Mixed Signals [P, TOPKite]

Age : 29 Posts : 37

Don’t hold me up now, I can stand my own ground…

Ah, this place brought back memories. The land’s climate was very temperate and mild, rather warm indeed compared to the place that Yuzuki used to call home. It was approaching evening as she entered the borders of The Fire Country, a place she had visited in her childhood; one of the locations of her father’s tour around the shinobi world to flaunt their family’s power and wealth. Her memories of it had long since become bitter, because of the way she was treated on those trips by her god-forsaken nanny. That woman had never been happy with what she could do, in spite of her exemplary use of manners, ability to play instruments and her way of pleasing of the crowds of Lords and wealthy persons. Was that not her job back then? And yet she would be scolded for even doing that. Everything she ever experienced was negative; she never once received any praise back then when she was a child. She despised how her mother and father treated her, even though the former had given her life so that her daughter could live on. They were far too elitist. They never wanted her as a child, they wanted her as an ornament; something to offer around and show off. Not something to love and care for.

That being said, even if they had been loving towards her and nurtured her development as a child, surely now she would put a sour spin on things. Perhaps something like they had been too soft on her, and should have been firmer. Either way, the Kessho clan member was not one to be easily pleased. She had discarded her family name in favour of one that she liked due to what had happened in the Mountain Country, and how the Kessho clan had literally pushed her to the side-lines because of her being female instead of male.

While this country wasn’t a happy place for her, at least it was somewhere that she knew. She recognised the long singular road leading down to the village, Konohagakure no Sato, and she could even identify with the scent, the sounds that animals around here made, and all sorts of other things. It was nice; the first time she felt somewhat ‘at home’ since her old home had been burnt to the ground and pillaged because of her parents and their inherently selfish nature. She had no plans of requesting entry to the village, because that was where the tedious memories had happened (mostly), and so as such she made plans to venture further into the country until she made camp somewhere for the night. She had no idea why she was here, really. It had been her lack of ties that made her venture for something that she could relate to, even if it was in bad memories that transpired. She liked being able to have ties to somewhere, but she would never admit as such to herself. If anybody asked her what had brought her here, she would simply shrug her shoulders and crisply answer that she was allowed to go where she liked, considering she had no affiliation to any village of any kind. She was her own boss, she could do what she wanted and she didn’t half do as much. She sighed irritably to herself as she folded her arms across her chest and scowled at the numerous buzzing bugs that floated in the air in front of her, buzzing irritably and trying to latch themselves onto her. She’d curse at them and flap her hands around, being careful not to open her mouth just in case some of them decided to take refuge there… the thought utterly repulsed her. The more she reacted to the bugs, the more attracted they seemed to her, and swarmed around her persistently, landing on her bare skin and making her very insides crawl with disgust. She flailed around so much that her hair fell out of its elaborate styling, resting loose and unruly past her shoulder blades as the flying spawns of damnation followed her, even getting tangled in her orange locks.

A loud and utterly frustrated shriek echoed in the forests of The Fire Country as the ex-princess started to run, hoping to lose the unbelievably persistent bugs. She didn’t stop running until her chest started to heave with over-exertion; she was no runner, and she could only move as such because of her relentless shinobi training that she had done herself. Her body wasn’t formed for running great distances, and she could move fast due to her natural flexibility and ability to dodge things rather well. She muttered foul curses underneath her breath, not befitting a princess whatsoever, as she stormed ahead just to make sure that she was as far away from the bugs as humanly possible. Why was nature so damn disgusting? And why was humanity so… much worse? As much as bugs repulsed her and made her want to throw up the contents of her stomach, human contact made her feel even worse than that. Finally, when she was satisfied that she had moved far enough from the obvious nest of mosquito-like creatures, she moved off the main path and down a small offshoot, aiming to make camp around this area. She dumped her little amount of belongings at the base of a felled tree, heaving a huge sigh and huffing softly, sitting down beside her things and busying herself with making a fire. Darkness was approaching fast, and she had to make dinner for herself too, as well as keep the wildlife away from her while she slept. After striking at a flint for what seemed like forever, her little fire leapt into life. She briefly warmed herself beside it and then started to prepare herself for winding down.

She brought out a brush to tug through her unruly locks, gagging as she saw the bugs squished on the brush paddle after every stroke she pulled it through her hair. It didn’t bother her so much that she was leaving her hair down at this point, because she wasn’t about to come into any human contact while she was out in the wilderness. And while it wasn’t particularly late, she was still off the beaten track slightly, so that nobody would stumble across her (she hoped). If she would be around people, she absolutely had to have her hair up to befit her royal status, which she liked to laud over other people; very much so. With her hair-care crisis over, she’d change her clothing into a silken kimono-style nightdress. It was made of very fine materials, and its colours were very rich indeed, much like the rest of her clothing. To stop it from spoiling, she laid down some covers beneath her backside, not wishing to get the perfect cream garment dirty. It reached just above her knees in a floaty fashion, and had three-quarter billowing sleeves with elaborate floral patterns covering the nightdress. It was one of her favourites, that much was for sure, and she always wore it to make herself feel better about herself, or to just feel better in general. She huddled up beside the fire, bringing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin atop them, watching the flickering flames and heaving a soft sigh. It was at night time when she felt the most lonely. Of course, she would never admit it to herself, that she would ever get lonely. But being a misanthrope was difficult at the best of times. Everybody needed human contact, and every human being yearned for company deep down, no matter what wrongs had been committed against them. Feeling utterly conflicted, she huffed softly and then sighed in a pining fashion, her soft blue eyes at half-mast as she shivered deep down, not from lack of warmth, but rather a specific lack of human warmth.

I don’t need your help now, you will let me down, down, down…

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

It's getting dark. The boy mentally groaned to himself as he glanced up toward the darkening sky overhead, the orange glow from the setting sun seeming like nothing more than a faint and distant ember on its last few seconds of life. A small frown formed across those thin lips, a look of displeasure and frustration taking hold of those angular yet handsome features of his. A soft sigh would manage to escape the young man as his amber hues moved back to the space before him, heading earthward as he began to search the ground in front of him, using both arms to part the dense foliage that seemed to surround him on all sides. The subtle sounds of his infantile grumblings could be heard in the immediate space around him, along with the noise of the disturbed brush, leaves and branches snapping and caressing one another. He was making no real attempt to conceal his presence, seeing no need to really do so. This was his home, a relatively safe area that was not too far from the village. Call it confidence or inexperience, but Suzaku truly didn't feel the need to maintain that sense of overbearing caution that caused one so much undue stress.

Perhaps if the boy were older or more experienced he may have appreciated the value in taking such careful and sometimes tedious precautions to always keep one's location masked from the world around them. Such a thought wasn't even present in the boy's mind however, rather it drifted to more simple things. He was hungry, he was tired and he was bored. Where is that stupid dog? He found himself thinking bitterly about his current task, finding both frustrating and insulting at the same time. He had not gone through military training for years on end to be a glorified dog catcher.

"I swear, when I find that damned mutt, I'm going to fry him up."

He'd whisper to himself as he felt one of the more resilient branches from a high-standing bush fail to break, instead bending only to snap back in Suzaku's face, causing the boy to grunt and lash out with his left hand to move it away in a hasty manner. Everything about his body language, down to the tiniest movement seemed to announce to the world his current emotional state. He did not want to be out here and now that it was getting dark he knew that his job would be that much harder. Sure, he could return home and start to the search again but his stubborn nature refused to let him do so. No. He had to find the mongrel before he could allow himself the luxury of a nice warm shower and a soft bed; both things which he had gotten used to and admittedly rather addicted to ever since he and his father had managed to move into their new home.

As the thought passed through his mind, the boy's features shifted, allowing a small thin-lipped smile to creep across his face. Such an expression was short-lived however as he noticed a faint buzzing sound invading his personal air-space. Upon closer listening Suzaku realized that the sound was not singular, but rather coming in droves. Another groan escaped the young dark haired male as his movements suddenly sped up. It didn't take a genius to recognize that the high-pitched buzzing belonged to a swarm of blood sucking insects that were incidentally a sub-species of mosquito that were native to Hi No Kuni. Suzaku hated insects in general, but he held a special kind of hate for any that could bite, sting or suck blood. The thought of his body being turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet for the damnable critters of the forest was not an appealing one at all. With any luck the pooch might have gotten gobbled up by something. That would make my job easier.

The rather dark thought came with a wry smile. Despite thinking that, he knew in his heart of hearts that he'd never truly wish for anything to happen to the stupid dog. The dog was obviously special to the client, whom had gone through the trouble of hiring shinobi to find the missing pet. Suzaku may not have understood how someone could value something like a dog or a cat as much as a human life, but he could appreciate that not everyone viewed the world as he did. To each their own. Of course the other move obvious reason to Suzaku's concern to the animal's well-being was the simple fact that Suzaku wouldn't receive his mission-completion bonus if he turned up without the canine. Money was always the bottom-line and Suzaku knew this more than anyone. Money was what made survival so much easier and it allowed for one to make even more if it was used correctly. It was truly the gift that kept on giving in a sense. Suzaku was quite the business man, always looking for an opportunity to improve his financial state and though such a tendency could be characterized as one simply being greedy, the boy knew that it came from a good place though the reasoning for his fascination with money was something he had never shared with a single soul.

Shaking his head after a moment, Suzaku mentally scolded himself for allowing his mind to wander. While his current task was admittedly mind-numbing in its tedium and frustration, the boy knew that he needed to maintain focus and keep his mind on the task at hand; doing so would allow him to hopefully complete the mission that much faster and also hopefully give him a better shot of recovering the lost pet in one piece.

Suzaku's speed increased once more, moving an impressive click at this point as he worked efficiently to push aside the obstacles that would otherwise obstruct his path. Like a hot knife through butter, his body cut a swath through the forest with little trouble, only slowing when he noticed a faint glow in the not so distant clearing ahead. It struck the boy as odd that someone might choose to set camp in such an area, especially with the village being so close in proximity. Even more suspicious was the fact that whoever had claimed this area for the night had done so a good distance from the main road. It told Suzaku one important thing: whoever had set up in this area did not wish to be found by others. Despite coming to this conclusion Suzaku felt compelled to investigate the situation further. If the person or persons in question posed a suitable threat to the village then it was the raven-haired youth's duty to report them to the authorities if not dispatch them himself.

Still, rushing headlong toward a potential and unknown enemy was foolish. Suzaku began to move quietly, skittering around the outside of the camp and well beyond the glow of the campfire. It didn't take long for his amber hues to fall upon the feminine figure whom sat hunched near the open flame, knees pulled to her chest with her head resting atop. Immediately Suzaku's attention was drawn toward the female's dress, his scrutinous gaze immediately appraising the material which she wore. It was obviously of high value and good make, perhaps silk or some other equally luxurious material that was better suited for indoor use rather than being exposed to the elements as one usually found themselves when traveling or camping. Was she lost? His eyes moved toward her gear which was laid out in a somewhat organized fashion near her. It was hard to tell whether she was an experienced traveler or a lost girl, though judging from the look on her face and the way she had her things laid out, Suzaku found himself leaning more toward the prior rather than the latter. Still, there was something about the expression she wore. He had seen it before, a lonely look that made the boy's heart ache ever so slightly. How many times had he mirrored that same expression in his life?

Upon one final visual sweep he'd quickly assess that she was most likely not an immediate threat, nor dangerous to approach given that he currently saw very few weapons within effective reaching distance. Of course that wasn't the only thing that was brought to Suzaku's attention. While the boy was embarrassed to admit it, it did not go unnoticed that the length of her kimono was a tad shorter than the usual cut for traditional wear and with her current bodily position, this only seemed to make the clothing ride up her thighs a bit more, showing a great deal of leg to any who looked upon her. The raven-haired youth couldn't help but feel a bit "dirty" looking at her like this while she was seemingly oblivious to his presence, lost in her own thoughts. This thought didn't last long, however as he quickly began to move forward, emerging from the brush opposite of her, separated by the dancing flames that rose from the impromptu fire pit.

"Wow. It's not everyday you find someone camped out in these parts. Are you lost?"

As he spoke his amber hues found themselves narrowing ever so slightly, a mixture of concern and curiosity playing on his face as he stood before her in a seemingly nonchalant and almost carefree manner. For now all thoughts of the lost puppy had gone out the window, this situation was already far more interesting than a search for a missing pet.

SC:

Age : 29 Posts : 37

Don’t hold me up now, I can stand my own ground…

The longer she stared into the fire pit that she had made, the more she was reminded of the place she used to call home. In her bedroom back at the old Kessho-Fuzuki clan palace of sorts, there was a very old fashioned fireplace that a much younger version of herself absolutely adored. Every time the grumpy old nanny would enter the room during winter times, or colder nights, she would watch in awe from her huge queen-sized bed with its hanging red velvet drapes. Yuzuki’s eyes had been fixed on the old woman’s work, of how striking a strange stone against another would create these dancing sparks, which would leap onto a pile of dry wood and a roaring fire would be born. ‘Noriko-san, that’s so amazing! Will you be able to teach me one day how to do that?’ The young girl would ask every time it happened, indigo orbs wide with expectation and sheer delight at the prospect of being able to accomplish such a feat. Every time, however, the flaxen-haired woman would turn and stare with utter disgust plastered on her face at the young princess, huffing slightly before turning away. ‘You know what you must learn, Kessho Yuzuki, and it does not involve building fires. We must all know our place.’ And with that, the extremely bitter nanny would sweep from the room, leaving an utterly crushed princess in her wake.

As the girl now looked into the flickering flames of the fire she had made for herself, by herself, with no help from anyone else, she smiled a little in a lopsided manner to herself as if she had remembered a specific kind of joke. Not a particularly savoury joke, that being said. While the woman who basically raised her while she was growing up was, at the time, the bane of her existence, Noriko had some very valid points. But her logic was ultimately flawed, and didn’t allow for the harsh, cruel sense of humour that life seemed to have. One day, she had been a princess living in a beautiful modern castle, with all she could ever want. And the next day, she was an outcast, nothing more than the lone survivor of a bloodthirsty attack on her family. While you may or may not learn your place in society, it did not mean under any circumstances that it was set in stone. Adaptability was key in this life, otherwise all else was lost. If Yuzuki had not learnt the hard way how to look after herself, she would have been dead and gone three years ago. The small trace of a smile vanished as quickly as it had placed itself on her lips, her eyes staring vacantly into the flames. If she wasn’t so lost in her past memories and depressing thoughts, she may have noticed a vital factor; she wasn’t alone anymore. As such, when she heard rustling from opposite her across the fire, she instantly jumped and reacted as was part of her second nature; she scrambled down at her side underneath the covers beneath her backside, trying to find something, anything, that she could use as possible method of defending herself. All she found was a particularly small and unthreatening branch, which she wielded like anybody else would use a kunai. In a swift movement, she was up on her feet and pointing the stick towards her possible attacker before he had even said a word, her indigo eyes fixed on him and ready for noticing even the slightest twitch that she didn’t like the look of. His comment that followed his sudden appearance made her grip tighten on the stick she was holding, tilting her head to the side and looking at him from said angle, seeming to notice for the first time since he appeared that… she was hardly dressed for a confrontation.

She looked down at the ‘weapon’ she had grabbed with disgust, heaved a sigh and threw it into the fire which elicited a harsh crackling sound. “No, I am more than aware of where I am currently situated… thank you very much.” She looked back at her possible assailant, even though she had pretty much drawn a line through that possibility. After all, he had asked her if she was lost; he hadn’t immediately jumped on her and slit her throat, which would have been more than possible given the circumstances. She most certainly hadn’t been paying attention. Besides, he didn’t appear to be much of a threat. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that she was at least a couple of inches taller than him, and she had the advantage of him underestimating her due to the current attire in which she appeared. She couldn’t help but wonder why anybody else would be out this late away from the village (if they were a shinobi of that place), or why a Nukenin would seek out trouble. And here she had been thinking that she would be safe from human contact. While she had indeed been surprised by the teen’s sudden appearance, it didn’t reflect as much on her face. Her eternal mask of indifference continued to cover her face, even though she was currently feeling… more than just a little bit embarrassed by the fact that she was wearing a nightdress and had her hair left down. The latter just never happened, unless she was literally sleeping. Until the moment she put her head down onto the pillow, she would keep her long orange locks back and elaborately styled in some form. Such was the tradition of the royal part of her heritage.

She subconsciously dusted down her cream nightdress, her eyes never leaving the form of the stranger stood opposite her, tilting her head to either side before deciding that it couldn’t hurt to be a little curious. He looked to be of around her age, and unless he was a prodigy of some kind, she felt as if she could handle herself if things turned ugly in some way. Yuzuki seated herself back on the covers she had laid down, kneeling in a more dignified manner even though the hem of her nightdress slid up to her mid-thighs in the process. She didn’t notice nor did she care about that, however, as she fished around inside the contents of her rucksack, pulling out numerous tins and a small copper pot, which came equipped with a collapsible (very flimsy) stand which would elevate it above a campfire. As she worked to empty the contents of each tin inside the pot, she briefly glanced up at the stranger with a slight quirk of her eyebrow. “What about you? Isn’t it past your bedtime?” She jested in a very crisp almost emotionless voice, obviously getting the idea of humour but not particularly having the… experience to back it up with. Subtle things, like changing the tone of her voice or using a facial expression to make it obvious that she was joking, were lost on her. Growing up it wasn’t as if her parents ever jested or had any fun of any description. So she could never really learn. She drew out a small tin spoon and stirred the mixture around inside its pot, cracking open a small tin can and pouring some condensed stock inside to complete her little stew, which consisted of canned meat (the kind of which was lost on her), some canned sweetcorn and canned beans. An odd combination, for sure, but it was not like she was a chef of any description.

She leant forward close to the fire, but not too close so that she would be burnt, and erected the stand for her copper pot, which she hung in the centre over the flames. Her indigo eyes quickly glanced over her current companion (which in spite of herself she felt somewhat comforted by), not spotting an immediate sign of identification about his person that she could see. It was dimly lit, however, and thus made sense if his forehead protector wasn’t very visible under typical circumstances. “So, you got a name, or will I have to start calling you Amber Boy?” She gestured a hand towards his face, where two amber orbs were glistening in the fire’s flickering light. Quite a noticeable feature to her, at least, when his hair was quite typically black. It appeared that brown and black hair was very standard among most, and the colour of her bright orange locks were a massive oddity. That aside, she waited for his responses if he had any, secretly marvelling at how… nice she was being to this stranger. Well, ‘nice’ by her standards were bordering on rude to anybody else.

I don’t need your help now, you will let me down, down, down…

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

Suzaku made no sudden motions, gave her no reason to fear or suspect him more than she already seemed to do. The choice to remain relatively stationary, however, was not made in the interest to provide her comfort or reassurance but rather out of sheer laziness. Suzaku was quite tired, having been out all day and both the prospect of moving about any more than he had to or inadvertently starting a physical confrontation with this strange female put a small frown on his face. His amber hues continued to stare at her with a scrutinizing gaze, his detail-oriented eyes running up and down her form several times as he tried to assess her state. She was wearing little more than that night dress, it had seemed, failing to even keep a weapon strapped to her thigh as was common practice among experienced travelers. It would have indeed been safer if she could always keep something like a knife within arm's reach, especially when dressed like that. Suzaku's mind wandered ever so slightly. Her current attire left little to the imagination and though she was definitely taller than him, such a fact didn't seem to bother the rave-haired youth in the least; the boy was more bothered by the fact that his mind had begun to wander down such unsavory paths. “No, I am more than aware of where I am currently situated… thank you very much.”

The woman's voice suddenly brought the boy back to his senses. That's right, there was no time to entertain such fantasies. A small shake of the head followed by a subtle nod would make it known that he heard what she had said and understood. Despite that he couldn't help but imbue his response with a bit of sarcastic wit. The act was largely automatic and second nature to him and it was only after the words had begun to flow that he realized how a stranger whom he just met in the woods in the middle of the night might not take too kindly to his cheekiness. But before he could stop himself he had already started and thus remained committed to the act.

"Alright then, so you know that instead of camping out here all alone in the wilderness where both people and animals could sneak up on you, there's a village that is open to tourism right over there."

As he spoke he'd flash her a small smile as he pointed off in a random direction, which if the female had any sense of direction she'd realize was the opposite direction from the village. A second or two would pass as he kept his arm extended outward before he'd suddenly frown.

"...Or was it there?"

Suzaku's arm would drift slowly in another direction, pointing at the section of forest behind the woman. He'd sigh after a moment before lowering his arm, shaking his head a bit as his eyes fell toward the ground for but a moment, obviously slightly frustrated by the fact that he couldn't exactly remember in which direction he had came from. That would definitely make getting back hard at this time of night. There was also that dog; he couldn't return without it. His eyes would refocus on her once more as he watched her seemingly relax, setting aside her makeshift weapon - the rather intimidating looking stick, in order to produce what looked like a few cooking implements. Suzaku watched her work with an expression of genuine interest. In truth the youth was still trying to decide on whether she was truly a seasoned traveler or just someone who had managed to get lost in some form or fashion. Despite her dress and seeming lack of caution, she seemed more or less experienced in taking care of herself. “What about you? Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

Though the delivery was flat and gave virtually no room for one to interpret the question as a joke, Suzaku still seemed to find himself smirking. Perhaps he had found the humor that had been intended, or perhaps he himself found that the question struck a personal cord; it was hard to say and he'd give no real indication as to why he smiled so ruefully at her words.

"I'm looking for a dog; a puppy to be precise."

His amber hues began to shift slowly away from her, scanning the immediate area as he so often did. His expression changed, becoming more focused as he tried to search the surrounding darkness for any sign of movement that might point him in the right direction. His search didn't last long however as the woman's words seemed to pull at his attention once more, causing those amber pools to converge on her yet again.

"Suzaku."

He'd say rather simply as his own head now tilted slightly much in the same manner in which she had held her own. His eyes remained fixed on her now, taking an interest in her physical features at present; both her womanly assets and in general. What caught his interest the most though was the mess of orange that sat atop her head. The color itself was something to take notice of, it being a rather rare and unusual pigmentation than the standard phenotype that was typically seen. More than that though, the condition of her hair was also noticed. While it was currently down, Suzaku could easily tell that it was well taken care of, in fact the boy felt that he could safely assume that it had been recently brushed as the woman's locks looked smooth and untangled. There didn't seem to be a single strand that was out of place, though he was sure that if she was as obsessive over her hair as believed that she'd protest such a statement. The other feature that struck him were her eyes, the same eyes that had held such a lonely expression only moments ago. Such loneliness seemed absent at present, having been replaced with a sound stoicism that told Suzaku that he was dealing with a rather guarded individual. His head remained canted to the side as he stared at her, amber hues trying to catch a momentary gaze of her indigo ones. The moment they did he'd ask his question.

"What about yours?"

He'd slowly crouch now, resting on his haunches in front of the fire, the action putting him at nearly eye level with her rather than remaining standing over her. Subconsciously such an action felt more comfortable, conversing with someone where he could see their face more clearly, even if their attention flickered back and forth between him and their current task. The small smirk was gone, but his tone remained relaxed and carefree nonetheless. It was obvious that finding the dog wasn't exactly on the top of his to-do list. Upon crouching he'd scoot a bit closer to the fire, casting himself within its warm orange glow, further illuminating his features and attired. The thin gray fleece jacket that sat comfortably in a slightly baggy fashion over his lithe frame and overlying the crimson red shirt beneath was a mess. Indeed the overgarment had a great many holes interspersed among its material. The shirt beneath seemed to have fared no better, both wrinkled and torn in several places, portions of his exposed torso could be seen even in this darkness. The overall ragged appearance of the youth was only further accentuated by the baggy and hole-ridden black cargo pants that adorned his legs, only to be taped off at the bottom by a scant amount of white athletic tape that worked to reign in the otherwise billowing fabric, allowing it to come to a head around his ankles which were nearly covered by the dark blue shinobi style sandals that were seemingly standard among most practicing ninja. The headband which she had searched for earlier would now be present, resting on his left thigh, hanging from his belt. The Konohagakure insignia would be displayed clearly yet heavily understated as he chose to wear it in such a casual fashion.

SC:

Age : 29 Posts : 37

Don’t hold me up now, I can stand my own ground…

The orange-haired girl worked intently on her current task, but allowed herself to be distracted by the uninvited company that seemed to have decided to stay here. If it was anybody else, she had no doubt in her mind that they would have been long gone after first stumbling upon her, but something about this stranger seemed to intrigue her. And it wasn’t just because he looked attractive to her, especially in the strange dim flickering light that illuminated him while he was still stood over her. This was all undeniably very strange, what with being a misanthrope that despised all human company for the past three years of her young life. She forced herself to work on the food in front of her, stirring the mixture over the scorching flames below until quite the pleasurable smell started to rise from it in soft steam-like entrails. Following her very snarky and blunt statement to him earlier about whether she knew where she was or not, he retorted with what she recognised as something called ‘sarcasm’. The dry humour caught her slightly unawares, because she hadn’t really experienced any humour like it apart from the time that she was trained by a fellow misanthrope and her teacher two years ago. A small smirk touched her lips as she leant forward over the food she was currently cooking, looking up at him and raising both eyebrows in a manner that pointed out his obvious slip in direction. She knew exactly where she was, and in what proximity she was to that god-forsaken village. “Of course I know. Who doesn’t know about Konohagakure no Sato, the infamous gag-inducing Will of Fire-spewing nonces?” Her humour matched his in a sense, with the sarcasm and rather biting tone, as a way to hide her true… hatred for the place. Her words managed to speak volumes regarding this fact, however, as she didn’t make it particularly subtle in that sense. “I’d rather take my chances with the lost teenagers and possibly lethal wildlife.” She muttered as an afterthought, making it audible for him as she had poked fun at the fact that he obviously couldn’t recall where he had come from, and was somewhat lost (perhaps not as much as he let on, but even so… worth a joke). Her hand continued its ceaseless soft stirring motions in the small stew she was creating, indigo orbs fixed on her work to make sure that she didn’t mess anything up. Especially not since she had managed to gather a meagre audience to watch her cooking skills in action.

Yuzuki would look up lazily at him when he mentioned how he was out looking for a lost puppy of some sorts, surprised to find that he wasn’t offended by her terrible attempt at a joke earlier about his bedtime being gone and past. ‘Huh.’ She thought to herself, eyes briefly widening as she tried to comprehend this fact. Either this youth shared her very lacking people skills, or he was humouring her massively. She shrugged her slight shoulders, briefly pausing in her stirring motions to look back up again and give him her full attention for a short time. “If it helps, I haven’t seen any dogs, little ones or otherwise, while I’ve been here.” She told him, letting on that he was in the wrong area to be searching for a lost house pet. After giving her response in regard to the puppy, he finally gave her a name to call him by, and it wasn’t Amber Boy (surprisingly). His name was Suzaku; a name that she had never heard before, but that wasn’t saying much. The only names she knew of while growing up was her nanny’s, and some relatives. She never did learn the names of her parents, right up until the end when she last saw both of them. They were only ever known as ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’, or at formal events it was ‘Mrs. Fuzuki’ and ‘Mr. Kessho’. That had indeed been a strange experience, as a young girl not even of the age to understand such things, she had to address her parents formally. So, as far as she knew, Suzaku was an uncommon name and she knew that it wouldn’t be one that she would forget.

She busied herself with cooking once more, perhaps for another minute or so, before her gaze drifted back to him, only to be surprised that her indigo orbs met his amber ones. He had been looking at her the whole time? It was then that he asked her what name she went by, a question which elicited a slight clearing of her throat until she took a short amount of time to check on her food and then tell him. “Yuzuki.” She responded in the same simple manner as he had done. There was no need for surnames, especially not her true blood one. If ever she gave a surname, she would use the one which she had fashioned for herself. ‘Tsubasa’, which translated to ‘Wing’ and thus related to birds, who had wings so that they could fly and be free. Maybe if she somehow interacted more closely with this boy, she might share this fake surname with him. At the moment, however, it wasn’t even needed. The next time she looked back at him, she noticed that he had crouched down instead of being stood over her. While she didn’t mind him being stood up and being oppressive in that sense, she did feel a little more at ease with him at her eyelevel. She took the opportunity to study his countenance more closely, especially since the firelight was illuminating him better in that way. She saw how he appeared to be rather dishevelled, which was probably as a result of this task that he was undertaking; undoubtedly for his village. Even so… finding a lost dog shouldn’t wreck clothes so much unless he had been hacking his way through really heavy-duty locations that had brambles and/ or animals that could rip it in such ways. His fleece jacket had holes in it and even his shirt had been torn in a lot of places across his torso. Her inner snob started screaming that he was a scruffy young boy and nothing more, but that part of her had been largely suppressed, so it didn’t take much to stifle it.

In the time she had been staring at Suzaku as subtly as she could, the stew she had been cooking finally smelt done. She brought the tin spoon up to her lips delicately, blowing at the steaming food before taking a bite and nodding to herself, a self-affirmation that it was cooked. She’d rummage around in her bag for a small tin bowl, knocking it against something else that was made of tin that caught her unaware. Of course, she had two bowls. It slipped her mind when she never ate with anyone else before, and she only had two because the camping supplies were sold for two people. She took the two bowls out of her rucksack and filled both with ample amounts of the very haphazard stew, holding one out for the strange boy without a word, not even looking at him when she placed a fork in it and waited for him to take the food from her. “You must be hungry.” She spoke at last, turning to look at him and raise her eyebrows, using the gesture to encourage him to take it.

I don’t need your help now, you will let me down, down, down…

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

Keeping low to the ground, Suzaku watched as the girl worked. Her voice rang several times over in the back of his mind, stating her name repeatedly until it had been driven into his memory with no risk of being forgotten.

"Yuzuki..."

His voice rumbled, low and gravelly in character as the word left his lips. It wasn't a name he had ever heard before. Already he could feel his head canting to the side as he pondered over it and over her. What was she doing out here if she was not lost? Why did she hold such a disdain for the village which he called home? He couldn't help but think of his old friend, Masamori. How would he have reacted to hearing such blatant bitterness directed at his beloved village? Suzaku was thankfully a bit more laid back about such things. While the boy was indeed loyal to his home, he was not blindingly so as to condemn others for not sharing his opinion; so long as those who didn't meant no harm to him or those he cared for.

“You must be hungry.” The boy wouldn't be left to contemplate for long however, as his attention was quickly pulled back in her direction at the sound of her voice. Obviously caught off guard, his eyes widened for a split second as an expression of surprise flashed across his angular features. Just as quickly as it had appeared though, it vanished, replaced with the stoic affect he had wore only moments before. His eyes now moved down toward the bowl being offered to him. He hesitated, seemingly unsure of what to make of the situation before slowly reaching out to take the offering at her subtle insistence, granting a silent nod of gratitude to the orange-haired girl. With the food firmly in hand he found himself staring at the impromptu meal, still unsure as to whether it was best to consume it or find a suitable excuse as to why he could not. In the end though his hunger won out over caution. There was no reason to suspect her; she had given him none. Perhaps if the raven-haired youth had been older or more experienced as a ninja he would have thought over his actions a bit more, but his naïveté was too strong and most likely very apparent as he wrapped his calloused digits around the spoon's handle, holding it incorrectly in a tight, full-fisted grip as he proceeded to taste the freshly prepared stew.

Upon taking the food in, Suzaku would register the taste as it coated his tongue and flooded his senses. His eyes would widen suddenly as he slowly pulled the utensil from his lips. Several long seconds would pass as he stared down at the bowl he held, the boy at a loss for words. His mind desperately searched for the right thing to say, completely oblivious to the rather stunned expression he held on his face. Eventually he'd look up at her, head snapping in a jerking motion as his expression shifted again; those angular features of his molding into a genuine smile of delight.

"This is really good!"

The words were spoken with a ring of excitement that was now ever present in his voice, the young shinobi obviously enjoying Yuzuki's cooking. His eyes narrowed slightly, small wrinkles forming at the edges which only added to the uncharacteristic but no less genuine smile he wore. He'd quickly set to work on his bowl, eagerly taking another spoonful of the stew and downing several more before slowing. His eyes would drift back toward her once again, staring at her as she ate and taking a moment to admire those womanly features he had noticed her; features which were made all the more noticeable with her current attire. Suzaku would remain silent however, only speaking the moment his eyes caught hers, staring into her indigo pools.

"I know it's probably none of my business, but what are you doing out here anyway? I doubt you're out here for the scenery and you don't seem to be very fond of the locals."

As he spoke he'd float a slight smirk, obviously referring to the disapproving yet sarcastic tone she had used when referring to the nearby village. He was truly curious where such animosity came from and ultimately hoped that this line of questioning would eventually shed some light on this mysterious girl's identity and her purpose for camping out so close to the village that she seemed to hate so much.

His eyes would remain fixed on hers for as long as she'd allow, only moving back toward his food when she broke the stare, his smirk slowly vanishing as he began to eat faster, finishing what was left in the bowl she had offered. Once finished the young shinobi would allow his weight to fall backwards, letting his body shift from his crouched position into a seated one, his legs quickly stretching out toward the fire once he was fully seated. Again he found himself watching her, both fascinated by her orange hair and indigo hues and genuinely curious as to why someone would rather stay out in the wilderness when civilization was literally a short walk away. Curiosity would turn to speculation as his mind began to formulate thoughts and guesses about her potential past. Was she a criminal? Was she on the run from someone? Was she being hunted? Did she have a history with Konoha? All of these things might have explained her aversion to the very thought of walking through Konoha's gates and a few of these things admittedly caused Suzaku a bit of anxiety; anxiety that the dark haired youth did well not to exhibit.

"You know, if you're going to stay out in the woods like this, you should at least keep a weapon within arm's reach. While the stick you had earlier was definitely threatening enough, I seriously doubt its effectiveness against someone armed with a sword."

As he spoke his right hand would move toward his hip, sliding over and patting the hilt of his katana, the gesture drawing attention to the weapon as he tried to get his point across. He'd then slowly move his hand down from the blade toward his thigh and the large knife that was strapped to it. With slow, non-threatening motions he'd draw the weapon from its sheath, holding it out toward her, allowing her to see the length of the weapon before suddenly tossing his weapon upward with the flick of the wrist, causing it to spin end over end before being caught firmly by the blade, the handle pointing in her direction.

"Here. If you don't have a weapon you can have this. If you aren't going to come to the village then you should at least have something to protect yourself with."

Suzaku's arm would remain extended in her direction, eyes fixed on her form as he waited for her response, either to take the blade or refuse the offer. Once again his face held that seemingly stoic expression as it had earlier, his eyes searching for hers, aiming to lock into another stare as if to emphasize the seriousness of what he was saying. Eventually both eyebrows would begin to rise, slowly climbing toward his forehead, the subtle facial gesture mimicking the one she had used on him, urging her to take the knife as she had done to him with the food.

Age : 29 Posts : 37

Don’t hold me up now, I can stand my own ground…

She found it… rather strange how he repeated her name aloud in that tone of voice, and it caught her attention, needless to say. She looked at him and almost raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner, but decided against it. Instead, she simply resumed her task at hand, which at that moment included dishing up the stew she had made. Everything she ever cooked always tasted mediocre when compared to the food she used to have at the palace when, once upon a time, she had been a little princess. His reaction to her offering him food was one that she had expected, and rightly so, considering her own knowledge of her capabilities to poison his food. No, she wouldn’t do that. He intrigued her too much, this stranger named Suzaku. And she realised that she felt something a little different when compared to how she felt towards every other member of the human race. She waited and watched him, noticing how silent and awkward it felt as he simply stared at the food and seemed to be contemplating actually eating some of the stew she had made. As if to prove a point, she rolled her eyes a little and started to eat her own stew delicately. She ate a spoonful of the stuff, and then another, without any ill effects. Whether or not he took that to be encouragement, considering that the stew came from the same batch, he finally seemed to be able to take a mouthful of it. Yuzuki averted her attention briefly to continue eating her own stew, having noticed beforehand the very… wrong manner of how he held the spoon she had given him to eat with. Being trained from a young age with certain things, table manners being one of them, she knew that holding a spoon in that manner was not only wrong, but very impolite. Due to them not being seated at a table, however, she decided to let it slide with a shrug of her slight shoulders.

As she picked her way through the stew, she was startled by the statement from her current companion of how the food tasted… ‘really good’. She turned her head and looked at him in utter disbelief, indigo eyes wide and questioning as she looked at him and how happy he appeared to be having eaten the food. His smile was alien to her. It wasn’t like the fake ones she had witnessed or performed to become the adorable little princess that her parents wanted her to be. There was something profoundly different, in the way he seemed entirely… delighted. Emotions and the like were literally lost on her, but she could tell how he felt just by looking at him and seeing how his eyes told the same story as his smiling expression. She continued to watch him in sheer astonishment as he continued to eat the stew with such gusto, so very fast, when really she was aware of how basic this stew was. It succeeded in giving the basic dietary requirements of every human being. The meat provided protein, the canned sweetcorn added vegetation to the otherwise meaty dish, and the stock she had chosen contained trace amounts of dairy products to provide the somewhat creamier, smoother texture and taste. Everything she would need to remain healthy and nourished on her travels, absolutely. But it was hardly… tasty. “Thank you…” She muttered in sheer bewilderment, her eyes narrowing and her eyebrows furrowing as she stared at the stew she held in her own hands. “It’s hardly gourmet food, however. It just works for survival.” She shrugged it off as being nothing, realising that her cooking was hardly anything special due to never being taught. She only learnt through trial and error, and then her Medical Ninja training as she realised what she needed to eat every day in order to survive and sustain herself. Her eyes darted back to Suzaku and she took in his frame, starting to realise why he might find her food to taste so good. He appeared to be rather thin, wiry and underweight for his presumed age, which suggested a poor diet. She didn’t wish to jump to conclusions, and simply remained quiet about the fact she had deduced with her training in effect, simply going back to her meal and polishing off the rest in a slow-paced, very dignified manner.

Shortly after she finished her meal, she became aware of his amber eyes seemingly fixing on her. She paused and set aside her bowl before looking at him to see why he was looking at her, only to find that he immediately met her gaze and proceeded to ask questions that were rather close to home. He wanted to know what she was doing out here and why she refused to go inside Konohagakure, something which made her mouth immediately press into a tight line while she considered an answer that she could play off as being true. Well, the best lies were always the ones that focused on elements of the truth. Thus far, she didn’t find Suzaku to be the type that would go and notify his village of a Nukenin outside their walls, but she couldn’t be sure of that. So she couldn’t exactly let him know of her status in that way. That, and she couldn’t tell him about her royal heritage in any way. If he went back and blabbed, provided a description of her and all the rest of it, she would have Konohagakure nobility on her back trying to adopt her into their worthless families when they learnt of the tragedy that had befallen her own. She sighed and removed the cooking pot from over the fire, collapsing the wiry metal stand and setting it aside while she decided to speak, keeping her eyes fixed on her task so that he couldn’t trace any form of lie in her gaze. It wasn’t like her facial expressions or eyes ever gave much away, regardless. “The reason why I’m here… beats me. As someone with nowhere to go, I guess I was just finding old places to re-visit on my travels.” She shrugged casually, pulling out a large bottle of lake water from her rucksack which she used to pour some inside of the used pots and things that she had used to cook with. “Why I’m not particularly ‘fond’ of Konoha or the locals around these parts, well… it includes a great number of despicable nobility and duties.” Her tone of voice made it obvious that she didn’t wish to expand on that much, and the bitterness in her voice was very obvious indeed as her eyes narrowed when she poured some water into the large cooking pot and used an old rag to scrub at the insides to clean it. “I’m not a typical kunoichi in the fact that my so-called home resided in… Yama no Kuni.” Her eyes widened and her motions ceased as she said that without even thinking. Why was she telling this boy about the parts in her life that she would rather leave untouched? Everyone in the shinobi world knew about what happened to Yama no Kuni, with its terrible rebellion that massacred all individuals bar a small group, that among the massacred were the prestigious Kessho-Fuzuki clan.

She was very happy indeed when the subject was diverted away from that aspect of her past, or rather, herself in general. Instead, Suzaku made a joke about the stick she had picked up earlier to defend herself with, and how she needed a real weapon to do so if she was out and about travelling, or if she was alone in general. She looked at him curiously when he pointed out that he sported a katana at his side, and then wondered what he was doing when he removed a knife from a holster at his thigh and offered it handle-first to her. She extended a hand towards the weapon, looking at it curiously and then at him, wondering what the catch to this kind offer was. Her hand withdrew slightly as she considered that this could turn out to be quite nasty somehow; things usually did. “Do you often offer help and guidance to utter strangers, possibly dangerous criminals?” She sneered slightly, hinting at her identity and not currently caring about it. She looked at the knife again and heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes and grasping it in her left hand and turning it over and over in her palm, eyes narrowed at him as she contemplated the possible bad results. “… What’s the catch?”

I don’t need your help now, you will let me down, down, down…

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

“Do you often offer help and guidance to utter strangers, possibly dangerous criminals?” The question she posed caused the boy to raise an eyebrow. His gaze still focused on her as he waited for her to take the knife, saying nothing until the weapon was safely out of his hand and in hers. Once she had the weapon in hand he'd speak, though his intense stare never broke away from her form, his scrutinizing gaze surveying every detail as she inspected the gifted weapon, questioning his reason for the sudden generosity.

"Are you a dangerous criminal?"

He'd suddenly ask, recalling her phrasing from only moments ago. Now that he had heard a bit more about her he felt as though he were starting to get a clearer picture as to who this girl was. She had revealed herself to be a kunoichi, a foreign one at that, hailing from the lands of Yama no Kuni; wherever that was. In truth, Suzaku had little in the way of geographical or political knowledge. His grasp on current events was non-existent, leaving him largely ignorant of things that might have been considered "common knowledge". This was most likely to Yuzuki's benefit as it meant he would have been unable to connect any dots regarding her background beyond what she told him and subtly displayed. Judging from her current attire, he couldn't help but place her as someone who was or at one point had been well off. A "fat mark" as his father would have pointed out, but the intentions that came with such an assigned title were nowhere to be found in the boy's mind as he continued to stare at her. After several seconds of silence on his part, leaving her the ability to answer him or ignore his question, he'd speak up.

"There's no catch. You're out here and whether you know how to defend yourself or not, the fact is that only moments ago you were using a stick. Now unless you know some secret about the inherent strength of wood and twigs that I don't know about, I seriously doubt that that little twig would have done much against my katana. Just consider it my thanks for feeding me."

In truth he had originally offered her the weapon out of concern for her safety. Knowing that she was a kunoichi, while giving rise to some new worries, had eased much of his anxiety that surrounded her well being. He'd continue to stare, his mind still working, breaking down and analyzing everything she had said, regarding every word she spoke as valuable information that could all work in his favor. She had spoke of Konoha's nobility and had also hinted at the fact that this was indeed not her first time in the area. It was safe to assume then that not only had she visited Konoha before in the past but had also had dealings with the noble families, families that the likes of Suzaku's friend, Masamori belonged to.

If that were the case then once again the boy found himself staring at someone who was in essence from a completely different world than his own. The realization was a sobering one and one that made him feel as though a small rift had opened up between them; though the boy reminded himself that it was most likely all in his head as the two hadn't really possessed much of a connection beyond the exchange of food, weapons, and words. As such, there was nothing to really sever if things had turned south. For now though he hid these budding feelings of insecurity, his stare still adamantly fixed upon her and her unusual orange hair and indigo hues and her rather appealing womanly features.

While Suzaku did find himself admiring said features, he knew he was sound enough in mind to not let that admiration cloud his judgement. Though he now found himself mentally chastising himself over his previous actions upon learning that she was most likely a shinobi, the mistakes had been made due to his belief in the fact that she had been a simple traveler; what type of ninja dressed like that when they were out in the wilderness? It had been stupid of him, but at the same time he also now felt that those very mistakes he had made, mistakes that she had probably picked up on, had allowed for a very basic trust to be established. She could have very well taken advantage the situation, just as he could have at the beginning. Neither had chosen to do so, both acting civil, if not somewhat snarky to one another. He didn't allow any of this new information to change that and he found himself hoping that she would feel the same.

Suzaku would allow for a few seconds of silence to pass between the two of them, taking the time to fully process all the thoughts swimming through his mind before finally speaking.

"So, you said your from Yama no Kuni. What's it like? I've never been outside of Hi no Kuni. I was always curious about other lands. I figured one day I'd travel and see them."

The words were spoken with a softer tone than he had previously used. It hadn't escaped the raven-haired youth's notice at how the girl's eyes widened and how her body had froze the moment she had seemingly inadvertently mentioned her home country. It was either a very touchy subject or perhaps something she had had no real intention of revealing to a stranger. Whatever the case, it was both a sore subject and one that could potentially yield more valuable information about this mysterious girl's past. Due to the touchy nature of the subject, however, it needed to be approached with a great deal of tact; something which he was doing his utmost best to employ as he questioned her. One had to give to receive. So it was that Suzaku offered her a bit of personal insight into his life. He desired to travel and see the world. It wasn't anything groundbreaking or wholly unique to him but it was indeed something he had never shared with anyone else, not even his father. No one knew of Suzaku's wanderlust and most likely no one besides this orange haired kunoichi would ever know.

Though the true intention of his questioning had been to gain more information about his new companion it was not the sole reason for his course of action. Suzaku had indeed noticed the rising tension between the two from the moment the knife had been offered; her suspicious nature, while justified, acting as fuel to the proverbial fire. Changing the subject from the knife and his reasoning for helping her to something else might have worked to ease a bit of that tension, though he was also aware of how the plan could very well backfire, as the subject was indeed a sensitive one for the orange-haired female. It was for this reason that Suzaku didn't try to press the issue too much, taking a very laid back attitude as he spoke, his eyes still on her, but the stare admittedly less intense than before as his head tilted to the side as he had the habit of doing when he was genuinely curious or intrigued; of which he was both. As he waited for her to answer he'd find his hand moving toward the zipper of his tattered fleece, toying with it between is idle and fiddling fingers.

As his hand moved up and down the small metal track his sensitive ears would pick up the distinctive sound of a wrapper crinkling in his pocket. The sound would cause his eyes to widen suddenly, those amber hues now darting away from her and down to his pocket as his hand now slid into the confines of the jacket, producing a small packet of prepackaged cookies. Without a word he'd quickly set to work on opening them, tearing the packaging easily before extending the opened parcel her way.

"Here, have some. I forgot I was carrying these for a snack."

Once again he found himself with his arm stretched out in her direction, offering her yet another item, though this one being far less serious in nature than the knife. There were no tricks or troubles to be had with cookies, at least that's what Suzaku wanted to believe. Cookies were something innocent and delicious, meant to be enjoyed, not used for nefarious and manipulative reasons. The boy's eyes would once again be trained on her face, smiling ever so slightly as he moved his arm just a bit, motioning for her to take a few of the chocolate chip laden biscuits that were protruding along with the clear plastic tray that had been contained within the dark blue wrapper.

Age : 29 Posts : 37

Don’t hold me up now, I can stand my own ground…

‘Huh, not the smartest words that have ever left your lips, Yuzuki.’ She cursed herself when she started to realise how she had phrased her earlier statement. She hadn’t particularly been referring to herself when she had said that, she was more ridiculing this stranger’s obvious kindness because she couldn’t understand it. Suzaku didn’t know who she was, where she had come from (until only a few seconds beforehand), and didn’t understand any of the intricacies behind her as a person. How could he be sure that she wouldn’t try to kill him? Heck, if anybody else had stumbled upon her camp, chances are she would have done. But for whatever reason, this… boy had managed to do what nobody else could even dream of doing. He had broken down the seemingly impenetrable walls that kept her so closely guarded, and she couldn’t even begin to comprehend why. If every other human being was like him she felt as if she wouldn’t hate every being that she ever came across, but then that wouldn’t make him special. He was quite the oddity in that case. At his question of whether or not she was a dangerous criminal, she paused in her inspection of the knife he had given to her as a gift, averting her gaze back to the glowing and crackling fire. Maybe she should think her answer through before just blowing it again like she had done beforehand when she mentioned her home country in such a throw-away manner, and didn’t phrase her earlier statement better, throwing her up in a dubious light. She twisted the knife around in her grip continuously using the handle, fingers starting to shake a little bit the more she thought about how to answer his question. Eventually she let out a soft sigh and adjusted her seated position so that her knees were pulled up to her chest once more, her arms wrapping around them with her chin leaning forward atop her knees. “In the eyes of every established village, I am considered a criminal. But they are all ill-informed. How can I be a criminal when there has never been a village for me to belong to?” She posed the rhetorical question in a deadpan tone, her very obvious default setting for most (if not all) things.

Following her answer for his earlier question, he started to address a question she had posed about whether or not there was a catch for accepting the knife to be her own. He stated that there wasn’t a catch, and he wanted her to have it because she was out here alone and needed to defend herself, because sticks weren’t awfully good at warding off possible attackers. She lifted her chin from the top of her knees and nodded slowly as he stated that it was a thanks for the food she had given him, about to protest that the food was hardly costly whereas this knife probably was. “Well… thank you.” She muttered at last after considering the whole thing, deciding that it was the best time to use such a courtesy. Her indigo orbs looked down at the knife in her left hand which was loosely resting on her shin, watching how the flames flickered and danced across the blade. The seconds that followed were filled with silence, something which Yuzuki didn’t particularly mind. Her gaze remained averted from her current companion, however, and focused instead on the knife that was now in her possession. She felt a little uncomfortable since the whole question of whether or not she was a criminal. Part of her had wanted to straight-up admit that she was, she was dangerous and he should watch his back. But the other part of her that prevailed was a very strong wish not to let him know that she was considered as such, even though she had never been officially branded a Nukenin per se. Her home didn’t have a Hidden Village to speak of, only much smaller settlements and the palace grounds.

He almost startled her when he spoke again, breaking the brief period of silence between the two of them, and asked about Yama no Kuni; her home. Well, she counted ‘home’ as a very loose term when referring to the god-forsaken place. It was where she had been kept a prisoner in the palace, subject to her mother and father’s every commands for her to become the best little princess she could be so that they could show her off at formal events. When she wasn’t needed, she was holed up in her bedroom and not allowed to leave until designated meal times, when she would either eat alone or eat silently with her parents at the other end of the huge sixteen-place dining table. Her concept of that ‘home’ model that people used was very sketchy indeed, but she guessed, by definition, the place had been her home. Suzaku let her know that one day he would like to travel and see other lands, because he had never left Hi no Kuni. While it was quite little information and very general (most people wanted to travel and the like), she felt assured due to the fact that he had offered up something from himself. She tilted her head to the side when she brought back memories of Yama no Kuni, turning her body a little to face him again, her knees still pulled up to her chest as a comfort mechanism, it seemed. “It depends which time of the country you’d like to know about.” She stated at first, casting her mind back to the years when she was growing up as a child, and then when she was nearly a young teenager as the rebellion took hold. She decided to explain both to him, because she could be general and sketchy on the details about her own life there, after all. “When I was growing up, it was quite a quiet, peaceful place. Not many people lived there because of the harsh environment. The local farmers used to say that the soil was harsh and crops barely grew there, unless they were particularly hardy. I led quite a… sheltered life as a child, so I barely left the house. I had to rely on what the nanny used to tell me.” She guessed that what she had said was rather general, and she had even left out all parts about the palace that had been her ‘home’. But, she had let slip about her nanny. That being said, it was reasonably normal for a nanny to be involved in richer households, and she had already let slip that she had mingled with the nobility of society. It was consistent. Her eyes darkened slightly as she recalled the next period of history from Yama no Kuni, her voice softening considerably. “Later, when I was twelve years old, a rebellion broke out in the country. All of the settlements rose up and protested against them being treated unfairly by those that ruled the lands, and… everyone was killed.” She paused, unable to help herself, but slowly started shaking her head as a wry smile touched her lips. “They all fought amongst themselves and it soon got out of control. My mother… she sacrificed herself to give me enough time to flee the conflict. So I became a nomad, a nobody. To my knowledge, Yama no Kuni remains barren and practically lifeless with one group of individuals in a small village near the mountain ranges that make the place famous.”

Not the… cheeriest of tales. But at least she had managed to tell the story without involving too much specific detail about herself and her life, her upbringing and ‘privileged’ life growing up. Upon finishing her tale, her companion reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange packet of something or other. He offered them to her, admitting that he had forgotten about them. She looked at them curiously, lowering her knees and instead leaning forward to inspect the packet, not recognising what on earth the strange things were. She grew a little sheepish as she realised that her knowledge about such things was very limited, and she seemed to struggle with her decision a little while longer before looking at him. “U-Um… what are they?” She asked slowly, realising that this question would make her appear very stupid indeed, especially since they appeared to be a snack of some kind. Everybody probably knew what they were.

I don’t need your help now, you will let me down, down, down…

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

Suzaku remained silent as Yuzuki spoke, telling him her life story, or at least part of it. There was no real reason for Suzaku to suspect that she was lying or rather, that she was neglecting to mention key details; lies by omission as some would call. Not that it mattered. She had no obligation to be completely honest with him as he had none to be honest with her. Still, the shaky trust they had seemed to build between them provided enough foundation to make her story more than satisfactory for the dark-haired youth, his eyes focused on her for the entirety of her narrative. He digested her words, letting them sink in, his mind once again working to analyze the information she had just offered. Once again it had seemed as though she had hinted at her upbringing. A noble by birth, it seemed, much like Masmori, a member of one of the revered clans of the area. Suzaku found something inside of him squirm. It was a strange sensation that seated itself in the pit of his stomach, making it feel as though something were moving within him. He did his best to suppress this feeling, giving little indication of his current feelings in his facial expression. This stoicism was helped by the fact that he was still awaiting her to take the offered treat, a sign of both good faith and perhaps a loose friendship.

Despite her admitting that she was most likely classified as a criminal, she had also made note that such a title was one based on ignorance. While Suzaku didn't exactly agree with her reasoning; that one could not be a criminal unless one came from an established society. The way in which she worded her protest piqued his curiosity, leading to yet another question forming within the depths of his mind. For now though he held his tongue, his eyes still intensely focused on her form, watching her as she seemed to regard the offering with a genuine curiosity that bred hesitation and uncertainty. “U-Um… what are they?”

"Cookies."

The answer came instantaneously and without thought. Never once did the boy seem to question as to how the girl sitting before him could be so ignorant as to not know what cookies were much less what they looked like. It was only a couple of seconds later that Suzaku seemed to realized that perhaps a single word answer was not enough fully explain what it was she was being offerred and thus began to expound on his previous answer.

"They're like hardened bread but they're sweet and often flavored with things like cocoa or vanilla beans. Sometimes they can be single pieces like this and other times they can be combined together with some sort of cream filling between the two pieces, like a sandwhich of sorts. These ones are made with chocolate chips. You should really try one to see if you like them."

Upon delivering his explanation Suzaku extended his arm further toward his female companion, leaning forward to the orange-haired feme with his offering, mimicking her current position so that both the teens were leaning toward one another as his eyes remained firmly fixated on her form, more specifically her face and eyes in order to gauge her reaction. He'd wait silently for her to either accept or refuse his offer, upon which he'd retract his arm, pulling the packet back toward him and retrieving a single biscuit from the plastic sleeve. The boy would proceed to promptly bite into the treat with a child-like eagerness, taking several seconds to chew before he began to speak; his mouth still full.

"So, you said this all happened when you were twelve. Judging by what you've told me, you probably haven't been back to your homeland since then, right? Have you ever considered returning? Just to see how things turned out? I'm sure things have probably settled down by now and even if they haven't, you seem more than capable enough of taking care of yourself so long as you don't plan on going in with the intention of using sticks to defend yourself."

His eyes remained on her as he spoke, only occassionally breaking contact with her as they shifted down to the small packet of cookies he was slowly working on. Though he had registered what she had said, everything fresh in his mind, he seemed to pay little mind to the fact that she had lost her mother. In fact up until now that very detail had seemed to be lost upon him. In truth, the boy couldn't truly imagine how she must have felt, having lost his mother at such a young age that he had little in the way of memories of her much less any sort of connection to the woman. Still, he could appreciate the pain one might feel from losing a parent. The more he thought about it the more he began to realize how such an event could and probably would be painful. Though he came to this realization it was very much an afterthought, made apparenty by the manner in which it was delivered after a pause of several long moments.

"Oh...and I'm sorry to hear about your mother... That must have been hard for you, right?"

Though the words were often spoken by many with a sense of sympathy or empathy, the way in which Suzaku spoke was more of an inquisitive quiery, a question as to how painful such an event might be for someone who actually knew their mother. His eyes remained on her as he asked, narrowing a bit as he continued to think. Not only had she lost her mother, but he suspected that she probably had lost her father as well. Though she hadn't detailed her father's part in her breif exposition, the fact remained that she was alone and without family of any kind. He was either dead, like her mother, or long gone by now, wandering the world much like her. Or perhaps being held captive by one of the families she had spoke of.

"What about your father? Did he manage to escape or...?"

He'd let his voice trail off as his words died down, figuring she'd get the implication of leaving the hanging sentence. His eyes, as always, were still on her, staring at her, watching and gauging her reactions with a mixture of intrigue and fascination. As much as Suzaku tried to deny it, she was very appealing to look at. Her vibrantly colored features contrasted the sea of black and brown he saw on a day-to-day basis, making her stand out clearly in his mind. The fact that she wore such a revealing outfit didn't detract from the appeal at all, only serving as more reason to stare. These things along with the seemingly timid yet reluctantly kind nature which she displayed somehow drew him in. And there was no denying the fact that he enjoyed the meal she had given him, the boy acting much like a stray animal that stuck around after being fed. He knew that he couldn't hang out here all night with her, not that he thought she'd even want or allow him to, but he found it difficult to pick the right moment to leave, his curioisity and fascination with this mysterious girl locking him into place, and serving as an anchor that kept him tethered to the makeshift campsite.

Age : 29 Posts : 37

Don’t hold me up now, I can stand my own ground…

Wide indigo orbs remained fixed on the strange packet that Suzaku was holding out to her, trying to figure out what the strange snacks were simply by looking at them. She had never come across anything like them, not that she could recall at least. Almost immediately after her question of what the snack was, her companion answered with a name. “Cook… cookies…” She repeated afterwards in a slight muttered tone, her head tilting to the other side while she observed the strange things. They looked to be discs of some description, but they were edible; appearing rather firm, with strange brown-coloured indents in each one. She remained attentive and obviously curious as the boy at her side started to explain exactly what the strange ‘cookies’ were, trying to imagine what they would taste like and failing dismally. Hardened bread… that was sweet? Flavoured with cocoa beans and vanilla beans? She had tasted those things, the latter two, in numerous grand desserts that the chef at the palace had cooked, but never one of this mysterious treats. At his encouragement to take one and try one, she raised a hand slowly to the packet, delicately lifting a cookie from it and twisting it around to observe it from all angles, her head constantly switching to different sides as she tilted it and examined the phenomenon. She’d raise the biscuit treat to her face, lightly sniffing it and determining that it did indeed have a sweet element to it, while gingerly nibbling one side of the odd thing. She swallowed the mixture of crumbs and strange cocoa-infused ‘chocolate chips’ and contemplated the taste, deciding that she did indeed actually like it. A small smile tugged at her lips as she continued to nibble delicately at the treat, not quite knowing how to eat it and deciding that the safe method of small bites and nibbles would be the best way to approach it.

They seemed to veer back to the story she had told about her life, which was highly edited with parts omitted from it, due to the girl’s companion asking a question about whether she had been back to her homeland since the incident. Memories flooded her subconscious about Yama no Kuni, and more specifically, her life while she lived there. Even the luxurious life of a princess she remembered brought back horrible memories; a lonely existence, where her parents only used her as a means of showboating. The only person she had for company was the terribly pessimistic, sarcastic, and genuine horrible nanny that did everything for her, because of course precious Yuzuki had never been taught to do menial tasks fit for servants. She nibbled on the cookie thoughtfully as she searched in her mind for the right answer to give, about whether or not she should be entirely truthful. Honesty was the best policy, but for someone who wanted her true identity to be hidden and the floorboards of her past to never be walked again, she would much rather just keep it all under wraps. That being said… something about Suzaku made her want to be entirely truthful, tell him everything about her life, about how she was treated and the horrible people she had to spend her early life with. It was something she had never experienced before. After all, the sight of most humans (as in, all but this boy) made her want to be physically sick. She managed a dry laugh at his comment about how she shouldn’t defend herself with sticks, her eyes briefly flitting down to the knife she had left sheathed on the blanket near her thigh. “I’d rather stay clear of Yama no Kuni. Too many bad memories haunt the place for me.” She stated after a short while of consideration, deciding that this was the best way to put how she felt about the place that had been almost like a living hell for her. It hadn’t escaped her that whenever she delved into her past, her companion seemed to appear a little lost and almost… in awe. That in itself was the wrong way of putting it, but for lack of a better way to express it, that was how it appeared. He was obviously not from a noble birth of any means, as it had slowly dawned on her that the rips and holes in his clothing were mostly from earlier wear and tear; not just the task of getting through the forest to find that puppy he was searching for. “Anywhere but Yama no Kuni is where I belong, even in this god-forsaken country.” Upon mention of the place where she currently found herself, she’d raise her eyes from her current task of eating the cookie to glance about the forested area that she had made camp in. “In the many stories that other people hear about when it comes to being part of a ‘blessed’ birth, nobody ever talks about the loneliness, the hardships, and the lack of… love, I think the word is… that actually take shape.” She murmured in a very pensive tone, as if she had almost forgotten that she was sat with another person.

There was a short pause after she had given her numerous answers and small snippet-like insights into her upbringing, and then her companion took that opportunity to apologise for the loss of her mother. His question about whether or not it was hard for her made a small, somewhat wry smile touch her lips as she finished off the cookie she had been eating. She took some time to let that sink in, and the time that elapsed was enough for Suzaku to ask if her father had survived. It was strange, how she felt as if no time had passed from the time he had arrived to her campsite and now, but a couple of hours must have elapsed, considering that she had cooked, they had eaten, and they had spoken to one another for a large amount of time. She slowly nodded her head, finished with her consideration of the two people she had once called ‘parents’, the word being used as a very loose term indeed when one considered how little involvement they had when it came to bringing up their only daughter. “Everyone perished that night in my family. Mother, father, and countless relatives that I only knew by formal address. I was the only survivor, to my knowledge at least. As to whether or not I grieved for them… that is a complex issue to address. No, I did not grieve. At the time, while I was twelve years old, I barely saw my parents except at one meal a day from when I turned ten. Before that point, I was to stay in my bedroom. Ever hear the phrase ‘Children should be seen, and not heard’? Turns out my parents didn’t wish to see or hear me.” She chuckled softly to herself, as if she had made a joke that actually, wasn’t at all funny. A short pause followed after her chuckling laughter died down, and she gave him a sideways glance, indigo orbs locking with his amber ones, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Life is a very peculiar thing, don’t you think?” She asked him, although it didn’t seem as though she was actually expecting an answer.

It was harmless for this near-stranger to know about her, wasn’t it? While she had been considering this fact all along, it now came to the forefront of her mind. Who could he really tell, and who would put pieces together to realise that she was the surviving heir from the royal Kessho branch? Nobody. At least, that was what she hoped. Suzaku seemed harmless enough, and he appeared to be very interested in her for whatever reason that she couldn’t fathom. Against all odds, she found herself feeling quite interested in him as well. All she knew about him was his name, the fact that he wanted to travel around the world one day, and that he was looking for a lost dog at present. ‘I wonder what he’ll tell the higher authorities when he doesn’t find that puppy…’ She thought with a small smile, keeping a sideways glance aimed at her companion, tilting her head a little to the side which caused her long orange hair to fall slightly over her eye while doing so. “So what about you? You’ve heard me talk for quite a considerable amount of time. Do you hail from Konohagakure, is this where you were born? And you’re obviously a shinobi.” She tried to spark a conversation from his side too, in order to feed her own curiosity and to try to take the focus off herself.

I don’t need your help now, you will let me down, down, down…

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

Suzaku took yet another cookie from the small plastic sleeve, having finished his first during the girl's explanation and somewhat vague recounting of the events that had lead to her being all alone. It didn't take a genius to figure out that based on how she had left her home that there was a good chance she was one of the few or perhaps the last of her family, the rest either having perished in the attack or ending up scattered and in hiding. In either case the chances of reuniting were slim and based on Yuzuki's earlier statements, she really didn't seem too keen on the idea, rather seeming to embrace her new found freedom from her family and life of nobility. Suzaku couldn't relate. He had not grown up in the lap of luxury. He did not know it's pleasures nor pitfalls. His only perspective of such a life came from an outsider's point of view and from where he stood it seemed rather nice for one not to have to worry about whether they would eat today or not or pray that they not fall ill due to not having the funds to receive proper medical care. Still, he did not dismiss her cynical insight to her old life. She knew it far better than he and he had not the confidence to question a topic that was far beyond his own realm of knowledge such as one's personal experiences as a child of a noble family.

In all honesty it sounded like a sad existence from the way she described it. While Suzaku did not have the luxury of knowing his mother, the idea that both one's parents could be alive and of sound mind yet refuse to see or spend time with their child was a strangely disturbing one. Though he supposed it was no more disturbing than having a parent who was so lost in their own grief and chose to wash it away with gallons upon gallons of mind numbing alcohol that they were unable to see the pain and frustration they caused their children. It was no exaggeration to say that at times Suzaku felt as though he were living with a stranger due to how his father acted at times when the man's mind was clouded by the addictive drink. It was a strange and sad feeling, and one that made him feel as though there might be some similarities between Yuzuki and himself. The more Suzaku thought about it the more he began to think that perhaps in that sense, both of them might have known a similar pain in that respect. Still, from what Yuzuki had told him, her life had seemed needlessly lonely. Suzaku wondered if life was like that for all those born into such noble circumstances.

Once again Suzaku found his mind wandering back to his friend, Masamori. It was no secret that his family was well off, held in rather high regard among the village and most likely within their own clan. The taller male dressed in extravagant and stylish clothing. Though Masamori wasn't the type to openly flaunt his wealth, for one such as Suzaku, whom had from a very young age been trained to spot the well-to-dos of the world, everything about his Yuki comrade demonstrated his high social and economical status. It was here too, within Yuzuki. He could easily pinpoint the girl as being someone who was or at least had been well off. The exact nature had eluded the raven-haired boy, as there had been little to indicate that she had been a noble, specifically but simply by her clothing alone he had managed to pinpoint that she had come from money. That wasn't the only thing that stood out to the boy, of course. Now that the two had spent some time talking, Suzaku could pick up slight nuances in her speech. Her vocabulary, her annunciation of certain words, her seemingly inexperienced nature when it came to seemingly everyday things and situations. The signs where there, non-specific of course, but there all the same. Whether Suzaku would have noticed these things right away on his own without the benefit of the girl's openness was still up for debate. As he tried to come to a solid answer to that seemingly pointless question he'd move his arm, extending the packet out in her direction once more, offering her yet another cookie if she so desired.

"Help yourself."

He'd give a small nod toward the held object, as if the simple act of extending it in her direction had not been enough to indicate his intentions. “Life is a very peculiar thing, don’t you think?” The question came almost randomly from the boy's perspective, his eyes shifting away from the young woman and toward the fire; this being one of the few times he had managed to stop staring. He held his tongue for a bit, unsure of how to answer the question, unsure of if she even was looking for a genuine attempt at a response.

"I suppose..."

It was the best the young man could come up with on the spot, his mind still working as thoughts continued to spin around in his head. No more questions came to mind, or rather the ones that did seemed so insignificant at this point that Suzaku just shrugged them away as he digested all the information that the girl had volunteered after a bit of friendly coaxing. It wasn't until she spoke that Suzaku's amber hues drifted back in her direction. “So what about you? You’ve heard me talk for quite a considerable amount of time. Do you hail from Konohagakure, is this where you were born? And you’re obviously a shinobi.”

Though none to pleased about the focus shifting away from her and on to him, he truly couldn't protest. She had been seemingly forthcoming and honest with the boy, answering his questions with little hesitation on her part. Suzaku however, did. He found himself gently biting his tongue before grabbing another cookie from the small dark blue packet, biting into it before finally speaking, deciding that he owed it to her to be honest as she had done the same; despite his aversion to talking about himself and his home life.

"Yeah. Konoha is where I was born. I haven't ever left this country. I've been here my whole life. And yes, I'm a Shinobi of Konohagakure."

Though the answers were seemingly harmless, the very act of talking about himself made the boy uncomfortable. It wasn't so much that he didn't trust the girl but more his own aversion to the idea of sharing his personal details with anyone. The boy lacked the confidence to be proud in anything he did or any event he went through in life. He truly loathed the idea of being judged, despite knowing that there was no way around such an inevitability. Everyone judged and everyone was judged. Still, the fact that Yuzuki had been so compliant and willing to answer his own questions made the boy feel a little better. Perhaps she would spare him the disapproving glares that he had come to know all too well. She was, at least at some point, a noble after all. He had seen the way Masamori looked at him from time to time, whether it be for his bad habits or his scruffy attire or for whatever other reason the Yuki managed to come up with to judge the former vagabond.

"...That's why I was out here, looking for that dog. It's an assignment. Not the most glorious of jobs but it pays. Though I don't think I'll be finding that dog tonight. It's dark now and there's no point in searching while it's dark out. I wouldn't be able to see a thing."

He'd give a small sigh as he shrugged his shoulders just a bit before turning his head to cast a cursory glance out toward the darkness that surrounded the small campsite. The boy began to wonder just how late it was as he had no real way of telling what time it was. He'd soon turn his attention toward the sky, his eyes fixating on the crescent moon overhead, trying his best to assess its position in an attempt to estimate the current time.

Age : 29 Posts : 37

Don’t hold me up now, I can stand my own ground…

There was a slight pause in speech to come, and the silence gave Yuzuki time to reflect on things; namely, this strange youth she had found herself to be conversing with by the name of Suzaku. How had he managed to succeed where many others had failed while she was on her travels around the numerous countries and smaller villages of the shinobi world? She was trying to search desperately for the answer, but she just couldn’t find one, try as she might. She turned her attention away from the fire and locked her indigo eyes on his form while he was looking away, taking advantage of the situation to truly scrutinise him. Back when she was in a place of nobility, of almost royalty, she would have once looked down at this youth and possibly even made fun of him. But right now, they were merely two young teens on equal footing, both off-guard and both having eaten some food together, making small talk and learning about the other. It hadn’t escaped her that he seemed to be particularly guarded, even more so than she was. Or perhaps he merely had an odd effect on her that made her want to tell him everything she could. Whatever the reason it wasn’t of large importance, but she knew that he didn’t like sharing things about himself. Before she had gotten the chance before to ask things of him in return, he would always ask her to expand on things, thus distracting her and making her think about the way in which she could say certain things that he asked about. The more she looked at him, the more she started to realise how strangely alike they seemed to be. Both of them weren’t overly fussed about human contact, both had suffered in some way, both were lonely in some sense. Yes, perhaps Suzaku was quite average-looking in terms of hair colour and eye pigmentation whereas she was more vibrant, and yet she couldn’t stop looking at him.

She was caught by surprise when he shook the cookie packet at her and told her to help herself, and he turned to look at her again. Her indigo orbs widened in obvious shock and the smallest traces of a pink hue touched her cheeks at the obvious embarrassment that she felt for having been caught staring. She nodded slightly and reached out her delicate digits to pick up another cookie, bringing it to her mouth and nibbling on it gently like she had done before with the other one she had eaten. Her thoughts were confirmed of how the youth wasn’t too comfortable talking about himself when she shifted the focus of conversation onto him, seeing how he seemed to be a ‘rabbit caught in the headlights’, so to speak. He took a pause and seemed to think about how to answer her questions in depth, or maybe he was debating whether or not he should actually answer. When he finally did answer, which surprised Yuzuki, his answers were guarded and didn’t give away too much information or insight about him personally except the obvious factor of how he didn’t like talking about himself. She nodded when he spoke and listened carefully, her head tilted to the side while she watched him and ate her cookie delicately. The fact that he was born in Konoha and had never left Hi no Kuni would most likely make others turn their nose up at him, especially those of her own kind, but she had long since learnt to discard her noble heritage. She despised it, after all.

He went on to say that he was out here looking for a dog due to the fact that it was his assignment, and while it wasn’t very grandeur it gave him the money regardless. But he explained that it was too dark out now to see anything properly and the dog was most probably long gone by now. Yuzuki finished up nibbling at the cookie that he had given her, and started to look around the little campsite now too, seeing how her companion was craning his neck to look up at the moon and probably guess what time it was. She picked up the knife that he had given to her and used its holster to strap it to her upper right thigh, underneath her nightdress and then searched for her sandals, finding them and slipping them on her feet. While she didn’t need money to get things, because of how she was effectively a criminal and could steal things and/ or intimidate people until they handed over what she wanted, Suzaku was a shinobi of the Leaf and needed money in order to live there, most likely. It was a strange concept for the ex-princess, but one that she wanted to help him with nevertheless. She got to her feet and rooted around in her backpack for a hair band, proceeding to tie her long orange locks up into a high ponytail before shrugging the pack onto her back. She looked at the fire that had been keeping them warm and noticed that it was already dying out, which suggested that more time had passed than she originally suspected.

“Come on, I would imagine that a domesticated animal would have found somewhere to sleep at this hour. It’s late, you know. Easily 10 o’clock at night.” She looked down at him, realising that she was still wearing her nightdress and probably looked ridiculous all geared up and ready to head out. She raised an eyebrow at him expectantly, trying to make it obvious what she was offering. “You need the money… for what, I’m not quite sure, but you need it all the same. If we’re quick we can still find the thing, you can go back to the village and get some sleep.” She nodded slightly, allowing all of this to sink in before she started to move her hands slightly into what looked like seals, but they weren’t fully formed and rather lazy, yet very quick. The girl wasn’t making a jutsu per se, she was instead utilising her mastery of her clan’s Kekkei Genkai to make something useful. Slowly, crystals started to materialise from midair, vivid orange in colour, as they started to manifest into a roughly rectangular object that she held out a palm to hold in front of her. It was fashioned to look like a rudimentary lantern, complete with patterns cut into the crystal that she had formed. She rummaged behind her in one of the lower pockets of her rucksack to bring out a small firelighter which she positioned inside her crystal lantern, on the small prongs that she had created to rest the candle itself. But she didn’t have a candle. Instead, she snapped the fingers of her free hand to create a small shot of sparks that, when held underneath the lantern, caught the firelighter and made it take flame. They now effectively had a way to go looking in the dark for that dog that Suzaku needed to find, since the fire she had made earlier was now dying down and would be pretty useless rather quickly.

She held the lantern up in front of her by the intricate crystal handle she had created, looking down at her companion curiously. It wasn’t like she was going to take ‘no’ for an answer now that she had gone to all this trouble for him, so it was a matter of when he would get to his feet. She breezed past him towards the north-most point of her little makeshift campsite, briefly stopping on the edge to look back at him. “We haven’t got all night.” She reminded him.

SC Used:

{OOC: Effectively using the above SC to explain why Yuzu made that little crystal lantern, very little chakra used and thus not necessary to note down.}

I don’t need your help now, you will let me down, down, down…

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

Watching Yuzuki, Suzaku couldn't help but raise his left brow, regarding the exotic looking woman curiosly as she began to gather her things, strapping her newly gifted knife to her hip and tying her hair into a high ponytail. Suzaku slowly stood to full height, his amber hues still fixed firmly on her slender form as she pulled on her pack. It wasn't until she spoke up that he finally realized why she had suddenly started to pack up her things. He'd shake his head lightly, repeating what he said.

"It's too dark, no use in searching now. I can do it tomorrow."

He'd state lightly with a small shrug and a reassuring smile. It wasn't until she brought up his need for money that the smile faded ever so slightly. He didn't like to admit it but he not only wanted but needed all the money he could get. While he was no longer living on the streets, life was very day-to-day for him and his father in terms of food and bills. That wasn't to say that there wasn't a bit of overhead he made, enough to put away for a rainy day, because he definitely was doing that, but still, money wasn't abundant for the youth and his drunkard of a father. Suzaku wanted to reassure the woman that he was alright, that she needn't worry about his money situation but he seriously doubted she was the type to say no once her mind was made up. She had that air about her and he had met her type before. He'd simply remain silent for now, watching as she seemed to use a strange type of jutsu that he had never witnessed before and that seemed to defy the idea of the common five elements that most ninjutsu was based on. Suzaku had honestly never seen anything like it, though he did know of a few clans, such as Masamori's very own family that seemed to be able to access techniques outside of the basic five elements that had been taught to Suzaku and his fellow classmates during his days at the academy. Could she perhaps be a sire of one of those fabled clans? Suzaku felt tempted to ask but was left more in awe of how she quickly fashioned a makeshift lantern.

The young man wasn't left to stare in wonder for long though as Yuzuki quickly turned in his direction, letting him know that there was definitely a time factor on how long they had to search. Nodding a bit Suzaku followed after her, easily catching up to her and walking somewhat beside her as he began to speak a bit.

"Thanks..."

It was a sheepish thanks, one that caused his cheeks to flush red ever so slightly as he uttered the word. Suzaku was used to receiving help. Life as a beggar had a way of humbling people, making them open to others' aid, but at the same time he had done his best to not be so reliant on others, desiring a sense of independence and self reliance. This desire and the fact that she was admittedly a very cute girl helping him with something she truly didn't need to, thus going rather far out of her way to do so, had a way of flustering the boy ever so slightly. Realizing this the boy tried his best to shift the topic a bit, trying to pull attention away from his show of gratitude; he had thanked her and he wanted to move on before she noticed his bashful nature.

"What you said, about the dog being a domestic animal and finding a place to sleep. I don't know if I agree with that. The dog is used to having a home, having a routine and a place to stay. Even if it ran away of it's own free will, the fact is it's not used to being on its own, not having a roof over it's head. It could very well be scared of its unfamiliar surrounding. Even if it did find a place to sleep there's no guarantee the place would be very safe..."

As he made the last comment about the questionable safety of a place the domesticated animal might have found to put its head down for the night his gaze would dart in her direction, as if he were trying to make a point.

"Strays tend to be better about that stuff. People don't like strays but if you ask me the strays you find tend to have a good survival instinct; they need to. No one's going to look out for a stray, really. They get hand outs, sure but at the end of the day it's up to the stray to figure out where to get its food and where its okay to sleep and where it's safe to go. It's easier for a stray to adapt to a life of domestication, to a degree. I think it's much harder for a domesticated animal to become a successful stray that can actually look after itself. I can't help but worry about this puppy because of that."

Though Suzaku knew he was talking about pets, the subtext of his own statements was plainly there, at least in his own mind. He actually doubted that Yuzuki would understand what he was saying, not really knowing much of his background aside from very basic information about his origins and what else she may have managed to surmise from their conversation together.

As the two walked further the sound of rustling bushes nearby would pull Suzaku's attention to the side of the path they were currently on, his eyes narrowing a bit as he strained to see in the dark. Whatever was in the bushes didn't sound all that big due to how only a small section of the foliage seemed to react to the creature's movements. Suzaku began to make his way toward the bushes, crouching just a bit as he made a soft click noise with his tongue, a noise that seemed universal for getting an animal's attention, or at least that's what he thought. It was hard to see what exactly was in the bush though and that fear did cause a slight bit of hesitation as he still sported bad memories of his time within the Forest of Death and how painful the snake bite to his arm had been.

SC:

Age : 29 Posts : 37

Don’t hold me up now, I can stand my own ground…

She remained stood at the edge of her little camp, tilting her head slightly as she saw her companion get to his feet and thank her in a somewhat sheepish manner after a great deal of pause. This made her smile ever-so-slightly, not something that she did very often whatsoever anymore, so Suzaku had seen a bit of a rarity and a half if he had seen the strange phenomenon. The way in which he had thanked her didn’t escape her whatsoever; she saw quite a… shy nature emitting from the boy in that instance, and it surprised her, but she found it quite cute if she was being honest. She wasn’t doing too much for him, just trying to get him the money that he obviously needed even if he was playing it cool for whatever reason, and the way in which he thanked her made it seem as if she was doing rather a lot. “Don’t mention it.” She nodded slightly at his thanks, seeing how he seemed somewhat embarrassed by the situation and not wishing to make the situation uncomfortable for him; hence moving the conversation on and brushing it off. But she still puzzled over his appreciation for her efforts, trying to figure out why she liked it so much. This was pushed to the back of her mind, however, when Suzaku started to talk about their new task at hand while he joined her and they started to move slowly away from the camp. He disagreed with her view that the domesticated animal would find somewhere to sleep for the night, because it would be very scared due to not being very used to this environment, whereas a stray dog would because it had to adapt and survive. She agreed with that much, but she just hadn’t thought it through very well, she assumed. After all, pets weren’t her strong suit and she had never even had one before growing up, whereas most children from civilian families did. There weren’t any dogs or cats allowed in the compound, so she had never really seen any until she made her way around villages as a little girl with her mother and father.

Something struck her as odd about her companion’s speech, and she couldn’t work out what until he had finished and she was given chance to reflect on it. The latter part, where he spoke about domesticated animals struggling to become a successful stray, was something that she drew comparisons with to herself. She had been a highly domesticated ‘animal’, in this sense, a girl raised as a little princess that had no practical knowledge of the outside world. When that world came tumbling down and she had to run away to avoid being killed, it became a tough world out there that she had to face all alone. But she had turned out okay, after all, and learnt everything she needed to know from trial and error. “Much harder, perhaps, but not impossible.” She chipped in without looking at him, afraid that he would see the pensive and almost sad look in her eyes as she said as much. It wasn’t nice to think that she had compared herself to a stray so readily, and one that had to work very hard to become one due to her life beforehand being very pampered and unrealistic in a sense. “The puppy will be fine. Every animal has instincts, don’t they? Without them, they would never survive in any circumstance, even in a normal domestic home. Electricity would give them a shock, eating too fast would make them choke, and all sorts of normal hazards that they learn to avoid.” She kept her gaze averted the entire time she was speaking, pretending to be looking for this little puppy that they were supposed to be looking for. Her makeshift lantern remained held out in front of her as she walked, a little hunched over to look lower down at the undergrowth. She noticed a soft rustle in a bush to her right-hand-side, where her companion had stopped to look into the bush for himself. She turned and faced the undergrowth, holding her lantern there and listening as Suzaku made the soft clicking sounds which she assumed were something to call out the animal if it was there.

A very soft whimpering sound could be heard as an adorable little golden Labrador puppy stumbled out of the undergrowth, shaking and looking up at the two humans that had greeted it. It spotted a girl holding a light, which was something that it liked very much and as such, it walked over to her on shaky legs and started rubbing itself against her. Yuzuki blinked wide-eyed as she looked at the tiny animal, momentarily frozen as she didn’t know what to do or how to react. What was it doing? She lowered her free hand down to its body and how it was shaking, realising that it felt practically ice cold. She gently started to stroke the little puppy, frowning as she glanced at Suzaku. “He feels freezing, and he’s obviously scared.” She looked down at the little puppy again and gently scooped it up into her free arm, supporting its butt in her palm and holding it close to her chest as she kept looking at it as if it was something that she had never seen before. Well, it was true. She hadn’t really seen puppies before, mainly full-grown dogs. And even then, she had only seen a couple here and there. She slowly stood up to her full height again, looking at how the strange (yet very adorable puppy) started to relax now that she was holding it, wondering what it was about her that made her seem so comforting and appealing to the puppy. Maybe it was her scent? Or perhaps she appeared to look like its owner? Rather quickly after she had picked him up, the little puppy ceased its frightened whimpering and looked up at her with its wide, dark brown eyes as its little tail started to wag against her head soon afterwards. “Does that mean he’s happy now? Is that its wagging tail means?” She asked curiously, tilting her head to the side as she looked at the little ball of fur, moving her head closer to it and being surprised when its small pink tongue shot out and licked her affectionately on the end of her nose. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at it, seemingly having a staring contest with it before bringing her hand up to wipe her nose, making a small grimacing face at the sticky salvia that the puppy had deposited on her. “And what on earth does that mean?” She asked, obviously startled and confused at the same time. She hoped that her companion knew more about dogs than she did, because she was currently very lost as to why this puppy seemed to calm down so suddenly with her holding it.

I don’t need your help now, you will let me down, down, down…

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

Upon hearing the soft whimpering, Suzaku edged closer toward the bush, ready to receive whatever had made the noise, recognizing the sound to be that of a small puppy; he had heard enough of them during his childhood to easily discern the noise from that of any other type of non-canine. The sight of the small creature caused a small sigh to escape his lips, his eyes dropping in slight disappointment. Though the creature was undoubtedly adorable, this was not the puppy he was looking for. Suzaku kept this bit of information to himself for the time being though. He didn't wish for the two of them to move on in the interest of looking for another lost dog when they had one that was obviously both scared and cold right in front of them. With a faint smile Suzaku's amber hues followed the creature as it shakily made its way passed the boy, heading for Yuzuki and her glowing light source only to nuzzle up against her by pressing its small trembling form against one of her exposed legs in what seemed like a desperate attempt to absorb any semblance of heat from the orange-haired girl.

Resisting the urge to move toward the two, Suzaku watched silently as Yuzuki responded to the poor creature's whimpering by scooping the puppy up in her arm; an act that seemed to please the young animal greatly, the Labrador ceasing its whimpering and beginning to wag its tail excitedly. Suzaku noted however that Yuzuki was seemingly less pleased by the close contact, rather a confused and curious expression now graced her features as she posed her question. Suzaku didn't answer for the time being, his eyes still focused on the two as she moved her face closer only to receive a sudden and affectionate lick from the small creature that undoubtedly signified its affectionate nature toward the mysterious girl. At this Suzaku was unable to resist the urge to let out a small snicker of a laugh as Yuzuki's curiosity seemed to explode into surprise. It was obvious that the young lady had never had much dealings with dogs. While Suzaku had never had a dog of his own, he had dealt with them enough in his life and had an abundance of what many would consider "common knowledge" of the species to interpret the puppy's actions as affectionate and excited.

"Yes, it means he's very happy and excited to see you."

Suzaku would finally answer her as her voice rose in obvious surprise. With a small sigh the young man began to make his way toward the two, reaching out slowly toward the small creature, his hand making gentle contact with the top of its head as his fingers curled and bent behind its ears in an effort to lightly scratch the sensitive area. As expected the canine's eyes quickly closed in what looked to be an expression of pure contentment as the boy continued his gentle scratching motions all while speaking in a soft voice.

"He's cute but he's not the puppy I'm looking for. He's a totally different breed. Judging from his size though and his willingness to be pet and picked up he's most probably a domesticated pup who got lost. He's probably very cold, very scared and very hungry. Most strays wouldn't simply walk up to people like this, especially young ones like this and they most definitely wouldn't allow someone to pick them up."

Moving his hand back, Suzaku's eyes now moved up toward Yuzuki's, his amber hues staring once again into those indigo pools that he had seemingly grown so fond of.

"It's late and your light is starting to die out. I'll look for the puppy tomorrow, but we should head back to your camp so you can rest for the night. I could take the puppy back to the village and try to find it a home or find who lost it but he seems quite attached to you. I'd imagine that he'd probably prefer to stay with you. Dogs are pretty useful to have if you're living outdoors and have no real security. They can usually hear people or creatures approaching much earlier than humans and they will usually bark or let the people around them know if something is approaching. If you'd rather though I can take him with me to the village."

Suzaku had seen dogs used many times by fellow vagabonds on the streets whom had set roots down in certain spots among Konoha; places they considered home. Just as he had said, the dogs had been a great means of security as their barking not only let their "owners" know when someone was approaching but also helped to scare off potential threats. People often thought twice about messing with others when dogs were involved. Fiercely loyal and intimidating to boot, dogs usually proved to be wonderful companions for those who traveled alone. The boy couldn't help but think that having such a companion might have been good for the orange-haired girl. She obviously had no intention of setting foot in the village and he obviously couldn't stay with her all night to keep her company, something she had seemingly wanted in some for or another; at least that's what the boy figured given that she hadn't chased him off from her campsite like most misanthropes might have done.

With a small nod Suzaku would begin to make his way back toward the camp, barely giving the girl enough time to put up any sort of response or protest, motioning for her and the puppy to follow him as he quickly made his way back to where he was sure the camp had been, quickly realizing that the fire of hers had died down considerably once they had finally returned to their original spot. Without much more thought Suzaku quickly moved toward the small pit, using the very stick the girl had brandished earlier in an attempt of self defense to shift some of the logs and brush around to reignite the flame, granting it life giving oxygen to strengthen its heat.

"It seems you have quite a way with strays."

Suzaku would speak in a rather low tone, his eyes never leaving the fire as he continued to poke and prod it in an attempt to revive the flame. Suzaku knew the statement to be rather cryptic, given that he had divulged very little, if anything at all, about his personal and home life. Only the vaguest of details had been revealed and none, as far as Suzaku had known, were indicative of his social and economical status within the village; any semblance of such information had been revealed in the most roundabout and indirect fashion, information delivered through metaphors and cryptic mumblings such as this. Suzaku didn't expect the girl to understand. He was being rather cagey, after all. Still, such methods were his way of discussing these sensitive topics and acted as a means to move past his insecurities that surrounded his past. With a small sigh he'd finally glance up at her and the small dog, canting his head to the side as though he were silently inquiring about what she wanted to do with the pup in her arms.

Age : 29 Posts : 37

Don’t hold me up now, I can stand my own ground…

What a… bizarre creature. Thus far in her life, all of the animals that Yuzuki had come across were dangerous ones that were after their next meals; which typically included her. And now she was presented with an adorable little puppy, a younger dog, that seemed to like her and grew happy and/ or excited by her presence. She continued to stare at it, taking in its small little face and flappy ears, how its deep brown eyes seemed gentle all of a sudden, its wet, black nose and how soft its fur was. It was a perfect pedigree breed, made obvious by how beautiful and perfect it appeared, with its pale sandy fur kept in amazing condition. Something about the little puppy seemed to strike a chord in her otherwise unfeeling heart, and the longer she looked at it, a very small, barely traceable smile touched her lips. This small dog reminded her in so many ways of herself three years previously; lost, all alone without any knowledge of the world outside. So feeble and helpless without someone there to teach her, to guide her in some way. The parallels were huge, and the more she thought about it, the more she found herself getting emotional realising what kind of terrors the little pup had experienced. How it had cried and whimpered with nobody to find him, nobody to bring him back to the world he had once known and tell him that everything was okay. She watched how her current (human) companion reached a hand out to the small puppy’s head and started to scratch behind its silky, floppy little ears; an action that he seemed to like very much if how he closed his eyes blissfully was any indication. The orange-haired girl looked at the boy at her side when he stated that the puppy was happy and excited to see her, and it made her very curious as to why this was exactly. Her earlier thoughts of before came back to her, about whether it liked her scent or thought that she looked familiar to its owner. She didn’t voice any of these queries, however, and continued to watch the little bundle of sandy fur.

Her gaze was shifted to watch Suzaku when he moved closer to both her and the puppy in her arms, listening as he spoke to her and explained that this puppy wasn’t the one he had been looking for despite him being very cute. That confirmed her thoughts that this puppy was male, since her companion seemed to think as such and he was far more knowledgeable about dogs than she was. She was more familiar with human anatomy due to her medical studies; she hadn’t trained as a vet, after all. The amber-eyed boy explained that this puppy was most likely a domesticated pup that had managed to get lost from home, because otherwise he wouldn’t have wandered up to her so willingly or allowed her to pick him up. “I see.” She muttered quietly, returning her attention to the young puppy in her arms, the small quirk of a smile returning to her lips when she saw its little face. There was something about it that made her feel… very happy. Very warm inside. She noticed how her companion looked at her specifically, and she returned his gaze; her indigo eyes wide and blinking owlishly while he spoke to her. He pointed out that her makeshift lantern was dying out by this point, and it was getting even later so the odds of finding the puppy he was supposed to were getting worse. He said that he would set out tomorrow to find the pup he was searching for, and if she liked, he could take this one back to the village to see if anybody reported that their little dog had gone missing. She almost visibly grew saddened by this suggestion, and her gaze was returned to the relaxed bundle cradled carefully in the crook of her arm before she heard Suzaku continue speaking. He pointed out that the puppy they had found seemed very attached to her for some reason or another, and suggested that it would perhaps be better if the pup stayed with her. He went on to list the benefits of having a dog for somebody travelling alone, which did indeed sound very useful. Such a little dog could do that for her? She looked deep into his wide chocolate eyes and suddenly knew; he had chosen her, and he would do anything to make sure she remained safe.

The runaway princess followed closely after Suzaku when he started leading the way back to her little campsite, smiling a little bit more noticeably as she fixed her gaze on the puppy she was still holding. He looked so cute, so fluffy and so adorable. She found herself questioning whether he would be all that useful for the things that her companion said he would, because anybody who saw the pup would probably leave him alone due to how cute he was rather than how fierce. That being said, he was still young and very small, not to mention weak. She would have to take care of him until he grew and started to learn, which she would help with too. It was decided now in her mind and cemented firmly that she would keep this puppy who, by some quirk of fate, had found her and thawed at her otherwise frozen heart. Well, he had some help in the form of the amber-eyed boy now poking at the dying fire to reignite it. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that her companion’s words caught her off-guard and caused her indigo eyes, which had been calmly at half-mast beforehand, to open wide in surprise. She seemed to have a way with strays, huh?... her brow furrowed as she considered that statement of his, realising that it seemed as if he was talking about the puppy they had found. But this pup was domesticated, and had gotten lost as opposed to abandoned. Calling him a stray was a stretch at this point, judging by the fact that he probably hadn’t been lost for more than today. This got her thinking, as to why he would say such a thing when it didn’t make much sense relating to the puppy. Her mind was cast back to how he had spoken to fervently and knowledgeably about strays; how they acted, what their mind-sets were, how they used their instincts and effectively how they survived without somebody being there to guide them. When he had been explaining it all to her, even then, she had thought it was odd that he had known so much about stray dogs. At the time, she had compared herself to a stray dog; one that had managed to become a successful stray (of sorts) by learning and adapting. But now, the more she thought about it… how else would somebody know so much about stray dogs unless they had seen them, been around them and interacted with them to some level? To her, the image of stray dogs meant that they were on the streets, something confirmed by Suzaku himself.

What did that mean about her companion, in that case? Had he shared a similar fate to the stray dogs that roamed Konoha that he seemed to know so much about?

Despite that possibility, and her sheer snobbish nature that wouldn’t simply vanish at times, she didn’t find herself feeling any different towards the boy. She merely remained curious, very much so, about how he managed to make her feel strangely at ease; much like the puppy she was holding in her arms. A warm smile tugged at her lips in a seemingly half-hearted manner, but was in fact a very heartfelt way of expressing the happiness she currently had while she had not only one individual, but two, that she enjoyed the company of greatly. “You think so?” She murmured softly as she crouched down beside him near the fire, keeping herself close to the slowly warming flames so that the pup in her arms could feel it too. She set aside her lantern, the firelighter inside of it having died out entirely by this point, and therefore rendering the makeshift creation useless for now. She didn’t plan on keeping it, due to the fact that she could make another just as easily. The young creature yawned with a slight wheezing effect characteristic to dogs (not that she would know) and snuggled closer to her arm before closing his eyes, his breathing becoming steadier while he started to drift off to sleep. “Maybe it’s just as well, having a way with strays like you seem to think. Otherwise I’d get pretty lonely.” Her voice was low and quiet, being very sensitive in regard to the puppy slowly calming down in order to sleep. He had been through a lot today, she realised, and she wanted him to get a good night’s sleep. Her words were rather ambiguous, and she had made them as such on purpose. She could have been referring to the creature in her arms, or to the boy crouched down next to her at the fire. It would apply to both. “We strays need to stick together.” She murmured as a bit of an afterthought, realising what she had said after the words had actually left her lips but not becoming flustered by the reference to them staying together. She realised that it could indeed be referred to her and this little un-named pup, but more prominent in her mind was the relation to her and Suzaku; the only other human being aside from herself that she felt like she could trust. Her feelings felt very muddled indeed, and she didn’t even know how to begin to interpret them, so instead of thinking about it too much, she merely let it slide for now. Before today, she had been so cold, calculating and unfeeling. What on earth had happened?

Well first, amber boy happened. And then this puppy happened right afterwards. A double whammy of unfelt emotions into her system that she was trying to comprehend. She sighed softly as she carefully balanced the pup on her thigh and held it with her arm while she brought her rucksack around her body and rummage around inside for her camping equipment that would allow them to have a somewhat decent night’s sleep. She found the cover that she had been sitting on, and laid that down behind her so that she could sit with her legs crossed and keep the sleeping puppy in her lap. Thus far, he hadn’t stirred, and she found herself questioning whether he could protect her at night like Suzaku claimed he could. She brought out another sheet, this one being a darker colour than the cream one she was sitting on, and started to pack it tightly into a bed of sorts for the puppy, laying him down into it and nestling him there, indigo eyes focused intently on her task. Having done that, she laid out her sleeping mat and the sleeping bag she kept for herself. “Huh… the little guy doesn’t have a collar, so we don’t know his name.” She mused aloud to herself quietly, kneeling up on the cover she had laid down to avoid her delicate nightdress getting dirty. That being said, the chest area of it was covered in fine dog hairs so it wasn’t like it mattered very much. As she inspected the sleeping puppy, she noticed a small little spot on its hind left leg which was a different colour to the rest of his fur, being a soft kind of amber/ yellowish instead of the very soft creamy sandy colour. “Kiiro…” She muttered, tilting her head to the side as if considering how it sounded. From her lessons in the imperial language of their world, she knew that it translated roughly into the colour of ‘Amber’ as opposed to the name itself. It didn’t yet dawn on her that, not very long ago, she had referred to her human companion as ‘Amber boy’. Obviously satisfied with the name, she nodded slightly and noticed how the puppy’s ears twitched in his sleep. “Kiiro.” She repeated the name gently, seeing how his ears twitched yet again almost in subconscious acknowledgement. Either that had been his name while he lived with his old owner (which was highly unlikely) or he liked the name and identified with it. It was possibly the latter.

I don’t need your help now, you will let me down, down, down…

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

The teen remained crouched over the fire, the stick in his mand moving every so often in an attempt to provoke the fire further, coaxing it from beneath the dry stack of wood and brush so that it's heat may wash over the small area and shelter the trio from the night's cool air. Though Suzaku did not personally find tonight's temperature to be particularly low, he did know that he was wearing far more layers and clothing than his female companion who had spent the majority of the evening and night draped in little more than her somewhat short nightdress. Suzaku's eyes continued to stare up at the young woman, amber hues narrowed as he waited for some sign or statement of intent about what she planned to do about the dog. Suzaku hadn't really asked straight out, at least not since the pair had found the small creature, but she had neglected to give a definitive answer, instead allowing herself to become lost in thought as her indigo orbs strained to pull away from the adorable little canine. Using his gift of observation and his ability to read people, Suzaku was confident to guess, even without her saying as much, that she had decided to keep the pup. His suspicion was further confirmed by how she moved down next to the rave-haired teen, holding the dog close as she spoke in a rather coy fashion. “Maybe it’s just as well, having a way with strays like you seem to think. Otherwise I’d get pretty lonely. We strays need to stick together.”

Suzaku found himself smiling at the girl's words, nodding ever so slightly in a silent gesture of agreement. He supposed she was right about that. Even he, as alone as he felt during his childhood, could never have survived alone. There were others like him, others who helped take care of him, who watched out for him, who taught him what he needed to learn to survive. In return he had done what he could to help and for those especially close to him, like his father, he continued to do his best to help and support. No one could make it alone in the world no matter how hard they tried. It was one of the many lessons the teen had learned in his youth. It was something that Yuzuki would learn if she hadn't learned it already. There was more behind the statement than just a simple epiphany though. A sense of camaraderie or perhaps affection? Suzaku had already concluded that there had been very little he had given the young woman in terms of information for her to draw any conclusions about his personal life. He had dodged her question from earlier by providing only the vaguest of information about his origins along with overly detailed facts about his current assignment. The ploy had worked in drawing her attention away from the fact that he had spoken very little of his family or his upbringing; a fact he was grateful for. He hated talking about his past. He hated admitting that he had at one point in his life been without a home, living off the scraps of society, begging for whatever anyone was willing to give simply so he and his father could live. It was unpleasant and embarrassing. He was ashamed. Yet at the same time her honesty about her past compelled him to confess these things though his method of doing so was cryptic and indirect. It was the best he could do. Considering all that then, Suzaku found himself wondering just whom she was referring to as a stray in her earlier statement. Was she talking about herself and the dog or had seen through the haze he had created, identifying him as a stray as well.

"It helps to stick together, yeah. It's a necessity really... I don't think anyone can truly live for long in this world alone."

Suzaku's voice came softer than he had intended, a low rasp pulling at the edges of his words and prompting him to swallow several small mouthfuls of saliva to lubricate his drying throat. He was thirsty and nervous, both of which left his mouth and throat painfully dry. Clearing his throat after a moment or two he'd turn his gaze toward the girl and the puppy, watching as she fished out the blanket she had been seated on earlier, using it once again in the same manner to keep herself from sitting on the cold, dirty ground below. Suzaku continued to stare as he watch the orange-haired girl move to place the little creature down, making sure the pup was comfortable and warm, her eyes once again seeming to have trouble pulling away from it's small body.

"It's good you found him. I doubt you'll be very lonely now that you have him."

Though the puppy was indeed cute, Suzaku was surprised to find himself not as drawn to staring at it as she was. For whatever reason Yuzuki was far more appealing and fascinating to watch. If nothing else, the very fact that she seemed so intrigued by the small creature was both endearing and curious to the raven-haired teen. The manner in which she had regarded the puppy had struck Suzaku as odd. Had she never seen a dog before? Or perhaps it was the sight of a puppy that had thrown her off so. Were nobles not accustomed to keeping pets? Suzaku had rarely thought about such things in regards to upper society. Things that were all too common for the lower and middle class perhaps weren't as commonplace for the higher class. A small frown formed as Suzaku's eyes finally pried themselves away from Yuzuki's face, making their slow descent toward the small dog nestled against her thigh. Without much thought Suzaku reached for the creature, his fingers lightly massaging the dog's scalp as it slept, taking care not to do so too hard for fear of waking the exhausted canine.

"So what are you going to call him?"

Suzaku suddenly whispered, his eyes once again on her's noticing how she was still staring at her new pet, a gentle look taking hold of her features. Suzaku began to wonder if she had even heard his question and primed himself to ask it again in a slightly louder tone in hopes of catching her attention. The dog should have a name, after all. It was important that the creature have something to identify himself with and that it be established early in hopes that it would one day recognize the sound as a means to summon and speak to him. Just as the boy opened his mouth to speak Yuzuki spoke, her words cutting him off just as the first sound left his throat. “Kiiro…” Suzaku's brow rose at the word. Was that the name she intended to call him? It was an unusual name, or at the very least one that Suzaku had never heard before. Human or otherwise. Suzaku was tempted to question it, to ask if she meant to call the dog by that name but once again found himself cut off before he could speak as she repeated the name in a more confident tone. It seemed as though her midn was already made up. Instinctively Suzaku's eyes moved down toward the puppy once more, watching as the small dog's ears seemed to twitch ever so slightly, seemingly in response to the name being spoken. Suzaku was unsure of whether the pup was having a vivid dream or if he were subconsciously responding to the name, but either way the choice had been made.

"Kiiro..."

Suzaku repeated in a soft whisper as his eyes remained fixed on the dog for a moment longer. Whether Suzaku liked it or not, the fact was that Yuzuki seemed satisfied and at the end of the day the dog was hers. He was sure that whatever the girl had chosen to call the puppy, that the creature would have loved it regardless. With a small nod Suzaku's eyes moved back toward Yuzuki's, staring at her face once more before turning to the fire, placing the stick in front of the pit with a gentle sigh. Moving slowly, Suzaku's body began to straighten, his knees extending and picking his form up from its crouched position until he was back at full height, stretching with a gentle groan before turning to look down at the two next to him.

"Well, I'm sure he'll love it and I bet he'll never want to leave your side...I should get going though. It's late and I'll want to get an early start tomorrow if I hope to find the dog I'm looking for."

A small sigh would escape his lips before he'd allow a slight smile to cross his features. With that the raven-haired boy would give a small nod in Yuzuki's direction before turning his gaze down toward Kiiro, silently bidding the pup goodbye before making his way toward the edge of the camp, stopping just at the point where the darkness began to obscure his figure.

"Hey...um if you meant what you said about getting lonely...I could come visit you again some time if you're dead set on not setting foot in Konoha."

As he spoke he'd turn back to glance in Yuzuki's direction, doing his best to smile in a not-so-awkward fashion. Suzaku couldn't help but be thankful for the fact that it was so dark. Most likely she'd have trouble seeing his expression and how nervous his smile seemed. Being friendly and nice wasn't exactly something he was used to, but she had fed him, been honest with him, had treated him like a decent human being and hadn't gotten on his nerves. She was actually nice to be around and though the boy didn't realize it he couldn't help but feel compelled to see her again in the near future should fate allow it. After a moment or two Suzaku would turn away, heading off into the darkness and hopefully in the right direction that would take him back toward the village, leaving Yuzuki and Kiiro behind so that the two could settle down for the night.

"See ya, Yuzuki."

Exit

SC: