No matter how you look at it, it was truly a fleabag hotel, in which she spent her second night. However, with the little money she had taken from Taku’s lifeless body, she couldn’t afford anything more glamorous, and from what that stranger had told her recently, most hotels and inns were full either way.
Besides, Misoka didn’t really mind. A cold shower, a little bit to eat and drink, a “bed” which consisted of a simple mat laid out on the floor in a room stained with dust – this all sufficed perfectly, at least compared to the possibility of sleeping outside during times of war.
It was early morning when she left the hotel, ready to go to the harbour and check whether the ferry had returned. The longer she stayed in Kirigakure, the higher would be the risk of being pursued again. The clan leader must know to which country Taku had dragged her and undoubtedly, he also knew of the war raging here.
Misoka drew a deep breath, tasting the fresh air and watching as brilliant orange poured out of the sun and across the horizon. After a long, cold night the daybreak brought glimmers of warmth, not enough to prevent the clouds of steam from escaping her lips, but somewhat soothing nonetheless.
The way to the harbour seemed to be the first and only thing related to the village that concerned her and which she had learnt by heart. She didn’t plan to become part of this war. She’d never planned on travelling to Kirigakure in the first place.
Upon arriving at the harbour, Misoka didn’t take long to figure out that there was no ferry to be seen. The other day, she had missed it and now she would probably have to wait another few days for it to return and allow for her departure.
Time was a luxury; it had always been over the past years.
But complaining wasn’t going to get her anywhere at the moment. She sighed. What now? Back to the fleabag hotel? Keep standing here and eventually lure out some Seven Bells shinobi who thought she was easy prey?
Oh well, the former it was then.

The moment she wanted to turn around, however, something caught her eye. Something that made her heart skip a beat.
…A ship! The ferry, perhaps? So she would be able to leave this village today after all! The distant ship drew closer and closer, a grey shape against dark waters.
She could make out about three people standing at the railing. The other passengers must be in their staterooms, then.
The joy she felt at that sight almost prompted her to raise an arm and wave, but she knew this would look… stupid or well, desperate. What surprised her was the fact that no-one else had come to the harbour yet, just like she had. But then again, who could have anticipated a timetable change? And who, other than her, would have nothing better to do than pay the harbour a visit every day in hopes that exact thing would happen?
Minutes dragged by with the ship continuously approaching. From this distance, Misoka could see that the three people at the railing were men, one of them most probably the captain.
There, he pointed at her. “Yes, I’ll be one of your next passengers,” she would have almost liked to call out to him and had to refrain from laughing.

Then the arrow came. The buzzing sound filled her ears, the missile aiming at her heart before her instincts kicked in and she leaped away. Almost too late, she had to admit, when half of her cloak’s right sleeve got torn apart.
“YOU MORON!” someone shouted. Misoka's gaze jerked to the voice’s owner as she realized that a person aboard the ship had shot the arrow. One of the three men, the one who was bending the bow once again, the one who had just been insulted by the supposed captain.
“I told you to aim at her leg! We need her alive, you fucking idiot! Now, hurry up!”
And at that moment, she knew. This was far too familiar. This was what she had dreaded for the past two days.
Apparently, the clan leader didn’t waste any time in getting her back. They still hadn’t given up on her.
The hunt restarted. Like a sick game. But no. This happened every day. Hunters, ready to shoot. The deer, ready to run.
And she wouldn’t make a difference. She would run as well.
It was too risky to stay and fend off three shinobi whose ranks she couldn’t be certain about. All she knew for sure was that they were in the majority.
Another arrow flew towards her, but she dodged it and began to haste in the opposite direction.
However, their voices wouldn’t leave her, revealing their whereabouts and that they were still within earshot.
“Quick, let’s dock the ship and go! We can’t lose her!”
Misoka jumped up one of the rooftops, making her way through the village. Her mind was racing. Why hadn’t she disguised herself? Right, Sanosuke had taken her mask. But… she could have at least worn the hood! How could she have been so careless? The short period of freedom must have gotten to her. Now she paid the price.
Quickly, she threw a glance over her shoulder, just in time to see one of her pursuers weaving hand signs. Alright, two ranged fighters then. The third might be one, too.
But even if he wasn’t, it didn’t exactly raise her chances. Furthermore, judging from their speed and the fact that they stayed on her heels, their shinobi ranks must be at least equal to hers.
No weak Chunin to defeat this time.
The man who she’d seen forming hand seals before started firing off air bullets. She listened to the hissing wind and evaded one bullet after another, but the deep concentration slowed her down slightly.

She couldn’t outrun them. Still, there had to be… something she could do.
Jumping on the next rooftop, she suddenly came to a slithering halt and whirled around. Her pursuers caught up to her few instants later. Misoka took out a kunai.
When they prepared to rush towards her and probably render her unconscious, she raised the weapon. Not to defend herself, though. Instead, she lifted her chin and held it against her own neck, perfectly visible to all of them.
“Stop!”
They were obviously too confused to argue. With a simultaneous gasp, they halted, surrounding her.
She examined them briefly. None of her clansmen, just some other shinobi who worked for Akihiko.
The archer let out a chuckle. “Why would you kill yourself? You’re bluffing.”
He grasped another arrow and bent his bow.
Misoka’s eyes darted back and forth between the three men. Just a little longer. Her chance would come sooner or later. But in order to escape, they would first have to believe her threat.
“Put your bow down,” she commanded, but he only smirked at her.
Fine. “So you think I’m bluffing?”
In a blur of movement, Misoka pressed the kunai against her skin, until a small stream of blood trickled down her neck. “Do you still not believe me? I can go further,” she said calmly, ignoring the pain when she continued cutting her own skin. Not too deep, but deep enough to put emphasis on her previous warning.

The men staggered back. The leader of the small group snapped at his comrade,”You heard her. Put your bow down!” Then he raised his hands as if to calm her. “It’s okay. We’re not moving. Drop the kunai.”
Misoka shot him a glare, her lips curving up into a somewhat sinister smile. “I wonder how much money the clan leader will make with my dead body.” Her voice grew louder. “How much money would someone pay for a dead wife? Because I’d rather die now than spend the rest of my life in captivity!”
It worked. Panic started creeping into their features; they exchanged worried glances; the archer let his bow drop.
And still… there was one huge problem. The moment she would turn and run away, they would know her attempt to kill herself was nothing but show.
She had caught them off-guard. She had wiped the confident smirks off their faces.
In fact, this was the perfect time to strike.
If only she could be absolutely certain that she would be able to knock out all of them.

---

Training Ninjutsu S->SS 1455/9000

The cool coastal breeze blew through the morning air, dragging the tail of Bokuden’s cloak along in the wind as he stood atop the rooftops of Kirigakure. His full length hooded cloak shielded his body from the cold and damp winds, a necessary accessory given that he was to remain fully outfitted in his ANBU attire. He never did enjoy putting the damned things on. The pants were fine, just regular cargo pants with some good elasticity for flexibility, but the rest of the outfit was less than satisfactory in Bokuden’s eyes. He didn’t like sandals and would have much preferred combat boots and he didn’t understand what the ANBU leaders of the five great nations had against sleeves. He liked the cold, but that didn’t mean he liked being under clothed in it. What perhaps irked him the most about being in uniform was the manner in which he was ordered to wear his sword; on his back. For someone who had spent a lifetime training with his sword and wearing it at his waste, the change was less than comfortable. He was disciplined enough to do it, but every time he drew his katana from over his back it just felt… wrong.

Unfortunately however, he was under orders to remain in uniform when operating in any official capacity outside of the village, so any premeditated actions demanded he suit up. On a morning like this, one that he felt like seeking out trouble and dealing with it rather than letting it come to him, the uniform seemed appropriate. The gloomy weather so typical of this region was well suited for the ANBU line of work also. The damp, cold air and heavy fog seemed almost thematic for the occupation of a hunter nin; get in without being seen, do the job, and get out. The silence that fell over the village however, was a bit alarming. Sure Kirigakure was a large village, but they were in the midst of a war. Silence was not always a peaceful and reassuring thing. Bokuden had learned that from a lifetime of shinobi work. Dead silence often proved to be far more frightening than any screaming or clanking of steel that combat produced. Sound let you know what was going on around you… let you know where thing were. Silence was nothingness.  No screams, no clues, no information, only emptiness and the ever lurking unknown.

Curious of the silence that had befallen the war torn village Bokuden would seek out the highest point in the village he could find nearby in order to perform a sensory scan in hopes of gathering some useful information. The most obvious location was clearly the old lighthouse over by the docks.  From there he would not only be able to see the entire surrounding area and into the distance, although hampered a bit by the mist, but also would be able to perform a scan of the area uninterrupted. The lighthouse itself was abandoned, although there was no way to tell if that was the case or if it was just unmanned due to the ongoing situation within the village. Not that it mattered to Bokuden. He was going to do what he came here to do whether there was someone there to oppose it or not. After climbing atop the lighthouse’s highest point Bokuden would balance himself and clap his hands together demonstratively, making them appear as though they were joined for prayer. The guess would have been close enough ,he supposed. What he was doing was a mental  practice, much like prayer, but did not invoke any supernatural beings or deities. Bokuden relied on and drew strength only from himself.

The stance he had taken was in preparation for the mentally taxing and concentration reliant technique he was to perform; the extended version of his kekkei genkai, Current Perception: Tracking Range. With it he would be able to locate and track all living things in the greater area surrounding his location. He wasn’t looking for anyone or anything in particular. The scan was more of a way for him to get an overview on what was going on and particular points of interests that might exist or call for investigation. At least… that was what it was originally supposed to be before anything changed. While the majority of the electrical signatures he sensed were randoms, Bokuden’s jaw almost dropped when  a certain signature signaled an alarm in his senses. It was a person that he would never have expected to be in Kirigakure, especially with all of the current issues. “Misoka…” he muttered to himself as he slowly raised himself to an upright position, his eyes still wide with shock, “This must be some kind of mistake.” Unwilling to not leave it alone until he was absolutely sure, Bokuden would waste no time in taking off in the direction of the familiar signal, travelling by rooftop as quickly as he could to reach his destination.

As he closed in on the electrical signal he was following, images of his past flashed through his head. “Misoka” the name kept ringing through his head as if he needed a reminder. He knew exactly what this could mean and his heart raced with each stride he took to the source of his curiosity. Once the source of the signal was within eyesight Bokuden would freeze in his tracks. “It’s… her,” he thought to himself, still and speechless as his eyes fixated  on the woman standing in the distance, “Her hair looks a bit different and her eyes…glow, but there is no mistake. That’s Misoka.” It was only after the initial shock wore off that Bokuden realized that a fairy tale reunion would have to be put on hold. Standing between he and her on the rooftops were three men. Their styles of dress signified no special allegiances nor any communication between them, but it was clear that they were working together at the moment, weapons drawn against Misoka.

Just about ready to charge forth form his location and deal with the men as he saw fit, there was still the matter of Bokuden’s ANBU uniform. Understanding the complexity of the situation Bokuden would perform a basic transformation jutsu on himself before engaging.  The transformation would simply turn his hair black and make it appear as though it were in a long ponytail, effectively removing all clues as to Bokuden’s identity there might be along with the ANBU mask. Now in full disguise, Bokuden would allow himself to draw even closer still to Misoka’s location, this time making himself visible to her and positioning himself behind her assailants. Raising a hand up to the front  of his mask and extending a finger skyward as if to tell Misoka to “shush” Bokuden prepared his plan to get her out of the predicament. Placing his free hand to his hip Bokuden would silently pull out an explosive kunai which he had been saving for just such an occasion.

Bokuden could likely have simply ran in, slaughtered everyone, and left, but a more tactful response might arouse less suspicion. Instead he threw the explosive kunai down at the feet of the man in the middle, causing the explosive tag to detonate, immediately blowing away the nearest enemy and creating a window for both Bokuden and Misoka to take action. Without a second thought Bokuden would dive in after the explosion to put down the last of the men, assuring neither of them were to be any issue again after the concussive force of the blast. Instead he would turn his attention to the image of the woman before him. She was there in front of him. After all this time, she was really there.

---

Training: 1307

The moment she decided to give it a shot and take the offensive, another person appeared behind her pursuers. The arrival of the newcomer happened so suddenly that she had to force herself to keep a straight face and not let any hint of bewilderment seep through.
Still pressing the kunai against her neck so as not to arouse suspicion among Akihiko’s henchmen, Misoka eyed the stranger appraisingly.
An ANBU. His uniform was a dead giveaway. Had he been sent on patrol? Had he chosen to interfere because he considered them suspicious?
When the man lifted his index finger as if to tell her to remain quiet, her eyes narrowed, both in confusion and utmost wariness. Did he want to kill the others first and get to her next? Or did he “only” plan to take her to the Mizukage by force and have her interrogated?
Every other thought was cut short as the ANBU swiftly took out an explosive kunai and threw it at the archer. The following blast prompted her to back away to the edge of the rooftop. A yell of pain accompanied the noise, suggesting that at least one of her enemies must have lost their lives or been immobilized by the unexpected attack.
Misoka lowered the kunai slowly, her blood-smeared neck coming into view. She would tend to the wound later; for now, there were definitely more urgent issues to deal with.
After the smoke had cleared, it didn’t take her long to see that the two shinobi who had not been hit directly were lying on the rooftop, most probably unconscious. A welcoming sight for sure, but…

Her mind started racing whilst watching the ANBU move over to his victims and apparently check whether they still posed a threat to him or not.
She held her breath as though this could somehow make her invisible to the hawk eyes she assumed behind the mask.
And then it occurred to her what exactly this situation felt like, what exactly caused her heart to stutter and her whole body to tense up.
The deer was being chased by a pack of wolves. A bear came and scared the wolves away.
What would the deer do at that moment? Would it stay in order to express its gratitude?
No. It would know that the bear wasn’t its saviour, but merely a more dangerous predator which it needed to run from.
Misoka highly doubted that their roles had changed within that short period of time.
She was still the deer. The prey.
…But she was used to it anyway.
And maybe precisely because of that, she immediately gave in to her first, most pressing instinct when the stranger turned to look at her.

She spun around and took off running.
Over to the next rooftop. Another one. An abundance of thoughts begged for her attention; questions such as what the ANBU was truly up to, whether he would follow her. If he had wanted to kill her, he could have done so before. As a logical consequence, this might not be the case then. He might have only gauged her reaction and decided for himself that she wasn’t an enemy to worry about or any enemy at all. On the other hand, it was a bit far-fetched to assume he had nothing but good intentions.
She would be more than foolish to trust anyone in this whole village, let alone a shinobi of obviously superior prowess.
..Alright, alright. Where to go now? Head back to the fleabag hotel?
Anxiously, Misoka scanned the area, yet not slowing down in the least bit, the streets below rushing past her in a blur. She racked her brain, trying to remember the way to the hotel, the only relatively safe place there was for her. Unfortunately, this proved itself to be quite a hopeless endeavour since she couldn’t even pinpoint her location at that very moment. How was she going to orientate herself then?
That was when a street sign caught her attention.
Of course! Feeling new hope growing within her, Misoka leaped onto a lower rooftop, from which she managed to get down to the ground safely. She couldn’t afford to waste any time, she knew that, even without mustering up the courage to throw a glance behind her.

“Tokio Hotel,” read the sign with an arrow symbol pointing to the left, and then she spotted another one,”Bel-Air Hotel.”
Awesome. Terrific! Now she only had to remember what official name her hotel called its own – Oh, right, this was the problem here! She halted shortly in front of the signs although her flight instinct urged her to keep running, but without any directions she would never reach her destination anyway.
At least, she could use the short pause to take gulps of the cool morning air and fill her pleading lungs with oxygen.
Damn it. If any of those signs said “Kiri’s cheapest hotel” or something like that, her task would be a lot easier.
The seconds that passed felt like hours to Misoka, each one of them reminding her of the precious time she was wasting standing around and trying to determine which way to go.
In the end, she felt far too edgy to think any longer and simply decided to dash into a random alleyway in hopes the stranger would lose sight of her should he really chase her after all.

---

2367/9000

Almost as quickly as she had been returned to Bokuden, the sight of Misoka was taken from him once more as she wasted no time in taking off from the scene as soon as he had dealt with the three assailants. His first instinct was to call out to her, but in the interest of preserving his identity’s secret he cut his breathe short and allowed her to run away. He would of course immediately follow after her, allowing her to get out in front of him and using his sensory abilities to let her get out in front. She was frightened, and the last thing she needed was for some armed, mask man to immediately begin breathing down her neck. Instead he would lay back and allow her space for now as everything settled in for her.

The frantic and random pattern of her paths as ran told him all that he needed to know about her ability to navigate the area; she was lost. This realization only served to further complicate the issue as the information only painted a more vivid picture of a desperate and potentially unpredictable Misoka. The idea of a lost, desperate, armed, and trained to kill woman immediately set off the red flags in Bokuden’s head to stay away, but that was simply an impossibility at this point. There was nothing that was going to keep him away.

Misoka’s choice to run into an alleyway to rest was a strange one and not a choice that did not bring about some dismay with Bokuden. The reason he allowed her space after she initially took off was to attempt to provide a setting that would allow him to present himself to her as non-threatening. With this choice though… who ever heard of peaceful armed mask men that corner you in alleyways? Despite his displeasure Bokuden would follow her into the alleyway, taking a spot leaning up against the wall behind her as she turned around to scan her trail. Knowing full well that the next thirty seconds were going to be crucial to whether or not she trusted, or at least didn’t run away in fear, of Bokuden he made it a point to use his ANBU mask’s ability to change his voice. Not only would it further hide his identity, but it allowed him to choose something with a little less bass.

“You know, you have a strange way of showing gratitude to the person who came to your rescue,” Bokuden mused as he slowly raised himself up from the wall and turned to face the exasperated Misoka, “As much as I appreciate the exercise, I’m sure that a simple thank you would have sufficed.” Slowly he would bring his hands up to chest level and show her his palms to let her see that his hands were empty and not a threat to her. “Please miss, calm down,” he continued as he took small, slow steps towards her as to not alarm her, “I mean you no harm. I’m only here to help. Let's just talk, okay?”

---

Training:1825

She had known that the chances of fleeing from an ANBU shinobi were slim to say the least. But somehow she had hoped he would grow tired of chasing her or true enemies would show up – Seven Bells puppeteers for instance – and give him something more important to do. Sadly, the odds weren’t in her favour that day.
The path she had randomly chosen ended in a blind alley. When she turned around, the stranger was already lazily leaning against the wall, blocking the way back.
Misoka suppressed a gasp and then a curse as she had no other choice but stop dead in her tracks.
Closing her eyes for a split second as if in meditation, she took a deep breath and exhaled the air slowly. She had been on the edge of death at least three times before within only two days: a pack of skilled Seven Bells shinobi cornering her, Taku trying to kill her twice, not even counting his attempt in Yukimura’s castle. Perhaps she just wasn’t supposed to die yet.
So far, the twists of fate had always succeeded in snatching her from the jaws of death. If they could try it once more, she might be able to get out of this situation alive. Most importantly, though, she had to keep a cool head.
As long as her opponent didn’t attack, she wouldn’t, either. In any case, the ANBU’s intentions seemed to hide in a cloud of mist just like the village they were in.
Her face still drenched in suspicion, Misoka proceeded to watch his every move when the masked man raised himself to an upright position. She couldn’t help but take note of his quite impressive height now that they were standing opposite each other. Then he spoke and she found it hard to believe that the almost silvery voice belonged to a man with such authoritative appearance.

“You know, you have a strange way of showing gratitude to the person who came to your rescue. As much as I appreciate the exercise, I’m sure that a simple thank you would have sufficed.”
Strange? She couldn't refrain from letting out an amused huff.
“Do you expect me to consider you my ally just because you happened to help me out in a tight spot?” she chose to reply in a snide undertone, feeling how her previous anxiety gradually faded away with the knowledge that escape wasn’t an option anymore. She couldn’t afford to display weakness at the moment, which would undoubtedly confirm his belief that she was easy prey. Whatever that guy was going to throw at her, she wouldn’t back down without a fight. “As a shinobi of your calibre should surely know, nothing is as it seems. I’ve grown out of jumping to conclusions.”
Furthermore, the mere fact that he had chased her down suggested that he wasn’t here to have a little chat or demand nothing more than a thank you.
Making sure her breathing remained calm and steady, Misoka took out a kunai and held it in front of her when the stranger dared to move closer. Oddly enough, he didn’t show any sign of preparing an assault; instead, he raised his hands whilst approaching and let her know he meant no harm.

A trick? The mess of confusion and unease flared up within her again, overshadowing her display of determination for a moment.
She took a step back like a wild animal which threatened to snap if being cornered. When the ANBU told her to calm down then, she felt a spark of shame, angry at herself for the brief instants of vulnerability.
At the stranger’s last words, her ears pricked up and she immediately went on to process the hidden meaning behind them.
Talk? Of course. This would have been her second guess: He wasn’t here to kill her, but ask her questions because she seemed suspicious. Yet, these two assumptions could perfectly go along with each other: If she wasn’t able to provide the information he sought or if he wanted to test her honesty, he might very well resort to violence. In times of war, patience was often pared down to a minimum.
Thus, she would have to stay on alert. Not that this was something she needed to remind herself of.
Looking up at the porcelain mask, Misoka gave the man a nod. “I understand.”
She spared herself any possibly taunting remark this time and instead focused on maintaining a calm, fearless tone in her voice.
“However, I doubt I’ll be of use to you. Neither am I one of Seven Bells’ henchmen nor do I know anything of importance about him,” Misoka would then add and shrug her shoulders slightly, doubting this would be enough for him to leave her alone.
“But go ahead and begin the interrogation, you have no reason to believe me.”

---

3201/9000

The ferocity and snark in Misoka’s answer brought a smirk to Bokuden’s face, although his mask hid it from sight. Although he never would have imagined this feistiness coming from Misoka, much less being directed at him, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy and amusement from it. She had changed. No, not changed… grown. It was not just her hair or eyes that seemed unlike the girl he had known, there was something else about her now. A strength that wasn’t there back when he first met her… or maybe it was there all along and she just needed time to show it.

He did not have time to sit around and admire her however, as he had to remain in character. Speaking of which, there wasn’t really an idea for what kind of person this nameless ANBU was supposed to be. Considering the situation in which he found her there wasn’t exactly a ton of time for him to craft an imaginary person’s life story. Hopefully the fact that he was ANBU and that he needed to keep information classified would suffice as an explanation for why this character Bokuden was playing was shrouded in mystery. He couldn’t tell Misoka who he was… not yet, no matter how much it pained him to be so close to her and be completely unable to embrace her.
He would however, move passed his own desires and continue doing what he felt was the best assistance he could provide her. “You misunderstand me, miss,” he began, still slowly walking towards her with his hands displayed in a non-threatening way, “This is not an interrogation. You are under no obligation to answer any of my questions or even remain in my presence if you do not so choose. I do hope however, that you hear me out and allow me to help. I apologize if I offended you in any way, but it seemed as though you were in need of some help back there. But those men were not Seven Bells soldiers, nor did their behavior when surrounding you make me believe that they were common thugs or that that was a random encounter. Also, the way you ran about aimlessly after I arrived and ended up in this alley tells me that you have nowhere to go. Call me a sucker for a damsel in distress, but I have no intention of allowing you to continue on by yourself in a place like this if you are being targeted. I’d ask that you at least allow me to escort you to wherever you were staying in the village so that my conscience may rest easy.”

From behind the mask Bokuden’s eyes would dart downward to a trail of blood streaking down her throat. His heart would sink into his stomach as he thoughtlessly blurted out, “Your neck! You’re wounded!” Without hesitation he would use his speed to close the gap entirely between them and would lift her chin with the fingertips of his left hand to begin inspecting the wound. Knowing full well that this sudden action would startle Misoka and likely prompt her to try and escape Bokuden would take on oh his own kunai and place the handle in her hand. With his right hand he would gently take her wrist and lead it upwards to press the blade in her hand against his throat. “Please don’t be alarmed,” he would say as gently as he could, “At the first sign of foul play you can plunge the bade into my throat, but please let me take a look.I have some medical training and can close the wound. You’ve been running with it. The wound may be small, but you shouldn’t leave it untreated. Here…” Allowing the tip of the kunai’s blade to press firmly against his throat Bokuden would take immediate action, tearing a piece of his own clothing and dampening a part of it with water that he may wipe away the blood that had already spilled from the cut.

Once that was done he prepared his ANBU healing technique and pressed his palm ever so lightly over the gash, closing it almost immediately. Now that his moment of panic had died down he saw how minor the gash really was and felt slightly embarrassed by his overreaction. He could only imagine what Misoka thought of all of this. A stranger in an ANBU uniform hands you a knife to threaten him with and frantically cleans and heals a minor gash as if it was a matter of life and death… yeah… totally normal. Either way, he was relieved to know that she had suffered no major injury and that even that tiny gash was now properly healed.

---

Training: 2636

Getting rid of her or an interrogation – these were the only two plausible explanations Misoka could think of as to why an ANBU had chosen to follow her around.
Hence, it took her completely by surprise when the man offered a different reason for his previous behaviour. A reason which sounded so… unexpected that it managed to replace the wariness on her features with pure bewilderment. Then again, given his pansy voice, she might even believe it.
..So he was trying to tell her that he had come after her because he wanted to help her? Because she seemed lost in his eyes? Sucker for a damsel in distress… wait, what?
“I’m not a damsel in distress!” Misoka started denying flustered even though she knew it to be true. Still, having an ANBU protect her from three other shinobi and chase her down to ensure her safety afterwards… this could count as a little bit embarrassing. Who did he think she was? Some confused woman who couldn’t find her way back to the hotel and would surely get killed without his help? And even if that was the case, which it wasn’t, she didn’t want to hear him say it out loud.
“I’m fine. I can take care of myself,” she went on, muttering under her breath and hoping the immature defiance in her voice wasn’t too audible. “Don’t you have work to do? Kill some Seven Bells shinobi for example? If you are truly nothing but concerned about my safety, you’re wasting your time-”
Her following words were interrupted by a weird yelp coming from the man, something along the lines that she was hurt, peculiar enough on its own, before he suddenly rushed towards her.
Misoka flinched, cursing herself for letting him break through her defenses with his far-fetched lies. She should have continuously kept her guard up. That guy had planned to launch an attack, after all.

At once, praying her quick reflexes would suffice, she assumed a fighting stance in order to fend him off as best as she could.
Only to be surprised one more time by her opponent. Instead of taking advantage of her brief moment of inattention, he handed her a kunai and made her press it against his neck. So… completely irrational that she couldn’t do anything but stare up at him in disbelief. What was going on? Quite the remarking fighting style: He seemed to enjoy the thrill of exposing his neck to the opponent, almost daring her to kill him.  
“What… the heck are you doing?” Misoka hissed through gritted teeth. Why did she always find herself in weird situations like this one?
The stranger was quick to provide an answer, explaining that he only wanted to… take a look at her wound.
Alright. Now he had truly succeeded in creeping her out. This was nothing more than a scratch and a little bit of blood; no need in getting so worked up over it. He even tore a piece of his clothing to wash away the blood stains before using medical ninjutsu to close the injury.
Once he had finished that task, she felt highly tempted to address the unnecessity of his actions.
“You're right, this wound could have really killed me over time.” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
In a further attempt to distract from the utter confusion building up within her, Misoka gave him back his kunai and swiftly brought some distance between them.
That man was… unpredictable and might have a screw loose, but… he didn’t intend to do her harm. So much should be apparent for now, considering the fact that he would rather heal her than raise his weapon against her.

“Well… fine,” she eventually broke the awkward silence and tried to regain her confident demeanour. “Maybe I’m really lost. Maybe!” This was far too embarrassing to admit openly. But no… the embarrassing part was yet to come.
“I am looking for the hotel I’m staying in. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name… I only know it’s, um, a very cheap hotel – but still very comfortable! The front of the building is grey and the plaster is peeling off… a carmine red rooftop, I think.”
What a great description. She had little hope that he would be able to help her in that case. She shouldn’t have started with that nonsense. Sooner or later, she would certainly find the building again; she had all day anyway.
And so Misoka didn’t even wait for his reply, but began backtracking right afterwards. “Ah, you know, forget it. I appreciate your chivalry although it might be a bit too much – just an advice -  , but as I said, I’m fine.” With a stern expression, she crossed her arms in front of her and walked past him. Then she paused, looking back at his masked face. “Thank you.”
Given the fact that this had apparently been a misunderstanding, she felt it appropriate to recall her manners. Suspicious or not, the man had helped her escape from her pursuers after all. Perhaps it was time to lighten the mood. Test his reaction. Try to assess him.
For the first time, a thin smile spread across her lips when she decided to add a joke in reference to her previous statement, “But don’t expect anything more than that.”

---

4109/9000

“Hmmm,” Bokuden hummed to himself playfully as he listened to Misoka’s words, “Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much? For your information I’m not an ANBU shinobi of Kirigakure, so the Seven Bells situation isn’t really my problem. So no in fact, I don’t have any work to do that is more pressing at the moment than making sure you are okay. In case you didn’t hear me the first time, I have no intention of going anywhere until I can make sure you are safe, princess.” The tone in his voice reciprocated the sarcasm that she had given him before, adding in that ‘princess’ bit just to add a little bit more oomph to his snarky remark.

“I don’t like repeating myself, you know,” he spoke, choosing his words very carefully, “I don’t know why, but for some reason I feel compelled to help you. Something about you just seems… familiar. So, whether you like it or not, until we get you somewhere safe you aren’t alone. I’m sure that you are totally capable of taking care of yourself, but you don’t have to put on the tough front all the time… just… let me help you.” Almost every word in that sequence all the way back to the beginning was meticulously chosen. “You worry too much”, “I don’t like repeating myself”, “whether you like it or not, you aren’t alone”, “let me help you” all words that he had spoken to her once before… as himself rather than the nameless ANBU operative.

The Misoka he knew was a suspicious person with little to no willingness or reason to trust strangers, especially men, and it didn’t seem like that had changed. It was inconvenient for him at the moment, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel a bit… happy that time hadn’t changed her too much. Part of him wondered if it wouldn’t have been a better idea to transform into the shape of a woman to try and make Misoka a bit less hesitant to trust him, but it was too late for that now. He hoped that his words would help her drop her guard a bit, even if it was unconsciously. He had replayed the days he spent with her and their conversations in his mind so many times that he could immediately draw upon phrases like that that he hoped would spark her memory. This was really his only hope at this point, as his only other option would be to stalk her. If he were to be honest however, he wanted to see if those words… his words would have any effect on her. He wanted to believe that she had spent as much time thinking about their time together as he did and that his words would mean something to her beyond face value.

---

Training: 3129

She didn’t quite understand why he was so persistent. At first, she thought it best not to listen to his concern, which she deemed so exaggerated that her warning signals were going off again. Once more, her suspicious mind started gauging the situation, coming to the conclusion that she did the right thing by putting one foot in front of the other. She had almost reached the main street when there were words that she couldn’t shut out.
Taken aback, Misoka halted and turned around as if to make sure it was really the same man speaking. How did he know…? Of course he didn’t know. A coincidence. No, even less than that. A lot of people had addressed her mistrustfulness before and told her that in some cases there was no need for it. But only one person had managed to get through to her because only that one person knew from where her caution originated.
She wanted to shrug it off and continue walking away from the ANBU – fast, as fast as she could so he wouldn’t get the chance to say anything else. And yet… she couldn’t. She could neither command her feet to move on nor hide the impact his words had on her.
The feeling of grief came suddenly, coursing through every part of her, molding memories she intended to stray from. A mess of longing, disappointment and anger. This was just… so long ago.
It hurt to remember.
And then her face fell, the feistiness crumbling from her features, revealing how she truly felt about the man’s words. She looked down at her feet without taking note of what her eyes saw. A thought crossed her mind, a thought of how strange her sudden mood swing must seem to the man, that this would only further encourage his wish to stick close to her presence.
…So what, she didn’t really care anymore. His company might be somewhat consolatory after all. If she carried on keeping to herself, she was going to forget how to speak at one point.

“Familiar... yes,” Misoka muttered, letting out a sigh. Lost in thought, she turned around again and continued her way slowly. “Sorry… let’s go.”
She wasn’t sure for what she apologized. For spacing out? For the sharp words she had previously thrown at him? Whatever the reason, it was buried beneath a blanket of sadness.
Because once more she felt reminded that the person who had told her to peek out from behind her walls wasn’t going to come for her.
And over the years, forced to strengthen her defenses, she had shed the last bit of naivety and come to understand that it was foolish to hold on to a promise he must have made thoughtlessly back then.
Bokuden might have been a Jounin, he might have had a squad and hence students he could teach some useful tricks, but how could she have ever believed he would be able to take on her clan leader? This would probably be more suicidal than anything else.
Misoka shook her head slightly. What use was it to dwell on things from the past? The presence would always differ from it anyway. Five years were a long time, especially to a shinobi. She couldn’t imagine that he would still waste a thought on her these days. Perhaps he had already become the head of his clan. Had tons of work to do. Got married and all that stuff. While she herself hadn't achieved much so far.
As soon as I've found a safe home for my father and me, I will start a new life. And I know, eventually I’ll find someone like him, Misoka swore to herself silently, hoping this could help her chase away the melancholy lingering in her heart. But to no avail.
So she only forced her mind to go blank and looked around to orientate herself or at least try to do that without any pressure this time.

---

4758/9000

The crestfallen expression on Misoka’s face after she heard his words completely overtook any joy he might have drawn from believing that she remembered him. This pain that she was going through… he was the cause of it. On some level, the very thought of him was causing him pain and made him feel as though his chest was going to explode. As she slowly started walking away she muttered in agreement, which registered to him, but all he could think about was consoling her, which given his current situation seemed like an impossibility. Almost as if they were acting on their own his feet would begin moving forward, stepping one in front of the other as he moved towards Misoka. He didn’t know what he could do once he got to her, but he needed to be closer to her.

Could he hug her? No, there was no way that she would allow some random stranger to embrace her. And yet he longed to put his arms around her once more. All he had of her now were memories of their time together. The memory of the warmth of her body as she laid with him, the smoothness of her skin, her soft touch, the smell of her hair as he rain his fingers through it, her lips… He forcefully stymied his breath as he walked, doing his best to regulate his breathing and slow his heart which seemed to be nearly beating out of his chest with every moment he spent in character.

As he drew closer to her though he knew that he couldn’t do what he wanted. He couldn’t embrace her like he longed to, he couldn’t taste her lips again, and so all he did was lay a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. It almost pained him to answer the painful look in her eyes with such a plain and impersonal act. Any friend, any stranger could offer her a simple pat on the back. He wanted to offer her more than that… he wanted to be so much more than that. Still, he set aside his own desires in favor of his duty. “I apologize,” he began. “I did not wish to upset you. If I spoke out of line… but, you’ll have to excuse me once more. The way you speak of this hotel… you aren’t from here, that much is obvious. Surely you have a home to go back to? If you do not have business in this village I would not advise staying. Not only are you being pursued by your own enemies, but here you must be wary of the war as well. Do you have somewhere else you could go? Someone who you can go to? Family? A friend? A husband perhaps? My business in this village is done, I can take you as far as you need to go.”

---

Training: 3617

After some consideration, Misoka decided that the best thing would be to head left, back to where she’d come from in order to get to the harbour. There, she knew it to be a lot easier to find her way to the hotel.
Then a hand touched her shoulder.
She jumped, her thoughts already circling around the need of launching a counter-attack before she recognized the ANBU’s voice. No enemy. Misoka couldn’t deny the faint surge of relief at that realization. The two of them had reached something like a ceasefire in her eyes.
When he began to blame himself for the dismay his words had brought to her, she quickly shook her head. “No, it’s not your fault!” she affirmed, yet slightly flattered that he actually cared. “This has nothing to do with you!”
Alright, enough of that moping about. She didn’t want to behave like a… little child who was whining to get attention and be comforted by others, especially not by strangers.
Clearing her throat, Misoka regained her calm expression and brushed the man’s hand off her shoulder ever so casually. This was just embarrassing. How could she have let simple words affect her that openly?
Great, now she really needed to change the topic, which would, by the way, surely take her mind off things. Much to her surprise, the other shinobi beat her to it.
Not interrupting him once, she listened to what he had to say: The advice to leave the country, return to her loved ones, his offer to escort her.
It took her a couple of moments to decide on how much she could reveal about herself and how much she would have to keep hidden from him.

“My plan is to travel to Kumogakure,” she began carefully. “I still have... my father. He’s waiting for me there.” As for settling down in the village – not so likely. There were too many memories attached to it, good and bad, but the past nonetheless; a past she wished to leave behind.
A short pause followed, in which she pondered the word “friends” and had to admit to herself that she didn’t have any. How pathetic. She couldn’t possibly tell him that: “The only person who cares about me is my father.”
Wait… that was something she had said aloud before… to Sanosuke.
When she had begged him to let Taku kill her so that Sanosuke and his two companions, Peeta and Katniss, wouldn’t have to risk their lives for somebody as insignificant as her.
And back at the hospital…
“I mean, I do have someone who offered me his help in Kumogakure. He’s not necessarily a friend, but I think I can count on him,” Misoka quickly added, a fleeting smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Oh dear… her father would freak out at the sight of Sanosuke. Men with long hair weren’t exactly his favourites, let alone dreadlocks. He would always go on and on to her how it wasn’t manly enough and how she deserved someone “waaay better”. Well, she’d be quick to dissipate his concerns; at the moment she didn’t intend to start a relationship with anyone.
Which led her to the ANBU’s next question.
“A husband?” She couldn’t restrain the quiet laugh escaping her lips before she continued in a proud tone,”Thank God, no. Would only hold me back. I strive to become as independent as possible.”
And her clan should never force her into anything again.

But come to think of it, the stranger had a point. In order to maintain her freedom, it was essential to leave the village hidden in the mist, considering the fact that Akihiko must somehow be aware of her current whereabouts. Otherwise, the three pursuers would have never found her. Moreover, how could she exclude the possibility that they were also after her father with the plan to use him as bait again?
Thoughtfully, she threw a sideways glance at the ANBU. “You see, if I had my way, I would gladly take you up on your offer. The problem is… the Seven Seas ferry hasn’t returned yet. I checked this morning.”
At once, a shade of crimson blossomed on her cheeks, prompting her to look away in embarrassment.
Of course she knew there was another ferry travelling to the lightning country, but she could never afford such a high-priced ticket. 2000 ryo, come on! Damn the ridiculous inflation in times of war.

---

5517/2000

“Kumogakure?” Bokuden exclaimed happily in character, “That’s even better for me! I can take you where you need to go and head back to my home village at the same time.” Bokuden would run out in front before continuing, playing up his character, “But… you said your father is there? I know for sure that you aren’t from Kumogakure, but perhaps maybe your father is? I know just about every clan in the village at this point. I’m ANBU after all, it’s my job to have information on the village. All of the clans, their leaders, and prominent members. Let’s see… there’s the Misora, the Sotseiji, the Yamato… the Ryuzoji...”

His words were deliberate, consciously dropping the name of his own clan in an attempt to prompt questions about himself. “You said you knew someone else besides your father, though?” he continued, “If you give me a name I could probably give you some more information about them. You could ask about anybody really, I pride myself in my knowledge of my village!” He would dramatically place his hands akimbo to his hip, posing triumphantly to play up the goofiness of his character.

“I know what you mean about a spouse holding you back though. That’s part of the reason I’ve chosen to stay single. My job makes it hard, you know. The life of a shinobi is hard enough. When you join ANBU though, your life is no longer your own. You sacrifice a lot when you put on this uniform, but we all have our reasons to do it. I still hold out hope though, that I live long enough to retire and have a family. It’s not fair to ask someone to be with me now, though. I’d randomly disappear, not knowing if or when I’d ever return, and I’d never be able to tell her why. It seems a bit cruel to me. But it’s good that you are strong enough to be willing to stand on your own two feet with or without a man at your side. That’s a surprisingly rare trait you have. You should be proud. But ANYWAY, onto merrier topics. Don’t worry about the ferry you’re waiting for. There’s another one coming today if I’m not mistaken. We can just take that one! You have places to be and I sure would like to get home. So it’s settled, we set out as soon as the ship arrives!”

---

Training: 4043

She had to correct herself: It seemed the odds were in her favour indeed, particularly ever since the man had announced that he came from Kumogakure. Having a guide should never be deemed unnecessary. After all, the last time she’d travelled to said village, she hadn’t exactly had the chance to stroll around.
“This sounds…um,” Misoka stuttered, overcome with a wave of excitement. “…fantastic! I would-”
Quite frankly, this was as far as she could get before the ANBU suddenly rushed forward, making her swallow down the words dancing on the tip of her tongue and formulate new ones,”W-Wait for me! What about the ferry? Okay, whatever, I’m coming!”
She caught up to him a moment later while the man obviously decided to use her brief silence to talk his head off.
He was impossible to interrupt at that point; one sentence, one piece of information following the other. How he knew a lot about all the different clans originating from Kumogakure, pretty much a whole chapter about his love life through to the belief that another ferry was supposed to arrive that day.
Apart from the latter, two things refreshed her attention in particular: First, he mentioned the Ryuzoji clan, daring that unreasonable part of her to find out what exactly had happened to the clan and its most prominent members.
Second, the ANBU said that she wasn’t from Kumogakure, an assumption he made so casually that she raised an eyebrow in wonder. On the other hand, should he know at least the tiniest bit about the Karisuma clan, her appearance probably left no room for doubt.

After the man had finished speaking, Misoka thought about saying something herself, so he wouldn’t continue chattering on trivial and not so trivial things.
A question was already forming in her mind when all of a sudden she couldn’t help but burst into laughter instead. It felt like a giant weight being lifted off her heart as she smiled in this carefree manner.
“You’re quite the talker,” she stated, amused or even infected by his own hilarity. Then there was a spark of curiousity lit up within her, continuously growing into a small sizzling flame. ANBUs were obligated to keep information classified, but from what she had heard so far, he liked the sound of him talking. Perhaps she could winkle out something more… her first instinct was to bombard him with questions about the Ryuzoji clan, her second to avoid just that. How should she leave the past behind if she kept thinking about it? So… no, denied. Why not ask something else about the man running beside her? Sounded like a plan.
However, she must not make it all too obvious. Chatterbag or not, there was surely a good reason why the Raikage had promoted him to ANBU rank.
“No, my father was born in Konohagakure. And hmm… my acquaintance… umm… I think his name is Sanosuke Fly… Flea.. eh, no, Flynt!” Misoka mused, cursing herself mentally at the same time. Wow… she hardly remembered his surname, but that should be the person closest to what she called a friend? Better not dwell on it or she would only get embarrassed once more.
“Anyway, I doubt he’ll return to Kumogakure as soon as I do. He helps fending off the hostile Seven Bells forces.”

Her smile widened when she stole a glance at the ANBU.
Here it comes.
“You know, since we are going to spend some time together…” she reasoned innocently.“…I guess, it should be my turn now to ask questions. But no lying! I'll know if you're lying! So… for example, how old are you?” Not bad. It was, in fact, quite hard to estimate his age without seeing his face.
“And you mentioned all those famous clans in Kumogakure… Ryuzoji, umm, what else... right, Misora, Sose-something... anyhow, which one are you from?”
Last, but not least, on to the final question.
“I also think some proper introductions are in order.” She inclined her head in a small bow. “I’m Misoka. And you are? If we get separated, I’d like to call you by your name than shout ‘ANBU’ or something like that.”
On another note, she could have jumped for joy the moment she spotted the harbour in the distance. Finally... away from here. And she would rejoin her father.

---

6236/9000

Bokuden couldn’t help but feel a bit disheartened as Misoka failed to take the bait he had laid out for her with his words. He had mentioned Kumogakure and even the Ryuzoji clan by name and yet not so much as an utterance of his memory came from Misoka’s lips. Worse in fact was the name of another man of Kumogakure escaping her breath when he asked about who she knew in the village hidden in the clouds; Sanosuke Flynt. The name was familiar at least, although he had never met the man personally. A jounin of Kumogakure, although he was not one of any particular esteem. Bokuden did however, have decently broad knowledge of Kumogakure’s military personnel. He could recognize most names and many faces even if his knowledge delved no further than that. His position within Kumogakure’s ANBU made intelligence gathering his profession, at least that much of what he told Misoka while in character was true.

Even so, the name of another man who she was seeking and not so much as a mention of himself was devastating to Bokuden. He would make no outward display of it however, maintaining his composure while in character, despite the feeling of being hit by a sack of bricks setting in. He would still attempt to reason it out in his mind though, pondering and analyzing for himself what it all might mean. “Of course there is another man,” he lamented to himself, still trying to make sense out of her words, “It’s been five years. Five years of you being too weak to help her when she needed you. Too weak to save her. Too weak to save your mother. Too weak to save your sister. Too weak to help anyone, not even yourself. Who knows how long she spent waiting for a knight in shining armor that never arrived? It’s no surprise that she would find another man that would court her. This is… my fault.”

As much as he would have liked to say that Misoka’s words had no effect on him, but not even he could simply brush that off. He did his best to keep up his cheery and outgoing disguise and would be fairly successful at faking the jolliness, but the incessant chatting was likely to come to an end. All of the sudden he didn’t feel very much like talking. But appearances must be maintained, and so he put on his most convincing voice and went on as if nothing had been said. “Who me?” he began, feigning a puzzled inflection when asked about his own clan, “Oh, I’m not from a fancy clan like that. I’m just a nobody. Not a drop of blue blood in my veins.  My parents were both shinobi of the hidden cloud village as were their parents before them. I’m just a soldier and I’m perfectly content with that. So don’t worry too much about my name, miss. No one has called me by that since I started wearing this uniform. I don’t really have a particular nickname or anything I prefer either, but you can call me what you’d like. I’m not too picky.”

---

Training: 4587

“I see… a kage’s slaves, huh,” she muttered under her breath, giving him a simple nod as response. She had the feeling there wasn’t much interesting to tickle out of him anymore; all she really got to know was his apparent obsession with his work. Did every ANBU think like that? Did you have to give your life away in a metaphorical sense in order to serve the kage? So much that you didn’t even care about your birth name anymore? So much that you had to retire first to have a wife and children?
Terrible. The word swept through her mind unexpectedly, but expressed quite well how she felt about what she'd heard. She didn’t know whether that man would simply be considered a workaholic by his colleagues or if the kage restricted an ANBU’s freedom so drastically on purpose.
Another thought sneaked up on her, including - not so surprisingly - the question what Bokuden’s opinion would be on that topic. What had he chosen to do for a living? Stay a squad leader? Or had he really taken his father’s place as head of the clan already?
How ironic that the person next to her could probably give her truthful answers to everything about the Ryuzoji heir if she only asked. But she didn’t. Frankly speaking, what he was doing was none of her business anymore. It felt wrong to try and pry into his private life as though she still had a place in it.

They arrived at the harbour shortly afterwards. Misoka let her gaze roam across the area. Apparently, the ship that the ANBU had talked about wasn’t there yet. She almost blurted out the question when it was supposed to arrive, but didn’t want to seem so impatient at the same time.
So she waited in silence. Now that she wasn’t moving anymore the cold returned mercilessly. Goosebumps crept up to her right elbow, unhindered since her cloak’s sleeve had been torn by an arrow.
Her arms wrapped around her slender form in an attempt to keep warm and prevent herself from shivering.
She spent most of the time watching her own breath create faint clouds of steam in the frosty air before she suddenly spoke,”Has it… changed a lot?”
Pause. “The village?”
Lifting her head, Misoka looked up at the man enquiringly. “I went to Kumogakure last month. But I couldn’t…”
The words stuck in her throat, painting a fleeting, almost horrified expression across her face. She swallowed and stared back at the sea. As much as she hated to admit it, she didn’t manage to suppress the fear that she might meet Yukimura again. That the clan might only wait for her to show up and hand her over to him, so he could add her to his sick collection.

Apart from that, however, why had she asked about the village? It wasn’t so much the village she was interested in, but the people living in it. She doubted the ANBU would notice the hidden meaning behind her words. In fact, she should hope he wouldn’t. Not only was it a reminder that she needed to forget the past… It also caused yet another surge of fear to sweep through her.
Did she really want to know how much had changed?
Did she really want to know all those tiny and huge differences from the memories she kept close to her despite her wish to move on?
She wasn’t sure.
A gust of wind blew over the harbour, making her almost believe it whispered words to her.
Time changes and people change with time. Life doesn’t stop for anybody.

---

6864/9000

Bokuden’s ears perked up as he heard Misoka mutter a phrase, obviously not intending for him to hear it judging by the way she tried to hide it. “Huh? Slaves?” he began inquisitively, turning to her and scratching the top of his head in a show of confusion, “No, no, nothing like that. It isn’t like we are forced to join ANBU. Sure, some of us are recruited more persistently than others, but I mean… it’s not commonplace for the village to force ANBU service upon us. We choose this life, for one reason or another. Everyone has their own reasons for joining, and it’s information we don’t really share amongst ourselves… or at least I don’t. It is a restricted life. It is a demanding life. It’s lonely… but it is the one I feel I need to love, at least for now. Retiring from the ANBU option is also always an option. So maybe… hopefully there will come a day when I don’t need to put on this mask. A day where I will have a reason to hang up my uniform and go back to my old life, or better yet, start a new one. I still hold out hope. I still hold onto the memories of my past, the ones that I cherish. It’s pretty embarrassing to talk about, and sometimes it’s even painful to think about them, but to forget the good times would be to forget who I am. It’s easy to get hung up on the bad memories and let yourself wallow in sorrow, but I find that sometimes the things that are more painful to do are the most meaningful. I accept the bad times because I know that those good times are still possible. There’s someone I’m looking for… and a promise I still intend to keep. It’s been years since we last met and sometimes it feels like it’s hopeless. I wonder if she remembers me… if she has moved on. I couldn’t blame her for it. It’s probably selfish of me to hope that she’s spent all this time thinking about me the same way I did her. It’s unfair to her, but I still hold out hope. That’s why if I ever get the chance to meet with her again I intend to make sure that she knows. She might have already moved on… I might be left alone with nothing to show for my efforts, but I have to know.”

Suddenly realizing the tangent he had gone off on, Bokuden would immediately snap out of it and attempt to play it off casually… or maybe not so casually. He would suddenly begin frantically waving his arms in denial and speak out nervously, “But I mean, don’t worry about all that. I apologize if I dampened the mood a bit there, please don’t mind a blabbermouth like me. I have the bad habit of thinking out loud. I didn’t mean to put something like that on your shoulders and I wouldn’t expect you to understand nonsensical rambling like that.”

---

Training: 5122

The silence that followed her words was swiftly interrupted by the ANBU’s voice. An answer to her question, she assumed at first, but the longer the man spoke, the more apparent it became that he had simply ended up having some kind of monologue again. She was slightly disappointed by his lack of attention, but on the other hand, she knew it was perhaps for the best anyway.
Upon listening to the man’s story more closely, Misoka’s eyes widened in utter surprise. Some things sounded oddly familiar – like her, he was still holding on to the past and a special person – whereas his solution to solve that problem differed from hers. Since she was going to be in Kumogakure for a while with no bodyguards and no man she had to marry against her will, it would be the perfect opportunity to meet Bokuden again. Yes, but who was she to barge into his life after five years of emptiness and tell him she had acquired freedom? As the ANBU said himself, it seemed selfish to her in a way… and she didn’t want to be that, especially not as far as Bokuden was concerned.
“..I didn’t mean to put something like that on your shoulders and I wouldn’t expect you to understand nonsensical rambling like that.”
Her companion’s last words prompted her to snap out of her thoughts and reassure him she wasn’t offended in the slightest.

“No, it’s fine! I do understand your problem and your wish to let her know,” Misoka replied quickly, pausing to think for a moment. “I’m not so good at giving advice, but… well, I would suggest you just go and look for her if it’s that important to you. Years, you say? Then hurry before they turn into a decade.”
Her lips curled up in a hopefully comforting smile. She didn’t begrudge him the possible happy ending he might get with that girl… from everything she’d seen and heard so far, he seemed to be a nice and talkative guy – just a little bit too consumed by his work in her opinion.
Speaking of that, Misoka tilted her head to the side, a slightly skeptical expression settling on her features as she declared,”By the way, if you are so eager to stress that you ANBUs choose this life for yourselves, why don’t you prove to me that you aren’t one of the Raikage’s slaves?”
She let it sink in for a few moments whilst looking around briefly to make sure they were still alone.
And then she challenged him,”Take off your mask. You trust me enough to insist on following me around and even offer to bring me to Kumogakure, but you won’t let me see your face? What are you afraid of?”

---

7344/9000 (almost there wooo xD)

“By the way, if you are so eager to stress that you ANBUs choose this life for yourselves, why don’t you prove to me that you aren’t one of the Raikage’s slaves? Take off your mask. You trust me enough to insist on following me around and even offer to bring me to Kumogakure, but you won’t let me see your face? What are you afraid of?”

Misoka’s words brought Bokuden’s train of thought to a screeching halt. He became almost unable to speak  or move for a moment as she requested him take off his mask and reveal his face to her. He was not expecting a situation like this to arise, especially not this early. Of course he figured she would be curious as to the identity of her rescuer, but he didn’t imagine she would ask an ANBU operative to show his face. The answer should obviously have been no, shouldn’t it? There should have been nothing to think about. There were a million reasons why an ANBU would refuse to take their mask off for anyone, let alone someone that they just met. The only problem was… he didn’t particularly want to give her any of those reasons. He wanted to pull off his mask and show her who he really was. He wanted nothing more than to put an end to this and then maybe all of this talk that was going on between them could actually be put into action, but it wasn’t time for that just yet. So for now at least, he would have to turn her down and continue on in character.

“Eh?... What?” he began as he put on a nervous tone in his voice for effect, “That’s… I can’t… You’re just kidding, right? Come on, you should know that keeping out identities hidden is one of the most basic rules of being an ANBU operative across all of the villages. Our anonymity is one of our greatest assets. It allows us to move about without fear of consequence. It isn’t just about keeping secrets, it’s about protecting those close to us that might be used as leverage to get information or compromise the ANBU structure. Me taking off this mask and showing you my face would instantly make you a target should anyone find out. I’m going out of my way to protect you, but revealing my identity to you would be doing the exact opposite. And I’m not a slave. There are certain rules that one must live by when they take up the mantle of an ANBU operative. They are clearly explicated to us and we are sworn to follow them before we are instated. When I said I chose this life that means I also chose the secrecy, anonymity, and loneliness that came with it. That is… my penance… Besides, you don’t want to see what I look like! A pretty girl like you? I wouldn’t want my ugliness to scare you away! I should be thankful for this mask. If I wasn’t wearing it I would never have been able to even stand in the presence of someone who looks like you!”

---

Training: 5669

Misoka would have liked to disagree or even go as far as to call him a coward, but the reasons he gave for keeping his identity hidden sounded plausible indeed. Except for his concern that he might look too… ugly. She couldn’t stop herself from raising an eyebrow at that comment, her lips twitching into an amused smile. On the one hand, she knew better than to judge others by their appearance and on the other hand, she highly doubted any man could be more hideous than her former fiancé. Just the memory of Yukimura’s hard, stubby fingers stroking her face sent a shudder through her body. Never… She never ever wanted to see that guy again.
Voices reached her ears as other people arrived at the harbour, three small groups positioning themselves next to Misoka and the ANBU, talking, laughing and obviously waiting for the ferry as well.
Yet another reason why it would be careless for the man to break a fundamental rule and reveal his face to her, just because she’d asked him to.
A sigh slipped from her lips. “Fair enough,” she gave in at last, not completely able to conceal her disappointment, though. Somehow she had really been curious what kind of person was hiding behind that mask, but… come to think of it, what difference would it make? She wasn’t going to see him again. “Have it your way.”

Having said that, she fell silent, her gaze glued to the ocean like everyone else’s. Considering the fact that more and more people showed up with the hubbub of voices rising continuously, it seemed the ship should arrive any moment now. The feeling of gleeful anticipation grew inside her, making her almost pinch her arm in order to convince herself that this was all real. No dream she would awake from sooner or later. She was heading for a brighter future, for a life in freedom. One of the greatest obstacles, Taku, had been eliminated by Sanosuke. The poor guy was probably still lying in hospital because of his selfless decision to help her.
Misoka sneaked a glance at the ANBU. She might have been able to defend herself against Akihiko’s three henchmen on her own, but he had come to her aid regardless. Furthermore, he had offered to escort her to Kumogakure so she would arrive there safely.
Her heart sank when she suddenly felt tempted to let out another sigh. Despite the gratitude she harboured towards both men, she couldn’t help but replay four simple words in her mind: I’m in huge debt.

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7782/9000

(I think we shoud start the travel thread soon or let's say whenever you're ready ^^ )

As they arrived in the harbor Bokuden would lead Misoka down to the docks where the ship that he intended would be arriving. If his sources were correct there would be a ferry set to arrive around that time, but he had no way to confirm it. He had asked around earlier that day when he was planning his own return trip, but he was willing to wait around for the ferry should he need to when he was alone. Now that he had a companion with him… now that Misoka was with him he wished he would have done some more research and gotten an exact time for this vessel. A part of him felt uneasy about waiting out in the open while being conscious of the fact that Misoka was still being pursued. It was not so much that he thought himself incapable of protecting her, but he strongly preferred his identity remaining a mystery and revealing too much of his combat capabilities could have given clues as to his true identity.

To make matters worse, there was no way for him to confirm or be sure that the ferry would be running on time given the circumstances surrounding the village. War is chaotic, everyone knows it, but just how far its troubles may reach. Fighting and death were what were often focused on, but the very presence of a war was likely to hurt commerce and transportation in and out of the village. Frankly, Bokuden had no interest in the war, its participants, or its outcome. Sure he was against the idea of a missing nin overthrowing a village, but this was not his village to save. He had a new responsibility now. Besides, Bokuden was never the most compassionate or sympathetic person. As such he firmly believed that any damage or misfortune that might have befallen Kirigakure was likely their own doing. In fact, upon observing the behavior and skill level of the shinobi of the village during his visit he was surprised that something like this had not occurred sooner.

Fortunately, Bokuden seemed to be getting a lucky break in regards to the ship as people slowly began making their way towards the docks where he and Misoka were located. His first instinct was to assume that they were enemies, which they very well might have been, but their mannerisms and all of the luggage that most of them seemed to be travelling with filled him with confidence. Unless all of these people had one exactly as he had done and simply shown up in hopes of a ship coming, it was more than likely that there would indeed be a ship making its way to the docks, and hopefully away from them immediately. Every moment that he remained in that hell hole of a village was viewed by him as a mistake. And once he had returned to Kumogakure he would know that Misoka is safe… and hopefully take things from there, without the mask.

Thankfully, Misoka also seemed satisfied with the answers she got, or at least content enough with his reasons for not answering her questions that it would cease to be an issue for the remainder of the trip. His character had taken on the personality of someone that was quite chatty, making it more and more difficult to continue hiding his identity , or at least to stay in character. Even worse was that Bokuden on some level might have wanted to be found out. After waiting 5 years could you blame him? He wanted nothing more than to reunite with Misoka once more, not as an ANBU operative , but as himself. The sooner this ship would get here the sooner that could happen.

---

Training: 6292

She couldn’t think of much to say while they were waiting for the ferry, but with the arrival of more and more people gathering on the docks, an awkward silence between Misoka and the ANBU wasn’t possible anyway. Since she had him pegged as something like a chatterbox, however, it surprised her slightly that their conversation had run dry so suddenly. Could she have touched him in a sore spot when she told him to remove his mask?
Or he was still smarting from her comment that ANBUs resembled the kages’ slaves more than anything else. Not that she honestly believed in this, especially after the man had explained how the ANBU life wasn’t forced upon the shinobi concerned.
At that moment, the long awaited ferry appeared on the horizon, accompanied by the people’s cheers around Misoka. Finally… the time had come. Her heart rate picked up due to excitement as she watched the ship draw closer and closer.
Just then, she remembered not to make the same mistake twice and pulled her cloak’s hood over her face. She didn’t really think that there were already other pursuers lurking aboard, but she still had to be careful.
Few minutes later the ship docked and people started lining up to buy their tickets. Misoka gave the ANBU a nod before taking out the money she would need to get away from here.

---

Medical Ninjutsu A-> S 8019/9000

(Exit Thread)

The conversation between he and Misoka had suddenly run ashore, coming to a screeching halt after her request for him to remove his mask. Fortunately, the ship that they had been awaiting became visible on the horizon. He wanted to continue on creating idle small talk until the ship pulled into the harbor, but his attention was being pulled away by shifting figures watching them from the rooftops. He could feel their gaze searing into the back of his neck each time he turned away, but he never let them escape from his senses. He would leave it however until the ship pulled into the harbor. He didn’t want whoever they were relaying any information back to who they were working for, but he didn’t want Misoka to be aware of their presence either. He’d deal with them on his own… discretely.

Once the ship pulled into the docks Bokuden reached out to press Misoka’s hands down as she reached to take out money for the boat fare. “Don’t worry about it, it’s already covered,” he said as he motioned to the man who was collecting money for passage on the ship, “Go on ahead, I have someone I need to talk to.”

Once Misoka had proceeded onto the ship and Bokuden was out of her view he would turn his sights over to the rooftops from which he was being watched. Once he was clear of her Bokuden would disappear into the crowd of people in order to break their followers’ line of sight. Diving behind every crate and obstacle he could he would weave through the harbor unseen, aiming to position himself behind his prey.

Once in position he would pounce on his unsuspecting followers, coming from over the edge of the building they were standing on to grab the closest man on the roof and throw him over the side. His scream on the way down and the clanking of his weapons as they collided with the ground Beneath Bokuden’s feet immediately alerted the rest of the pursuers, who Bokuden found to be surprisingly large in number. “Don’t you think there are a bit too many of you here for a simple stake out?” he mused aloud as he placed his left hand beneath the guard of his katana, “No matter, none of you will leave this place.”

As the first man charged towards him, blade in hand, Bokuden immediately drew his blade to perform  A Clooud-Style Frontal Beheading slash, disarming the man through the sheer force of the swing and following through to cut the man diagonally across the torso. As the first casualty of his sword fell to the ground, more of men began to close in on Bokuden’s location; three performing a frontal assault and two more still circling around behind him in an attempt to attack from all angles. The three in front were easy enough to deal with. Typical of amateurs they were uncoordinated and their attacks were unplanned. With one swipe of his Cloud-Style Crescent Moon Beheading he easily dispatched the foes before him before turning his attention to those behind him. Pivoting on his right foot, Bokuden twisted his body to create the necessary torwue to perform a powerful spin, cutting down the two men behind him with his Cloud-Style Reverse Beheading.

Bokuden would immediately sheathe his katana before throwing a single kunai up at the water tower on top of the building, above his remaining targets, before quickly weaving a sequence of hand signs to create 3 clones of himself, all brandishing katanas and charging towards the remaining pursuers. As the men leapt skyward in an attempt to create distance between themselves and Bokuden’s clones the real Bokuden who had repositioned himself in the commotion would leap out from behind them, performing a series of lightning fast slashes mid-air to put them down. While in mid-air one of the enemies who had scampered off from the fight fired an arrow at Bokuden, which appeared to pierce his chest before he disappeared into a cloud of smoke, having used the substitution technique to switch places with the kunai he had previously thrown. From his position on the water tower Bokuden would push off of the structure and fly towards the stray opponent, cleaving him with a lateral slash from his cloud style deception beheading.

Much to his chagrin, another group of these shinobi would come out of the woodworks the moment Bokuden’s clones dissipated. All armed and charging his position Bokuden would begin to infuse katon chakra into his blade, with his right hand gripped tightly around the handle. With a single swing of his sword he would release a wave of flames that set fire to everything in its path, including the attackers. Two of the assailants managed to jump out of the way at the last moment and began weaving hand signs before expelling large fireballs from their mouths, directly at Bokuden’s location. Without a second thought Bokuden created a spherical barrier of raiton around him, nullifying the incoming jutsu immediately, before releasing his defense to wave his blade once more, this time making sure to finish this fight with fire.
He would walk over to the burning bodies of his victims, plunging his sword one last time through each of their hearts to ensure that there would be no loose ends before sheathing his weapon and making his way back to the ship before it left port like nothing ever happened…

---

Word Count: 7223
Trained Cloud-Style Reverse Beheading: 600/600
Trained Cloud-Style Crescent Moon Beheading: 600/600
Trained Cloud-Style Front Beheading: 600/600
Trained Cloud-Style Deception Beheading: 800/800
Trained Cloud-Style Reverse Mist Beheading: 1200/1200
Trained Cloud-Style Flame Beheading: 1600/1600
Trained Plasma Barrier: 1600/1600

[Exit]