... I still cannot believe she’s dead…

The very truth of the situation had ripped Destiny down to her very core when she had learned about it just a few short weeks ago in Konohagakure: her sister, Demitria King, had been found lying dead and broken in the middle of a forest clearing. It had looked like her sister had been tortured, weapons covered in what she could only assume to be her sisters blood laying nearby. What had been a hunt for her sister with Destiny under the assumption that the older female was simply running around spreading chaos and madness as she often did while getting into minor bouts of trouble that Destiny figured she would have to rescue her sister from some kind of way, had turned into a manhunt for a killer. Destiny wanted answers, she wanted them so badly that she had gone so far as to end the relationship with Jinx Uchiha - her first crush, her first love. She hadn’t wanted to drag the other young girl into this mess, especially considering that Jinx had a very sickly cousin to look after and family that needed her home: home, and not traversing the world with a lust for vengeance and the thirst to see the blood of those responsible in her sisters demise spilled. While Destiny had loathed making that decision, while she had utterly hated having to break things off, she had done it because she believed that that was what was best: not for herself by any means but for Jinx. Destiny couldn’t bring herself to drag the Uchiha along on this damned campaign, especially because Destiny was no full and she was far from delusional: chances were she was going to die attempting to bring down whatever bastard had taken her sisters life - if the man or woman responsible was capable of killing a full blown seasoned Jounin, then she as nothing more than a Genin stood a chance. Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try.


For now though these thoughts were far from the slumbering female’s head. She was immersed in a peaceful dream, one which made little sense as it defied the laws of gravity and physics. It was an escape, a way for her mind to relax for but a few short hours. A way for her stress levels to be brought down to something far more suiting and normal of the Genin she was, and not the adult she had been forced to become so early on in life. It was a way for her to escape the realities of the world and enter into a world of tranquility and peace. While this world was perhaps not real, not healthy to dwell in for long, and while it likely wouldn’t last long past the first few peaks of sunlight through the curtains of her hotel room, it protected her in a way and kept her from becoming the mindless and numb killer that the world would have otherwise made her long ago. Her dreams allowed her to keep some sense of innocence or purity, allowed her to remain young just a little bit longer. It gave her a place to go when the evil and wickedness of the world grew far too much for her to handle or stand, a place to escape to from the darkness and impurities that sometimes raced through her mind on her noble but damned quest.


No sooner did the sun begin to peak through the closed curtains did the female lying upon the bed begin to shift and move. Covered in nothing but a sheet as her blankets had been thrown to the ground at some point during the night when she had got too hot, the female groaned softly as she stretched. Her knuckles brushed against the headboard for a moment, hands clenched into fists before opening and closing repeatedly and to get the ‘sleep’ feeling out of them. Satisfied that her hands were no longer numb she curled up on her right side and stared at the bedside clock, idly brushing a long and wavy pink strand of hair out of her face while silver hues took in the time: 6 o’clock in the morning. She blinked several times as her brain began to full awaken, a reminder of her task for the day coming with it. No sooner did the thoughts cross her mind that a sigh would escape her lips, her sheet thrown off of her pajama shirt covered form as she sat up with her legs dangling over the edge of the bed. She stretched once more before standing, her outfit for the day having been picked out the night before and placed on the bathroom sink counter so that it was ready when she needed it.

She made her way into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind herself out of habit, before turning on the hot water and giving it time to run as she stripped out of her clothing. Switching on the shower head and adjusting the temperature so that she didn’t burn herself she stepped beneath the comfortable spray, beginning to wash and condition her hair before moving on to washing her body as she thought about all she had learned.


She knew that the last person her sister had been seen alive with had been Daremo, a medic who had worked in Konohagakure’s hospital before he and his girlfriend Kaia-Mai had gone off to Kumogakure. While she didn’t know if Daremo had been responsible for her sisters untimely demise or not he had been the last person she was seen with alive which at least in Destiny’s mind gave him the possibility of being guilty. While she was trying not to pass judgement, knowing in the back of her mind there was the off chance he wasn’t guilty, she couldn’t help but be weary of the fact that he might be. There was of course the problem that Daremo was leagues above her in skill and experience: if she was going to confront him she was going to have to be smart about it. She wasn’t the type to take hostages, or use others as bargaining chips, and she refused to steep that low now. There was, of course, the idea of forcing this conversation to happen in a more public setting, hoping that by doing so a fight wouldn’t break out were he responsible, or if one did it would give her some sort of back up in the form of the village police or other shinobi in the area. Of course, this meant that she’d have to hope and pray that they were quick enough to stop Daremo from simply killing her should it come to that, but it was her best choice.

Thus, she had asked around about the two, using Kaia-Mai’s love for bubble tea against her since there were so few vendors who sold the delicious liquid in Kumogakure. Through this she had been able to track down what seemed to be their ‘normal spot’: a place that at least one or both of them ventured to on an almost daily basis. It was from there that her plan had formed into something more solid, the general idea of which was for her to essentially stake out the place from the time it opened - roughly seven o’clock in the morning - till about noon or so when she assumed they would no longer bother stopping by. It was a wide window, and meant she’d have to be on her proverbial toes for hours, but it was the best shot she had of finding one or both.

She knew that if she found Kaia-Mai her simple plan was to ask about Daremo, and see if a meeting could be arranged, all while avoiding her real reasoning for wanting to meet the man. If it was both of them then she’d simple approach the topic as tactful and yet as straightforward as possible: she had no intentions of causing the man conflict in his relationship after all if he proved to be innocent. Lastly, if it was just Daremo - the easiest of the scenarios to deal with - she intended on being as straightforward as possible and as blunt as could be with her questions. It wasn’t the best plan, and if he was guilty she knew there was a possibility she’d be dead by the end of the day, but Demitria had been her sister and she owed her enough to at least try and bring her killer to justice.


During her mind wandering, going over the plan that she had thought over for nearly a week, she realized the temperature of the water had changed: growing far colder than it had been to start. Shutting the water off, and jared from her train of thoughts, she stepped out and made quick work of drying herself off after wrapping her long pink locks up on a towel so that it could absorb the majority of the moisture. Once dry she focused on her outfit for the day, an outfit picked specifically due to the fact that Kumogakure tended to be colder than the villagers she normally ventured to. She slipped on her undergarments before slipping a pair of black leggings up and over her shapely and athletic legs. A black short-sleeve t-shirt was added to her torso before a thick light gray sweater was pulled on over top of it. She stared at her appearance in the mirror for a moment, turning this way and that and tugged her sweater into place until she was satisfied with it, before picking up her hairbrush and unwrapping her hair. She was careful as she brushed her long hair, starting from the ends and working her way until all of the knots were brushed out. After a quick moment of contemplation she grabbed one of several hair scrunchies off of the counter - this one black in color - and pulled her hair up into a ponytail, leaving only a few shorter pieces around her face to escape and frame it.

Satisfied with her appearance, and after hanging her towels back up as to make less work for the hotel made who would likely come in at some point while she was gone, she headed into her bedroom where she followed suit with her whole ritual of tidying up after herself by quickly but neatly making her bed. Plopping her butt down on the edge she slipped socks onto her feet and then her black polished steel toed boots with buckles up the side to almost her knees. Her weapons pouch was added last to her right thigh, hidden beneath the length of the gray sweater, before she slipped her ryo pouch into a hidden pocket within her left sleeve. Keys were slipped into a pocket of her usual jean shoulder bag filled with art supplies, before she headed out the hotel room door, her adrenaline spiking as she locked the door behind herself.


By the time she made it down the hallway, down a flight of stairs, and past the receptionist in the lobby her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. She knew that her blood pressure was likely up, and from the heat on her face she knew it was flushed. Yet, she knew she couldn’t step down from her plan, she couldn’t let things go unanswered: this was something she had to do no matter the consequences or outcome of it, because she owed her sister that much after all she had done for Destiny.

It was these thoughts that had her pushing open the door to the hotel and stepping outside instead of hiding back in her room and forgetting about the whole thing. She ignored the early morning glare of the sun as she made her way down streets that she had made herself fairly familiar with in the past several weeks she had been in Kumogakure. It was because she knew where she was going that she was able to take short cuts down alleyways, or streets to bypass the early morning crowds, allowing her to arrive just in time for the cafe to begin to open - it’s manager having unlocked the doors no more than thirty seconds before her arrival. She stepped inside quietly, wincing at the chime above her head that signaled to those working that a customer had entered their establishment. She headed towards her usual table in the corner, one which gave her a great view of the door, other exits, as well as the establishment itself: position was key after all. No sooner had she sat down did she find herself staring at one of the tired but nonetheless cheery looking servers. “What can I get for you, miss?”, asked the woman, clearly stifling a yawn in the process with the back of her hand.

”I’ll take a strawberry bubble tea, please. Along with a banana muffin - one of the large ones.” Destiny watched as the woman wrote down her small order and then headed off with a nod. It was funny really, she had grown a love for the same tea that Kaia-Mai had out of nothing more than curiosity while trolling the vendors for information.


To busy herself as she waited for the establishment to fill up, along with her food and drink to be brought, Destiny unhooked her bag from her shoulder and placed it up on the table next to her, pulling from it a sketchbook and a pencil. She placed the book down, flipping it open and leafing through several pages until she found a fresh unused page. Resting her left elbow on the table and the side of her face in her left hand, she stared down at the blank page with her pencil in her right hand but not moving, as she thought about what to draw - no ideas yet coming.

Word Count: 2,445

“Daremo.”, at the mentioned of his name, the purple haired male opens his eyes, meditation having been disturbed for now, and turned in the direction of the voice, his yellow reptilian eyes meeting Hikari’s own cold ones. The large Komodo dragon being on two meters in front of him, having lumbered away from the animal carcass, belonging to a rabbit which had unfortunately hopped through the garden at the wrong time. He had heard when Hikari crushed the animal’s windpipe, shaking it like a rag-doll to crack its neck. His companion having no need to do such, her jaws being strong enough to crush the tiny animal’s skull if she wished, she just wanted to be brutal for whatever reason. It was not out of her nature to treat prey in such a manner. She only does it for her own sick enjoyment, and only when it is the two of them alone. She did not do it around Kaia, and the twins because she cares and respect them enough to shield them away from some of her violent tendencies; of course, she would never mention this to anyone and would deny any accusations of the claims being true. But, Daremo knew the truth, and that what mattered.

His right hand scratched the top of Hikari’s head, she having lean into his touch, as he waited to see what she had wanted to talk to him about. When she withdrew from his touch, Daremo curiously watched her. “What is it that you desire?”, the question caught him by surprise, for never did he figured Hikari would bother in asking him something like that. It was not something she would be interested in, at least, from his is understanding of her personality. Yet, here she was asking him about something not many bothered in asking. As if seeing the look of confusion on his face, Hikari spoke once more, “You are already accomplished enough throughout your life. You have taught students, fought in a nationwide skirmish, became the head of a medical division, and even was nominated for Tsuchikage at one point. And that does not include everything in your personal life. You having an amazing mate and beautiful children. Yet, here you are, trying to master Senjutsu which already cost you your life once. Why? What is it that you desire so much to continue on this path?”

So, that is what she wanted to know. Why he, a man pushing his late thirties, is still continuing on when others, who have accomplished less, have already given up the shinobi lifestyle. What was he chasing that he could risk everything for? Why did he not retire and live the rest of his life out with his wife and two children? Surely, there was nothing in that important or more valuable than what he already has. Right? It seems this is what she wanted to know. What is pushing him forward? Silence descended upon the clearing in the backyard. The nightly creatures that were scurrying off to sleep as the sun rose did so quietly. The world seems to stop for a brief moment as Daremo answered the question, “I. . . “

Steam rolled out of the bathroom when Daremo exited out of the room with a large towel wrapped around his waist. Normally, he would not bother with covering his modesty with a towel, but, seeing how his children tend to find their way into his and Kaia’s bedroom, he did not want to be caught off guard. However, this time around, there were no children in sight, only his lover that was in the process of waking up. Crossing the distance between the bathroom and bed, Daremo planted a light kiss on Kaia’s lips and greeting her with a ‘good morning’ before getting dress. His outfit consisting of casual dark blue pants, black shoes, and a long sleeve white buttoned up shirt. He allowed his hair to flow free, though he did thoroughly comb it beforehand. And, like always, he slipped on the wedding ring.

Now dress, Daremo turned his attention to the bedroom door, having heard footsteps coming this way. And sure enough, riding on the back of Hikari was the two twins, giggling happily. He chuckled at the sight of him, despite it being a familiar. Scooping up his children, both of them giggling wildly, he carried them over to the now awake Kaia. for the next hour or so, the family of four would enjoy themselves. It only comes to an end when Kaia asked him to get her some bubble tea.

Daremo took his time in navigating the streets of Kumogakure. Greeting those who he passed by with a friendly wave and quick ‘hello’. While he appeared to be acting normal, his thoughts on what he and Kaia discussed last night. They having found out from the vendor, which they bought bubble tea from, that someone had been snooping around, and asking about them. The individual was female who gave a name which the vendor was no familiar with. The man having warned his favorite couple in case it was something serious. With the given information, Kaia agreed to let Daremo handle the situation as he saw fit. She staying at home in case the person managed to find where they lived at, and tries something. Daremo only agreed to that after creating a shadow clone to remain in the house with his wife. This way, if the person does show up, he would have a way of knowing.

Pushing open the door, the chimes chiming, Daremo glanced up at the nearby clock; the time being 7:05 am. Looking at the establishment, he noticed only a few people were in here. It was when he glanced at the owner, who was making the rounds, did he noticed the man cutting his eyes towards a pink haired woman sitting in the corner. A quick exchange happened between the two, ending with a subtle nod from the owner. Daremo made his way over to a table adjacent to the mysterious woman. He ordered two bubble tea, one for now, and the other to be received once he leaves. He briefly watched as the waitress went to fulfill his order. “I heard someone has been asking around about me and my wife.”, he spoke, turning so he was facing the woman, “You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now would you?” There was no point in being subtle. He wanted to know why someone was asking about him and his wife.

---

1101

While Destiny’s anxiety was still spiking and her nerves were near shot she couldn’t help but feeling as if she just wanted to get this all over with. She had no idea what the outcome of this meeting would be - if it did indeed end up happening today - but she simply wanted to have it done and have it behind her so that she could move on: if she was still alive by the end of the day that is. While she didn’t want to think such dark thoughts, especially not while sitting in the very cafe she knew her target to frequent, she couldn’t quite help them from coming anyway: it was as if her subconscious was intent on rubbing it in her face at every chance, at every moment she was caught not guarding her thoughts.


No sooner had the thought crossed her mind did she hear the door chime once more and found herself looking up - this was not the first time, a couple of stragglers having arrived already looking for their hot cup of something or other to begin their morning. However, this time she found herself doing a double take before she could help herself, finding the man who had just entered to be precisely who she had been looking and waiting for: Daremo. He matched the description and information she had been able to gather perfectly, in fact the image she had drawn herself off of that information alone and nothing else wasn’t too far off from the way the man actually looked.

As to not stare and draw attention to herself she looked down to the drawing she had begin, all the while tracking the man through her peripheral vision, the drawing was a serious of shapes that had begun to come together as a much larger and far more detailed pictures: like a house being built from the foundation to the point the interior designer took over was how she often worked, and it was why her artwork looked so detailed and lovely. That and lots of practice. Yet, even though her focus was on the drawing she couldn’t bring herself to budge the pencil and move it, she couldn’t bring herself to add anything to the image. All she could focus on was the loud pounding in her ears that she knew to be her rapidly beating heart, and the way that her palms had become wet with sweat.


She watched still as the man sat, keeping her eyes glued to the page before her and not daring to look his way as she listened to him order two bubble teas - one of which was to be for later. Destiny found herself assuming that it was likely for Kaia, meaning he was probably going to be alone. If anything it made this situation a little less awkward - she wouldn’t have to bring up an old fling in front of Daremo’s current woman. That is if she got the balls to do it at all: she was known for being sometimes brash and definitely short tempered, and yet here in the face of the very man she had spent weeks hunting down she felt herself cowering like a child and he hadn’t said even a word in her direction - at least not yet. That didn’t last long though.


Perhaps it was his manner of speaking and his bluntness, perhaps it was his boldness over the situation, or perhaps it was that in the end Destiny’s proverbial balls of steel made their appearance, but whatever the reason at Daremo’s very pointed question she found herself raising her head bravely and without hesitation and focusing her silver colored gaze onto the man fully for the first time since he had entered into the cafe. Whatever doubts she had on the situation, whatever fears resided in the back of her mind, she found herself squaring her shoulders and meeting his gaze.


Considering the man’s own bluntness she decided to be just the same. ”Aye, I’d know quite a bit about that, Daremo.”, she responded, not bothering to hide the fact that she knew who he was - clearly someone had told him she had been looking for him, so there was really no point in hiding it any longer. ”Though, truth be told it was you who I was actually looking for, your wife just made it a bit easier with her love of bubble tea. You see, I’m looking for answers on the death of someone who was last seen with you: my sister Demitria King. I went to Konoha looking for her - she’s always getting herself into trouble - to find her dead and broken body in a clearing in the forest: looking like she had been tortured.” It took all of her willpower to keep her voice from cracking at the end, and while she tried to hide it well the pain of her sisters death - still so fresh in her mind, and an image she would never be able to erase - was still so fresh it left little traces of itself in the crease of her brow and the small glint of moisture in her eyes.

In what was perhaps an attempt to gather her thoughts and emotions before she lost track of them, or perhaps just because she wanted to further prove her point, she flipped back several pages in her sketchbook to the image she had drawn. It was a perfect replica of her sister laying dead, a variety of weapons scattered around her. Her sister was in what had become her typical outfit: the shirt that said ‘Daddy’s Lil Monster’, her shorts that even in the pencil drawn picture had been colored to show two separate tones, and her fishnet stockings and boots: even her hair was in pigtails, likewise shaded in a way to show that her blond-white hair was tipped with two different colors. With the picture shown, and easily showing the blood shed and agony of the scene she had stumbled upon herself, she pushed the notebook to the edge of her table, placing it in clear view of Daremo without putting herself any nearer than she already was - she knew he was a medic after all, and had no intentions on putting herself anywhere within touching range until she knew the full story and got to see how things played out.


It didn’t escape Destiny’s notice that the patrons of the cafe, though few as there was, along with the staff were all throwing glances in their direction: either having overheard the conversation or picked up on the general tension. While Destiny was trying to play it easy, trying to hide as much of herself as possible from the possible danger and threat in the room, she was no Jounin and it showed somewhat nonetheless.

Despite her high emotions she found herself unwilling to wish that she could turn back the clock on the past few weeks: even if today ended badly for her she was still glad she had sought out her answers. Demitria might have been insane, and perhaps even a sociopath, but she was still family. Demi had never shunned her for being adopted, for being an outsider into her world, and Destiny wasn’t going to start disregarding her sister now. She’d never forgive herself if she did.

Word Count: 1,345 | 3,790

To say Daremo was not curious about why someone, especial a teenager, was snooping around for information at places him and Kaia visit, would be an understatement. He wanted to know exactly why someone was going out of their way to find him, not only that, bringing his wife into whatever this business entails. If he was younger, he would dismiss the individual who was looking for him. Not setting up a trap for them, let along meeting them. A younger Daremo would have turned the tables on the stalker, stalking them, and killing them without batting an eyelash. No questions would be asked about why he was being stalked. The individual would just be sent to meet the Shinigami with whatever they wanted to be left unfulfilled. Yes, a younger him simply did not care enough about the concerns of others. If they were no use to him? Then they are being good as dead. Such a statement being especially true to those snooping around in business not concerning them.

Alas, the time has been a wonderful thing for Daremo. He no longer dismisses anyone who might pose a threat to him. Stalkers, or those who sticking nose in his business, were met head-on with a blunt and sharp tongue. There is no need to play around with an individual who took time to stalk him. There are no reasons to dismiss them, less he wanted an early grave, or for them to come back to bite them in the ass later on. Those who stalk him only meeting their end when necessary, or when they bring his wife into the situation. Unfortunately for the teenager, she had made said mistake; she brought his wife into the picture, using Kaia’s weakness to stalk him. It was one thing to use his own weakness, finding the places he readily visits, asking about him, but when his wife gets involved? That is like stepping on a proverbial landmine, something which the woman did.

To make the situation worse, Daremo still exhibited some traits associated with the Komodo dragons he aligned with. And, if there was one thing he picked up from the male boss summon is his territorial behavior. Not taking any threat lightly when it threatens what was his. This strong territorial instinct was not being projected outwardly, not yet, his face is a picture of calm and serenity, but internally. Already, he had envisioned countless of ways to kill the woman without anyone being any wiser. Everyway he envisioned involved her mangled corpse being dumped in some alley for the rats to feast on. Of course, there were ways for him to induced heart attacks, and other non-suspicion condition on the woman, making her death seem natural. Yes, there were many ways he could kill the woman, and depending on how things play out, he might just have to. But, for now, he would wait to see what the reason for looking for him.


Daremo was amused at the woman words of apparently knowing quite a bit about him. It seemed like some people have been talking a tad bit too much in regards to who he was. It did not matter anyway, the information knows what was he allowed them to know. The fact she only knew him as Daremo, never mention the epithets garnered in Kaze no Kuni before joining Konohagakure, or his real name told him she did not do her research thoroughly enough. For if knew who he was, then she would not be acting so brazen as she was.

Yellow, reptilian eyes stared within the silver orbs of the unknown woman. The contact only being broken when the waitress brought the bubble tea that was ordered. Grasping the container in his left hand, Daremo leisurely drunk it while listening to the woman speak. The anger and territorial possessiveness he felt earlier being ebbed away when the woman mentioned she was looking for him, not his wife.  He wonders did she know how close to death she truly was just now? If she had said she was looking for Kaia, nothing would have been left of her, nor this establishment for that matter. Yes, the woman has unknowingly mannered to escape death - for now.  

Taking another sip of the sugary substance, Daremo looked at the woman, “Demitria King? I haven’t heard that name in awhile.”. Truly, after him and Demitria break-up, he did not try to stay in contact with her. He moved on with his life, finding his love within Kaia. Though, now that the name was mentioned, he remembered being told about the woman’s death. While he was not the one who did the autopsy, from what he gathered, it seemed she was murdered. The idea in itself is prosperous, considering the woman’s prowess. With remembering this information, something else surfaces to the forefront of his mind. During one of their more gentler nights, Demi mentioned of having a sister named Destiny who was fond of arts. “You are Demi King, right?”, it was not a question, he was stating a fact, “She used to talk about you a lot when we were together. You are also friends with my wife, yes? She mentioned you when we found out. She said there was a good chance you would come searching for answers, especially considering the lack-lustered job Konoha did with handling the situation.”

He felt some sympathy for the woman, having looked for a relative only to find their broken and tortured body in a clearing. He can somewhat relate to her, having searched for answers when one of his geisha sisters had died mysteriously. Setting the drink on the table, “May I?”, he asked before reaching towards the stretch book and grasping it in his hand. Looking at the stretch, Daremo took his time in painstakingly going over every detail. This was his first time seeing the scene, even if it is just a stretch. “When you saw her body and did the stretch. It looked like she was tortured, right? Why would a killer torture her in a place where her screams could possibly be heard? Additionally, why would they leave their tools behind? Was any other fingerprints were found on the weapons or only hers?”He inquired. “Furthermore, the clearing makes a bad place to dispose of a body. Sure, it is in the forest, but it is in the open where anyone can find it. And, I highly doubt a killer would want their work”, there was a hint of disdain in his voice, “to be found so easily". 


The knowledge he was giving to Destiny came from him being a medic and someone who did their studying in the art of killing. When it comes to torturing a victim, a secure and isolated place is the ideal - not in the open like the forest. As he waited for a response, he did not seem to be bothered by the curiosity looks being thrown his their direction. It did not matter to him if others found out. 

---

1196[2297]

Destiny couldn’t help the thoughts that flashed across her mind as the male spoke in response to what she had said, nor could she help the emotions of shock and disbelief though she hid both of those fairly well. She had been half expecting to have to pry the information out of Daremo, she had been half expecting him to outright deny even knowing her sister Demitria let alone the relationship the two apparently had albeit a brief one. Yet, here he was simply commenting that Demitria King was a name he hadn’t heard for a while: which was precisely why she had ended up coming to him specifically - he was where the trail to her sister’s last whereabouts ended.


It shouldn’t have surprised her that Daremo knew her name: she was not only Demitria’s sister after all but a friend of his wife Kaia-Mai. Yet, it still came as somewhat of a shock to her, a tiny bit of which showed as nothing more than a sparkle in her eyes that faded just as quickly as it came. She nodded in response to his comment, confirming his suspicions, while remaining silent and listening to him go on speaking. When Daremo mentioned that Demitria used to speak about her she couldn’t help the soft smile that crossed her face, and when he mentioned Destiny being friends with his wife she nodded her head in conformation once more. ”Lack-luster is putting it lightly: they didn’t do a damned thing. In and out of the damned mental hospital all the time, and constantly causing trouble, if I didn’t know better I’d say they were probably glad to be rid of her. She never crossed the line enough to go to jail or be banned from the village, but she loved to push her luck and test people. I can’t say there’s more than a handful of people who didn’t hate my sister while she was staying in Konohagakure.”, Destiny commented softly, her voice laced with the anger, not at Daremo but rather the anger she felt towards the village of Konohagakure as a whole.


When Daremo inquired as to getting a closer look at her sketchbook she nodded once more, seeing no issue with him having a closer look. The image itself had been done down to the utmost detail: an image that she would never been able to remove out of her head. She didn’t need to see it to remember it, to remember all of the blood and carnage. It was all of that which was precisely why everyone thought Demi had been murdered instead of it being a case of suicide. Destiny remained silent while she watched Daremo going over the sketch, looking as if he were absorbing every little pencil scratch to memory. Meanwhile, she received her strawberry bubble tea from the waitress with a nod of thanks as well as the muffin she had ordered.

Since her stomach still felt like it was full of rocks because of her high intensity of emotions she simply pushed the delicious looking muffin off to the side and focused on the tea, purposely maneuvering the giant straw so that she could suck up one of the beads when she took a sip, which she did seconds later: enjoying not only the delicious flavor but the pop of the bead in her mouth that released its own delicious flavorings that only further enhanced the pink substance.


To distract herself from the horrific image popping up in her mind she turned her hands to idly tearing apart the muffin she had moments ago been set on ignoring, breaking it into little pieces that littered the plate it resided on. ”How she is in the sketch is exactly how I found her: I touched nothing at all. I know the location makes absolutely no sense at all, and considering the lack of weapons on my sister it looked like her own had been used against her - which again would have been hard to do considering anyone who got that close to my sister tended to be mind **** into oblivion. A lot of things make no sense… but considering this is Demitria, I don’t really expect them to.”, she said with a soft sigh. She shook her head a bit, frowning. ”I don’t think they even checked for fingerprints. It was all hushed up and swept under the rug - it happened before the new Hokage took over, well during the transition as it were. That’s actually why I’m here, by myself, trying to find my own answers.” She paused to take another sip of her drink, finding herself relaxing the more she spoke to Daremo - at least since he didn’t seem keen on ending her life since he now knew who she was - while still battling the inner anger and frustration she felt at her complete and utter lack of answers.

”None of this makes sense. I know that no one in their right mind would have tried fighting her so close to the village, let alone taking the time to torture her there. It didn’t look like a dump job either, not with the amount of blood everywhere. But, I don’t see what other option there is… I mean… “, she paused there, an answer formulating in her mind, something she had remembered from long ago but which her sister so often brushed under the rug as ‘under control’: her sister’s pain addiction. Could that have been the cause of it? She hadn’t seen her sister in years, so there was no telling how bad it had got. ”.... Unless her problem was worse than she let on, and she lost control that badly…”, Destiny finished after a moment, brushing her bangs back and out of her face in frustration. She didn’t know how much Daremo knew of her sisters mental issue, or what he thought about it, but if he did know she assumed he’d know exactly what she was referring to when she called it her sisters ‘problem’.

Word Count: 1,110 | 4,900

He did not say anything about the fleeting spark in Destiny’s eyes, moments after mentioning of knowing her due to the connection both of them share. There is no reason to talk about how often she came up in conversations quite often in the past. When he used to date Demi, despite her own mental issues, there was some clarity whenever she talks about the woman sitting across from him. Through the conversations shared, he got the impression Destiny was someone Demi held dear to her heart. In fact, he knew Demi loved Destiny dearly and was fiercely protective of her, even threatening to kill him if he ever tried anything with her sister. Daremo believed Demi would go to great lengths in protecting her sister. It was admirable, to say the least.

If Demi did not have a reason to live, she would have to continue doing so, if only to protect Destiny from harm. From everything he knew about his ex, the woman saw Destiny as an anchor of sorts. She is the one person who Demi would not abandon without cause. Taking a glance at the woman beside her, he agreed with the Konoha’s lackluster attempt at handily the case. “I was trying to be nice out of respect. But honestly, as someone who worked in the medical field. There are those who rather keep a patient doped up on medicine to control and make handling them better. “, there being a bite to the words ‘control’ and ‘handling’ as he detested the practice. He does not believe in doping up another individual to make taking care of them easier. It goes against everything he was taught, “The practice is highly common in larger hospitals which may or may not be under staff. Some nurses will just write off the incidents, never making a recording of it. For doing so could leave to repercussions if found out. I would not be surprised if something like that happened.”, he confessed.

Once gaining permission, Daremo grabbed the sketchbook and looked at the picture. If the situation was different, he would have complimented the woman on her drawing skills, but it was not the time for that. Sharp, yellow eye methodically looked over the drawn image. Committing to memory the way the body was the position, the wounds inflicted on the body and determining their depth, the weapons which laid around it, and anything about the surrounding which could get away what happened. A silence descending upon the pair as he took his time in combing through every detail with a fine tooth comb. “What not make sense to us, make person sense to people like Demitria.”, he came to the defense of his ex. While she did do a lot of unpredictable things, Daremo knew there was a pattern or reason behind them. “Not your fault in forgetting to check for fingerprints. It is the job of Konoha’s force, but, I doubt they took any. From what you saying, it seems like the village just wanted to forget about her. Can’t say I am surprised. A lot of hidden villages would do the same to maintain a certain image.” Oh, how true the statement was, with him being in Anbu, having the chance to look at classified information, Daremo knows quite a lot regarding secrets which were swept underneath the rug for greater good.  

Before he could get side-track, the waiter brought his bubblegum tea, setting the glass on the table before walking away. He nodded, agreeing with Destiny that no one in their right mind would dare to fight Demitria - less they have a death wish. “Indeed, no one would want to fight your sister. Her prowess with genjutsu was second to none, and she was a powerful shinobi.”, he praised the deceased kunoichi.

Looking at the picture, a sigh escaped his lips as he thought about mentioning a piece of information. “You say the location does not make sense right? Unfortunately, it does make sense. When I had first met Demitria, she had just escaped the asylum, and she nearly ran into me in the street, still wearing the straitjacket. I followed her, being curious where she was going. We ended up in the exact place in this picture. Words were exchanged, then our lips connected. What followed next was a heavy make-out session with even heavier touching. Things were heavy and we were close to doing something else, however, a burly man stumbled over us. A disgusting pig who was looking at Demitria as if she was a piece of meat. I did not take too kind to that, scaring the man off with killing intent. Alas, once he left, we continued where we left off. We never did go all the way in the clearing, instead, deciding to do it at my place.”, he paused, allowing the words to sink in. He having no shame in admitting to making out with Destiny’s sister. “Anyway, the reason why I am telling you this is because the place could very well hold significant importance to Demitria. Not only was it the place where she nearly gave me her virginity, but also the place where I spoke for my love of her. And from what I know, never had she experience any of this. It was the first time someone, outside of the family,  genuine loved her.”

Looking at the woman sitting beside him, he noticed her pause in her sentence. “Did you come to the same realization did I?”, he inquired, wondering did the woman figured out what he had already. “You are her young sister, no older sibling would want to worry their younger siblings with their problems or perceived burdens. She rather handles her problems on her own than worrying her sister.”, he did not need to say what he thought had happened, “It would explain a few things. Many of these cuts and wounds are in places where she had cut before. A few times which I had to heal unless she wanted to bleed out. More so, it would explain why there are no signs of a struggle. No bruising on the wrists, ankles, or necks that come about when grabbed hard enough. No signs of conflict - except the weapons around her body. I hate to say, but we both know what most likely happened.”

The sad truth was, Demitria was not murdered, but rather, she, tragically, committed accidental suicided by succumbing to her craving for pain. The woman probably did not even know how close she was with each slice, cut, she made on her body. The sensory which control pleasure would have overriding any amount of pain. It was truly unfortunate to say the least.

Looking at the sister of the woman, Daremo could not imagine what she felt at the sudden realization. It must be incredibly hard to find out that your sister death was a freak accident all thanks to a mental disorder, “I am sorry.”, The man spoke sincerely, wanting to let Destiny knew he was truly sorry for what happened. “I do not know what else I can do, but, if you ever need to find me or Kaia.”, He would write down the address to where they lived, sliding it over to the woman, “Here is a way you can do so.” Standing up, he looked back at the woman, “Do not hesitate to come to find us, even if it is just to talk. I loved your sister more than anything, and I regretted my actions. It is because of the love for her that I said this, you are not alone. You have Kaia-mai, and me, if you ever need a shoulder to lean on.” Once everything was said, he would linger around long enough to allow her to speak, before living restaurant.

---

1316[3613]

Jutsu Training[Quick Learner SC | 10% off]
Path of Pathogens, Epidemic Eradicator Virus | A-Rank | 1800 wc | 250 ryo
Water Release: Scourge’s Dragon | B-Rank | 1350 wc | 200 ryo

Her sister had committed suicide. There had been no murder, no other party whom she could blame for the untimely death. It had been nothing more than her sisters urges getting the best of her. Destiny’s mind was a whirlwind of emotions and none of them were good. Even as she reached out and took the piece of paper with Daremo and Kaia’s address on it she did so without thought, as if her body was going along with whatever was needed while her mind was elsewhere entirely. Still, Daremo’s words registered and she found herself muttering a simple “Thank you.”, before she gathered up her belongings and deposited them, including the address, into her shoulder bag.

Ryo was pulled forth and put on the table, more than enough to cover the bill, before she stood and left the cafe: it would be a place she couldn’t bare to visit again, at least not anytime soon, not without realizing that her quest for vengeance had been cut short so easily. Instead of heading back to the hotel she was calling home she just simply began to walk, and to walk. She let her feet carry her where they may - which just so happened to be one of the bars in the village that opened a bit earlier than the rest.

Stepping inside was a simple manner of flashing her ID, and she was directed towards the bar upon asking. She found herself a comfortable place to sit and placed and order for what would be one out of many, many drinks she would consume that day and into the evening. Where was her life going to go from here? What else did she have to fight for?
Word Count: 310 | 5,210

Genius Perk: 20% reduction to all training WC

Katon C -> B: 5,210 - 1,600 = 3,610
Silhouette Technique (C-Rank): 3,610 - 800 = 2,810
Basic Recovery Method (C-Rank): 2,810 - 800 = 2,010
Reflection Clone Jutsu (C-Rank): 2,010 - 800 = 1,210
Wind Release: Stream (D-Rank): 1,210 - 600 = 610
Fire Style: Misty Flame Dance (D-Rank): 610 - 600 = 10
Discarding 10 Words