“And I'm here again. . .” He mused looking across the all but familiar landscape that he has been visiting over the past months. The landscape, if it could be called that was devoid of life, no trees, no animals, nothing, it was as if something had been snuffed out by some great calamity. The blacken soil underneath his sandals lacked in nutrients, or moisture, crumbling away with the slightest of touch. The sky, it was no blue like one expect but a dark menacing red, glaring down upon all it's inhabitants or in this case inhabitant – Guanyin Nanashi. The place itself was just like the last time he been here, nothing had changed, or at least that what the silver haired man first thought.
The sudden rumbling of the ground, spider-like fissures cracking the earth, revealing the lava like something that laid underneath, greyish wisps flowing upwards, it having the distinct and somewhat prudent smell of sulfur, caused him to stumble backwards a little. Well that was defiantly new and somewhat unexpected. But it wasn't till the next occurrence that cause Nanashi to freeze, and his eyes to widen.
“Daddy!?” That voice. He knew that voice very well, and his heart ached to hear it once more. The voice of one of his most precious person in his life. The voice of his little baby girl – Megumi. The girl who had been taken away from him to soon. The girl who he would do anything to be reunited with, to see again. But despite all his wants the man was afraid to turn around. Afraid to face the girl who he failed to protect. Afraid to see the hurt in the girl who he allow to die. Yes, despite his cold personality, Nanashi was afraid to look into the eyes of his own flesh and blood.
“Daddy!?” Megumi asked, her voice being slightly hestitant, big and bright brown eyes looking at the back of the silver haired man a front of her. “That was her daddy right? That had to be him! For daddy always had silver hair. So it couldn't be no one else but daddy! But what isn't daddy turning around? Don't daddy want to see me? Mommy told me that daddy was in pain and only I could heal it. So how can I heal it when daddy doesn't look at me?” The little girl mused, tears slowly sliding down her face.
Sniffle Sniffle
Having know idea the thoughts of his little girl, the sound of sniffling caused him to turn around and at the sight of his little girl crying, his heart broke “Megumi-chan?” The once powerful voice of him was nothing but a soft whisper, and he was unknowingly crying.
Hearing Nanashi calling her caused Megumi to look at her daddy, who was crying “Daddy?” she asked again, and received a nod from her father confirming that it was indeed her and that was the only thing she needed. With that she ran towards him, running as fast as her little feet could carry her “Daddy!!!”, and slamming into his legs, wrapping her tiny arms around them.
More tears flooded out of his eye, he fallen onto his knees, arms wrapping about his daughter tiny frame, hugging her as he cried softly and mumble incoherently.
“Mommy was right, daddy is hurting.” Megumi mused as she acted out how she saw her daddy comfort mommy when she was crying, patting and rubbing her back “It's okay daddy.”
How can it be okay? How was any of this okay!? He allowed his little girl to get kicked! And yet here she was telling him that everything was okay “No it's not okay Megumi-chan. I'm sorry. I should have been there for you and mommy, but I fell you both. I – “ the small hand of Megumi upon his mouth cut off his words.
“Really daddy it's okay. There was nothing you could do. Yes, I was scared when the men attacked but mommy told me that we would be going to a good place where we can watch you, so I wasn't afraid anymore. Mommy also told me that it was time for us to protect you like you have done for us. So you see daddy, there's nothing to be sorry about. So now we are the one's protecting you.”
Many outside of Nanashi's family wouldn't be able to understand the words of Megumi, they would find them to be the rumbling of a child, but to Nanashi they held so much meaning that it would be hard to explain. One would just have to be him to understand what his daughter was saying.
“Daddy, you are hurting. At least that's what mommy says and I'm here to help you.” She was here to help? How was that possible, she is dead, isn't she? So how can she help him? Nanashi's questions were going to be answered. Megumi having backed away from her daddy, a tiny hand outstretched “Come on daddy, I want to show you something.” She said with a smile, grasping onto her father hands after he stood up and began to lead him off. . .
Watching the scene from the distant was a shadowy figure, the only distinction being the metals bars that held it back.
“About damn time. . .”
xXxXx
Nanashi's lone eye fluttered open, being greeted with the sight of complete darkness. Momentarily he wonder where exactly where he was at, till he realize that he was staying in one of the barracks that was provided to foreign shinobi who were helping in the war. This particular barracks was assigned to Iwagakure shinobi, and Nanashi just got lucky to have the entire room to himself, unlike some others who had to share the living quarters with others. Moving out of the bed, Nanashi moved towards the restroom to freshen up and head out. Today would be one of the few days that he would be able to relax before having to enter the field once more, and he was going to make the most of it.
Twenty minutes later, Nanashi appeared out of the barracks, dressed in typical shinobi gear the only differences it being slightly grey-ish and eerily similar to the attire Kirigakure shinobi wear. Nanashi had personally ask for the attire, seeing how he would be working with them anyway, so why not dressed like them? There wasn't much difference between his attire and the Kirigakure's, well at least one doesn't count the head band into question.
Walking through the barracks, Nanashi idly wonder where Aisu Iyata was at. He haven't seen her since their last mission and he wonder what she was doing at the time. Deciding to find her, he began to ask around for the female Aisu, and with a little help from some passing by Kirigakure shinobi he was given a general location to where she usually be at. With the given information Nanashi took off in search for the Aisu woman. . .
While searching for the woman Nanashi once again asked others who he met on the route about the location of Aisu Iyata, and they were more than happy to point in the direction where they saw her heading. Heck even one of them was kind of walk with him to the location where she was, while walking the pair talked about unimportant subjects before parting ways before reaching the desired location. The lone eye of Nanashi spotted the woman who apparently was looking in his general direction, most likely having heard him whistling.
As he walked up towards her with a small wave, he wonder if Iyata would recognized him without his anbu attire and mask on, though his silver hair would be a dead give away to who he might be “Nice to see you again Aisu Iyata. How have you been?” He asked, trying to strike up a small conversation with the woman.
“I see you been training hard.” He said almost in an after thought, peering over at the destruction that she apparently caused.
[Raiton A >>> S] 1369|4000