Getting My Bearings...[Open]

[Noboru Jiro]

After a long day or work in his foster parents hotel Jiro found that training would prove to be the best meditation. The sun hadn't quite set, but a light breeze began to chill the air as the sky burned in a reddish-orange hue. Teachers and students alike seemed to be departing from the academy in a rather orderly fashion, and in contrast the sounds of battle could be faintly made out as they rung though out the proving grounds. The Spartan Quarters seemed to be a rather busy place at all hours of the day, but few paid any attention to what happened on the Academy roof top. It was for the most part empty except for a few generators which would only emit a light hum every few hours. Jiro was finally beginning to feel as is he could really begin to settle in and start making a living for himself. Sure, he still had thought of home and his parents but nothing seemed to get him down today. It was just too good out.

Jiro had spent the majority of his afternoon training all about the village, but still hadn't become too confident in his ability to get around like most of the other ninja. No, in place of their huge leaps and bounds he would have to sprint from place to place and use his surroundings to his advantage. It turned out the path from his home to the academy was a seemingly perfect work out for him at his current level of skill and in time would become a just a small part of his routine. Still with a body coated in a slight sweat the light chill that had begun to soar was more then welcome. His body would still be burning, but that wasn't something that a little break wouldn't fix. He had taken a nice seat on the roof facing the sunset and just over all taking in the good weather. By now the streets had mostly cleared and a few banged up warriors had been escorted out of the proving grounds and into the barracks. He was filled with an urge to go out at find a worthy foe, but wasn't totally up the the challenge just yet. He wanted to wait until he had a sort of "Ace" before walking blindly into battle.

Then as thoughts of battle began to run rampant in his head he would reach into his back part and remove a small bag. The bag was filled to the brim with a dry and slated meat that his father had taught him to make for long journeys and while it helped his relax a bit, it also contributed to his home sickness. The salty meat wasn't filling, but it worked to curb his hunger. "I wish I had someone to train with....someone like me...", he thought aloud as he reached into his back pocket and revealed a black bandanna. The bandanna had seen a lot of wear and tare, but somehow managed to remain in once piece, but what really set it apart from any other article of clothing he had brought with him was that it bore the icon of his fathers crew. The mark was a broken heart with the eyes of a skull and an upper jaw connecting it at the bottom, and of course it had the good 'ol 'X' in the background. He could still smell the salt and blood from his last battle at sea and horrifying images would come rushing back into his young mind.

Jiro could only stand in fear as he watched the events of that day play on just before him. He would watch as the crew would seem to storm the ship and take total control, but he knew now that it had all be a trap. He could also see his father getting injured and watch as he would rush yet more of the undead back into the briney depths. Then...Then he knew what would follow. He would try to shake himself free, but it prove to be inevitable. He soon found himself begin surrounded in darkness as the hands of those he cared about reached out to him. "NO, GET BACK!", he would cry as he began to swing into the darkness until once again there was only black. He had lost the warm feelings from earlier and was now drenched in a cool sweat. Then in the darkness a figure would appear to him. It was a giant man with a hearty smile, and he knew that smile well. He would run in and try to hug his father, but as he grew closer he would notice that he just couldn't seem to reach him. He would try and try, but was only able to watch as he father would too fade into the darkness. With that Jiro would snap back to real life and realize he had been running around the academy roof and had even managed to scuff himself up a bit. For now he could only release a light sigh and fall onto his back with hopes that the setting sun could settle his nerves.

 

[Itami Junko]

Junko was finally venturing out into the daylight with her pack of raw meat as a small lunch. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, she was getting used to ignoring the distance between the buildings like she used to easily at night. If she hesitated, she would fall, she had to be completely focused on the jump itself otherwise she would mistime the jump and be in for a world of pain. So as she made her way towards the Spartan Quarters she would stop sometimes and watch the normal people below go about their lives. A few times she felt like a predator, watching its unsuspecting prey. However she knew that, that feeling was a false one, she hated causing pain or bothering people, thats why she was up on the rooftops and not walking with the rest of them down there. She also had to contend with her fear of other humans, so few she trusted or could stand to be around. Within the spartan quarters she watched the older students train hard, do simple delivery missions, even watched a brawl or two by children that couldn't be any older then she was. Eventually she managed to climb up to the roof of the academy and saw Jiro there.

She quickly dashed over to be behind the little outcropping that was used to cover the stairway and hid in the shadows while Jiro stared off into the distance. She could smell the fear rolling off his body. Each emotion had its own smell, and only untrained people were seen to give off these smells. Souji, Oyochi, Razu, all three of them smelled of nothing even when their tempers flared, not that she could tell if they even -had- a temper...or negative emotions in general, except for Razu, his eye would twitch for just a split second when angry. She watched as Jiro blundered about the roof, swinging his arms at something, then running over towards nothing. Then stopping, sighing and plopping down on his back looking up at the sky. Junko watched for a few seconds longer before finding herself questioning what she should do. He was obviously hurting because of something and she hated to watch someone else be in pain. She lived through too much pain and never wanted others to deal with that. So half of her told her to go over to him and see if he was okay.

The other half however, was fearful that he might lash out at her. Like so many animals before, when they were cornered or in fear they tended to lash out and attack her. So she stood there, in the shadows on all fours, keeping her breath slow and quiet, watching with her sky blue eyes, debating on if she should or shouldn't. Eventually the good side of her won and she slowly and quietly stepped out of the shadows and slowly made her way over to him. She eventually stopped over him looking down, hovering a foot or two from his face "You...okay?" She said in a calm voice, even though half of her was screaming in fear, her eyes or monotoned voice never let onto it.​

 

[Noboru Jiro]

Jiro could still feel the chill of a light breeze roll over his now even more so aching body. His mind would still be racing as he pondered the meaning of the images the had flashed before him only seconds ago. "What, does it all mean?", he muttered to himself as he raised his trembling hand to the sun in an attempt to grasp at it's warmth. The sun's glow always had a sort of relaxing effect on Jiro, often times making it fairly easy for him to nap during they day rather then at night. The shadow from his shaking hand would only just allow small fragments of light to pass back onto his face. Then as he closed his eyes and try to calm his racing heart a white blur managed to find it's way into his line of sight and give him another slight scare. His extended arm would quickly retract in a defensive fashion, separating him and what now seemed to be a small Blue-eyed girl. He had heard her attempt to say something, but sudden excitement seemed to help him tone it out. "W-what did you say?", he would ask as he tried to shake a bit of sense into himself and lowered his arm in hopes of getting a better look a the girl's face. She was rather pretty for a girl of no more then nine or ten years old.

 

[Itami Junko]

Junko continued to stare down at him, completely unphased by his sudden movements for they had no aggressive intent, only defensive. She blinked her eyes a few times and spoke again in a disjointed language with a monotoned voice "Junko...was asking if, you okay?" She seemed to be thinking hard on what to say, as if it was not a natural thing to her. She then stepped back, still on all fours, and sat down a bit away from him like a dog would. She stared at him with her sky blue eyes, shining in the sunlight almost glowing, as if they were the eyes of a night creature that got dragged out of its den to be shown the world in the daytime. Her clothes were new, but the long shirt that she had over top of the normal clothes was ragged and seemed to be stained by something. She yawned before continuing to stare at him, one could swear she was an animal of some sort.

She remembered her guardian training, fighting with shadows and training his brother in mock fights. She wondered if he was also doing a training exorcise with his own shadow that she couldn't see. She also thought back to Razu and his slight ramblings, maybe he was thinking back to past training moments, trying to learn more from them then he did at the time. All she knew herself was that he was flailing about like a wild person. She then thought that maybe he was like her, that he came from the wilds and was still getting used to the village life like her. She then spoke once more scratching the side of her head "Are you...Like me? Did you come...from the wilds? Hard time, getting used? To the...village?" She tilted her head like an animal who was curious.

Her body showed a lean look to it, like she was a fighter who ate lots of protein and lived a harsh life constantly. The muscles in her arms was more defined along with her legs and on her right cheek was a small blackened scar, a color that was abnormal for a scar. Her hair was shorter then most girls, only reaching to her shoulders instead of down towards the shoulder blades. It was a light plum color that made her hair seem to blend with her milky white skin. One could tell that she didn't get a lot of sunlight due to the fact that she had such a pale skin color, no matter how fair seeming it was from all the meat she ate. Jiro would be able to see that she had no shoes on as well if he looked, which made no sense for a city goer. She waited for his response with her completely blank face, almost like she had no emotions.​

 

[Noboru Jiro]

Jiro couldn't help being a bit put off by the girl's rather plain voice, but her seemingly genuine care for his well being more then made up for that. Then again he thought she seemed to be a bit hesitant to approach Jiro, even though it may have been on all fours. She seemed to be sizing him up, maybe even trying to get an idea for how weak he was at the moment. "I'm fine, just a lil worn...it's no big deal mate, he explained through his thick accent. He tried to put forth a warmer disposition for the girl so as to not seem ungrateful. He imagined his mother giving him a rather spirited scolding for being so rude, it just made his grin all the more real. He had watched the girl take a seat on the hard floor in a 'different' manner then most, but she seemed to have her own way of doing things. Jiro had no room to judge.

He would wait patiently as the girl asked a few questions, but seemed to have a bit of trouble getting to words out. At first he chuckled a bit. How could he be just like her? How could he be anything like this little animal girl who can't even speak proper, but sure enough before long he put the pieces together. "Yea, I guess I am..., he seemed to still be in disbelief that anyone could be going though a life that wasn't too different from his. "I guess that means we're two of a kind."He managed through what now seemed to be only a half smile. He noticed that she seemed to be a alot more well built then most kids her age and the posed a question in his adolescent mind."Are-are You someone's pet?"

(OOC: MFT)
(Word Count: 301)

 

[Itami Junko]

Junko continued to stare at him while he obtained his bearings and respond to her questions. While he was talking she straightened up her head to be like normal and blinked a few times. Her hair moved slightly in the soft breeze, her eyes looking at him up and down as if making sure that he was fine. She then tilted her head while speaking to Jiro "No big...deal?...mate?" Junko looked absolutely confused by his words, like he was speaking some crazy moon speak. She tried to move her mouth to have the same expression that he had, but it came out to be a sort of smirk instead of a smile. She spent a good couple of seconds trying to make herself smile but it just didn't work so she gave up on trying. Her sky blue eyes seemed to glow slightly with energy afterwards due to his warm attitude.

She then heard him say that he thought he -was- like her. This made her happy, she hadn't met another like herself...ever. This was a sad revelation but one that was outweighed by the happiness she felt inside. "Two...of a kind?" She seemed once more confused by this remark, she was Junko, and he was himself. How could they both be the same person? She then heard him ask if she was someone's pet. She moved her head hack to show a bare neck "Junko has no...collar. Junko not...pet." She then looked back down at him and pulled out her small makeshift pack, she opened it showing that it had a insulated insert inside and had a few pieces of raw beef inside. She reached in and pulled out a few pieces of it and chomped down into them, chewing them then swallowing them like they were but snacks. She then asked him a question "Junko's name is Junko. Whats your...name?"​

 

[Noboru Jiro]

Jiro hadn't caught it at first, but after a few moments of actually listening to Junko he realized that she may have been a bit...behind the rest. He had almost totally forgotten about the horrid flashback he had suffered only moments ago. No, now he seemed to have gained his second wind. He had found someone who could understand the feeling of unique. He was a foreigner to this land and thus didn't have much of an idea of what went on in the big picture of things. Still he thought this could make for a worth while friendship. He chuckled to himself a bit as he heard her seem to get offended by he assumption. "Okay,Okay I hear you..."He would hold up his hands to show that he conceded and allowed Junko to take the conversation in a new direction. She then promptly pulled out what looked like worn leather pouch and began chowing down on what seemed like raw meat.

"My name is Jiro.", he explained as he reached into his own pouch and pulled out both his bandanna and his bag of slated jerked beef. Jiro would then open bag and pull out a few of the larger pieces for Junko. "Try this....It'll last a bit longer then raw meat.He would hand the girl roughly six or seven flat, palm sized pieces of meat and hope she liked his twist on his father recipe. "I used to eat this all the time at sea you know...", he remarked with a faint smile. With that he would wrap the bandanna across his forehead and show Junko the special symbol that had belonged to his old crew.

(OOC: The symbol resembles a broken heart with a 'X' made of bone behind them )

 

[Itami Junko]

Junko nodded slowly as she heard him tell her his name "Ji...ro." She seemed to be memorizing it, saying it out loud to keep it stuck in her mind. She thought about the names she had heard over time here in the city. Each sounding just as weird as hers, being told of their meanings and trying to grasp why they were named that. She understood what her own name meant. Maybe it was her name that was the reason for her suffering when she was younger. She looked back into his eyes and spoke as she took the jerky from him "Itami is Junko's last name." She looked down slightly, looking at the jerky, inspecting it as if it were something she had never seen before. Junko then took a small nibble of the jerky to get a taste for it "Guardian says...It means..." She seemed to like the jerky because she took a bigger bite, ripping it like a wild beast "means...'Pure Child of Pain'."

She stopped eating the jerky and seemed to be lost in her thoughts outwardly, her face grew to have a saddened look to it before she asked him a question "Do you have...parents?..." She seemed to look around slightly with only her eyes "Junko don't...Not even remember them. Only remember...mean men that used Junko, But Junko look...for them when Junko older." She took another bite of the jerky, more subdued however, Slowed by her sad realizations. She then tried to get her mind off such sad things and spoke up about something else he said "Sea? What is sea?" She scooted closer like she was listening to a story teller weave a tale "Junko only know...Forest and Guardian's city." Her eyes brightened up as she pulled herself off her depressing thoughts and began to ask questions.

She first started with asking what the sea was. What did it look like? What did it smell like? Did it have a taste? She asked several questions and finally ended on asking about the symbol on his headband. What did it stand for? Who made it up? Why was it on his headband? All these questions were asked in a slightly disjointed language, however she made sure to think it through completely so that he would be able to understand all her questions. She had lived in the wilds of the petrified red wood forests for so long that learning that there was more then that forests and the city was amazing to her.​

 

[Noboru Jiro]

Jiro would begin to idly listen to Junko, while also reminding himself to try and simplify his explanations. Her still seemingly emotionless voice for the most part really bothered him. He would just have to shake off that feeling if he was going to make a friend out of Junko. "Child of pain..." The girls voice would echo in his mind as the irony set in. He could only just shake is head a bit in disbelief. Had her parents done this as a sick joke. Then she went on to say something that would once again catch Jiro's attention. "The Guradian...No, it can't be?, he pondered to himself as he imagined the cranky man from only days before being apart of any child's life. "Well, Junko my full name is Noboru, Jiro." He could feel a bit of pride swelling up in his chest. He didn't get to talk about his background very often and bragging was usually something Jiro excelled at. Then again he thought, this didn't seem like the time for that. "It means Second Son of Virtue", he would explain completely forgetting that 'Virtue' may have been another word Junko was unfamiliar with.

Jiro would go on listening to Junko as her demeanor seemed to decline. Listening to someone else's past was very humbling for him. He knew he had it rough, but he'd only be alone for a few years. Junko seemed to have had it like this for so much longer and yet she seemed to have a better grip on her emotions then he did. Was this what caused the emotion tone in her voice. Jiro couldn't compare the loss of his parents to her's but at the same time he did realize that they indeed shared a common goal. "She wants to find her parents to." He really hadn't opened up to anyone about the line of events to lead him to Iwagakure. Then with a bit of resistance he would decide to share his past with Junko. "Well unlike most of the kids in this town I'm not actually a ninja. ", he would start with a bit of a grin as he hoped his story would distract Junko from her own sad past. "I sailed the seas with my family and we would steal riches from the more....Villainous Pirates the scourged the seas", he continued as his ruse of happiness became more and more genuine. He almost went on to tell her about the various times he had to knock his enemies down into the briney depths, but decided that may have been a bit much. "Then one day....I woke up on a little boat...surrounded by water on all sides, and eventually I ended up here." He knew he hadn't told her the whole truth, but at the same time he doubted she would really understand most of it anyways. Then luckily she asked a much better question. "The sea is...the sea is home"

 

[Itami Junko]

Junko took another bite of the jerky that he gave her. She liked the salty and smoky taste, it was very different from the barbecue that souji would make her when she was a good girl. She pulled out a small chunk of the raw meat that was left and wrapped it in the jerky before popping it into her mouth. To her it was like a delicacy had just been revealed to her. She absolutely loved the salty and smoky flavor being mixed with the iron like taste of the raw meat. She stared at him as he told her of his full name "Noburo...Jiro..." She spoke it out loud to help memorize it. She then nodded as he told her of the meaning behind his name, the word 'Virtue' however was a foreign word to her. She could see that he was proud of his name, like it held more meaning then just those words to him.

She listened to his story like a child that was being told a tale of fantasy, of wild creatures, of mythic beasts, of heroes and villains. He had her attention completely. She was drinking in all his words and memorizing them. She didn't understand what 'Villainous' meant, or what pirates were, but he at least explained what Pirates were to her. She didn't know what these 'Riches' were but maybe they tasted good and these 'Pirates' didn't deserve it because they were like the bandits that took her from her family. She tilted her head as he told her about waking up in a boat and ending up in the village. It seemed odd, but then again, she thought that maybe she was odd to others because of how she acted. She nodded as he said that the 'sea is home' she understood what he was saying better then some people.

Junko stood up and moved with her arms over her head as she spoke "Junko from the hard red forests. Forest was Junko's...home." She then began to tell him about the times she had while in the wilds. She went on to tell him about the wild beasts that she would fight with over food. She rode boars, chased away snakes, killed little creatures with her small stone knife for food. She even told him of the times that she found the hot springs that she referred to as the 'Steamy bad tasting water'. She then sat back down and leaned in before speaking in a lower voice "Souji...Junko's Guardian...Told me never to...tell about this, but you are like Junko. So Junko tell you." she then pulled out her small stone knife with a crimson cloth tied around one end to make a sort of handle. She held it up to show him it "Junko made it...Back when Junko was slave."

She then told him of the bandits and how they destroyed her small village in the forest "Junko only remember screams...Junko only remember warm...wet stuff on Junko's face." She then lowered the stone knife and looked down as if remembering something "The mean men...They took Junko and made her do stuff." She spoke about all the slave like 'chores' they made her do. Carrying water, moving equipment, and sometimes they beat her for fun. She then put the stone knife back into her pocket and continued on "Then, Junko had to hide in hole in ground. Junko heard more yells...then silence..." She then told him of when she left the hole to find all the dead bodies...and that she ate them because they didn't feed her a lot. She told him of how they were mean, but tasted good because she was so hungry.

She then told him more of her adventures into the forests before telling him of when she met Souji. That she had been eating on the bodies of the fallen in a small clearing that now she realized was a small trap for other 'Mean people'. She told him of how he took her in and taught her how to speak, that he was teaching her what other foods were, what 'cooked' food tasted like. She went onto ramble for a few minutes, going on about how they would bake a honey dipped meat and give it to her for being a 'good girl'. She then stopped talking and tilted her head and asked Jiro a question "Do you...get treats for being...good?"​

 

[Noboru Jiro]

Jiro couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had she really had it that hard. Been forced through slavery at such a young age and still seem to have an open mind about the world. He could feel his blood begin to boil deep in his salty veins as he imagined his new friend being taken advantage of at such a young age. Just the thought of it put a bitter taste in his mouth. This could totally explain her wild child way of doing things. Even so the thought of cannibalism made him just a bit uneasy. Had she really tasted the flesh of man or was she mistaken. There was no was to truly be sure so he would just have to ignore that possibly ugly truth.

He was happy to have given her a few moments of child-like wonder while he explained his adventure on the high seas, and this gave him just a few things. "You know Junko....If you want...When I get my own ship, you can some sail with me.", he would offer as a sort of goal for the two of them to have. Maybe if he could do the right thing and be a positive part of this slightly younger girls already tragic story, maybe...just maybe he could give it a happy ending? He knew only time would tell, and the offer from the two to set sail together one day might even lead to the reuniting with his parents. He would wonder if they had really lived past that horrid battle or if they gave their lives to save his own. Either way he knew the circumstances of ones life were not what mattered. No, it was what you did with that life that truly made all the difference. Then with a bit of a sigh Jiro would drop the bag of jerked beef into Junko's lap and give her a heart-felt grin. "I promise next time we meet up I'll make you some extra special jerky!", he would exclaim as he turned from Junko wanting to let her think over the possibilities of join him for a while. In the back of his mind he knew Souji had a part in this girls up bringing and would want to talk to him about here, but that would all come in time. Then without looking back he would give Junko a faint wave and dive off the side of the academy and onto the streets below.

[MFT:414]

[Topic Left]

 

[Itami Junko]

Junko watched as he seemed a bit taken aback by hearing her words of eating people she felt that maybe her guardian was right. Maybe it was too much to tell to him, maybe he might understand some of what she was but they were not the same. she watched as he spoke f joining him on an adventure one day on his own boat. She showed a smile across her face for the first time since Souji first brought her home. She would full heartedly agreed to what he said, she wanted to see his 'home' and maybe one day she could show him her 'home'. She now began to understand what it was like to have someone you could call a 'friend'. They had just met, but they seemed to be getting along just fine. Finally, another human that she felt that she didn't need to fear. That he wasn't going to hurt her because he could. She began to think about what the 'sea' would be like and one could see the wonder flash in her eyes as her child like imagination actually took hold.

She then was surprised by the sudden sack of jerky in her lap. She looked up at him with a bit of confusion as to why he gave her the jerky but she smiled on through the confusion. She nodded while replying to his words "Junko...look forward? to it!"<i></i> She watched as he walked towards the edge and jumped off like her guardian did so she didn't pay any real mind to that but she was waving goodbye to him the whole time while he was walking away. She grabbed hold of the jerky and tied it off inside the small pack she had. It no longer held any raw meat so now it was free to hold other things...LIKE THE JERKY! So with it secured she got down on all fours and ran off back in the direction of her guardian's home. She had new stories to tell him and of a nice boy who was kind to her. That he understood some of what she was going through, that he also had another 'home' like she did. For once, she ran across the rooftops with extra speed and vigor. She was smiling from ear to ear, he had given her hope that maybe, one day, they will both find their real parents. With that hope, a new found drive to become like her guardian, now it wasn't JUST to help him, but to also find her own biological family again.​

[WC=432]

[Topic left]