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Akai

Akai


D-rank
Light up the lantern

Light up the lantern [Private/Tenzo/Closed] Japane14

Akai stepped out of the hot shower, after which she finally felt relaxed enough to take some rest. She tossed herself onto the bed carelessly and was lying there frozen for a decent amount of time. Only her eyes were jumping from one detail of this room to another in pretty slow manner, as if they were searching for something interesting enough in order to lock onto it for much longer. Wooden ceiling, wooden ground, wooden table and wooden chair, everything was made from natural material causing the room to seem so simple, but cozy at the same time. This room was nothing close to the one Akai used to live in, when she was still at their Hyuuga mansion. Walls made of the finest stone, decorations covered in gold dust, best quality porcelain items resting on pretty much every surface, several servants trying their best to make every piece of it shine, these were the things she could recall best. And now there she was, a Hyuuga princess, lying on the hard wooden bed, being completely by herself, only several kimonos and yukatas, which she had bought earlier in the market street, and this inherited golden hairpin, were the last bridge connecting her to the quality of life she was used to back at home. However, the memory of an image of their mansion caused a feeling of slight disgust. Wealth was never something the red head sought for or found enjoyment in, especially when this wealth was used in order to cover the whole nastiness, which dwelled deep underneath it. After remembering certain events of the past, this simple room was becoming more and more comfortable for Akai. Be it made of wood, rock or even mud, as long as it is far away from her golden cage, it was totally satisfactory for her.


Shaking her head in denial of bothering thoughts, Akai pushed herself out of the bed immediately. She gazed at the clock, which caught her attention for a second there.”Midnight already.” Even though Akai was exhausted, the atmosphere was too noisy for her to fall asleep easily. The red head went by the window, leaned herself against the side of the wall and peeked outside. The room she was staying in was on the second floor of this building, which was located in the middle of the market street of Mount Ikkyu resort. The first floor held quite a popular bar, which caused the whole place to be very loud. Akai could almost hear every conversation, which would occur at the table down below her room. Most of those conversations were of drunken men; trying to prove their manliness to the squeaking women they had ordered company from.

Even though it was midnight already, while gazing outside the window, Akai saw that the street was crowded with people and it seemed as if a festival of some kind would be taking place. The street was decorated with red lanterns, which were glowing in the dark, putting the whole street under this dim light. The red head noticed that most of the people were wearing colorful yukatas, carrying red or yellow lanterns in various sizes themselves, buying all kinds of souvenirs or simply eating while enjoying their walk through the resort. Suddenly, Akai backed away from the window and grabbed the first yukata, which was resting on top of the wooden chair. It was a black one, rather simple looking, with some floral patterns on it. The red head fitted herself into it quickly and turned to head out of the room. She could not get any sleep anyway, thus it would be pointless for her to stay alone in this shallow room, when she could be enjoying the time outside by mixing herself into a crowd of strangers instead. Or deeper reason behind it was that Akai simply tried to avoid remaining alone with her own shallow thoughts, she needed some distraction and needed it fast.

After locking up the door, Akai went down the stairs and appeared at the bar. She was somehow disgusted by the image she saw there. The place was full of old, nasty looking men, who were drinking sake and shamelessly groping young girls, who were sitting on their laps, lighting up their cigarettes. This image was something Akai had not seen in her life, as she grew up in this very formal and of closed circle environment. No one from her family line was allowed to visit such places and in case men needed to have some manly fun, they would organise their own party demonstrating their splendid taste for luxury. Akai remembered seeing some of the girls in her mansion, but at that time they looked like a royalty of some kind and she mistook them for someone’s wives or sisters. Only later she got to know that those were the women who came to entertain Hyuuga men.

Trying to make her way out of the bar, Akai felt a tight grip onto her hand pulling her to the side at the same time. Hey, sweetie, compared to how much we payed for you, you kept us waiting for too long, don’t you think? Now be a good girl and do your job!” She turned her gaze to her hand and followed the one which was holding a tight grip of it slowly, right up to the face of that person, whose hand was squeezing her own. Akai found a nasty face of drunken man, arrogantly staring at her, with three more similar faces supporting the stare. She pulled her hand out and squeezed it into a fist, which immediately appeared hitting the man’s nose pretty badly. ”Keep your disgusting hands to yourself, you bastard! You're disgusting!” His nose started to bleed and he shouted in reflex, other three were trying to stand up and give Akai a lesson, though they were too drunk to make at least one stable move. The read head looked around as the place got so quiet all of the sudden. As it appeared, she caused a scene and now everyone’s attention was drawn to her and this unlucky bleeding man. Soon after some woman came running to the table, mumbling something like „this was not the right girl”, “they’re my best clients here” and “are you insane, what is wrong with you”. Akai understood that it was a mistake to get so hot-headed, especially for someone who was in a situation when keeping a low profile was the matter of life and death. The only way out of this mess was to disappear without getting herself deeper into the process of making explanations.

Once the red head got outside, she mixed herself into the crowd of people, who were taking their walks in the street. Seeing that no one exited the bar, she took a deep sigh and felt the whole pressure vanishing together with the oxygen she breathed out. Her body loosened up a little and Akai started looking around the stalls, hoping to find something she would like to buy. Nothing seemed to catch her eye, however, after some time spent walking, the red head saw something interesting in the horizon. There was a tiny pond, with a narrow bridge crossing it and a couple of people standing on it as well. The pond was full of lit lanterns, making it look even more magical, than the market street was. Only now Akai figured that it was already past midnight and most people had already lit up their lanterns, as well as released them to carelessly float on the water or fly up in the sky. It was an old tradition practiced during festivals. One supposed to think of a wish before releasing the lantern and after it was done, the wish was considered to come true for sure.

However, the time for releasing lanterns had already passed and those couple of people on the bridge were only admiring the magical view. Even though Akai knew that she already missed her chance, she went to the stall with lanterns and bought two for herself. One was meant to be released on water and another one into the sky. ”In my type of hardship, I probably need double luck.” The red head giggled to herself and after grabbing both of bought lanterns, she rushed onto the bridge. Akai stood there for a minute or so, gazing at round paper items in her hands, simply trying to figure out how to light them up. After noticing a tiny piece of thread in the middle of one lantern, she assumed that it works just as simple as a candle. However, Akai had no source of fire with her. She threw her gaze to the side attempting to ask the same couple of people she saw before getting onto the bridge herself. Perhaps they had any lighter or matches at least. Though the couple was in the middle of passionate kiss and Akai turned her gaze away immediately, feeling as if she would be disturbing them even by simple gaze. Due to the embarassment of seeing two people kissing, a slight blush appeared on Akai's face.

After looking around and finding that she was nearly alone on this bride, the red head leaned her body against the rail and gazed down at other floating lanterns. She imagined that other people’s dreams were dwelling within each of those flames and as long as the flame kept burning, the dream existed. The longer they were burning, the more luck they brought for the dreams to come true. ”Yeah…so much of my luck. Ended without having a chance to begin.” Words of disappointment escaped her mouth while squeezing her own lanterns in hand. Akai bit her lower lip without even feeling it as if she would be trying to get rid of this feeling of bitterness. Suddenly, the urgent desire to put all of those tiny flames out got awakened somewhere deep within Akai’s self. ”Silly people with their silly dreams.”

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WC 1686



Last edited by Akai on Fri Mar 11, 2016 3:42 pm; edited 1 time in total

Uchiha Tenzō

Uchiha Tenzō


S-rank
Like almost every other day of the week, the attire which covered that well-toned vessel was simple in terms of design and functionality; jet-black was the color which dominated this particular type of clothing, from neck to toes. That shirt was always with long sleeves since the day in which the man was forced to enroll within the ANBU, and the Uchiha wished to keep that hidden from the others, by wearing clothing that was long enough to cover up the tattoo which was located on the bicep. Just recently, this particular man had started wearing a pair of gloves that were made out of fine silk, a pair which was ordered by himself so that it may match the rest of this appealing garment. Most of the clothes owned by this particular jōnin were custom-made after all so that they may fit that body of his like a glove, since perfect mobility was hard to achieve with loose clothing, and that is why the man bothered himself to grant that much attention towards something plain such as clothing.

Sophistication was something that wasn’t imprinted that well upon this young man, despite the fact that he was born in a noble clan; however, this particular man was still far from rudeness, since humble and honesty were the most well-known traits for him as a child. Thus, the man had now grew and shaped himself to something which could easily be placed within the lines of a gentleman; formality was one of the traits which the man chose to hone, although, sometimes the man proffered to let go of those unwanted barriers. Having one of the highest and well-paid ranks within the village, this Uchiha was capable of taking on missions which granted a large amount of ryō upon the paycheck, and there were only a few things that this person could not afford.  Despite all of this, this particular silver-haired man was born in a poor family which inherited nothing but a couple of debts, that were just recently paid off due the whole contribution of this family.

Nonetheless, while the clock indicating that it was eleven, the silver-haired man chose to visit a certain location to relax and ease up from all of the agitation which happened during the daylight; however, this particular man was known for choosing the most odd places one could pick. People were rather interesting, and hearing a tale or two was always a good way of killing time, since the man wasn’t that ignorant to believe that there was nothing left to learn from others. Crowded places were always preferred by Tenzō, but the reason which stood behind that liking was uncertain at the end; perhaps, blending within a group of people without getting noticed was probably the true reason which stood behind that, or simply the man enjoyed socializing. Without a doubt, the unknown always played a cruel role within the fate of this wandering soul, and those thoughts were hunting him wherever he might have gone.

An hour or so later...

At a distant table which lingered inside that bar, far away from the prying eyes and reach of those who enjoyed grasping every ounce of the sinful pleasures that this place had to offer, there was a glass of wine which rested between the fingertips of a scrawny hand that belonged towards a lonely silver-haired man. With no friendly company for the night, the Uchiha was enjoying a bottle of red wine by himself since appealing to such services was something which stood highly against that already barely existing amount of morality which this man had been imprinted with. That bottle itself was already empty, and the glass had no more than half when a women which shared a common color with that wine had decided to bestow this room with her grace. A bit far stretched might have been that last word, considering what kind of women roamed inside this bar, and those thoughts alone were enough to keep this man at bay.

With a clenched fist against that chiseled jaw, those ebony and dull eyes scurried this room entirely; nothing was deemed worthy to hold that gaze in place for more than a second or two, and so, those pale lips parted slowly to make way for the remaining wine. Thus, that glass was lashed against the bottom lip before Tenzō could jerk that head backwards, chugging that red and warm content with a single gulp. Everything that happened around him in that moment was nothing more than simple background noise; however, a sound which echoed throughout the room managed to stand out as it now craved for the man’s attention. Luckily, the noise occurred right after that wine had finished cascading inside that throat, since the silver-haired man would have met the unfortunate event which could have ended up with that wine spilled upon those jet-black clothes. Both of those eyes were now fixated on the scene which unfolded beneath them, and the small clicking sound which resonated once that empty glass was place upon the wooden table was just muffled and ignored by the noise.

A bleeding nose usually indicated that a scuffle might begin, although, before that could happen, another woman appeared rushing out of nowhere to settle down the fiery tension; to prevent the unfortunate, and to cease this scene once and for all. With different circumstances, such as this bar being located within the walls of Konohagakure, the silver-haired man would most likely stood up to end the dispute with a booming shout of authority, although, this was not the case since the problem did not concerned him even in the slightest. Those keen eyes only managed to catch a small glimpse of the woman’s face from the side, before those eyes went further down to gaze upon that plain piece of clothing ; the floral design wasn’t really that appealing for the man, but on the other hand, the color was his favorite. Nonetheless, those eyes were removed shortly just so that the Uchiha may locate a waitress and form a small gesture to bring her attention and inform her that she can bring up the bill.

Once that was out of the way, those ebony eyes returned to check if the scene was still going on, but it was already too late since the silver-haired man only managed to see that the fiery woman which landed that formidable punch was no longer there. In a minute or two, that right hand which belonged towards the Uchiha lurked inside the pocket which was located at the back, just so that a couple of ryō may be taken out to cover up that bill, leaving also a couple of them behind as a tip for the service. With no reason to stay inside this bar anymore, Tenzō arose from that seated position just so that a couple of heavy footsteps may take the man outside of this bar; with nothing else to do in mind, heading back towards that rented lodge at the outskirt of this resort was probably the best thing to do. Twas midnight, and perhaps catching a few extra hours of sleep wouldn’t be such a bad idea, considering that time was a resource which this particular fellow was not capable of wasting, especially when it had to be allocated towards his personal training and that of his own squad.

Despite the fact that it was quite late, there was an unusual number of people outside and the silver-haired man had to tread lightly between this crowd, especially when some of them were intoxicated from the nearby bars. Small was the lake which almost went by unnoticed by those ebony and dull eyes, but the lights which were carried by the water made sure to attract the man’s attention. Culture was not really a strong field when it came towards this particular person, and the only festival which the man was aware, implied that these lanterns were sent out as homage for those who had given their last breath. Even though, Tenzō proceeded carefully wit those dark eyes peeled in order to be wary of those surroundings, the pace was rather fast since the markets were not really that interesting. Therefore, at that pacing, the silver-haired man managed to accidently lay those eyes upon the woman which was first seen at the bar, who left behind the impression that she was gazing upon a thirsty couple that were kissing themselves like there was no tomorrow.

Since birth, his particular man was bestowed with a pair of analytical and keen eyes which grew exponentially with each passing year, and even within this dim light, the reddish color of those cheeks did not went by unnoticed. An obvious conclusions could be drawn from that reaction, one which indicated that the young woman might have been a bit too shy when it came towards a physical contact of that nature. As a shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village, Tenzō had the opportunity of encountering a couple of members of the Hyūga clan, and one of them who was a young lady as well, was selected in order to join the squad upon which the man was placed in charge with. The simple thought that she was apprehensive and restrained caused the silver-haired man to wonder if these two had a few common traits; however, those shimmering white eyes which belonged to Akai have not yet been spotted, due that agitated nature of hers.

Perhaps, exchanging a couple of words wouldn’t hurt that much, since it was a bit too early to hit the sack, a man such as this enjoyed the cold and calming nights; thinking was much more easier with such conditions. Not many people were on the bridge at this time, and due the fact that the distance between theme was relatively shorter than ten meters, the Uchiha was capable of hearing those words clearly. Even the slightest and faint sound which echoed from that lantern once it was squeezed could be heard by those ears, and so, without further ado, the jōnin began walking forth. Because of the context in which this woman was viewed by this particular man, the situation in which she found herself was misunderstood completely, and the way she had bitten on that lower lip was interpreted as nothing more than a gesture of desire for this particular person. “That lantern didn’t really do anything to do deserve that. Also, there is nothing wrong with dreaming, and some dreams are even worth dying for.” the silver-haired man began uttering on a benevolent tone while closing the gap between himself and the woman, closer and closer the man was getting with each step taken.

Just before that second statement had a chance to present itself, Tenzō already reached the side of that bridge and whilst talking, the silver-haired man folded both of those arms against his own chiseled chest before resting them on the edge. Direct eye contact was not yet made, since those ebony and dull eyes gazed at the water which stood beneath them, since that empty gap between himself and Akai was less than a meter and the man did not wished to startle the woman in any way possible. The pause between those words and the next ones was relatively short, since there was another thing which the man wanted to add regarding this subject, one to ease up the tension which usually arose in situations that were similar to this one, to break the ice in other words. “All of this, just because of a silly kiss?” the Uchiha inquired curiously on a jesting tone, and at the end of that query, the corner of those pale lips ascended to leave behind a smile on that face which had just lilted towards the left in order to let those eyes gaze upon Akai.


~ 2018/2018 of Total Words ~

Akai

Akai


D-rank
Akai was still wandering through the depths of her mind trying to find at least one way out of this anger and disappointment, which had shadowed the moment that supposed to be the new start for settling down within herself and accepting the idea of upcoming existence in complete solitude. Though after going through every corner with various memories of different events, she could not find anything that would comfort her at the moment, or at least give her the needed amount of hope in order to save her from the agony she was feeling. Soon enough after exams would be over, everyone she met would be heading back to where they belonged and she would remain completely alone again. The delusion that solitude was something that she could live with was not good enough anymore. Reality denied came back to haunt. Without even noticing it, Akai squeezed the paper lanterns even tighter, to the point where they already lost their original circular form and became just like mere creased sheets of paper. As if the dream they were supposed to carry would be like some bad ideas written on the paper before and trashed away immediately after, without being given a chance to be read and evaluated.

Fortunately, soon enough the read head was saved from her slow self destruction as unrecognizable male voice approached her with a comment to the previous words she had accidentally mumbled due to being carried away by unnecessary emotions. This voice was coming from the side of the bridge and Akai peeked in response to see who the owner of it was. Even though she could hear the steps getting closer very clearly now, she was still not able to see the complete image of the person, only the fragmented figure was getting clearer with each step. The first thing Akai had noticed was the black attire the person was wearing, though due to the dim light reaching solely several spots on the bridge, the figure of his somehow seemed to blend in with the scenery of the night time. In the end, the whole image still remained a mystery to her.

Thinking about what was told before, the comment this man made was directed at those lanterns the red head was squeezing, and only now when he pointed it out, Akai lowered her head down to gaze at her hands. She suddenly realised how deformed in shape those lanterns had become and because of her tight grip, how several blood vessels could be seen popping out on her skin. At that moment the woman imagined how stupid she should have looked from aside. She somehow accepted those words as a simple laugh at her, interpreting that this was the main thing which caught the man’s attention onto her, as well as the main intention for him to approach. The same feeling of needing to defend herself, just like the one in the bar, suddenly appeared, however, with restraining herself from answering anything impolite and going hot headed again, she directed her thoughts towards wondering about when the man had noticed her, as well as how could she not notice his presence more earlier than now. If Akai would continue to space out like that, she could get caught very easily any second. Knowing her own situation well, the woman made an instant promise to be more concentrated from now on.

Now as Akai found her previous chain of shallow thoughts to be interrupted, she started to consider this turn of event as a positive one, like a distraction in order for her bothering feelings to be put at ease. Even if it was for one night, it would do. While the whole sentence was finished completely by the man, ending in what appeared to be a cliché thought about dreams to Akai’s thinking, she still kept silent and witnessed him appearing closer to her. Even though their gaze would not meet yet, because of him gazing down to the water, she was letting her eyes scrutinize the man’s appearance in curiosity anyways. Normally, Akai would not do that, because she was nurtured to behave all politely in every situation. A word, a bow and even a gaze, all of it was taught to be a mere formality, very strictly limited and controlled. However, no one was observing and evaluating her behaviour now, even if mistake would be made, she would not get scolded for it, thus Akai got a boost to her confidence all of the sudden.

Thus, the red head started her investigation from the hair, which were silver in colour and made her assume that the man might be local here. Though Akai already made that mistake once and she would not dare to let herself assume wrong again. Or at least she would not express it as directly as she did before. Then there was the attire, consisting of completely black clothes, barely revealing any parts of bare skin. Continuing to trace her eyes through the unknown figure, she ended up onto the man’s face, which seemed rather pale in complexion. Pale skin coming together into one picture with that black clothing gave Akai somehow a demonic feel to what she was seeing in front of her. However, the last missing piece to this puzzle was the eyes. They were considered to be the sole source of most valid information about a person. Unless, this person would be a Hyuuga, because the lack of the pigment in their eyes made them almost unreadable, if well controlled. Even though, Akai was all lost into thinking and observing every detail of the stranger standing beside her, she still managed to let out a silent response to the words being said regarding the dreams.

“There is nothing wrong with dreaming, huh? Dreams are exhausting. To the point when the death itself becomes the most desirable dream.“

These words came out in a silent whisper as if they would be meant more to herself, than anyone else around. Akai did not expect the man to hear them though as it seemed to her if he would be concentrating on finding a comfortable position on the bridge near her at the moment. How else the red head could have explained the fact that he had not looked at her yet. She had been piercing through him with her ghostly white eyes since the second she saw him, though he did not even threw a single gaze to her side. Akai was kind of confused about what this man wanted from her and why he approached her in the first place. Why he would not introduce himself or at least look? How could two people talk with each other without even making any eye contant? In the end the chain of questions in Akai‘s head settled on one. Was he playing some game here? In that case, let the game begin.

Soon enough Akai witnessed the man speak once more. It wasn‘t an itroduction though. Actually, a question this time, and rather odd one, inquiring about some silly kiss she had no idea about. For a second there Akai was feeling lost about what kind of kiss did he mean, as she had been already distracted from the people who were passionately kissing each other in the background of this place. That view was long gone out of Akai‘s head, because now she had a much more interesting picture to gaze at. Though thinking about it thouroughly the woman finally realised what kind of meaning was behinf that question. If he saw her from afar already, he could assume that she was observing th couple the whole time. As soon as Akai realised the wrong of the whole situation, she wanted to speak out and deny that the reason she would be out of that bridge was that particular kiss. However, her attempt to speak out was posponed by the gaze this man threw at her. Suddenly Akai cought a pair of ebony eyes looking at her. She find them to be somehow mysterious and the whole image of this man now was complete to her, giving some kind of a tempting or even sinful feeling. This gaze changed Akai‘s attitude completely and she felt the boost of conficende flowing into her mind and body.

Well, as the woman finally caught the man‘s gaze, it was about the time to give an answer in this the game. Feeling those ebony eyes onto her, Akai felt the adrenaline rush to her head. She turned around and leaned her back against the rail of the bridge. Then the red head made a significant curve out of her body in order to adjust it to the supporting part of it. “Oh. You mean THAT.“ She tilted her head gracefully to the side, reffereng to that passionate couple still concentrating on theirs own intimate things in the background. Akai chuckled for response and curved a playful smile on her lips. Still gazing at the couple, she continued to speak in a playful voice.“Simply annoying. The are more interesting ways to enjoy the festival.“ Akai tilted her head back, as if she would want to gaze at the starring sky. Then she streched her neck lightly and slowly bruhed her hair strands away from it, leaving the skin completely open there. Akai did not stop though, she feathered her hand down her silky yukata material slowly as if she would be fixing some invisible mistakes there. All of this ended up into the direct pierce to a pair of ebony eyes. “And you. Are you enjoying the festival?“

Akai put an emphasis while pronouncing the word „enjoying“ as she herself was indeed enjoying her boost on conficence  now. The whole time, a flirty smile lingered on her lips and as the last word was spoken, she bit the lower one due to having the habit of doing so. In the end, Akai did not inquire about his name, where was he from, nor did she provide any information about herself. All of that just seemed too boring for the time being and not really necessary, because here, out in the darkness, in the company of a stranger, Akai felt that she could be whoever she wanted. A whole different person.  She was not sure whether it was because of the night time, or because of the temptation found in man‘s eyes, but an inner devil was awakened from the deep withing this woman‘s body. And it was craving to be let out to play.

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WC 1776 + 1686 = 3462

Uchiha Tenzō

Uchiha Tenzō


S-rank
The fate of that lantern was predestined, as the crumbling did not ceased once it found itself within the clutches of that young woman; after all, it was the same pair of hands which easily broke the nose of that lustful man. Shape and form was easily lost beneath the sheer pressure of those palms, up until the point that only paper remained behind; undoubtedly, there was something which bothered that mind. Just a few days ago, a problems similar to this was haunting Tenzō without showing any kind of mercy, but things were a bit different right now, since that war of thoughts which only caused a turmoil had finally started to ended. Instead of fighting the darkness which lurked inside that vessel, the man chose to succumb and to slowly embrace it by no longer forcing those feelings to submerge deep inside, and with that acceptance the silver-haired figure took a turn on the road which none may follow. No longer a slave towards his own feelings, with no more running away from that predestined fate; no more bonds to weight him down, and more strings to make him bend.

With those eyes loosen on the water itself, the wandering soul had no way of perceiving the look Akai made once she lowered that head of hers against the remains of that lantern; underneath the bridge a couple of lights left ripples upon the mirror which reflected those ebony and dull eyes. Even if, those words might have been spoken faintly so they may not reach those ears, Tenzō was fully capable of absorbing them completely before considering their meaning; with that attention of his drawn towards her, it felt as if they were being whispered right against the earlobe. Death, a desirable dream, those were the key words which echoed within that mind, and with those in mind, the silver-haired figure pressed those scrawny fingers deep inside those well-toned biceps. In his perspective, those were the words of a person who had given up on their dreams, who were undetermined to seek out and take what they desired. Not only that, but the fact that this woman spoke so easily about death, was nothing more than annoying; without a doubt, those were the words of an ignorant person who had no experience whatsoever.

The circumstances in which this particular Uchiha had evolved were quite different, and the opportunity of experiencing disturbing events such as the one in which he had been forced to take away life, up until the most tragic occurrence which marked the last breaths which were given by his own beloved sister, a chapter that was unfolded right beneath those ebony eyes. Beneath the surface, the silver-haired man agreed partially with what this particular woman was saying, more specifically with the part in which she mentioned that dreams were exhausting; not that different from hoping, which actually implied that you were giving up. Despite those words being poured out, not a single comment was formulated by Tenzō regarding them, and perhaps, those thoughts shall be kept for a much later use, since rushing things would most certainly lead towards unwanted results. Therefore, those fingers slightly began to retract themselves from that jet-black fabric, in a way in which they were no longer dwelling with the slight amount of pressure that were bestowed upon them.

Eyes were narrowed as a reaction towards that annoying thought whilst the Uchiha gazed against the lanterns which passed underneath the bridge, but they had regained their normal composure before they’ve sought out for the young woman, just so that the upcoming smile would look genuine as always after that inquiry regarding the kiss. A quick scour was given which went from head to toes, before they had escalated back upon the woman’s body, locking themselves against those pale eyes whilst not even a single muscle moved upon that face as a reaction once the silver-haired man realized that Akai was a kunoichi from his own village; the Byakugan easily betrayed the woman by giving away that information. In spite of all of these, no words were uttered by the man once that everlasting gaze was set upon her, and that attention of his was now dedicated entirely towards this woman. Successful was the approach once she had lowered down that guard by taking on a pose which appeared quite comfortable against that railing; however, there was clearly a certain amount of wit there which made her a bit dangerous.

Suddenly, confidence radiated from that husk, especially once Akai chose to peek at the couple which were desperately in the need of a room; apparently, shyness was excluded in that moment, since it was nothing more than misconception from this man. The chuckle which followed after made sure to further prove the man wrong, but that playful was not seen from the angle at which this particular Uchiha was gazing from. After confidence came seduction, given by the tone itself which was more than enough to confirm that those words were nothing more than an empty bait, and with those ebony eyes the tall figure feasted upon that exposed part of the neck. “Annoying?” Tenzō rhetorically questioned on the same playful tone, before letting out the rest of the words slide between those pale lips. “That’s odd. Those sound like the words of a maiden.” the man stated on a nonchalant tone, without letting those eyes follow up the trail which was left behind by that soft hand as it brushed itself against that yukata. Maybe she was grooming herself, or the woman simply wanted to draw the man’s attention on those hidden curves; nonetheless, those eyes were kept against her face just so that they would meet up with that piercing sight.

For someone who made the first impression of being troubled by thoughts only known to her, Akai had quite an interesting amount of determination within those eyes; impressed was the appropriate word to describe how the Uchiha felt once realizing that she was a woman capable of holding those grounds. That thin and left eyebrow of his arched a bit further once the woman posed that query, and the way that word of choice left between those luscious lips alongside the smile which formed shortly after were more than enough to hint what kind of answer she was seeking, and so the man accepted to play her game. “Festival? I wasn’t aware of that. However, crushing paper lanterns doesn’t seem like my type of activity.” the silver-haired man uttered on a mischievous tone which leaned on a more playful side rather than a harmful one. A simple answer was given at first, quite straightforward without giving any it a double meaning; however, those pale lips did not remain sealed for long, since there was another question which needed answering.

Once those ebony eyes had turned away from the woman and back towards the reflecting water, Tenzō let out another couple of words “You see, my enjoyment may be a bit different...” which were spoken on a plain tone with no kind of suggestions beneath, just so that a pause of a second or two may follow to make the answer a bit more dramatic. As such, that everlasting gaze returned once more on the woman, and those pale lips had parted to let out the missing words “... or perhaps, annoying, in your vocabulary.” that were uttered on a playful tone. Those ebony eyes did not remain standing while the man spoke, and so they scoured the woman’s body from head to toes, slowly enough for her to probably take notice of that. From that moment on, the silver-haired man had decided to join within this game and play along for the sake of entertaining himself for the time being; the night was still young, and who knew if things might actually get interesting along the way.

Slowly but surely, the number of lanterns that were being set out towards the sky were craving for the attention of this silver-haired man, since they had exponentially grew, due to the fact that more and more people were arriving around this small lake; some were in pairs, whilst others were with their family, but the number of lovers outweighed the other by far. It was amusing to think that people were capable of settling for so little, to calm down and become docile before achieving something of worth in their life. Ironically, but this particular Uchiha had thought about choosing that life as well, but the circumstances were never right to begin with; odd were the tastes of this particular man. “Look how many people have gathered, for such a simple event. Makes me wonder if they’re here just for that.” Tenzō uttered on a whimsical tone right after that head of his allowed the chin to swung forth in order to direct the woman’s attention upon those who gathered around the lake. At the end of those words, that pair of pale lips began to widen whilst those corners were ascending slightly to form something along the lines of a smile; it was not mocking, but more of a inner laughter at the thought that most of them were not so different from each other.

After trying to redirect the attention of this young woman, silently and cautiously was the silver-haired man which removed himself from the railing with a gentle push began taking a couple of heavy footsteps to get a bit closer towards Akai, halting at the distance lesser than an arm’s length. Without wasting too much time on this, Tenzō reached out with that left hand of his in order to pull the remains of that fragile lantern from the woman’s hand as if he was an insufferable child who wished to inspect someone’s toy. Of course, the Uchiha kept himself alert and on the edge whilst remembering how feisty was this particular member of the Hyūga clan, and if she tried to strike him down then this silver-haired husk will reach out with the other hand to grab the woman by the wrist; hopefully, things wouldn’t resort to that, even thought it might turn out to be a bit amusing. With those ebony eyes lowered on the lantern, another couple of words would escape those lips “How come a graceful lady has no company at all?” on a playful tone which turned out be an inquiry in the end.

A mild amount of interest began to spark within this pale vessel, especially considering that this woman was bestowed with rare qualities which the man had not seen in a member of the Hyūga clan; beneath those ebony eyes, they were known to be a bit more docile, but this particular woman left the impression that she was quite spunky back at the bar. Not only that, but she was also gifted with hair which glittered like fire even in the most eerie and dank night, a trait that was quite uncommon in that clan and never seen before by this wandering soul. A pause followed after in which the silver-haired man granted a bit of time for Akai to answer if she wished to do so, and after that another bold question was about to reveal itself. Those ebony eyes narrowed as they searched out for their contrasting color, whilst Tenzō spewed out a couple of words “Tell me now, are you trying to lighten up your lantern, or have you just given up on doing so?” on a tone which had a bit of teasing at its core, but a bit more serious than the ones used before. To count the number of meanings that could take form from that question was pointless, but it was interesting to find out what kind of answer was the woman going to respond with; nonetheless, the man awaited with a sly smirk upon those lips.


~ 2015/4033 of Total Words ~

Akai

Akai


D-rank
Akai was leaning against the rail patiently following the man‘s figure from the corners of her eyes. When the word maiden escaped from his mouth, Akai centered her gaze straight to him and rose her eyebrow in question. It made her assume, that this silver haired person might have much knowledge in that field and it made Akai chuckle in her mind.“Is that so?“ The woman posed a simple question and it seemed as if she wanted to add something more while parting her lips, though she restricted herself from both denying or agreeing with the man‘s remark and sealed them again. In the presence of a stranger, Akai could be whatever she wanted to be, because the seeing between two stangers was not shadowed by prieviously formed expectations. Answering particular questions and revealing particular information could create the space for expectations to appear. Simply said, carefully analysed information could give knowledge about what kind of beharior one could receive from a person, which would destroy the full enjoyment of the mystery.

Soon after, the red headed woman was granted one more reply to her last question about the festival, which appeared that the man did not know of being held. Though, Akai simply took it as if he would be mocking her, thus she did not take it so seriously and had no other reply to it, but just a friendly chuckle. The man did not stop speaking, Akai witnessed him turning his eyes away while at some point explaing what she understood was his type of enjoyment. However, the gaze went away only for a second or so and returned to meet her own with the finishing part of the sentence, which sounded kind of playful for her. Since the first second he came here on the bridge, Akai could not get rid of the feeling that he was playing some mind games with her. Though, she also had a feeling that he might have understood her wrong as by annoying she meant not the whole process of kissing. Being too filthy in front of others was what caused her irritation before. On the other hand, in that case if the man exactly knew what she meant, it would mean that he tended to find great enjoyment in physical intercourses no mater of space and time. This kind of information could have a disturbing effect on any person, though Akai perfectly understood that every person is just mere human to his primary essence, who find the joy in the very process of granting his essential needs, including Akai herself. The red headed woman threw her gaze to the horizon and returned it back with a new fresh glow in her eyes. “Not that different as you might think.“ She made a simple remark which was not meant to be commented any further.

Due to the absence of proper boundaries defining where the eye pupils in that round and almost snow white territory were, it was rather hard to figure out the exact spot at which the Hyuga woman would be gazing. One must possess a really sharp eye to be able to see and follow the slightest shifts of her gaze.  At the moment it seemed that she was generally looking at the man‘s face as a whole, which at first might have seemed as if it would be carved into stone, unmoved for ages. The reason behing this was that the presence of any more significant facial movements there seemed to be quite absent. Though, even if her gaze might have looked like a simple one, Akai was secretly scrutinizing every feature of this man‘s face. Having a gift of exquisit seeing, the woman was  actually able to grasp the dynamics of it, consisting of the tiny rise in the corners of the lips, slight rise of the eyebrow or even the brief shifts of the gaze in his ebony eyes.  However, these little momevents were not even close enough to allow Akai to get any clue about what the unknown man would be thinking in his mind or how he felt regarding the situation. Even the words he would emit, did not seem to match or at least affect the ways of his slight expressions, which left an impression that his thoughts or the way he felt had to be kept only for him alone to know. That caused no astonishment for Akai, they were complete strangers after all . In the end, even with her full concentration and attention, the man‘s body language still remained unreadable for the Hyuga woman, maintaining the same thrillng feeling of the mystery surrounding him.

Secrectly following the man‘s face, Akai slipped on the slight swing of his chin, which made her automatically turn her eyes to the direction it attempted to point at. This, of course, gave her away. Now the fact that the woman had been putting an effort to figure out his thoughts through his facial movements could be easily noticed by him. It somehow felt that this was kind of out of nowhere at some poit, thus the woman interpreted this as some kind of distraction thrown at her by this man. Perhaps he did notice her continuing stare even earlier than expected and wanted to give it a rest. Akai on purpose lost her concentration just for a minute, in order to keep her gaze on the fresh target for a little longer, so that it would not look as if she was solely interested in this man. Akai simply wanted to express, that she was also aware of the environment they were in. Even though it was only a part of pretend game. The view of which the man spoke while swinging his chin and which Akai‘s gaze was now locked on, consisted of many people gathering around the lake, all of them admiring the beauty of lit up lanterns, which were still floating on the water or high up in the sky. Even though it was nightime, which had caused the feeling of some sort of serenity in the atmosphere before, now was completely corrupted by the touch of human beings. They had turned it into rather noisy and chaotic atmosphere, which caused this irritating feeling for the woman. Not only because her concentration on the man was interupted, but also her own mind became disturbed again. It could be said that after the previous attempts to pretend, Akai returned to the same place where this man found her half an hour ago. The inner demon which wanted to be let out to play was now put to sleep again, but the old one returned and took his place. This one was not playful all, it rather liked to act from the shadows, hide himself, which made him darker and more tricky.

Seeing all those people whether in pairs or surrounded by their families, it seemed that they were all stuck in the moment of pure happiness, without any knowledge about how many cruel hardships the life could one day pose upon their fragile heads. First of all, Akai observed every family with their chirdren, then her gaze quickly went trhough the lovers in pairs. Even though both she and the man were standing on the bridge in the middle of the lake, which basically meant in the very heart of the whole event, standing higher created quite a distance from the bunch of look-alike admirers surrounding the lake area. Dressed in black and not having this overflow of excitement in their faces, they seemed like two separate human beings obviously differing from the whole crowd, creating an impression that they both were not participating in the event at all. Seeing all of it from the position of an observer, Akai experienced some kind of dejavu, leaping back through time in her messed up head. The woman remembered, that the last two times she was at this festival, were in her homeland, one with her family and the second one with her lover. The memory of the later one left the feeling of strong nostalgia and longing in Akai‘s mind, thus, the most wise decision was simply to shoo that memory away. She would not want to get too upset and burst in tears in the presence of this stranger here.

To her most surprise, even though she was experiencing what appeared to be the same event again, it would be completely wrong to call it dejavu. The festival had a whole different meaning to it now. It solely showed how much things could change through the very short period of time. The red-haired woman had no family by her side anymore, was standing not on the grounds of her roots and had no one dear to share the euphoria of being surrounded by the beauty of so many lights. Akai was starting to regret letting her thoughts wander through the past for too long as one particular memory returned into her  mind. It was the main one she was trying her hardest to forget, the most disgusting memory that rested in the depths of her soul, waiting for the right time to return and haunt the woman for the rest of her existance. In response to her own thoughts, a big wrinkle appeared on Akai‘s forehead making her expression look bitter, as if she would have eaten a bag of sour lemons.

Suddenly, a bright image of herself appeared in front of her eyes. She was in her years of sixteen then, was simply sitting in front of the mirror and observing how her mother was brushing her hair. Even then it seemed so strange to Akai, that only for this one evening, so many people from their household had put much effort into her look. Though, the mother‘s face was kind of in fragments, not that she would not remember how her mother looked anymore, just that she had some kind of sad expression then, which was not like her at all. In a few seconds, this picture vanished and a new one appeared. Now Akai was standing in the middle of the festival, all dressed up in such a luxury gown, that was specificaly bought only for that evening. Her father was standing by her side, and her one year younger brother by another. Akai‘s mother was not there though and it also was another important sign, which Akai was too slow to figure out.  

Then the picture of them three standing in the middle of the event slowly changed into an image of the man. Akai‘s father simply introduced him as Uncle Kitayama. Though he himself would always name him Lord, which meant that this man had a higher position than her father did. To what Akai remembered, Uncle Kitayama seemed like every Hyuga one could meet. Raven black hair going down right to where the shoulders start, ghostly white eyes, calm and almost emotionless expression on the face. He seemed to be somewhere around his forty‘s at that time, though he seemed rather simple, did not hesitate to talk with Akai and even took her separately to the stand in order to treat her with ice-cream. So called Uncle would once in a while brush against Akai‘s hair, never getting tired of being surprised about how she came into this world with such an exquisite hair color. Even the syrup of the ice-cream he had chosen for her was the cherry one, which was a perfect match for her hair. Going through her own behavior, Akai remembered being very calm or shy at times, though she was really happy and enjoyed the event silently then, whether it was in the generous company of Uncle Kitayama or her own father, who seemed to be quite satisfied and attentive that night. Most of the times, everything held an official matter for her father, even those visits to the festivals hid the purpose of getting some kind of profit. Sometimes it was like establishing a new valuable connection or landing a great deal while showing himself off as a family person, as moral one, who would get himself into the personal, of close proximity space with his potential partners in village bussiness. However, what caused Akai the most happines, was that she saw her father transform, become whole different person that night. Everyhting he would say or do then involved Akai, even so that she was starting to think that her father was finally opening up to his family.

As much as her mind wished to stop at this point of bright memory and forget the rest of it, it was not up to her powers anymore. The other part just forced its way violently into the woman‘s head. Now came the moment where it all turned into complete darkness. The next thing Akai remembered was her little brother storming into her room, suddenly pushing her onto the bed, placing himself on top of her and snaking his pale arms around her fragile neck. The expression which Akai saw in his eyes that night was that kind of evil she had not seen before and probably will never see in the future. His gaze was full of harted and he was growling at her with his salive dripping down on her face, looking like if he would be possessed by some kind of an evil spirit. Akai remembered herself lying frozen and speechless, with no strenght in her arms to push him away, as the last energy she had was consumed while falling into this shock state. The only thing that rung in her mind was that her own brother was trying to strangle her. He kept shouting these words at her, which now came only in fragments. They held the meaning of something like him being happy that Kitayama would finally take Akai away, that he would finally get the parents‘ attention, that he would be happy even if his sister died. At that time, all came to realisation for her. Akai suddenly understood the source of father‘s happiness and generousity this night. Why her mother did not come. Why her brother was acting the way he did. Each question received an answer in that brief moment of truth. Akai knew now that back there at the festival her father was actually not transforming at all, but simply became even worse by landing the most important deal in her life. That her mum was probably crying the whole night at home, not wishing to witness it happening. And for the brother, he was completely hearbroked that he did not receive enough of the love he in fact deserved.

After reaching its peak, the memory started to pose a stonger effect on Akai‘s mind and she felt a painful twitch in her head, like it would be pierced by thousand senbons. Following the reflex, the woman closed her eyes and her eyebrows twitched for several times. She felt so disgusted by that memory. There were no such expression in the world, which could at least partly illustrate the level of disgust Akai was feeling. If there would be one, it would be worse than the very painting of Dorian Gray‘s portrait of his tainted soul. Akai somehow forgot for the moment about the environment she was in and the presence of the unknown man‘s gaze, who had probably noticed that something was wrong, but with her keeping silent, only some signs of a headache could be noticed from her face. Trying to get rid of an uneasy feeling, Akai soon remembered that the man spoke of something before her little mental travel throught time. She opened her eyes to the stranger and withouth having much to think about an answer she might give, simply spoke of her experience.

“That‘s not something I could enlighten you with. I never had that.“ With the last word emphasized, Akai swung her chin to the side, pointing to all of the people who were enjoying the festival both in families and with lovers down the bridge. Even though the man‘s voice seemed more like he would be wondering to himself, Akai felt the need to agree and admit, that he also got her to wonder. Though even the woman knew that the man had another meaning in his remark, the question Akai wondered about was what would have felt like to have all of that these people were having there. However, she bit her lip immediately in order to stop herself from going back to the same dark palce again.

Suddenly, Akai felt a grip onto something, which must have grown into her hands during the whole time spent on this bridge. She gazed down for a moment and saw some pale fingers pulling the red lantern out of her tight hold. Even though Akai did not act on the edge and simply did nothing about it, she still could not pass it though her fingers and just had to at least make a mocking remark directed at this man’s rather childish behavior. ”Taking things which are not yours to take, huh? That’s a really bad habit.” After he pulled the lantern out of Akai’s hand, she let her hand loose immediately, hesitating to interact on the touching level. While carefully listening what the man had to say, Akai crossed her both hands on her chest and tilted her head to the side just a little. At some point the woman expected it to be an explanation of his behavior, though they were simple words asking what such a lady could be doing alone in such a place. The question distracted and cheered Akai up for a little, as if the man would have figured that she was feeling uneasy. In response, Akai curved a playful smile and spoke of an answer immediately. “I‘m not alone. You‘re here, aren‘t you? Or. Are you telling me I should consider you of no company at all?“ Akai granted the man a brief wink as he was the one at fault of this little mocking of hers. The next question that soon followed was if she was going to light up those lanterns or not. It was her main purpose why she had come to this bridge in the first place after all. However, hearing the man speak of the later part of the sentence, Akai felt as if she would be challenged. The woman assumed that the game must be still on, thus, there was no way she could resist such a challenge now.

Akai was thinking for a moment how she should light up those damn lanterns without having any fire at her side. Of course she figured, that she could ask this man if he had a lighter, but then it would mean she had to rely on other people again and the promise she made for herself did not involve so much of that activity anymore. However, suddenly the woman remembered something of great value in this situation. She curved a devilish smile on her lips and took a step forward to this pale figure she was gazing at. It seemed as if she would be heading to do something wicked as her eyes emitted that kind of shine out of them. Her eyes were piercing through these ebony ones the whole time and after stopping at a distance of some inches away, she placed her hand on the lantern. After pausing for a second and throwing a determined gaze, Akai pulled it hard to herself as if she would be confirming that nobody was allowed to take anything from her on their own accord. Feeling the paper material back in her hand again, Akai completely turned her back to the man and moved herself approaching the same couple in the background, who were still so much into themselves like they were when she came. However, then the woman seemed kind of shy to even peek at their private moment, but now, her attitude had shifted once more. She shamelessly approached the couple by startling them as they were caught in their moment by her. Akai did not even mind to pat the man on his shoulder, to get his attention to her, as at the time she stepped by them, they were too concentrated on cuddling each other, so that did not even had the time to notice a stranger nearby. From afar, some significant fragments could be noticed indicating what she was doing there, like Akai’s lips moving, the man getting his hand into his pocket, the woman clinging to his side, all red in cheeks, gazing down shyly. It could be seen that the man gave something to Akai and the moment she reached with her hand to take it gracefully, she turned to move back where she came from. The couple was still gazing in surprise for a while, probably thinking how rude or disturbing Akai’s behavior was. Though, the woman could not care less.

Akai gracefully returned back to the silver-haired stranger, having some natural swing in her hips. She raised her hand, the one with the red lantern in it, threw brief gaze at the man and parted her lips to speak. ”Well, if a man is going to try, he must go all the way. Otherwise, he shouldn’t even start. Don’t you agree?” By posing a rhetorical question at the end, Akai raised her other hand with the lighter and ignited it. The same moment its flame and the red thin paper collided, resulting in it catching on fire immediately. She did the same with the second lantern she was holding. The woman supposed to light up the small knot secured with candle wax inside the round paper figure, though instead of it, she lit up the paper part. They were starting to burn faster with each second and Akai’s eyes followed the flame, which was eating those lanterns quickly by shedding each burnt piece away. All of the pieces seemed like leaves made from ashes. As Akai was carefully observing everything, almost white eyes had a very clear reflection of this flame inside them, which might have looked rather scary in this dim light of the nighttime. Her whole expression seemed spiteful in some ways as well. Akai was actually smiling, which gave the impression as if she would have found great enjoyment in the view of the flame completely destroying the lanterns. When solely a tiny piece was left on her hands, the flame was starting to burn Akai’s skin and even though she considered it to be disturbing, she patiently waited until most of remaining pieces would be eaten by the fire. Then the woman put her lips into an “o” and gracefully blew away the two remaining burning miniature parts into the air. In the end, after granting the observers with the last burst of light, the last piece of things, which once had taken the form of lanterns, disappeared into the darkness completely. In response to pulsing pain, Akai gazed down at her palms and found their skin to be red, slightly damaged by the fire.  Reflecting everything that she was feeling at that moment, Akai spoke in her calm voice.

“This is why dreams can be such dangerous things; they smolder on like a fire does, and sometimes they consume us completely. Though, we people, nevertheless being completely consumed, tend to hold on to them tightly anyways. Because only in the face of death, we are able to feel the purest feeling of living. However, a thing is not necessarily true just because a man dies for it.” With this remark, even though she might have appeared as extremely easy to distract, Akai proved that she still had not forgotten the subject they started from - dreams. She personally found enjoyment in considering these kinds of topics as they were on way deeper and intellectual level than most of things wayfaring strangers normally talk about.

While taking a tiny pause, Akai used it to change her body position. She loosened up her muscles and placed her elbows on the top of the rail, leaning to the front and gazing down to the water. It had its own slight movements, which had some kind of hypnotizing power in it. Just only from gazing at the water, it seemed so soothing or even cleansing, so that it tempted to jump for a brief swim. However, the sharp pain interrupted this very calm moment and it forced Akai to shift her gaze at her hand again, about which she had almost forgotten. The woman saw the drop of blood trying to escape her little finger, which was damaged by previous play with fire the most. Following her reflexes, Akai immediately pressed her little finger to her mouth and lightly licked the tiny drop of blood. Even though it was tiny, it had a strong flavor of iron to it. While taking her finger out of her mouth, the woman placed her gaze on the man and as if nothing had happened, emitted some words again.

”I’m getting quite annoyed by these noisy people here. And cold. Do you happen to know any inside place worth going?”  That was said in a very casual and almost cool tone, nor stating that she wished to go there with him, neither stating that she wanted to go there alone.  That was the thing with Akai, she was very hesitant to ask things directly and one could never be sure of what her true needs might be. Though, some things could be understood even if being unsaid sometimes. Akai threw her arms around herself, lightly securing the places with bare skin from cool evening breeze. Then she simply froze. Actually, she was not so annoyed as she was trying to state earlier, but more like afraid of the memories which these circumstances might bring to her again. As she was starting to notice, they were returning way more painful and darker with each time. To this time, even though Akai pretended to play some kind of imagined game with this man before, the only game she was playing, was a hide and seek with herself. The thought that there might be a day when there would be no place to run or hide to anymore made Akai’s body shiver, though it blended in with the physical feeling of cold she was experiencing and was thoughfully used for the purpose of self deception again. Now the only saving raft for Akai was to wait for this ebony-eyed man’s answer.

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WC 4476 +3462= 7938

Uchiha Tenzō

Uchiha Tenzō


S-rank
From all of the possible answers that could come after such a private remark regarding one’s life, the one which the young woman chose to give in return was a bit surprising, since pride was never taken into consideration in this case, at least not until now. Nonetheless, who would of thought that the Uchiha was capable of piercing the armor so easily, to find a weak spot underneath all of that mystery which gave nothing certain. Calling it a weak spot might not be the most accurate kind of interpretation, since Akai did not pursed on chasing the bait which was left behind by the silver-haired man; perhaps, this mild breaching might be continued later on. Recognizing taunts and eliminating them from the rest of the words was not such a hard task for this particular being, due to that analytical mind which was developed over the passing years. Working for the Konohagakure Military Police, offered the man the opportunity of improving those observing abilities while being under the assignment of interrogating others. People were always interesting beneath those ebony eyes, and that reason alone played an important role in the carrier of this particular shinobi, even though the time spend there was not actually that much to begin with, since the doors for another path were going to be opened quite soon after that.

With a bit of convincing from the captain, the silver-haired man had began to pursue a similar carrier further down the lines, one that was a bit more dangerous which eventually drove the man further towards the edge and limits of that body, and the line that separated humanity from inhumanity became blurred; against that will of his, the enrollment within the ANBU forces took place. Even after all this time, there were still new things which remain undiscovered, and it was quite funny to consider that this particular woman was turning on and off like a switch, from a mood to another when the right words were being laid down. Just after taking a small glimpse of the horizon itself, the woman was capable of shifting the mood of those ghastly eyes, and the gleam within those eyes was spotted once Tenzō let those ebony eyes escalate back towards that face. Everyone can become playful when the time was right, and those words which Akai chose to gush out were no longer capable of surprising the man; the woman had no kind of problems when it came towards watching the couple, and throwing out words was not such a difficult task to begin with.

Chaotically was probably the best way to describe the behavior of those ebony and dull eyes due to the simple fact that they were moving from one place to another, without really staying too much in a single spot. Because of that, the silver-haired man couldn’t pick up when the woman began studying his own gestures to reveal a bit more of himself, it was done secretly after all; however, when Tenzō moved up that chin, that swift gaze of his was capable of catching the woman red-handed, of witnessing Akai’s attempt to figure something more about the man’s behavior. Not many thoughts arose in that moment, since the Uchiha had to throw that mild distraction before moving closer towards the woman, but the simple thought that she found him worthy of that attention of hers was pleasant. With that thought in mind, the only question which the man was interested in, would be capable of revealing if it was nothing more than a physical attraction or once related towards the personality; perhaps, she was not shallow and those renown eyes of hers were capable of seeing a bit more than the man wished to reveal, and the night was still young.

Even though the wrinkle might have been easily to spot, the silver-haired man was not gazing at the woman on that specific moment and that gesture was entirely missed, although the words which came after were more than enough to prove that something bitter arose while observing over those who gathered around the small lake. Unlike Akai, Tenzō was gifted with a loving and carrying family, but the recent event made him loose one of the most important members of it, and the amount of love that this particular man lost upon that day can’t be measured. In reality, the man couldn’t mention towards those parents that he was there when his sister died, and the simple thought that the Uchiha was powerless in that moment drove the man insane; from that day on, the time spent with the remaining members of that family had lessen to an insignificant number. Not even a single day went by without guilt being present there to corrode this wandering soul, and running away from those thoughts had no kind of impact from the man; Tenzō simply couldn’t forget, and thus the embracing of that faith had happened, the one which pushed him to become the thing he dreaded.

Apparently there was no kind of resistance when the silver-haired man reached out for that paper lantern, but the way the young woman folded up those arms against that bosom left behind the impression that she just apprehended a defensive position. The Uchiha already had a question formulated in the back of that mind, and due to that, that attempt of hers which sounded a bit mocking against those ears was ignored for the time being, in spite of the fact that her head might have tilted as if the woman was expecting some kind of explanation. Playful was the smile which came afterwards, along with those words that were a bit suggestive once they were finished up by that cunning wink, and so the man was finally granted a window in which those thoughts of his might have the chance of getting heard. Without further ado, the silver-haired man lowered those ebony and dull eyes once more against the paper lantern before letting them ascend against the woman, as the man opened those pale lips in order to let out a couple of words out “You’re free to consider me whatever you want, or assume in other words. As of now, I’m nothing more than a passing stranger in your life; a wandering soul on this land.” that were spoken on a rather lifeless tone.

Those words of his were not entirely truthful, nor wrong in you were to consider them a bit; however, a wandering soul was the way this Uchiha perceived himself, a simple existence which was both attached and detached from this world. It wasn’t that much of a pause, since the Hyūga took a step forth which ended up closing most of the gap between herself and Tenzō with what appeared to be a devilish smile on those lips, just to take back that lantern which lingered between those scrawny fingers. Even when their bodies were being separated by just a few insignificant inches, the man remained in a statuesque posture, allowing the woman freedom just to realize that she did not seem to have a problem when it came towards personal space. Honestly, that lantern just flew away between those fingers, since the man wasn’t expecting for this woman to retrieve it so soon, as such, that left and thin eyebrow of his arched slowly upwards to display just a bit of his own reaction. A pair of normal and undeveloped eyes would only spot just a simple retrieving of a paper object, but the gesture itself was actually something a bit more than that, and the hidden meaning beneath it was capable of exposing a bit more of uncharted personality; Akai fought for what was hers, unlike others who would just prefer to adapt.

Once that single and silver eyebrow took its normal posture, a sly smirk appeared upon those pale lips afterwards, one which was not so mischievous as the one that was being carried by the woman, since the man was now just mildly intrigued on what kind of action might follow up next. Therefore, an everlasting gaze was casted upon the woman by those dull and ebony eyes as soon as she turned her back against him; the audacity which was displayed during the retrieval of that lantern was now keeping the man interested to see what she had in mind. To his surprise, the audacity did not stopped there since it kept growing further once the woman chose to interrupt the couple, just to ask the man for an object that was taken out of his pocket. Nonetheless, it was a bit hard to see what the man took out of the pocket due to the angle in which the couple stood; however, the Uchiha awaited for the whole picture to unfold whilst the woman made her way back. Only for a brief moment those eyes moved down against the hips, catching on the full change in Akai’s behavior; perhaps, the woman was letting go of those pointless inhibitions.

With those eyes fixated on the woman, Tenzō listened carefully to every word that was being gushed out even though halfway it started to sound a bit irritating to the ear, as if the woman had already formed an idea on what this particular man might do. While those words kept flowing, the silver-haired man quickly erased that smirk away, and once those words of hers were finally finished, those pale lips opened up to let a couple of words out “What makes you think that I was trying? Actually no, there is no need to answer that. Just so you know, I’m not like the men you met before, I’m different.” that were spoken at the beginning with a slight hint of sarcasm, which turned out to be restrained swiftly after that question just slipped away. Nonetheless, there was nothing more which needed to be added from the silver-haired haired man, especially when those ebony eyes lowered themselves against the flame which Akai gave birth to. For no apparent reason, the woman chose to lit the paper instead of the candle itself, and the Uchiha hoisted both of those arms to fold them against his own chiseled chest, whilst both eyes had narrowed even further.

Ashes slowly scattered away and their number grew as the paper lanterns were being consumed by the flames underneath this dank and eerie sky, and this particular Uchiha remained speechless whilst those ebony eyes had widened a bit. Making a remark on what the woman was doing was not really the best way of finding out the hidden message beneath that gesture, it would have been pointless to add anything since it was a damn obvious how a lantern should be lit. Dim was the light which revealed the woman’s smile giving it a whole creepy feeling instead of its normal meaning, due to the circumstance in which it arose; however, the silver-haired man remained motionless without even releasing a small flinch. During the assignments given by the current clan head of the Ouroboros, Tenzō had the opportunity of witnessing how fear looked like in its most purest form, since those vicious serpentine eyes are unforgettable. Even under the most darkest night, that pair of yellow orbs shimmered like fireworks while radiating with nothing less than maliciousness and determination when faced against their goal.

Slow were the moments which slipped away alongside the remaining ashes from Akai’s own grasp once those luscious lips had puckered up to blow them away; interesting was the form of those lips, and the thoughts which stormed inside the man’s head are better to remain unmentioned. With the coming of the darkness once that dying light had faded away, words spoken on a calming tone assaulted those sharp ears which belonged towards the Uchiha, and finally the message was being revealed. It took him a second or two to digest those words, and without any kind of further ado, those pale lips parted from each other to release a response for the woman. “Those words which I said were just to lighten up the mood, since I don’t have dreams myself. You see, dreaming is no more different than hoping, and hoping means that you’ve already given up.” Tenzō uttered on calm tone as well whilst the woman readjusted herself against the railing. As much as he wanted do add something a bit more regarding the subject, nothing came out between those lips since those ebony eyes slowly drifted against the couple which were whispering a few words between themselves before taking their leave from the bridge.

Once that tongue was pressed against the finger, the silver-haired man wondered if the woman had the chance of witnessing how life could easily be taken away from someone, a death in other words; however, those arms were lowered alongside a deep breath which escaped between those lips. An intriguing question followed up which could be answered in more than a single way, and while the woman was being busy covering that bare flesh, the Uchiha took a few steps forth. Each and every one of them seemed heavy, and once there were only a few inches between themselves, that right hand of his reached out for the railing as the man positioned himself quite close towards the woman, more specifically, along her left side. “This place is getting rather noisy, but I don’t think that it’s getting colder. Perhaps, it’s because of your words. You spoke rather freely about death, and honestly, you don’t seem that lively. But, something tells me that you’ve described some kind of past experience.” were the words which came out between those pale lips, spoken on a dull tone which ended up being a bit somber once the word death came into play.

During that speech, those ebony eyes were traveling on the floral pattern of that yukata for just a couple of moments as they’ve darted themselves swiftly against their contrasting color just before the last sentence was finished. Those pale lips had not rested for too long, since the silver-haired man started answering the question which the woman had actually pose, speaking “If you really want to go somewhere else, you could try relaxing in a hot spring, because I don’t believe that these bars are your type. However, if you’re up for something more lively...” on a calming tone which ended up having the word lively accentuated on a rather playful one before a dramatic pause followed. Honestly, the man thought about just stopping there due to the nature in which Akai posed that question; however, unlike the Hyūga who deliberately left that question open for multiple interpretations, this particular Uchiha was the type to finish up something once started, or at least the things which were of interest. For the time being, there was a slight amount of interest which dwelt inside that ribcage, especially after the woman chose to express her point of view regarding dreams; not only that, but the silver-haired man wished to also find out if the woman knew what she wanted.

As such, in that small time gap which was left after that playful tone, Tenzō had leaned forward in order to whisper the remaining words against the left earlobe which belonged towards the young woman. “I was just heading towards my lodge.” were the remaining words which came out on the same playful tone, with each and everyone one of them leaving behind that faint and warm breath of his. And so, the man removed himself from the woman by taking just a step or two backwards, whilst keeping that everlasting gaze to feast upon her body in order to witness if she had any kind of reaction towards that daring gesture. When it came towards flirting, the silver-haired man was capable of holding those grounds of his quite well, since this was something along the lines of a habit which the man enjoyed practicing from time to time. The arts of socializing were imprinted firmly in this young Uchiha, since speaking with other shinobi and kunoichi could always have the surprise of bringing on new information, perhaps even useful ones.

Nonetheless, a pair of gloating eyes had taken over those dull ones by forcing them to succumb against their will, and once that happened, the silver-haired man had swiftly tilted that head of his against the lake which stood beneath. The other free hand followed up as well against the railing, as both of them were now supporting the man’s weight; perhaps, Tenzō was allowing the woman some space to think of the whole words which came cascading from the space between those lips. But no, the Uchiha still wanted to add another and final line “Also, there is no good or bad, and I don’t really have a habit. It’s simple, everything is up for the taking.” which came on a determined tone which sounded as if the man was not fooling around this time. In most of the cases, such words were never spoken and it was quite odd that this particular shinobi chose to express himself so freely, especially when he was now standing in the front of a stranger; almost nothing was known about her besides the simple fact that both of them were from the same village.


~ 2942/6975 of Total Words ~

Akai

Akai


D-rank
The impression that Hyuuga lady could have so far, besides of the mysterious feeling that surrounded this stranger, was that he indeed had much conficende in himself and was very well capable of playing mind games with other people. Seeing his stance with his arms crossed on the chest, his face making slow tiny movements with expressing no visible interest in the woman and taking into consideration the answers he would speak out, Akai finally realised how much caught up in his game she actually was. Remembering the remark about the maiden, the woman then got caucious that all of this might hold an intention of a simple play, since he seemed such a skilled player with an unexperienced women or women in general. However, this was just the most obvious stage, but underneath there were more layers than just that. Now the woman understood that this game she once got cautious about was actually unconsciously entered since the very first words were spoken out, the words which trigerred all those shifts of moods, all those expressions out of her, as well as various memories to spice up the act. But only now the man revealed, that they were nothing real to begin with, only the intentional, fake remark to lighten up the mood. Thus, the main idea Akai was trying to deny and to prove wrong the whole time, was wrong already from the very beginning. But knowing that so well, the man still obvserved the woman proving something that did not really exist and probably enjoying her having no sence of what exactly was happening. So as she assumed, this was what the game was about, he simply pulled the strings from a distance and Akai moved in response, probably revealing every piece of information about herself just by those responses and getting almost no information about him in return. However, it made Akai slightly chuckle at her own stupidity. One could not be mad at the man because of the trick, but only respect the complete mastering of a sharp mind. Perhaps he was a genjutsu user, that would explain where he got the skill from. However, even after realising she was played, Akai did not lose the primary interest which was present the whole time. She was eager to know what kind of game would follow the next.

Taking a silent position, Akai now changed her stance and became rather an observer, than the actor. She cautiously observed and listened to what the silver haired stranger had to say to her previous comment about the irritating environment they were in, waiting for an answer or more like suggestion of the place to next head to.  First the woman witnessed him getting slightly closer to her side taking heavier step than normally and that made her assume that something interesting might come up soon. Now knowing that the man had a really sharp mind, she assumed that all of his statue-like movements and spoken words were well thought of, in order to lead to the wanted scenario planned few steps ahead. First the woman concentrated on the undirect critique she received about speaking of death so freely, which indicated that this topic could be way more personal to the stranger that he would bear just to simply speak about it hypothetically. It was the first remark thoughout this whole time, which gave at least some kind of material which could lead to some guesses about his own experiences. Even though those guesses were clouded with uncertainty, they were of high value. However, despite the undirect critique, there was one more thing which caught Akai‘s attention and knocked her cautious mind out of balance for a bit. Having a dull or rather cold tone of voice the whole time, now towards the end of that speech something new could be felt there. It seemed as if the man‘s voice held a slight shadow of sorrow in it, never expressed in their converation before. This slight shadow, as if it would be the last piece to the puzzle, now made the previous guesses complete. Akai wondered if he had experienced the death before and even though it was on the level of wonder, the expression of words and that slight amount of sorrow in his voice coming together made her feel that he certainly did. Speaking so freely about the death. Of course. No one could speak frankly about pain until they were no longer enduring it. Akai threw her gaze full of questions to pierce into the man‘s ebony eyes, then she slowly ran them through his statue-like face and posture. It caused a chaotic image of this stranger in the woman‘s head. Underneath this layer of solid clay, was he still enduring it?

Due to feeling a little guilty of this slight shift in his voice, the corners of Akai‘s lips went down, leaving no visible trace of a chuckle or playful smile anymore. The expression was rather serious and a little compassionate now. If everything she wondered would appear to be truth, then compared to him, her own problems would become a blur of nothing important. After the death occurs, it leaves the person powerless, there is nothing one can do, only realise that things would never be the same like they were before it. On the other hand, deep inside Akai held some kind of envy towards that thought. She wished her own certain someone would rather be dead, as in that case she could put an end to her worthless wondering and start to move forward. However, those were only  unrealistic wishes. She was destined to spend the rest of her existance in obscurance. By not wanting to trigger any further conversation, which may invoke this slight sorrow in the man‘s voice again, Akai simply stood still and kept silent, even though there was a certain response she wanted to say. However, most probably it might find its way out of her head later.

Brushing some strands of her hair from her neck with a gentle move with her fingers, the woman moved her eyes onto the man‘s face again with a more soft expression now. It was probably because she witnessed some honesty coming out of him in a stange form of speech before. Akai was willing to catch his eyes again to see if the same could be felt while gazing into them, however, his eyes were down onto her yukata. It made her wonder if there was something wrong with it, so her own eyes traced down through the silky material, followed by the feathering brush of her hand against it. The intention was just to make sure if the material was not wrinkled at some point, even though if that might have seen as a tempting act from aside. Regarding her previous open question about the place she could visit next, the woman heard a suggestion of hot springs. Akai had no wish at the moment to soak in hot water and get all dizzy. She was already too dizzy mentally to be able to bear a physical dizziness at the same time without fully collapsing. However, soon the woman realised that this suggestion was made to be a simple tease, before the real one was spoken of. The stranger spoke of suggesting something more lively and now his words were matched by the actions he took. Akai gradually felt his face getting near her left side, reaching for her earlobe. As if adjusting herself to his movements, she tilted her head to the side in the slightest manner, as it seemed, in order to present that ear for him, as well as  to leave some space around the bare skin of neck, in order to be able to easily absorb that warm breath which came out while speaking. Even though he neutrally announced that he was about to head to his lodge, the Hyuga woman understood that this was his own way of inviting. Just as he understood how it was her way of asking for invitation from before. However, having the man play such a tease on her, when he could just present an offer in a normal manner, there was no way Akai could allow herself just to simply nod to what he had said.

When the man took a step back, leaving the place around her neck lonely again, Akai raised her eyes to find the man‘s playful expression. She wondered if her scent of clean clothes and innocence had triggered this expression she was looking at right now. However, soon the woman noticed that his eyes were slowly going through her body, as if they would be searching for something there, maybe some signs of her reflection to what he did earlier. However, the Hyuuga lady in general was never too shy to share close space with other people, most of the times even willing to do so, as it was kept as an indication of having a closer and more honest bond as well. Speaking about the results of the sudden proximity, the only thing that could be seen was her flushed face, signalising that the cold she felt earlier completely disappeared after this little act of this man. As much as Akai did not want any signs of her reaction to show, even the best puppeteers sometimes could not have the full control of their puppets. The same went with the human being and his body. Thinking of no way to hide her face, the woman simply turned around  and pressed her front part of body agains the railing as if wanting to gaze to the water relfecting the moon again. She felt the man leaning against the railing as well, however, still being cautious about the redness of her cheeks, she did not turn to look at his movements. However, soon when she felt confident calm enough, Akai finally turned in order to gaze and preent her answer, but she noticed the man‘s lips parted to speak again. His speech seemed more of a final one, with stating that there were nothing bad nor good, which was a sentence suggesting to drop the subject and agree on one obvious truth. However, the last part of speech seemed somehow arrogant for Akai, so she simply could not ignore it in silence.  

“Spoken like a true criminal.“ As she had no disagreements regarding the first part of the speech, Akai made a friendly mock solely to the second part of it, a comment about everything there being up for the taking. This could only mean one thing, that the woman was not putting anything there for anyone else to take freely.

Not forgetting that there was this one issue left unsolved, Akai pushed herself lightly from the railing and took her steps towards the man. While doing so, she was speaking in a half silent voice. “And about the thing we talked before, I‘m still not ready to go home just yet, so...“ She made an intentionall pause while finding her way closer to the man and using the same method of tease like he did before, whispered. “....lead the way.“ After the silent words were spoken, Akai completely passed the man and taking several steps ahead she stopped. She knew that the man would understand what she meant by encouraging to lead the way and now was only the matter of him taking his action. The woman turned her head over the shoulder, having no playful or flirty smile lingering on her lips. The face was all covered with a serious expression as if the woman was being determined about how the things were going to go next.

“Oh. And then about before as well. The past is never where a person thinks he left it. Sometimes...“ She took a deep sigh pausing and waiting while the words would find their way out loud uneasily. “...the things I remember are more real than the things I see.“ She finally finished the sentence with a sence of heavines in her voice, as if it was the most difficult task so far. “ And still, we solely have today.“ With that being said as a final remark, inviting for having many different meaning, Akai continued to wait for a man to make a move. Now it was only up to him if he agreed on the need to better grasp the fragile feel of the present moment, rather than scatter in to fragments of the past. As well as it was solely for him to decide if he wanted to use up this moment just by himself, or have a company to share.

_____________________________________
WC 2129 +7938= 10057

Uchiha Tenzō

Uchiha Tenzō


S-rank
My friend, do you fly away now?

To a world that abhors you and I?

All that awaits you is a somber morrow

No matter where the winds may blow.


My friend, your desire

Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess

Even if the morrow is barren of promises

Nothing shall forestall my return.

Without a doubt, the lady which stood beneath those ebony eyes was capable of stealing their attention, and so the man couldn’t resist to urge of becoming a bit curious about the nature of this person. The mood which Akai had seemed to shift constantly with each spoken word that left between the two pale lips which belonged to the Uchiha, especially in the case in which the corners of her lips started to descend in order to eliminate that playful smile. A couple of thoughts began roaming inside Tenzō’s head, and each and every one of them started suggesting that the woman wasn’t so different from the other people who had the opportunity of standing in front of those dull eyes; people were nothing more than a puzzle for this man, and once completed they would unavoidably bend against the right words. With that being said, life could easily be compared with a game, one of words; the definition itself isn’t really that meaningful.

Some may even refer to it as a game of chess, based on logic with different kind of tactics which could help you secure the objective that you’re following; in the end, everyone thinks about themselves, about how important they are. In most situations, people chose to label others as pieces of the game, whilst considering themselves nothing more nor less than either a king or a queen, a piece who has enough power to order the others around; however, they forget about the most important aspect of the game, the most terrifying piece on the whole board, the pawn itself. When the game is almost over and if the right moves were taken during it, the chance of taking any role will be granted upon the pawn, except that of a king. Having the opportunity of being versatile was valued more by the Uchiha, since every piece could potentially become a threat towards the king, the final piece which stood against the silver-haired man and the goal which was followed.

In most cases which turn out to be challenging, Tenzō usually ends up investing a lot of time in thinking those moves which eventually emerge as words or mild actions, which leave behind as well the impression that the man prefers to not act; viewed as a man of lesser words when compared to others. Time may be a valuable resource for all of us, but most of the words which leave between those pale lips are nothing more than weightless and lifeless breaths which have no meaning for this particular silver-haired man, since the words themselves are molded to fit the circumstances before they begin assaulting the other pair of ears. As such, when the woman chose to compare the man with a criminal, those pale lips only twitched slightly without having the opportunity of becoming a full smirk or smile; an amusing thought perturbed that mind, perhaps, the woman managed to finally catch a glimpse of the man’s true nature. Whether those words of hers were truthful or spoken as a joke, remains a thought only known to her, but the only thing certain for the Uchiha was the fact that letting those words roam freely between those lips was nothing more than a mistake.

There was no doubt that Akai was bestowed with a keen mind as well, and with the ability to pay a rather good amount of attention to details; perhaps those eyes were the cause of this gift. Although, when the woman chose to take the seat of the observer in this interaction, something began to cling upon that curious mind; dangerous, it had to end. Like a boat upon a stream, the discussion appeared to be flowing towards the direction in which the silver-haired man had strived to guide it by using those playful words that were whispered against that revealing ear. Despite a few things being predictive, the man was mildly taken once more by surprise when the woman decided to respond in a similar manner, in a playful one. Once that warm breath of hers was felt by Tenzō, those pale lips remained in their sealed and own position without letting even a single word, but the thoughts which roamed inside that head were associated with nothing more than mischief.

At the very first glance, the woman appeared to be somehow insecure when she was standing all alone on that bridge; however, that was nothing more than a misconception which Tenzō almost took for granted. With just a few words and gestures, the Uchiha managed to pick up that she was far more than that, and the curiosity which brought the man here had died along that slight reveal of her true personality. This happened just after the moment in which the woman decided to give the silver-haired man the opportunity and pleasure of leading the way, back towards that rented lodge of his. Determined was probably the best word in this case to describe how the Hyūga appeared beneath those ebony orbs that were fixated upon her, especially when the heaviness in that tone came out clear against those sharp ears. Not much thinking came after, since the next act which had to be taken was nothing more than clear underneath that thick skull, and so, those ebony eyes had descended upon the ground itself, removing themselves from the woman. Some strays of hair followed those eyes as they began covering up just a small portion of that pale face, it was hard to control it considering that it reached beyond the waist.

A rough sound came echoing from that throat, one which sounded a bit faintly when it was used by the silver-haired man to clear it, to make sure that the following words were clearly understood by the woman who awaited to be guided. “We solely…” were the first couple of words which the man chose to repeat after the woman, on a hollow tone before a dramatic pause had the chance to reveal itself. The silence lasted for only a few seconds, and the completing words “… had today.” emerged between those pale lips, with not even the slightest change in tonality. Somehow, the words were a bit similar towards the ones spewed out by Akai, but the meaning was totality different from hers. Without further ado, Tenzō used those scrawny fingers to arrange with a single gesture the few strays of silver hair which stood loosely from the rest, sending them all with the rest on the back whilst taking a 180 degree turn. With that back of his now faced against the woman, the last words which the Uchiha wished to reveal were a bit more comforting than the first ones, as the tone seemed to be somehow cheerful. “I’m tired. Perhaps, another time, Hyūga.” the Uchiha spoke while those feet began guide the man forward with a couple of heavy footsteps, away from the woman; deeper inside the crowd.

Even though, the events which transpired here were mostly treaded as a journey of self-discovery, it was finally time to get back into the realm of the shinobi; preparations were needed to be made, and the initials plans had to be continued. Tenzō was known as a man who did not wish to leave things unfinished and unsettled, and one could presume that ambition was the only thing pushing the man forward; however, the truth was that most of the times there was nothing more than simple frustration. There was no shame considering that every other person had their own share of flaws, and perfection was hard to obtain, if not even impossible to achieve. However, the thought of achieving perfection was never viewed highly beneath the gaze of those dull and ebony eyes; there was no room for it, since stagnation would most likely come with it, the enemy of progress.

Before having the luxury to depart the Land of Lightning, the Uchiha still had to take care of a few tasks which also included the preparations which were needed in order to ensure safety towards his own squad of genins. A few letters were about to be delivered towards their last known locations, so the message may reach them in order to group with other shinobi from Konohagakure before heading on their way back; hopefully, none of them thought of leaving their own village behind. It was a feeling which inspired nothing more than chilling though, one which was capable of making that spine shiver, whilst those long and soft strays of hair were cascading alongside that well-toned frame. Nonetheless, the roof which sheltered this silver-haired man was a bit far away from this bridge, and all kind of uneasy thoughts were about to haunt this man.


~ 1533/8508 of Total Words ~

~ Exit Thread ~

~ Total of 8 EP ~



Last edited by Uchiha Tenzō on Sat Apr 02, 2016 12:40 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : A few mistakes, sorry!)

Akai

Akai


D-rank
Akai was standing still and stretched, almost taking a pose that of a statue. Only the tiny movements of her chest lifting and going down showed the signs of light breathing.  In this brief moment of waiting, it felt as if she got absorbed by the environment which received none of the attention before. Maybe it was the occurring changes which soaked the woman in. It was always those changes that a woman searched, rather longed for. However, in the face of this moment, Akai would just slowly breathe in and breathe out, passively watching the changes to pass by.

She could almost feel the tranquility creeping into the night air, embracing her statuesque, cooled down body.  The noises were going down gradually and the light seemed to be going away with each lantern forced further to the horizon by the light push of the water. It mainly meant that the magical momentum of the festival was coming to an end, followed by the flow of people leaving the river and separating their own ways. She would have just been drowned into the whole tranquility and been made to forget everything, at least for a second or two, but the light breeze suddenly invaded the surrounding space, crossing it shortly after and causing Akai to return to her senses.  

Apparently this breeze was caused by the man passing by Akai’s figure. The air was mixed with the glimpse of the human warmth and the smell of the freshness. Akai took a deep breath of it as if preparing to follow it further. However, all she could see was the back of this man, covered in his silvery hair, moving away from her sight. The man neither stopped there for too long, nor did he turn around to encourage Akai to step further his way. He did voice a sentence or two, though the woman was not in any rush to reply him. Or in any need to reply something at all. Maybe Akai was not sure if she heard him correctly. Or if she even needed to hear him. The situation could be understood quite clearly even without saying it out loud.


This is not what you wanted

What you wanted from me

I know that much now
My apologies


”It’s a shame he is leaving.” A disappointing thought crossed Akai’s mind, leaving a tiny curve above her eyebrows, which indicated some sort of dissatisfaction. It was hard to tell what caused this dissatisfaction though, if it was that the woman did want to have the company for a little bit longer or if she was too anxious to be left alone with herself. However, as disappointed as she felt, her lips remained locked, not even a single sound other than a mere sigh made its way through them. The red head forced a simple smile on her face, almost the same one with which she had started. There was nothing left to say at this moment. Akai considered it would be totally awkward to say her goodbyes right now.  Not that Akai felt the need to do so either.  To think of it, all of the goodbyes were more or less the same dreams and expectations, only voiced out loud. I’ll see you later? Until the next time? Take care? Sayonara? Even at such simplicity, one without knowing , realizing it places an expectation within himself whether it would be an expectation or a desire of seeing, meeting the same person again, or whether it would be the sorrow and disappointment of knowing that such expectations are impossible to come into reality. In this very moment, in this very situation, with this very person, none of those expectations, wishes or sorrow could find their place in Akai’s mind and logic.  They’ve just met and even that “just” had already passed like a blink of an eye.


The mind says “no Sir”

But the body says “please”


Due to unknown reasons, or the reasons not worthy of mentioning anymore, Akai’s fingers moved in a tiny manner as if imitating a potential waving gesture. Though, that hand never ended up fully risen after all. Nor could the primary effort be noticed. Akai pressured her muscles and stayed there still and statuesque, breathing in and breathing out the still lingering freshness, watching the man blend into the whole flow of the crowd. Only the moment when the man had blended into the crowd completely and was nowhere to be seen, Akai felt secure enough to relax her body and allowed herself to make a barely visible wave into what seemed to be nothingness. Still gazing at the depths of the crowd to just make sure, holding the breath with every pair of ebony eyes seen, the woman swallowed some kind of uneasiness along with the feeling of unfinished business.


The heart stays silent

Such a silent tease


After being sure that there were no traces of the nightly company left anywhere around, Akai slowly returned to the middle of the bridge again, just the very same spot where she was found at. She leaned over the railing to gaze at the deep dark water, which had turned to pure black in color at places where the dim light of the moon wouldn’t reach it. Each time leaning over, a clear reflection of this young woman would appear.  Akai would stare at her reflection in one of those dark spots and question her own realness. It looked almost magical how the darkness enframed her emotionless face.  It even lured to come and meet her, to finally merge and become one and the same person.



It's not easy on my bed sheets

It's not easy on my nerves

It's not easy on my conscience

It's not easy on my soul


Suddenly feeling drained in the calmest moment of the night, the red haired woman pushed herself away from the railing, at the same time observing the reflection of the otherside woman gradually fade away. She crossed her almost frozen arms around her chest to regain that human warmth a little and without looking back, slowly stepped down the bridge. It was almost completely dark around as all of the lights in the village were being put off.  From the most well lit spot on the bridge, Akai was casually making her way into the dark streets of the village. She was going with her eyes fixated on one single spot into the horizon until the beautifully curved body silhouette lost its definition to complete darkness.


And I don't know why I'm telling you this
Maybe I've got to get it off my unholy chest
There's a road much travelled
But one I haven't walked down yet


And it calls my name
Yes it calls my name


It's a darker path

But it calls my name

Light up the lantern [Private/Tenzo/Closed] Fancy-10
EXIT THREAD

1152 +10057 is 11209

Total of the thread is 11209

Gathered 11 EP as in Chunnin Exam Event

Uchiha Tenzō

Uchiha Tenzō


S-rank
Posting here to use some of the WC for training.

~ 8508 Total Words ~

~ Training Perception from S1 to S3 | 8508 - 4250 = 4258 WC Remaining ~

~ Training Strength from S1 to S3 | 4258 - 4250 = 8 WC Remaining ~

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