"Rockhenge", as it was called, was said to be the most spiritual of any natural place in Tsuchi no Kuni. Sure, there were plenty of temples and monuments to monks and priests and even previous Kage that held a certain supernatural feeling, leaving visitors with a notion that there was a spiritual presence along with them. Rockhenge was different in that no one went there seeking ghosts of the dead, ghosts of the pasts or even a typical emotional response to expect; this was, in part, because it wasn't man-made. It was just a bunch of rocks, and they had been there long before anything else around them. No one knew how they got there or where they came from or who arranged them or why. No one really questioned it, either. Most of the time the people visiting it were tourists who were curious after hearing rumors, but interest in the formation died out quickly as there was nothing particularly beautiful or magnificent about it. There were rumors of rituals having occurred at the site in the distant past, but no evidence left to the present, apart from the rocks themselves. Issei, apart from the masses, admired Rockhenge as one of his favorite places in the Land of Earth.

The rocks were placed in a pattern, with a large slab in the center surrounded by other upright rocks. They were several feet taller than most people and assumed to be extremely heavy, since they hadn't moved at all over the centuries. Issei would usually sit underneath the three rocks positioned into an arch, and meditate for hours on end throughout the day. This time around, he arrived at night following his dinner and sat in front of the slab, facing the opposite direction so that he could see the full moon. Once he was comfortable, he relaxed his muscles and laid his right leg out flat, crossing his left leg over just under the knee. He found this position to be more comfortable than the traditional tailor-fashion during long meditation sessions. He leaned back a bit and rested the palms of his hands in the soft, chalky dirt as he closed his eyes. The full moon made for a nice setting, as from his position, the moonlight peeked out just over the apex of one of the larger rocks in the formation.

The reason why Issei considered the Rockhenge to be the most spiritual place was because of its interaction with chakra. Whenever he was there, he felt a latent chakra flowing throughout the area, almost beating like a pulse but not strong enough to feel like blood circulation. It had an ethereal quality to it and it was pleasant to rest in. Issei gathered his thoughts and focused only on himself, the area around him, and his breathing. Soon enough, after meditating there for a couple of minutes, his breathing began to move in rhythm with the chakra around him and the chakra in his body. The forces of nature and humanity, united into a single living entity.

When he reached his calmest point, Issei started to tug at his own chakra in order to practice controlling it. Relocating different amounts into different areas of his body broke the regular rhythm that his body maintained and elicited responses. This was the basic premise of chakra flow jutsu, and combining it with shape and nature transformation through the force of will and experience allowed its practitioner to utilize Ninjutsu. On the opposite hand, using chakra flow in conjunction with physical expertise and muscle mass allowed the practitioner to utilize Taijutsu. These were things that he was all too familiar with, and after having done worked at it for so long, he could use both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu quite effectively. The fact that Ninjutsu and Taijutsu were considered to be more general, basic arts than other ninja disciplines also factored into Issei's mastery of them.

The problem came in when Issei used his kekkei genkai. It was Nintaijutsu, certainly, as it was still using chakra to manipulate his body and the physical world, but since it was his skeletal system, he found it much more difficult to control without injuring himself or leaving something malformed or out of place. Since he'd awakened his kekkei genkai over a decade ago, most of its usefulness was involuntary; bones would come to his defense if he was in danger or when he felt threatened. They would grow and move block strikes or attack his enemies before returning to their original sizes and positions in his skeleton. Having practiced using it, he had some control over it, now; he was capable of basic jutsu using the Shikotsumyaku, but there was long ways to go before he mastered it the same way he had other Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Each bone had chakra within it that he could bolster or modify and thus modify the bone itself, but he had to be careful not to do anything too quickly or else it would be painful and potentially damage him. He thought of it as a complex system of levers, buttons, wires and pulleys, and he needed to know exactly where everything was and how everything worked before he could bother manipulating the system to his advantage.

The Shikotsumyaku activated. Issei's eyes turned black, his irises crimson, veins bulging on his face. He started with his fingers; he sat up straight and took his hands away from the ground, brought them in front of him, and opened his eyes. Looking down at his palms, he watched as the bones moved around like parts of a machine. He twisted his fingers into inhuman shapes and pushed his wrist bones out of the flesh so that they were exposed, and looked at the mangled mess. Then, with a soft breath out, he twisted his fingers back into place and let the wrist bones return to his forearm, closing the skin they had pierced behind them. No blood, no damage done. Issei flipped his hands over and did it again, doing repetitions like a regular exercise. He refused to see the gift he was given as a curse. This Kaguya blood running through his veins was a blessing; he just needed to learn how to use it.

With his eyes wandering around, Tōkai hummed aloud the melody to the lullaby he played on his guitar. Walking along a desolate, lifeless landscape of giant rocks the only sound seemed to be the song he played. Of course, being deaf, Tōkai himself still only heard the silence, but with the practised motions of his guitar and precision of each memorized chord, anyone who could hear would have been none the wiser. Not that there really was anyone there, or least what the deaf man had expected.

As to why he was wandering around to the place called rock henge, he couldn't really say. Being in Iwa for only a few days, he had simply been lazing away at the university school in that free room that the Tsuchikage himself had offered to the wanderer. While he hadn't exactly attended any classes, he did enjoy loitering around campus and holding a few unscheduled music lessons for groups students who happened to congregate around the musician. Besides of course, flirting with more than a few members of the student body. He had yet to strike lucky, most of the  kids seemed too focused on their studies to play around too much. It was odd, since he was practically the same age as many of them, that none were particularly interested. Maybe they really did think he was old or something. He was twenty two, which wasn't old at all!

He had decided to go out for a night, find a bar, drink a bit, and maybe finally get someone to have some fun with. He had no purpose in being in Iwa other than that. It was what he told himself, for thinking of the other reason,  he had only hypothesized to be some odd, subconscious decision, made him want to ignore it more. Tōkai had ignored it since he was a child, following the incident that had caused him to go deaf. And for over a decade since, he had been content with not caring about it. For what reason would he want to bring up the past now? But he was in Iwa, the place where he had long suspected she had come from. It the Otsuka bloodline's orgin, here in Tsuchi no Kuni. In many aspects, there was little he could do. There was little that he even knew. And for many years, there was little motivation on his part. He had been neglecting his own talents, his own Kekkei Genkai so that he was still nothing but a novice. In terms of power, he was nothing compared to her.

Her.

She wasn't his mother. He had already decided he never had one. She had been gone for all his childhood, except those few days she had returned and ended it too soon. She was the reason why he was deaf. She was reason why his father was dead. All for what? Some selfish desire that the boy needed to learn the ways of his bloodline? The regret of not being there for so many years? The fact that she supposedly even cared for his safety? She didn't care about the consequences, and for the longest time Tōkai didn't either. The feeling he had now was different. Anger? Resentment? Confusion? For over a decade he hadn't felt such extreme emotions, thinking them nothing but worthless in concept. He enjoyed love without passion. Because the woman who gave birth to him was the epitome of that concept, ironically he was following in her footsteps.

As for now, his footsteps were taking him through the Rock henge. Despite appearing so lifeless, the moon shone down onto the surface of the rocks, giving them a luminescent glow. Giant slabs, stacked in such a way, a man could only wonder how they came to be. However to Tōkai, they were really just giant rocks set about in a strange formation. While his original intention had been  to visit within the village for a drink, his thoughts regarding everything unimportant caused him to find such a place. He didn't mind being alone once and while, being a lone wanderer he tended to enjoy such times to himself. But it was also unlikely he would be running into anyone at the rockhenge at this time of night.

He was pleasantly surprised to suddenly see a figure ahead of him, sitting down underneath an arch of three stones. He seemed to be preoccupied of doing something his hands, but as Tōkai would come closer the sound of his guitar's lullaby could easily be heard. It was a man of silver hair and dark eyes, some stubble upon his chin on a handsome face. Handsome... Indeed. An unconventional meeting, but there a faint hope that he perhaps wouldn't be so alone that night. The usual frivolous grin appeared on Tōkai's face with the thought of playing around once again.

Within a few moments, the lullaby's tempo would slow fading into the final strums of the guitar as the musician ended his performance. Tōkai was now standing next to silvered haired man, though he soon swung his guitar around so it hung comfortable on his back and in one motion, sat down on the ground next to him in a cross legged fashion.  He kept his movements slow and casual, showing no signs of aggression though it may have been odd that he was getting so close.

Previously, Tōkai had noticed that the man's hands were in a strange position, almost disfigured, well, actually disfigured.  Not only that, but now that he was as close the man's eyes weren't just dark but his sclera was black and his irises red. The deaf man showed no signs of discomfort at seeing the man's appearance. Despite his own neglect of his Kekkei Genkai, he was a regular at knowing things about others. It was the bloodline of the Kaguya, Shikotsumyaku, in short, bone manipulation. Powerful and rare, and likely the same could be said of the man who had it. It was only speculation, but Tōkai did enjoy making friends with a purpose. Though it usually depended on whether people wanted to make friends with him.


Tōkai said the words with an joking tone, tapping his fingers on the ground. His blue eyes turned to the Kaguya's mouth, though only glancing by, keeping his focus to whatever rocks surrounded them.

1107~

It wasn't too often that Issei allowed himself to remember the time he awakened the Shikotsmyaku. Too traumatic; even just thinking about it was stressful. Being poked, prodded, dissected, rewired. The Surgeon let him bleed all over the operating table, near the brink of death, before bringing him back with medical ninjutsu every time. The process was slow and grueling, strung out over the course of days (maybe weeks? Issei's sense of time was shot. He was naked and lost in a sea of his own pain and misery, after all), but his death wasn't an option until the Surgeon was satisfied with whatever modifications he could make to Issei's body. None were successful, in the end, and considering Issei was still only a genin back then, he wouldn't have made a very good puppet to use in battle anyway. He knew that what the Surgeon really wanted was his father, and the missing ninja had to target Issei instead because Issei couldn't defend himself. But Issei was also lucky. When he needed it most, when the Surgeon grew tired of torture and reached the taste for murder, the Shikotsumyaku was evoked like a miraculous savior, giving him the strength to overcome and restrain his captor and make an escape.

The idea of fate was something that the Momochi toyed with every now and then, and while he believed that fate had saved him with his bloodline when no one else could have, he also believed that the Surgeon couldn't have possibly still been stuck there, pinned to a wall by death-dealing bones, until his last breath escaped his mouth in a pitiful cry. No, he was stronger than that, and he would have survived by his sheer endurance and medical expertise. He was practically immortal to Issei, who had watched his father tear the man apart with a sword and yet went on to be tortured by him. And now that the Surgeon knew he was a Kaguya, that was all the more reason for him to be targeted, made to be an experiment and later a puppet. The thing that had saved his life could also end up being his mark for death. And perhaps that was why he was so determined to practice using it, to hone it like a weapon. He had something rare, that most people had never even seen, and he knew the kind of power that it was capable of, and he hoped it could protect him again when fate realized his fears and he and the Surgeon faced one another again.

Someone else coming near broke Issei's focus. His eyes looked up to see a blue blur in his field of vision; a man with youthful features, blue hair, blue eyes. "Nice.... Night for a walk... Or, should... I say a... Sit?" He seemed to be addressing Issei in some small talk. Issei didn't like to talk to strangers; he didn't like to talk to anyone he wasn't close friends with, to put it simply. There was an uncomfortably long pause as he decided how to address this person who had interrupted his meditation. The bones in his hands realigned themselves so that they weren't so deformed, and then he got to his feet to brush himself off. Dirt scattered into the air in dust clouds and he decided to make it a nice night for a stand. "Yes, I suppose. Who are you?" Issei replied, straight to the point, curt and frigid. Despite the interruption, he kept his manipulable bone cells on end by charging his chakra, so even though he wasn't actively using his kekkei genkai, his eyes retained their abnormal discoloration. The person addressing him avoided direct eye contact, instead keeping their attention pressed on the rocks surrounding them. Issei's scarlet stare was intimidating and uninviting, although it was nothing personal. He was always on alert around others.

As he sat, Tōkai could tell that he had already provoked the man a little more than necessary, but what fun a feisty old man could be! It was easy to see that the silvered haired and scarlet eyed stranger was indeed a few years older, and Tōkai simply saw an opportunity for some unsavory actions. He would need to get the man to loosen up however, and likely put away the pointy things sticking out of his skin. The deaf man already had quite a few scars, so he wasn't exactly keen on acquiring a few more if not neccesary. Certain things couldn't be helped, but others could very well be provoked if done recklessly. Tōkai was currently deciding on whether he wanted to be delicate or see how far he could go with being so careless.

A pause, no words for the longest time, but silence was something the deaf man was accustomed to hearing, nothing at all at the moment. Then there was movement, the silver haired stranger decided to stand up, contradicting what Tōkai had said only moments ago. A small cloud of dust came up, but Tōkai didn't dare move too much. His head only tilted upwards so his eyes could catch sight of the movements of the stranger's lips.

"Yes, I suppose. Who are you?"

While dark scarlet eyes pierced his calm light blue, Tōkai's easy smile never left his face. He surely was a feisty old man, the kind that could be his type, though in all honesty Tōkai had no preferences. He changed the position of his guitar and soon laid the instrument down on the ground beside him and then he laid back on the earth, using his palms as a pillow. It was an odd choice of conversing with a partner. While one was standing, the other was casually lying down on the ground.  


No names and nothing specific, it was how the deaf man liked introductions. He didn't specifically ask for a name and therefore he didn't get one. Looking up to the dark sky, his view was framed with the odd rock formations that surrounded the pair. With much of his body touching the ground, Tōkai could essentially feel the earth underneath him. To the touch it was slightly cold, but solid and immovable just as the earth should be. The ground was still, but there was something else there, the flowing of chakra through the rocks,, like the veins of a living thing. So it was true after all, that Rockhenge was some magical place.  Dust collected as Tōkai tapped his foot on the ground as he lay there beside his now standing companion.


Another smile graced his lips, this one directed to no one in particular. Tōkai's eyes shifted back to the silver haired stranger, keeping an watch upon how the mouth would move and form its response to the deaf man's statement.

557/1664~

I'm so sorry for the delay! T-T

This person set their guitar down just as Issei stood, and soon laid himself out on the ground. Issei looked down at him with a smirk, unsure of how exactly to respond. However, when he opened his mouth to speak, he spoke with an inquiring tone that wasn't really all too fitting of an answer to Issei's own question. He said that he was just another man without anyone to keep him company, having found someone in the same situation. Issei didn't mind being alone. What was the point of having someone to keep him company, anyhow? "Hardly a proper way to identify yourself, but I couldn't care less..." his voice trailed off into a mutter under his breath.

"It feels... So quiet here. Forgive me for intruding... It's one... of the reasons... I like... Places like these... You don't... Have to hear... Anything to enjoy.... It." That showed some sign of courtesy, which was a nice gesture, but Issei still would have preferred solitude. But what did this mean? A place where one didn't have to hear anything to enjoy it?

Issei compiled everything he'd observed of this man and built an initial impression. A musician, apparently, with unnaturally bright blue hair and similarly blue eyes, with a unique way of speaking chock-full of pauses like an uncomfortable rhythm. He noticed that the man stared at his lips whenever he talked; it was a rather specific habit. Perhaps he was hard of hearing, which seemed nonsensical considering the guitar he carried, but it was a possibility.

Issei considered leaving, but he had come to meditate and practice his chakra control and so he wanted to stay and do so. "So, no name. That's alright. I do have one other question, though." He wanted to test something, so he focused chakra into his feet and climbed up one of the eastern pillars of rock and sat down again, turned away from the musician and covering his mouth with the collar of his shirt. He kept it over his mouth as he spoke so that there was no chance of having his lips read. "Why are you here?" he said, in a loud enough voice that it echoed throughout the Rockhenge and the surrounding cliffside. The chakra that seemed to pulse in the air around him intensified in response to the booming noise, and settled as the echo faded and quiet returned. Issei made a rat hand seal and held it, returning to his meditation and calmly awaiting a response from the blue-haired guy below him.

"So, no name. That's alright. I do have one other question, though."

Was he particularly peeved by the deaf man not revealing his identity? He had commented earlier about something, but Tōkai hadn't bothered to catch site of his lips at that moment. It was likely he didn't even mean for Tōkai to hear it and the wanderer simply didn't mind. A no name basis would become troublesome after a while, but it also had its advantages for those who did wish to remain anonymous. After a moment of thought, Tōkai realized it was likely why he had trouble remembering names; he never asked for them. Or perhaps he really just did have an awful memory.

But whether he did or did not wasn't of current priority. The stranger said he had another question, though he was taking his kind time as to asking it. He began walking away, Tōkai propped himself up on his elbows to follow the older man's movements. He walked carefully and then like magic, he began walking up on one of the pillars of rock. His shinobi status confirmed, the silver haired stranger set himself atop the stone monument. His head turned and his mouth was purposefully covered with the shirt of his collar.

Of course, Tōkai heard nothing but silence.

His head turned down so his blue hair covered his eyes, another kind of smile graced his lips. Playful, yet unkind, but it always true that Tōkai's grins were hardly ever genuine. He had made it quite obvious after all, his own unfortunate handicap. He liked to, and he enjoyed seeing how others reacted when they did find out he was deaf. There was an awful long pause before any other movement occurred, the deaf man wanted to ensure that he didn't interrupt the man if he was still talking. His stillness had confirmed that he was indeed done a short while ago, so now it was the deaf man's turn to say something back.

Tōkai himself sat up straight, stretching his back and shoulders comfortably before finally standing up again and dusting himself off. With his guitar on his back, he took a few steps forward, also focusing chakra into the sole of his feet and made his way to the top of an adjacent rocky pillar. Humming some melody his voice remembered but had he himself long forgotten its sound, Tōkai sat atop his respective pillar swinging his legs off of the edge. He swung his guitar back around to his front and began strumming a few chords, his hands knowing the positions like second nature.  


It was as if he was congratulating the man for something actually grand. Tōkai tapped his ears with a free hand, before resting his palms on the surface of the stone. Just like the ground, chakra flowed here, he could feel it with just his hands. A good place for relaxing and just feeling the flow of the rocks themselves. Not bothering to look at the stranger, Tōkai’s eyes wandered to looking at the dark sky.



He hadn’t have been over thirty, or perhaps right at the mark. Older than Tōkai obviously, though still with a handsome face and some stubble on his chin. The deaf man turned his head sideways, wondering if the stranger would allow his face to be seen if he would reply back.

614/2278~

The musician simply looked at Issei sideways, clearly unable to hear him. "Hm… Seems like yoooou’ve figured.. out…! That these ears… of mine… are simply for show…"  It was confirmed, then, and Issei let down his hand so that his mouth could be seen again. He hopped down from the stone pillar and landed on his feet, hard. With that, he also let his kekkei genkai return to its dormant state so that his eyes reverted to a natural gray color. "So you're deaf, then. A disability that you've seemed to work your way around, which I can respect. It must be hard." Issei relaxed a little bit, letting down his staunch defenses just enough so that he could be a little softer. The musician made a comment about Issei being a smart old man, but Issei didn't really acknowledge nor care about it. He wondered how old the musician was in comparison to himself, although it was obvious enough that there was a substantial age gap between them, with Issei being the elder. He didn't really feel like meditating much anymore, and he kind of wanted to leave since his peace had been interrupted, but he figured he would at least try to be nice beforehand.

"Let's try actually introducing ourselves. I'm Issei." he said, holding out his hand for a handshake. He kept his eyes intent on the musicians and hoped that this time around he would get an actual name in response. Maybe it was the fact that the man was deaf that made Issei act a little nicer towards him, or maybe Issei felt bad for being too detached and cross earlier. Either way, he had put in his effort and was trying to establish a positive relationship rather than a negative one, which was what his attitude tended to attract.

OOC:

As Tōkai confirmed the man’s suspicions that of his own disability, the stranger let his mouth be seen once again. It did make things easier for communication after all, as it was the only way a majority of the time the deaf man could tell what others were trying to say to him.  The silver haired man hopped down from the pillar, turning to the deaf man to say a few things. His red eyes and dark sclera suddenly turned to more normal colors, now revealing his true irises to be grey in color. He was saying something about how being deaf could be hard, but also complimenting how he had found his own way around such a handicap. Tōkai shrugged in response, he had figured a long time ago that it was the only way around his handicap. Most other people wouldn’t bother to learn sign language, which he had hastily only ever halfway memorized, so he had to make up for what other people didn’t do.

Tōkai did recognize that was melting down some defenses from the initial encounter, a great improvement! But with his movements, it made the man seem like he was about to leave. The wandered was going to lose his chance if he continued to play his cards wrong.

"Let's try actually introducing ourselves. I'm Issei."

A hand outstretched, a sign of some cautious friendless. Tōkai tilted his head at the action, eventually smiled with a short chuckle. He too hopped down from the pillar to ground level. His own hand reached out casually, taking the stranger’s hand, delicately for a firm handshake.  



They were keeping on a first name basis, easy enough to say and easy enough to forget since the deaf man always had a terrible memory. One simple shake was all it took, and then Tōkai found himself dangerously close to the white haired Issei. The two were near eye level with each other and Tōkai kept his blue eyes trained on the grey of Issei’s. Of course there was no direct enmity between the two, or at least Tōkai radiated no such caution.  With another tilt of his head, Tōkai rolled his weight to the back of his heels in a swinging motion.



Whether he would say yes or no, Tōkai wasn’t sure. But he was surely hoping that the man would come to understand what his offer was implying. It was the deaf man’s original intention to go find a bar and then someone to sleep with or play around a little. He wouldn’t be asking for money, naming a price was too much of a hassle. He simply wanted to see how the older man would react. Hopefully favorably, but a no would be an understandable answer as well, for “no” seemed to be the often answer he was getting lately. If he did refuse, it only meant that the deaf wanderer would simply have to wander to another area to find more interested partners. And get drunk since getting so intoxicated only helped out with getting “yes” for an answer. A smile still on his face, he held out his palms for the offer.

566/2844~

OOC:

The boy took Issei's hand and shook it as he said, "Tōkai.". There was the name. Issei smiled back idly, and Tōkai got ready to speak again. He asked if Issei would accept an offer of company for the night, which Issei already knew the answer to, but he took a bit of a pause before replying. His hands found themselves in his pockets. "No, not tonight. I was planning on meditating and practicing my chakra control, which requires some solitude. I'm sorry." with that said and done, he turned to leave, turning and taking a few steps forward. There was always the possibility of the two training together, but he preferred to do so alone, both for his own pleasure's sake and for better concentration. Though sparring matches were more practical, he was far more interesting in the finer details of mastering an art in his training, rather than fighting people in order to become stronger. The wilderness of Iwagakure faced him like a menacing danger zone, but he knew it well enough that he would be able to navigate its treachery despite the time and how dark it was. Rockhenge rested behind him, still radiating that same, almost supernatural energy. He stopped and half-turned to look at Tōkai one more time. Once again, he made sure that his lips could be seen clearly. "But, maybe some other time. It was interesting meeting you, Tōkai. Have a good night." he spoke honestly, although he was careful not to use the word "nice" since he hardly ever had a good time when he had to interact with a stranger. He refrained from smiling any more and focused on the path ahead of him; the village was a few kilometers away, so he'd have to endure a long walk before he'd be back.

[ Exit Thread ]

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