Nitpicking the Flaws [Tutor/Baba]

[Kiri]

It has been a while since he returned to this small outskirt town. Last time he was there, Kiri was doing some home check-ups on the retired shinobis. It could get a bit problematic because they were always stubborn and would not want to be cared for, especially by a young one like him, though from the last mission, he was able to finally convince them about the necessity of it all. Ah, this time, however, he was on the receiving end of their kindness. A day since that strange and dangerous encounter in the plains not too far from the town, Kiri had only wanted to stay and rest up before heading back to the village. But his fever broke up during the night so he had to stay a bit longer and rest up. Even if he was stubborn, he was also an aspiring doctor and knew what could aggravate his condition if he didn’t take care. That, and because, he was already expecting some punishment at home so he might as well make sure he was ready for it, both physically and mentally.

With a popsicle in his mouth, Kiri was sitting on the bench near the small statue in the middle of the town. It wasn’t really hot, but the cool candy was helping keep his body temperature normal. After all that had happened, he was not forcing himself with all the medical jutsus. Besides, it could be a lingering effect of that poison that he suffered. Nothing too serious. He was simply not used to be on the receiving end of it. Simply wearing his yukata, his torn happi still hanging out in his benefactor’s backyard after a good laundry, Kiri was seemingly in a vacation mood. A towel was wrapped along his head, making sure to keep him cool as well, while he sat there, observing the moving public.

Life in the town wasn’t as bustling as it was in the village, but there was activity. A few of the shops, some kids running, and of course, the passing of travelers. In some way, it was a sort of a highway town, but not as hectic as most. That allowed him to rest easy for a bit. There wasn’t any mission to follow such as to be on guard. And there wasn’t really a need to be.

Wait… what about the guy who left that apologetic note? He closed his eyes at the memory and clicked his tongue at the thought of his defeat. Then he sighed as he opened his eyes again and went to hold the stick of the popsicle. He wondered if he would have to mention this when he returns. But that would only make his mistakes even worse.

Sighing again, he opts to finish the popsicle before it melts away. Just then, as he looked ahead, he would accidentally lock eyes with a certain figure at the opposite side of the street that seemed far too familiar… Wait… isn’t that….

WC: 502

 

[Keigo Oen]

. . .Do you think I'm foolish. . .? I follow her. . . My savior. . . My Goddess. . .​

Making his way around the flats and shops throughout the town, Baba was inconspicuous walking through this place to collect some food but not too much because he needed to be light for travel. He hated carrying too much while travelling but he got the chance to stop at many places. Though on this day sometime after his encounter in the plains Baba would find himself thinking highly about himself. The ability to gain a bit of self control. The ability to control his power, and the power of his own demonic tendencies. It was a rather warm on this day, not too warm but it was such a warmth that kept his body and mind in check to regulate his own body temperature.

It would seem he would not be far enough away from the dangers that would keep him... and he spotted the man whom he'd beaten up, sitting and eating a Popsicle. Shaking his head, Baba didnt want any trouble... so he would follow the boy silently. Almost as if he were an ANBU tracking a missing shinobi. Oh how the roles were reversed. Oh, how the shifts in the tides had changed and at any point if Baba were to be spotted, this could be the end for him and his run. So he would instead go about this in an educated way...

He waited till the boy would glance in his direction...

Locking eyes...

With only a silent and slow wave...

"Hm..."

 

[Kiri]

Kiri was very much surprised, even if it did not seem to show on his face as clearly as it should. No wide gaping mouth or doe-eye expression. Instead, his heart skipped a beat before his eyes sharpened. The moment he recognised the man who slowly waved back at him, now verifying his suspicions, he quickly got up from the bench. He casually walked to cover the distance between them before stopping short of the latter. Normally, one would be too cautious, because as far his memory served him, this man was dangerous and to provoke him out in the open and in middle of town, would not just be a normal incident. It might require a substantial amount of force, and casualties.

But he wasn’t like those paranoid scouts or retired shinobis who would linger with their past fights and think as if everyone was a threat, or that when he does meet someone he’d encounter before that he would shake in fear. As far as fear went, the only time he could truly recall he felt fear was from a memory of his brother’s, not even his. And so, as boldly as he could, he finished the popsicle and slid out the stick before reaching out a hand to the man.

“If I remember correctly, I shouldn’t be here breathing. Though I must say, I had the perfect view of the stars that night thanks to someone,” said Kiri with a light smile before glancing to the side and catching a glimpse of a small diner. “I’m not exactly highborn but I do know my manners. If you would, I’d like to repay you with a good lunch. Oh, and I was hungry, in the first place, too, so don’t worry about it. They make great steaks here, even if this place is far out into the plains.”

He was about to move away when he stopped and then glanced back at the man, “I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I? I’m Kiri… just Kiri. And while I think you may not be a fan of introductions, at least, may I know what to call you… just to be less rude.”

WC: 364

 

[Keigo Oen]

It placed the man in a bit of a bind... Baba would seemingly be trying to move away from the ordeal as Kiri would move into his direction. However, it was not quick enough as Baba wasnt trying to cause too much of a commotion in the process of fleeing the situation. This was not ideal. Foreign place. Foreign people. No one he could rely upon. And now Kiri stood before him almost twisting him around to begin speaking... horrible droll. It was quaint of him to approach him in such a fashion. Almost in a menacing way of things Baba would look over to the eatery and felt his stomach. He was sure this wouldnt end well but why was he worried? He was immortal... he didnt fear anything. And on the contrary, he didnt fear much except the fear of being feared so much that he would be sealed away.

"Fair enough... I am... Toko..", a name he would keep while he thought of ways to get out of this. Looking around Baba would huff, "Hmph. ", moving his body to the restaurant. Before turning to Kiri before beckoning him to follow him as he would lean under the threshold before moving into the place and taking a seat at a nearby table. This would be interesting... however Baba was not the one making the awkwardness commence. Either way, Baba would snort a bit before awaiting Kiri's taking a seat, "So... Why do you want to have lunch with me?" tilting his head he would wonder this above all else. This was going to get weird... Maybe this guy had a fetish that Baba didnt know about, maybe he was a sucker for pain and Baba had fed into such a thing. Who knew...

"You're not gonna get weird on me are you? Cause I can leave..." Baba would state before the waitress would appear like some ANBU from Leaf looking for a missing nin, thats a weird analogy, but thats how Baba felt as his eyes jumped to the woman as she would lean in, "Ahh~ What are we having today? Can I start you both out with a drink?", smiling weirdly Baba would nod, "Chilled Green Tea..." an then he would look back to Kiri...

 

[Kiri]

It was strange how the man reacted to his words. It was almost as if he was expecting something dire and uncontrollable. Then, a thought clicked in Kiri’s head as he began to put two and two together. From the way the other acted during their encounter in the plains, his aggressiveness during the fight, the docility and almost shy bordering paranoia at the moment, may suggest that there was something this person was trying to avoid– to hide. At that point, Kiri could only accept the other’s reply for his name, seeing as though this was as much progress he could get at the moment.

Soon enough, they would enter the said diner and Toko didn’t hesitate to find himself a place to sit. Kiri followed, willingly, and took the sit across him. And then, there it was, the seriousness in the other’s eyes that seemed to have captivated Kiri and made his beast brother stir inside his soul. He held back the urge and kept a casual face. It wasn’t aggression, but more of a need to correct any misinformation during their short altercation. But now wasn’t the time. Kiri was determined to show to his beast brother that there was more to this man, and he could feel it. It was not the proverbial “gut feeling”; it was simply part of the destiny that he saw himself part of.

And thus, without beating around the bush, Kiri would answer as soon as the other asked, “I want to learn what happened. That is to say, I’ve found myself thinking about it and wanting to learn how it happened.” He paused for a moment as a waitress appeared rather deftly at their table. Kiri smiled at the other’s request but as both now looked his way for his own order, Kiri suddenly remembered how he never did have any preferences for drinks. “Uh… I guess… hot… cocoa?”

He sounded a bit unsure at first before the waitress would take in the order and then deftly move away. He let his eyes linger at her for a moment, wondering if there was something there. Perhaps a clue. Perhaps… she was one of the few younger shinobis who had long retired in this village. Then, he would look back to Baba and clear his throat before speaking once more. “To be honest, I don’t know exactly why I would approach you. I was not even expecting to find you. But as soon as I did, my heart ran wild and my soul remembered. The rush of the battle… strange as it may sound, was exhilarating, and then I remembered how much I still need to learn. And if you, who left a letter of apology, at the wake of it all, did not bother to end my life, then there must be a reason that ties our lives together. That said… I would like to know just how it is tied. I want to know more about you and the way you fiight.”

If only Kiri could hear himself, then he would know exactly why others may have thought of him as rather strange.

 

[Keigo Oen]

Shaking his head, this was utter nonsense, but he was not trying to cause a ruckus for now. He needed to make sure this guy didnt go about spouting things about him to others, "Uhm. You want me to... Tell you how I beat you? You are as crazy as you think you sound...", nodding a bit he would turn to the outside of the building. This was not a conversation he wanted to delve deeper into. This was not something he wanted to become more aware and apparent of. He made mistakes, and by the name of the Goddess he would look for retribution. This wasnt something the Goddess would shine down upon him for. Maybe though... just maybe if he repented he would be fine. There was a fine line though... He would be locked up and sealed away for a long time. However, in order to make amends for the things he'd done... sacrifices would have to be made.

"Kiri... I understand you might have a masochistic attitude for being beat up... but I assure you, I will not be obliging you in combat knowledge. When I fight, My body moves on its own. I dont try to control it until it tries to go too far. I was born cursed, and I have no fighting form of my own... So you wouldnt learn anything about fighting from me... In all honesty, a Genin could teach you more than I could teach you.", nodding a bit he'd see the waitress coming back but she stopped a few tables away. "Is there anything else you wanted? Because I'm looking for Kumogakure... I just need to get in and talk to some people and let them know whats going on with Konoha... but I cant do that here...", tilting his head Baba would huff out. Maybe he wasnt cut out for this Rogue Nin life... he was already ready to be with Cherry again.

 

[Kiri]

Kiri simply smiled when the other mentioned about telling how he got beat up. In a way, it did sound like that, and perhaps that may have made him seem a little extra creepy and weird. But what he really meant to say was that he wanted to learn from his mistakes and sometimes figuring out on one’s own wasn’t enough. Especially when it was an unexpected encounter and could have died really. But the other didn’t finish him off– that very much was true– and so he wanted to know what stopped him, why… “I guess you can say… I don’t like the idea of crawling on the ground and getting stepped on. Besides, you didn’t seem too eager to kill me off despite all those words you said. So maybe I can ask ‘why’ and ‘how did you see as an opponent’?”

He paused as he listened to the rest of what the latter would say, noting the sudden pause and cautiousness in his voice. Kiri, himself, felt his inner chakra stir for a moment– never one to truly control it just yet– as he made a brief glance to the side to spot the waitress, then back to face the person in front of him. “Eh? Konoha?” he suddenly became a bit alert before realising this was, indeed, turning a bit serious. With his recent travel to Konoha, he was a bit worried what this could be. “Then, would you like to go somewhere? Now that you’ve said that, I’m more than eager to stick around you.”

 

[Keigo Oen]

Nodding, "Kiri, Your persistence knows no bounds. However, what I must do does not concern you. Furthermore...", trailing off as the woman would begin bringing their things back Baba would find himself finding a calmer tone as he assessed the situation. He was fairly sure that he could and would see more that the people around were listening in on the conversation, this was not something he wanted to get into. 'I'll be sealed away for sure if people think I have some secret documents or something… Shit.' nodding to himself he would huff.

"Kiri-san. The burden of your defeat is something that you must look into yourself to find the reason for. I cannot tell you why you lost. On that day, be it luck or fate, I was better. Maybe one day you will best me. Who knows… but I do know talking about it in the company we are keeping will not do either of us any favors. Okay?", looking around he'd find his eyes looking back to Kiri and then to the food that was now placed before them. Taking out a small pouch for the food he was to eat he would hand it to the woman, "For your trouble. And keep whats left over for yourself…".

As she would count and walk away a gleam would hit her eye as she turned around, Baba had given her the wrong pouch! The money he gave was something that could be used to help fund his travels! Now he would be forced to live off the land a bit more and do some odd jobs until he had the funds and means to make it to the top of the mountain.

"I would say… Take my portion, but I'll need it for the coming days… Now, I suggest we part ways now... and then we can come back together if fate so has it. Is that alright? Maybe next time we'll have a friendlier encounter." nodding again he would take his food wrapping it up before heading out…

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