A Special Meeting [Ruka]

Age : 33 Posts : 510

Ever since Rukasu had taken his first steps in the Lightning Country, the criminal had slowly adjusted to the difference in temperature, atmosphere, and environment. He felt that it was nothing like neither the Water Country nor the Fire Country but he slowly grew to admire the different countries. To the criminal himself, it was a new adventure, and a completely new area where it was like nothing he ever witnessed in his world. He spent each day in the Lightning Country the criminal started to like how things differ from each country. It had nothing to do with the people in this world or the animals, but the environment, just like that day when he saw the sunset with Mana. Every day was as if nothing tainted the soil of the grounds, sky, or mountains in the Lightning Country. Rukasu felt more at peace while he had a look in different areas and there was still many more to gaze upon with his snake eyes. Rukasu understood life was important but he still could not stand the people of this world destroying the beauty of this world. Rukasu loved to see places that seemed to be untouched by man, because from the moment he sees something like that it was as if he saw the most pure thing in this world.

The criminal grew so much in many ways in which he had grown accustomed to himself. Still evil at heart but with a new perspective on life, when it came down to judgment he knew who will die and who should deserve another chance. Rukasu now did not kill for the entertainment, but he will kill the tainted. He felt that to atone to his sins he would kill the people that do not deserve another chance in this world. Those people who have evil in their hearts and use it for anything that is involved in such a matter that no one can accept in this world. This change was not easy, but the evil still resides deep within his heart with a new mentality the criminal feels he could overcome this evil or just give up and let the evil control him once more. Having a control on his evil side, he was able to enforce smarter decisions that will place him on the right path for a better future. Rukasu still needed much to learn when it came to his life and future plans. He wanted to be someone great, no matter if he still carried the evil in his heart or not. Not caring if the people that look up to him hate him or not. He wanted power, as he always did since that day when Mokuzai told him to search for power. At first, the criminal did not know what Mokuzai was telling him to do in this journey. It took a while for Rukasu to realize that true power resides within as well as his reputation. Once he realized that he needed to push himself further and show the world what he could do was a goal like no other. There were times when the insanity inside Rukasu wanted nothing more than just to kill everyone in sight. His blood boiled of murder, betrayal and the lust for more blood. Still he would enjoy killing but ever since that girl, Mana showed him a sample of good, changed his heart a little.

Rukasu only thought that being evil was a way to get stronger, and the only way to be strong enough to destroy anyone in his path. However, the criminal noticed and experienced that when he vowed to protect someone special to him; there will be no limit to his power. After this moment in his life where all he wanted to do was to make sure that the protection of person special to him was necessary. Ever since he wanted to protect Mana, it was as if he improved in every aspect of his life. Training was more intense, focused, and followed through. Fights were taking seriously with a note in his mind not to kill unless it was the only way. Although, the criminal is still learning how to do all of this, he still strives to do better than he did the day before. To this day without fail the criminal has tried to do better ever since he last seen Mana. That last visit was actually the first meeting they shared since they released him from prison. During that time, they talked about a few things, and this was something that they both needed which was some closure.

During this conversation, Mana talked about an organization she wanted to defeat and she asked Rukasu to help him when the time was right. Since then there was no word but the criminal knew that she was in the Lightning Country for business but he has not heard anything since. Rukasu was a bit worried about her and wondered if she was alright but there was no way he knew how to get in touch with her without blowing her cover. Rukasu wanted to help her because he wanted to know what it felt like to help, and to show her that he could still be someone she could count on when she needed it the most. It was obvious that the criminal still deeply cared about her and he only wanted her to be happy. The criminal wanted to make sure that he finds her and sees for himself that she is doing okay.

He wore his black suit with his red vest, gray shirt, black short tie and his black with red top hat. The criminal still kept his appearance clean, as he also wore this black trench coat, which he liked a lot. His top hat was tilted downward a bit, that showed a shadow where his eyes are located. The giant sword he got since he was a kid was still one his back and that sword the criminal would never let go. The criminal was near a lake surrounded by mountains, as the sunshine ever so brightly. There was a slight breeze heading northwest, which was the same direction he faced. To his left the lake and to his right the grassy ground as he had his eyes closed embracing the beauty around him. The criminal had both hands in his pockets, as he smiled to the beautiful area he had just encountered. Everything felt so calm, like a soft melody from a harp. This feeling helped the criminal stay relax as he just stood there admiring the weather.

Age : 32 Posts : 1495

Mana sighed. The young woman opened her eyes and just fell down on her back from the meditating position she was in previously. The Assistant – Mana’s newly employed butler ran up to check if the girl was still alive as her death was something he was supposed to protect her from. “Lady, are you alright?” the man inquired before bothering to check her pulse or heartbeat. Mana growled. The man took it as a positive reply and backed up a bit.

“You really are quite harsh on yourself, Lady. Surely you do see the progress you’ve done in these days, you’ve finished the battle plans for the big battle, you’ve mastered your titanic dragon techniques… You’re more ready than any ninja would ever be.”

It was very unlike Assistant to try and lift Mana’s spirit up, usually he taunted her with his wit and sarcasm trying to make her feel bad and try even harder. That was why the magician liked this particular Assistant better as compared to the one from Kirigakure, that last one was an asskisser while this one is an asskicker with noble intentions. Whenever this Assistant taunted his employer she strived to prove him wrong and in the end achieved her goals but only to rub it into his face. Still, the goals were achieved regardless.

Mana sat back up and sighed cleaning her jacket from the dust. “I still can’t open Shingan properly, it’s not like that time I did it. Back then Master attacked me to kill me, it was easy to fight using Shingan because my life was in danger but I can’t just use it now… Shingan was supposed to be that one ace up on my sleeve and now it’s just a big fluke laughing right in my face!” Mana shouted as she punched the rocky ground causing blood to splat out from her wrist. The young woman has been training relentlessly these past months so her knuckles were already covered with blunt impact wounds and tears of miscellaneous origin.

“Well you don’t always have to be in danger per se to feel like dying, you’ve told me last time that your will to live awakened the Shingan, perhaps if you remembered when you were in danger of dying and willed to live again…” Assistant spoke again, this time completely void of sarcasm or jokes, perhaps even this noble man saw the weight and absolute death that stood behind the Parabrahma. If Mana does not open Shingan and use it during the battle it will be much harder for everyone involved, as the leading force of the defense Mana has to be the best she can be!

The magician nodded and sat right back into her meditational pose, she closed her eyes and looked into her own mind. She could now freely control the meditational stage of “The Verse”. It was the most advanced state of meditation. Out of the three: The Neo, The Omnes, The Verse was simply the most unbelievable. It allowed Mana to not focus on either her own body or her environment but to create and entire Universe within her own mind, dictate its rules and even train her body inside there, it was the perfect dojo with the perfect tools to train even when she was standing in a queue waiting for a medical check-up with almost no risk of injury.

There it was – Guru Ayushi and his Totem statue, ready to absorb Mana’s chakra to fuel his Super Honda, ready to create a monster that not only could not be destroyed but also increased its strength every time it was damaged – the perfect weapon. Mana let her memories dictate the events, she remembered just how close to death she was in that battle, remembering the Tamashiton hitting her – an antimatter element that violently deteriorated any mater it passed through, even dodging it hurt like nothing else one could feel. All those zombified villagers whom Mana wanted to protect beating and kicking her because the girl decided that she will not fight them…

Mana’s eyes shot open – tears started to run down her cheeks as she wiped them off and stood up, her head was looking at the ground and her hair were all over her face hiding the fact that the young woman was crying. “What’s wrong, Lady? Were you not successful? What happened?” Assistant asked, he wasn’t just curious, he must’ve felt that something went wrong but the girl just stood up and started running away towards a nearby lake that she always bathed at after the training.

All this training, all this destruction that her Avatar techniques caused, turning an entire mountain range to almost a wasteland in just several weeks of training… And here she was at her worst shortcoming – Mana reached the moment where she was close to death but… She could no longer will herself to live. The will that kept her moving when fighting Ayushi, she could no longer pull that off, she no longer had the rage in her heart. Back then she was young and angry at the world that her father slipped into a coma, she only directed that rage towards a single man, a man who was hailed as one of the world’s strongest shinobi so he undoubtedly was supposed to handle that rage. Now… She had none of that.

Mana just couldn’t will herself to live again, she was tired and broken, her body was completely exhausted from all this fighting, all of this training and strategizing. It knew that the Parabrahma were associated with all of this so it understood that if Mana wins she will only win a chance to keep fighting, keep making herself suffer for the people she loved. That was why Mana’s own mind wanted her to die, so that there was no more of the pain and suffering of trying to save everyone and failing… Mana wiped her own tears as she charged forward through the wasteland passing by some trees on her way.

“That chakra… That’s… Rukasu…” Mana uttered to herself as she slowed her step down a bit and left into the opening near the lake looking at the young man. He probably knew she was coming from way further, it wasn’t like the young woman tried to hide too much in the first place. She was too angry at herself, too consumed by her own emotions. The magician wiped her tears as she looked at the man and took a couple of steps forward.

“So… You came… Did you come here to kill me or to help me?” she asked, when she last left Rukasu the man was in a crossroad and she left him to choose between light and darkness. She wasn’t angry at him for coming here, she just wanted to know what he has chosen. If he wanted to kill her to remove any signs of positive feelings inside his heart she was ready for him, she had so much pent up rage she wanted to express so she could’ve used a face to beat up. On the other hand nothing would have made Mana happier than if Rukasu actually would have decided to fight together with her. Despite the magician sometimes looking at the young man as if he was a child, he actually was a high ranking nukenin, having someone of his strength fighting side by side couldn’t have hurt…

Age : 33 Posts : 510

While the criminal admired the area, as he felt so calm, thinking of nothing that would excite the criminal. He just felt at peace something he grew to appreciate as the time passed. Rukasu still had his eyes closed, thinking about the many things he could do in the future that would either benefit the criminal or not. He knew that there always a place for him in the world but he still was searching for it. The criminal diverted from his first path of killing everyone to only killing the impure. Short amount of time left for Rukasu to finish the things he needed to accomplish first. Rukasu was more alive more than he had ever been in this world. He figured that his past was a test for the future to make sure he grows up to be a better person than he had ever been in his life. He ventured almost all over the world just to search for power when the truth was to find out where his destiny lies. Apart of him who wanted to know what was going to become of him. He did not want to die for the crimes he committed, nor did he want the world to hate him. He still did not care but he knew that there was going to be one point in his life where he was going to want the approval of the people for something important. Who knew what that was going to be but at the same time, he knew something like that was going to happen. He knew he choose to follow a path and stick to it, but there is also the fact that people divert from the path to achieve something that they believe in. It was obvious that the criminal has diverted from the path and it seemed that the chosen path was still being discussed in his mind whether it was the right decision to divert. Many things in his life that he needed to understand before he made his decision.

The criminal has already made a few life-changing decisions, which led him to the lightning country. He knew what he came to this country for, as he wanted to see if it was possible to learn more than what he can. Push the limits some more so that he could be more diverse than he was in the past. The criminal had always used his swords, elements, and snakes as he thought it was diverse enough. However, the criminal had this feeling that more doors could be open. The criminal's chakra sensory ability was active as he only felt the twenty-meter radius, and still his eyes closed to admire the weather around him. He felt someone nearby, but it was familiar feeling. He did not know who it could be since he had just recently gotten the skill, but he could tell by his experiences that it was someone familiar. The criminal felt the chakra source getting closer, as with each step closer he felt the source stronger. He knew he could tell this chakra was from someone he knew when he heard her voice.

“So… You came… Did you come here to kill me or to help me?” She said, as Rukasu slowly looked up at her. Mana is the one person that changed his life for the better. He could not believe that she approached him. He knew that she was in this village for a purpose so she did not want the criminal to be involved. Rukasu understood that much and this was strange that she came out in the open. Rukasu smiled at her with a different smile than ever, a smile of innocence, and he was very happy to see her after all this time. At first Rukasu was speechless since he did not expect to see her here and he thought they would have met up back in the Fire Country or one of the minor countries. Recollected what he was going to say to her before he said the wrong thing to her. That bond that he is still trying to re-piece back together after what he had done in the past. The criminal was finally ready to show Mana who he has become even though he still working to make it better.

"Well if it isn't my dear Mana, How have you been? It has been a long time hasn't it. How are you?" Rukasu paused for a moment as he lifted the hat of his a little so he could get a good look at her. "Look at how much you have grown. You’re still beautiful as ever, and you look stronger." The criminal paused again as he admired her beauty. It was something about her beauty that represented with a bright of pure essence. "I told you I will find you, or you will find me. It was only a matter of time. After all we been through, you really think I came here to kill you?" Rukasu said as he paused once more just to catch his breath, and then he exhaled as he still looked at her. "I am not here to kill you, nor kill anyone with a heart that is pure. I am only here to tell you that whenever you need me I am here. I am finally strong enough to protect you. That I can guarantee, with my own Life." Rukasu said with a serious face to show her that he was not lying. Rukasu cared for her so much that he would never think of killing her. He loved her and he wanted her to be happy no matter what. Mana was that only person that believed that Rukasu had light in his heart. That was something not everyone would never believe since they all judged the demon before talking to him. No one has ever accepted Rukasu for who he was and still pushed him to change. That helped Rukasu find a better way in his life for a better future.

"I honestly want to thank you for putting me in that prison. I am truly grateful that you showed me a better way. Thank you." Rukasu said as he smiled at her with a nice, happy smile. Rukasu's evil intent was dormant and locked away. The criminal knew how to keep himself under control and he will always thank Mana for that.

Age : 32 Posts : 1495

Mana could barely recognize this new Rukasu, he spoke calmly, looked perfectly stable and reserved. This wasn’t the man who killed Satsuki Uchiha, he was completely different and just for this moment in time Mana wanted to cry again, not because she was sad, felt crushed by all the responsibility and pressure but because she for the first time saw someone she put down standing back up as a decent person. Rukasu now looked like a rather trustworthy man, one the magician wasn’t afraid to be associated with. So what if she was seen with a criminal, this criminal was the one who stood with her when the “decent ninja” hid in their homes and covered their ears.

One of Mana’s greatest disappointments and failures was that she always failed in the end. All the enemies she’s beaten, all those feats people attributed to her when they called her “Hero” were in reality all failures. She didn’t win against Ayushi, Honda, Leech or any of her enemies, she beat them down until none of them could fight back, that couldn’t have been father from “victory”. Fighting in itself is a loss from the moment it begins. With Rukasu Mana felt like she “won” something for the first time in her life. Rukasu was the solution to the “Make the world a better place than you found it” equation which Mana lived by.

She couldn’t hold it in anymore, Mana started laughing in tears when she looked at Rukasu. Sure, he could’ve just been faking it, but someone like the magician would've never suspected that being the case until the knife was already in her back. She trusted people and she would always trust them until the end. “I won’t lie… It’s been tough, I’ve been by the edge of dying more times in the last month than I’ve been during last two years. First thing that happened after we parted was me getting attacked by all ten of the Parabrahma at once. My luck hasn’t improved since… Still, seeing you like this… It’s the best thing that happened to me in a long while, I needed it.”

Mana blushed and hid behind her hair again when being complimented both on her strength and beauty, over her entire life one would have thought she’d have gained at least a little bit of composure but… Unfortunately. “I know I told you not to see me in Lightning Country but… Things are worse than I thought, Raikage isn’t even moving a finger, no one’s seen him for the last year, I think. Some people talk of him like he’s been dead and I’ve been doing his job in forming a defense plan for the last couple of months. Raikage, Kumogakure administration, none of the paper pushers give a crap, it’s just the people who want to help from here on… It’s… So hard…”

Mana wiped her tears and then smiled to Rukasu again, she could not stay depressed seeing the only success in her life stand right in front of her. “I’m glad the whole “kill bad people” thing worked out for you. It’s a nindo I can understand, my own mentor stood behind that nindo and while I couldn’t ever accept it as my own, I can understand people who take it.” she said while smiling, she came closer to the man and tried to hug him with one hand. The man who caused her so much pain was also now the young man who made it all worth it.

Rukasu even went as far as to thank Mana for putting him to prison, he really didn’t have to do that. After all, she always gave people chances, she never took lives and that was just the only option. There have been times when Mana wanted to kill, she had to admit that for a moment her mind faltered, something snapped and she wanted to kill Rukasu when she saw him near that body of the young Uchiha girl. “You know… Law really allows people previously considered nukenin to become “wanderers” now, you would be allowed to enter villages and would be considered a human being for once. No one would be judging you anymore, they’d see you for the new man that you are. I won’t ask you to join a village or anything but… You know, just something to consider.”

Once the soft exchange of pleasantries was over Mana looked over the horizon and the lake emanating crystal reflections of light, “The big fight is close, the scouts say that the Parabrahma is just a week away from the Inari mountain. I can’t ask you to do anything but… You’re going to fight alongside me, right? There’s still time to add a certain asset to the squad, even if the plans of battle have already been made.” Mana glanced at Rukasu wondering what his plans were. Maybe once he figured things out and become a stable and respectable young man he no longer wishes to commit to the madness that Mana signs up for every day.

Mana thought that maybe meeting Rukasu would drive her so low that it would make her open her Shingan again but… Meeting Rukasu only cheered her up, she was now ready to die even more than she was ever before. She always used to wonder what her goal in life was, what the one big thing she had to do before dying was but now seeing Rukasu all fixed, strong and stable made the young woman realize that she’s made the world a better place by shaping this young man, if her life was taken in the battle of Inari Mountain she wouldn’t fret because she did something right, she wasn’t a failure anymore.

The young magician removed a tissue from her pocket and coughed up onto it, she’s been coughing up blood ever since she trained Shingan. It couldn’t have been the ability itself – Mana couldn’t even open it properly anymore. It must’ve been something else but it was something that had to wait until after the Parabrahma was stopped. “Sorry” the magician said, “I was just training pretty hard, I wanted to be ready to face those people if I ever had to face them alone. Maybe this battle will go so bad that no one will want to help me and then I’ll have to fight them alone again, I just want to be ready…”

Age : 33 Posts : 510

Rukasu waited for a little to see what Mana was going to say or do but in the end, she laughed and cried at the same times. She was happy and this was a big relief for the criminal because he did something good, which made him feel good as well. She told Rukasu that she had almost died a few times after they last met and this was something Rukasu did not like to hear. He felt that he was not there to help her, even though she was the one that pushed him away. Rukasu just listened to what she said as he smiled at her, as he also noticed her blushing. Rukasu knew that because she hid behind her hair, and that was something she had done before. It was obvious and this did not bother the criminal.

“I know I told you not to see me in Lightning Country but… Things are worse than I thought, Raikage isn’t even moving a finger, no one’s seen him for the last year, I think. Some people talk of him like he’s been dead and I’ve been doing his job in forming a defense plan for the last couple of months. Raikage, Kumogakure administration, none of the paper pushers give a crap, it’s just the people who want to help from here on… It’s… So hard…” she said as she wiped her tears and smiled at Rukasu again. Rukasu had gotten information that could be the key to his future. He smiled at Mana as he listened closely to her when she spoke. “I’m glad the whole “kill bad people” thing worked out for you. It’s a nindo I can understand, my own mentor stood behind that nindo and while I couldn’t ever accept it as my own, I can understand people who take it.” She also said and the simple fact was that she was proud of Rukasu.

"I am going to be honest with you, no more secrets or anything like that. Since that little girl I killed, I have not killed anyone since besides two crime organizations. That was because their greed exceeded to a point where the innocent was harm. I dealt with all of them personally. It was hard but I was able to learn from you and keep walking the path that is better for me." Rukasu said as he noticed her coming closer, so he walked closer to her as well. She was going to give the criminal an one arm hug but that was not what Rukasu thought would be necessary as he grabbed her around her waist for a full both arm hug. Both of her arms were around Rukasu's shoulders. This hug was what they both needed and it seemed as times stop as this hug went on for a few moments. She told him that he could be someone else in life, and not walk the path of a criminal. She told him he could be a wanderer, or join a village but she was not going to force him to join.

“The big fight is close, the scouts say that the Parabrahma is just a week away from the Inari mountain. I can’t ask you to do anything but… You’re going to fight alongside me, right? There’s still time to add a certain asset to the squad, even if the plans of battle have already been made.” She said as Rukasu's head pulled back still holding her but looking directly into her eyes.

"You can always count me in to fight alongside you. I will not ever let you die. I am going to make sure that you and i will walk away from this as heroes." Rukasu said as he surprised himself telling her that they both would make it out being heroes of this world. The most evil person in this world has started to understand the feeling of having a heart. She back off the hug and grabbed a tissue, as she coughed up blood, the criminal was completely worried.

“Sorry” she said, “I was just training pretty hard, I wanted to be ready to face those people if I ever had to face them alone. Maybe this battle will go so bad that no one will want to help me and then I’ll have to fight them alone again, I just want to be ready…” Mana said as Rukasu's eyes widen with a bit of anger but he still was able to control it.

"Mana, I Rukasu hereby declare to never leave your side at all. I will honor you, cherish you, and make sure you are taken care of. I will do all of this because I care about you and I want to you always smile the way you are smiling right now. I am happy to see you." Rukasu said as he looked at her with a nice look, as he truly meant every word he said to her. There was no more fake Rukasu. He was going to try his best to make sure that Mana was always happy. The criminal was going to put her idea about the criminal being a wanderer into consideration but that would be something he would have to think about further.

Age : 32 Posts : 1495

It appeared that Rukasu wanted to be honest, to admit about his new stance on life. The goal of this was not entirely clear to Mana, maybe he wanted to just talk it out, perhaps those murders weighed heavily on his new and improved consciousness. Or maybe he tried to show Mana that he has improved by opening his cards, something that would have been quite odd seeing how she already trusted him. Maybe he just wanted to know if he did a good thing? Did Mana’s opinion really that important to Rukasu?

Mana did not respond, the softness in her eyes must’ve portrayed the message quite clearly, she didn’t blame him for anything. Quite the contrary – she was proud of this new man that Rukasu has become. How much the world has changed just from so not long ago: one of her best friends and most admired ninja has fallen so deeply when a man who has hurt her so much rose from the pit she threw him in and became a better man out of it all. Mana realized just how little she understood and controlled this life. It all was just floating in the air somewhere.

The young woman was really surprised by Rukasu’s response to her kind gesture of softness. Sure she has hugged him before but remembering what he had to say to her before they parted in Konoha about him being in love with the magician it gave this a whole another meaning. Needless to say Mana was embarrassed, she had little experience in that sort of thing and she had to admit that she did share a bit of Rukasu’s affection. Just because the nukenin turned out to be Mana’s only success in life she started to look at him differently. This sort of love was a painful subject to the magician…

She was in that sort of love once, her first love was a boy named Ryuuto who viewed her as a friend when everyone in the village hated her guts, it was right after Mana defeated Guru Ayushi and was released from prison after it was faked as an assault instead of a mission. The boy and Mana were in early stages of love and it was amazing, the magician loved every moment of that feeling, it felt so empowering to know that someone in this world loves you and would stand for you until their end.

The boy was the typical fighter kind of a fellow, to him strength was really important, his father was basically that tenfold. The boy’s father was even called “the Barbarian” by how much warrior’s code meant to him and he thought that Mana made Ryuuto weak. It would not have mattered if the magician would not have seen how much it made the boy suffer – having to choose training or her. The girl was so sick of seeing her first love in pain that she literally broke off any bonds with him so that he could be happy and make his father proud. She sacrificed her first love for the young boy’s happiness.

For that reason Mana was afraid to admit that she sort of shared Rukasu’s feelings, to Rukasu she was that person who helped him but unbeknownst to her, he helped her too by letting her help him. By becoming that one person she helped without having to take him down for good Rukasu found a special place in Mana’s heart. That was why the girl was really shy and afraid of letting him in even more. She smiled after Rukasu claimed that he’ll make sure they’ll walk from all of it as heroes.

“I gave some pretty sensitive information of Konohagakure’s PSN to Kumo, just to make them more capable of defending against the Parabrahma… There’s one title I will return to Konoha as and it is definitely not a “hero”. I think I’ll be more of a “traitor”…”

The girl laughed a bit and restrained her smile. She could easily smile even with the concept of being labeled as a traitor. She had accepted it by now, nothing mattered but stopping the Parabrahma. What happens to her later does not matter, whether her little treason is ignored by the village due to the countless times she’s saved it or whether her head comes off, it did not matter. All that mattered was that the world was safe, the world for the new generation to grow. In a way Mana fought for the world her own children would grow in…

“Heh, it’s nice to dream…”

The girl thought as her head sunk down, not of sadness, she commonly dreamed about finally getting to settle down. She already finished her service, long ago, ever since she became a Sennin she had the right to settle down – all her debts were paid. Still Mana kept fighting, never stopping to think if that’s what she wanted, if it’s good for her. Always dreaming of an ordinary, peaceful life but never choosing it over helping someone. And there was always someone in need of her help.

“You know… If we survive this… If Parabrahma is stopped… I wouldn’t mind if we went on a date or something…”

Mana looked into the distance, not believing her own words. Could she afford it? Can she handle it? Why did she give ordinary life a chance? What if shit hits the fan again? What if the Leech escapes confinement or something, what if ANYTHING wrong happens? Still, it was a long shot to survive such a battle, it reminded much more of a foolish promise of two soldiers sitting under constant cannon fire. Maybe it was for the better if she stopped doing this for a while, maybe it’s okay to try and do something for herself once in a while. Maybe it was alright to live once in a while…

The taste of blood in her mouth didn’t go away just yet, reminding the magician of all those times she felt down and afraid for her life. All those times she ran away fighting impossible odds alone, if she really does go with this stupid idea of having a life of her own… She probably will have another thing to care about, she’ll have to consider her own friends, other people dear to her before running off to nearly die and add another medal to her invisible medal wall.

Age : 33 Posts : 510

It was clear to the criminal that a new life would soon start, but there was always one thing that stopped the criminal and whomever he was with at the time in their tracks. The one thing that stands in the way of Rukasu and Mana was that organization that tried to kill Mana at one point. Rukasu hated them with all of his heart that he could not bear to see her get hurt again. It was obvious that the criminal was going to lay his life on the line just to save her from getting hurt again. The thought of her getting hurt just made his heart ache in pain but since he was in front of the women he loved, he was not going to show any feelings that would make him look weak anymore. It was also clear that the criminal was not going to die anytime soon, he looked into her eyes as she looked into his eyes. Rukasu wanted to change for him and for her, and he knew that he would have to go through hard ship in order for him to see the light. This special meeting was something important for the both of them since they were both going to go into battle and this battle was not the type to play around since someone could die. It’s a serious fight that could mean that they could lose their lives, and that was something he was not going to let happen. Rukasu wanted to fight for her on the front lines, and he knew he had the power of 1000 men so this was no big deal for the criminal. He was going to use his power of snakes to make sure that nothing happens to Mana.

It seems I have changed since I have no thoughts about killing anyone, or being evil. I can feel something growing strong in my body where I can see a future of light in her eyes. Rukasu thought to himself as he smiled because for some reason that he still could not understand but he was happy. Only joy came to the heart of the criminal when it came to Mana being proud of him. The criminal was now slowly doing his part, a new path that he took a risk of walking and now seeing that there is a chance of change, then the criminal had hope.

“I gave some pretty sensitive information of Konohagakure’s PSN to Kumo, just to make them more capable of defending against the Parabrahma… There’s one title I will return to Konoha as and it is definitely not a “hero”. I think I’ll be more of a “traitor”…” She said as the criminal just had an Idea that he did not think about before. He had a similar idea a while back but this time he feels that he could make this work somehow with the help of Mana.

“Mana, you are not a traitor in my eyes. Since you just told me that the Raikage has been MIA or something like that then I would like to ask you if it is possible for me, the criminal of the world, to become Raikage. In addition, if that is possible then you could join Kumo and spend the rest of your life with me. This is just a thought that I am thinking about pursuing. Don’t get the wrong idea I won’t do anything harmful to the people of Kumo. I want to be someone besides a picture on the wall with the word ‘wanted’ on it. I don’t know how I came to this change but I am willing to try and I hope you understand me. I may be a killer of the impure but I am also willing to change that so I can help the impure be pure once again. Is that even possible?” Rukasu said as he held her hand and looked into her eyes. His snake eyes were full of determination to do whatever he could to make her happy and at the same time to make sure that the criminal would become someone great in this world.

It seemed that Mana was in thought but Rukasu knew that she could be thinking about the many things to come, since there was so much on her plate. The criminal could not see her like this at all, as she tilted her head down. He wanted to know what was bothering her so much, and he wanted to hold her pain so that she could move on. The criminal used his other hand to tilt her head back up so they could look into each other’s eyes. “If there is something bothering you, then tell me. If all you have is, pain then let me hold onto your pain. You know that I can handle it. Share with me your pain so that you would not have to hold onto many feelings and memories that may have caused you to doubt yourself.” Rukasu said, as he was one hundred percent serious about everything he had said to her. Nothing he would ever take back nor hurt her. He did not want to play any more games and he was not going to let her fall to the ground ever again.

Soon after she told Rukasu, a few words that made his heart skip a bit. “You know… If we survive this… If Parabrahma is stopped… I wouldn’t mind if we went on a date or something…” Mana said as Rukasu eyes widen, and could not believe that she said something like that. Something hit his heart so hard he almost forgot to breathe, he was also speechless but not for that long. He was actually so happy that he wanted to do something so crazy but he was also hesitant. Mana said those things but Rukasu was not sure how she really feels about him. The criminal wanted more than anything was to ask her a certain question but he knew that it was not the right time to ask a question that could affect their relationship.

“I will make sure that me and you will go one not one date but several. I will make sure that you are happy no matter what life brings. I may be evil but I will also guarantee that during my life, I will try my best to destroy this evil or at least turn it into something for the better. I won’t promise you but I will give you my heart.” Rukasu said as he just looked into her eyes only a few feet away as he still held onto her hand. There was no end for the love he had for Mana, because she is the one and only girl that gave him the chance to change.

Age : 32 Posts : 1495

Something rather interesting came out of Rukasu’s mouth. The young man was interested in becoming the next Raikage after hearing from the magician that the current one wasn’t doing his job and wasn’t seen recently. Mixed feelings came with that revelation of a dream: on one hand the young woman was proud of her friend’s new and improved dream – being Raikage is a lot of responsibility and it takes a very special man to shoulder that amount of responsibility, on the other the Sennin remembered Rukasu’s previous words of dictatorship told before she had left to Lightning Country back in outskirts of Konohagakure.

“I think that’s a noble goal, one I’d be willing to support. I’m not sure if I’d go with joining Kumogakure though, I’m not sure how much people of Kumogakure would accept me – a foreigner. I’m just not the kind of person to abandon my home just because they want me imprisoned or dead. That doesn’t mean I’m some sort of Konohagakure loyalist or something, Will of Fire is as distant to me as it is to you, it’s just that… Right now Kumogakure sees me as an exotic guest, a celebrity from another Country, I’m not sure if they would accept me as their own if given choice. I’d much rather accept whatever punishment Konohagakure has for me, as alluring as your offer sounds.”

Mana knew that this may not have sounded well to Rukasu. She also realized just how hypocritical and bitchy she must’ve sounded like, her eyes turned a bit to sadness again. She asked the criminal about possibly becoming a wanderer, not because she preferred him being one but just because she wanted her friend to feel free, because she didn’t want him to live looking around his shoulder every other day. But when her friend asked her the same – to change her status, her alignment she declined the offer outright, going as far as to say she’d rather accept death from the hands of her home than spend more time with him. It wasn’t true too, Mana liked Rukasu, she was still pondering about if she truly loved him but she liked him. She was willing to help and support him all the way but…

“Anyways… I’d be happy if you became the Raikage. I think the kind of man you are now would be great for the chair if the big orange hat is your sort of thing, I’m afraid politics just isn’t my game, I won’t be much help to you once you get your big seat. And about being able to change the wicked back to pure… You changed, haven’t you? You’re a living proof people can change into better. Changing people back is something I’d be willing to help with, it is my own nindo too after all.”

Mana smiled to her friend trying to soften her tone more after her previous rejection. Why was she doing that? Why wouldn’t she stay with him and run away? What was she running from? Didn’t she just decide to live like a young woman her age instead of fighting battles no ninja should fight alone, shouldering all that darkness and hatred alone just so other people don’t have to? How could she tell Rukasu she might love him back, might plan on settling down with him and then tell him she won’t be joining Kumogakure? Maybe happiness just wasn’t Mana’s destiny, maybe she was meant to suffer and run and die alone…

The girl coughed again, she gently pulled her hand out of Rukasu’s, “Remember what I’ve told you, I approve of your change, I think I am willing to answer your feelings once the world isn’t in danger anymore. I have some more training to do though, I’m sorry our meeting needs to be cut so short.” she said without turning back. Her eyes were sad but only because she couldn’t understand herself, she couldn’t understand just what she wanted. Was she a bad and manipulative person for being like that? For wanting happiness but not being willing to abandon her home for it? Unwillingly Rukasu’s question about leaving her home caused the magician a lot of suffering, despite what he may have said before. Not for a second did the magician blame him though, it wasn’t his fault for asking it, it was hers…

“I’ll be waiting for you in the Inari Mountain range camp within this week, I’ll tell the guards to let you in, I’ll modify the battle plans to include you and I’ll be honored to add you to my squad.” Mana turned back one last time and smiled to Rukasu, just the way he claimed he liked her to smile. “It’d be quite cruel of me to not give you the chance to protect me when you go out of your way to do so, if that is your new Ninja Way, then I shall give you a chance to live up to it.” She then turned around and started walking home. Just when an unexpected event happened – Shingan opened again.

Mana’s eyes shot back, she closed it, opened it again – she had will to live again! Shingan was open now! Overcome by joy Mana turned back and ran at Rukasu, hugging him and kissing him in the cheek, she then blushed and ran towards the Inari Mountain camp. This development changed everything, it still boosted the Alliance’s power exponentially. Shingan required Mana to will to live, it required that will to burn wildly and when she doubted her wish to live she couldn’t access it. Now that the prospect of having a life was there, that she imagined this new future free of evil, future where everyone were free to live up to their dreams – she willed to live again! Shingan burned wildly again…

After running several kilometers further Mana stopped and coughed up some more blood again, she had to check that thing out, let the medical ninja run some tests. She refused the Kumogakure’s curiosity to run the tests on her out of need to train for the big battle but once she is finished with the Parabrahma, once the world was safe she’ll test herself, just because there were people in this world who loved her and cared about her: Meiko, Kiyomi, Rukasu and the others. They wouldn’t forgive her if she died from some silly disease or injury just because she didn’t check…

[EXIT]

Age : 33 Posts : 510

A special meeting it was as the criminal and Mana had a sincere conversation. The criminal was probably the only one who knew her pain and he wanted to save her from it. He felt that saving her from her troubles would be his life mission. No, it was what he needed to do. To save Mana from anything and anyone that wanted to harm her. There little meeting was able to strengthen their still broken bond even more. Rukasu was going to stop at nothing until Mana was able to find what she was looking for. Rukasu was ready for the days to come when they will fight alongside each other. He did not know whom else he was going to fight with but he hoped that they were nice people to avoid the people that who already know him as the criminal. Rukasu did not want to fight with a team that is against him in battle. If it came to him fighting in a team where they will most likely leave him for death then he would have to accept reality. It was clear that Mana needed him and Rukasu was going to do his best to make sure that all her needs met.

She told Rukasu that being Raikage would be a noble goal but there were the things that Rukasu would need to do in order to accomplish his goal. However, Rukasu noticed that she did not want to leave her village so she would rather accept the penalty. Rukasu did not know if that was her way of pushing Rukasu away or it was really, how she felt. The criminal did not know what to say to her comments as he continued to listen to her. He knew that just being there for her was good enough for her as the criminal was actually ready for anything and everything. It seemed she still carried sadness in her heart but it was something Rukasu wanted to help her with just so she won’t feel alone. He felt that he would also make sure that she was happy. Rukasu did not care about how much was on his plate, but he still was going to do his best and make sure that everything gets taken care of.

“Anyways… I’d be happy if you became the Raikage. I think the kind of man you are now would be great for the chair if the big orange hat is your sort of thing, I’m afraid politics just isn’t my game, I won’t be much help to you once you get your big seat. And about being able to change the wicked back to pure… You changed, haven’t you? You’re a living proof people can change into better. Changing people back is something I’d be willing to help with, it is my own nindo too after all.” Mana said as the criminal smiled to hear that there could be a chance that he could become Raikage. That was something he recently thought of and he did not mind sharing it with Mana, since he felt that she would not lie to him. He knew that if there could be a chance he would take it just to see if he could do it. If not then the wanderer was also not a bad idea. The criminal would not mind being free, and that would be a great feeling. The criminal thought that if he were to become a wanderer then he would use that opportunity for retirement.

“I’ll be waiting for you in the Inari Mountain range camp within this week, I’ll tell the guards to let you in, I’ll modify the battle plans to include you and I’ll be honored to add you to my squad.” she said as she was going to get ready to leave but she turned around once more, “It’d be quite cruel of me to not give you the chance to protect me when you go out of your way to do so, if that is your new Ninja Way, then I shall give you a chance to live up to it.” she finally said as he she completely turned around and started walking home. Rukasu then picked up something powerful with his sensory, and that came from Mana. Was she showing Rukasu her full extent of her power? How much she had grown. However, she turned around so happy, running to Rukasu, hugging him and kissing him on his cheek. Her soft lips kissed his cheek, leaving a little mark of lipstick on his face as he noticed her blush as she ran away to go back home. Rukasu gently touched his face where she kissed him. It was like last time but this time he could feel something different. It was as if this kiss was her way of showing the criminal her feelings. Still it was hard to tell but he could not express the feeling. The criminal was happy, as he had nothing else to do so he was going to go sleep at some place like a motel and then he will set out for his new journey at the Mountain Mana spoke about.

Right before he was going to leave, he watched Mana run off. "I love you Mana." Rukasu said as he will never forget he ever said those words, and even though she did not hear him, he knew that she still held those words close to her ever since the departure of Konoha. Now the time was near when Rukasu will have to help Mana for the first time. This should be very interesting.

[Topic Closed - Rukasu EXIT]