Arriving At Hi no Kuni [Private]

Age : 31 Posts : 1836

• Continued From •
How Can This Be?

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“This is as far I can take ya, kid,” announced the man in the straw hat. He looked over his shoulder at the back of his cart, where a blonde boy lay on the pile of hay the man was transporting. Masquerade looked up from his book as the man spoke, taking in his surroundings. The donkey-driven, wooden cart was on a dirt path bordered on one side by a dense forest, and the other side by a grassy meadow. Closing his book and pocketing it, Masquerade rose to his feet and leaped off the cart. As he turned to face the forest to his left, he posed a question to the man: “So if I go through here, I’ll end up right outside Konohagakure, Tamaki-san?”

The middle-aged man in the straw hat nodded his head. “Yup, it’s pretty straightforward from here,” he replied, pointing to a gap in the trees where a natural path could be seen. “All you gotta do is follow the path, and you’ll reach Konohagakure in no time.” He looked down at Masquerade. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you headed there? Need something done by their ninja?” Tamaki watched the blonde boy with interest. No doubt he was wondering what a person dressed as oddly as Masquerade would want from a Shinobi Village. The thought had already occurred to the cart driver that Masquerade was perhaps a ninja of Konohagakure no Sato; the lack of a village symbol, however, had made him think otherwise. It had yet to occur to the innocent and good-natured Tamaki that Masquerade might be a Nukenin; the idea that a child would be a criminal was something that he could not fathom.

The Nukenin was a second or two in replying to Tamaki’s question. He had run into Tamaki on his way to Hi no Kuni from Kusa no Kuni’s Forest of Bamboo. Seeing the young boy by himself, the friendly man had offered Masquerade a ride, saying that he was also on his way to Hi no Kuni. At first Masquerade had politely refused the offer, saying that the man need not bother. But the traveler had insisted, and eventually giving in, Masquerade had flopped down onto the bale of hay at the back of the man’s cart. The trip had lasted for a considerable amount of hours, during which Tamaki and Masquerade had conversed (though to be more accurate it was the former that did most of the talking). It was thus that Masquerade now stood before the woods which surrounded Konohagakure no Sato.

Masquerade’s eyes narrowed behind his visor as he kept his gaze fixed onto the trees ahead of him. He couldn’t tell Tamaki why he had come here, which was to inquire about his deceased father from the villagers. There was nothing wrong in that reason, but that answer would lead to more questions, and an awkward situation would then ensue. No, it was best to keep his response simple and vague. “I need some questions answered, and I believe I can find those answers at Konohagakure,” replied Masquerade minimally, his voice as calm and emotionless as his face. His masked visage turned away from the trees to the kind, handsome face underneath the straw hat. “I thank you for the ride, Tamaki-san.” Tamaki blinked and smiled. “Pleasure’s all mine, kid. Hope we meet again sometime,” he answered, taking the reins to his donkey in his hands and whipping them to get the animal moving. The man shouted his farewell as he drove off down the path and away from Masquerade.

The masked teenager watched the cart as it shrank into the distance, then redirected his attention to the forest within which his objective lay. Now that he was in Hi no Kuni, Masquerade had to come up with some sort of plan. He couldn’t just stride into Konohagakure and start questioning people; that would be dangerous not to mention idiotic. Even a disguise was too risky. Konohagakure, being such a great Shinobi Village, was not lax with security. Only an extremely foolish Nukenin would undergo such a risk without due preparation. Right now, he had to think.

Pulling his gaze away from the woods, Masquerade walked across the dirt path upon which Tamaki’s cart had driven and stepped onto the lush floor of the meadow. The bright Sun of Hi no Kuni beat down on the boy’s head as he traipsed across the wide pasture. Succumbing to the heat, Masquerade swept his gaze around the field until he spotted a large apple tree nearby that would provide him sufficient shade. Vibrant green grass was crushed under his booted feet as he made his way to the tree. Flopping down onto the grass beside the towering plant, he leaned back against its thick, sturdy trunk, relaxing his body as he did so. The emerald green eyes behind the reflective visor of his mask then slid up to the sky, and he slowly became lost in his thoughts as he watched the seemingly endless blue above.

Posts : 140

Zilva had been relaxing in a tree next to a road when she heard a noise in the distance. It wasn't a threatening noise but it was still a cue to the approach of other people that could possibly mean harm or be confrontational. The noise was a small click and clack, like a cart coming towards Zilva. This was verified when in the distance Zilva spotted a donkey driven cart with a couple of people in it. 'Probably just another trade cart, but it can't hurt to check it out just in case.' she thought while she waited for the cart to come closer so that she could get a better look. When the cart did come close enough to see the passenger, Zilva noticed something odd about one of them. The driver of the cart looked like an average traveler complete with a straw hat. However, the second person looked strange to say the least. It wasn't a threatening strange or a mysterious strange, he just seemed out of place, to say the least. That was enough to pique Zilva's interest and she dropped to a lower branch next to the road in order to hear the conversation being held between the traveler and the weird stranger. It looked like the strange one was heading towards Konoha to 'get some questions answered'.

'To get some questions answered? Hmmm, that's strange. I wonder if he's from another village or something. If he is he's probably on some sort of diplomatic mission. What if he isn't though? What if he's a missing ninja? Then he must have some sort of business in the village just like I do... I guess there's only one way to find out.' Zilva reflected. Although she wasn't usually the one to start conversations since she tended to stay away from most people, Zilva's eyes followed him as she waited for the opportunity to approach him. The stranger looked at the forest and seemed to reflect for a bit before turning and walking towards the expansive field on the other side of the dirt road. Zilva continued to watch him as he slowly made his way to a large tree that was in the field. She was about to race over to him when she saw him lean against the tree and gaze up into the sky but her pride stopped her. 'I'm not going to waltz over there like I need to talk to him. Screw that, he can come to me.' She thought as she began to think of a way to make that thought into a reality.

After a few minutes of thought, Zilva came up with a plan and jumped down from the tree and onto the forest growth beneath her. Slowly and confidently, Zilva walked across the dirt path and into the field. As she walked through the sunlit field she began to casually hum loader and loader as she approached the tree. When she did finally reach the tree, she grabbed an apple that had fallen on the ground and took a bit. After giving the stranger a brief, nonchalant glance, Zilva kept on walking past the tree while snacking on the apple. She didn't spare him another glance and instead assumed that he would have heard her coming due to the humming and that he would be curious of her due how brief the passing glance was. 'If he doesn't go for this he must be the dumber man alive, or at least the most ignorant!' Zilva thought as she continued to walk.

Age : 31 Posts : 1836

The steadily growing sound of humming pulled Masquerade out of his thoughts. His gaze still fixed to the sky, the boy glanced through the corner of his eyes at the source of the sound. As he had guessed from the feminine tone of the humming, the originator of this sound was an approaching female figure, strolling across the grass with a casual air. Still keeping his face turned to the sky, Masquerade examined the female from behind his mask’s visor. Probably close to Masquerade’s age, noticeably shorter in height, short silver hair and olive eyes, a pink scarf wrapped around her neck, and a somewhat flamboyant style of dressing; the girl would stand out more clearly in a crowd than Masquerade. Well, maybe. They both sported some strange accessories and traits, the girl having the horridly-feminine scarf, the mechanical contraption on her arm, and her uniquely colored silver hair. In Masquerade’s case, it was his hairstyle and his mask that made him stand out.

At first glance, the Jinchuuriki wondered if the girl was perhaps a shinobi or simply a wanderer. After all, “ordinary” people did not walk around clad in battle attire, did they? A closer inspection confirmed to him that the female was indeed a ninja. The question remained, was she a Konohagakure shinobi? The forehead protector strapped fashionably around her head answered the boy’s question. The symbol for Kumogakure was forged into the metal plate. Masquerade’s eyes narrowed and his body tensed slightly, both being actions that would go unnoticed. A Kumogakure shinobi, headed towards him? Did she perhaps know that he was a Nukenin, and was about to confront him? Rather an impractical course of action, to be honest. It would be much wiser to creep up behind him and attempt to silence him without his noticing.

The boy prepared himself for an assault of some kind from the girl, but to his surprise the girl did not pay him any attention. She merely bent down to pick up an apple that had fallen from the tree, took a bite from it, glanced at Masquerade indifferently, and walked away, with Masquerade’s gaze following her. Now, Masquerade was not egotistical, nor was he the prideful one. If a girl decided to walk past him without looking or talking to him, he would not care. Therefore, it would be completely natural for him to give the girl the same treatment she was giving him. But the situation was a little different this time. This girl was clearly trying to get herself noticed by Masquerade. Ninja did not just stroll through meadows humming with a pleasant air and eating apples in plain sight; you would have to be the worst ninja to ever graduate to do something as conspicuous as that.

Smirking, the boy relaxed back into the tree, his arms folded across his chest and his face pointed to the ground before him. “You’re trying to too hard, you know,” he called out to the girl with an amused laugh. “If you wanted to gain my attention, you could have just spoken to me.” He looked up at the girl, the opaque, electric blue visors on his mask obscuring his eyes as always. Exactly what the boy was thinking was impossible to tell due to how little of his face was actually visible; however, the mocking smirk on his face could be used as an indication. Though the girl would not be able to tell, the boy’s eyes were still surveying her, watching her for signs of aggression. “Judging from your forehead protector, I see that you’re a Kumogakure shinobi. So, why is someone from such a distant country in Hi no Kuni?”

Posts : 140

The strangers words of acknowledgement was like music to Zilva's ears and she stopped eating and walking for a moment to listen to them. However, the content of these words changed the feeling of accomplishment to annoyance. 'Trying too hard! This guy is full of himself. Thinking that a cute girl would have to try to talk to him. Geez...' Zilva thought as she slowly turned back around towards the tree. Although she thought that the stranger was indeed full of himself, anyone else would see that she was desperate for conversation but didn't want to be the one to start one. Zilva was as stubborn as she was bull headed and she hardly reflected on her own mistakes and flaws. With the mentality that the stranger wanted to talk to her more than she wanted to talk to him, Zilva walked back over to the tree and continued to eat the apple. When she got there she glared at the boy for a moment. "Why do you wear that ridiculous visor thing? It's silly. If you're going to cover your face than so am I." Zilva laughed as she pulled her metal tiger mask off her shoulder and attached it to her head instead in order to cover up her face. Due to the voice changer, this also gave her a deep and booming voice instead of her usual feminine one. "Better. This voice is more accommodating to a male audience." She laughed, her giggles echoing from the metal face she was wearing.

Before answering the questions that the stranger asked, Zilva decided to get into a more comfortable spot. Without giving any forewarning or indications of planning to move, Zilva jumped onto a low branch of the tree and hooked her legs around it. After securing herself, she let her upper body dangle so that her face was at the height of the strangers and less than a foot away. After she got comfortable in her new upside down position, Zilva began to speak with the stranger. "Why hello there stranger. What brings you here on this fine fine day?" She laughed. When the stranger mentioned her headband. Zilva was very used to this question since she usually used it as part of her alibi. It was a very effective technique and it made her wonder why other missing ninja didn't just wear their headbands around all the time. Judging by the strangers questions, Zilva's headband had already convinced him that she was a Kumo ninja. The stranger asked what a Kumo ninja would be doing around here and Zilva didn't hesitate in her reply.

"Well, there's been a lot of tension between the two countries and there may be a war sooner or later. So I've come here on a diplomatic mission. I'm actually heading towards Konoha to speak with the Hokage and see what this country is up to. I'll be heading that way in a little while after I get all of my thoughts together and what not. I have an important job you know!" Zilva said as she slowly swayed back and forth with the wind blowing through her hair.

Age : 31 Posts : 1836

The silver-haired girl had stopped in her tracks to listen to Masquerade’s initial comment about her attempts to draw his attention. Once he had finished speaking, the girl had turned around and approached him, still munching on her apple. Her eyes held a look of annoyance as she glared down at, demanding to know why he was hiding behind a mask. Such a ridiculous question, he thought with a mental frown. Why else would I wear a mask other than to hide my face? It’s not as if I’m wearing this to make myself look better. Actually… His mind drifted to his inhuman eyes and he smiled in his mind. Well, I suppose in a sense, I am wearing it for that reason as well.

His attention returned to the kunoichi, who had just announced that if Masquerade was going to wear a mask, then so was she. Pulling the tiger-faced mask off her shoulder (which Masquerade had previously assumed to be a decorative pauldron), she fixed onto her face and spoke once more, her voice now deep and resonating. The mocking smirk on Masquerade’s face widened slightly as he heard her remark how her masculine voice was more suitable for a male audience. “I’ve never heard of a man who prefers to hear a woman speak with a male’s voice,” observed the masked boy with a soft snicker of his own. “That might make conversing a little uncomfortable.”

Before Masquerade’s question was posed, the girl had leaped onto a low branch and hung herself from it upside-down like a bat or a trapezist. Her tiger-masked face level and a foot away from Masquerade’s, she posed the same question he had, and then proceeded to answer his. Masquerade raised an eyebrow behind his mask as he listened to the female’s reply. A war between Kumogakure and Konohagakure? Highly unlikely. The latter village had too stable an economy, too strong a military force, for Kumogakure to attempt to handle at the moment. But then, it was simply conjecture on his part. He took in the kunoichi’s last words before she ended her response, and smiled in his mind. He had no reason to doubt the her words; he was not, after all, a lie detection machine. However, he was generally distrusting to all people, no matter who they were. In all honesty, he would be surprised if the kunoichi’s response had been truthful. In Masquerade’s eyes, lying and deceiving was customary to a ninja’s survival. If this girl had actually answered him sincerely… Well then, he hoped that Kumogakure had better shinobi amongst their ranks.

Masquerade raised his head slightly as the masked girl finished speaking, watching her carefully. “I see,” was all he said in response to her statement, speaking in a tone that made it unclear as to what he was truly thinking. He wanted to say more, like point out the fact that, based on her reply, the girl was actually here to spy on Konoha and relay any information she obtained about their military strength back to her village. He considered pretending to be a Konoha ninja, make her learn that people should not just walk around babbling away their objectives to complete strangers in such a careless manner. However, the kunoichi would be able to call his bluff easily, and there was really no point in doing so. More so, if the female was indeed lying, then he would look like an utter fool.

Masquerade watched the inverted, metal tiger mask before him with interest. Clearly, the fact that they both had their faces hidden would make it difficult to detect falsehood. Well, just because she may (or may not) have been telling the truth, it did not mean that Masquerade had to return the favor in kind. Tilting his head a fraction to his right, Masquerade grinned slightly. “Seeing as you were kind enough to answer my question, I suppose it would only be fair to do the same. What am I doing here in Hi no Kuni? Well, recently I had the pleasure of witnessing the capabilities that one attains through learning the art of the ninja. I decided that I wished to learn said skills, and therefore I travelled to this country’s Shinobi Village in the hopes that I would be able to learn from the many ninja residing there.” He raised his hand to his face and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I just realized though, I haven’t asked you your name yet. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, would you care to tell me? I’ll give you my name if you give me yours.”

Posts : 140

Zilva watch as the stranger react to her inquisitions about the visor that he wore. Though it was hard to tell anything without being able to see his eyes, there were still some hints of hesitation. Not necessarily the sort of hesitation that would entail more suspicion about it, just enough to show that he wore it for a good enough reason to not take it off. When the stranger remarked on Zilva's change in voice she simply giggled in agreement at his comments. She had meant more accommodating in the sense that a man talking to a man is more 'comfortable' than a man talking to a woman in most cases. However, the stranger noted that a man talking to a woman with a man's voice is very odd. Although Zilva did agree with this point of view she still kept her mask on to not only hide her face but to also bother him. "Well, I'm going to keep it on since I really should be hiding my face around here either way. And I don't know who you are so I've already said more than enough. I hope I won't have to kill you or something." Zilva said in response while she swung back and forth from the limb. When she said the line about killing thee stranger, she pulled out her kilij from it's sheath and spun it around while laughing.

Zilva was glad that the stranger seemed to buy into her lies about her purpose in the country. Though Zilva didn't find it very 'authentic' herself she wasn't going to argue if he believed it. After having some brief time with the mindset that her ruse worked, Zilva began facing the reality of the situation. She wasn't the smartest ninja in the world but she also wasn't the dumbest. 'I don't think he really believes me. Why would he? I'm just a random stranger who has just met up with him and I just tell him my whole purpose for being here without any question? At this point, assuming he's a smart kid, he must either suspect that I am incompetent or that this is just a cover up, which it is. Well, either way he doesn't have a way to prove anything. That's probably why he's just taking my word for it. So as long as I stay consistent with this story I should be in the clear. That is as long as he has no way to prove it wrong.' She thought as she slowly swung and observed the stranger.

While she was thinking, the boy began to talk again and Zilva stopped swinging to listen to him more intently. She was almost convinced that he would lie as well. However, it was impossible to tell from under the visor he wore. Essentially, the situation had turned into a conversation behind brick walls. No one was sure of anything and no one cold prove that anything was wrong or correct. That was why Zilva decided to focus so intently on him while he spoke. Since she couldn't judge anything by body language, she would have to try to decipher things from his tone of voice and mannerism of his speech. So from behind her wall Zilva listened as closely as she could to the voice behind the opposite wall. The stranger said that he came to Konoha in order to learn the way of the ninja. This was especially odd to Zilva because she figured that someone dressed as daring as him would hold some sort of importance in the world. This role of importance usually meant that someone was a ninja. However, it seemed that either Zilva was wrong or that he was returning the favor and lying back to her. Even though Zilva tried to listen to his voice for clues to this question she just wasn't skilled enough to be able to detect anything. After saying this, the stranger went on to ask for Zilva's name. Deciding that trying to figure out if he was lying or not was utterly pointless without more input, Zilva began to respond.

"So you're not a ninja? Huh, well you really seem like one. Of course I'm just going by your appearance. Usually ninja are the bold dressers of the world, you must be a trend setter if you're not a ninja. You're going to be so out of place in Konoha, usually ninja training starts a younger age. I wasn't always a ninja though, so I know it's possible to learn a little bit later in life. Good luck to you! Though I may seem 'friendly', I'm afraid I can't tell you my name. It's confidential information and telling you that may put me in danger. So sorry." Zilva said while she swung up into the tree, grabbed an apple and went back to her previous position.

Age : 31 Posts : 1836

Had the girl bought his story? He had no idea. As it had been with Masquerade, it might seem as such judging from her reaction (or lack of reaction), but it would be safer to assume otherwise. After all, the girl had not seemed gullible at first glance. If Masquerade had been the first to reply as to his purpose here, then he would have lied (or at the very least twisted the truth slightly), and would then have proceeded to regard his opposite’s response as the same. It was thus that he presumed the girl before him would also be scrutinizing his words, no doubt searching for any signs of deception. And unless she was somehow skilled in the art of detecting such acts, she would surely be incapable of identifying any falsehood.

Masquerade smiled in amusement as the girl mentioned how she was surprised to hear that he was not a ninja. She claimed that someone dressed like him would usually be a ninja. He resisted the urge to say: “Yes, I can tell from your style that ninja tend to dress elaborately”, but he held his tongue. The girl continued to say that Masquerade would seem out-of-place in Konoha as ninja training usually began at a younger age; though she assured him that it was possible to do this as such herself had done so. In his mind, the boy was musing over this comment with interest. He had not started his ninja training at an early age either. It had only been a few years since he had met Sakamoto and stepped onto the path of the shinobi; around four or five years ago, actually. That said, he still knew enough to fend for himself. One might even say that he knew more than most people of his “rank” did.

Once she had finished speaking, the girl had ceased her swinging and climbed higher up the tree to grab another apple before returning to her position. Masquerade wondered if he should make some sort of remark about how it was believed to be riskier to eat an apple plucked directly from a tree as opposed to eating one picked up from the ground. Casting aside the thought, he did wonder for a moment how the girl planned to eat the apple with her mask on. Considering how she had pulled on her mask in a rather stubborn and childish manner as an answer to Masquerade’s mask, the boy would think it would be embarrassing for her to remove her mask now. And speaking of the mask; there was something about it that made Masquerade feel uneasy, as if he should have remembered something by seeing it. He felt as if he had seen the tiger-mimicking mask before somewhere, yet he had no proper recollection of having done so. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind for later, Masquerade returned his attention to the conversation at hand.

He had asked the girl for her name, and her reply was something that pleased Masquerade. At least she had the sense to not give away her name so carelessly. Yes, that was good. One couldn’t be too careful, could they? Masquerade simply nodded his head in response to the girl’s refusal, showing that he understood her necessity for caution. However, in his mind he was shaking his head. Her name was too confidential to reveal to a stranger… Was that so? Far more “confidential” than her “mission”? She could reveal the details behind her mission, but she couldn’t give her name. And “diplomatic mission” at that! Such a mission would be regarded as extremely important, even without her emphasizing it. It was nice to know that this girl had her priorities set straight.

Sometimes it’s simple conversing that can catch a lie, mused Masquerade, suddenly bursting into a soft chuckle. It was not a maniacal laugh, not one that would scare the girl, but it was rather surprising given the circumstance. His laughter ebbing away, Masquerade tilted his head to one side once more and peered at the girl swinging from the tree branch, smiling mischievously. “So your name is highly confidential, is it? That’s funny. I would think that disclosing my name would cause nowhere near as much damage as say, revealing to a complete stranger that I’m on an important diplomatic mission…” He paused and rubbed his chin, his body language conveying the sense of mocking realization he was attempting to display. “But wait, you already did that, didn’t you?” he sneered at her.

Chuckling once more, Masquerade rose to his feet so that, based on her positioning, his gaze was lowered to meet hers. “Let’s dispense with all this deception, shall we? I know that you’ve been lying to me from the start. Frankly, the fact that you tried to trick me into starting our conversation first pretty much proved that you were willing to resort to dishonesty. Quite frankly, this is expected from a shinobi. Though, you’re not the only one at fault. I, too, have been -” His words came to abrupt stop as he froze, still looking at the girl. Though she did not know it, his eyes had momentarily widened and then narrowed as they stared at her tiger mask. Of course, he thought as realization hit him. Why didn’t I see it sooner?

Silently, the boy reached into one of the many pouches on the pouch hidden under his coat and pulled out a small book. Flicking it open, he flipped through the pages of the black book. The girl would easily be able to see the words written across the book’s cover. A second later, Masquerade stopped at a certain page, staring down at it for a few seconds of silence. Turning his attention to the girl before him, Masquerade turned the book around and held it from the top with one hand to show the girl the page he had opened to. A picture of female was framed on one of the pages, with the words “Daosumi, Zilva” titling it. The girl in the picture and the girl before him were the one and the same.

Masquerade tilted his head in wonder at the masked female. “I knew I recognized your mask from somewhere. It was from this, the Bingo Book,” he observed, glancing at the picture and the words written below it. “Daosumi Zilva,” he read aloud. His gaze returned to the girl named “Zilva”. “B-Ranked Nukenin. How interesting. I suppose this means that your earlier comment about killing me was not just talk, then?” He laughed and flipped through the book once more, stopping at another page. “Seems like you’re not really the person you were trying to pass yourself off as. But then, neither am I.” He looked up from the book to the girl. “You were right, I am a ninja. To be more accurate, I’m also a Nukenin…” He displayed the page he had opened once more, which had his image framed on it with the word “Masquerade” typed below it. “They call me… “Masquerade”.”

Smirking at the girl, Masquerade pocketed the book and looked at her. He was extremely fortunate to have obtained this volume. It had not been long since he had come across it. A few weeks ago he had found a Genin chasing him, seeking to collect a bounty. The poor fool had been shamefully weak, and once Masquerade had dispatched him he had taken the Bingo Book in the Genin’s possession and kept it as his own.

“You should consider getting one of these, you know,” he suggested to Zilva, referring to the Bingo Book. “They tend to be very useful at times. But I digress. I think we came off to a bad start, what with all the lying and everything. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?” He stretched his hand towards Zilva for her to shake, smiling his amused, slightly mocking smile as he slowly spoke: “I am Masquerade. A Nukenin ranked as “C” in the Bingo Book.”

Posts : 140

The current conversation was beginning to get on Zilva's nerve. She didn't even know why she started talking to the stranger in the first place. Though Zilva knew that she was bull headed and always jumped on most situations she couldn't blame her entrance into conversation with the stranger entirely on that characteristic. Perhaps it was because she hadn't talk to anyone in a few days or perhaps there was another reason that was hidden. Zilva couldn't find any reason to continue to talk to the boy let alone why she started to. Even though she wasn't one of the people that believed in fate or chance, she had no other way to explain it. 'Perhaps he has something important that he can tell me or help me with. I don't know... there's just something about him that is oddly... magnetic? I don't know. He just seems different than most people. Hmm' Zilva thought as she spoke to him. After Zilva had answered his questions, she noticed that the boy seemed very happy with the answers, a bit too happy.

The stranger began laughing in a way that seemed to serve the purpose of mocking Zilva. This laughter was followed by a smirk spread across his face and Zilva asking, "What the fuck is wrong with you?". The stranger then continued to say that Zilva revealing her name was more of a slip up than an honest reason. At this, Zilva simply laughed and tossed her apple back and forth between her hands. "Hahahaha, you shouldn't be so sound in your decision of mocking that which I have revealed to you. My name is more important than my purpose because my purpose without my identity means nothing. If you went to Konoha and told them about me they what do you think would happen? They'd be expecting me to go and carry out my mission. Now if I just told you my name and you saw my headband and told Konoha about that it would be something entirely different, now wouldn't it? My reason for not telling you both is simply because I don't hand my name out to random strangers. If you're going to be a ninja you should get used to that. That make any sense you dumb ass? Geez." Zilva stated as she tossed the apple up and down in her hand. She had no real intention of eating it, she just liked to keep herself busy while she talked. Although the whole conversation was a lie up to that point, Zilva had told the truth about her preferences in giving her name out and her reason made enough sense to be considered fact.

After this little back and forth the stranger stood up from leaning against the tree and went face to face with Zilva. His next words were a major relief to her. He accused Zilva of lying but she wasn't mad at him. It was one accusation that Zilva was waiting and ready for. She wouldn't have been prepared to come clean if it wasn't for the stranger also admitting his dishonesty. While waiting for him to finish so that she could say something the boy stopped mid sentence and stood there frozen for a few seconds. Zilva was about to say something but she stopped when he began to reach into his coat and pull something out. The object he pulled out was something very familiar to her, a bingo book. 'So I guess he finally found out. Took him long enough.' She thought as she watched him flip open to her page in the book. After the boy found the page he held it up for Zilva to see. "They never get my good side." Zilva remarked, showing her recognition of the picture. The boy went on to identify Zilva as the girl in the bingo book and then explain his own dishonesty.

"Well, first things first. Let me take this damn mask off. I really don't like wearing it." Zilva said. With a sigh she dropped from the tree and stood up in front of the now named stranger, Masquerade. "You know, I wasn't really lying about everything. I am from Kumo and I do have 'diplomatic' business in Konoha. So, in a sense, a majority of what I said was the truth." Zilva remarked as she removed her mask and reattached it to her shoulder. After doing this Zilva shook her hair to loosen it up again and shook Masquerades hand. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to take off that silly visor of yours. It's not like your face will melt or anything." she said mockingly as their hands shook. As Zilva was about to let go of Masquerades hand she heard a familiar noise in the distance. It was the high pitch squeak of her beloved Jou. About an hour ago Jou had left to go hunting and it would seem that he had come back to see Zilva around another person. Being an overprotective creature, Jou emerged from the woods and darted across the field. When he got to Masquerade and Zilva he jumped up at Zilva's arm and pulled it away from Masquerades. Once that had been accomplished Jou jumped on Zilva's shoulder and started growling at the stranger. "Oh I'm sorry dear! I should have waited for you to come back before I went anywhere. It won't happen again!" Zilva coo'd softly to Jou while she rubbed her face against his fur.

Age : 31 Posts : 1836

[OOC = Sorry for taking so long to post. I had some issues to take care of.]

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Did the kunoichi’s answer make sense to the “dumbass”? Yes. Did he agree with her point of view? Not entirely. However, he was not one to argue unnecessarily, especially to one of the opposing gender. He may be a criminal, but Masquerade regarded woman with the utmost respect, despite never mingling with them. It did not matter what age they were or where they were from, or even what type of person they were; if they did not possess a Y chromosome, then Masquerade would not so much as raise his voice in anger at them. This girl in particular, she was clearly not as weak and innocent as most people seemed to assume women to be these days. She had pride and confidence, and Masquerade respected her for that. It was thus that he simply grinned slightly in reply to the girl’s remark. And with that, the discussion had passed and Masquerade had put forth his accusation.

“Zilva” had not denied these accusations, nor had she seemed enraged when Masquerade admitted his own deceit. The tense atmosphere had lightened slightly; the accepted greeting made it clear that there was no real animosity between the two. At the moment, that is. As they shook hands, Zilva mentioned how most of her statement from earlier had been truthful. She then suggested that Masquerade should remove his mask (albeit indirectly). Masquerade smirk widened slightly as he prepared to answer, but was interrupted in the form of a streak of white fur. Zilva’s hand was abruptly pulled away from Masquerade’s by the small mammal that had just leaped onto her shoulder. Surprised, Masquerade lowered his own hand and examined the white-furred rodent. It was a ferret, and apparently it did not like Masquerade. “Aw, how touching. The little pet’s trying to protect its master from stranger. How cute.” His words may appear to be mocking, but the boy wasn’t. He peered down amusingly at the rodent. “I take it you two are close, then. So what’s its name? Or is that information also too valuable to disclose?” He had turned his masked face to the feminine one as he spoke these words, his tone certainly mocking now.

After waiting for the girl’s reply (should she give one), Masquerade addressed her earlier remark. “What you said earlier, about my mask. Well, it is true that my face certainly wouldn’t fall off if I were to do so. However, unlike you, I’ve grown rather accustomed to wearing this accessory.” He raised a hand to his mask and gently touched the reflective visor with his fingers. “To be honest, I feel quite uncomfortable without it.” The grin on his face suddenly vanished, and his head tilted downwards to direct his gaze to the ground. When he next spoke, his voice had changed, having turned low and monotonous all of a sudden. “However, that’s not the reason I keep this mask on all the time…”

Raising both hands to his head, the boy unlatched the mask from around his head and slowly lowered it from his face, enough to reveal his closed eyes. He opened them slowly and stared down at Zilva with his unblinking eyes. The distinct pattern on his eyes bore a semblance to an insect’s “bug eyes”, the intersecting lines forming seemingly hundreds of small, emerald green lenses. It was truly a disturbing sight, something that belonged in a horror film: eerie and unnatural. The oculus gave off a lifeless appearance, as if there was nothing sentient or living behind them. Without another word, the boy returned his mask to its rightful position, and turned his attention to the grass once more. His tone and expression were still solemn as he spoke once more. “I hope that didn’t frighten you,” he said quietly and slowly. “Most people tend to run in fear and disgust at the sight of my eyes. It’s entertaining yet, tiresome at times.”

He was being honest when he said that. He did not care much for what others thought of him, but there were moments when even he found the abnormal cosmetic effect on his eyes to be unsettling. Even in a world of ninja, where everyone had something unique and different about them, very few had “disfigurations” like as Masquerade. Discrimination was hardly fun, particularly when one was on the receiving end.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, the blonde male decided to divert the conversation. No point in getting so emotional. He wasn't as "misunderstood" as most teenagers were. Crossing his arms across his chest, he smiled his amused smile once more and inquired: “So then, what’s your story? What made you decide to take on the “luxurious” life of a criminal?” He emphasized the word “luxurious” by gesturing quotation marks with his hands as he spoke.

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“Ha. Ha. Ha.”, Zilva laughed sarcastically at Masqurade’s comment about her pet’s name. Though she was in her right mind to reach over and slap the boy she decided not to; the joke was funny enough to pardon such a response from her. Jou however, seemed to respond to the mocking nature of the boy with a loud snort and an intensified glare. “Calm down dear, it was just a joke. He’s a missing ninja too so there’s no need to worry about him.” Zilva reassured Jou before lifting him off of her shoulder and putting him on the ground in front of Masqurade. She was expecting Jou to sniff him and get acquainted but instead Jou simply laid on the ground and huffed. “Well.” Zilva said with a sigh, “ This is Jou. I guess you could call him my pet, but that’s a pretty big understatement. He’s both my companion and the love of my life. I consider him more of a boyfriend than anything. So he gets pretty protective when I’m around other people, especially men. He’s a very jealous person.” Upon hearing this, Jou simply huffed once again in aggravated agreement of the statement Zilva had said. “I’m sure he’ll get over that eventually though.” She laughed as she bent down and patted Jou’s head.

After Zilva was done with her explanation of Jou, Masquerade began talking about his visor. She had briefly joked about him showing his real face but Zilva didn’t really expect him to reply much about it. She had met people that enjoyed covering their face, usually because of disfiguration, and they were never keen on removing their cloaks and showing their faces to anyone, especially not people they just met. However, despite saying that he wore his mask for comfort and he would be uncomfortable with it off Masquerade readied his hand to remove his mask to reveal another reason. His words made Zilva assume that he had some sort of scar or something not too harmful or repulsing on his face. She soon found that her assumptions on Masquerades hidden facial appearance were a huge understatement. The boy slowly pulled the visor off just enough so that Zilva could see his eyes. At first, Zilva casually peered under the mask thinking that there was nothing too startling underneath it. After seeing Masquerades eyes however, Zilva’s eyes flew wide open and she took a small step back. His eyes weren’t those of a normal human being. They were more like an insect’s eyes than anything else and looking at them even for the brief amount of time that Zilva did sent chills down her spine. It was impossible to really be certain about the cause of his eyes appearance but Zilva’s immediate assumption was that he was just born that way. Zilva’s audible reaction to the sight was a small squeal that was stopped by putting her hand over her mouth. As much as she hated to act like the stereotypical woman, afraid of anything that creeps and crawls, she couldn’t stop herself from emitting a feminine squeak. After Masquerade put his visor back on Zilva felt composed enough to remove her hand from her mouth with a sigh.

“Damn! Those are some eyes you have there. You almost scared me with them. Almost.” Zilva lied with an awkward laugh. “But I guess you can’t change how you look. All of us have our flaws. Well, except me of course. My body is perfect!” She continued in a comforting voice at first and then transitioning into a flamboyant and loud one. Zilva felt relieved when Masquerade began to talk again to continue the conversation. This feeling of relief was changed to a feeling of sadness and aggravation when he asked why she decided to choose the life of a criminal. If anyone knew the story behind her life as a criminal it would be apparent that the way Masquerade worded the question was out of taste. However, no one else but Zilva knew, so she alone was stuck bearing the stinging irony of his question. The moment it reached her ears there was a quick change in the air of the conversation. A soft spot had been hit in Zilva’s past and her feelings of aggravation and sorrow flooded the air around her. Zilva’s head dropped and she stared at the ground with a blank expression. Masquerade wouldn’t know, but Zilva had been unconventionally sociable towards him and she was usually a closed person about most everything about or related to herself. Raising her head, Zilva clenched her fists and held them towards the ground. “Don’t even joke about that. Being labeled a criminal is a terrible thing. There’s never a safe moment and you can never trust anybody. I can’t see why anyone would choose the life of a hated exile. I didn’t choose to be labeled as such, I would never choose this life.” Zilva said as she turned around and began walking away with her head down and her hands crossed around her chest. Exiting the scenario was the only way Zilva could think of to be able to escape having to tell her story or get angry and defensive about it. She really didn’t want to leave the conversation just yet but she found it to be the best way to handle the situation rather than exploding on the boy. Seeing Zilva walking away, Jou looked up at Masquerade with a triumphant smirk and strutted off with her. “I think we’re done here.” Were the sorrow filled words Zilva uttered to excuse herself from Masquerades presence.

Age : 31 Posts : 1836

So then, the little ferret was named Jou. Rather an odd choice for a name in Masquerade’s opinion, but then he wasn’t exactly in a position to deride another’s name. As Zilva set down the white rodent and explained her relationship with it, Masquerade raised a hidden eyebrow in surprise. Her claimed connection with her “pet” was quite… “unique”. You didn’t see people regard their pets with such compassion. He couldn’t be sure whether she was jesting or being sincere, but he would hazard a guess at the latter. Their interaction did imply that something special was present. Well, to each his own, chuckled the boy in his mind as he watched the animal that so clearly disliked him. He would have voiced those thoughts to Zilva, but it wouldn’t exactly be polite, now would it?

Skip to Masquerade removing his mask to reveal his insectile oculus, and the boy was not surprised to see his fellow Nukenin back away slightly in disgust. A sense of disappointment past through him; and here he had been hoping that she might be able to handle it. Of course, once again he had no idea whether she was just humoring him or was sincerely appalled by the sight. He wondered how he would have reacted to such a sudden revelation. No doubt a sense of revulsion would be present, whether or not it was in a minute amount. As it happened every time someone cringed at the sight of his eyes, Masquerade wondered once more why his eyes had taken on this appearance. He knew it had something to do with the beast within him, yet why exactly had its presence marked him in such a manner? It wasn’t as if he had been like this from the moment the demon was sealed within him; it had happened only recently, in fact. Back when he had been overcome with that uncharacteristic rage…

He didn’t allow himself dwell on the matter too long, though. A trip down memory lane wasn’t needed at the moment. Zilva seemed to have recovered from the unexpected experience. With a rather unconvincing laugh she clarified how she had not been frightened. This made Masquerade reflect on how he had assumed she was a good liar. Yet now she hardly sounded convincing. But then, with the embarrassment she had no doubt experienced from her involuntary fear, it was no surprise that she was trying to save face. Again, he said nothing, letting her talk. The kunoichi was now proceeding with what Masquerade assumed was an attempt at comforting him. Suffice to say, the effect of her words was ruined by the narcissistic comment at the end. Not exactly tactful, is she? he observed with a small grin.

But then, neither was he, it seemed. After hearing Masquerade’s question about her past, Zilva’s attitude underwent a sudden changed; where she had been jovial and proud earlier (and naively vain), now she seemed detached and irritated. The boy’s own interested look had vanished as he watched the girl through puzzled eyes. It seemed he had unintentionally said something he should not have, and with the girl’s next words, his belief was justified. With no doubt controlled rage, she stated how she had never wanted to be a criminal. Masquerade’s bewilderment increased further as the girl turned around and began walking away from him in a depressed manner, claiming that the meeting was over. The boy watched her go with wondering eyes. Yes, he had clearly touched a nerve. He did not move as the girl strode off, her pet following suit. With a sigh, and knowing that in the morning he would end up regretting having even bothered, Masquerade followed the girl. His legs executing quicker and longer strides, he quickly caught up with Zilva. Swerving around her, he stood in front of her to block her path. Once he was sure he had her attention, he spoke.

“I apologize if I offended you in any way. I was not aware it was such a personal issue. I won’t pester you to answer my question or tell me anything about your past; however, what you said earlier intrigued me.” His tone matched his words; he did indeed sound contrite. The boy raised his hand as a sign for her to be patient and not interrupt. “From your words, I take it that you were forced out of your village against your will. If so, I understand why you would wish to avoid the subject. I can sympathize with that. Whether you’re a ninja or not, criminal or not; life is often unbearable and seemingly unfair. I know that firsthand...” His speech had come to a halt now, his gaze on the sky above; he looked as if he were lost in thought, recalling events long past. After a few seconds of silence, Masquerade turned back to Zilva and continued in a much slower, lower tone. “If you want, I will tell you the reason why I am a Nukenin. After all, they say misery loves company, do they not?” A faint smirk had returned to his face as he said these words. Spreading his arms slightly, he continued to speak. “On the other hand, if you do not wish to remain in my presence anymore, you may continue as you were.” Masquerade stepped aside to allow Zilva to resume her course, should she desire as such.

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[OCC = Tch, not that good…]

Posts : 140

‘I’d better be off towards Konoha I suppose. I have business to take care of after all. I was just hoping for more closure with the world before I left… that’s probably why I even began talking to that boy.’ Zilva thought as she dragged her feet across the grass and sighed. Although Zilva had left the boy’s presence because he had hit a soft spot in her past, that was not the only reason. Her business in Fire Country was another factor that she had begun to consider after she walked away. What Masquerade didn’t know was that Zilva was planning on going to talk to the Hokage and fix the very event that she had avoided talking to him about. If this meeting went successfully, Zilva would no longer have any reason to be a missing ninja and would be able to resume her life as it was before. Obviously, consorting with other missing ninja may complicate this matter as they may take information from her and then kill her or a number of other things that could put anyone she was in contact with in danger. Zilva didn’t want that. Though she had a strong will she could not bear to be responsible for other people’s suffering. This was why she was now trying to forget about Masquerade as well as she could, not for her sake, but for his.

‘I’ll just keep on walking no matter what happens.’ Zilva promised herself. Ironically, after making this oath Masquerade quickly walked up to her and then stood to block her path. Zilva had been so caught up in thought that she barely heard him coming and when she saw him standing in front of her she flinched a bit in shock and then stood straight with her arms crossed. She was about to say something along the lines of ‘get the hell out of my way’, but the boy seemed to command her attention and with a sigh she relaxed to listen to what he had to say. The boy started off with an apology and then raised his hand to symbol to Zilva not to interrupt. Masquerade obviously knew what he was doing because while he was apologizing Zilva had already prepared a very rude retort. However, this wave of the hand silenced her as she was opening her mouth and she began to listen again with an agitated sigh. Once he was done, she looked him in the eyes (or at least where she assumed his eyes were) and didn’t say a word for at least a minute. “I’ll stay for a bit longer… but before you tell me anything there is something that you need to know.” Zilva replied in a very empty voice. Her instinct was telling her to just take the boy’s invitation to leave and just finish what she had come to the country for in the first place. Usually, she listened to her instinct, which was usually the cause of all of her tactless statements. Zilva was willing to talk to Masquerade longer but she just wanted him to be aware of the consequences. “I’m going to be going to Konoha very soon. My real business there is to turn myself in and try to clear my record. I just can’t go on living on the run… I’m telling you this because there is a possibility that I may be interrogated and even die. So the more you tell me the more you could be telling everyone that is after you. I won’t stop you from saying anything… but I just wanted you to know the dangers of it.” She murmured in a ghostly tone while slowly settling into a sitting position on the grass.

Now that she had gotten that off of her chest, Zilva felt a bit better. Saying it took a lot of energy and as much as she liked to always keep a ‘tough’ appearance she couldn’t help looking like a scared puppy. This of course was just a reflection of how she truly felt. Zilva feared going to Konoha and she especially feared the chance of death or imprisonment. Even though she feared it so much, she knew that it was something that had to be done; she was innocent and it was time that the world knew that. ‘Maybe I should tell him…’ Zilva thought briefly before mentally slapping herself. No matter how much she wanted to tell someone about it just to get it off of her chest, she just couldn’t. It was a memory in the back of her head that kept clawing at her sanity until its removal. But its removal may be just as painful as allowing it to rip and tear and her psyche. Zilva was tortured by the thought of it but even more so by her will to reveal it and try to get someone else to understand her innocence. ‘I can’t tell him. What use would that be to a missing ninja? It’s just a waste of time.’ She decided with the nagging doubt still nestled in her mind. Jou picked up these signals from her and was quick to blame Masquerade via a menacing stare. “So, do you still want to say anything?” Zilva murmured while crossing her arms together and looking up at the sky, “Even if I don’t die and the meeting goes well there is still a danger for you. I’ll be a village ninja and it would be my duty to find and kill missing ninja like you. If I withhold information from my allies I’m a traitor… and I won’t live that life again… so choose carefully…”

Age : 31 Posts : 1836

He had not been expecting that. Truth be told, Masquerade had not expected Zilva to stay and listen to his story. He had been of the opinion that she would continue her course as he had offered. In fact, he would not have been surprised if the kunoichi had lashed out in anger (even if it was the ferret and not her that was doing the lashing). It was therefore that the boy watched her with faint surprise as she agreed to stay. Whether this was due to curiosity or something else, Masquerade was not sure, nor was he going to dwell on the matter. That would have to do with the girl’s next words, which had piqued his curiosity even further.

She claimed that she was heading to Konohagakure to turn herself in and subsequently attempt to clear her name. Her demeanor had once more undergone a sudden change. While before she had been merely despondent, now she seemed frightened. Masquerade could only assume it was due to nerves. After all, surrendering to your enemy was hardly an easy decision to make; particularly when there was a high probability of that enemy simply killing you on the spot. He had to commend the girl for her bravery, even if he believed the decision to be too reckless. The boy once more wondered exactly what had happened to Zilva in the past. But he had promised not to poke and pry for details, and he would keep his word.

Speaking of promises, he had said he would narrate a tale to Zilva should she opt to remain. Though, the silver-haired girl had advised him before he started, in a sense telling him to watch his words. Masquerade smirked and seated himself onto the grass just like Zilva. A soft laugh issued from his mocking mouth. “I appreciate the word of caution, but you need not worry about me. I wasn’t planning on revealing anything important about myself to you. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if your “higher-ups” already knew what I’m about to tell you. But I digress. I promised you a tale, and I shall give you one.” He was silent for a few seconds while he collected his thoughts, his masked face looking, not at Zilva but above her, at the sky. Finally, he began to speak, his voice as calm and steady as if he were the commentator of a documentary.

“I take it you have a family, yes? A place to return to, a place you can call “home”. Well, I’ll start of by saying that I never had any such things. I was not raised in a loving, happy family in a bright, pleasant home. No. As I have been told, when I was just over a year old, I was left to live at an orphanage; a God-forsaken, hell-on-Earth orphanage in a small, insignificant, backwater village. I was too young to remember anything about my family or parents, or indeed whether I even had any. But being abandoned did not matter as much to me as my fellow orphans. No, all I cared about was how much I hated the village and orphanage I had to call my “home”. I longed for nothing more than to leave that place.” Despite Masquerade’s demeanor and voice still maintaining the impression of a composed and cool mind, the subtle clenching of his fist around a tuft of grass showed that he was not as calm as he appeared. The ill-will he had harbored for his village back then was still present. The thought of his former hometown still infuriated him.

He continued, appearing to have not noticed his own silent rage. “As fate would have it, I got my wish. My “home” was attacked by a band of thugs one night, an assault which resulted in the village being burnt to the ground, its inhabitants slain where they stood. Fortunately, I managed to escape, which I believe was not so much out of chance, but more out of the fact that I spent a good deal of my free time sneaking out of my village to explore the many forests nearby.

But that matter is slightly off-topic. What does matter is that I was now in a difficult situation. I had no money, no family, and no home. Therefore, I had to resort to the life of a beggar, a petty criminal. I lived among garbage, eating and stealing clothes, food, money, and other necessities whenever I could. All so I could survive.” His voice had lowered now, his tone now sour and aggravated. A grim smile appeared on his masked face. “In a sense, I believe I was much better off on the streets than I had been in that orphanage,” he joked grimly.

“Anyway, even if I was a thief, I was not immune to thievery from others. One day, a group of ruffians attempted to rob me of valuables. As one might expect, I did not have anything valuable on me, so my harassers proceeded to pummel me for my worthlessness. I was saved by an elderly man who managed to dispose of my assailants effortlessly. I later discovered that this man was a retired ninja. The man offered to train me to defend myself, and thus was how I began to learn the Ways of The Ninja.

I learnt a great many things under the ex-ninja’s tutelage, not only physical and mental, but moral as well. Not long after my training had concluded, my teacher died of old age. It was then that I was faced with a choice. Despite technically being a ninja, I had yet to be properly affiliated with any Shinobi Nation. However, certain circumstances occurred soon after my tutor’s death, circumstances which helped me come to a decision.”

He stopped for a second, wondering whether he should elaborate on these “circumstances”. He decided against it. It would lead to further questions about his “issues”. He did not want others questioning him about his inner beast, not when he was still attempting to understand it. Returning to his surroundings, Masquerade continued his tale, skipping over the details of the mentioned circumstances as if they were a trivial matter. “I decided against joining a Shinobi Village, preferring to use my skills for my own survival. Unlike most Nukenin, I did not (nor do I now) harbor any hatred towards the Shinobi Nations, nor did I wish to rule the world or destroy it. Nothing that dramatic or evil. In fact, I did not have any “evil” or harmful plans in mind. I had simply wanted to remain in charge of my own life, and not have someone else dictate its course.

Apparently, this ideal was enough for the “official ninja” to regard me as a villain. “If I’m not with them, then I’m against them”; that is most likely how they interpreted it. I have been labeled a Nukenin, not because I endanger my home village (which I don’t have to begin with) or because I have performed acts of unspeakable evil. No. I am a Missing Ninja… simply because I did not want to be a Village Ninja.”

His narrative having come to a close, Masquerade looked at Zilva with his head slightly tilted to the right. “Rather boring, wasn’t it?” he remarked facetiously.

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Seeing Masquerades shocked reaction to her decision to stay made Zilva giggle softly despite all of the trauma she was facing. It was clear that he was surprised at her decision to stay rather than continue on her way. This decision surprised even herself. Zilva was never a person who would listen to reason when she was aggravated, but that day seemed to be full of firsts. With her arms still crossed, Zilva watched Masquerade and waited for him to fulfill his side of the promise. He had said that he would explain more about himself if she decided to stay and hear it even if Zilva wasn't all too interested in it. She couldn't tell if she was expecting something more out of staying and listening to him or if she was just trying to post pone her inevitable meeting with the Hokage. Masquerade, having seemingly little regard for Zilva's warning, began to tell her his story. Before he started, Zilva sat down on the grass and looked up at him as if she was expecting a tale of epic proportions.

Had Zilva been in her right mind at the time, she would have been able to maintain her composure when hearing Masquerades story. However, Zilva was in a weakened state and instead of staying calm she began to cry. Not a full on weep of sorrow, just small tears trickling down her face. Zilva hadn't even notice that they were there until they began to run onto her lips and down her chin. After realizing that she was crying she quickly grabbed her scarf and began to rub her face in a vain attempt to hide that they were there in the first place. Eventually, Zilva was able to gain control of herself and cleared her face of any signs of crying. She had really been hoping that he wouldn't see any of this weakness that she displayed but when Zilva looked up she saw that Masquerade was finished talking and was now looking at her. With the surge of embarrassed energy this caused she quickly got to her feet and stood straight up. "That was an interesting story!" Zilva blurted out in order to stop anything Masquerade made of been about to say about her crying. His story wasn't one that Zilva could relate to. She had been raised in the laugh of luxury and her family was in very good standing with the nobles. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that her family was among the most influential people in the village. Zilva was what some may call a 'spoiled brat'. She had whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it and even had private tutors, guards and mentors. It was the fact that she couldn't relate that made Masquerades story all the more unfortunate. She felt as if she was a terrible person herself for the way she lived while others had to walk the path that the young ninja in front of her had to walk.

"I... I don't know what to say... I feel like some sort of pampered brat after listening to your story. I don't even think I have any room to talk..." Zilva stuttered, comparing her history to Masquerades. "I was born into a family that was very close to Raikage. My parents were once in the service of the late Raikage and still hold a high position in the Village Hidden in the Clouds. They had a lot of sons... five to be exact. And somewhere in the middle of all of these boys I came in. I grew up in a mansion with everything I could have wanted. I had guards, tutors, chefs... the works. I went to a very high end school in the village and was a lead actress in the theater. I had a good life now that I look back on it. Seemed kind of normal back then. I was eventually persuaded to join the ninja academy. My father didn't approve of this and... well... he never really said much to me after that. I graduated and became a ninja and..." She began to explain before stopping herself and taking a few steps back. She hadn't meant to go that far into her past, she was planning on just saying that she came from a rich family but the rest of the words flowed out of her mouth as if they were waiting for that moment to escape. A chill crept down Zilva's spine when she realized that she wanted to say these things so badly but couldn't bring herself to do it. There was a battle raging in her mind that was clearly evident by the way her body swayed back and forth as if it was being pulled by two opposite forces. Shaking her head, Zilva walked back up to Masquerade and without any warning began to tell the rest of the story she had been avoiding.

"The Raikage took an interest in me after finding out about my family's service to the late Raikage and was sent me on a diplomatic mission to Konoha. I was escorted by a team that had an old friend of mine in it... he was the one that got me interested in the ninja way and he had quite the crush on me. Well, when we got there we stayed the night in Konoha and me and him got into a little argument. The next morning he sent me an invitation to drink some tea with him at a tea hut just outside the village before the meeting. I got there and... everyone in the place was dead and before I knew it the Konoha guards were all over the place. The incident was blamed on me and I ran. I kept running until I couldn't run anymore. I was forced to run away from that life I knew so well into the one that I live now... I was framed. That's why I feel as if I have a chance to clear my name and reclaim the life I lost. And then... I'll find that bastard that did this to me and make him pay. That's why I have problems trusting people, especially men. Look what happened when I did!" Zilva said in a flimsy voice as she slowly began to lean on Masquerade's chest and sob. After a few minutes of this Zilva felt completely drained and she slid to the ground with tears still running down her face.

Age : 31 Posts : 1836

One was a pampered child from a noble family, one was a parentless vagrant. Their pasts could not have been more dissimilar. Most likely Zilva could have gotten anything she wanted the moment she asked for it, without any delay or hurdle to overcome. On the other hand, Masquerade had had to scrounge for even bare necessities. Just as Zilva could not relate to his story, Masquerade could not comprehend her affluent lifestyle. He had to fight the desire to sarcastically ask whether she now realized the importance of a hot meal. But that would be tactless of him, not to mention he would sound bitter and envious. Something he had to avoid, as he was neither of those. Yes, during those days, when he was famished and feeble, alone on the street, shivering under a flimsy cloth from cold, he often wished he had a home. Now, whenever he looked back on his life, he was not grieved or distressed, but complacent. He had faced hardships, yes, but they had only made him stronger. It was a banal thought, an unoriginal way of thinking, but it was true.

Opening up to Masquerade seemed to be something that Zilva was reluctant to do. The way she had stopped mid-sentence, her expression, and her body language, they all seemed to allude to some sort of internal conflict occurring within her. The masked blonde assumed that it was against Zilva’s nature for her to share her thoughts or emotions with others as she was doing now, particularly to a complete stranger like himself. She seemed to have given out the information about her family unintentionally, almost subconsciously. And this had come as a surprise to her. Following her moment of hesitation, Zilva regained her composure and suddenly picked up her tale once more, this time with a resolute air. The smallest of smiles stretched across Masquerade’s mouth as Zilva continued. Looks like she’s finally willing to open up, he observed as she spoke. He listened to her tale in silence, letting her “lighten the load” as it were. He said nothing as she spoke, and let no expression cross what little of his face could be seen beneath his blue-visored mask.

Now, Masquerade liked to think that he had experienced a great many things which most people his age had not. He sometimes prided himself on the fact that he had endured a multitude of onerous occurrences that most people did not even consider possible. However, as much as he had been subjected to, Masquerade had never really offered anyone “a shoulder to cry on” - or in this case, a chest. It therefore came as quite a nasty surprise for Masquerade when Zilva leaned forward and began sobbing into his chest at the conclusion of her story. A stunned Masquerade looked down at the girl, an uncharacteristically terrified look appearing on his face for a nanosecond before it was replaced with one of discomfort. Truth be told, he did not really know what to do; whether he ought to say something comforting or simply let Zilva continue ruining his coat - err, letting it all out. What with his idea for “comforting” most likely being a pat on the head and an uncertain “There, there”, he decided that the latter would be the more appropriate choice. Thus, Masquerade said nothing and allowed the silver-haired girl to weep to her heart’s content.

Once she was ~~mercifully~~ finally done, Zilva sank to the ground as if she had been sapped of all the energy in her body. Masquerade scratched the back of his head thoughtfully as he gazed at the crying Nukenin. It had probably taken everything she had mentally to finally let all that grief and sorrow out. Masquerade wondered if Zilva had ever spoken to anyone else about the cause of her lamentations. He had the feeling that she had not, judging from the state she was in right now. At the moment, the boy felt as helpless as the girl before him. Exactly what was he supposed to say to her? Her life had been plagued by fear and perfidy. One could not exactly say “It’s going to be all right” to something like that. Hell, in Masquerade’s view, it wasn’t going to be alright. He was not exactly the optimistic type; more likely the realistic type. Running to him for assurance was probably not the best of ideas. However, of the many things he had been taught from his deceased Sensei, considerate treatment for others (in particular women) had been one of the most prominent. If Sakamoto were here, he would have told his pupil to try consoling Zilva.

Shaking his head at himself in faint annoyance, Masquerade glanced down at Zilva and finally spoke. “I’m sorry for making you go through this. I see now that you have suffered a great deal; not financially or physically, but mentally. I cannot really relate to your pain, nor can I really offer you any true words of comfort.” He paused thoughtfully, as if he were choosing his next words carefully. “We’ve both faced unpleasantness and been treated unfairly. We’ve both suffered in the past. That’s how life is. But I believe there is always a limit to the suffering, a break between these “trials” in our life. These breaks are the salvation, the moments when we are able to rest and regain our strength. Never will a person endure anything which is beyond his capability to endure.”

Masquerade’s gaze slid away from Zilva to the grass between them, the softly swaying blades reflecting in his visor. “This may all seem like nonsense to you, no doubt. But when I look back at all the hardships I endured as a child, I cannot think of one moment where I truly did not have a way to ease some of my difficulty. In fact, that hardship was brought to an end when I met my Sensei. Even now, as a Nukenin, I am not distressed, for I know that the difficulty is only temporary.” A grim smile stretched across his mouth as he gently yanked a blade of grass from the ground and crumpled it in his gloved hand. Heh. That was a comparatively positive outlook for me, he reflected. Surprising, really.

Closing his eyes, Masquerade rose to his feet and glanced around himself before turning back to Zilva. “My apologies, I was rambling earlier. All I meant to say was that you should not dwell too much on the past. What has happened has happened. If you feel you can clear your name, then you should attempt to do so.” He paused for a second, his eyes travelling up to the sky to note the Sun’s position. Time was flying by fast, and he had work to do; work that was, in his opinion, of a higher prioriyt than socializing. Wondering what the best way would be to say what he wanted to next without making it seem like he was “running away”, Masquerade returned his attention to Zilva and simply spoke. It may seem tactless of him, demanding she stay and then being the one to depart a little while later, but he didn’t care.

“I must be going now. We both have our objectives to complete, and I believe I shouldn't keep you occupied any longer.” With a polite nod if his head, the blonde turned around and began strolling away from the silver-haired Nukenin. As he moved away, he called out over his shoulder: “I wish you the best in your endeavor. It might just be the “break” from your burdens.” He smirked once more in his apparently condescending manner. “Then I believe it will be your treacherous friend whose suffering shall begin, eh?”

Though, considering she said he once had a crush on her, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already suffering, Masquerade thought in his mind with a sinister chuckle as he walked away from Zilva. This had been a rather… “interesting” experience. He had met another Nukenin who, just like him, had not chosen this lifestyle. Despite all that he had seen so far, Masquerade had yet to come across someone in a similar position as himself. Until now, that is.

Daosumi Zilva, he repeated in his mind. Heh. How very intriguing.

Age : 31 Posts : 1836

~ Topic Concluded ~