Mount Ikkyu was a large tourist resort that had grown popular recently since so many people had come to Kumogakure for the Exams. Daraku had never heard of it before the previous night, since after he finished helping the genin train he stumbled upon a few billboards and advertisements about it. From the sound of it, it was an amazing place with beautiful scenery and plenty to do. Once he had the idea in mind, there was no changing it; Daraku was determined on staying there for the duration of his time in the Land of Lightning. He arrived at the mountain early that morning, around 4 AM, and demanded a room at the front desk. The receptionist seemed concerned. "Uh, sir, we can't really take in someone so late. You should have booked a room ahead of time." Daraku rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. It felt a bit slick with the sweat from training and he remembered that he needed to dye the sides again. "Don't give me that bull! This resort is giant, you've gotta have one room open."

"Well, we do, but it'll cost a lot of ryo for a last minute reservation..." Daraku squinted at her. That's what it is, they wanna bleed me dry. Whatever, it doesn't even matter, I'm too tired to argue. He rummaged through his pockets to find his wallet, which had plenty of ryo from his work in Kiri. He dropped a pile of it on the desk. "So is that it? Can I have a damn room now? Give me whatever that much can get me. The receptionist accepted the money and handed Daraku a key with his room number on it. He didn't bother with a "thank you" and walked out, turning toward the stairs. His room was a fair size, with one king sized bed and a direct view of the large waterfall that the resort was known for. He put his swords down and took off his cloak and his jacket before jumping onto the bed and passing out.

At around 2 PM, the Suna-nin woke up and showered. When he got out, he put on his favorite mesh shirt and draped an open-torso sleeveless coat over it. He slipped on a pair of shorts and the same sandals he had worn yesterday; the temperature outside looked to be mild at best, since the sun was shining but the clouds that seemed so common in this nation were everywhere. He grabbed his favorite sword, Hikō, and strapped it to his back. There was hardly ever a need for a weapon outside of battle or training but he wasn't one to go anywhere unarmed, just in case he had to kill something or defend himself. Out in the open, crowds of people pulsed across the wondrous mountain, going shopping or to a restaurant to eat or to the springs. Daraku went to a bar and got some fruit to get rid of his hunger pangs and some sake to go with it. After he was finished, he figured the springs were his best option since he needed a nice, relaxing dip. He walked to them coolly with both hands in his pockets and an indifferent expression on his face.

Hoisting her bag a bit further up her shoulder, Reiko stared up at the entrance to Mt. Ikkyo, leaning back a bit on her heels as she did so. She hadnt expected to have to come here so soon, but, there wasnt much she could do. As far as she'd heard, Mt. Ikkyo was famed for its hot springs, and its generally relaxing type of aura, which is why she was here. Her family had caught wind of it, and insisted she go, as if going places that were similar to this would keep her from relapsing. She hadnt bothered to fight against their decision, considering it was hard enough last time she'd insisted on something. So, here she was, on pause from training. She had no desire to pause, but she'd promised she'd pause for a few days while she was in Kumogakure no Sato to visit here, leaving all training behind. All she was able to do now was relax, and wait for her mandated three days to be over.

Stepping into the building, Reiko took a deep breath, looking around the lobby once before stepping up to the desk, having to wait behind a few people before she managed to reach the receptionist, whom she handed the reservation ticket quietly, smiling in hello. From there, it only took her a few minutes to get given her room key, and head towards the stairwell, jogging up to her room.

Once there, she set her things on her bed, glancing around to check things out. It was simple, set up with a dresser, a bed, and a bathroom off to the side. Nodding to herself, Reiko took a few moments to unpack her bag, setting only a few things in the drawers provided. From there, she left the room, wanting to explore a bit before she did anything at the resort. Making her way down the stairs, Reiko popped out at the bottom, nibbling quietly at some of her leftover dried meat rations. Sure, she could get normal food, but she wanted to finish off what she'd already opened, at the very least. It would tide her over until dinner, at which point she would probably find dinner somewhere around the park. For now, she was content with meat. She wandered around the park a while, staring contentedly at things she passed by. It was the first day in a while she hadnt trained, so she was content for now simply walking, not having to really focus on anything in particular. At the hot springs, she paused, looking up at the building for a moment before going inside. She looked around when she got inside, pausing at a sign depicting what exactly they offered, and other such options at the place.

Hearing the door open, Reiko turned, her head tipping to the side a bit in curiosity. "Hi!" she said, before she even thought about speaking. Internally, she froze, not sure why she'd spoken, and not sure what to do next. An unsure smile came on her face, and she leaned back on her heels, her hands coming forward to pick at her sash. "Nice day, isn't it?"

Here, the building for the springs was rather large and had the obvious split down the middle, with the women's springs on the left and the men's springs on the right. The thing that was unique about it was that there was a unisex area, although it was much smaller and somewhat open both so that the scenery and the waterfall could be seen clearly from the warm waters and likely so people would be discouraged from breaking any rules. Gotta find some way to deter the perverts, Daraku thought to himself. A voice interrupted his stream of consciousness, a gentle and kind voice. "Hi! Nice day, isn't it?" He turned to face her; it was a girl about a foot shorter than he was, with black hair and white eyes. Strange, seeing another white-eyed person just after helping that other Hyūga train. Was this girl a Hyūga too? There was no surefire way to tell, at least not from looks alone. As soon as the girl made her greeting, her facial expression changed ever so slightly and she seemed to hesitate. Maybe Daraku was intimidating her, but if he was, he certainly wasn't doing it intentionally. For someone as impulsive and violent as he could be, he was usually too self-involved to mean any harm unless such harm would be beneficial to him.  "Yeah, it is pretty nice out. Not what I expected from Kumogakure, I always hear about loud thunderstorms and black clouds everywhere. It's a pleasant surprise to get any sunshine." He gave her a mellow smile in an attempt to ease her tension. His teeth gleamed ever so slightly; he was a charmer.

This complicated things, though. With this girl talking to him, he wasn't sure what she wanted. Maybe she was just being polite but at this point he had stopped entirely to pay her proper attention, so a conversation was likely. He almost wanted to just go ahead and continue into the springs, but if he went into the male-only ones, she would be unable to follow him. If he wanted to have some fun with it, though, he could always use a transformation jutsu and go into the female ones with her...but the chances of her being comfortable with that were slim to none, no matter how good Daraku was at using the technique. The idea was entertaining nonetheless. The last option was to simply go into the unisex area, but once again, he wasn't sure if this girl would be comfortable accompanying him there. He stopped worrying about it and focused on talking to her, since that was the matter at hand. "I'm not from around here, I'm actually from Suna—I came for the Chūnin Exams. Oh, excuse my absentmindedness, I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Ishido, Daraku. My friends tend to call me Dara for short, but you can address me however you like, it doesn't really make a difference." He pulled his left hand out of his pocket and held it out to her for a handshake. "And what's your name?"

After the awkward greeting she'd given, Reiko had been half-expecting not to receive an answer. The guy she'd spoken to was tall almost to the point of making her feel like an ant, but he seemed friendly enough for now. He was still a foreign shinobi to hee, which made him never completely safe, but she could always behave as if she normally would, until it was proven that this person was one that she couldn't trust. She did, however, recieve an answer, one that left her smiling slightly at the comment on the weather. Considering the name of the village in this country, she'd been expecting some rain and clouds, and maybe some thunderstorms as well, but it had been rather nice, weather-wise, ever since she'd crossed the border. It was as if she'd never left Konoha, if you ignored the unfamiliar terrain and the lack of the endless tree landscape. Putting her hands behind her back to hide her nervous picking at her sash, Reiko nodded, smiling back happily. That nervous habit wasn't quite one she liked to show to the public, considering it was something she was trying to stop. It made her sash look ratty after a while, and it was a clear way of defining that she was nervous, which was another thing you didn't want to show to the public willingly. Either way, she hadn't really gotten her pass for the bath yet, so she could probably talk for a while without worrying about being too late. It was only mid afternoon or so anyway, she had time. It was then he introduced himself, and she tipped her head to the side as he spoke, listening quietly.

"You're fine," she began in reply, referring to his forgetting momentarily to introduce himself. Pulling her hands out from behind her back, she held it out, letting it be caught in the grip of Daraku and shaking a few times. His hand enveloped hers easily, like an adult would that of a child. "I'm Hyuga, Reiko, from Konoha. I'm actually here for the Chunin Exams too! I'm just spectating this time around, though. Training, too. Today's a day off, though." She wasn't sure why she'd just gone on such a speel like that, but there wasn't really any taking it back now. Besides, if she was stuck here for three days, she might as well converse with somebody, rather than being alone the whole time. She'd get bored, which didn't sound appealing at all. It was bad enough she'd let herself be forced into coming here, she didn't need to torture herself while she was at it. There also was the fact that she was supposed to "relax", but relaxing wasn't something she'd done in a long time. At least, not willingly.

The girl smiled softly and introduced herself as Hyūga, Reiko. This meant that Daraku was right; her white eyes were a clear identifier of her bloodline, and she was in fact from Konoha. Daraku hadn't been to Konoha in quite a while, since his time with the Aoi Bara as a missing-ninja. It was such a distant memory but he remembered everything so clearly, right down to the battle against his grandmother. He thought about it a little too much and got lost in contemplation, his expression growing solemn. At some point he snapped out of it, though; Reiko accepted his handshake. Her hand was minuscule compared to his but she held a solid grip. "I'm actually here for the Chunin Exams too! I'm just spectating this time around, though. Training, too. Today's a day off, though." Daraku nodded, trying to imagine her prowess in battle. Being of the Hyūga clan meant that she had plenty of potential and was likely far stronger than an average ninja, but there was no way to tell with certainty unless he saw her fight for himself. "Right, I see. Being a ninja is a lot of hard work and training but it's the days of rest can be the most enjoyable and rewarding. Sometimes all you need is a nice break and some time to relax and you'll feel amazing and stronger than ever afterwards."

Daraku looked to the hot springs one more time. He didn't wanna leave Reiko here. She was a nice girl and she seemed to be waiting to enter the springs for whatever reason, so he thought of an offer. "I was going to go get some rest in the springs, but on second thought, I can save that for later tonight. It'd probably be more quiet then anyhow...how would you like to come to the giant waterfall with me? I haven't seen it yet but apparently its what this resort is known for. Plus, who knows? A walk could be nice." He put his hands back into his pockets and flashed his award-winning smile to Reiko. She was softspoken and kind, and even though Daraku could be a jerk a lot of the time, he couldn't help but be nice to someone like this. Having been on this vacation alone thus far, he could use the company, too. Someone to talk to always made things more entertaining than they would be otherwise.

For a moment, it almost seemed like the tall man was sizing her up, though his expression didn't change. Maybe it was just a feeling she got, but it appeared fleetingly, nonetheless. Instead, however, he simply replied to her, and the feeling disapppeared, leaving her wondering if it had passed in the first place. Even so, she couldn't help but agree with him. She was training so much, all the time, she the days that she did rest tended to feel as if she'd given herself the greatest treat ever. It wasn't often she took a break though, considering she needed to catch up. If she kept taking breaks, she'd be left behind forever. Still, breaks every once and a while were okay, and, as he'd said, helpful, even. Which was probably the only reason she'd agreed to switch inns for a few days.

She was broken from her thoughts by his request that she go to the waterfall with him. Her head automatically tipped to the side, wondering at his request. She hadn't known that the waterfall was popular, though she assumed it made sense, considering not many waterfalls were just a small walk away from most people's beds. Part of her worried about the guy trying to attack her or something while they were there, but logic told her that he wouldn't dare inside such a populated area. Plus, he had no idea what level of skill she had, just as she didn't his, at least not until one of them activated their chakra. Even with all of that, though, Daraku, as he'd introduced himself, seemed friendly enough. She guessed she would just have to keep one ear open. That was the best she could do. Reiko didnt want to seem like she was a worrywart, or over cautious, but she didn't want to get captured or killed on account of being too relaxed, either. She'd just have to learn to find a happy middle. Until then, she guessed she could go to the waterfall.

"I didn't know that," she replied, her head coming out of its tipped position, straightening again. "I thought the hot springs were the main reason for its fame. That sounds fun though, so I'll go! A simple walk could do me good." After all, she'd been sent here to relax. A walk was relaxing, right? So there was nothing anybody could complain about. She could go to the hot springs later tonight, then eat and head up to her room for bed. Besides, seeing a waterfall sounded fun. She hadn't ever seen a big one, considering Hi no Kuni didn't have all that many. Well, not that many that she knew of, anyway. So the experience would be good for her, right?

Reiko seemed a bit confused by Daraku's offer, since her head tilted slightly at the request. However, she quickly regained her posture and explained that she didn't realize the waterfall was so popular. "That sounds fun though, so I'll go! A simple walk could do me good." Daraku grinned at her and turned toward the east, facing the landmark. There was a winded trail that inclined slightly until it reached the underside of the waterfall; there was also a fork around halfway down said trail where visitors could take the right path instead in order to go to the very top of the waterfall and view the resort from its apex, but this path had a much steeper incline, of course. Daraku gestured toward the stoned-paved road. "I'd prefer to take the higher road, better view and all. The fork isn't until around halfway down the path there..." he ran one hand through his hair, pushing it back and leaving it messy and unkempt. He was very compulsive about small details with his appearance, being a blatantly vain person and borderline narcissist at times. His hair had to look perfect, he had to have just enough scruff on his chin to maintain that masculine air about him without looking—well, homeless, and he wanted to stay in top shape not just for the sake of being a better ninja but also because who didn't love having abs? Shame he didn't keep a mirror on him.

Distractions aside, he addressed Reiko again. "So, you said you're just spectating the exams this time? Did you participate last year or do you plan on it next year?" Daraku hadn't gone to the Chuunin Exams the previous year, although he had heard they were held in some small village somewhere. He was still in Kiri undergoing therapy and working at the hospital during that time and he didn't care enough to travel just to see them. In fact, this year was his first time even being around for the event. He hadn't entered them during his time as a Genin, although he considered it. It was more of a process, but overall simpler and more straightforward, to just advance to Chuunin through missions and proper training than through a wild competition against your peers. Daraku wasn't one to shy away from a challenge but he just wasn't interested, he supposed. Didn't matter now, his Chuunin days were long behind him. What had it been, about 5 years? Time really flies... he thought to himself.

Among other tourists and visitors who walked the path slowly and taking in the view, there was someone near the edge of the path who wasn't walking with the rest of them. Daraku wondered what that person was doing there, although he wasn't quite close enough to see what the person looked like. He slid his hands into his pockets and looked back to Reiko, awaiting a response.


OOC: Maigo shall be joining us ~

Another pathetic day for Maigo, with the Chuunin exams going on you would think that all that would run through his mind, his routine, his habits would centralize around that but it hadn't. Not to say that it wasn't on his mind, it was literally all that weighed on his anxietys and stresses, yet he seemed more focused on relaxing, getting out and doing things and just generally acting the way he wanted to, as if this trip was just some big vacation. That morning he crawled out of bed and got his stuff together in the most uninteresting of ways, hardly making sure his socks weren't inside-out and headed out for the day. No distractions from teammates, no non-sensical training to be done, and nothing else he had on the agenda. Today he could literally just act they way he wanted to and do whatever he wanted. He spent his early morning enjoying a hearty breakfast and just generally enjoying the atmosphere of the area, people beginning to run about and prepare their things. Some kids ran by screaming of a waterfall and teasing each other about jumping or pushing each other off of it, to the kids it sounded like a dare and a fun challenge. Maigo only half-awake, even at this point heard and decided it would be something worth doing, jumping off the waterfall just for the adrenaline of the experience. He chuckled to himself as he thought about how he could mark it off as training to his team when he was really just hoping to mess around and possibly impress a few people by how daring he was.

Headed back to the resort he was staying in he began to head up the path, red eyed and hardly staying conscious he began to walk up the path not realizing that there was another path entirely. Some might call him lazily dressed or apathetic to his own demeanor, he yawned as he walked and made a loud noise, the incline of the path would soon be felt as he dragged his feet along towards the waterfall. Looking down from where he had come he saw a couple walking together, the man running his fingers through his hair, probably trying to impress the girl as they walked up. He kinda chuckled to himself, putting in all the effort into his appearance, picking the path with a better view, it was rather funny to watch someone else test their luck rather than just Maigo always being the flirt. He smiled snidely as he thought about messing with them perhaps a little but now it seemed that the man was noticing Maigo, who had noticed them. He debated for a moment playing it off like he hadn't noticed them or going on about his day, but they were such an...interesting couple that he couldn't resist turning towards them.

He was up the path from them, he rubbed the back of his head and smiled awkwardly as he went up the path, he kinda hoped that they might not take too much notice of him as he would slow down and begin to listen in on them. He walked upward on the path, his feet no longer dragging but his drowziness still plagued him, he slowed his walk so that he could get just behind them and snicker at this guy doing his best to flirt. But as he fell back he jolted in his step and he began to fall backwards from his own clumsiness. Miss-stepping and falling right in the path they were walking, with only a few steps distance separating them he was bound to run into one of them if not both of them. "Oh fu-" he let out as he started to fall backwards towards the couple he was planning to make fun of. How ironic that he would end up embarrassing himself in front of some people he was planning on embarrassing.

[669 words]

[OOC: Not sure about posting order but it looks like it'll be Daraku->Me->Yoshi. Or just tell me when to post and I will. Enjoy~]

As Daraku made his way off, Reiko followed, moving her hands  to clasp them behind her back. She looked around, watching the scenery and the people around them. Even from here, she could hear the waterfall, though just barely. The voices of people around them, and the rustling of the few trees in the area covered it a bit, but she could still make it out. As Daraku spoke again, her head whirled around, turning her gaze back to him. "A fork?" she said, turning her gaze up the path curiously. There didn't seem to be any fork in the path at the moment that she could see, but she guessed that she probably shouldn't expect to. He had said that it was about halfway down, after all. "Okay!" she said, not wanting him to think that she was against the higher view. It was just after that she noticed him running a hand through his hair, and she smiled slightly, lifting a hand to cover the smile. She wasn't really sure why he was pruning, but she guessed that maybe it was just his personality or something. Either way, it was a bit amusing, to her.

Another question was asked, and her gaze moved once more back to Daraku, listening patiently as he spoke. The Exams? "I am," she replied, followed by a little shrug of her shoulders. "I haven't taken them before at all, and I might next year. I'm hoping that I can manage Chunin before then though, just through sheer work. I won't feel right if I didn't feel like I really, really earned it." She shrugged again, and looked down at her feet for a moment. She knew it was a bit harder to become a Chunin if you didn't just stick yourself into the exams. Which is why she wanted to go the hard route, and prove she wasn't a weak child anymore. That way, nobody could ever waste their worry on her anymore, and she'd be free from constantly fighting with people on whether or not she could go places, or if she was sturdy enough for missions. or other stupid fights she got into way too often for her tastes.

It was at that moment that a person who'd previously simply been walking along the path near them stumbled, seemingly losing his balance and falling directly in front of them, and then back a bit. Ivory gaze widening, Reiko stumbled back a bit as he fell into them, her arms coming up to protect herself. Normally, she would just attempt to catch them, but she didn't want to fall, considering this person was much taller than her, and she'd probably end up unbalanced. She had no desire to crack her head back on the concrete. Not even in the slightest. She tried to push the guy back by his shoulder, hoping that Daraku would help, or at least not get angry and pummel the person or anything. She didn't know how good his temper was, she just hoped nothing bad happened. Reiko knew she was overthinking and it probably wouldn't happen, but there was no real way to ever know.

The man who Daraku had noticed up ahead changed his pace slightly, but Reiko's voice chimed and Daraku's attention went back to her. She explained that she had never been in the Chunin Exams, but she was considering entering next year. "I'm hoping that I can manage Chunin before then though, just through sheer work. I won't feel right if I didn't feel like I really, really earned it." Daraku gave her a grin, his eyebrows raised high in surprise. "Defeating a ton of other Genin from all five of the great nations and coming out as victorious isn't 'earning it'? Haha, you must think differently than I do." His hands were still resting in his pockets idly and he raised his head to the sky, looking up at the clouds. "Back when I was younger, the Chunin Exams were terrifying. Everyone was entering them because that was the fastest way to ranking up from Genin, but it was also far more dangerous and difficult. Personally, I didn't want to put in the extra effort. The competition aspect was appealing enough but it seemed more practical to earn the rank through 'sheer work', like you said. Either way, so long as you reach your goals, the journey there is dull in comparison. Whichever way you go..." By the time Daraku looked back to the path ahead, he realized what was happening and it was too late to stop it.

That person from earlier was now nearby Reiko, and he was starting to slip. Soon, he was falling backwards rather fast. This level of clumsiness was astounding, past the boundary of poor coordination. Was this guy drunk? What about the CHILDREN??? Daraku chuckled to himself with that final thought. Jokes aside, he figured the incline was growing pretty steep and if this guy didn't want to go rolling down the hill, then someone would have to help him. Reiko understood trying to catch him would only put her off-balance too, so she took it upon herself to try and push the man by his right shoulder to divert his path. He was stumbled to the side and about to hit the ground. With little time before the man was sent barreling downhill, Daraku yanked his hands from his pockets, scooted a bit closer, and crouched with his elbows bent at 90 degree angles, facing forward in a wrestling stance. He was gonna catch this guy and hoist him off the ground, or at least attempt to. He dug his heels into the stone path with enough resistance that it would take a lot of force to move him. Just as Daraku was nearly crashed into, he forced his arm around the man's back and he used the other arm to grab him by the back of the knees, and within a second he was carrying him like an infant. The momentum was too much, though, and Daraku could feel himself starting to lose footing, so without hesitation he jumped into the air as high as he could.

They were airborne, around five meters above the path, and sailing toward the nearest flat surface. Daraku looked down at the man in his arms; long, dark hair, and golden eyes that were bloodshot for some reason. This person was tall, just barely under Daraku's height by the looks of it, and he was very heavy which led Daraku to believe that he probably weighed more (Daraku was quite thin for his height, after all). There was a patch of grass a bit off of the path and to the west, but there weren't any signs that said it was a restricted area, so Daraku landed there and set the man down on his feet. "Be careful there, buddy. You alright? You seem tired." As his concern for the man dissipated, he turned to see where Reiko was but couldn't catch sight of her. He would've gotten back onto the path to go get her, but he figured she would be able to find her way to them...they couldn't have been far. So, the matter at hand was this clumsy man with golden eyes.

As Maigo began to slip and fall backwards, his own clumsiness to blame, he saw the world begin to rotate a hand his his shoulder, or maybe an arm. He hadn't bothered very much with what was happening on his trip downwards, only focused on either recovering himself or playing it off as nothing. Quite embarrassing if he would say so, to be a shinobi participating in the exams and to fall so haphazardly, he hoped that the exam participants hadn't been announced or anything and that no one would recognize him at the very least. Then maybe he could be able to play this off, fall and just stand back and go about his business like nothing had happened. But on the way down he felt an arm grab him at his back and his knees and hoist him up quickly, his momentum still carrying them. He noticed it was the man he was making fun of in his own inner monologue, the golden streak in his hair giving it away as he was carried like a helpless child to his own safety. The situation in itself was already embarrassing and now it was like this guy was trying to demean him as well, just ridiculous.

It was in the moment that Maigo had realized what happened, still falling backwards and now being held like a kid, that he felt a sudden drop in height. His eyes widened as he suddenly flew into the air, the man had jumped, maybe to save his own-self from falling along with him. Now he was making a spectacle of the whole event, taking what was an innocent little stumble and turning it into a show where he would save Maigo. This was no theater, there was no play where he was saving the damsel in distress. It began to infuriate Maigo as they returned to the ground. He heard his voice for the first time, "Be careful there, buddy. You alright? You seem tired." From Maigo's own anger and embarrassment it only misconstrued his message. He quickly rolled off his arms and onto his feet with a huff before using his arms to pat himself off, he was about to let this guy have a piece of his mind. He inhaled deeply as he waited for his attention, purely meant to build up the suspense, and let the breathe out slowly while counting it down. Making it appear like he was at least trying to be calm, but all for the show, he had already made a spectacle of Maigo to begin with.

Standing only a few feet away now he pointed right at the man's face as clear as he could be before he started yelling in his own raised tone, Hey! Who are you calling buddy? he yelled out and lowered his hand at this point. He would give him no time to react from there before beginning to yell again, Why did you grab me like that anyway? You pervy old man, I was falling not being blown up by paper bombs or something! he continued on, his tone fluctuating as he couldn't tell whether he wanted to yell at him or just complain about it in the voice of his normal self. He could hardly get the words out he was so flustered, Look! You're just lucky you have your girlfriend here otherwise you'd be in a world of trouble mister! he said as he crossed his arms and turned away as if he were giving him the silent treatment. His anger knew no bounds and although he had no idea if they were actually dating or not, with their age disparity they might not be but it didn't matter to him. He knew what he saw and with the elegance he put into trying to help Maigo he figured it was only another ploy to try and impress that girl. Whom, at the time, escaped Maigo's attention, first he was going to address this guy and make sure he knew that Maigo wasn't someone to be taken lightly, at least taken lightly in Maigo's mind.

[700 words, 1369 words total]

Reiko didn't have the change to hear precisely all of what Daraku said, but she knew what he said was probably something worth listening to. The other person falling on her had simply distracted her, taking her attention off of him for a moment. Luckily, before she was knocked over, the falling body was swept away by Daraku, who jumped away and disappeared before she even had much of a chance to react. What just happened? she thought, blinking twice, then looking around, turning in a little circle, wondering where they'd went. "Really?" she said, frowning and crossing her arms. She'd promised not to use chakra while she was here. She didn't really want to play a game of hide-and-seek, either. Shaking her head, the girl turned about once more, wondering where they'd gone. They couldn't have gone far, considering it was just a little trip. Even so, half of her hoped a fight would break out. She'd find them much easier that way, after all.

As if right on queue, she heard yelling from her left, causing her to whirl around curiously. Reiko jogged in the direction of the voice, figuring that it had to be the two that had disappeared. As if it were life's way of laughing at the situation, she reached the two just as the man who'd fallen screamed something about Daraku's "girlfriend" being around. Reiko looked confused, releasing the leaf she'd pushed aside to get to them, letting it fall in place behind her. There weren't any other girls around... was he referring to her? A small giggle suddenly rose up in her throat, and Reiko quickly lifted her hand to cover her mouth, hiding the smile on her face. She didn't mean anything against Daraku, but at the same time, she'd just met him, so any implications of relations between them was just amusing to her. Neither of the men seemed to have noticed her yet, so she moved her hands behind her back, clasping them together and leaning forward a bit, opening her mouth to speak.

"We're not dating," she said, wanting that clear right away. From her experience, things could get sticky if untruths were left to stand and be seen as truth. She noticed that the new guy seemed to be angry, so she moved a bit closer, wanting to diffuse the situation before anything bad happened. She'd promised to relax, and that's what she would do, no matter what she had to do to ensure that happened. "Hi, I'm Reiko," she said, holding her hand out to Maigo, letting a smile creep onto her features. "And this is Daraku," she motioned over to the man in question with her free hand, the other still out in an offer to shake. "Are you okay?" she asked, continuing on without a pause. "That seemed to be a bit of an awkward fall, in a way." That was good, right? She'd always found that a wide smile tended to make dangerous situations somewhat less so, and allowed a bit of sun to creep into it, instead.

~535/2612 WC~

Once he was standing and fully composed again, the golden eyed man's face shifted into a scowl. No time for introduction or explanation; it was clear that the man was furious. He started yelling belligerently, escalating his own embarrassing situation into a conflict with Daraku, who was only trying to help. Daraku learned his lesson, alright; don't help clumsy assholes who are about to fall down a mountain. It's not worth it. "Why did you grab me like that anyway? You pervy old man, I was falling, not being blown up by paper bombs or something!" His ear twitched when he heard the words "pervy old man". Did he look old? What the hell? He resisted the urge to check himself for wrinkles and prepared to start his own yelling in response, but he was cut off. The man said he was "lucky" that Daraku's "girlfriend" was there (he was obviously referring to Reiko despite their relationship being nothing more than platonic), else he'd be in a lot of trouble. Now Daraku was less amused and even less inclined to argue. Things had reverted to a primal instinct of violence and hatred. He started to slip mentally and the voices started to come back, the same voices he hadn't heard since his last treatment back in Kirigakure. He tried to ignore them as best he could, since a psychotic break and a murder in the middle of a luxury resort wouldn't be good for his reputation.

Daraku's usual relaxed and sarcastic demeanor was gone, and a disturbed attitude was in its place."You're coming at me with some strong words...who do you think you are? Is your masculinity really so fragile that you'd rather fall down a steep hill than get saved by another man? That's pathetic. And then you have the nerve to threaten me and say that I'd be in a world of trouble if it wasn't for—" just as he was about to say her name, Reiko appeared from the nearby flora. "We're not dating," she corrected him, calmly. She continued by providing a formal introduction, before asking if the man was ok. Daraku maintained eye contact with his new enemy, incapable of reasoning at this point. His father's voice resounded inside of his skull. Put that ungrateful cur in his place. Or, better yet, put him in a grave... He raised his right hand and held it behind his back until his palm found the grip of his sword. The weapon, Mugen Hikō, started to make loud noises similar to the sound of wind blowing in response to Daraku's contact and chakra. "I don't care how angry or embarrassed you are, you should have kept your mouth shut. Now c'mon, show me this world of trouble I'm in. Reiko being here shouldn't be any reason for you to hold back, this is between you and me." Reiko was still standing to the man's side with her arm outstretched in an offer for a handshake, but Daraku ignored her. His bloodlust gave him tunnel vision, so to speak, and he wanted a real fight.

Maigo and the man stood there, they were both now on the same page of Maigo's anger, he quickly followed suit though his emotion may not be as whimsical as Maigo's. As he gave his piece the man's stature changed from relaxed to pure annoyance, like he couldn't believe what was about to happen. He start yelling back, "You're coming at me with some strong words...who do you think you are? Is your masculinity really so fragile that you'd rather fall down a steep hill than get saved by another man? That's pathetic. And then you have the nerve to threaten me and say that I'd be in a world of trouble if it wasn't for—" but he was cut off from the girl who had returned to the scene of the crime, she chimed in with a simple fact that they're not dating. Maigo tilted his head for a moment, looking at her then him and remembering back to what he saw of them, his attention returned back to the man as she spoke. He starred at Maigo with intensity and he would return his gaze, like two lions about to be set free from their cages they both all but ignored the girl who was trying to defuse the situation.

She introduced herself and him while motioning to shake his hand, Reiko and Daraku, huh? he thought to himself as if he could make something of it. She proceeded to ask if he was okay, while Daraku motioned his hand to his sword and used his chakra to bring it to life. "I don't care how angry or embarrassed you are, you should have kept your mouth shut. Now c'mon, show me this world of trouble I'm in. Reiko being here shouldn't be any reason for you to hold back, this is between you and me." he said with intensity. It was like the locks on the caged door were being broken. Maigo paused for a second and looked towards Yoshi, listening to Daraku as he did so, he took her hand and shook it, Hi, Reiko, my name is Maigo and it's nice to meet you, now if you'll excuse me, I think I have to deal with this. he said as he turned back towards Daraku.

Placing his hand on his sword to draw it, reverse gripped as usual, it was more for show than any real tactical reason, he called out to him as well, Listen! It's not that you saved me, it's how you saved me! I'm not some helpless kid you know. I'm here for the Chuunin exams! And I'm gonna win them! I don't need masculinity like you need hair gel, I have my own confidence to do whatever I want! he said pointing at him again and keeping a tall stance. Almost puffing out his chest to make himself seem bigger as he continued to make a spectacle of this whole event. He kept his hand on his sword as well waiting for him to make the first move, he knew that much, as an outsider to Kumogakure, he wasn't allowed to *start* any trouble or risk being kicked out of the country, but he could defend himself. And that meant that it was all on Daraku to either make the first move or to defuse the situation entirely.

[582 words, 1951 words total]

Glancing sideways at Daraku, it was evident he was angry, leading Reiko's eye til twitch slightly, irritated that he couldn't control himself better. Though she kept the smile on her face as Maigo shook her hand, it was one that quickly disappeared as she was dismissed by the both of them, and their insults continued on. Men, she thought, a frown disfiguring her normally happy features as she stepped back a moment, attempting to control herself as the two argued back and forth. She didn't want to do anything she'd end up regretting, after all. Even so, it was hard. She'd never been all that good at controlling her anger, especially not when people around her were yelling, and making it worse by the second.

Not to mention, they'd both dismissed her, as it she were something that should only be given due worth in dreams. Her eye twitched again, and her hands balled up in fists. "Idiots," she muttered, moving her hands up to her hair, pulling it in a pony-tail, tightening it once before stepping forward, placing her body firmly in between the two men, ignoring the fact that she was shorter than both. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered her mother, always consistently reminding her that proper ladies didn't have tempers. A person without a temper isn't a person at all. "OI!" she snapped, moving her hands up and signing, activating her Byakugan. Partially, it was too appear a bit more intimidating, though she also wanted to see just how good these two were. A quick glance at the two showed that Maigo seemed acceptable, challenge wise, judging by his chakra levels. Another glance, this time directed at Daraku, had her narrowing her eyes slightly. He, on the other hand, she had no desire to fight. She would lose. Jounin... she thought, blinking. Probably.

"Both of you stop this right now," she said, her voice passive, but evidential not happy."I came here to relax, not to watch two guys act like two children fighting over who got the bigger piece of candy! So quit it, or I'll make sure to hit where it'll really hurt." She was bluffing, of course, but hopefully bluffing would work as well here as it had in the past. She knew their relative power, if not their jutsu, but she could attempt a guess that they didn't know hers. Size didn't always equal power, after all. For all they knew, she could be dangerous. She could only hope that that mystery would lead them to calm down, rather than fighting and getting all three of them kicked out. Then she'd really have something to be mad about. Hands still held in the Byakugan sign for the time being, she glanced once again between the two, wondering what they'd do.

Daraku's rage flared as Maigo "politely" addressed Reiko, and dismissed her almost immediately afterwards, saying that he had to "deal with this". He made some mindless comment about how he didn't need masculinity and compared it to Daraku's use of hair gel, and Daraku didn't even grace him with a smirk in response. He wasn't in the mood for humor. His blade was already pointed out, ready to pierce the man's flesh. Fresh blood seeping from a wound, unleashed, no longer stifled in the prison of a vein or an artery. Daraku wanted to see it happen so badly. Much to his own surprise, however, Reiko let out a cry. Not a cry of pain or discomfort, but one of similar scope in anger and annoyance to that which both Daraku and Maigo had. Daraku took a deep breath and regained a bit of consciousness, so to speak. "Both of you stop this right now." When greeted with a command and in turn, confrontation, Daraku's immediate response was almost always to retaliate violently, especially when such a tone was used. But a switch went off in his head, and he shook as a shiver rolled down his spine. Kill her. She can't talk to you like that...END THEM BOTH He dropped his weapon and hobbled to the left until he lost his balance and fell to the ground. Reiko's speech could be heard, muffled almost, much quieter than the voices in Daraku's head. "I came here to relax, not to watch two guys act like two children fighting over who got the bigger piece of candy! So quit it, or I'll make sure to hit where it'll really hurt." He understood her, or at least part of him did, but the rest of him had lost its grasp on reality. One question was left; what was happening? "Relapse" felt like the proper term, and it was something he hadn't prepared for. He thought that he was all better, but now the rage had brought on a schizophrenic, hallucinatory episode. He struggled to find his sword even though it was right in front of him.

"NOT NOW! Get out of my head...get out get out get OUT!" His body twisted and mangled in imagined pain as the voices got louder. His father, his friends, his victims, his enemies. What are you doing, you coward? Kill them and finish it. You have the means but you lack your lethality...what happened to the great assassin, leader of the Ishido clan? Your legacy! He was a weapon and his legacy was death. "And it's all getting so dark..." Daraku said to himself loudly, announcing it for all to hear but having believed it was a mere thought. He finally got back up and picked up his sword, and his kekkei genkai activated almost instinctually. A dark shroud covered him and he changed form, appearing as a ghostly figure in broud daylight. Reality bent and warped around him but his weapon maintained its corporeal state and thus its killing capability. At breakneck speed, he rushed to Maigo with reckless abandon. "Now THIS is my BIG PIECE OF CANDY!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice shrill and his derangement on display for the world to see. He could probably be heard from the path by now but that was the last thing on his mind. He wanted a kill. He wanted death. He wanted to feel like he was better than everyone around him, superior in the sense of mortality.

Seconds later, Daraku stopped, just before the blade reached Maigo's neck. His mind snapped back into place and he released his kekkei genkai, letting the darkness around him dissipate and returning to the physical plane. He was breathing hard and sweating but he had managed to suppress his madness for the time being. He backed away slowly, looking at Maigo with an almost-sorry expression before turning to Reiko and giving her a nod, for whatever reason. "Fucking...I have to go. I shouldn't have let things get this far." He sheathed his weapon and sprinted out of the clearing and back down the path. At the earliest opportunity available, he hopped up onto a cliffside and ran along side it, out into the wilderness. He needed somewhere isolated and quiet so he could meditate.

[ Exit Thread ]

325/345:

Training:

The two of them stood there for a moment, interlocked in anger and aggression. What Maigo didn't know is his slightly less than friendly challenge and test of testosterone was being taken very seriously by the other two. In some sense, he had accomplished exactly what he wanted, to cause a little mischief and to really just do something to keep himself busy. But on the other hand, his mischief had blown completely into full on trouble and there wasn't much of an exit tunnel for it at the moment. Daraku and Maigo sat ready to go as Reiko seemed to get quite upset with their nonsense, yelling at the both of them while a very interesting set of eyes looked through them both. "Both of you stop this right now, I came here to relax, not to watch two guys act like two children fighting over who got the bigger piece of candy! So quit it, or I'll make sure to hit where it'll really hurt." He was more interested in her eyes, he had never seen them before but it felt like she was looking right through him. But at the moment he paid very little attention to that as the man in front of him seemed to be falling into some sort of trance-like state.

The man had fallen to the ground and dropped his sword for a moment, it was a mixture of pain, panic, and anger seemed to have taken him over. He watched him for a second as his hand rested on his sword, he let it go and reached his hand out towards him as he crouched down trying to get a better look at him. He was mumbling to himself, something about his head, This guy might be crazy! Maigo thought to himself as he debated edging in closer and making sure he was okay. But before he could he heard one last thing as Daraku grabbed his sword, "And it's all getting so dark..." and then he was standing back before Maigo and Reiko. With confidence and the threat of power, it seemed his resolve had returned with him, though it may have not been the same person that stood back up.

He quickly began to fade away, chakra shrouding him like a dark mist, like his anger had taken form. As soon as he began to change Maigo drew his sword out and began to watch him, pooling chakra to his eyes and activating his very basic Sharingan. The shadows roared forth and yelled out to him, "Now THIS is my BIG PIECE OF CANDY!" was called out as he rushed forwards. He was much quicker than Maigo and all he could do was start to move backwards while he could, pushing off his toes. But it was no matter as within seconds he closed the gap and his sword stopped inches from his neck, Maigo's sword rested straight forward pointed at him, resting between his arm and his side. He was aiming to put him in a position to where he would skewer himself charging Maigo but he had been just too quick for him to properly react. The expression on his face was gloom as Maigo looked on, he knew this had gone too far and as Daraku looked towards them both and speaking, "Fucking...I have to go. I shouldn't have let things get this far." Maigo imagined it was as close to an apology as he would get but his own fear and disappointment at how out-matched he was got to him. He couldn't think of a single thing to say but sat there still and watched him with his eyes as he turned and headed to wherever.

His breathe audible as he brought his arm back and sheathed his sword. Daraku had already run off and he hadn't payed much attention to what Reiko had or was doing since he charged at him. It was like the world stopped around that movement, he was beginning to be tired and frustrated of everyone being so much better than he was. Dammit! he would yell to himself as he shook his head and tried to bring himself back into the world. If Reiko were still there he would inhale and exhale deeply and try to calm himself, I'm sorry Reiko, I didn't mean to ruin that for you, that was entirely my fault. he would say looking towards the ground in shame. At the same time deactivating his sharingan and looking around towards her, hoping she wouldn't be too angry with him but he could understand if she was. He always had the capacity to anger people by pulling his own little jokes in his mind and really just getting in the way of everything. At this point, Maigo just wanted to fall to the ground and sit there, he had lost his motivation to do much of anything at that point.

He would listen to Reiko rant or be angry if she were and once he found a decent enough point to interrupt he would, in his most polite voice, begin to make his exit as well. Listen, I truly am sorry Reiko, you'll have to let me make it up to you at some point. And I need to make this up to Daraku, so he doesn't kill me the next time he sees me. he kinda chuckled to himself and rubbed the back of his head. He hoped Reiko would accept his childishness over his ignorance of the situation he had created but he continued on, But for now, I think I should be going. I don't want to get in anymore trouble especially since the exams start back up in a few days. I'd hate to get kicked out now. he tried to reason with her. He didn't necessarily want to leave so soon but it might be for the best to avoid stirring anything else up while he was out that day.

Maigo would say his good-byes to Reiko and head back to the resort to lock himself up and try to stay out of trouble, at least as best he could. Hopefully no one from Kiri or from his squad would find out that he was causing any trouble around Kumo while he was supposed to be behaving himself.

[1078 words, 3029 words total]
[3 EP earned]
[Exit Thread]

Training:

Of all the things Reiko had been expecting as a reply, she hadn’t expected one of the two men to have an essential breakdown.  At Daraku’s outburst, the Hyuga’s eyes widened, and she left Maigo be for a moment, turning towards him and readying her chakra, worried he may attack. He was more powerful than her, yes, but she could at least attempt to block, and then escape.  The fact that he’d fallen over did nothing to deter her, as he could be simply playing possum, for all she knew. Better to protect herself now, than regret it later. She began to doubt that he was playing possum, however, when his body twisted as if he were in some sort of seizure, screaming out about things in his head. Lowering her hands, she glanced over at Maigo, who looked just as horrified as she felt. Glancing back at Daraku, her eyes widened at the sight of his chakra levels, which had risen even in the moment since she looked away. Swiftly lifting her hands before her again, Reiko took a step back, watching him stand, a layer of chakra revealing itself around his body. She was unsure if Maigo could see it or not, but either way, this worried her even more.  She jumped back again, landing on a low branch of a nearby tree. She was keeping a safe distance, but not moving away from the area just yet. She merely watched as he ran towards Maigo, the sword swinging, yelling something at the top of his voice. Reiko ignored these words, focused intensely on the situation itself.

Suddenly, however, he stopped midattack, causing the kunoichi to tip her head to the side, leaning forward, ivory gaze catching all. His chakra levels suddenly dropped back down again, his body losing the fuzzy feeling she’d gotten before. He appeared, by all senses, normal again. She didn’t release the Byakugan just yet, however, not sure the situation was completely over. She watched as Daraku backed away from a surprised Maigo, cursing and dismissing himself before putting the sword away, turning to run away disappearing out of the clearing. Reiko remained silent a moment, watching after him until her eyes could no longer see him. At this point she released her jutsu, her eyes returning to their normal, ever emotionless appearance. Reluctantly, she jumped down from the tree, turning her head to Maigo as he let out a curse. She said nothing to his apology, a slight frown on her face. She was still angry with the both of them, her fists shaking slightly as she crossed them in front of her chest, the only outward expression of her anger besides her expression. ”You should be,” she muttered, her voice plainly disgruntled. She said nothing else, however, simply staring sullenly at Maigo as he watched her, as if waiting for her to yell at him. He seemed to realize after a moment that she wasn’t going to yell, however, considering that he apologized once more, promising to ‘make it up’ to her. At this point, she didn’t care all that much. She just wanted to take her damn bath and eat dinner afterwards. She really needed that soak now. She felt stressed, and she hated feeling stressed, even if it was caused by anger, and anger came to her somewhat easily. She still said nothing, even as he dismissed himself, and said goodbye, walking off. Once he was gone, she let out a pent-up breath, throwing her fists down and stomping out of the clearing, heading towards the bathhouse that she should have just stayed at in the first place.