The third day of wandering an unknown land of Kumo was already going to an end. Due to the setting sun, the sky was changing its bright baby blue color into a mixture of pastel pink and  warm orange. It seemed more calming that way as it was easier to gaze at the sky without getting ones head spinning. The terrain of this place seemed to be so empty, not even one soul alive around. Only a couple of lonesome weeds on the ground did shiver from time to time due to the touch of warm evening breeze. However, come to look closer, there could be seen one tiny figure slowly moving through this lonely terrain of Kumo. It was a red haired girl, dressed in long, wine red silk kimono, looking like an ordinary peasant taking the walk through small paths towards the mountains. The girl was stopping from time to time while raising her hand above ghostly white eyes, simply to gaze at the horizon in order to check what was in it for her. Though every time a deep sigh followed the gesture, as only more mountains and plain paths with the background of evening sky could be seen. The girl started to think that maybe she got lost as she had not encountered any houses with peasants yet. This was her first visit in the land of Kumo and she knew nothing about it at all. Impressions from the childhood fairy tales did not count anymore, she was in the grown-up world already.

However, suddenly a blurred figure started to emerge somewhere far in the horizon. Akai increased her speed instantly and after a second or two, some sort of more clear siluette, of what appeared to be a roof, emerged. At that moment the girl found herself already quickly rushing towards the siluette with the thought that this could be the first building she would  encounter during the whole period of her travel. The most exciting idea, which encouraged the adrenaline rush to her brain, was that she hoped to finally meet someone alive, who could assist her in finding some food or the source of fresh water, maybe even to help her ambush and finally get rid off the three men-tail, which was dragging itself behind her since the day one. That was something she would not be able to handle alone as the chakra of it was very strong and nasty one. If not the high sensory abilities and good hiding skills, Akai would have been indeed dead by now. However, even though it costed risking an actual life for her, she would never go back to the place she was in. A physical death did not mean anything to the girl, but going back – that was what she considered to be a true ending of  her life.

Shooing those irritating thoughts away, Akai finnaly got to the destination. As soon as she saw the complete image, a big frown and disappointed expresion casted a shadow on her face. “Just an abandoned shrine...with no people around again“ It was a beautiful one though, made of an old solid stone, standing strong and proud, without even one crack on its walls. This shrine seemed enlightened as the evening sun shared the light right upon its steps.  As a tendency, a guardian animal made of stone stood beside the steps which were guiding to the inside of the shrine. The animal was a mythical one, half a dragon, half a lion, one could not tell what it really was. Soon after analysing the architechture, an invisible smile curved on Akai‘s lips. She felt somehow magical standing on those enlightened steps.

However, the tiredness was starting to kick in. Akai felt like losing her body strenght by every minute of staying up. She sat down on the steps without even going up them in order to check the inside of the shrine. Perhaps someone was dwelling in there, but it would take too much of already used up chakra to use the byakugan again and scan properly. It would probably result in Akai‘s collapse. Instead of taking care of the security matters, while sitting,the girl pressed her cheek to the cool stone of animal guardian and closed her heavy eyes. It felt so soothing and not even a minute had passed, the red haired Hyuuga princess fell asleep. Of course, it was not safe to act so, considering the fact that she was being chased for a while, though sometimes even the strongest ones need to understand that they posses human nature and human needs after all.

It remained such a calm evening for a while. Sleeping on the steps with her head gracefully resting against the solid old rock, with her full lips parted a little, her cheeks flushed in the warm color of red due to the sunrays hitting her skin, with the breeze gently playing in her long hair as well as with that sphisticated silky kimono of hers, Akai seemed like a goddess of this lonely shrine, who fell asleep being tired of dwelling in this place all alone. However, the stillness always calls for the storm.

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His day had started out like any other day he had lived, yet on the same spectrum it was completely different due the place where he had woken up. Even if he had been in Kumogakure no Sato for a week and two days by now, Seiryū was still unused to the feeling of being in a different country. The bed, mattress, pillow, and sheets he could live with, possibly even staying in them for prolonged periods of time, even if the time didn’t prove to be beneficial to anyone except his short term goals of laziness. His face currently buried into the stark white covering of his pillow, his closed eyes relishing in the darkness provided by the lack of light supplied by his pillow. The only downside to his current comfort came in the form of his conscious, refusing to reenter its prior dormant stage. His mind wished to do one thing while his thoughts wanted another. Decidedly, his thoughts could continue, though his brain wouldn’t comply. A muffled groan escaped him, bouncing off the sheets and pillow, putting his thoughts into an audible form.

With a draining mental resistance, his purple orbs began to open only to be met with the shadow he was casting upon the ivory covering. It wasn’t the most beautiful sight to wake up to, though it certainly was one of the most comfortable options available to him, far better than his bed in Suna. His time with this bedding was limited, by both time and money. He had no reason to truly be in Kumogakure no Sato, as he wasn’t a participant in the Chuunin Exams, but a spectator. To stay here cost both, and Seiryū could barely afford the money should his stay be too far prolonged. There was always the option of taking on missions in behalf of the host country, as a village prospered on them for revenue and to keep their citizens content.

Feeling as if he stayed in bed too long, Seiryū rolled over, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed and then planting his bare feet on the carpeted floor. With the sheets now covering his lower half until his knees, he took a moment to let his eyes fully open to the obtrusive light of the sun. After a minute of solely sitting, Seiryū got up and headed to the shower.

Later in the day

After another rather uneventful day, Seiryū had begun to wonder if it was truly worth arriving in the Land of Lightning so early, for the first round of the Chuunin Exams couldn’t be spectated due to how the rounds were organized. The only aspect of the test one would see was the one on one tournament. Even then, there was a gap of time between the rounds, one which he would consider draining of his own resources. Instead of choosing to loiter in the main hub of Mt. Ikkyu, Seiryū had decided to wander off and see what else Kaminari no Kuni had to offer. So far, his aimless adventure had deemed the trip a failure. He could enjoy the scenery and landscape the Lightning Country had to offer, yet it seemed the trip would be far more enjoyable in the company of another.

For the first time since arriving at Mt. Ikkyu, Seiryū had chosen to take most of his belongings with him, for the concern of an unexpected attack and the simple wariness of a shinobi. A plain brown quiver was strapped around him, going from his right shoulder down towards the left side of his waist. Ten arrows stored in their holder. His bow, Phantom’s Recurve, was held in place by his quiver, resting lightly on his back. His senbon and kunai were located in a small black pouch pressing against the outer part of his upper right thigh, blending in with his black pants. The black shoes that pressed against the ground had left the gravel path and were now settled on smooth stone pavement. A light breeze ruffled his dark brown t-shirt, contrasting the paleness of his skin. The barest traces of darkness appeared near his roots, though most were hidden as his hair was pushed back with strands of hair pressing against his forehead. He'd have to fix that when he returned to Suna, or he'd have to do it here.

At first glance the large stone temple was the only thing that caught his eye. The structure seemed to stand against the test of time, for while the stone hadn’t cracked, there were the barest traces of moss leading up to it. Whether the shrine was abandoned or not, he would have to see, as he hadn’t seen a single human on his journey here. As he walked around the perimeter of the immense temple, he realized he had arrived from the rear of the temple, noticing the staircase that granted one entrance to the inside.

Seiryū slowed down significantly when he noticed a figure lying down on the steps, a pool of red would be the simplest way he could describe it. Strands of red hair floated about, as the wind was still moving and Seiryū’s sharp eyes catching the slightest of movements. At first he assumed she was a miko, a shrine maiden, though her garb indicated otherwise, for the wine red wasn’t indicative of the traditional miko garb. Perhaps royalty of sorts, but the sense of weariness along with her prior isolation made him assume otherwise. Maybe she was like him, simply exploring the Land of Lightning.

He hesitantly approached, though he just as easily could have left. Leaving was an option; though he had already come this far and turning back seemed redundant. His eyes went to her face, though all he could see was her crimson locks. Seiryū would walk up to her carefully, for he knew she wasn’t dead due to the rise and fall of her chest. He simply wished that he wouldn’t startle her with his approach, though her waking up in such a situation was bound to start off a bit odd.

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A bright image appeared in front of Akai‘s eyes, picturing some human figures. Two of them were resting on the freshly grown grass and other two were training  few steps away. They all were surrounded by tall trees and thick bushes , the view was so bright and green, that it seemed a little bit too far from everyday reality.  In general, the place looked similar to a forest, to be more precise, to that one near the Hidden Leaf Village.

The two figures resting on the grass seemed to be a man with a little girl. They both looked quite alike, had white eyes, were wearing matched white kimonos, both were sitting gracefully, having their hands hidden in the long sleeves of their gowns. It seemed that the girl was like a little copy of that man. Except for the hair color, which indicated a defect. The man had raven black long hair, while the girl‘s hair were burning red, pinned with a shiny hairpin on the side.

The man and the girl were both gazing the same direction, right at the two other figures in front of them. Those figures were two teenage boys, possesing white eyes and black hair as well. At that moment, the boys were engaged in the duel with each other and it seemed that this duel meant to be a show off for the man who was watching. Their fighting style seemed a little bit weird though, like both of them would be fighting in this condition of all of their bones being totally broken. One was able to land  a hit on the other from time to time, though the man‘s face and expression remained concentrated and rather cold.

The little girl, on the other hand, was watching them carefully with her eyes shining in passion.  With every hit that would land, her mouth would be curving an „o“ as if she was caught in surprise. It seemed that she really enjoyed watching. The girl suddenly raised her tiny hand and tugged the corner of the man‘s sleeve while gaizing at him hopefully. “Daddy...I want to be strong like them...Daddy can I?“ The man slowly turned his head to the side to meet little gir‘s eyes. His expression emitted the feeling of him being bothered due to interuption of his prior process of observing the match. The man raised his hand and brushed little girl‘s blushing cheek gently. “My little princess, you have your own duties to fullfill in the future, this is not the kind of activity for a lady like you.“ Even though he was using a pleasant and low tone voice, and even though he curved a forcefull smile on his lips while speaking, his words sounded like the final and unarguable statement. The statement, which even death itself could not change.

Right after hearing the answer, the girl lowered her head and a couple of tears started to fall down her red cheeks, ending up right on her splendid kimono, leaving some dark spots on its silk. Even though her shoulders were shaking, the man remained calm and cold while staying still in his position. He did not do a thing to comfort the little girl, or wipe a single tear at least.

However, one of the fighting boys noticed the girl crying. He stopped his movement imediatelly and approached her with a big smile. “Come here with me, I will teach you some...princess.“ That being said, the boy streched his arm towards the red haired girl, inviting her to come  closer. The girl, after hearing those words, raised her white eyes to meet those of the boy. When she did so, she saw such warmth and compassion in them, that it made her forget about the previous words being said by the man. The river of tears stopped the same moment and the girl raised her hand in response, simply to touch that one of the boy‘s. Her mind was filled with the flow of happiness, however, being so close to that hand, the view started to blur until everything became bright white.

Akai opened her white eyes slowly. What she saw in front of her was her own hand, fingers blocking the light of the evening sun, as well as the clear view of the sky. There is this time, those very first seconds when one just wakes up having no memories, no feelings about anything at all.  In these seconds, a man is considered to be in his purest and lightest essence, living a very moment of present. Akai now was dwelling in that moment.

“Is...Is this a dream?“

Akai said that out loud without having noticed that she actually was not alone anymore. She sqeezed her fingers into a loose fist and gazed carefully at it. It seemed that she was trying to make sure if she was still dreaming or not.

Soon the gir‘s sense of reality returned again. Akai imediately turned her gaze to the side and suddenly her body froze. She saw an unknown man there and normally she would think about security matters first, maybe backing away a little or at least taking up a defensive position. However, this time, Akai was just sitting there like a stone statue. She thought what an akward sight it had been for him. The sleeping girl trying to grasp something in the air with her arm. And on top of that, waking up with no sense and knowledge of what was going on around her or what place she was in. A heavy blush colored Akai‘s cheeks while still locking her white Hyuuga eyes onto those of the unknown man.

“How long have you been here?

Akai asked in a polite and silent voice, which indicated her being just a  little bit embarrased about herself. She raised her hand and took one braid of red hair from the side to put it behind her ear. She was nervious too. A chain of thoughts started to run through her mind. The girl wondered who the man was, where did he come from, what was he doing here, in such a remote place like this shrine in the mountains.  Most of the people were gone to watch the Chuunin Exams at the moment, but now she was here...and he was here....Was this man also feeling that lonely? Even though the man looked more like a shinobi and not an ordinary peasant, he did not seem dangerous to her. Akai somehow felt this.  Perhaps this feeling was deceptive,  it had been so many times. However this time, something told her it would not be, thus she was determined to take a risk again.

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The barest glimmer of movement aside from breathing caught his eyes, for the figure of the woman began to stir. Seiryū found no pain in the movements as she moved her hand languidly in front of her face. Seiryū knew such feelings himself, often taking naps during the middle of the day to occupy time he didn’t know what else to do with and each  time after waking up, his movements were always unenergetic, riddled in a lethargic state. He hadn’t meant to come across anyone in such a state today, nor did he expect anyone all the way out here while the majority of people were either at Mt. Ikkyu or in Kumogakure no Sato enjoying the activities that came with the Chuunin Exams.

Seiryū would’ve remained there, yet today was one of those days which he needed a bit more to himself, along with the expenses he would save from not having to eat out at a restaurant. He knew he was overblowing his financial situation, though it was better for him to be safe than sorry; even if he was a person who enjoyed taking a risk or two in life.

He caught the sound of a soft voice, carried to him by the gentle breeze, asking something that could easily be appropriated to sleep. Her head moved slightly, looking at her closed fist as if to answer her own question. Seiryū hadn’t spoken up yet solely due to the fact he knew she was still unaware of his presence. It would be far less frightening, and shocking, if she were the one to spot him, for he was still a few meters away from her person, stopping pretty much in his current position.

The moment he knew he had no choice but to stay was the moment her movements became a bit livelier, the unknown woman’s senses returning to her after her unconscious state. She hadn’t looked hurt early, as it seemed she had fallen in to a peaceful sleep, though most looked peaceful in such a state, unless they’d be suffering from breathing issues or nightmares, she displayed neither to his eyes. Her eyes traveled around and eventually froze on his body, which he had expected, for if he were in a similar situation and found a stranger, he’d be wary of what was to come. Not only was he a stranger who came across her when she had been in a semi-vulnerable position, but he had his weapons with him to boot, the ends of his arrows darting out of the quiver, easily visible over his right shoulder. Her body had completely froze, making him even more cautious to do anything rash, rather it was best to simply wait for her to relax, if such a thing could occur at the given time.

His silver hair billowed behind him as the wind picked up once again; the strands of hair that rested against his forehead covered the majority of his right eye. His lilac left eye was kept on her as his right blinked rapidly in response to the locks of hair in close proximity to it. Seiryū’s right hand rose, pushing the strands away so that they would no longer prove a minor hindrance to his sight at the moment. Aside from the red-hair he noticed at first, the next thing he saw was her eyes. They blankness that they showed couldn’t be all that they held, for her reaction to him originally indicated otherwise. Her eyes, Seiryū could tell they were special in one way, either for a Dōjutsu that clans were recognized for or the curiosity that rose within him from simply seeing such a unique colouring. He wasn’t too familiar with the clans of the shinobi world, so his knowledge was limited in that aspect.

A blush covered her cheeks as her eyes were still locked upon his lilac ones. Her question was a simple one, one that he had expected due to the scenario that she faced upon waking up. He couldn’t fault her for such. Her tone indicated that she wasn’t too startled now, though certainly pertained to her curiosity to how they both found themselves in the situation, more so him coming across her in such a desolate area. Her hand pushed back a red strand of hair, one of the few instances where he came across someone with such coloured hair.

“I just got here not even a minute ago.” He provided gently, his words soft though loud enough to be carried to her ears. The truth had been it was just over a minute, though he had only come across her less than a minute ago. There wasn’t much else to her question which she directly asked, though he supposed he could speak of why he was here, if not to calm her down, but let her know he meant no harm.

“I decided to explore the land of Kaminari no Kuni today taking more of a back route path. I popped out from the other side of the… temple.” He supplied the excess information regarding his arrival here. Seiryū wasn’t sure where else to go from here, so he supposed he could leave her be if that was what she truly sought out, for she had been alone prior to his arrival. Or perhaps she had been waiting for someone and his arrival merely proved to be an inconvenience.

His eyes shortly travelled to the left, the only side of the temple he hadn’t walked past yet, simply glancing in that general direction. His left hand rose up once again, pushing back his hair one more time, though far more than usual today, solely due to the bits of darkness he noticed in his hair. He’d have to recolor his hair to solve that mess, though he still didn’t know why he did it still, perhaps only if that man ever came across him again, that he could possibly recognize him.

“If you wish for me to leave, I’ll be on my way then.” He offered politely, knowing he’d be able to see more of the land otherwise, though he knew his mind would linger on this occasion for the rest of the day, for it wasn’t often he found strangers in strange places.

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Akai stood up from the stairs and fixed her kimono immediately with the few gentle brushes of her hands against the splendid silky material. She brushed her hair as well using her fingers, though the evening breeze got them messed up the same second any way. However, that was what Akai had been taught to do by her strict father ever since she was just a little girl. Which was to always act as a lady, always maintain the grace, no matter what situation she would encounter. After having assumed that her appearance had been fixed to the decent look at least, she leaned against the stone animal and took a deep breath of fresh evening air. The solid stone was a perfect support for her still exausted body.

The red head girl gazed at the man again and her eyes ran through his whole appearance quickly, analysing every tiny detail. Seeing the silver hair she was quick to assume, that the man actually might be a local here as most of the peasants of Lightning Country tended to have this light gene. Though just by looking at him, it gave the feeling of someone different and rather special. What caught Akai‘s sight for a minute longer though, was that he was carrying some weapons with him. That encouraged some negative thoughts in the red head‘s mind. Akai had not used a single weapon in her life and if she was to fight against a weapon user, that would be a quick end to it, she would not stand a chance.

Akai shook her head immediately as if was trying to get rid of negative thoughts. “This will not happen...or will it?“ The red head would not know how the assasins would look like, her father was good in crossing the boundaries and he had many connections in different countries. As well as she would not know when that time would come, when the glass of patience would get overfulled and his Hyuuga minions would not be enough for him anymore. However, after a second had passed, as if he had felt her starting to worry too much, the man spoke in a friendly and calming voice. He explained that he was just wandering around the Lightning Country and encountered this shrine totally unexpected.  After hearing that, Akai fully relaxed at that point.  Her body loosened up a little and the corners of the lips curved a smile on her face. This meant that she was happy by the answer as they both seemed to be just the same. This meeting must be destiny. “Nothing to worry about. Totally nothing.“

Now Akai got to thinking that she owns a short explanation as well as the idea of a lady being out there in an abandoned place like that, not to mention being all alone, might seem rather suspicious. And on top of that, she did not look like a shinobi at all, had not a single visible ninja tool on her or any headband for that matter.  As much as Akai wanted to appear as a mere peasant, peasats should not wander so far from the villlages. Due to that,  a tiny wrinkle appeared on her forehead as she was trying to think carefully of which thing should be told. Probably Akai could not tell the man the truth or at least not yet she could. The main reason for that was, the read head did not want to scare the man away and getting to know the whole story could result in that direction.

Akai‘s ghostly eyes scanned the horizon quickly and without having noticed any presence of danger, the girl made and attemp to speak. Though without having a chance to start, her attempt was interupted by another sentence coming out of this silver haired man. He suddenly offered the idea of him leaving the place if Akai would want him to. Akai got really confused and upset by this offer. Did she seem too distanced or too shy, even so that he would assume she felt uncomfortable about his company? Or did he feel like that himself? The red head pushed herself forward form the stone statue she was leaning against and spoke in trembling voice desperately.

“No...please don‘t leave yet. Could you...um...keep me company for a little bit longer?“

Akai asked while gazing at the man hopefully. The only thing that she wished for at the moment was not to be left alone. She lightly jumped from the stairs to get closer to the wanderer compared to who she looked even more tiny than she already was. Akai leaned her body forward making a perfect bow. To a new day, no one were bowing while meeting people anymore. The ritual only  remained in traditional families and between royalty of some sort. But old habits die hard, Akai done that any way, withought even thinking what kind of assumptions of her it would encourage.

“My pleasure to meet you, you can call me Akai. I am a total stranger to this country. Actually, I have been lost here for about three days now, simply searching for any village or place I could find a shelter at.“

She did not tell a reason why she got here in the first place though. It was a little too soon for that, the girl needed to make sure if she could build up her trust for this person first in order to rely her secrects with him. It would be so much easier to reveal them to somebody, than burrying them deep within herself alone.  Though the girl was tied by fear of being misunderstood as she simple was back at home village. Soon after giving a short introduction, Akai got in her normal body position again with her eyes gazing at the wanderer in curiousity. She brushed her hair from her neck in a slow, gentle manner leaving it open. Then spoke again.

“Are you a local here? Perhaps you happen to know the way out of this place? It will be getting dark soon...the darker, the more dangerous.“

Only from the thought of spending another night here in the wilderness of uknown land of Lightning gave Akai shivers. She neither had proper clothes for rather cool Kumo nights, nor any items for building  any safety traps. The red head tilted her head to the side and pressed her index finger to the lower lip in concern. Her eyes gazed at the sky, which also seemed to be forming dark heavy clouds. The storm was about to break in.

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She had stood up to her full height, not reaching his own, as he stood roughly half a foot taller than the red-haired woman. The pale complexion of hands were caught by his eyes as they went to smooth out the red silk of her kimono, fixing the slight wrinkles caused by her earlier decision to take a nap here in this desolate area. The grace, he noticed, that she displayed with such a simple action were refined, as if the actions were natural to see upon her, even if this was their first meeting with one another. Observations and patience was something Seiryū had to develop over the years, something which he usually didn’t possess in more social settings, though he could easily apply such things regardless. Such was how he could tell that such simple actions seemed natural to her.

Seiryū looked back in her direction, her she seemed to be contemplating something within her, her eyes focused upon him, as if scrutinizing his being and the reliability of his own words. The moment of silence that fell after his last few words simply made him avert his eyes in the slightest, taking in the rest of the environment this alienated held, for at one point it would’ve been flourishing in activity. Maybe there was something about this place that caused it to be abandoned, or merely a new temple had been constructed, causing the activity to transfer to the new location. His lack of knowledge about the land of Kaminari no Kuni was essentially non-existent, with the exception of the village of Kumogakure no Sato and Mt. Ikkyu, the place where he was currently residing. With his limited knowledge, Seiryū could only come up with possible assumption for what the purpose behind this temple was for and why it was abandoned.

While his words were simply the truth, the Suna native assumed they wouldn’t be completely enough to sate her previous wariness of him, for shinobi were also meant to deceive. The same could be said for her, though he’d have to play this entire situation by the ear, as thing didn’t seem, to him, that they would be gong in a direction that involved confrontation between himself and the elegant woman. Her appearance struck him as a civilian, though a shinobi could easily pass for such with the lack of weapons, headbands, and suitable clothing.

His ears perked up when she spoke up once more, not expecting the words she had said, or at least not in the terms she was implying. For while he could assume that she wouldn’t mind his presence here, as she did not seem dismissive, he hadn’t expected her to want say she needed the company. As a complete stranger, one who could easily be perceived as a thread due to his weaponry, Seiryū assumed she’d more so be hesitant to have a prolonged discussion with him. Seiryū was never one to turn down a friendly chat with a stranger, even more so when given an invitation by an exquisite female. The white-haired male was aware of the differences between them, while she dressed simple enough to pass for a peasant, her actions stated otherwise and he was nothing more than a bastard, an unwanted child to his father with a mother he never met. He nodded briefly, for he would stay not only due to her request, but from his own will as well.

“I suppose I can keep you company.” He answered her question, curiosity lingering in his mind for why she’d seek out his company.

She drew closer to him, hopping off the staircase she had once napped upon, the difference in their height becoming more apparent to his eyes, though he expected it. Her introduction was nothing but polite and formal; though informal as well due to the lack of a family name provided, solely a given name. Her bow was unexpected, for he was a no one, even in his own village. Seiryū’s standing deemed that no one needed to give him such formalities. He noted her name, one of the many he wanted to remember, though the likelihood of utilizing it after today was rather slim, for the chances of another encounter were low.

“There’s no need to bow, Akai-san. And the pleasure is all mine.” Seiryū responded, his gentle tone still lingering. Seiryū bowed in the slightest towards, though it was an awkward one at that, for he never really needed the use of such formalities due to his life. If his life had changed, had his father fully accepted him, perhaps then Seiryū would have been able to give her a bow worthy of her beauty. Sadly, such was not the case today. Seiryū watched her actions as she went back to her full height, still observing him. Seiryū wasn’t sure exactly what to make of the situation he had before him, more so because of the vicinity they currently stood within, for it wasn’t a social environment, nor was it one where there were people milling about. It felt, private, yet he could hardly call it such a thing, for he had been the one to intrude Akai’s moment of solitude. But, she had been the one who wanted him to stay.

At a loss, not having introduced himself yet, she swept back her red hair, letting the breeze flow against it. She had filled the lull of silence once again, asking him if he was a local and if he knew a way out of here. Considering she had been lost for three days, the least he could do was help her in any way possible, such as taking her to Mt. Ikkyu where most of the foreigners would be staying during their staying in Kaminari no Kuni. Perhaps that was the reason she sought out his companionship for the moment, to aid her in finding humanity elsewhere.

“No… no I’m not a local. I’m from Sunagakure no Sato.” Seiryū responded to her main inquiry. His eyes downcast, he bowed once more, still awkward as formalities were something he rarely needed, except for the occasional polite bow. “My name is Imada Seiryū.” He supplied as he returned back to his full height, his eyes once more focusing on her person.

Taking in her comment about the weather, he too looked to the sky, noticed the brewing of a storm to come. It was best if they found shelter, or returned to Mt. Ikkyu for the day, though the storm would likely kick in before they’d be indoors. “I do know the way back to Mt. Ikkyu, the mountain resort. But, the storm is likely to come before we’d make it back.” Seiryū offered an apologetic smile, even if he had no control over the situation at hand. She certainly didn’t seem dressed for travel, especially when the conditions became worse than what they were now, but he’d allow her to make the decision for what she wished to do. Seiryū himself had nothing really to return to, except for the hot shower and comfortable bed he was currently occupying in a hotel, a room far more comfortable than anything he stayed in before, including his own home. No one would notice his absence, for he had paid for his room in full. He figured she wouldn’t have a place to stay upon her entrance to Mt. Ikkyu, though that was something they could figure out when the time arrived.


“We can either start heading to Mt. Ikkyu, or… we can wait out the storm here.” While he didn’t prefer the second option, they’d at least be able to simply stay dry until the storm concluded.

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“Imada Seiryuu. From Sunagakure no Sato.“ Akai repeated for herself as if would be trying to get the name deep into her memory. Due to unknown reason, she felt that this one will be lingering on her mind for a while longer than any other name of freshly met stranger normally would. However, even now, with this very sentence, any slightest feeling of alienation vanished like it was never there in the first place. Perhaps the reason behind this proximity which Akai felt while being in the company of this man was her memories about the people of Sunagakure no Sato in general. Come to think about it, Akai had never went abroad while living at home, even if she wanted to, she was never allowed to leave the Hyuga compound without any proper supervision. However, being a potential member of some sort of royalty, put it into other words, the highest peak of the hierarchy in the village of Konoha, Akai was obliged to always be there when various delegations payed their visits to the village. That was one of the ways how her father was trying to achieve more power, simply by manipulating his children into the circle of hierarchy. Now, realising that she had such wrong assumption about this man‘s origins and after hearing that he actually was from Sunagakure no Sato, Akai could do nothing else, but simply remember those acceptance ceremonies for foreign delegations she conctantly participated in.

One particular memory kept popping into the red head‘s mind. As she could remember, it was quite an ordinary day in Konoha and her father was summoned to the ceremony hall early in the morning. He was dressed in his finest kimono, looking luxurious and traditional as always. Carrying a golden box with a present inside it in one hand, and taking a grip of a smaller hand with another, he was pacing to the ceremony hall. Akai was making as small steps as she could, so that she could delay those boring officialities like bowing and greeting everyone, reciting poems and dancing with the fans at least for a little while. But all of those were nothing compared to the unpleasant feeling of having Akai‘s father carefully observing every move whe would make, and in case if any mistake had been made, immediately raising his eyebrows expressing dissatisfaction and disappointment.

However, that day was totally different from previous ones and the red head realised it the same moment the door of ceremony hall was opened.  At that moment, it seemed that Akai and her father had entered into some kind of a feast instead of an official event. What she saw got stuck in her memory for forever, even now she could see that image suprisingly brightly. There were people sitting on the ground on many small colorful cushions, they all were chatting  in unformal manner while drinking wine at the same time. Their clothes were way more simple than those of Konoha royalty, light in both color and material, and even though there was no clue of any wind draft in the hall, it seemed that their robes had that natural flow of a gentle breeze within them. Akai tugged her father‘s hand at instance. “Daddy. Who are those people?“ Though gazing at the senior Hyuuga, she found him silent and cold, with a rather confused and displeased expression, with all of that adding up into one huge wrinke on his forehead.

The girl let go of father‘s hand and ran towards the people sitting in the middle of the hall. The most surprising thing was that she saw the Hokage, just like others, simply sitting on the ground, letting out this small laugh from time to time.  “Even the Hokage? Who are those people?“   Akai‘s curiosity was making her forget about the good manners she had been learning for so long, so she just approached the nearest person and sat next to him. “Hey lil girlie, wanna see a lil trick?“ Akai made a wide smile and nodded. The man streched his hands in front of her and showed his palms slowly, just to make sure that Akai would notice them being empty. Then he sqeezed them into fists and offered the girl to choose which one he should open first. Akai was thinking carefully for a second, but without having any patience to think thoroughly, simply pointed her tiny finger to the left hand. As the man opened his fist, there was a shining sand cube, resting in the middle of his palm. Akai opened her mouth in surprise, wondering how this hard material cube got passed through her eyes and got into the man‘s palm so quickly. The man took the cube and gave it to the girl. “You see, that‘s what we, Suna people, love about sand so much. It is hard in its form, but it can split into the most tiny pieces. That way it can move freely, reach up and pass through the smallest places or escape them without being noticed. On the other hand, those tiny pieces can easily come together again simply to form splendid structures.“

While saying that, the man was making the sand cube deform and then come back into its square form again, as well as go down through the girls fingers and then back up to her palm again. Watching the sand flowing so caressly, Akai imagined how the feeling of such freedom would feel like. It was the first time she had met such free spririted people as well as the first time she started to wonder about what to be free truly meant. Back then, Akai had no clue that from that moment a new desire,a true goal of her life was about to be born. She was simply enjoying the moment of freedom, the light atmosphere, pleasant sound of laughter, honest chatting of people. Akai relaxed herself as if she was at home surrounded by her closest people. Though that moment was soon disturbed by a cold hand grabbing onto the girl‘s shoulder. It appeared to be her father dragging her back to the reality. Just the same second the feeling of enjoyment was changed by the feeling of sorrow as they were both walking out of the ceremony hall already. Due to the fast speed, Akai solely managed to make a tiny vawe for all of those free spirited people. “C’mon visit us in Suna someday, lil girlie! And Hiroshi, try n’ smile for once, it doesn’t hurt, ya know.”

Returning back to the present moment, Akai was overflown by the feeling of warmth. She caught herself smiling to Seiryuu as he would have been there in that memory as well. However, suddenly Akai got serious again as she saw a slight concer in Seiryuu‘s eyes. Soon he spoke and the reason behind this concern was obvious. Akai was suggested two offers and now the decision was only up to her.  The longer she was thinking, the darker the sky was getting. The thing was, she did not want to stay at this place any longer, even if the rain would come pouring on obth of them, she would rather get totally drenched than spend one more night in the wilderness. Akai did not know what Seiryuu preferred in that kind of situation though, but in that case if he would want to stay in the storm at this temple, even if that was not what she herself wanted, she would be fine with it, just as long as she got the chance to be with him longer.

The red head took some steps forward and passed through Seiryuu, slightly brushing the side of her arm to his own just by accident. She stopped to the direction guiding behind the temple, just the same side where Seiryuu had come from. The red head streched her arms and her neck  a little as if preparing for a long journey, then turned her head back to gaze at the man. She smiled and made a tiny wink to him.

“If you don‘t mind me following, please guide us out of here. And while travelling, I truly want to know more about you.“

Those words being said, tiny drops of rain started to fall down from the sky. Akai gestured with her hand as if inviting Seiryuu to come closer to her, encouraging to make a move. What she was thingking was that they needed to act faster or else no dry clothes would be left in the end of this travel. As far as Akai was concerned, this wine red kimono was the only robe she possesed after all.

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Endurance from E to C3 trained

The easier route would be simply to wait out the storm, stay dry and warm, though lack any sort of comfort or luxury that any building on Mt. Ikkyu would be able to afford them. The temple that stood before his eyes, made of large stone, wouldn’t be able to produce its own heat; instead it would allow the coldness from outside its realm to invade its security. The lack of insulation was one thing that he wished they could avoid by heading back to the resort village, for them to stay here would make them have to delay heading back for at least an hour or two, before even the barest traces of the storm would leave, as its presence was demanding, unrelenting, and unyielding. The sun, which had been present for so many hours before, simply disappeared behind the dark grey clouds that hovered the sky all day, casually creeping in the direction of both Mt. Ikkyu and Kumogakure no Sato, as if hunting down a prey, though wanting its presence known to all as it would get what it would want. The light gusts of air picked up, increasing by a noticeable speed, for a while before his hair simply caught win, now the wind was pushing it in all directions, though none too harsh as of yet. It was clear that they needed to make their decision – she needed to decide – where they would be going.

Seiryū’s choice was reliant upon the decision she made, for while he could easily make it back to the village, to the resort, in one piece by sprinting back, his mind would constantly think about this encounter. Thus, leaving her here alone and in the cold, with the night surely too fall upon the storms exit, was not an option. His choice was to simply assist her to the village, let her decide where she would go from there. The chances of finding a room would be slim and take a bit of looking, but it wasn’t an impossible task for when they got back. An easier solution, for if she decided to head back, was to simply wait until the next morning to head back, for he had a couch comfortable enough that he could easily sleep on in his own room. In the end, the decisions would be made by her and how she sought to find a solution to her own predicament. He wouldn’t force her in to situation which she wished to avoid, nor would he think it a good idea. Simply, this wasn’t a situation where Seiryū would outright flirt with her, as she was in need of help. Considering she had been lost for three days here, and he sensed no dishonesty, Seiryū figured she was new to the country and had no place to stay for the time being.

Taking note of her attire once again, not being dressed to particularly physical activities, Seiryū deduced that she would have a bit of a difficult time with her current clothing. As for her footwear, if it were suitable for trekking up a mountain with a rocky path during a storm, he couldn’t tell what she was wearing. Not one to ever be around people so formally dressed, especially with his lowly status, Seiryū knew people usually wore geta or zori, nothing entirely suitable for such activities, though they could make do. If she were a shinobi, for he knew next to nothing about her aside from her name and her eyes which intrigued him, things would be much simpler for their journey up. Of course, a shinobi was easily capable of finding a path to civilization, with three days of time. Thus, he assumed she were simply a civilian, or at least a person with minimal shinobi training.

He had noticed her moving, though thought nothing of it, as he was preoccupied by his thoughts for a short while, simply unsure of what she would decide. Her moving away from the temple could easily mean that Akai planned to go back to Mt. Ikkyu, not with him, but rather with him leading the way back. The lightest of brushes was felt against the side of his left arm, his arm following the movements, putting up little resistance against Akai’s own. As she passed him, taking note of her much skinnier arms in comparison to his own, his left arm gently fell back to his side, Seiryū turning to look at the beautiful red-haired woman once more. As she stretched, he watched her movements, already having a feeling to what her answer would be in regards to what she wished to do in answer to the storms arrival.

The smile and wink she sent his way once would’ve made him blush, though that was only for when he was younger, less experienced to the world around him. Though the wink did have a much smaller effect, for instead of a polite mannered expression on his face, he returned a friendly smile, taking note of her words. He intoned them as friendly words, wishing to travel with someone more than a simple stranger, though if they simply met in a more social setting, one where she wasn’t seeking aid, but he could easily be wrong.

“Of course, it’s no issue getting back to the resort.” He calmly replied, his eyes meeting hers once more. He was no expert on clans, nor of villages outside his own, yet her eyes were enchanting for more than the different hue. Once, someone had told him, that while you couldn’t see the entirety of a person’s story, you could easily catch a glimpse from someone’s eyes. But here he was, simply lost in them for no apparent reason. Shaking his head slightly to rid the thoughts, feeling the rain now pouring down on him, pressing his hair straight down, his shirt beginning to grow wetter, plastering to his skin like another layer, he walked towards Akai, to her hand extended towards him as a gesture, some sort of invitation.

“Feel free to ask anything you wish.” The words eased out of him as he closed the distance between them, his eyes travelling from her own to her hair before dropping back down to her eyes again. It wasn’t often that he ran across an elegant woman with red hair.

“And I do wish to get to know you as well.” Seiryū stated as the gap between them was merely a foot, his voice just a hair above a whisper, though loud enough to get over the rain and brewing storm. Considering she had only said her name so far, he figured she wished to keep some privacy about herself. “Of course, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.” He added shortly afterwards, looking towards the area of the path he originally came from.

Slowly, his hand rose as he stepped to her side, lightly feathering on her back, as he would give her the gentlest of nudges in the direction they would be heading. Letting his arm drop back to his side, waiting to see if she would take a few steps ahead, Seiryū would begin his trek to the back path in which he came from. He’d walk at a slow enough pace for her to easily fall in line with his, or lag behind if she wished, as he was unsure if the path would be suitable to her footwear still.

The path itself was fairly straightforward to follow, as it would eventually lead them back on to a main road which would guide them straight towards the resorts of Mt. Ikkyu. Most of it was uphill, as they’d be going up the mountain for a bit before it went downhill once again. The path was narrow, leaving room for barely three people to walk side by side. Dirt, which would become mud with the rain, composed most of the pathway, though there were numerous rocks littering it along the way, trees covering either side of it, though there wouldn’t be enough leaves to interfere with the rains path down to them. Upon their first steps on to the trail that would lead them to shelter, Mt. Ikkyu, Seiryū would glance towards Akai, a slightly impish smile on his face.

“So, where would you like to start the interrogation, Akai-sama?”

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As the time was passing, the rain was getting heavier and havier with each minute. It was already to that level, when Akai could feel the raindrops on her skin right through her thin kimono material. Due to cold rain, her body temperature was dropping as well, resulting in her shivering once in a while. She lightly brushed the drops away from her cheeks and the neck, as well as brushed her hair back, so that they would not get in a way while travelling. No doubt, at the end of this travel, the first thing she would need would be a hot shower and some new dry clothes to put on, at least until her own kimono would dry. Though any of these things did not bother her at all and seeing how willingly Seiryu accepted her decision to get on the move, Akai put a cheerful smile on her face. Her eyes started glowing in excitement while wondering where this adventure would bring her. Neihter heavy rain, nor getting totally drenched in it, could cloud her moment of happiness now. The reason behind this happiness was not the thought that she could be guided to a safer and warmer place finally, but more that she could get the chance to hang out with this person longer and get to know him better.

After a second of waiting for Seiryu to show the direction they needed to head to, Akai saw him making a move and reducing the gap between them, leaving only a tiny one between their nearly wet bodies. Despite the fact that they knew almost nothing about each other yet, Akai felt surprisingly comfortable being so close like that. Even so that she could nearly feel the warmth coming from the man’s aura. At the same time, she felt a light and pleasant touch on her back, resulting in a little flow of exciting electricity going down her spine. It got mixed with the chill caused by cold rain, thus the red head shivered once more. Akai threw a brief gaze at Seiryu and smiled for him. She was not that kind of person who would get irritated over a feathering touch, she herself tented to make constant physical contact while communicating as those kinds of tiny gestures gave her the feeling of intimacy based on mutual trust. And trust was one of the most important things, which Akai was searching for in a person.

Seeing how the man started to move slowly, Akai followed him immediately and at the same time increased her speed in order to appear beside him. She did not want to lag behind as it would be not much of convenience in case of having a talk. The other, but the more important reason was that Akai wanted to keep observing Seiryu’s face, the changes in his emotions, as well as be able to catch his gaze once in a while. To her thinking, a talk without any eye contact could not be considered an honest one. Without seeing each other’s eyes, the talk would feel cold, rather emotionless or nearly robotic. Especially with those white eyes of hers, which already naturally had less emotion in them, at some times even to that point, when could cause an impression as if one would be talking to a ghost. Besides, Akai really enjoyed gazing at Seryu’s eyes.

Assuming that he is holding his speed down just for Akai, she got a grip of his hand lightly attempting to jump together and pass several rocks in their way. It was simply to show that neither her tight kimono, nor silky ballerina type flats restrained her from moving at a normal speed, at which shinobi would be pacing normally. As well as to encourage the man not to restrain his own capacity of speed. At the same time, she gazed at Seiryu in order to see what his reaction would be. Getting a little worried due to the slight possibility of him getting mad about her invasion into his personal space, she spoke in a gentle and calm voice, expressing her honest appreciation.

“Seiruy-sama, please do not hold yourself back just for me, I will adjust to your speed. You are already so kind by simply letting me follow you, I could not allow you to get totally drenched in this rain or catch a cold afterwards. In that case, you could not get rid of me easily as I would not leave you withouth a decent care.“

After saying that she giggled a little, which meant that the last part of her speech was like a tiny tease. Of course she did not think that Seiryu was trying to get rid of her, though the read head was really concerned with the tought that this cold rain could become a cause of unpleasant results for the man later. Especially, come to think that this help was the thing he did not have to do, yet still willingly offered and thought about the comfort of Akai even more further.

“Ah...I believe I have not mentioned yet, but I came from the Konohagakure no Sato and I bear the name of Hyuga clan.“

“Yeah, that‘s really something becoming more and more unbearable with each day.“ Akai let a deepest sigh out of her tiny body while sharing the information, as if those simple words would weight more than an actual thousand kilo. Though the red head felt the relationship would become a fake one, if certain things would be left hidden or turned into a lie from the very beggining. She had been wearing this clay mask for too long now, it was about time for her to break free from it and exist simply as she was. Such a light and carefree existance, just like the floating of the butterfy. And now, in the company of this man, Akai noticed that she was able to get a slight grip of this feeling, even if it was an old memory about those people of Suna, it was a bright and pleasant one. It almost made her forget about what kind of trouble Akai was in and that she had been followed for the most of her time here in the Country of Lightining.  

Assuming that Seiryu might not know anything about the clans of Konoha, just as she did not know about those in Sunagakure no Sato, Akai turned her head to the man and pointed her index finger to her own eyes.

“We are one of the main doujutsu holders in the village. That‘s why my eyes are so weird. I always admired those eyes which have an actual color pigment in them, though.“

She giggled again wtihout even thinking that with this kind of information she also revealed the fact that she actually was a ninja, not a mere peasant at all. Soon after, the red head gazed at Seiryu in curiousity and got herself lost in the gaze.

“Purple...“

Akai continued after making a little pause. That was indeed a rare color. The girl had never seen purple eyes before and it was like only the color itself had an ability to mesmerize her. However, a couple heavy and cold raindrops going down the neck and getting under her kimono got her back to the present moment again. Akai smiled and blushed after staring at these purple eyes for so long. She did not expect that those as well could turn into a distraction now, as one wrong step and she could fall down the rained path. However, they were like two powerful magnets causing Akai not to be able to turn her own eyes away.

“Ah! Enough about myself! What about you, Seiryu-sama? What brought you here to the Country of Lightning? I assume Chuunin Exams are not the only reason as we met here in such a distant place, instead of in a match while watching some duel.“

Coming to think about Chuunin Exams, Akai assumed that this man must be either above this rank already or a rebel, who thought that participating in exam was just an official event for show off, not worth of participating. However, either way she would not mind.

“Um...How‘‘s Suna like? I have always wondered if it was true that people were living....hm... so freely and caressly there...?“

A question rather out of topic escaped through Akai’s mouth and her lips trembled a little. Even though the question sounded rather general, than a personal one, in very truth Akai wanted to know If Seiryu was living a happy life there and was not caught in any similar trouble like she herself was. Thinking about her own situation, which was that she actually ran away from her own village, Akai wondered how people in other villages lived, so that they never wanted to leave their homelands or even if did leave, always wanted to come back.

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Seiryū was surprised when Akai’s hand had lightly caught his own as the made their way back to Mt. Ikkyu, for he figured she preferred to keep a polite distance like most other people did so with complete strangers. He was not adverse to the action, for his hand lightly gripped hers in return, as they both hurdled over fairly large rocks. Seiryū assumed his grip was a bit tighter than he cared to admit, for the rain holding something equally as wet difficult. Of course, the longer they remained out here, the more rain that would pour down on them. Seiryū noted his shirt was now pressed down against his skin, knowing that the rain was simply beginning and the storm hadn’t hit yet. While he noted Akai’s grasp on his hand could mean they could go faster, so long as they stuck close together, he felt it was safer overall if they slowed down just a tad, for the wet ground would eventually make their footwear lose its natural grip. It wasn’t anything that chakra couldn’t fix however.

He was unused to being given such an honorific, for his life and person thus far hadn’t warranted such respect, least of all from a complete stranger he had come across. No, the beauty needn’t give him such formal respect where he never deserved it. Seiryū didn’t sense her saying it as a jest, for that was the only way such a title such as ‘sama’ would ever be given to him, a human that was unwanted by the only family he knew, the only blood relative he ever had contact with. Sure there were other people he had come across when he lived with his father; more particularly was his kyujutsu sensei, the one who was more of a father to Seiryū than his biological sire had been. Even that life nearly twelve years past never gave him such formalities, as he had always been kept at a distance from the rest of his kin. The staff at the compound rarely bothered with him, only ever calling him for meals and their respect towards him was only given due to his blood relations with his father, an important figure in his own clan, with children he had with an actual wife, not some whore. He always wondered if his mother was a harlot his father only came across and took the child once he was fully aware of the possible repercussions. Yet, Seiryū could never figure out why the man ended up taking him in, only to throw him back out when the boy was deemed unimportant and unworthy of being associated with the Kōga clan of Sunagakure no Sato.

His right fist unintentionally clenched, thinking about everything relating to his birth and upbringing. The, currently, white-haired shinobi wondered what his life would’ve been like if his sire left him with his mother, someone whom he had no clue about, none of her past, appearance, or location was ever given to him. The only thing he had to run with was her last name, Imada. Did he look like her at all, when his hair was in its natural colour? He could barely recall the face of the man who sired him, for that man was no parent as far as he could recall. Even his own mother, the one he knew, wasn’t a parent, just a shadowed figure that he thought about, wondering whom she was, where she was. Was she married to someone else? Was she even alive to this date? His fist tightened a bit more as he thought about it. Maybe, just maybe, his life then would’ve been better off. Yet, if such a thing did occur, his life to date wouldn’t exist for it would be something entirely different.

Disregarding his thoughts completely and instead focusing upon Akai’s words, noting that she would keep up with him, Seiryū debated on the benefits of taking off on a faster speed. Like he thought earlier, it would be safer to simply travel at a bit slower pace than he was used to, for travelling in a group was often slower, as well as the environmental conditions that the storm was playing with. He smiled when she said she wouldn’t want him to catch a cold afterwards, though knowing him, he’d wake up with one the next morning. The same could be said for Akai, for he wouldn’t want her to catch a cold and he felt responsible for her, as he was the one who decided to be her guide to Mt. Ikkyu, even if he was the only one who could do such at the time.

His smile widened as she laughed, enjoying the sound of laughter in general, as their travel was a bit more serious than when he was in the company of someone else somewhere else. “I believe you would get rid of me first.” He intoned, knowing that once they were back in Mt. Ikkyu, Akai would go about doing what she needed, finding someone she knew and trusted.

At the mention of her home village and her clan, a bell had seemingly rung in his head. Seiryū, while no expert on bloodlines and clans, could recall names and the Hyuuga seemed to be one closely tied together with the Village Hidden by Leaves. A shinobi clan at that. Connecting the name to the eyes, he still didn’t exactly know of their abilities, nor was it of a concern to him now. The line connecting Akai to being a shinobi was drawn, as well as the fact she had moved like a kunoichi thus far. While he quietly wished to learn more, the more pressing matter was Akai’s personal wellbeing and getting her back to civilization.

Her comment about admiring the eyes of others didn’t go over his head, though he could easily say the same for hers, as they were different than anything he had ever seen before. Far more magnificent than any other eyes he had seen, for the eyes, and person, that intrigued him right now called another land home.

Seiryū peeked at Akai from the corner of his own eyes, the bare whisper of the word ‘purple’ escaping her, her eyes locked on his. While his eye pigment was certainly not the most common color for eyes, it certainly wasn’t anything like her eyes, or the eyes of any dōjutsu clan. The rain seemed to take her attention once more, a blush forming on her cheeks along with a smile, as if he had simply caught her staring, though he had only just turned his eyes for two seconds before she began to blush.

Once more she had called him ‘sama,’ an honorific he knew he’d never get, or want. He preferred less formal approaches, as those were associated with social power and prestige. Seiryū had neither and would want neither as far as he was concerned for his future. Both came with responsibilities and corruption, for the higher one was in terms of social standing, such as a kage, the more corruption they dealt with, though he had seen his fair share from having to do jobs for, more or less, the yakuza in his adolescents. There was never a choice for him there, for it simply meant his survival would continue.

As for her question, he supposed he could answer it honestly, for he had nothing to hide for his visit to the abandoned temple which allowed him to meet the resplendent woman. Though her question simply didn’t end there. She wished to know about Suna, which he knew a fair amount about for that was his homeland, yet most of his memories of his own life revolved around the three distinct times in his life; the first being the time of his birth until eight where he was under his father’s guardianship, the second was his life after that where he lived in the orphanage for a few years, working jobs from the yakuza, and eventually finding a place of his own, and the last was his life now, becoming an actual shinobi and the freedom he relished in. While not wanting his entire life to be disclosed, as they were still strangers, even if her presence was welcoming, he knew he’d leave out certain details of his life both on purpose and not.

“Well, firstly, there’s no need to address me so formally. I’m just a simple chuunin with nothing of importance to his name.” He forced a smile, for that was the truth. Seiryū very much doubted if he were to suddenly vanish, no one he knew in Suna would notice or care. “As for coming all the way out here, I felt too cooped up to stay in Mt. Ikkyu today, so I wandered off and arrived here. I’m more or less waiting for the one-on-one tournament to start.” Seiryū supplied his reasoning for being here. There really wasn’t too much to do in Mt. Ikkyu when one was alone, except watch the Chuunin Exams. The first round wasn’t the one anyone really looked forward to, for they much preferred the one-on-one tournament to see a display of skill on an equal footing.

“Suna… well, its Suna.” He let out a slight huff of air, glance back at the darkening sky before looking back at Akai’s eyes. “I suppose it’s like any other shinobi village really, though with a different political outlook and regime.” He mentally laughed, for the current kage of Suna still hadn’t returned from her long journey to Konohagakure no Sato. “Suna’s certainly different, don’t have to deal with the rain too much, though it could be an issue if you don’t enjoy the sun or heat. I can’t say I hate Suna, though it has its fair share of problems like anywhere else. As for living carelessly and freely, that depends on who you’re asking.” He winked at Akai as he spoke his last few words, knowing that those words directly applied to his current life.

He caught a glance of a fallen tree, one that had fallen long before Seiryū had walked along this path the first time. The tree marked that they had at least another ten minutes (at their current pace) to get off this back road path and on to the one that would lead them back to Mt. Ikkyu. His gaze once more fell upon Akai’s eyes, wondering why she called them weird when he found them captivating. He doubted that others in her clan could replicate such a reaction with him, for he knew nothing of them and nothing of her as well except for a few details. Taking his eyes back forward, for not wanting to make her uncomfortable, Seiryū kept his focus on the path ahead.

“Your eyes are anything but weird.” He quietly let out, though it was likely his companion could hear it. So much for not trying to make things uncomfortable.

After a moment, hopping over another log, Seiryū heard the faintest sounds of the wind picking up more. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, how’d you end up at the temple?”

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As soon as Akai felt the acceptance of her gripping hand, the flow of pleasant warmth went through her fingers right up the whole side of her body, which was in a close distance to Seiryu. It seemed as if her frozen body was revived again. In reflex to this feeling Akai brushed her fingers through those of  the man lightly and made a tiny sqeeze of his hand in order to share the same warmth she was receiving with him as well. The most surprising thing to the red head was that she found herself smiling much more  here, in such cold rain, in totally alien land, than she ever did before when was still in her own homeland, where her very roots were. Now Akai was starting to understand what to be in a pleasant company meant and felt like.  She was enjoying her time with Seiryu so much, that she already forgot about the rain and other things which were troubling her for the past few days. The red head simply wished that this moment would not pass away so soon.

As Seiryu made a teasing response to her spoken words, Akai let out a giggle again. She would never try to get rid of him though. A bond between people was considered to be something sacred to the red head. Just like that story about the red string she had read while still was a little girl. There was this saying about the red string of fate. By this invisible thin red string we were connected with those most special people to whom we bump into through life, with those ones, who we were destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. This red string might become so stretched, might become extremely tangled, but could never be broken. This was something Akai believed in.

“If it was up to me, I would pack you with me, so that I could take you everywhere I would go. Leaving no chance of escaping.“

By saying that, she laughed once more until the laughter changed into her blushing expression again. Akai was not sure anymore if that was because of her companion again or if that was an actual fever trying to hit on her. The red head could not feel any cold anymore and her whole attention was drawn to the man beside her, thus it was too hard for her to notice any changes in her own body, which could be related to health issues later. Or most likely, at a moment like that, she did not care about any of those at all. Akai was just listening carefully to Seiryu‘s responses and was observing his face at the same time, trying to perpetuate the picture of him deep into her memory, without missing any of important details.

As Seiryu continued to speak, Akai sqeezed his hand even more as the words about being just a simple chuunin without anything special to his name escaped his mouth. The sqeeze was some kind of sign of denial, the disagreement to that very statement. The red head wondered why he would say so or more important why he would think so, if that was how he though in the depths of his mind. Akai figured that there must be a deeper reason behind those words, however she did not think it would be a good idea to ask for the reason so directly as she did not know where she stood there for him yet.  However, to her thinking, most of the time,  a positon or a title should not be the main thing, which would bring people to honor and admire other person. Title would become an empty name if it would not be lived up to by doing certain deeds. As for Akai, she thought very highly of Seiryu, not solely due to his kindness and openess to such a stranger like her, but also because of his personality, which was starting to reveal itself slowly. Being not confident yet about asking Seiryu for more personal questio, related to his sentence, Akai bit her lip and inserted her apology in between his talking.

“Ah, sorry for the sama thing, it is just that I grew up in a very formal setting and sometimes it is too hard to let go of some old habits.“

The red head curved a smiled on her lips trying her hardest not to go back to thinking about the past experiences at home again. Luckily, soon enough Seiryu saved her again by briefly introducing his point of view about Suna. Concentrated on listening what Seiryu was saying, Akai was trying to imagine every detail in her mind. The red head got herself wondering if she could fit in there, where Seiryu was living, where the heat was so high and the sun was so intense, like it never was, not even close, in Konoha. It was actually a nice feeling to be imagining herself being in the sunny Sunagakure no Sato, especially when there was nothing else, but dark sky, cold wind and heavy rain around them. After getting back to reality, Akai threw a brief gaze at Seiryu and caught his playful wink at the same time. This caused her to smile again and hearing those last words, as well as his cheerful reaction, Akai felt somehow relieved. At least one of them was enjoying his own existance back home.

Now Akai started to wonder If she would be welcomed to visit Sunagakure no Sato sometime in the future. Of course the true reason would be to see and talk to Seiryu again, but she would just generally cover it by the simple desire to visit the unknown country for the first time. Just the second Akai was attempting to ask about this possibility, she caught his gaze again, followed by really silent compliment. A pleasant chill ran though her skin immediately, but even though she was flattered by his words, the red head did not want to appear too excited, thus she whispered a silent thank you.

After a brief pause, Akai received a question herself about the reason of her ending up at such place they both met in. For a normal person, it would seem a rather neutral and easy one, though in her situation, the red head would need more intimate and comfortable setting to answer this question honestly. She turned her head back and scanned the scene behind them quickly, in order to make sure if any presence of anyone going behing them could be sensed. Making sure that they were totally alone, at least for the range her eyes could see and sensory abilities could reach, Akai spoke in a calm and silent voice.

“Well, it is kind of a long story. Lets just say I am trying to break free from the chains that were holding me back for my whole life and I was trying so hard that ended up completely lost in a place with no civilisation and people at all. And then you accidentally came to the temple...“

Her voice broke at the end of the sentence and silence lingered there for some time. Since that moment she crossed the border and was threatened by her father‘s men, Akai was not even able to take care of herself decently. Thinking back to the very first day in Kumogakure no Sato, even then the red head received some help from a boy who she encountered training. At that time Akai made a promise to herself that she needed to handle her own problems by herself, thus went her own way alone from that point. However, in the end she still ended up totally lost in the wilderness, in the need for others to rely on again. Thinking about the events like this, Akai felt completely useless. Trying to hide her emotion, she gazed at Seiryu and giggled.

“You even might be getting yourself involved with a criminal at some point. Doesn‘t that scare you, Seiruy-san?“

Even if this sounded as kind of a joke, it could turn to be truth as well. In case if Akai would not be able to succeed in becoming an official ninja of the Land of Lightning, she would be announced a missing ninja and those having any contact with her or any valuable information, would need to inform authorities. Otherwise, those people would be considered commiting a crime themselves, simply by helping the wanted missing ninja to stay hidden.

Suddenly, while Akai was gazing at Seiryu in order to observe his reaction, her eyes got distracted by something colorful far away.  The red head turned her eyes to look at the horizon. The thing which distracted her seemed to be the blurred image of some sort of settlement, which was starting to appear slowly. The heavy rain was the main obstacle to see ahead clearly, though as both of them were pacing at a safe speed, the image was getting brigther with each jump. Soon both of them could see the view with the siluettes of houses and narrow streets, with little figures of people chaotically moving there carrying tiny umbrellas above their heads. The place looked lively and the spirit of special event could be felt from a far, even the rain seemed to be not much of a trouble there. It was almost evening already, thus the lights illuminating the windows, as well as many lanterns hanging in the streets, made the view kind of breathaking. Akai‘s lips parted  and she held her breath due to the beauty of the moment. She sqeezed Seiryu‘s hand and whispered, being afraid as if loud words could disturbt the moment of admiration.

“Is this it? The place? It looks...amazing.“

As they were getting closer to the place, the red head started getting worried, as it meant that their journey together was going to an end. Now the smile was gone from Akai‘s face and she, without even noticing it, reduced her speed. She was wondering maybe she could ask Seiryu if he would like to hang out with her while at the resort, she would take him to some nice place to eat, would be her treat of course. However, the red head was not confident to ask him that just yet, she decided simply to wait for when they would reach the place completely and perhaps she would be confident enough to try her luck then. It was just that Akai had this feeling as if she did not want to let go of him yet.

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Seiryū aptly listened to Akai’s reasoning behind getting lost, wishing to escape something she had, in his mind, no control over. He could empathize with her, for he had been in a similar situation, though he was the one who had let himself become absorbed in that life. A life he didn’t wish for anyone else.

From just the miniscule details provided to him by Akai, he couldn’t entirely paint a picture of what brought the situation upon her, nor what it felt like for her. His only relation to her situation was solely brought to the time where he had to deal with the Yakuza after completing a few jobs for them. Leaving wasn’t easy, nor did he expect them to remain this quiet for as long as they have done so. In fact, Seiryū was wary of what they could possibly be doing, for he hadn’t heard anything about them for some time. Except, maybe, just maybe, that boy he helped out that day… after Seiryū got his wallet back from the kid, did get involved with the Yakuza. Though, when Seiryū had aided him, he eventually found just a minor drug dealer, one who he knew for certain was never involved with them. Shaking his head, for these thoughts about Suna held no significance in the Land of Lightning, Seiryū’s eyes remained focused upon the path, hearing a giggle and feeling eyes upon his person. He smoothly and slowly ran his thumb over Akai’s for it remained in his hold thus far.

Her joke about getting involved with a criminal could easily be interpreted as such, but Seiryū already knew what it was like when one got involved with organized criminals. While most weren’t shinobi that he got involved with, they had enough resources to bring in shinobi and mercenaries from anywhere around the globe. Simply put, Seiryū knew all too well what Akai was referring to when it came to dealing with criminals, even if it wasn’t the same type. A rueful smile was on his face for a few seconds, only to be replaced by a forceful smile, though with honest words.  “Ah…  but you would be one criminal I wouldn’t mind being involved with… I mean knowing.” He turned to look back at Akai while he said the words to her, though he knew they’d be closing in on their destination in a few more minutes.

The closer they got to their destination, the closer they were to parting ways.  While he would let her figure out where to go, to do what needed to be done, he wasn’t satisfied for knowing her for at most twenty minutes. From the time he laid eyes upon her to when they would reach the resort town, he felt that simply wouldn’t be enough to satisfy his curiosity about the woman next to him. Seiryū, while he could try to see if she wished to spend more time, simply felt that there were more pressing matters for Akai to turn to. For she had likely had to run away the closer they were to Mt. Ikkyu as it was easy enough to find when one was coming here, especially from Konoha. With that idea drawn in his mind, he wondered whom she had to escape from and if it were possible for them to find her again. He doubted he’d be able to help her once again, for he’d have to cross paths with the redhead once more and the chances of such happening were rather slim with the amount of people currently in Mt. Ikkyu and Kumogakure no Sato.

Thinking about such things wouldn’t make a difference, nor would it change the future set out for them. In the end, the future was decided by themselves and what fate had in store for them. If someone wished for them to cross paths in the future, it would happen, but until that time, it was better to simply enjoy what the day puts ahead of them.

He heard Akai comment about the buildings in the distance. The street lights and lanterns slowly beginning to flicker on, pale yellow light already coming out of the multiple windows of the hotels, inns, restaurants and shops that were numerous within this small, quaint area. This was the first time that Seiryū had seen Mt. Ikkyu from this far at night, taking in the sight itself as well. The waterfall, one of the main attractions, was illuminated beautifully, for the light was softly coming up from the bottom before fading in to obscurity as it went further up the waterfall. The moon itself casted a glow upon the buildings, for the waxing gibbous of the moon tonight would indicate a full moon arriving in just a few nights. The only thing depressingly affecting tonight was the downpour of rain, though that was to be expected from the storm that they had seen coming from the abandoned temple. His eyes briefly went to her, gauging her reaction of Mt. Ikkyu.

His own hair was plastering down to his face, his clothing drenched. “It is beautiful.” Seiryū responded to her comment about Mt. Ikkyu, while his free hand went to his hair pushing it back entirely. The feeling of wet hair sticking on to him, especially the back of his neck, was foreign to him, as the amount of rain Sunagakure no Sato received yearly was insignificant. The only similar feeling he’d ever gotten to this was when he took a shower or soaked his head in water.

As they kept on moving forward, Seiryū felt the instant shift the closer they got to Mt. Ikkyu. Seiryū’s eyes went back to meet hers, sensing something was off. She had slowed down considerably, No longer was she gleaming brightly in comparison to the dreary weather around them, nor were her eyes as bright as they seemed. Her eyes looked uncannily wretched in his view, especially compared to before when most of their conversation had been somewhat pleasant. Her shoulders seemed slumped, though it could easily be his eyes playing tricks on him, except for the other signs telling him otherwise. He too slowed down to accommodate to her slowing down, but his speed went even slower, wanting for them to stop entirely to make sure she was alright.

The moment they would come to a stop, Seiryū would turn to her, still holding on to one of her hand’s, rubbing a gentle circle with his thumb upon the outside of her hand. He would turn until he was face to face with Akai, knowing that he had simply delayed their journey for a few minutes or so. Seiryū wondered what could’ve possibly gotten her in to such a mood, for she had been seeking some form of help, and that was what he had done thus far, by helping her back to civilization. His eyes looked down to look at hers, if she would meet his gaze. “Akai…” He would say hesitantly, knowing full well he dropped honorifics entirely. Seiryū only dropped it solely for it was simpler to pronounce a name by itself. “Is something wrong?

“Is there anything I can do to help you?“ He’d wait for an answer, wondering if there was anything he could possibly do to remedy the sadness that seemed to overtake her at this point. Him stopping them here likely wasn’t the best of ideas, for they’d simply be out in the rain longer and the chances of one of them getting sick increased as time went on.  Sadness didn’t seem to suit her, in his opinion in the short time they had been with one another.

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The rain was starting to get lighter with each step and as Akai gazed to the sky, she could see the true colours of it more clearly now. As it appeared, the storm did not break in the end after all. Or it as well could be that it stayed back at the temple and both of them were fortunate enough to escape the peak of storm in time. The red head was spacing out for a second there, however, it was soon disturbed by sudden turn of events. Akai felt that Seiryu stopped and she stopped immediately too as their movements were connected by their hands, which were still keeping the hold onto each other tightly. The red head was wondering what happened all of the sudden, she threw her gaze around to check if there were any obstacles in their way, which might have caused  Seiryu to stop. Though soon enough the red head realised that she was the obstacle herlself, because the same second the man stopped, she saw him turning back in order to face her.

To her surprise, she caught his gaze and now they were both standing still in front of each other, reducing the gap between their drenched bodies to the extreme. Neither of them let go of each others‘ hands and now from this tiny distance and still being under this rain , Akai could see and trace each of the rain drops going through Seiryu‘s face, down his cheek, lingering on his lips for a while and then ending onto his neck. All of it somehow created such an intimate atmosphere, thus, while gazing and following every face feature carefully, Akai‘s hand tightened the grip just a little more as being lost in the moment she felt an urgent, unexplainable desire to raise that hand and gently wipe all of the drops from Seiryu‘s face. Though still trying to mainain some control over herself, Akai locked her eyes onto his, as she though they would be the safest place to gaze at. Normally, Akai would just blush, force a smile on her face, turn her eyes away and maybe mumble something completely out of topic, simply to get herself out of situation without having to show her emotions or to explain any of what she would be feeling at that moment. However, this sime she just could not resist those purple eyes of his as Akai found them to be so hypnotising to the level that she almost forgot how to speak. “Breathtaking.“ Only one thought was crossing her mind.

Finding herself in such position, Akai was trying to coltrol her uneaven and loud breathing, because she knew that Seiryu probably could hear it from this tiny distance and she did not want to appear akward or too emotional about it. Then Seiryu was the first to speak gently whispering Akai‘s name and inquiring if something was wrong. Akai trembled once more while these words were being said as coming together with his gaze, they sounded so honest to her, like he would be truly expressing his deep concern over her. Now Akai had so many mixed feelings inside herself and it seemed as if the storm, which supposed to be catching them outside, just made itself comfortable in Akai‘s head, messing with every thought in her mind. As for Seiryu‘s words, the red head had never received such an honest inquiry about her wellbeing, not even once anyone asked her neither what she felt, nor what she wanted back then. And the most upseting, but at the same time the most comforting thought was that even a person, who never met her before or knew nothing about her, now seemed to know more, understand more and even felt more dear to her than those people who Akai kept close and dear in the past.

Thinking about an answer, Akai at one point wanted to scream that „yes, Seiryu, there are so many things wrong in this world and after we both separate, all of that will get even worse“. On the other hand, she could not think about herself anymore, if she already caused him to worry, she could not make him worry even more, that is not the way she want him to see before going their own ways. Akai raised her hand and put it on Seiryu‘s chest lightly in a calming manner, still gazing at him with a subtle smile. The red head attempted to give him the answer, which would finally calm him down completely. However, the attempt was interupted by a loud thunder sound somewhere in  the horizon near them. Akai was in her head too much, that this thunder caught her unprepared and scared her. The red head jumped forward a little in reflex and ended up hugging Seiryu. It took a minute for her to realise what had just happened and where that sound was coming from, though when she did, it was already too late.

Feeling akward, Akai burried her head into Seiryu‘s chest, trying to hide her face, but then she just ended up laughing out of herself. The red head attempted to push herself away from the man simply to see his reaction and to apologise.

“I am very sorry! No, actually I am not, your eyes got me lost in a moment, so I blame you for this!“

She laughed again at her little tease,trying to make the atmosphere more cheerful for them both. However, she made a more serious expression again, leaving a plain smile to linger on her lips. Actually, now Akai felt confident enough to ask Seiryu to meet her again as the thunder experience had shown, this place is not convenient and too distracting for them to talk openly. She placed her hand onto Seiryu‘s chest again, still needing to keep the same close contact they had this whole time while moving. Then she proceeded to speak in calm voice.  

“Thank you for your care, Seiryu, it means a lot me. But the question which concers me the most now is...are we ever going to meet again?“

Akai was feeling so comfortable in this moment, that she did not even realised how she dropped all of formalities as well. The red head stepped closer to Seiryu and placed her other hand onto his chest gently. At the same time she turned her white eyes to those of his. Now her gaze was rather different than before, the sadness was gone and  her eyes were glowing in excitement again.

“I feel the need to tell you everything about myself and feel that you have something to tell me as well. Though this is not the suitable place for all of it as if we ended up in a hug again, I am aftraid I would be distracted from speaking completely.“

By each sentence her voice was getting more and more silent and her face was getting closer to Seiryu‘s. Akai ignored the raindrops going down her face and parted her lips to continue her speech.

“As for the help, you already helped me a lot. Seiryu...what I need the most though now is...“

While pronouncing his name, Akai took a deep breath as if breathing it out of the depths of herself. She paused completely and her voice became a whisper. Her lips reached Seiryu‘s ear and finally emmitted the ending of the previous sentence in a silent voice.

“....shower.“

Feeling this close to a person, Akai felt her whole body electrified. She made a flirty giggle as it was more of a tease in order to shoo all of the remainings of the previous upsetting vibes away. Still not in rush to bring her body away from him, Akai remained keeping the proximity while waiting for Seiryu‘s reaction. She was somehow proud of herself as she managed to express her emotions and the feeling of fear of letting him go, even if is was expressed in a simple question of if they would ever meet again.

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The constant pattering began to slow down with the droplets falling upon his body no longer coming down with their early force. Seiryū could still feel each new globule of water hitting his body, though the sensation they brought earlier, the one of cold, was long forgotten as his body was used to the temperature. Rather than the cold one would feel in such an environment, it was all replaced by slight warmth, yet the cold still prevailing overall. The distance Seiryū put between himself and Akai was minimal at best, having briefly forgotten to be aware of personal space that she may wish to keep him away from. Being within such close proximity to another living being allowed there bodies to slightly cope with their cold surroundings, though it wouldn’t suffice when compared to being in contact with one another or being wrapped up in warm blankets. The gap between them was insignificant, for just moving a step forward would essentially put him chest to chest with the beautiful female before him, for the rain didn’t seem to deter the allure that radiated from her being. Perhaps, under other circumstances, he would’ve taken a more direct approach, yet for now he was solely concerned with her wellbeing. It was entirely luck that he happened across her, for she would’ve likely been stuck alone, in the cold, at the temple where he found her. It would’ve been cruel for him to leave her there alone, but he would’ve only done so if she was adamant about it. But since that wasn’t the case, there was no use thinking about it.

From the moment his words left his mouth to the time that Akai had come to a halt in front of him, Seiryū’s eyes were locked on hers, exploring her face for anything that could give away how she was feeling. It was times like these where he wished he figured out his sensei’s teachings, the lessons taught to any who hailed from the Kōga clan about being able to read expressions. He could only recall so many of the lessons, never having the time to utilize them, especially when he eventually found himself surrounded by people who constantly spewed lies and half-truths. Working for and against criminals within his countries own borders dulled his usage of his kekkei genkai, as he thought it wouldn’t be beneficial for him to utilize when he could never believe them. Of course, in hindsight, he figured it would’ve aided him in at least avoiding situations where he wouldn’t want to place anyone else.

The feel of droplets running down from his hair, flowing down around his eyes towards his cheek was a bit irritating due to the consistent flow of water down his face, yet he made no move to swipe them away. Letting the droplets eventually fall down his rich lips, the colour of them standing out due to his face paling, his body reacting to preserve as much heat as possible from the chilliness he was experiencing. Though he often never was able to read micro-expression, something his sensei attempted to teach Seiryū, the purple-eyed individual noticed a bit of hesitance coming from Akai, though from what, he was still entirely unsure of. He wasn’t sure what thoughts were plaguing her, but Seiryū was willing enough to rid her of those feelings, if it was something within his realm of power. Not voicing anything out yet, for he’d wait for her to tell him of her troubles, Seiryū wondered what was restraining her from doing what she wished to do. When her eyes finally settled on his, his scrutinizing gaze softened, noting her breathing was slightly heavier than what one considered normal.

The small smile that appeared on her lips settled his thoughts slightly, though he still wondered if he had done or said something to upset her. Her expression told him elsewise, yet the inner doubt that settled in was difficult to remove, even if she would aid in removing the thoughts, the seeds were already planted in his mind. For while they were still complete strangers, not know even the most basic of information about the other, Seiryū wished to at least stay on her good side for many reasons. One, as a social creature, being able to freely communicate with another was satisfying. Secondly, it was in Seiryū‘s nature to simply accept others for who they were, even if he knew next to nothing about them. Thirdly, and the most obvious to him, he wished to know more about Akai as possible. Seiryū knew he’d be able to figure out what troubled her, only if she allowed him to know.

A loud thundering noise echoed in the distance, though that wasn’t what surprised him, for Akai had moved forward and hugged him. For a moment he thought it odd, though a second later realized it could be attributed for the sound of thunder that had surprised him slightly as well. Easing his arms so they wrapped around her, holding her for a brief second before he felt a weight rest upon his chest, Seiryū’s eyes  took in the sky once more before he turn his eyes lower, being able to see the forest of red that was her hair. He heard a muffled laugh, knowing it was coming from the only other living person in his direct vicinity, his arms falling away from her, internally valuing the action as being far too short for his liking. Seiryū felt Akai push herself off him slightly, putting a bit of distance between their bodies, far shorter than their initial distance from when he stopped them, for she had to do that to see his face.

Meeting her eyes once more, Seiryū smiled at her words, glad that she wasn’t entirely upset for the time being. Seiryū enjoyed hearing her laughter. “Ah, then you can blame me all you want if that’s all I’m guilty of. I’d gladly be at fault if I could do the same.” The words flowed out of him easily, his voice slightly gruff, drowning out a bit from the rain pattering down around them. With one of her hands now placed upon his chest, Seiryū kept looking at her, still attempting to figure out what was plaguing her, though it would only be realized when she would inform him of it.

She thanked him for helping her, though he hadn’t really done anything other than happen upon her and guide her back to Mt. Ikkyu (which was now just a few minutes of walking away), where he would’ve went to next after his venture to the temple. Her question, however, brought some curiosity back to him, wondering why she wished to see him again. He hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. Of course, there was the part of him that was thrilled at the aspect of seeing her in a more… normal situation. With their already close proximity, the redhead stepped even closer to him, placing her other hand upon his chest as well. With her white eyes fixated on his purple ones, the unhappiness transforming to joy, Seiryū listened as she continued on, saying that she needed to tell him about herself, with him having to do the same for her.

While Seiryū didn’t wish to delve in to his past, for it would eventually bring out pity or some other relatable aspect, he assumed, he knew that if she told him something of importance, he would be obliged to do the same by his own morals. Before he could say anything to answer her question, he noticed the distance between them closing even further. Not their bodies, but rather her face approaching his own. Her voice had dropped significantly, almost going silent, as her words played with him, taunting him really. In Seiryū’s mind, she was currently a minx, yet her earlier actions had made him think of her as an innocent lady. When she said his name, his breathing hitched slightly, fully aware that he could feel her breath pressing against his skin. Just the enunciation of his name was enough to momentarily make him lose his senses, though they came back to him in just a moment. For while he knew the reason for it, he solely attributed it to the rain and how it was forcing his body to retain as much heat as possible.

Her lips neared his ears, emitting a single, two syllable word that barely registered in his mind. Currently, Seiryū was stupefied (for he hadn’t expected such from her), as Akai’s flirtatious laughter wrung through his ears. Taking just a moment to right himself, Seiryū’s eyes went to find hers once more, fully aware of the distance between them. From just the simple question of ever meeting him again, to her basically taunting him, Seiryū was dumbfounded at the turn of events, though he didn’t disapprove of it.

A smile played at his lips, dipping his head down so his voice wouldn’t need to travel as far to reach her ears. The hairs on his head, mostly white with the roots black, moved with the motion, gently falling in front of his face, obscuring his eyes from hers. The globs of water that gathered on them, along with those on his chin, would fall straight downward and land on Akai if she remained where she currently stood. His hair was dripping wet, as if he had walked out of the shower without drying it even the slightest. “I believe… I can… help you out with that problem… Akai.” Seiryū referenced to her comment about needing a shower, for he had the solution in his hotel room. A spacious shower, one which he was certain would be fitting, though he lacked the supplies she would need to cleanse herself, unless she wished to use the soap and shampoo he had brought with him. Of course, she would need dry clothing after such, for he doubted a bath robe would suffice.

“You can use my shower... and after we can figure out to do with you.” For the first half of his statement was entirely true, the second flirtatious in nature. With her saying she wished to meet him again, he supposed that they could arrange something during the duration of his stay in Kaminari no Kuni, for after that he would eventually need to go back to Sunagakure no Sato, and the likelihood of them meeting after that wasn’t something he was sure of, the likelihood slim. “We can figure something out if you want to meet again. Best you find a warm place to stay for tonight and figure out your arrangements tomorrow morning.” Seiryū essentially voiced an invitation for her to stay in his hotel room, for one night of him sleeping on the couch wouldn’t hurt him. His invitation to her would be for her wellbeing, rather than carnal pleasures. This was not to say he found her distasteful, for it was the exact opposite in his mind, but presuming she had no wish for such things.

“We should head back before the storm decides to pick up again.” Seiryū voiced out, knowing they could continue this conversation on the way and once they had a roof over their head. He slowly stepped away, not really wishing to place the distance between them again, for the body heat that radiated slightly between them provided him with enough warmth over his drenched clothes, though it would be awkward to walk back like that. After hesitantly putting a bit of distance between them, Seiryū stepped to next to Akai’s side, with him on her right side, facing the direction to Mt. Ikkyu. Gently, his left hand fell to the small of her back, staying there as his face turned to hers, purple meeting white once more. “Is there anything else you need… aside from the shower.” Seiryū prodded, his right eye winking as the words left him. With his hand still on the small of her back, Seiryū gently urged her forward, taking a slow step of his own. He wasn’t in a rush to get back, though he figured the sooner the better, for it wouldn’t do for one of them to fall ill.

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Akai was starting to feel too cold for her liking and even though the flow of raindrops was starting to slow down a little, it seemed that the damage was already done. She turned her head tho the side and coughed once while pressing her hand to her mouth gently. She did not want Seiryu to notice so that he would not get too worried about it. However, it was really hard to stay unnoticed as her face was quite flushed in red and her head felt like it would have been pierced by thousand needless, which caused Akai‘s eyes to turn into a pair of big shinging pieces of glass, gazing right into Seiryu‘s eyes.

Though all of that seemed to loose the importance as soon as the red head heard Seiryu speak of his repsonse to her little tease she made some minutes earlier. Speaking about the tease, due to the strict and formal upbringing, Akai was always nurtured to keep her feelings,thoughts and ideas deeply hidden within herself and this resulted in her not knowing how to bring them out in a more natural way. The unexpected turn of behaviour most of the time meant her attempt to hide them even deeper, to distract herself from her own feelings or to distract other person from noticing and investigating them at the same time. All of her clumsiness or teasing always had this intention of pretending before.However, people lead their lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until they splash into something that forces them to find a new course. It seemed that Akai had a great deal of water in her personality and the moment of splashing into something, was actually the moment she met this purple-eyed person.The red head was not good in speaking herself out and even though she still had to play a teasing trick onto the man, it was the symbol of a new turn as the purpose of the trick this time was to actually express how she felt, not to hide itanymore.

Akai‘s true personality could be considered to be just like water indeed. Water never waits. It changes shape and flows around things, and finds the secret paths no one else has thought about, like the tiny hole through the roof or the bottom of the box. There is no doubt it is the most versatile of the five elements. It can wash away earth, it can put out fire, it can wear a piece of metal down and sweep it away. Even wood, which is its natural complement, can't survive without being nurtured by water. And yet, Akai had not drawn on those strengths in living her life yet, because the life she was living up to now was someone elses, not her own. Even though she already had the physical freedom and could freely move just like this water did, the true restriction was in her mind. It was haunted by some kind of demons from her past, which caused the constant fear of being herself, fear of feeling and fear of loss, summing up into the lethal process of self destruction.However, the moment Akai would learn how to put her mind at piece with her true self, the moment she would realise her own stenghts and feelings and would be able to openly share them with people who were dear to her, would be the very moment of true freedom.

After hearing the answer and witnessing Seiryu‘s soft gaze, Akai now knew that Seiryu might have understood her anxiety towards the thought of them parting so soon. Or maybe he was just like her and had his own anxieties? Thus, the happiness overflew her when she heard his reply, which seemed not so direct as it was not completely clear if he was offering Akai to stay in the night with him, making sure of her safety and warmth for one night, or was it just a hot shower which had been offered just now.Though coming to think about it, the red head thought that he must have meant the second offer as it seemed so unbelievable for her that someone would be so kind and generous to shelter a stranger like her to the point of allowing her to enter such personal space as home. Even though Akai figured Seiryu stayed in just a simple room of the hotel for the time being, which was far away from his home, but still she considered it to be much more of a personal space than she had already invaded with her light touching before.

Akai also noticed the flirting manner being present in Seiryu‘s voice at times and it caused her to look at the situation from whole different angle. She gazed at Seiryu starting at his eyes, then going down his whole body, scrutinizing each musle, which form was highlighted due to the drenched in rain clothing. Then she threw a brief look ar her own body, quickly skipping through each curve, which was also highligthed now by water. Though, now the gaze was completely different from those ones she made before, which were holding the meaning of rather curiousity and admiration. Only now Akai‘s mind shifted. He was a man. She was a woman. Was it completely safe to stick around each other longer and in more intimate atmosphere than they were now? The shower, the room with no obstacles like cold wind and unpleasant rain, only the feeling of warmth and coziness would surround them. Akai was afraid that she might lose herself to all of it. Even before she thought that this intimate atmosphere was essential for them to have an honest talk, to just simply gaze at each other and tell their stories, or at least her story if Seiryu would not feel like sharing, she would totally understand that though. However, now Akai for the first time during this travel started to question herself if that would be the only thing that would happen. Only the talk?

Akai bit her lip thinking that it actually might be too dangerous to stick around longer, not physically, but rather mentally, because she could get easily attached.And she once experienced the unfortunate results of attachment, which caused her so much pain when the person went missing. While back at home, the red head remebered visiting this temple where there was a poem called "Loss" carved into the stone. It had three words, but the unknown poet had scratched them out almost completely. The meaning behind the poet‘s action was that one could not read or touch loss, only feel it.Though only after the tragedy Akai realised that sometimes the feeling of loss could be so hard to bear that it might bring along an actual suffering of the body. She would not want to find herself in the same shallow place again or to cause any threat to Seiryu. Akai never thought about it before, but even now she felt that thinking about this was completely pointless. And way too late. He was like a song Akai had heard once in fragments but had been singing in her mind ever since. She already felt being way more attached for her liking and maybe this was on of the reasons behind her being so hesitant to part. Akai did not want the tragic scenario to repeat itself, where the person was caught withouth her knowing it and, more important, without her being able to prevent the tragic ending.  Knowing that she had been constantly watched while in Kaminari no Kuni, she put Seiryu in danger as well, so this tragic scenario could involve him too. Akai felt that being around was safer actually not to herself, but for Seiryu, as in the case of being attacked, she would not make the same mistake, she would be around and could even give herself in villingly, if that meant that he would not receive even a single threat from Hyuga in the future. Even though she would not be able to see him again in that case and it would feel as a personal loss for Akai, this loss would be easier to bear knowing that a person was still alive somewhere, living his life safe and happy.

After a minute of being stuck in her head like she usually did, Akai returned back to the present moment and threw a gaze at Seiryu. It was a soft one this time. She also curved a smile on her lips and nodded her head to him regarding the offer he spoke of earlier. That was the nod of agreement. “I would appreciate it, Seiryu, I promise not to be a burden, will be light as a feather at your place.“ Akai giggled just a littlewithout noticing how she dropped all the formalities again. That also showed how the bond was growing with each second as compared to the first time Akai gazed at Seiryu, he seemed like some kind of higher being, so distant, unreachable for someone like her, thus the read head minding her habits and knowing her manners well, called him sama. But the name just came so natural to her now that she would not imagine saying it in other way. If any formal ending would be put to it, it would feel like a cold and rather official meeting like conversation. It signalised that the red head felt this proximity towards the purple eyed man.This also meant that Akai was finnaly going though a transformation of some kind, getting rid of the habits that were forced on her and accepting way more open and pleasant style of communication. “And it will be a perfect opportunity for us to talk, because from now on, after we take these steps forward into the resort, we need to be more careful, Seiryu.“ This second part of the sentence actually had a double meaning and Akai just smiled with a calm expression on her face like it was nothing really that serious in order not to get Seiryu too worried. She simply hoped that he would be patient enough to wait untill they get to the place, take their showers and finally sit and she could explain everything properly. Akai wondered if he would consider her a traitor then, disrespect or throw her away, though she was ready to take the risk, he needed to know.

Soon enough Akai vitnessed how Seiryu moved to her side and felt his light touch on her back, which was encouraging her to start moving with him. He spoke out his concern about the upcoming storm and Akai just caressly giggled at that. “I don‘t think that the storm could do even worse than this rain had already done to us. Just look at us.“ She emitted a little laugh. Without hesitating even a little, Akai got a grip of the man‘s hand again and got on her feet. She gazed at him through the corner of her eyes, which was ment to make sure if holding hands was still in his confort zone like it was before. “Actually, I already received more than I deserve. Seiryu...“ The red head took a deep breath and gazed. “...Is there anyhting I could do for you? Ask me anything...“ For once Akai hoped to be able to take care of other person, to give something valuable, whatever it would be, it was fine with her, she was eager to help and make herself of use finally.



While the red head waited for an answer, they finally reached the Mt. Ikkyu resort, which was even more stunning than it seemed from a far. It was full of various buildings built in different material and style of architecture. There was this pond of water and the bridge, going in the middle of the small valley, almost seemed as if it would be parting the resort in two camps. The natural light was dim as it was evening already, though the whole resort seemed as if it would be on purpose decorated by the lights in the windows. Even though the rain had almost stopped falling, the sky still signalised about the upcoming storm. Most likely it would break at night, thus they still got time to make their way to the building safely. The red head dropped her speed as soon as she felt solid ground under her feet, long time had passed since she felt that. It was way less slippery than the natural ground they were travelling through, thus the red head did not watch her step anymore. Due to that, Seiryu‘s eyes had her full attention. Realising that Akai was till holding his hand, she let go of it lightly in order to fix her wet hair a little. They were in the village full of people, as well as full of shinobi from all of the world after all, thus she needed to at least fix her hair up, so that they would not draw much of attention and in case if they would, people could not recognise her with her hair down later, as she normaly wore them like that.

While keeping her hands burried into the red piece of mess on her head, Akai was turned straight to the purple eyed man. Soon after she was done, the red head came closer again and clinged to his side, while cheerfully smiling and gazing up to his eyes. There were so many buildings around in this resort, there was no way she could know which direction they needed to take. Thus, Akai spoke once more hoping that Seiryu would lead the way. At the same time, she meant to make sure if his previous offer was still on and he had not changed his mind yet. “Sorry for the brief wait. Shall we go now?“

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Seiryū wondered what Akai had meant when she spoke of them needing to be more careful, for he had no knowledge of what associating with Akai would entail. He couldn’t exactly know where to place her in his mind, whether to define her as someone who wouldn’t bring ill-fortune or not, since he knew very little about what she could possibly be trying to escape. It would be a matter of time before he got an answer that would aid in him figuring out the puzzle, but he knew that he wouldn’t mind becoming closely acquainted with Akai, even if they would only be able to meet during either of their stays in Kaminari no Kuni. Regardless, he’d keep his reservations about such thing until he knew the full story and what it could possibly mean for him, with her slightly cryptic words, for he could sense she wasn’t entirely stating what she meant. For while he wasn’t skilled with the bloodline bestowed upon him, in short spurts Seiryū could grasp some meanings, yet he still found reading people to be confusing. As for escaping from the past, it always a given, for Seiryū knew without a doubt, his would eventually catch up with him, whether he wished it would or not and the same could be said for Akai’s. Here, in the Land of Lightning, Seiryū didn’t have to worry about his own, not until he returned, but even then it wasn’t a given.

A wordless nod was his simple response to Akai’s acknowledgment that the storm itself had done enough to them thus far, but he knew it could be far worse than their current predicament. A thin smile followed as she laughed. For one, they could easily be stuck someplace else, a place where it would far less safe compared to the resort town of Mt. Ikkyu. The decision from Akai to head over to this area and Seiryū’s knowledge of the road back were enough to make it so that their situation wasn’t as worse as it possibly could’ve been if either of the two elements weren’t present. An idle thought passed through his mind, wondering what would’ve occurred if he hadn’t decided to venture out of Mt. Ikkyu today, what would have been the fate of Akai? It was likely she would have needed to hole up in the temple until the storm concluded or travel without knowledge about the closest place with civilization. These thoughts, however, were completely redundant, as his hand was still resting upon the small of her back.

In a contradictory sense, Seiryū didn’t mind getting closer to individuals in a physical sense, for he never really had too much of a personal space as he grew up. Yet to let someone in to his past, his story, that was something he never did, nor wished to truly do. Seiryū simply thought it best to deal with his own issues on his own, never allowing another individual to get a peek, as he would keep them out. If they knew nothing, perfect, they wouldn’t get involved at all. If, someone, somehow, found a way in, he doubted they would get themselves involved, thus it would just give them thoughts that they would never have to deal with in the future.

His hand left her back, simply falling back to his side, though it was not for long as a familiar sensation was felt once again. Akai’s grip on his hand was familiar, for it had been, not even two minutes ago, that it had been in his possession before. Seiryū’s returned action was slow, trying to make meaning of her grasp, yet he couldn’t exactly figure it out. Instead, just a mere second of thought wouldn’t provide him with the answer he wished would come, Seiryū simply accepted it as nothing more than a feeling of security and that he wouldn’t run off, leaving her alone in a foreign place.

“We all get what we deserve, in the end.” Seiryū responded to Akai’s statement, though he felt entirely different. The tone presented his case, for how he felt how much he truly deserved. There was no real methodology to determine what a person deserved, for if that were the case, Seiryū wouldn’t have anything. Humility, while often could be seen as a trait so few displayed, it was often one that wrung true with Seiryū, and apparently Akai as well. In his view, however, Akai deserved far more than Seiryū, yet none of it he could ever offer her. Such was how it was for a person who often struggled to keep himself well-off, but he managed, somehow. In regards to her doing anything for him, there was nothing she could offer him that would make a difference. Nor would there be anything that he would need from her, for her present company was enough. Perhaps it would be a good change of pace compared to his previous nights, having simply listened to the noises outside to fall asleep to, similar to his nights in Sunagakure no Sato. “There’s nothing that you can do for me. You’re company is fine as it is.” A smile presented itself once more on his face, his eyes going to meet hers as they continued forward. He’d be fine with how things were at the present, for he didn’t expect much else beyond whatever Akai wished to talk about. Anything that came beyond that, he didn’t have expectations, but he figured they’d mindlessly talk after the more serious discussion. Of course, there was the issue of sleep, in which he’d be more than fine to sleep upon the couch.

As they neared the small resort village, and thus his hotel as well, Seiryū noticed Akai’s eyes were no longer focusing on the path ahead, but were aimed in his direction, more so than before. With her hand slipping away to fix her hair, Seiryū’s slipped in to his drenched pocket. He watched her fix her hair, absorbed in the colouring of it, for it stood out against the dreary area currently around them. In fact, nothing seemed to shine as brightly to him at the moment, though it could easily be attributed to the weather that currently surrounded them. As she stuck to his side, closing the distance between either of their bodies, Seiryū raised a brow in response. Her smile caught him off guard, for it was bright and cheerful, especially different to the earlier melancholy feeling that it gave off before they had stopped. “Let’s go.” He responded, a pleased look gracing his features as he would lead them to the place in which he was staying.

The road there presented nothing more than the simple extravagances that they had seen upon entering the village. The streets weren’t as crowded as they could have been, likely people seeking shelter from the rain that had hailed down upon them. Seiryū’s hotel wasn’t anything special, for it was modest in size and appearance, spanning only five levels high. Each floor would roughly house six or so rooms, each room with their own bathrooms and a miniature kitchen for creating the bare necessities. If one truly wanted food, they would need to leave their assigned rooms to find such delicacies. As Seiryū would lead them inside, the appearance matched the outside, making it apparent that this wasn’t the most luxurious of spaces in Mt. Ikkyu, but it certainly provided individuals with a comfortable living space. While there was an elevator, it was currently down for maintenance, leaving the two to trek up the stairs. Luckily, yet not the most wanted, Seiryū’s room happened to be on the second floor and the closest to the stairwell.

“Well, this is it.” He said as he fiddled with the key, turning it and opening the door. He would miss the close proximity the had shared before, but it was no longer necessary for they were within warm walls, with a shower available to them to warm up, blankets to retain the heat as well. There was a long hallway that led down to the living area. The hallway had a placemat for shoes, which were lacking currently for Seiryū and a closet for coats and such. A simple table was located in a crook in the hall, with a fake, customary flower placed upon it. The entrance to the bathroom was right before the main area, though it wasn’t extravagant either. In the main area, upon entering, a couch was located directly to the left, straight ahead would be a desk. In the corner between the desk and table was a dresser with a T.V. placed upon, though Seiryū had yet to utilize it. Dirctly to the left was a small kitchen area, mainly just a sink, coffee maker, and a miniature fridge. In the cupboard was a coffee make he had found upon first exploring his room. The last bit of remaining area was occupied by a bed, with a nightstand on either stand. There was a lamp upon each one, the bed itself being a queen size. While the hotel itself wasn’t luxurious, it certainly took in foreign elements by giving them a bed instead of futons. The side in which the desk faced was entirely glass paned, allowing for one to see the outside if they opened the curtains. There was no patio, though it didn’t affect Seiryū’s choice when taking the room. He just wanted a decently comfortable bed.Having taken off his footwear at the entrance, Seiryū would take his time walking towards the main area, for there was no place else to really go now that they were here. Akai would certainly follow, unless she happened to disappear on him in the last few seconds, but that would certainly go against her earlier wishes of a chat.

“Hmm… You can take you’re shower first, I’ll get some coffee brewing and find you something to wear.” Seiryū offered to Akai once they were well within his room. It would be pointless for Akai to put on her wet clothes once again, and wearing a bathrobe her entire stay here wasn’t decent either, nor would he subject to her to such a task, even if it could provide him with a pleasing sight for his eyes. He had enough clothes to last him a while, so he figured he could offer those to her while they’d wait for her to dry overnight, if she wished to stay. She had no obligation to him; he presumed she may not be comfortable with a male, in what one may consider an intimate setting, for it certainly was.

“There should be a towel in the bath already, along with the customary products provided by the hotel.” He hadn’t used any of their products thus far, for he had brought his own with him, which he left in the bathroom as well. Feeling his drenched clothes plastering against his skin, the urge to take his shirt off for the time being was enough. He would eventually have to take off his clothes sooner or later, though keeping them on wasn’t healthy either. Shedding off his shirt, so he wouldn’t have to deal with the wet piece of clothing any longer, Seiryū tossed it in to the bag of other clothing that needed to be washed he brought with him. While he wasn’t shy about his body, he wondered if Akai would be offended by him doing such a thing. His torso remained wet, along with his lower body, but he’d have to attend to his lower half once Akai was within the shower, to retain some form of modesty. Immediately, Seiryū headed towards the closet, where a few spare towels had been left upon the upper shelving. Withdrawing one for his own use at the moment, he took out a second one, in case he had mistaken their being a towel in the bathroom. “If there is anything you need, feel free to ask. I can go get some food if you’re hungry.” His venture back out to get food would be a short one, though he’d only go if it was necessary. Of course, that meant putting on his cold shirt once again, lest he wish to ruin another one.

He draped the towel for his own use over his shoulder, his eyes wandering to his bag of belongings, where he kept his clothing. It took a second to locate it at the foot of the bed and he immediately headed towards it, rumbling through it to find something that Akai could wear for however long she stayed here. Aside from her kimono, she had no other belongings, so it was only right of him to offer her some clean, warm clothing to wear. After a bit of fumbling, he came up with a black long-sleeved shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants, neither he knew would fit her, but they’d be able to provide warmth over a t-shirt and shorts. Stacking the two folded items upon the lush, white towel he had gotten for Akai, Seiryū would present them to her, holding them in one hand for her to take. “I doubt they’ll fit you, nor is it the best quality, but they’ll be warm.” His clothes were old, with an appearance that they had been worn multiple times before. The shirt was mostly pristine, for one couldn’t ruin a shirt too drastically. The sweatpants had the seams at the bottom slightly tearing, apparent that one had stepped on them countless times before. He hoped they didn’t smell, for that would likely be something Akai would wish to avoid, as clothes tended to smell a bit like their owner. Depending on Akai’s wish for food would determine Seiryū’s next course of action, either getting the food or drying himself off while he awaited for the shower to be empty.

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The next thing Akai could get a glimpse of was a simple five floor building, which later appeared to be the hotel they were getting to. She was not able to take a closer look or at least to catch the name of the hotel, as they got in quickly without stopping outside. Akai was not that good in remembering places or paths well, they always scatter into fragments after a while, thus it would have been wise to spot the name of the hotel in case if Seiryu would be staying here until the very ending of the Chuunin Exams. Perhaps Akai could pay a visit once more before he would be heading home in order to at least wish him good journey or have a possibility to voice a proper goodbye. Thinking ahead to the moment of them having to say their goodbyes did not bring much of a joy for the Hyuuga woman, so she just turned this thought down and concentrated her attention on the environment of the hotel. That was the easiest way to have her mind distracted even if that lasted for a brief period of time. The more important thing she had to think about now was how she should tell him everything, so that he would not get frightened by her. Actually, the woman had not realised yet that the one who really could get frightened in this situation was only herself. Without admitting it, Akai knew that she was too afraid of the rejection she might get. Not that she was going to confess falling in love or anything, however, for a this Hyuuga woman, having to pour her true self to a person stood almost on the same intimacy level as confessing in love.

As Seiryu was leading inside rather on a fast feet, Akai was following him obediently. He took a choice of going up the stairs and she had assumed that his room might not be on any of the last floors. She had noticed an elevator present in the building and it would have been a weird choice not to go by it if the room would have been somewhere up high. They were both exhausted by this journey after all and Akai held herself resposible for that. The whole time, up until they got inside the hotel, she was clinging to his side comfortably, relying her tiny body to his strong hands and shoulders, though now as they were going up the stairs, the woman let go of her position simply in order to take at least a little bit of burden away from this man. She indeed was starting to become a burden and to Akai‘s thinking, it was not fair to take any more of his energy away from him by having him drag her along up the stairs, as she felt that this was exactly what would have happened. She would have just clinged even tighter and let him take her up on the cost of his own strenght, which, as the woman had assumed, could be also running low. However, after finding a little more energy in her musles, Akai parted from Seiryu hesitantly again and, while concentrating on his back, used up the last energy she could gather to follow him up by putting her own effort. Luckily, the room was on the second floor and after reaching it, the woman emitted a deep breath, which was an obvious sign of her being already tired. The whole journey from the borders to here indeed wore Akai down physically. However, the heaviest exaust was felt not in her body. It was a mental one, which started to leave its fingerprints since the day she was born and intensified when she turned age sixteen. Since then, for about four years now, Akai had no rest for her haunted mind. However, the upcoming talk was promising in some ways and she could feel at least a bit relieved now.

Soon Akai witnessed Seiryu fiddling his key and introducing her to his room in a modest manner. Once the door opened, and they entered the room, it seemed really simple, but cosy at the same time. There was a big hall with the place for shoes to be put, then the hall led to the living area, which also seemed like nothing too luxurious. The living area held some simple, most needed furniture inside, was not so rich in decorations, only one fake flower was put on the table.  Akai was going through the details of the environment slowly until she realised that she looked like a total freak, standing there frozen in the hallway for a decent period of time. This room was nothing like she had visited before, most of the times she went to the houses of some sort of officials or her father‘s friends, where evertything seemed to be covered in silver and gold that it made her sick. Eventually, she stopped wearing gold herself as a silent way of protest againts the privilleges and wealth that Hyuuga clan were getting, except for the golden hairpin she had, which was an old relict and already seemed like a mere trinket by its appearance. It became a symbol to her of how much power the time had. No matter how many laeyers of gold one would cover himself in, or on what kind of solid stone one would carve his face in, time would demolish everyone evenly in the end. Seeing the whole image of this room Seiryu made a choice to stay in, Akai could not think about anything else, but another one positive quality he might have. This made her assume, that Seiryu, just like herself, did not care about the wealth and was quite modest in his way of living, seeing the use of things in what they really are, not in their glamorous coverage. Compared to being surrounded by people before, who all the time were hungry for power and wealth, now the woman found herself thousand times more comfortable in a simple room like this, than in a million worth villa she was living in.  It was because the feeling of cosiness could not be bought even by all the silver and gold in the world.

Gazing back at Seiryu, Akai wished to voice her comment on a place being so great and cozy, however, she saw him taking off his shoes at that moment, thus she simply lowered her head and blushed. The woman realised immediately that it was quite rude of her not to take her own shoes off in the first place and just to stand there and scrutinize the details of the room instead. It was same Japan after all and the ritual of taking off the footwear was an essential expression of the general respect for the master of the house. Even though this room only temporarily belonged to Seiryu, being ashamed of her behavior, Akai voiced her apology and got to the placemat quickly. She took off her drenched silky flats and being left barefoot, followed Seiryu into the living area. Soon after, Akai heard an offer that she could hit the shower first and she simply nodded in apreciation. It wa so generous of him to put her wellbeing in front of his own first, though now the woman lost the count of the number of how many times he had done so already. Being silent and not knowing how to even express how thankfull she was, Akai simply gazed while listened to the next thing Seiryu had to say. After he was done explaining where certain things she would need were, she suddenly saw him taking off his wet shirt and it forced her to take her gaze away. The woman assumed that it would be not so polite to stare at the bare skin of his torso, even though she had an urgent desire to do so. Luckily, her mind got distracted with the offer of food for a brief moment. However, the woman went through so much stress in past days, so that she even could not think about eating something without getting sick afterwards. On the other hand, she knew that her body was getting weaker with each minute and she needed to regain that lost energy, but she still refused. “Thanks, but I‘m not hungry now, go ahead and make something just for yourself, a man needs lots of energy. I‘d enjoy a cup of coffee though.“ She answered in a modest manner. Even though coffee was not that good of a choice as it was already evening, Akai knew that she would not be able to  fell sleep quickly anyways. Thus, it was no point in refusing the pleasure of bittersweet drink.

The whole time the woman spoke, she was forcing herself to keep her gaze down in order not to make the situation akward as she knew that if she would look up, the image of shirtless Seiryu would mesmerize her. However, her effort soon vanished as he himself walked towards her in oder to hand her dry clothes she could wear after the shower. There was no way Akai could keep her eyes down any longer, so she simply gave into her desire to take a look. As a result, she suddenly felt an unexplainable heat hitting her own body as her eyes wandered though Seiryu‘s naked skin, which was still having some single drops running down on it. Akai raised her hands in reflex in order to take the clothes Seiryu was offering and withouth realising it, her hands lightly brushed agains his. She suddenly felt that it was not enough for her, she wished to touch the skin on his chest, to brush her fingers against his bare neck, then trace her finger to the lips or even to... However, having to realise that Akai had alowed her imagination to go too far, she realised how stupid it was of her. She could not understand what was wrong with her, why she kept falling into this state of some kind of desire while she was around him. The woman restrained herself from thinking into it further and let out a deep sigh.  Her gaze lowered onto the pieces of clothing she was now holding and wanting to keep her thoughs a secret she answered casually. “I‘m sure they will be perfect. Thank you so much, Seiryu. I promise I won‘t take long so that you would‘t have to wait all like this for too long.“

The Hyuuga woman threw one more gaze at the man and rushed herself to the bathroom while heavily blushing. Once she closed the door, Akai pressed her back to it and slided down slowly. Still breathing heavily, Akai was sitting on the ground for a minute or so in order to calm herself down. She took her head into her palms and shook it. “What is wrong with me? I bet he doesn‘t have these kinds of thoughts.“ Without realising it, she voiced her confusion, but luckily, it was silent enough for anyone else to hear the words. Then the woman remembered, that the more time she would spend here in the bathroom, the more time Seiryu would need to get his own shower. As a result, Akai put much effort to undo her obi as quickly as she could. It was a job, which most of the time needed one more pair of hands to be handled, though she did not want to go back and ask Seiryu for the help. It was too dangerous as she would either melt or do something not in her range of control.

After a minute of struggle, Akai was done with her obi part and the whole kimono thing, pulled down with a little stenght, slided down her body quickly. Once Akai was completely naked, she stepped into the shower under a heavy flow of hot water. It went down her face, hair, back and legs, giving a pleasant shiver with each touch. For a minute there the woman was simply standing and enjoying the warming and soothing feeling this hot water gave. She felt how the three days stress was step by step cleansed away and her musles loosened up. The shower worked as a bliss. However, the Hyuuga woman still could not get rid of her previous thoughs, even though the water supposed to wash them away, it actually triggered her mind even further. With her eyes closed, Akai now imagined what would it feel like if she was in here not alone. As it was the peak of her imagination, she emitted a silent and rather long „ah“ as a reaction to it. A few seconds later it turned into a wake up call for her. She suddenly shook her head once more and took the products to wash her body quickly. After realising that this hot water was triggering her previous desires, Akai very quickly was done with the showering, making it last for not more than five minutes. She jumped out of it as if being bitten, dried her body and hair with a towel in a rushing manner and along with her own wet clothes, threw the towel into a washing machine. Then the woman quickly jumped in the clothes that Seiryu had given to her and expected to exit the bathroom offering him to get in himself. However, now the clothes became this new obcstacle which restricted her from opening the door. As soon as she put them on, Akai could feel the scent of the man, which she was now wearing directly onto her skin. It was a bit too much to take for a mind going wild from before, thus Akai took several minutes to stand still and kind of meditate herself into calm state of being again. As soon as she felt the intensifying feeling loosened up a little, she opened the door and presented herself to Seiryu, fresh and smelling nice this time. “I haven‘t had such a good shower in a long time. It‘s free now for you to take yours.“She smiled with a fresh glow to her face and added. “And I put the wet clothes in the washing machine, so if you don‘t mind, turn it on when you‘re done. I could finally stop intruding your space once they‘re dry.“ Akai chuckled even though she knew that was truth.  

All of this she said was while she was closing the door, thus the Hyuuga woman had not noticed that Seiryu was in the middle of making coffee like he was telling he would be before. Barefoot and in clothes that were obviously too big for her, Akai was approaching the man slowly, not wishing to startle him with her touch. The ending of the pants were brushing agains the floor and the sleeves of the shirt were too long, however, that did not bother Akai at all. She felt very comfotable. Just like wearing her brother‘s shirt when she was little. Though, now Akai was a grown up woman and wearing a man‘s clothes had a way different feeling to it. More intimate to say the least.  Akai raised her hand withouth thinking and brushed it gently agains the bare skin of Seiryu‘s back. She placed her other hand on his one, which attempted to prepare something. Akai‘s eyes locked onto the man‘s face and her lips parted to speak. “Here, let me take this from here. Go and enjoy your shower, okay?.“ It felt just so natural for her to simply start swirling around the kitchen, making casual things, like preparing coffee or making food. Akai felt as if she owned this place with everything what was inside of it. Well, unfortunately, not everything. She did not own Seiryu. And after what she was planning to tell him, she probably never will.

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While Akai’s words certainly said one thing, Seiryū had a feeling Akai wasn’t telling her the whole truth, for he had found her lost, without a place with human civilization for at least a couple of days. When he found her, he thought it happened to be because they were both simple tourists taking in the surroundings that Kumogakure no Sato had to offer to the world, the things that one couldn’t find in their home country, but rather in this land that happened to be foreign to both Akai and Seiryū. From the small glimpse he had seen, he certainly enjoyed the sights of the Land of Lightning, though the majority of his time was certainly spent wandering around the resort town of Mt. Ikkyu and a few, infrequent visits to the actual village of Kumogakure no Sato, but those had mainly been towards the end of the night and spent in the casino. Even if his current stay within Kaminari no Kuni hadn’t been too long and the Chuunin Exams weren’t too far in, the slight feeling of homesickness struck him, missing the vastness of the desert, though he figured it was all an acquired taste, for not many would thrive in the land he was raised in.

Back to the topic of wondering how much Akai was actually telling the truth of her hunger, he presumed she hadn’t eaten at all today, for there wasn’t much to scavenge out in the wild and he didn’t take her to be a hunter of animals for food. At least, not from what he had seen. He knew she was a kunoichi, yet everything seemed to spell that she was anything but. Her movements were as graceful as any shinobi’s, though there seemed to be a sense of refinement behind them, as if it had been ingrained in her for a while. His eyes were always visually aware of most bodily movements, yet it was only sight with no meanings to associate them with. Without meanings, eventually the memories would fade, becoming far more difficult to recall. Though from their travel thus far and Seiryū’s own non-verbal invitation to shelter Akai for however long she would need it, he doubted this memory would fade away completely, for he wished to keep some possibly reminders of it. He wasn’t a sentimental individual, yet with the distance he constantly kept between himself and others, memories were truly the only constant within his life, for they would only disappear on his own whims. People, however, would leave on their own terms. Instead of allowing any form of abandonment to occur to him again, for his father had painted him the best picture of rejection by not wanting him, it was far easier for Seiryū to keep a distance between himself and someone else, to have that constant barrier there to protect him before someone would leave him be. Friends, while he made many, weren’t truly friends. What they knew of Seiryū’s life was limited, only going as far as the basic information of name, age, and favourite colour, along with a few preference here and there. Anything further he had never outright divulged, never saying the words to another and he doubted anyone would ever be able to fully interpret his life without him telling them about it. In that sense, he was safe in his cocoon. A cocoon he made for himself.

Yet, being around people, particularly Akai in this instance, made him think of what it could be like for him to have someone present in his life that he could see consistently. What was it like to even have anyone truly be there for him? What was a family? He had the general sense from simple observations, yet the feelings associated with them he could never relate to and sometimes, he thought, he never would. It was always far better for himself, and more importantly the other party, to simply have that distance, for Seiryū wasn’t the finest tool in the box when it came to dealing with emotional aspects of a life. It wasn’t that he was stunted, but rather he had his own, unorthodox methods of dealing with them or just using simple bluntness. A harsh truth, though sometimes unwanted, would bring about the solution much faster. This ideal only worked when it came with dealing with himself he found, for people reacted differently and assuming everyone would be able to understand him was as likely to happen as the desert disappearing from Kaze no Kuni. Often times, he presumed he was never fit to settle down when all was said and done for a shinobi career, or at least the simple aspect of falling in love which seemed a common theme among human beings. Though given who he was, there were far better options out there than him. He was fine being himself, limiting the influence he would have upon people in their personal lives… for now.

“I’ll see what I can concoct. You don’t have to eat, but it’d be good to get a bit of food in your system.” He voiced out, though knowing his own skills in the kitchen, it would be anything but a delicious meal. That was why he stuck to the simple meals in which one could warm up and eat. Or going out and ordering food, for anything was better than his own preparations in the kitchen. The touch of her smaller hand upon his own brought a sense of warmth, his hands colder than normal due to his body’s current wish to preserve heat for a while longer. Akai’s sigh had him slightly curious, wondering what could be plaguing her at this current moment, for everything seemed fine until they got in to the hotel. Her earlier line of thought was that their time would end sooner or later, for eventually his time in Kaminari no Kuni would run out. He figured she’d be able to find him for the next little while, for she could easily find the hotel he was currently occupying – them at the moment.

Once Akai had disappeared into the bathroom in a hurried rush. Not thinking too heavily on her rushing out of the room, for she had been wanting to spend more time with him, Seiryū wondered back to the exact reason why, aside from him wishing to help her out. He thought he had done the normal thing, the actions and normal human being would take when finding another in need of help. Kindness was not something he conveyed outright, but rather in a more subtle manner, yet with Akai he had been upfront about it completely, though he presumed it was due to the unexpected nature of their meeting. Seiryū’s eyes travelled towards the window, noting that the rain had picked up once more, likely for the second coming of the storm, though this one didn’t seem like it would let up anytime soon.

He milled about the small kitchen area, taking out the coffee machine to brew some coffee, which he would divulge a bit into. It was never a healthy habit, but it helped him often enough to get through a dreary day. As for food, he supposed some ramen would do, as it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to prepare. Instant ramen, while it certainly would be easier to prepare, wouldn’t be enough to fill his stomach. So, he had bought a few things from the market in Kumogakure no Sato to aid in his stay here, to help him feel a bit more at home, comfortable. Ordering food constantly wasn’t the most financially beneficial move for his limited budget, for while he wasn’t living in poverty, careless spending could eventually make that a possible reality. Seiryū’s knowledge of cooking itself was limited and ramen just happened to be one of the few things he could make without causing too much of a mess.

As far as his mind was concerned, it slowly came to the realization that he had invited Akai here to stay the night, at the very least. He enjoyed her company thus far and she was far more attractive than most women he came across before, so it wasn’t that he was dreading her say. Instead, it was due to the fact he was allowing someone in to see a bit… of himself, an aspect that was truly reserved for himself in the shelter of his own home. While this wasn’t Sunagakure no Sato, the hotel did give him a sense that this place was, at least, temporarily his. There were also the images that flashed in his mind, images that most healthy male minds would conjure up on whims, though he certainly wasn’t throwing the visuals away of what was happening just meters away in the bathroom. A female who he found attractive was currently showering just in the other room. He released a groan, hitting his head against the wall before going to check on the noodles. Seiryū would have to control himself, which shouldn’t be too difficult, yet his mind couldn’t help but stray to what possible could happen. But… no. “Just… stop.” He whispered to himself out loud, attempting to verbally stop the visuals from occupying his mind. While he wanted to, it just didn’t… feel right to him. It was like taking advantage of someone, for he had wished to help her out and that was all that would happen. After all, he figured that was exactly what Akai expected; a place to shower, stay warm, sleep and move forward the next day.

His head met the counter briefly, before rising back up as he heard shuffling and the slightest creak of a door followed by Akai’s soothing voice. Seiryū’s head turned slightly in her direction, nodding as she mentioned about turning on the washing machine after his clothes were thrown in there. The coffee maker was essentially finished its job by now, thought the rather plain noodles would need a bit more time before they’d be done. “The coffee is done.” He nodded in the direction of the coffee maker.

He felt a slight touch against the skin of his back, far warmer of a touch than any of the previous ones, likely due to the shower. Akai stopped his hand from attending to the noodles, insisting that she take over for him in the preparations. Seiryū didn’t want to let her worry about something as simple as his meal for the night, but he knew he’d be needing to shower to let his body warm up… and put on some form of clothing, for his upper body was still bare and he was still clad in his wet pants. Nodding again, he looked at Akai, the words he was about to say dying on his tongue instantaneously. He had heard talk about such things as letting their significant others wear their clothing, saying that nothing could possibly compare to such a sight. Of course, he presumed it fell to simple t-shirts, yet here he stood, slightly flabbergasted at the sight completely drenched in his own clothing. Was this what it felt like to have someone around? While there certainly was a mutual understanding of care between himself and Akai, Seiryū knew it wasn’t at that level that people sought with those whom they cared for significantly. Though, was this a precursor feeling of such? It felt… oddly homey? Was that the right word? In the end, this wouldn’t last. For Akai would go forth the next day and Seiryū would eventually need to return to his homeland. “The noodles should be done soon, feel free to help yourself to them.” Seiryū said in response to her say she’d help out, his voice deeper than normal. His eyes still taking in the sight of Akai in his clothing. This was certainly a first for him, for no one aside from himself had ever worn something Seiryū owned. He should’ve expected her to wear his clothing, for he offered it to her, yet when it came to the actual thing, he was standing their looking like an idiot.

Slowly, he’d remove himself from the scene grabbing some clothing for himself. As he did so, taking a shirt, pants, and underwear out of his bag, his mind hit another oncoming train. Akai, for all he knew, was wearing just his clothing, having no access to undergarments of her own. Seiryū, standing up, released an unnecessary “Crap,” which he presumed could easily be heard from Akai due to the not too far distance he had to travel to get to his bag. Shaking his head slightly, he muttered to himself, “Cold shower.” After another moment’s hesitation, Seiryū went in to the bathroom, closing the door behind him swiftly. Stripping himself of the rest of the clothing he was currently wearing, Seiryū tossed it in to the washing machine, and immediately went in to the shower, not using overly hot water, but just enough that it would compensate for the cold he wished for currently. His head rested underneath the shower head, attempting to blank his mind completely. His hair fell straight down, obscuring his vision of the tiled wall ahead, yet he wasn’t watching the wall itself. Rather, he simply stared in to the nothingness to let his mind settle, before he’d be able to clean himself of the grime the day had procured, and he’d need to warm up as well.

His shower was uneventful and rather swift, ending with Seiryū redressing himself with a pair of red and white plaid pyjamas and a dark gray t-shirt. Normally, he would sleep shirtless, yet given the situation at hand, the shirt he decided to wear would do. Opening the bathroom door, he quickly went to grab the rest of his clothes that needed a wash, quickly depositing them in the washing machine and turning it on after closing it. He had few white pieces of clothing to worry about and none of them needed to be washed so all was fine as far as laundry was concerned. Exiting the bathroom once more, Seiryū would make his way towards Akai to check on the noodles, but more importantly, get to the main concern; the talk that Akai wished to have. “Hey.” Seiryū would let out softly, such that Akai wouldn’t be startled if she was too preoccupied with something else. “Feeling better?” The question was simple, not too many hidden meanings behind it, for he was concerned with her for the time being, a rather different experience than having to deal with only himself. There were a couple of ways for her to interpret the question, one being simply answering the question in terms of how she felt now compared to when they were drenched in rain water or to how comfortable she was now in comparison to her sigh from earlier, before she had taken her shower. He wasn’t sure which she’d answer with, but he’d be satisfied regardless if she was fine and meant the words.

“We’re going to have to get to that talk sooner or later, huh?” Seiryū said after a respectable time had passed, allowing her enough time to supply an answer to his previous question if she had one.

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As Akai gently overtook the preparation of the noodles by the kitchen stall,  she raised her eyes to catch Seiryu‘s gaze just once more before the brief parting would occur after him locking in the bathroom alone to shower. So many crazy thoughts now were bothering her mind like, how they would have saved their time and have avoided the brief parting if they would simply went into the shower together. But then the same second the realisation would creep in bringing Akai back to reality, to the understanding of how unrealistic and rather self deceitful these kinds of thoughts were. She was considered to be of no family to him, of no lover, not even a friend, if bringing around the fact that they only met several hours ago. It was for the best to get rid of this self deceitfulness, while it was not too late. Or otherwise she would say or do something stupid resulting in being rejected. Rejection, that would be too much to take in at the moment.

With that one quick gaze, the woman noticed immediately that Seiryu seemed somehow thunderstruck all of the sudden. She wondered what was the matter or if it was something that she did or said. Maybe she was looking like a mess in his clothes? Or could it be that she went too much with the touch on the back? Coming to think about it, he had clothes before and he did not mind it, but now it was the whole different thing, against the bare skin is a much more intimate invasion of space. It must be it, Akai forgot being solely a mere guest here and allowed herself way too much. The woman parted her lips immediately with an intention to either ask what was wrong exactly or more to voice out her sincere apology about the whole situation this man had to go through because of her needs. However, her lips were sealed without even starting to speak, as she saw Seiryu backing away slowly, moving himself out of the kitchen scene. Maybe it was of the best to wait after he would get after the shower warm and  cosy, then she would be able to sit down calmly and apologise in a proper manner while explaining everything at the same time.

Still being concerned about what might be bothering the man, Akai concentrated her gaze on the noodles, leaving the man to carry his own preparations for shower behind her back. The moment would have been settled by that, however, suddenly Akai heard a silent word, which made her tilt her head to the side just a little, so that she could peek behind her back throught the corner of her eye and check if anything was wrong there. If it was heard correctly, the word appeared to be „crap“, which caused Akai to worry at first, thus a silent „is everything okay with you there?“ slipped out of her mouth. However, seeing Seiryu quickly rushing into the bathroom and closing the door without having to say anything else caused Akai to giggle. She thought that he seemed somehow cute in that reckless phase of his. At least it meant that none of that what was happening at the moment or emotions which lingered in this small room were faked, thus that kind of thought brought the bright smile on Hyuuga‘s face again.

It was unfortunate though, that the thoughts were centered around Seiryu again as the images which triggered the previous desires, did not go away completely like the woman wished they would before. Now she needed to be extra careful with those ones, as she was wearing nothing more than a thin T-shirt, which was actually too thin to fully cover any signs of cold or excitement which may present themselves in the form of visible nipples through the thin shirt material. In response to her own cautious thought, Akai gazed down upon herself and as soon as her gaze reached the chest area, she let out a silent moan. “Noo...This is so bad...he probably saw this, that‘s why that kind of expression...and rushing so much...“ The woman thought to herself while being completely embarrassed of her own body. Trying to think of a way to get her body to be less expressive and more immune to her thoughts, Akai raised her both palms and patted her hot, flushed cheeks, which meant to be a kind of wake up call.

After a minute or so when the embarrassement finally went away, the Hyuuga lady concentrated her mind on the noodle preparation process and while staring into the blank space, took off the plates from the top of the bowls and started mixing the content of them slowly using a pair of metal chopsticks. Even though all of the moves were correct and accurate, they somehow seemed robotic or zombie-ish, which meant that they were thoughfully used to bear the waiting time easier. It did not take too long though, soon enough Akai heard the doors of the bathroom opening, which meant that Seiryu was out already. She did not dare to gaze back to meet his „just after shower face“ thinking it might be too risky as the talk probably might be happening in some moments, thus any distractions,even if they were pleasurous ones, needed to be avoided.

Feeling Seiryu approaching her slowly, Akai felt the air around her intensifying in a way. She could smell the freshness closer with each of his step and finally there was no other choice, but to give up the whole effort of keeping herself occupied and concentrated. However, the manner of Seiryu‘s aproach was so natural and harmless, that ir made Akai loose the tension immediately. She trembles a little while her body relaxed and it was finally okay to let herself gaze at his eyes. At the same moment, Seiryu was inquiring if Akai felt better and that was it, a pure and innocent concern for her wellbeing. It made the woman feel bad about helsef for a second, especially thinking back to the stupid imaginations and desires she had at the beginning.

“Much more better and all is only thanks to you, Seiryu. How about yourself? Did you warm up properly? “ She gave a slight smile to his side putting an emphasis on the second part of the sentence. It sounded as if in the case the answer would be „no“, she would be there to keep him warmed up properly. However, after realising the ways in which the question would be understood, Akai blushed and took her gaze away. She felt her body getting stange again and remembering the previous encounter with the nipple problem, the woman quickly took the cups and bowls into her hands atempting to take them to the table, so that Seiryu would not notice anything and she could calm herself down on the way.  Then both of them could make themselves comfotable on the ground and prepare for the talking as well, especially now when the man introduced the topic himself.

Akai nodded to his remark about the talking and suddenly having an uneasy feeling that the end is near her hands trembled to the point of almost spilling the fluids on the ground. She placed the cups and bowls gracefully and positioned herself on one side of the table. She waited for Seiryu to join for a moment, but feeling too nervious her hand rose to take a grip of a cup with the pure black coffee in it. With one sip, Akai almost finished the whole cup, as if she would be trying to prepare herself with the bitter taste of coffee for the actual bitter feeling which was waiting for her just around the corner. After the coffee was done, the woman placed the empty cup on the table and then brought her hands back. Akai took a deep breath, as if it would be the hardest thing for her, and started to speak finally.

“The talk, right? Okay, where do I start...Being involved with a criminal, it‘s not a joke, Seiryu. I am deffecting from my village.“ She turned down her gaze as if she would be ashamed of herself that she was actually doing it and voicing it out. “  Don‘t you sometimes feel that everything there is already planned for us? What we ougt to become, who we ought to befriend or love.“ Akai made a short pause still gazind down at her fingers, which now felt cold due to the topic she had to bring her mind to. It was a hurtful experience after all, and the pain it caused was still being endured. “It all started very gradually, when I began to feel that I am a mere pawn to my clan. With each day, my doubts deepened, but my hopes for family happiness kept me concentrated on the goal, which was not even my own to begin with. And then one day, I suddenly realised I couldn‘t fulfill the one and only so called duty of my life. It happened when I got to know what kind of duty that was." Akai bit her lower lip, which in this case could only mean that she was feeling uneasy about the  thing she was going to say next. " An arranged marriage with twice as old man. To establish power realations between families in the clan.“ The woman‘s shoulders started to shiver and she made another brief pause in order to give the man time to consider everything what was said just now. “So... I simply left. Left my father hungry...no... actually starving for power. " At that one she kind of dreadfully giggled. Her father was the only one person Akai had no remorse or much deeper emotions for. "Left my brother, who I got to know only possesed pure hatred and jealousy towards me. And my mother...oh, poor mother, always longing for husband‘s love and normal family life, which she knows won‘t be ever attained.“

As the speech reached its peak, Akai finally raised her eyes to meet Seiryu‘s purple ones. There were no tears in them as through that many years she was quite capable of controlling that kind of thing well. Crying was always in the not allowed to do in public list. Though the emotion of sorrow and self torture still could be felt in those eyes, it was the first time she spoke about the experience out loud after all. However, still being cautious and not wishing to burst in tears and screaming in front of Seiryu, the woman quickly grabbed the empty cup of coffee and after jumping up, rushed herself by the sink.

“So yeah, having such superior duty in life, I ended up becoming a mere criminal, a traitor...“ She mumbled to herlsef in a whispring voice, though most likely it could not be heard due to the sound of running water in the background. But then, while still standing with her back turned, with water still running, the woman voiced a louder concern. “But...do you despise me now? Do you want me gone?“ Actually these two last questions were the ones which worried Akai the most and they were said in the most trembling voice one could hear. Waiting for an answer, standing there by the sink, with the water running and the cup in her hands, she felt as if the time froze still in that moment. Akai squeezed the shirt material in her chest area as if she would be trying to get rid of the stinging feeling inside of herself. However, that wouldn‘t do. None of her actions would make any difference now. There was only one person who could make it better, but she was too afraid to turn around and find out his reaction actually being the opposite one.

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The atmosphere that radiated throughout this hotel room couldn’t compare to anything else he had prior to tonight. Previous nights he spent here were alone, with the nights offering him simplicities of sleep without any outside disturbances. Yet, nothing could compare to the feeling of having company present. Akai was still a stranger to him, one he knew little to nothing about still, but he was entirely comfortable around her.  While it remained entirely foreign to him, he didn’t hate it, but he knew it wouldn’t last beyond tonight. This foreign element, he wished he could find it more often, but he knew that it would be near impossible once he returned home, to Suna. Even he and Akai being strangers he didn’t mind, for every meeting people started off as strangers and progression from then on was entirely unknown to everyone. Seiryū could only hope that he’d cross paths with Akai once more in the future and even that meeting could be far shorter than their initial encounter at the temple.

At Akai’s reply to her feeling a lot better, a smile was present on his lips, glad that she was far more comfortable now than when he had found her. There wasn’t much he had done; only offering her a place to stay for the night and a shower where she could clean up. Shaking his head before his mind would wander back to his earlier thoughts, visually pleasing ones at that, Seiryū simply nodded as a reply to Akai’s question, though his eyes twinkled with mischief that was ever present in his personality. “I did warm up… though I think it’s not enough.” He provided quietly, though it could easily be heard by his beautiful companion. Seiryū’s tone denoted his bantering, the subtle implication being ever present. In the end, it was a way to lighten the mood before it ultimately got to the ‘talk’ they would be needing. He mentally laughed at that, for when the ‘talk’ arose before in other individuals, it was meant to address a relationship, something that clearly wasn’t established here between two strangers. There was likely a better way to phrase it, but the simplicity of just denoting it as the ‘talk’ made it a lot simpler to absorb.

As Akai went to grab the bowls, Seiryū noticed that something felt off, yet he couldn’t pick up on it. As horrible as he was at utilizing his father’s kekkei genkai, Seiryū at least knew something wasn’t sitting right in this room. What is was? He had absolutely no idea, except for the thoughts that raced through his mind, trying to make sense of everything and attempting to draw out conclusions as to the importance of what Akai wished to speak about. Normally, Seiryū would’ve dealt with his dinner alone, but seeing as he had company he made enough for both, yet Akai had taken the initiative of placing their bowls upon the table. Again, his mind lingered to earlier thoughts, it felt nice to have someone around, yet they hadn’t even been here for more than an hour and Seiryū was already fine with how things currently were.

Taking his seat at the table across from Akai, Seiryū reached for his chopsticks, yet never reached for the noodles. Instead, the male would simply twirl the chopsticks between his fingers for a moment, idly wondering how things would play out once the conversation began, once Akai told him what had been plaguing her. He was about to say that she didn’t need to tell him anything, for he would understand if she kept quiet. Seiryū figured there was a reason for it and it wasn’t truly necessary for him to find out. After all, he still remained a stranger to her. All she knew about him was his name and that he resided in Sunagakure no Sato. Other than that, she knew nothing about him, like he did her. Except there seemed to be a weight upon her shoulders, one that dragged her down and caused her to be wary of people. Perhaps it would be simply easier for her if she kept quiet and didn’t tell him anything. He doubted he’d be able to help her, thus Seiryū knowing the details wouldn’t make things easier for her. While Akai took a sip of her coffee, one that was far too long to even be considered a sip, Seiryū took his chopsticks to his noodles, ready to get a few in his system before they began their talk. A small thud reached his ears, telling him that Akai had put down her coffee, likely empty now due to the rate at which she consumed it. Putting his chopsticks down, silently finishing off the noodles he had picked up, Seiryū’s eyes travelled up to meet Akai’s.

It began with Akai noting that she was defecting from her village, though he couldn’t pass off his judgement from that statement alone. He knew what it meant when it came to being involved with criminals, something that he constantly wondered when it would get back to him. Akai, however, while he knew little about her, if he could potentially help, he would. Instead of saying something, anything, Seiryū kept quiet, waiting for Akai to tell the entirety of her story to him.

Her mention of their lives already being planned for them was something he often wondered about. Was it truly written out? Every decision made, even if it was one to go against the choices they should’ve made? Was everything he had experienced in life thus far something that was preordained? Was his meeting with Akai something that was planned to happen? If that was the case, then it shouldn’t be there last. Perhaps it was simply best to let things be, let them play out and not wonder if it was destined to happen. Seiryū already presumed to know where his future would lead him and it would eventually be something where he couldn’t… wouldn’t let anyone in to. He knew what would eventually happen and letting anyone else be affected by that wasn’t something Seiryū would simply accept. But, he didn’t know what this so called ‘destiny’ would have in store for him. He always assumed his path was the one he created. The mistakes he made, the crimes he was involved in, those were his to decide, not some higher beings. Isn’t that why he was alone in this world? Why he had no one to actually call a family? That’s why it was simply best for him to face it alone. After all, he got himself in that mess and it would be himself who got him out. Tuning back to Akai, once she began speaking again, Seiryū’s eyes watched Akai’s head, unsure of how to comfort a person in such a scenario. Though, he knew he should let her finish instead of throwing her out of her thoughts with a sudden movement.

Seiryū listened intently to all the details Akai provided him; even trying to take in the one’s that she said nonverbally. He could sense the… restlessness present around her, radiating off her as she told him her story, one that he never would’ve been aware of if he hadn’t met her. Leaving her village to avoid an arranged marriage was something he couldn’t understand. Not in the sense of why she would avoid it, but the simplicity of ever being put in such a situation. That was something he would never deal with, so he couldn’t tell how Akai would’ve felt in such a situation, though her shaking shoulders told him more than he could figure out on his own. To be forced in to a situation she wanted no part of, to be forced to be with a person not of her choosing, all for her father’s wish of more power. There was so much different about them, yet he somehow could get a general understanding of what it felt like to be her. A dysfunctional family he understood, but completely different from her scenario.

When Akai’s eyes looked up to finally meet his own, he saw the unshed tears, one’s that seemed to want to escape but couldn’t. The trepidation, sadness, and sorrow he thought he saw, wasn’t something he was entirely prepared for. In just a mere moment after registering what he had seen, Akai quickly shot up, grabbing her empty cup and dashing towards the sink. Seiryū wasn’t an expert at dealing with people, but he knew what he had seen. While he wasn’t experienced dealing with such things, he knew he couldn’t just leave her alone. He didn’t want to. He wanted to comfort her. The water running from sink overshadowed her words, leaving those to fade away, not to be heard by Seiryū. Before he could get up, he did here Akai speak once more, asking him if he despised her and wished her to be gone. He could feel her worry from the words alone, her tone betraying a will to remain strong.

His noodles now were completely forgotten, as Seiryū eased himself up and out of his chair. Slowly, he began making his way towards Akai, his footsteps making a deliberate noise. Stopping just beside the woman with red hair, though facing her, whose eyes constantly absorbed his attention, Seiryū stood still for just moment, wondering if his next course of action would be too much. His right hand reached up to her left shoulder, applying a little force, telling that he wished for a face to face interaction. If she would comply, Seiryū’s hands would wrap around her, gathering her in to a hug. It wouldn’t be their first of the day, but the circumstances around it made it the only thing that popped in to his mind right away. Should it happen, he would hold on to her firmly, though the option of her to escape would readily be available.

“Stay.” Those would be the only words to escape Seiryū for a bit. He’d let silence take over, but his one word reply meant that he didn’t hate her, nor did he want her gone. If he did, he wouldn’t have brought her along in the first place. Thirty seconds had roughly passed since his one worded reply, but his hold on her would remain if she would stay. “I would never want you gone. Nor could I hate you.” The words were released before he could realize it, but he couldn’t take them back and at this point, wouldn’t. It would remain until he told her what it was that no one else knew about. But, he wasn’t sure if it would be the most comforting thing to tell her. It was something Seiryū kept to himself and opening up about it would make him… vulnerable. It was a side that he kept hidden from anyone he met except those who knew about it firsthand. He hoped she would be able to understand that much, at least.

“Let me tell you a story. It’s not a happy one.” Seiryū said slowly, his words carefully thought out. His head would dip a bit, mulling over how to start the story itself. “There was this little boy who never knew his mother. From the moment he could remember, he had never seen his mother’s face, never had heard her voice, and never had been told her name. The only person that looked after him was his father… for a while.” Seiryū would stop momentarily, closing his eyes before opening them and focusing on the wall beyond Akai. His tone would remain calm, as if trying to give nothing away about the story directly relating to him. “The boy’s father was a high ranking member in his clan, yet the boy was never recognized officially as the man’s son. His father had given him a sensei, someone to teach him how to fight. His sensei became more of a father than his actual father, teaching him for years how to use weapons, chakra, and jutsus. For the couple of years, this pattern would continue, with his father’s visit becoming less each time. When he was six, his father stopped seeing him entirely. He saw his father from afar, always wanting the attention any child would want from a parent, yet it was never given. When the boy turned eight, his father finally visited again, this time to tell him something important.” Another pause, his voice remaining in the same tone, as if distancing himself from the memories. It was easy to do, for each time he replayed the thoughts in his head, the less he wanted to do with them. “His father told him he was ‘no longer needed’ and then was orphaned directly after, in the poorest district in the village. He lived in the orphanage for the next few years, coming across money from small jobs here and there. Then, getting so caught up in it all, he began doing work for criminals. Pickpocketing turned in to robbing. Robbing turned in to threatening. Threatening turned in to assault. These were all innocent people who did nothing wrong, yet he did it. He became the people he was working for, until it was too much. He was threatened, tortured, and then let go in the span of a week. But, he got what he originally wanted, money. He was able to live on his own, able to make it on his own, but the memories were always present about what he did. He wasn’t bothered by the people he worked for after that, though he wonders if it’ll stay that way. He became a shinobi sometime after, trying to make some things right where he did wrong, but not everything will be back to how it was. He keeps to himself now, because he doesn’t want to hurt people…” There was a brief moment of hesitation, ”and he doesn’t want to be hurt.” The words were just a whisper, but it would reach Akai’s ears nonetheless. He stopped there, for there wasn’t much else to tell. Seiryū had given her his story willingly, though the finer details were all removed. Like the constant wondering about his mother, still trying to gain his father’s attention in a vain way (dying his hair to match his father’s silvery hair; his hair now showing traces of its original black).

He’d leave another pause, waiting for his muscles to ease themselves, for they had gained tension progressively. Letting out a breath, he would look towards Akai once more, his eyes trying to read hers.  He didn’t tell her this to make her feel sorry for him, but rather that he had no right to judge her for her actions. Where she just wanted her own freedom, he hurt people for his own gain. Where she was innocent, he was guilty. Where she was no criminal, he was. He wasn’t officially a criminal, for a higher entity took great measures to hide all traces of involvement on their part and his own when it came to the innocents. Other criminals kept quiet, solely to hide their own involvement. “I couldn’t hate you. Nor do I want you gone.” The words were quiet once more, for he would hate himself infinitely more than he could hate Akai. It felt a bit off, sharing this with someone he just met today, yet he felt he could trust her more than anyone else.

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After nervously waiting for a brief period of time, which now seemed like ages had passed, Akai finally heard it. She heard Seiryu’s steps towards her. As they were getting closer, her anxiety was getting more and more difficult to handle. She was worrying herself to death of what his reaction would be. The woman considered whether it was a better idea to turn around and face him, to voice an apology for not clarifying the things earlier at that moment when they originally met at the temple. She felt responsible for having him wait for such a long time and for giving him the whole different impression of her, as if she was a victim of circumstances, which in fact was not true. Akai was the one at fault here and no excuse, no matter how hard and painful the experience would have been, could turn that around.

Suddenly, the sound of those steps completely stopped and Akai felt the presence of the man right beside her. There was a brief pause of them standing still just like that and it caused Akai to think if Seiryu was hesitating to say something or maybe he did not have anything else to say after he got to know what kind of person Akai truly was. This thought scared her so much. It was almost up to the point, that if any more seconds would have passed in silence, she would have turned and pleaded for him not to hate her. However, suddenly she felt his touch on her left shoulder, pressing just a little for her to turn and face him. Akai did not hesitate and gave in; she turned her head to meet his eyes. She was surprised to be so lightly gazing at those purple crystals of his, which had no emotion of hatred in them. Quite the opposite, they radiated this feeling of understanding and support. Having to see them, Akai now felt saved. At the same moment Seiryu’s arms gently snaked around her body and Akai totally drowned herself into his hug. She buried her face into his chest and pressed her body to his without even thinking about what this behaviour might lead to later.

While sinking in this hug, Akai heard the one and only word which would escape from Seiryu’s lips. It was perfect in its simplicity. He managed to put everything at ease with just one simple word, which actually had all of the meanings that Akai was searching for such a long time now. This „stay“ he emmited, meant that Seiryu understood her, that he did not judge her for what she did, that he did not need to go into further explanations of how things were for her back then, because he knew that this would get too painful both for her to say and him to listen. A simple “stay” just reassured her, that she was safe here with him in this simple, but perfect hug of his.  

Due to feeling accepted, Akai started rubbing her cheek against Seiryu’s chest. Her body absorbed the warmth, which was radiating from the person she was so tightly clinging to. Her cheeks were slightly coloured in red now, not because she got shy or embarrassed, it was just a side effect of this strong feeling of belonging, which overflew her at this moment.  Wishing just to stay like this a little bit longer, the woman gently wrapped her arms around Seiryu’s torso and made this hug now mutually complete. She knew that this would not do any good for her later as she would definitely be going back to this moment in her memory often and would be missing and longing for it each time. With tightening her grip in response to her thoughts, Akai let out a deep breath, which of course could be easily felt by Seiryu as their bodies were in almost the closest proximity that they could be. Yes, they had hugged once before; however, it was quite different back then, so to say almost like an accidental thing which turned out into a playful tease afterwards. But now it was honest and real, something that Akai felt for the first time after so many years had passed.

Still staying like that, the next thing Seiryu would say was as he stated a sad story. As it appeared, it was a story about a little boy, who never had the love of his mother, was never accepted by his real father and later on, after being put into orphanage, got involved into criminal world. Akai listened carefully to every word that Seiryu had to say, while she was gently rubbing his back with her fingers. Each time Seiryu would make a pause, Akai’s fingers would stop moving as if they would be expressing that even though without saying anything, she was still there with him, taking in everything that he was telling to her. The story started off as a simple one, like those heard from someone or read in the books, however Akai had a feeling that this story might be way more personal to Seiryu, than he made it sound to be. When he voiced the last sentences of it, the woman then understood for sure, that the boy he was talking about was himself indeed. Even though the story was told from the third person’s perspective, it wasn’t that much concentrated on the events like it normally should be, while speaking about something that was not one’s own experience. He was much more into details of what that boy wished for and how he was feeling. Only a person who experienced something like that could convey the exact feelings of the protagonist. Thus, the last sentence gave away, that the protagonist of the story indeed was himself.

”You know what? If I were to meet that boy…” She started off quite hypothetically. Akai knew that even if the boy in that story might be Seiryu himself, he was much more of a subtle person to just simply tell it as his own experience. Thus, the woman did not want to take the direct route as well, more to avoid getting him embarrassed and because she knew that he would understand her meaning even without saying it very directly. ”First I’d tell him, that despite the unfortunate conditions he had in his past, despite the dangerous routes he was forced to take, he grew up to be the most kind and amazing person I’ve heard of…” The woman made a brief pause and separated her face from the man’s comfortable chest. After finding his purple eyes, she continued with a slightly more silent voice then. ”I’d also say to him, that neither his mother, nor his father defines what kind of a person he is now…I mean, who the hell is this father not to want this boy?” Gradually loosening her grip around Seiryu’s torso, Akai raised one hand to gently brush through some silver strands of Seiryu’s hair. That movement occurred the same moment as the words “this boy” were voiced out, as if they were meant to mean the person standing in front of her indirectly. All of the moves came so naturally, that she did not think anymore if it was okay to do so or if she was completely crossing the limits. The woman simply continued to speak even in a more silent voice than before. ”Finally, I’d tell him, that he doesn’t need to feel bad about his experience, he doesn’t need to keep it to himself, he doesn’t need to feel alone anymore, because…“ Then Akai would completely relax her hands by the sides of Seiryu‘s body, by tiptoening making herself stand higher, she would bring her face closer to his. The woman would get a soft grip of the corners of his shirt, to tuck them with a gentle force in order to make him lean closer towards her own face. Then her lips would emit the ending of the previous sentence in the most whispering manner. “...because I‘d let him know that I‘d  wish to be there for him, making sure of keeping him away from being hurt.“

All that being said, Akai‘s eyes found Seiryu‘s lips and her heart started racing loudly. Here came the moment which she ingored to think about earlier. The fresh scent radiating from his skin hit her and she was completely defeated by it. The woman knew that there was no way back now. She felt an unexplainable urge to do it. It was not because she felt sorry towards the person in front of her and not because she seeked to comfort him. The reason was as simple as a natural feeling like doing it.  It could even be considered to be selfish of Akai as what she wanted to do would make this into a memory that would have a long-lasting value. By doing this, she could as well bond herself to Seiryu, give him something that would make him remember her once in a while, or even make him want to come to her sometime in the future. Even though these were only unreal dreams, there was no strenght Akai could gather from inside herself to fight it. Thus, she would simply bring her lips closer to the man's ones and part them for a kiss. She would close her eyes, so that in the case of acceptance, she would be drowned completely into that pleasure it would give. Or in case of rejection, she would not see the rejecting emotion in those purple eyes of his. However, now it was solely the matter of Seiryu for which case there would be.

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When Akai had wrapped her smaller arms around him, regardless of how well acquainted they were with one another, there was a sense of freedom for him. A place where he could simply exist and not try to make up for the countless times he messed up, though he would try to make it up regardless of the circumstances. Even just being able to tell his tale, relieved the infinite amount of tension within the realm of his mind, though he knew it would slowly ease back in to his life, once he was back in Sunagakure no Sato. But, for now, he simply wished to enjoy this moment, this rare moment of peace that was brought to him by Akai. The circumstances surrounding it was a bit unfortunate, considering they both told one another the things that plagued them, yet that was what brought Seiryū to complete ease. A simple bond that truly wasn’t simple at all when he truly tried to figure it all out. They were strangers who shared the things they kept hidden from others, yet an overwhelming sense of trust and attraction what kept drawing Seiryū towards her. Normally, it shouldn’t work like this for anyone, when it came to completely trusting an individual, but there were always exceptions in life.

As he trailed off in to silence, waiting for anything, Seiryū’s mind wandered what exactly Akai would make of it. He didn’t tell her the story to make her feel sorry for him, but rather for her to know there are far worse things that people had done. Of course, his mind worked on its own to let her know a lot more than he initially intended, especially when it pertained to the thoughts in his mind that constantly came up. In the end, he too was afraid of judgement, but he knew it was inevitable when it came to his past. The silence that fell between them last just a moment, a moment he wished that could last far longer than it was, for he felt at peace still with Akai in his arms, though he expected her to back away as soon as she took in all the facts.

He assumed wrong, for Akai stayed with him throughout his entire tale and afterwards as well. The light sensation of her fingers on his back was calming, but he wasn’t the one that needed it. Seiryū, in his own way, was doing this for Akai, making her see that she was still a good person, someone who had done nothing wrong at all. Perhaps, this was for the both of them, to come to terms with their own actions, even if Seiryū’s intention was to aid Akai as much as he could, in the short amount of time they would have. His stay in Kumogakure no Sato wouldn’t be too long from here on out, but he would try as much as he could in the short span of time that he had left with the woman.

Once Akai spoke again, his body tensed slightly, before he could register any of the words. As he began to make sense of them, his body eased back slowly, knowing full well that the female pressed against him would’ve felt the slightest tensing of his muscles. Her tone was what put him completely at ease, feeling that she wouldn’t outright despise his existence for what he had done thus far in his life. He wasn’t kind, or amazing, just someone trying to right what he had done wrong, but maybe, one day he could see himself being defined by the word kind. To Seiryū, that day wasn’t anytime soon. However, perhaps there was a part of him that fit that description, for he tried to help Akai as much as possible today. He looked down to meet Akai’s eyes as she pulled her face away from his chest, missing the sensation, but still enjoying the proximity they kept. Seiryū could see her caring nature in her eyes, but there seemed to be something more that kept drawing him in even more. It was near impossible to draw himself away from this intimate moment, but he didn’t want to, even with the distance he wanted to keep from people. Maybe it was time to make an exception.

The hand that Akai brought to brush through his hair was forgotten in the sense that he wouldn’t interfere with the movement, for the moment in touched his dyed strands of hair, he enjoyed it. He knew that she knew what the story was entirely about, for he knew she could easily figure it out with how he phrased it, even if he hadn’t wanted to be directly associated with it. Seiryū leaned in slightly towards her hand, enjoying feeling, his hand still encasing her within his personal space.

Noting that Akai lifted herself a bit higher off the ground, the corners of his shirt grabbed by her smaller hands, he waited, no real thoughts going through his mind except for how close they were now. The small tug made him lean down towards her, closing the distance between them even more, yet there remained just a small gap between them that he could almost feel what was to come. Akai’s words were quieter than before, words that would only reach his ears should anyone else be in the room. While there was no need for them to be this quiet, he enjoyed the closeness that came with it. She understood him, however much she could, but what was more was that she would accept him. That she wouldn’t hate him for what he had done, that she would give him some sense of peace of mind, never being able to be hurt. It was at that moment he could somewhat recognize the look in her eyes, but there was still so much he didn’t know at the same time. Seiryū wouldn’t mind getting to know her better, though he didn’t even know if he’d see her past the time she decided to leave and continue with… whatever she wished to do. That time would eventually, come, but it was time to simply enjoy the now.

As her eyes closed and lips parted, he knew what she wished for, but he remained hesitant for another three seconds. Wouldn’t this be letting someone in far too much than he would’ve liked? He certainly thought so, because just mere hours ago they were strangers who came across each other’s path and now things had progressed to here. He knew of his own attraction to her and at this point, he figured it was reciprocated on her end, but where exactly was it on that entire spectrum? What would happen once they would go on their own paths? Once he returned to Suna, the likelihood of coming across Akai was slim to none. Was this way too fast and too much for him? Originally, he would’ve thought yes, but here he stood doubting himself, wondering if he should shut her out. Seiryū certainly didn’t want to, even if there was still so much more about her for him to find out.

Three seconds was far too long to keep her waiting in his mind. Slowly, he closed the distance between them, his purple orbs slowly becoming hidden beneath his lids. His lips parted as they slowly went to meet hers. At first he wasn’t what was considered acceptable given their situation, but slowly his instincts took over. One hand remained where it was situated on her back, while the other moved up, snaking back to her front before slowly rising up to hold her chin with his thumb and index finger. The last bit of distance would either be closed by the slightest of nudges on his end, or going all the way down to meet her. After a couple of seconds, just a few more – not wanting to part away from this sensation just yet – Seiryū gently pulled her chin once more, drawing out a bit more intimacy and ultimately nudging their bodies slightly closer once more. On his end, it would be gentle, unsure of what she was seeking completely, though it would be simple for her to set the pace if she wished so.

Even if he wished to continue this venture, Seiryū felt it was only right to draw away after a few more seconds had passed, letting them catch their breath. For him, just letting his mind catch up with him. His eyes would slowly part open as he created a distance between their faces, searching her face, eyes, for any clue as to what she might truly be feeling as of this moment. Seiryū still needed to figure out what it was she needed, wanted, desired. He knew what it was he wanted to some extent, but it would be making things move far too quickly and he wasn’t sure if she wanted that. If he wanted that. He swallowed, his mind drawing up various ideas, though none would suffice in place of the real answer he could only get from one person. Seiryū wouldn’t say a word, not until he was entirely sure where it was she wished to go from here. His initial thoughts for how things would go was that they’d get back to the hotel, shower, eat, talk, and sleep – him on the couch, her on the bed – yet everything seemed to play out differently in reality than in his head. And, he could easily state, he enjoyed how things progressed thus far, even if it seemed quick.

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Akai was starting to lose her patience and the fear of being rejected was getting more and more real as the time in waiting was passing slowly. Of course, nothing could always go as one wished for and Akai already received so much kindness throughout this day, which should have been more than enough for her or, should one say, more than enough for what she truly deserved. She started to question herself whether what she was doing or indirectly asking for was too much. Did she make a mistake by giving in to her own selfish desires? Maybe the act of Seiryu was really a gesture out of simple sympathy towards her and nothing more? With these doubts gradually taking over her mind, one more second of waiting and Akai would have opened her eyes, probably would have turned her head to the side getting extremely embarrassed and ashamed of letting herself get lost in the moment while knowing that the other person was not feeling the same. It would be logical though, considering the fact that he just met her today and couldn’t have developed any warm feelings so quickly.


However, to her own surprise, just the second she decided she will be backing away, Akai felt the gentle brush on her lips, the one she was waiting for as it seemed such a long time.  It felt as if everything what she endured up until now through her unfortunate life got finally paid off. The moment it happened, everything vanished away. The sense of environment of a small hotel room. Every doubt that she had before. Every unpleasant memory which was bugging her up until this moment. What was left was only this moment of him and her. As Seiryu’s hand touched her chin to bring both of them even closer, Akai easily gave in and pressed her body to his even more as if the close proximity they already shared was not quite enough for her. Her own hand naturally went sliding up through his chest, briefly stopping at the area where the heart was to check and absorb its rhythm. Akai felt that her own was about to jump out of her chest, but that did not matter at the moment. The only thing that she was aware of now was this sensual euphoria Seiryu’s lips were putting her in. Euphoria, that she wished to stay in forever. In response to a little nudging of their bodies, Akai’s hand gradually landed on the man’s neck, selfishly craving for a tiny piece of naked skin to touch and stabilizing the balance at the same time. Suddenly, the air around her intensified and Akai felt the extreme heat reaching up to every piece of her body. Even though she wanted to stay like this for a little bit longer, she felt that it would be too dangerous as either she would completely burn or would not be able to stop herself anymore.


After one more second of enjoying the intimate moment, Akai finally parted herself from Seiryu, which seemed as a mutual agreement as he easily did so as well. Well, for her it wasn’t something she was already prepared to do, but rather something more she was forced to do due to the physical and mental reasons. “Haaahhh...“ In reflex to the effect of the action, the woman emitted a sensual moan, it was something she felt embarrassed about, but couldn‘t really have any control of.  Due to the reaction that came out of her, she backed away quickly by gently bumping into the counter behind her. Breathing heavily the woman was trying to gasp for air. Her face was all flushed and excitement was written all over it.  After evening the breathing the woman finally raised her eyes to gaze at the person in front of her and see what kind of reaction he was having as well. Was he enjoying as much as she did? Dit it give him the same exciting feeling as it did for her? The gaze was done with this shyness, which never came across earlier before. Being exposed in such an intimate moment, Akai felt as if she would be completely naked now. However, compared to her, Seiryu seemed to have quite the opposite reaction. The expression on his face signaled some kind of doubts bothering him.


”I…I….” What was that she wanted to say just now? “I enjoyed it”, “I’m sorry”, “I’m confused” or “I shouldn’t have done that”? Even though Akai started to say something, it seemed as if she was not capable of normal human language at the moment. She simply needed a second or two in order for her mind to catch up with everything what just had happened. However, going through the same sensational moment did not do any good for her; it only caused new questions to appear. Now the man’s expression caused the woman to worry herself with the question of why he responded to her with the same thing, yet after it ended he seemed to be so puzzled. Was it because he was regretting it? Or was it because he did not want to do it in the first place? Maybe he felt that Akai needed this, thus being so kind all the time, he did it to cheer her up. Feeling that this was the most rational explanation, Akai turned her eyes away from Seiryu as if she would be searching the room for something that would bring her out of this situation. She brushed her fingers against the burning skin of her neck and once her eyes landed on the window right across the room, she was finally able to say some understandable words.


”I…I feel so hot…” The woman spilled it out without thinking that it may have a double meaning. ”Could I open the window?” She inquired as casually as she could, with her voice being a little unstable. However, without waiting for an actual answer, she was already rushing across the room, right to where the window was. After opening it quickly, she took a deep breath of fresh air, which came in as a sense of reality. This goose of fresh air felt like something which was real and could never be denied. The woman peeked outside hesitating to go back to facing the so seemed puzzled expression of Seiryu. It was nighttime already and after the storm ended, the sky was left clear as a crystal with only the North Star and the moon shining brightly, casting some light upon the ground. Standing there enlightened, Akai felt so tiny, like her existence would be just an insignificant spot in the universe. It was somehow calming. ”Hey…the storm had already calmed down.” The woman voiced softly trying to make the atmosphere between Seiryu and herself normal again. Partly, she did not want to leave it like that as if nothing had happened, she wanted to explain herself and point out, that Seiryu did not have to do what he did just in order to cheer her up, that it wasn’t her intention and the reason why she did what she did as well. However, the woman did not have the courage to voice it directly.

”How do you feel? I’m…I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Don’t get the wrong impression, I did not mean to take any advantage…” While closing the window, she turned back to gaze at him once more and forced a smile on her face. It probably will be one of the last views of him, thus she wanted to inscribe that face into her memory well. Getting on her feet, Akai lightly swung herself towards the couch. She assumed that she had worn him down a lot through this day as none of these events were something Seiryu must have planned or be prepared for.  After reaching the destination, the woman slowly lied down, curling on the coucht while hugging herself, clearly having no need for any blankets or pillows. Even though she was worn down herself, she would not be able to fall asleep anyways, thus asking for those would be unnecessary. And besides, there was this warmth from previous touch of his still lingering on her body, which kept her considerably warm even up to this moment.  As long as Akai had that, it was okay for her to stay just like that. ”Sleep…I think we both need some sleep now.” The woman spoke gently, lying there facing the whole room, scanning it carefully.  ”Oyasumi, Seiryu.” She spoke the casual phrase silently, which she knew will be the last thing she said to him, as when the morning would come or even some hours from now would pass, when she would be sure he had fallen asleep, she would silently dress up and hesitantly leave.


A goodnight kiss would be nice. A good night hug would be nice. A good night stroke would be nice. However, not wishing to get her silly hopes up, Akai forcefully shut her eyes close.

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WC 1533 +8634 = 10167

He could feel the pounding in his chest, something he only ever felt when his life was in danger, but this scenario presented no danger to his life, instead it presented to Seiryū something he never experienced. The loss of contact between their lips was something he immediately missed, as those few moments had been an entirely new sensation to him. He even wished to continue on, but that idea would have to be held off another time. Seiryū was vaguely familiar with acts of intimacy, for most of his previous recollections had always been fogged over by the haze of an alcohol induced mind, only being able to recall the barest of details from such nights. All those past encounters had one overarching factor that influenced them; alcohol. The intoxicating substance was something he used when he simply wished to forget anything and everything regarding his life thus far, not wanting to relive moments of his life where he had hurt another. Being able to find alcohol in bars, surrounded by vast amounts of people, it wasn’t a farfetched idea for Seiryū to indulge himself in pleasures on those nights where he simply wished to forget.

But this moment, that was far too short in Seiryū’s eyes, was vastly different from all his previous escapades. For one, none of his actions were influenced by any substance; everything he had said and done was due to his free will. He willingly told Akai about his past and he more than willingly complied with her silent wish for something more intimate than a hug. More than that, however, was just the simple feeling of acceptance the moment Akai had told him those kind words of hers. There was no need for him to drown himself in his thoughts that ate at his mind, for she accepted him for who he was rather than judge him for actions he could not change. Her acceptance was something he wasn’t entirely expecting, yet the moment it came relieved him completely. Seiryū couldn’t deny the attraction he felt to her, for it seemed she reciprocated it as well, though the moment he saw a flash in her eyes as they parted, the sensual moan she released was pushed to the back of his mind. Maybe, he figured, she realized it was a mistake to get close to him. That he wasn’t the best person that one could be involved with.

What was once a moment he took so much pleasure in, now become a memory that he doubted would ever repeat itself. Seiryū’s mind landed and remained on the notion that her kind words earlier were to relieve them of the awkwardness that could’ve followed his story. Perhaps the kiss was enough for her to realize that Seiryū wasn’t an entirely good person. That he wasn’t someone who she could fully accept in a more intimate environment. The moment she created even more distance between them, averting her eyes away, fortified the idea in his mind, even if he wished to see things differently. He remained silent as she rhetorically asked to open the window as she rushed towards it, for it seemed she wished to distance herself from him completely. Akai likely realized she was in a room with someone that could easily hurt her, take things from her that were of value (not that there was much at the present time), and ultimately there was no possibility of this ending without her being hurt. His jaw clenched, his eyes now downcast, he simply watched out of the corner of his eyes as Akai opened the window.

Her attempting at relieving the tension in the room was appreciated, for his mind wondered if he misread something from earlier. Was there something he misread as attraction between them when there actually wasn’t? Seiryū knew from his end it was present, but perhaps his invasiveness, in regards to initiating the kiss, wasn’t something she actually sought out. Maybe she just wanted comforting, yet here he was taking advantage of her, making her feel awkward as she was spending the night here. He wanted to hit his head against the wall, he wanted to punch the wall, yet his arms fell to his side, not moving, his fists clenched.

There was no reason for him to be angry, for it was simply attraction on his end while Akai likely sought only comfort from him. He couldn’t even be a friend to someone who needed it without taking advantage of them. Seiryū couldn’t even make a friend without ruining it. He never truly had someone he considered a friend, something he made sure stayed that way. Yet, why was there that pain that he couldn’t even be a friend to Akai? Here he was wanting more than friendship, yet he’d settle for being friends, but even that notion was entirely erased by his own desires. The territory of friendship and relationships still remained foreign territory for him and Akai keeping distance away from him now made him conclude, that perhaps, it was best if this meeting between them was simply one stranger helping another. Anything else he read in to tonight would have to be forgotten, as it was nearly non-existent at this point.

Her next words were drowned out by his thoughts, yet the moment he saw her settle on the couch curling up and saying goodnight, he instantly wished he could redo this day all over again. Perhaps just being friends… acquaintances would’ve been better than this awkward tension between them. There really was no hope for Seiryū to be anything more than a stranger to Akai. For one, he was a criminal. Secondly, he’d be going back home sooner or later and he doubted after tonight she’d ever want to see him again. Lastly, she deserved far better than anything he could offer, for scum like him deserved little from life.

For a few more moments, he remained rooted in his spot, before he released a silent sigh. He walked back to the table, took his bowl of noodles which he had no appetite for anymore. Silently, he dumped the contents in to the trash and tossed the bowl itself in to the sink. He’d wash them in the morning, for now, he figured he wouldn’t be able to do anything of productive value until the very next morning. His presence in Akai’s life would be short, for he figured she wouldn’t want anything to do with him after she woke up in the morning. Seiryū knew that she’d be gone tomorrow morning, gathering he clothes from the washing machine. He didn’t know how the departure would play out, yet he knew that his… feelings wouldn’t be stated at all.

After a few minutes of aimlessly staring in to the sink, Seiryū finally made his way to the bed, though he stared at it for a moment and then towards the couch where Akai rested. Inaudibly, he took the blanket on the bed, along with one of the spare pillows, and slowly made his way to the couch. As gently as he could, Seiryū would deposit the blanket at the foot of the couch for a moment, as one hand would go to lift Akai’s head up while he shift the pillow under her, his eyes would settle on her features, taking them in so that he would be able to recall them from memory. After that, he’d settle the blanket over her, covering most of her upper body while not obstructing her breathing. He stood there for a few moments, tempted to touch her one more. Seiryū slowly let his hand flow through her red hair, a deliberate motion that he wished he could keep doing, but alas, he shouldn’t. “You deserve better than anything I can offer.” With a sigh escaping him, Seiryū headed towards his bed, settling down on it, letting his eyes stare up at the ceiling. His words were in direct relation to how his thoughts went; yet saying he wasn’t worth her attention nonetheless. Sleep would elude him for some time, but slowly the darkness would consume him.

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1389 words of 20829 Total Words

Training:

Since Akai curled up on the couch and forced to shut her eyes close, nothing else had been said. Her questions were not answered, not even a simple “good night” was voiced out.  It caused a sudden goose of cold to wrap around Akai’s body, due to which she unwillingly shivered.  There was this one and only question going round in the woman’s head. She was asking herself how, after starting off so nicely, they managed to end up like this. With not even a single crack of movement, the room, which earlier felt nearly as home, completely sank into silence, to the point where the woman could hear her own thoughts so clearly as if somebody would be whispering them right into her ear.  Now in this very moment, the same room, once seemed cozy and homey, felt as if some kind of a torture chamber, where the walls were coming close together slowly, eventually crushing everything what was inside in it. Even with the walls still in place, Akai felt crushed already. To know that it was her own fault made the cracks on her soul even deeper. Akai had never felt more helpless than she did now. Who cares what kind of jutsu one was capable of, what kind of power one had, all of that went helpless against time…If only…If only she could turn back time for just once.


Hearing nothing from Seiryu for a little bit longer, the Hyuga woman kind of understood that she got him mad and disappointed. Of course, who wouldn’t be? After meeting a person for a first time, granting that person a place to stay, giving warm shower and warm clothes, all he got was an even further intrusion into his personal space, an even more imposing request.  How could he be not puzzled, while being put in the situation where he had no choice? The woman was sure that the reason he answered her kiss was not some kind of developing feeling, but as simple as his kind nature. Being such a good natured person, there was no way he could throw a strict “no” to Akai’s face. Thinking and thinking about it, she was tearing herself apart, especially realizing that by being selfish and following her own desires, she forced Seiryu to do something he did not want to do.  In this case, being ignored was what Akai truly deserved.  A good night kiss? A good night hug? Asimple “good night” then at least…? Ah, her stupidity. She was not worth any of those at all. It was clear that Seiryu did not want anything to do with Akai anymore and had nothing else to say to her. He was keeping silent probably because he was indeed too kind of a person to throw such a horrible woman outside when the night is about to come.  


After some more minutes had passed, Akai finally heard some steps and other sounds, indicating that he started moving around. Even though she was not sleepy at all, she did not open her eyes just yet. It was somehow too scary for her to face the hatred which must have clouded Seiryu’s face due to everything what just happened. Akai knew she ruined everything; she did not need to be reminded about it by seeing it though.  The most painful part was that she ruined her chances to become something to him. Even though that realm was something untouched for her, she was willing to try. However, having almost no friend through Akai’s whole life, she had no idea how to behave to make one.  But maybe it was for the best, having no friends and all, if this was how naturally she would behave with a friend and would make him feel.  To look closer, it even should not be such a big deal; they were not even such friends in the first place, only two mere strangers after all, who were meant to part in the morning no matter what.  But then, why this bitter feeling now?


Putting so much force into her eyelids to keep the eyes shut, suddenly Akai felt a close presence and that force intensified. It was Seiryu providing her with a pillow and a blanket, making very slow and soft moves. He must have thought that the Hyuuga woman was asleep already, because he seemed really careful with his movements.  Why was he acting like that though? Probably the man felt sorry for Akai having to sleep all the night without anything to radiate warmth.  The answer that Akai came by was that the way how Seiryu acted was simply a humane thing to do. Anyone would have done that. However, considering that he would move around until Akai seemed asleep, gave her the impression that he actually did not want any other contact or any more talk between them. This caused a painful sting in Akai’s chest just once again. Due to that she muttered in reflex a little, at the same time when Seiryu was just saying something. Though the nerve-wracking state the woman was in and the uncontrollable mutter left those words in fragments. To her it sounded something like “deserve”, “thing”, “I can offer”. However, feeling Seiryu so near, Akai could not manage to concentrate on some fragmented words, all she was thinking about was how much she wanted to just open her eyes, grab him by his hand and pull him closer just once more. Be it only a hug, be it only a tiny touch, it would be more than enough for Akai if that would mean that he still accepted her. Though, the memory about the previous event stopped the woman from doing making any moves. She simpy lied there frozen until Seiryu walked away.


And now hearing those steps getting more and more far away, the words which came in fragments were coming clear to Akai’s mind. “You deserve nothing I can offer”.  With these final words coming together like that, every doubt, every explanation finally became confirmed. And with that, the story about her and him finally ended. She could be longing as much as she liked, but the truth was, he would never see her as nothing more than a stranger. They said mature women did not cry anymore, though why Akai started to feel so small all of a sudden?




So many hours of uneasy tossing, turning right and left, closing and opening the eyes, feeling hot and feeling cold, getting under the blanket and getting out of it.  Nothing Akai would do would put her mind at ease, so that she could get at least the tiniest amount of sleep needed for vital functioning of the body. She knew that it would go like that up until morning, since everything in this room, not to mention Seiryu himself, was pushing the wheel of thoughts inside that exhausted head of hers.  With every blink of her eyes, Akai would get back to the same moment, which now seemed as completely surreal to her. This heavy presence of Seiryu sleeping on his bed, the sound of his silent and calm breathing made her picture solely that one particular moment, a moment of sensation.  Akai would close her eyes in response and imagine, almost relive it. She would slowly brush her index finger through her lips as if the sensation of that one moment still lingered there.  Then she would just curl hugging herself until the scent from the clothes she was wearing wraps her. This was the scent Akai knew. This was the scent of his, the scent of that momentary sensation.


However, with opening the eyes to the darkness of the room, every piece of bright memory would disperse into it. The same haunting images would instantly appear: the kitchen, the window, the puzzled emotion in Seiryu’s face. Even with her eyes closed again, his puzzled face was right in front of her as if it would not want to let her forget about the mistake she made. That was it. She could not take it anymore.  This extreme self tortute. The woman silently got up and managed herself out of the couch, gazed at the bed behind her in order to make sure that the man was sleeping. After making sure of it, she sneaked into the bathroom and, as silently as she could, slipped into her cold and freshly scented kimono.  Slipping back into the room area, Akai scanned the room until she found a piece of paper and a pen there. It was some kind of a poster from the streets, however, there was no time to search for anything more decent as any minute from now Seiryu could wake up and that was something Akai did not wish to cause. She caused him enough of inconvenience already. Going back to the paper, while spending a brief moment on writing something, the woman paused for a second to think, and when it was done, she placed the paper on the middle of the table, where the fake flower was. It was a quite visible spot, so she was sure Seiryu would spot it immediately in the morning.


With thas last note, Akai felt that her stay here was over. She stepped towards the door and with her fingers sqeezing the handle already, partly turned back to gaze at the room for the last time. It was absorbed by the darkness completely and only a single spot got enlightened by the dim light of the moon, making its way in through the closed window. Akai’s eyes traced that flow of light right to where it ended. There her eyes stopped for a while.  He seemed so calm and in harmony with himself, all the confusion was totally gone from his face. Gone, just like she yet to be. ”Sayonara.” Akai whispered a word most beautiful in its simplicity and finally by pushing the handle down went through the door. She made her way down the stairs and outside, where the darkness of the nighttime was already waiting to meet her. The one and only. A comrade. A friend.  And sometimes a lover.


By the time Seiryu would wake up, Akai would be complete gone leaving no traces of herself except for these words. These were the ones she wished to say after all.


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WC 1757 +10167 = 11924

Reaction time & Strenght E-C3
11924- 4325 - 4325 =3274

WC left unused 3274

Training Fuuton fron D to C -1500 words
Training Sec spec Ninjutsu from D to C - 1500

The WC completely used

WC in total 21136/ 21 EP Chuunin exam event
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[OOC: Welp, Sonu, as well, thank you and sorry. Thank you for an exciting thread and sorry for me making you wait sometimes <3]