’ll see you around,” she said pleasantly as a 'goodbye'. It wasn’t as though she was truly upset with him, and perhaps she’d grow used to his presumptuous manner with time; however, there was just so much a girl could take at a time. Clearly, something as friendly as a hug from Tsuneko was out at this time, although she wasn’t much of a ‘touchy-feely’ person ordinarily, anyways. So, unless he moved or said something to stop her, with a gesture like a half-wave, she would head back towards the main part of the village where she was temporarily staying in a small, but tidy, studio apartment.

Eiji watch his clan mate walk off. He was not sure what to do, so he just waved by as he wonder if he went to far. Their life style was very different, and maybe someday she will accept him as who he is. He looked at the people now staring at him, "What ye want?" He growled at them as they started to scurry away like rats. Eiji sighed and stretched his body out one last time before getting home. It was getting late, and he needed to head back home and get some rest. He had to get up early and check in with certain people, even though he was no where near the kage level he still wanted to learn how they acted and understand what they do exactly.

Eiji started to walk away from the temple and he stopped to look back. Was this place a place where he could call home? He was not sure, only time would tell. He turned away to look at the place that was slowly being rebuilt, and it made him sick to his stomach. It was as if the building was being rebuilt as he was. He shook his head and left it all behind, he was thinking to much again.

(Exit thread)