Fukai was due to enter the next round of the chuunin exams the day after next but his mind was on everything else. Most recently was the girl by the name Adzumi Mizuno, the petite lamb that had caught his eye that night a couple of days ago. After he had left, she had slipped his mind until today, the day in which he was supposed to meet her. He had left that night without hearing her answer as to whether she would turn up, who knows, maybe she had come to her senses and not wished to trouble herself with the likes of him. He did recall that she said she wasn't going to play it safe, although that could have all been bravado or just playing along with the moment. The girl seemed to enjoy that midnight meeting but maybe she would see things in a different light in the light of day. 'Course, if she didn't turn up, it wasn't too much skin off of his nose, it wasn't like he was infatuated with the girl after one meeting, more that he was interested in her for the sake of spending more time with her. These thoughts crossed his mind as he walked up to the Skybar.

His blood red scarf was coiled around his shoulders, covering his neck and jaw. White hair tied back with a little more care than usual, ponytail draped across his shoulder. Covering his torso was a black, orange and purple jacket with the clan emblem on the back. It was open down the front and ruffled, with a white shirt underneath. His trousers were charcoal grey and made of light material and underneath them were simple cloth shoes. Strapped to his back was his old and worn wooden staff, his tired companion that had been at his side in battle for a while now. Another small bonus of being given the honour of representing the village was he was given access to funds to pay for clothing and food. After all, it wouldn't do to show that the strongest genin in the village had been ignored and brushed under the mat as a kid. Fukai smiled ruefully at this thought, wondering if things would change when he returned.

The sun was out and it was a lovely day, not a cloud could be seen in the sky. Heat filled the thin mountain air and caused a few beads of sweat to gather underneath Fukai's clothes. The large man walked into the courtyard where he had left Mizuno, his lithe step and perfect poster letting him drift across the pavement with ease.

[446]

The sun beat down on Adzumi as she sat on the rooftop of a local market, her ears drowned out the constant bustle of the shoppers below her, perking up to the occasional shout or cry of a child only to have them be hushed by something moments later. The past two days had been overly eventful for even Adzumi’s taste, the first being an unexpected yet thrilling meeting with a man who could only be described as a devil; handsome, charming, and dangerous. Her thoughts flickered to the blood red scarf and how he seemed to control it with no effort. If that wasn’t enough she was still sore from yesterday's attack, after her usual morning run to the falls a girl not from Kumogakure attacked her unprovoked and to say the least it didn’t end to much in Adzumi’s favor.

Finally the event of the day had come to pass, was she to go join Fukai back the skybar, now mid day and lacking of alcohol in her system to boost her confidence. Picking at her forefinger nail on her left hand she couldn’t write off the passionate kiss she had shared with Fukai, albeit the mood may have been adrenaline fueled it was still a feeling she wanted more of, craved even. Plus her skills as a shinobi were faltering in advancement here in Kumo, call it lack of organization or lack of willpower on her part, she could feel the use of Kumo as her training grounds diminishing.

Suddenly stopping her nervous picking she gathered herself up and stared in the direction of the skybar, her mind shutting down and letting her heart make a decision for once, a decision based on a want rather than on a need. The moment she decided she leapt into action with her muscles flinging her forward her feet gracing rooftops for seconds at most as she quickly made her way up to the Skybar, hoping to come across Fukai waiting for her. As she neared the bar itself she slowed her pace, nervously running her fingers through her long pink hair smoothing out any knots or disarray that occurred during her travel. The dress she wore today was dark grey, same fabric as her white one, thin, with a tight body suit that ended right before the short hem of her grey cover. The pink thigh high stockings covering up most of her exposed skin, though she had done away with the black fingerless gloves for the day, it was too hot for them.

As she entered onto the balcony of their first meeting her eyes captured him once more, though this time with much more clothing on, which disappointed Adzumi slightly. The colors looked good on him, fitting around the muscles snuggly as well though her eyes were distracted by the long wood staff that was almost as long as Fukai was tall strapped onto his back. Her canvas made shoes brought him closer to him, making little to no noise and she hadn’t said any words of greeting until her small hands slid over his forearm as she linked arms with his. Her heart had nearly doubled in pace from what it was when she first saw him. As she linked up with him she turned to look at him a sweet smile forming on her lips, “You didn’t worry I wasn’t coming did you? If you had stuck around you might have heard my reply you know.” She ended her sentence with a gentle and playful tap on his chest, indicating she was only teasing him. If Fukai had been paying attention he would have easily noticed she kept her hand from touching the scarf wrapped tightly around his neck and shoulders.

[635]

He was relieved to hear the patter of small feet come closer to him, and to see Mizuno when he turned his head. She once again managed to sneak up on him a surprising distance before he noticed her, a natural talent that any shinobi would treasure. She seemed pleased to see him, which in turn lightened Fukai up. He was glad that the girl was interested in him and wanted to spend time with him, her showing up proved that. Her arm slid inside his and she adressed him with a casual flirt. She pulled in close to tap his chest, instantly reconnecting their previously established animal magnetism. His hard face broke at her words, the corners of his mouth turning up in a little smile. He looked into her eyes and spoke with sincerity. Thank you for coming, let's go get something to eat. His large rough hand worked down to find her small soft one and held it in his. Then he would lead her back the way that they had came.

She was much smaller then him, her pink head of hair bobbing around his shoulders and upper chest. The markets were open this morning, he had passed them on the way here. It would only take them a few minutes to reach them, the smell of freshly fried goodies mixed with the smell of dirt and fresh produce. As they entered the marketplace, he looked down at Mizuno to check to see if she was alright and squeezing her hand a little. It seemed quite a natural thing for him to be doing, and that is what was surprising to him. Maybe he could live this sort of life after all... His mind wandered on this thought, thinking of the possibilitys that it entailed.

They would make their way to the food section and start to stroll down the lane, checking out what each had to offer. Forgetting that he had not asked her if she was actually hungry or not, Fukai turned to his new friend. Do you want to eat? If you see something you like, point it out. The marketplace around them was not too busy, but full enough to give it a humble atmosphere. Today held quite the contrast to the night that they had met, the gentle sun and breeze combined to make a pleasant median of temperatures. As they walked along, Fukai started to talk. I can't rememer if I told you last time, but I am here for the Chuunin exams. They should be over soon, the semifinal match is in two days. Then after that, I will return home to Iwa... That would mean that they would part, and maybe not ever see each other again. Nevertheless, the young man felt that he was still able to enjoy today.

He was still interested in the girl at his side, and asked about her. So how have you been? You're a shinobi, correct? Fukai tried his best to remove his naturally intimidating state and show a kinder side.

[513] /959

Their usual connection overpowered her skepticism of his hidden power the second she linked arms with him, the feeling of his acceptance soothing whatever worry she may have had. As she did so she watched as the serious mask broke on her partners’ face, revealing a small smile that for some reason she felt was a rare sight. As they turned back to walk the path back down to the village his hand slid into hers, the rough calluses contrasting her delicate hands, she rubbed her thumb over his hand gently as if to let him know she enjoyed it. She leaned into him for a moment, her small figure bumping up against his chest lightly.

The marketplace stretched out around her and the smell of freshly fried and baked goods washed over the pair. Not realizing she hadn’t eaten that day since she was so wound up in her own thoughts her stomach grumbled quietly. Yet her mind couldn’t focus on the task at hand as she was focused on the striking tall man at her side, the feeling of protectiveness one that made Adzumi smile in happiness which was something she rarely felt when wandering around in the public of Kumogakure. She looked up at him as he spoke, asking her if she was even hungry and giving her free choice of whatever she wanted, given she pointed at it. She laughed at little at his worry but replied nevertheless, pointing up at Fukai she replied, “I want you… and possibly a sweet roll with apples and cinnamon…” She smirked, hoping to get a reaction from him.

He continued to explain to her how he was about to start the final round in the Chuunin exams, embarrassingly so she had forgotten about the exams being held in her village which for a Shinobi probably wasn’t the greatest thing to do. And in the finishing of the exams he would be returning home.. probably never to return when she thought about it. She stopped in her tracks turning to face him, her face holding a bit of sadness at the thought of parting after just meeting. “So you would be okay with leaving … because to be honest Fukai, I don’t want you to be gone so soon. There is something here I feel and it would be a shame if such a thing was wasted due to distance.” She looked away from him, trying her best not to overwhelm the poor man with pitiful emotions.

To take her mind off the disappointing news she focused on his next question as to how she was and whether she was a Shinobi. She glanced down at her partially covered up headband tied tightly around her upper right thigh and a pang of guilt washed over her. “To be honest I’ve been feeling held back as of late, as if I hit a wall and I can’t work past it. I can hardly call myself a Shinobi anymore I haven’t had a decent sensei that can teach me hot to fully enhance my Taijutsu abilities the way I know they should.” As soon as the words left her mouth an idea popped into her head as if a light-bulb turned on. Her eyes met his again, this time filled with inspiration and hopefulness, “You don’t happen to know if anyone in Iwagakure would be able to mentor me do you? It would also give us more time to see if this,” she squeezed his hand gently, “could be a possibility.” Her voice was full of giddy energy and she was nearly on her tiptoes as her mind raced at the idea.

[608]

The sun was still making its mid morning journey, climbing towards the center of the sky. It was just starting to get hot, the mountain village being that much closer to the sun felt like it made all the difference in terms of temperature. Usually they had the grace of the mountain wind to cool them off but the air was rather stagnant this morning. The one thing that refreshed him was the young woman who accompanied him on their trip to the market. Just walking down the lane, everything seemed a little more interesting. It was a new feeling as if every point of interest took a different meaning when you considered someone else's perspective. What would she want? What is she feeling? Fukai had never been in a situation that required him to think about these things. And it wasn't all bad of a spot to be in.

Mizuno mentioned that she wanted him.. Whatever that meant, as well as something they could pick up at the bakery stall. Fukai raised an eyebrow and looked sideways at the girl before changing their direction to head over to a stall in the distance. He then went on to explain about him leaving Kumo soon. As he finished, Mizuno surprised him with a courageous sentiment. She stopped and turned to him, he would do the same to give attention to what she would say. It pulled his heartstring when she said that she did not want him to go. As she finished, she tried to turn away from him a little, but the older male would stop her before she could. He reached down and held her other hand in his and then leaned over and planted a peck on her forehead. He could not assure her of the future and he had never been to great at words anyway so he chose to take action that would hopefully do the trick.

He would then drop her sencond hand and the girl would continue on. She disclosed information about her personal struggle in training and improving her abilities. Fukai knew that this was a big deal, even if it was not something that he had had to deal with very often. But that was probably because he had been drilled into the weaponry arts since he was a child and the way of training was as natural as breathing for him. It had never been much of a problem for his strength progression that he had never had a sensei or a squad since he had joined Iwa's reserves because he had the knowledge, willpower and self discipline to handle it himself. However, he knew that he was a bit of a special case in these regards, there weren't many places like that of the Fantomusodo clan's mountain stronghold that had such a long history of temering souls into experts. He had, however, witnessed many lose their way as they scrambled for power, unable to push themelves to new heights. The fact that Mizuno was worried about this and she wanted to actively seek out tuition showed that she had the right mindset and potential to grow.

Her face lit up and she looked at him once more. He held her gaze as she diverged her idea. She squeezed his hand after suggesting that she could come to Iwa with him if she could find a mentor there. The idea made Fukai smile but there was a little inkling in his head, something he couldn't put his finger on. Well, Iwagakure is known for it's taijutsu prowess, the Monoliths are a group of martial arts practicers who are some of the most elite in the world. If you are indeed interested in furthering your training there then you should come back to the hotel and talk to my supervisor. As he talked he slowly realised what the inkling was. It was a little granule of doubt and dread that told him that this was a setup. She could be some sort of spy, playing him to get into the stone village. He would have to admit that he was indeed an easy target, after all they had only known each other for a combined time of an hour and he was already inviting her back to his countrys version of a military base. He wanted to believe that she was truly interested in him, but his cynicism would not let him. Come, let's go now.

After stopping off at the bakery stall to buy the girl her apple and cinnamon roll and a chicken roll for himself, he would lead the way back to the apartment block where the Iwa entourage was stationed. The walk there would take about twenty minutes, during that time Mizuno was sure to notice the lack of warmth that Fukai had shown her previously. He was mostly looking ahead and had stopped holding her hand back at the market.

Fukai opened the door of the small brick house and held the door for Mizuno to enter first. He would follow her through and call out. I'm back. A small white haired, elderly man appeared from one of the bedrooms.
It was nice of you to tell me that you were going. A dose of sarcasm that tasted quite bitter. And you brought a friend back.
We went up to the market to get some breakfast, I must have forgotten to get something for you. Sorry 'bout that. It was probably a strange scene to witness, a large, all but grown man talk akin to how an impudent teenager would talk to his father. This here is Mizuno.. Fukai didn't know her last name so he left her to do the more formal introduction herself. She has something to ask you. The small man was a confronting figure despite his size, with penetrating deep brown eyes. He would look over at Mizuno expectantly.

[1021] /1980

Adzumi couldn't help but feel the shift in the tension between her and Fukai. Gone was the magnetic attraction that pulled the brute closer to the softer side and here came the side she was all too familiar with. The unknown, whether it be directed at her in a sense of pitiful confusion due to her family, or in this case; half-hearted doubt and worry. There was no way for her to really understand what exactly caused this shift but once she had her sweet in hand and Fukai had his food his hand never returned to warm hers in the noon light. He spoke of masters in the Taijutsu arts with such grandeur, surely they would be able to teach her something of use, if not anything at all. And so, Adzumi followed Fukai back to his hotel where he stayed with his.. ‘supervisor’.

The neighborhood was nice enough, definitely money well spent to ensure safety for a ninja competing in such a prestigious tournament. He held open the door to the small brick home, his large arm placed high above her small frame so she had plenty of room to step over the threshold into the darker, yet still well enough lit room beyond. A flash of fear sprang over her, remembering once more of the other night and the terrifying ability the man behind her possessed… but the fight from last night was enough to drive her forward.

As she stepped inside she was immediately greeted with a gruff voice filled with sarcasm and directed at her possible suitor of sorts behind her as he too entered and shut the door. Once her eyes adjusted she was focusing on a small white haired older man, staying quiet she watched as the two conversed, a little roughly, but still. As she was introduced she placed one fist in her opposite open palm and bowed slightly as if to show respect to her elder, in doing so the light caught sight of her Kumogakure headband tied around her upper thigh, giving a small glint toward the older mans direction. “Adzumi Mizuno actually..”, she tried to be as kind with her correction as possible, “A Shinobi of Kumogakure as well. Well… I met Fukai here a few days ago and we really had a serious connection I feel and…” She could feel her face growing redder in embarrassment and shame at how pitiful her plea was sounding.

In hopes of changing the direction of his view on her she cleared her throat, stood a little straighter and recaptured the look of fierce determination Fukai had seen on the day of their meeting, and began again, “Sir, it has come to my attention as of recently that the village of Kumogakure has ceased to be a viable place for my Taijutsu training to progress further. With this statement, I humbly ask that you please consider allowing me to accompany Fukai and yourself back to Iwagakure in search of a new sensei.” In closing she bowed her head once more to signal the end of her rambling and gave a side glance over to Fukai. Letting him know full well she knew he didn’t trust her and in fact she trusted him so much that she allowed herself to be completely outnumbered and in a vulnerable position at that. If this didn’t show commitment to her words she didn’t know what would.

[575]

Fukai watched the girl introduce herself to Kudaru, she had the look of a timid mouse. She bowed before him to show respect as was dictated by the traditions of formality. His supervisor had the look of a snake as it eyed it's prey. He waited patiently for her to finish. A thin, flickering forked toung whould not have looked out of place if one darted out of his mouth. It was a pressured moment for her, he could tell that much. They were both small of stature but the elderly man had been a formidable shinobi in his day and had hardened through a tough life. Fukai had left her to his mercy in some respects, expecting that it would be best if she was to represent herself. However he instantly regretted this when she started off by mentioning their meeting the other night. Fukai's cheeks deepened in colour and his eyes averted from both of the other people in the room. He could feel the penetrating gaze from a pure, concentrated judgement beam. The genin would not usually get embarrased about a topic such as this but it was a shot to his proud yet somewhat casual bravado that he held in front of Kudaru. That he could get hung up due to a young lady's charm showed weakness.

The old man's eyes flicked back to the girl but other than that, his features did not change. He remained patient as she sucked it up and continued forward. Mizuno asked if she may join them in their return to the village hidden in the rock. Her earnest words caught Fukai's attention and he took notice of her effort. He didn't know if he would have done the same in her position or if his self reliance would have inhibited him from reaching out and putting himself on the line. Then she bowed again and glanced over at him. Fukai couldn't help but break into a little smile. There was something about this girl that had him smiling much more frequently than he usually did. He realised that she would probably appreciate some validation. He had even forgot for a second, the risk that he was taking. But looking down at the small girl, he realised that he was prepared for that risk. Whatever could potentially come of this, he hoped it would be worth the trouble.

Kudaru took a deep breath, drawing Fukai's attention back to him. Oh so it was love at first sight was it? You just happened upon each other and now you want to bring some random stranger back to my home. This is an incredibly risky notion that you have been talked into, kid. But then again, you knew that. His gaze shifted to Fukai. The young man had made up his mind. He mirrored the old man's expression and became completely serious. I will take full responsibility for her. As they looked at each other directly in the eye, they shared an unsaid meaning that would probably be lost on Mizuno. This full responsibility meant that if she turned out to have malicious intent, then it would be up to Fukai to sort the situation, whatever that would entail. Kudaru grumbled and then spoke. Well, if that is the case then I shall go and talk with an old friend up in the Kumo administration to see what they can offer us in return for finding her tutorage. Of course he was looking for something that would benefit him in the exchange, but Fukai was just pleased that he trusted the genin enough to accept his word. So young lady, you will be expected to pull your weight when you get to Iwa, prepare yourself for a grueling lifestyle of taijutsu training, I wonder if you will survive... Also you will be kept under supervision for the length of your stay. But then Fukai will probably have that covered. What do you say to that?

[672] /2652

~exit~

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