Kejido was resting within his apartment halfway up the mountain. He wasn't one of the filthy rich but his trust fund certainly didn't hurt his comfort levels. His apartment was facing out over the village with a single bedroom, The bedroom had its own shower and bathroom with a walk in closet while he also had a living room and a large kitchen with a balcony outside. The living room had a couple of simple but comfortable leather chairs slightly turned in and facing the window while the couch was between them facing the same direction. All of it black leather. The carpet in the bedroom and living room was white as were the walls while the bathroom had a tiled green marble matching the counter tops of the kitchen. The bedroom was rather simple with the walk in closet filled with clothes and lines of shoes while a single armor stand held his chunnin vest with his weapons on racks behind it. The living room had a large book shelf and a couple of potted plants. Nothing spectacular though even the wood floors of the kitchen leading to the front door and entry were spotless. Not a scuff on them.

The only thing not in cabinets was a single tray with a glass jar filled with a gold colored liquid. Three glasses placed next to it on either side and in front of it. Kejido however was already outside on the stone balcony. Leaning against the stone railing in black slacks and matching black socks. A white button up shirt was tucked in with the top three buttons undone. The sleeves rolled up to his elbows. In his right hand dangled a single glass with two cubes of ice melting inside of the golden drink. A gust of cold wind blowing his dark hair as his eyes looked out over the slowly setting sun over the cliffs of the village. He would sigh a moment before the ice would clink as it changed size enough to shift. It was a good view. Still his eyes would shift over to the mansion higher up the mountain to his right. Another party thrown by the rich was just a distant whisper from where he was. That was the way of things though. The one percent didn't care to associate with high middle class like himself. He needed to rise further in ranks to get an apartment further up the mountain. The higher his rank, the higher his trust fund. And to be honest he wasn't satisfied as of yet.

Still he would tilt the glass back and sip from it before glancing down at his arm holding the glass. The bandage was still there for the mission hadn't been that long ago. Just a scratch but his illusion of invincibility was nearly shattered. He would frown before downing the rest of the glass and swishing the container so the ice cubs flew out down the mountain. How uninspired did people have to be to come after his home? Still he had invited her formally to his apartment that night for a reason. His rank up requirements within his clan prevented him from being capable of going alone. He needed the aid of someone else on this mission they had tasked him with. Of course she would come to mind. She had been flawless when she had preformed before. Had she been alone he was certain the mission would have gone off relatively the same. Still he was yet to reveal any of his own tricks. He would smile at the thought before turning and walking into his apartment. Leaving the door open behind him.

The doorman below had been given instructions to let her up once she arrived with the proper apartment number. He was on the top floor of this complex with the best they had to offer but he often felt it wasn't the best apartments for this height. Still they suited his tastes. He would walk passed the book case as he trailed his fingers along it before settling the glass he had nursed until now down on the counter. The question really became would she come? Would she bother with a request to join him at his home no less? It was certainly suggestive for a woman to meet with a man at night outside the public eye. He would grin a little at how mischievous the rumors might become. Of course he wasn't a famous monolith just yet. Well on his way though. Idly his fingers would tap on the marble counter as he relaxed. No need to show stress over anything. Just relax and if she comes she will be greeted normally. Without eagerness. To not show his need of her. After all if she refused him she could be replaced by someone less capable but more expendable.

820

With a rag in one hand and Ripa tsume in the other, she would grip the blade with the rag, using it to clean away the blood and remnants of flesh from the blade. Still crouched her head would tilt a touch to one side before allowing her heterochromia gaze of striking red and piercing yellow to settle on the corpse to her side. Chewing she would sigh, she had inevitably expected far too much of his constitution, yet she couldn’t say that she wasn’t satisfied. He had given all the information that he knew to her long before death came for him, yet she had persisted just in case anything had been held back.  Raising from her crouch she would step over to the table, rickety and tarnished, not so unlike herself, as scars riddled its wood, yet it still gave up its uses. A bowl of water would sit next to a bloodied cloth, placing the rag on the table she would tuck Ripa tsume back into its sheath before dipping her hands into the bowl carefully scrubbing away the evidence of the horrors she had committed within that basement. Her gaze would return to the corpse, her cold gaze sweeping over his form, it had only taken a few nicks, branding and a touch of flaying to draw out the truth of the man and his group that had been sculking about the Bastion Adamantine.  She had stuck to situated area’s starting with his left leg and the left side of his abdomen, chest, and shoulder. Yet for the atrosities, she had committed to gain knowledge, she felt no remorse, no sorrow nor regret but in the same breath, she gained no pleasure. No amount of washing would rid her of her sins, yet once her hands were visibly clean she would dry them off, swallowing she would mumble, “I’ll sort you out later, I have been summoned.” with her mumbled goodbyes to the corpse she would ascend from the basement making sure to close it off securely before stepping through the silent Okiya to its upper level.

Thick dust coated almost every inch of the building save for patches she had disturbed. Sweeping soundlessly up the stairs within the darkness she would move via memory before slipping into one of the rooms at the back before lighting a dim candle, giving just enough light to illuminate the room whilst not giving enough to be seen through the cracks of the boarded windows from the outside. She would slip from the bloodied body suit before draping it over the floral pattered division screen before stepping off to a smaller room, scrubbing away the grime of the day’s ‘work’ before emerging, avoiding looking at the patches that had been placed by her doctor at her last visit, she would pull open one of the draws before removing an off-white box, one of a few that held no dust, yet still did not seem new.  

Within she would withdraw its contents slipping into the clothing as quickly as it were physically possible, layer by layer she would cover herself fully covering the bandages and wounds of deep messy scaring reminiscent to the cadaver’s fresh neat wounds in the basement below. Dressed in an almost pure white iromuji kimono finished with an ivory colored obi, styled at the back as a taiko musubi. The obi itself holding no patters save her the imprinted crumple the material took, almost like a crumple frill, yet at its smoothed center her family crest would lay. the right side of her clothing almost a pure white whilst the trims of the let held an off pale yellow colour, giving the look of a white flower withering, even the fingertips of the left glove would bare the same as she tugged it on. The glove itself having been specially made with the pinky finger non-existent yet in its place, a small amount of padding whilst her right-hand glove were simply white and crisp.   She would fasten the plaque of her Iwagakure no Sato headband against the center of her chest, securing it to the fabric. Formal and ridged, though her kimono had been adjusted in a few ways that would make combat easier than it would have been if the dress hadn’t been changed. She would tuck Amai into the front and Tatsu into the back of her obi before attaching Ripa tsume into a fold of the kimonos fabric on the right side. The high collared ruffle would reach right up to her jawline shielding every inch of her neck from view like the rest of her form. The left side of her snow-white hair would remain tightly braided meeting the upper section of the right side of the loose hair to form a bun at the back whilst the undercut of hair remained loose, long enough to brush against her rump. A small section of the right side would frame her face, held in place by a heavy bead that rested against her chest for the most part, the right side of her front fringe remaining whilst the left side formed a braid itself, littering the braids would be sterling silver loops held firmly in place, holding a section of tarnished white material. Carefully she would shit the material to connect the bottom section to the ruffled collar ensuring that the left side of her face, including her ear, would be shielded from view even if a strong wind were to move, the veil would remain in place, thick enough that the section of face couldn’t be seen yet just thin enough for her scarlet orb to still be able to see enough through. Though evidence of malnutrition still plagued her visible features, some health had returned, her lips once again holding a touch of pink and smooth even as she nipped at her lip, enough to discolour it some.

Stepping from the room she would slip into a pair of thin slippers descending back to the basement bunching up the clothing making sure it wouldn’t touch the floor as she by. With her chakra level suppressed to the point of seeming like an ordinary villager still she would step through the passageways of the underground tunnels she had memorized, her movements careful and silent as she traveled and emerged closer to the living quarter. Though impossible to move throughout the village totally unseen at this time of the late evening as people headed out for drinks for the night, she would stick as much as possible to the less populated areas before slipping off to step up along the wall of the mountain that housed most of Iwagakure’s residents. Now following her nose she would seek out his scent, heading further and further up the mountain, a little higher than necessary before sprinting lightly across, finally catching his scent she would pause to stare down, how far the drop would be. Knowing that she was still being watched, the thought had, many times, crossed her mind that he may well have been ordered to draw her here, yet, they hadn't killed her as she lay comatose for a few days in the camp out in Sunagakure so why wouldn they harm her here? Still, the thought clawed at her mind, the distrust that had settled with the higher ups of the village, no longer sure of who she could fully trust yet her loyalty always drew her back to the requests of the village. Sucking in a lung full of air she would step down allowing her hair to train out before her, flitting about in the breeze. For any that may have looked up to catch sight of her, the image of her would be reminiscent of a ghostly specter against the darkening sky.  

Her feet would find the stone balcony following Kejido’s scent to an open door. she would listen for a moment to the movement inside before deeming safe enough to step down from the balcony’s stone rail onto the structure itself. One hand would rise to lightly hold the door as her other hand would rasp against the open door before drawing her hands to ret at her stomach, the right hand atop the left as per usual. Silently she would wait.

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Word count: 1401.

The sudden scent of blood however faint should have alarmed him. It was a distant scent but one could not fully remove the scent of iron rich blood so easily. Perhaps cover it but beyond that it remained. To most the sudden notice of the scent might seem strange or for the trained it would put them on the defense. His nostrils would flare though and he knew the scent. It smelled like the end of the last battle. Death and blood hanging in the air. Still fairly fresh at the time. This was a dulled version of it. As if it had been blanketed. Some time ago he might not have been able to notice it but now, now his training had kicked in. The only reason he did not go for a weapon was because he had invited this death into his home. He had sent for it and knew it. Still his hair on the back of his neck would rise and he would feel his breath catch. She was more than him. She was more than anyone like him. A great distance separating them that he would struggle to cross. If she allowed him to try long enough that was.

Of course the tap on his sliding door was a surprise. His head would snap up and look to the sound to see her there. Arrived like a wraith in the night so silently even he had not noticed. Her robes were traditional if not a little plain. Still she looked like a Japanese spirit standing there. Come to haunt him. Though it did bring a slight concern. He had considered his apartment fairly secure up until now. Surely someone would spot anyone scaling the side and anyone coming from the inside only had one way in. She had arrived without a single surprised shout in her direction. Not a single person had marked her arrival for him and there she stood on his emergency escape route. Something about it made him nervous. She could take him and be gone without anyone knowing. Perhaps it would be better if he was armed. Though his sharp silver eyes picked out those weapons she had used before. She was superior in that regard for now as well. Still he would force a smile onto his face even as a tiny bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. Even if she made him worry he needed her.

"Welcome to my humble home. It isn't perhaps a traditional household but I enjoy the more western ways. May I offer you a seat or a drink Taeru Sama?"

It wasn't often he actually used honorifics but for now he offered her a seat by waving his hand as if to indicate all the chairs available. Concealing his surprise at her arrival now and instead slipping into his charming smile. After all he was aiming for a throne....the throne of the arena. If he was to be shown a coward now he might as well give in. Still he would shift to pour himself another glass. The golden liquid smelling of alcohol. He looked young but he had purchased it somehow hadn't he? If anything he was rather lavish with his desires. Still if she asked for some he would bring her a glass with two cubes in it after adding two to his own. However hers he would pour over the ice to chill it as he poured. If she asked for water it too would be served with two cubes in much the same fashion. However if she did not ask for anything he would instead join her. Sitting in the seat across from whichever one she chose. Or choosing to sit even if she were to remain standing. His silver eyes watching her but his smile was playful. Almost amused. He needed to have some confidence in his skills. This close even she wouldn't get out unscathed if he could manage anything. He resisted glancing at the open door. Resisted revealing his thought process of if he could cast an illusion and make it to the opening before she cut him down. After all if she could read him, his chances dramatically dropped.

1532

Sama... a title that had never before been used for her, so the surprise came enough to crease her brow for but a moment. With his greeting her form would lower into a bow; Her hands would graze from her stomach, interlocking her thumbs before placing them just above her knee’s, showing the same display of grace within her movement as she had the first time she had bowed to him at the start of their mission. The loose strands of hair easily finding their way from her shoulder to fan out grazing the stone floor of the balcony in the process. As her torso rose her form would lower, bending at the knees as her left hand rested against the door frame to steady her form as she left to her weak side removing her right slipper and loosening her left. Careful not to track dirt into the male's apartment, she would leave the shoes on the balcony, taking a tentative step inside as she spoke up in return, her piercing gaze resting upon him. Her foreign accent remaining as thickly clung to her words as always, “Thank you Sergeant Heishi Kejido, for your warm welcome.” with her single step across the threshold she would inhale, collecting his scent. Though it remained his alone, at least at present, something about the vibe he gave off had altered from their mission.  

Stepping further inside her gaze would travel about the room before she continued in, could she have expected anything less what with how he had presented himself upon their meeting? She would step past the bookcase skimming the titles of the books before stepping around to one of the seat’s yet she would pause for a moment as she waited for him to do the same. The room immaculately clean and... white. A wave of self-consciousness would flood her causing her gaze to shift to the bottom of her kimono, a small prayer that she hadn’t brought the tarnish of the outside in with her. “And please, there is no need to use a title when speaking with me, I have done nothing to earn such.” Her gaze would return to him, carefully studying him, though his charming smile sat along his lips her gaze would not miss the droplet of sweat made its way down the side of his face. Nervous, was not a word she would have associated with him before now, so what made such come to mind now? And what could make him so nervous? Yet in kind, a light smile would tug the corner of her lips up

The scent of alcohol drifting freshly into the room would draw to the bottle that he’d opened yet a twinge of childlike curiosity would ripple through her, was this what he meant by champagne? Golden liquid, now that was something she hadn't seen before. She had, over time become more accustomed to both absinthe and saki whilst able to recall few other alcoholic beverages. Yet again her attention would return to the male's face, it never did hurt to study another did it? Though he appeared to be young she guessed that he may well have been around her own age yet such brought to light now, how old was she now?... seventeen... eighteen? How long had it been since she had been home, the doctors hadn't said yet a ponder that would be best left for later. Once they had sat, her posture would remain oddly ridged keeping her back straight. Her right hand would cup over her left as her hand curled to a loose ball before resting her hands against her thighs, close to her stomach. “I apologize if I caused alarm, you see, I must admit, though I expected to be called upon after you parting words with the completion of our mission not too long ago, I didn’t, however, expect to be invited to your home...” Having received the information through the hospital when being rebandaged cause a flurry of whispers throughout the staff and other patients alike, save for the doctor that attended to her wounds both old and new. Of course, the different age groups took their whispers in many was from suggestive words and small giggles to pointed looks and whispers of concerns for the man that had invited her, did he not know that she came to this land from a sickened place? Did he know that, so far, she was the last remaining member alive of her squad on a mission to Sunagakure no Sato? Such that it had included the seventeenth Tsuchikage?  Yet she cared little for the whispers that passed about, the camp during the relief efforts in Zane no Kuni when she had been found had made sure that she would become accustomed to such.

---

Word count: 821.
Total word count: 2213.

Kejido would smile a moment. His unease moving away bit by bit as he continued to remain unharmed in her presence. This was his home after all. In his house he was king. There was no need to fear her nor the devil she could become. After all he had done nothing wrong so far. In his opinion she appeared to be a loyalist in some ways. So long as he was beneficial to the village he would bet he had nothing to fear. All he was wagering there was his life. But that was a day to day struggle for anyone with power. His own dwelling within him but not yet risen to the surface in plain view. He liked the quiet life for now. Quiet and played just right until his power rivaled anyones. It was a patient game. Still there was something bothering him. He had been fairly useless in the last mission. Truth be told without her there it would have been a total failure. That truth irked at his pride something fierce. No doubt she thought him just another weakling in need of saving just like everyone around her. Still he would reply to her mention of formalities. His voice as soft as ever on the ears. As if there was something else hidden there. Almost hypnotic just from listening to him.

"But of course. I simply wished to be more than our base mammal selves. Cordiality is only a progressive evolution of ones self if its regularly practiced."

He would smile from behind his glass. Taking a sip of the golden liquid as bubbles would rise to the surface. Leaving a fizz in the back of his throat. If anyone knew anything of champagne they would know the carbonation meant it was fresh. He had kept the bottle for just such an occasion. Liquids that altered the mind but were often readily accepted were to his benefit more often than not. With a few drinks and subtle suggestion one could be coerced into far more far easier than they would be sober. Still from the shadow that cast over his eyes, those silver orbs seemed to almost glow as they studied her. She wasn't drinking. They were weighing her. Weighing each moment and sentence with measure towards his benefit. That was all that mattered after all. His rise. His fame. His power. Him. Everyone between him and his goals was an enemy or a piece on the board. To be prodded into shifting how he liked. Still he would wait a moment more before jumping into the reason why he called her here. Instead he would smile as he sat back into his seat and grew comfortable.

"Are you concerned coming to my private residence? Don't tell me its something so boring as what others might say. Let them have their fancies. Soldiers like us are a different breed."

He would chuckle warmly before looking for any reaction. A turned up corner of the lips. A twitch of the eye for irritation, perhaps even a blush. Just to as always weigh his interaction with her and mold himself to it. Mold himself to be what she wanted to see. Still the next part was a bit of a gamble. Without the drink he was running out of beat around the bush tactics. Without her mind altering any time spent waiting would be wasted. No need to wait for her to get drunk if she wasn't near the source. Instead his right hand would lift. Using the academy technique, a single green string would shift from the end of his finger and sway to the book shelf behind him. Moving along the row of books until it reached a folder barely noticeable between two books. Attaching to it the string would pull the folder free and carefully, even slowly it would move it to within her grasp before he would release the jutsu. Either letting her take hold of it or letting it fall to the table in front of her. Once more he would speak. Sipping on his drink once more before he did so.

"I would like to invite you on this special task set upon me by my clan. You were the primary last time and my performance was certainly not favorable. If you would accompany me on an intercept mission, I would be happy to show some of my true capabilities."

2275

With the sensation and vibe of the room relaxing, in tune with the host, she would for a moment allow her gaze to wander about the room again taking careful note of the arrangement and the exits before returning her gaze back to the male as he spoke up again. She would nip down on the soft blossom pink flesh of her bottom lip, intensifying the colour around the nip as she chewed it lightly, giving a nod in agreement with the young man before her. “Yet a title is usually given to one that has earned such. I come from no lineage that would grant a title nor have I performed actions notable enough to receive such, whilst you show promise within your clan, held in a different esteme to other shinobi as you are not merely just a shinobi like myself.” To not be ’caught short' she had taken the time to go through information on the whilst she sat within the hospital, something to occupy her mind as the doctor had worked to stitch her chest wound up the old fashioned way before setting to the task of tending her other, less recent wounds. For who would head into the unknown without at least attempting to gain knowledge of the situation?  

A part of her mind would wander as she caught the smile behind his glass as he took another sip, how much would it truly take to see to the true intentions of the man before her? With such her chest would rise and fall in a short motion as she inhaled and exhaled as though the scent of the liquor would reveal its strength as her gaze studied him, yet how much had he drink before her arrival? Surely she hadn’t caused so much alarm that such was needed to calm the nerves? His voice, still smooth like the touch of silk, a welcomed sound yet his words seemed not to match such charm as they brushed against a cheekier side of his personality. A game she could at least keep up with for the time being. Her brow would arch as her features softened a touch, giving a light snort as her teeth's grip on her bottom lip released accordingly. Her tongue would graze the visible side of her lips, coating them thinly, just enough to give a light glisten before speaking a the corner of her lips tugged back into a smile, oddly fitting for the visible features of her face giving the subtle show of what beauty lay beneath the malnutrition that would plague her for a while longer. “Concern?... at first yes. As I am sure you understand, this could have been a ruse, an ambush. And you see, the last time I slipped into the grasps of an ambush.” Her left hand, still gloved, would leave its hidden space behind her right to expose it giving the remaining digits a soft wiggle as her gaze locked with his, her heavily accented voice continuing without missing a beat, “I lost far more than just a finger.” Her hand would return to her lap, this time lacing her fingers with her right hands. “As for whispers of our meeting, I care very little for them, no doubt some may well check in to see your condition for themselves after my visit tonight.”  Her head would tilt a touch to one side causing the beaded section of her hair that usually frames her face to bow in the movement before fanning out away from her face an inch or so.  

Yet her gaze would flicker from his silver orbs to his hand as it rose and then to the file, already searching out along it for any indication as to what its contents may be, yet she would wait for the file to find it’s way to the table before grazing her rump forwards to the edge of the sofa turning her form side face for the time being as her knees remained together even as one met the sofa in her movement. Reaching out with her left hand she would take the file before allowing her right hand to accompany her left. Her gaze would flicker for but a moment to the males face, seeking out any indications of what could be hidden within without actually opening it outright. She would slowly push up from the sofa opting to step around to his side, perching upon his seat with her right side facing him, as she opened the file. After all if such were a trap he would have at least been engulfed with her. Otherwise, her right hand would support the file as her left hand graze along the papers as she read its contents, her gaze flickering back to him as he spoke up. Raising she would slowly return to the other seat, the folder still within her right hand's grip as she closed it. The contents already stored within her mind, yet she would mull over the information, pondering as to why such a mission had been placed through an individual clan and not the village itself and as she pondered her teeth would absentmindedly give her bottom lip a tug once again. Inhaling her gaze would settle again on the male, taking the moment before speaking “I will join you in this and I am looking forward to seeing you perform.”  After all, she couldn't refuse and sit idle as the village and its gates are at risk, could she?

---

Word count: 927.
Total word count: 3140.

Kejido would pay little mind to her reminder of station. She was a higher rank than him in the village. Beyond his association with the military she was his superior whether she were to acknowledge it or not. Why someone would not wish to be addressed with the respect of a superior station was beyond him. It was all he had ever wanted as a young child. All he wanted as an adult. It was his life goal to be more than the next guy. To be better and to be at the top of the mountain. Some would say that meant becoming a kage but the responsibility of running an entire village didn't appeal to him. No, there was another office he was after. He was always studying the monoliths and their capabilities. Always watching and waiting for their next move. Learning and adapting his own fighting style from it. Still if she didn't find herself worthy of station he wouldn't persist to encourage the proper monikers. Still it would ping at the back of his mind for some time. His lack of understanding over it was his issue though. The task at hand was more important. She was needed for what came next.


Still she would mention how she was being cautious about an ambush. Showing him something he had failed to notice before. Somehow overlooking it entirely as he had witnessed her talent in combat. She would reveal her hand and the missing digits there on. It would cause him to twitch ever so slightly in his right eye. It was unsightly to be frank. The horrensous damage done to her hand was immensely discomforting to look at. Making one imagine what kind of pain had to have come from having those removed. The other part of his discomfort was the fact that she was currently stronger than him and someone had managed to do all that to her. Someone had managed to tear her down into what she was now. Perhaps a shadow of her former self. No that likely wasn't right either. Such trauma being survived likely made her something different and in some ways something more. Something was lost of course but at the same time something had been gained. She survived it of course so that alone meant she was strong. Wounded and starving she had crawled back from the brink of death. Would he have to do the same to obtain that power? Still the idea that she might be concerned about an ambush from him simply seemed laughable.


Still she would agree to join him. That tug at the corner of her lips and a twitch here and there told him plenty as he studied her. Humor still lived there. Not simply a twisted remnant but a reincarnation. Even if she was imperfect she had her own beauty and grace. In her own way she was more than human. He could respect that. With her acceptance to allow him room to show his skills he would smile in an almost coy way. No one ever expected someone of his skill. No one expected someone freshly promoted to be at the same pace as a seasoned chunnin. Nor was his subtle trickery to be expected either. He would let his chesire smile remain as he stood up. Not having missed her caution with him and opening the folder next to him. She was cautious of him and part of him liked that. He would saunter over to her before leaning down as if to gently whisper in her ear. Too close for comfort but pressing into her space all the same. "Well I suppose in two days you will see something you haven't seen before. I hope you look forward to it. However my dear unless you intend to spend the night, I have had just enough to drink that my day grows old and my body weary."

2936

His reaction to the display of her gloved left hand would not go un-noticed yet as sharp as his eyes had been enough to catch a male in the leg with a ranged weapon, through a window whilst in his own combat, it surprised her to see the extent of his reaction to her hand. It would seem, however perceptive he was there were still subtleties that he had missed, even when feeling his gaze upon her, the intent of studying her just as much as she did him. The quick change in his demeanor, the minute details from repelled by the show of her unfortunate disfiguration to a sudden bravado as the smile reclaimed his lips. Her gaze would follow his form as he stood and approached, and although little thread could be taken from such, her hand would somewhat out of necessity shift to the fan tucked into her obi at the front, the gesture could easily be taken as a reaction to shock at his actions of invading her space as he drew closer, simply resting her left hand there. Yet as most would fail to realise, her personal space, for such a long time, had not belonged to her but to her captives, coming and going as they pleased until no flinch at their actions remained, simply the acknowledgment that they were close. This was something she would use at an advantage when such a chance would be presented as it had now. As he lent close to whisper her lips would part and a whisp of an inhale would be evident, as though innocence had a place to dwell within her as her hand gripped at the fabric of her clothing and the tessen tucked there. Laughable really, but for people to believe such of her had always been an advantage, the only question here was, did such still hold now?  

Cheeky being a good way to explain the structure of his words and yet she would take them in stride, almost unable to resist the challenge of such. Her lips would twist into a smirk as she took advantage of the invasions of personal space to do the same to him. With him being just a few inches taller and already leaning into her space, with little effort on her part she too would leaning in, her aim to graze her cheek against his briefly as her left hand rose as though to steady her movements, the fingertips of her left hand aimed to simply touch his abdomen. If her form was given the chance to even lightly brush his, be it skin to skin of their cheeks or through her glove and his shirt, her flesh would feel cold, as one might imagine a long-dead corpse, however, such a simple touch would activate her genjutsu and if such were to activate the sensation of butterflies would travel from the touch, through his chest and into his stomach to play havoc whilst the sensation of a form closer than she was to him would graze against him, the forms hands would be felt, stroking ever so lightly from his ribs to his hips. Whether or not she achieved such contact a purr would rise from her lips, spilling into a light, short chuckle, its tone holding more range than her spoken words had held up until now, the sound almost alluring as it now continued into her words, “mmn, I’m sure spending the night would be delightful...” She would lean back a touch to look up at him, any traces of innocence erased from her features whilst a simple challenge remained to see how he would react as she continued, “However, as you stated, your body grows weary and I have business to attend to.”  Simply aiming to find out if she could make him feel uncomfortable being so close as he had, she was sure, intended to make her feel.  

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330/350:

Word count: 660.
Total word count: 3800.

Kejido would feel her brush her cheek against him and then the sensation of butterflies. Well now that was an odd feeling. No one had that effect on him. However he understood as he watched her with a slight adjustment to move back ever so slightly. Almost flinching in a reaction to the new sensation. She wasn't actually touching him even though he could feel it. Nothing shifted his clothing either. Not ninjutsu....perhaps a form of medical or taijutsu? No, he recognized this sensation. Idly he would feel within himself and his chakra. Almost like meditating as he looked to her eyes. Studying her. He could feel some part of her within him. Manipulating his chakra like an oil in the water and shifting about here and there. Where he felt her his chakra was muddled. A practitioner of genjutsu....he hadn't expected that. It was a rare thing in a place like Iwa. All about physical might and brutal tactics. Subtle arts were often frowned on. So meeting someone else as capable was always a delight. He now saw her slightly different. Less the monster people feared her as but instead the master behind the puppet. That puppet being what she allowed others to see.

Still some part of it was unnatural and discomforting. Knowing the touch wasn't real made it that much more awkward. It was her goal he assumed. Still to prove his theory that it was that school of jutsu he would quietly focus his chakra and pulse it with his own wave of Kai. Dispersing the taint in his system with relative ease as the lessons he learned as a child were used once more. Effective though as it was the sudden lack of touch made it all the more apparent that she was playing with him. A game he knew well enough. He would smile even as their connection was broken and reach down gently to collect her hand in his if she let him. Helping her to her feet with a gentle pull. His head would lower as if to kiss her hand but surely he wouldn't be that forward. Instead his lips stopped just short. His hot breath on the back of her knuckles. It was there with her hand in his that he would seem to fade away from her sight. Revealing to her their similarities. He too was a practitioner of genjutsu. Before her would lay a picture of the room as it had been without him in it. Her hand would be released and if she too were to blow through kai she would see him back in his seat drinking his golden colored champagne again. A glass she would not have seen move during the genjutsu. Nothing he interacted with would have changed in the slightest visually. If she didn't bother with Kai she would simply hear him speak from his seat once more as ice clinked lightly indicating his drink had moved. Even though she would still see it resting on the table where he had left it.

"Well than I shall bid you good night. I look forward to the idea of working together of course. Feel free to use the way you came or the front door this time if you wish. Would be entertaining to see you scare the dickens out of the doorman. He would likely never see you coming." He would smile at the thought as he lifted his glass to her before returning to sipping at it. His mission was coming....as was his next promotion.

Exit thread
3537

Jutsu used :

Raiton C-B 2000/2000
1500/1500 Scar the sky - Sukaisukai B rank

Her gaze would remain intent upon him, watching him work through the wave of flustered confusion, yet quickly finding his composure once again, far quicker than most ever did. Interesting. The more she noted of the male before her the more interesting he seemed to become.  Often enough within Iwagakure, many would struggle to associate what style of jutsu she had performed, better yet many wouldn’t have cared, favoring the more brutal aspects. Yet such a jutsu as hers could have been used very, very differently as it usually had been.  And yet as the male performed the perfect Kai breaking their connection, she would fight back the most subtle of pouts, knowing the created connection was o longer accessible when finding she couldn't shift the sensation any longer as though the chakra had seeped back out of him and with that her left hand would slowly drop from its light touch against his chest as though to drop back to her knee as her form readied to stand whether he shifted to make room or not, yet it would be in that moment that he again performed the unexpected.  

His hand would reach down meeting her left hand before it could reach the sofa or her knee, and yet parts of her mind called for the hand to flinch back and away, the conditioning that her form had endured caused her hand to remain, allowing him to take it in his own would snuff out the invader of its space. For a moment longer she would enjoy it, naturally, the three fingers that remain would curl slightly to take grip a sot as his own, her thumb ever so lightly brushing the side of his hand in the process as though it would have to hold the hand securely. Her form would rise as though she herself floated with the subtle movements of the air, near weightlessness. Her gaze would follow his form as his torso lent down, his lips oddly close to the disfigured hand causing her brow to arch. As his lips opened the scent of her cold flesh could rush inside, closer to a taste at how close his lips were, sweet, almost sickly so, like that of lilly flowers left in the smogged heat of a dimly lit, closed room. Both a pleasing scent and yet a scent inbuilt into the human system enough to cause an array of emotions from sorrow to panic, occasionally inciting adrenaline as the body innately recognize the scent of a sweet rot, a slow death.  

Yet as his breath would flow over her knuckles seeping its warmth into her glove, her lips would part only to close again as he began to fade from her vision, instinctively her left hand would take a slightly tighter grip on his own hand. Luckily showing her that for the moment he was still there, giving an odd sensation. Yet instead of a panic, a smile would spread along her lips as though a joke had been whispered within her head cracking her smile into a small laughter, enough to expose her perfect pearly whites. What a pleasure. Her head would tilt up slightly as she felt his hand withdraw from her own, now allowing her orbs to close feeling out with her other senses as she inhaled deeply. His scent of course so thick within the room for her to follow the most recent of his movements yet, the scent of alcohol upon his lips would give a subtle indication as it mingled with his own scent creating something new. And as he spoke up her form would twist slightly to face him, the pure fluidity of her movements, following not only this unique scent but the sound of his voice. Her movements could easily have one believe she had broken from the genjutsu yet it would remain, allowing her to get a true feeling for his chakra, its scent if you will. Allowing her chakra to swell about his within her before it would snuff out the foreign invasion. Her piercing orb would open before flickering to the ground. She would step as though walking to him only to drop the file into his lap, from about an inch above him before grazing her fingers along it as she rose again to slowly walk about the back of the seat, allowing her fingers to continue their movement as though to graze them against the seat as though he were not there, only then would she break the genjutsu with a Kai of her own, just as her fingers, without falter, continued their movement over his collarbone, having traveled in theory from the file to his abdomen and up, removing the touch naturally as it last brushed the lobe of his ear.  

Her hand would instead dip carefully into his ice bucket, careful to touch only one as she retrieved it, pluck it from the bucket before raising it to the visible section of her lips as she strode back to the window in which she had entered.  Her next step passed the threshold would be to slip her foot into one of her slippers that awaited her on the balcony still, her left hand reaching to take hold of the window frame to steady her form as it lent down to straighten the backs of her slippers as her other foot slipped into place. only then as she straightened would she turn slightly to look at him as though savouring the moment her smile still in place as she spoke, her gaze washing over him, “hn it would seem we have both been within one another tonight, how quaint. What an interesting gentleman, now I look forward to your performances more than ever.” and with that, she would turn away hopping with ease onto the balcony’s stone guard. Her body would flow forwards as though falling gracefully only for her to take a step and be gone. Scaling down the side of the building, instead of trailing back the way she had come she would silently seem to glide down until finding the doorman only then would she step from the wall touching down beside the doorman so that he could see with ease, her visible features as he turned to face her, jumping back a foot or two a yelp of shock echoing within the night. “Sergeant Heishi, Kejido, is rather tired and doesn't wish for any more visitors tonight.” Her tongue would flicker out to graze her lip, her hair a touch windswept from the speed of her decent and the broad smile still along her lips. “he needs the sleep.” And with that, without waiting for a response she would stride away, her steps heading to the hospital as such would be expected of her, as she had yet to technically be discharged from the building and once out of sight the doorman would swing around and into the doors he had supposed to have been guarding, rushing inside, locking the doors behind him before sprinting up to Kejido’s room, intent on checking if her words were true. She had after all seemed to appear like a ghostly apparition, almost a subtle glow in tainted white against the darkness of the night.

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285/350:

Word count: 1219.
Total word count: 5019.

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Training: Towards Iryojutsu: 5000/5000