Out of bounds? What's that mean?

[Junan]

So... he'd asked someone when he'd seen this place "what's in there?" That person had given him the most unusual look and said "It's where the Rangers come and go. Don't ask too many questions, you might make yourself a target."

Now if that wasn't like telling a fat man to not eat cake.

Junan had practically salivated like said fat man when he heard those words. Behind his glasses his eyes widened like a kid in a candy store, and he almost literally went skipping inside.

But he didn't. Cos he's not that much of an idiot.

What he DID do however was wait until an opportune time and sneak in.

Finding his way in he quickly realised that walking the trodden paths would be too narrow, they clearly weren't such a large population that he wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb. Even without his pink feathered jacket if he chose not to wear it... which he wouldn't do. At least not with this body.

So he made a move to get outside the main areas and found himself in a forest. It was pretty dense with undergrowth, not like the forests of Fire Country where the trees were tall and the canopy stopped anything underneath from growing. Rather more like the forests of Earth where there were gaps in the canopy with ferns and bushes growing. It was interesting, but it did make it hard to move without making a noise. He had to wonder why on earth there was a forest like this in here.

Of course the question which would have been the most likely to ask after being told that this is where the Rangers go would have been "Who're the Rangers?" but he didn't ask that question. The name Ranger did however make him think that perhaps they enjoyed forests, after all, that was where rangers did their thing. So maybe this was like their home or something? He looked up into the trees. He did hope he'd not disturbed anyone sleeping...

He switched out of this puppet and moved into another putting this one away. The new puppet was his latest creation... and suddenly all sound flooded in to his senses. He smiled.

How long have you been following me? He asked, though his voice started out at the usual volume, he quietened down quickly after. Not because he was wanting to be sneaky, but because it hurt his delicate hearing... which he really wasn't used to yet.

 

[Ayame]

Ayame followed the man, moving through the shadows, a couple of meters away from him. He was confused of this place and the questions he asked were... not appropriate for a place like this. He was too distinctive once again and she facepalmed herself.
"This guy, he just... don't care.." - she thought.
The girl enjoyed following him from the shadows. Learning shadow jutsu was the most useful thing she did here and gave her a lot of opportunities. Only if she knew it when she worked for the gang a lot of things would be easier back then.

Something got her attention. Again, this world surprised her. She could not understand what just happened, but he... he switched bodies?
It was confusing. So confusing. She had a lot to learn about this world. And everything she knew was that she knew nothing. That made her angry. All this time, locked up in a cage and let go once in a while only to do mission took too much from her.

After switching bodies, the man detect her.
Ayame got out from the shadows, quickly taking her appearance.
- I'm not following you. I'm just walking beside you. If I was following you, you wouldn't know.
She was upset that he noticed her and that made her to answer defensively.
Now Ayame was able to look around. Until now her attention was in making sure she wouldn't step on the wrong place, to keep as quiet as possible. The green forest was beautiful - a sight that was uncommon for a place like the desert, but she had to watch her steps. And... she wasn't here to watch the beautiful view.
- I told you I'll find you. We have unfinished business. Come.
She'd head to the right (???) and pass through a lot of bushes, before stopping near some overgrown wall, or it just looked like this.
The girl removed the leaves and twigs and they'd see that this place was actually an entrance to a little cave.
She entered in the dark place, removing the spider web on the entrance.
- Call me crazy, but I don't like to talk about things like that out in the open.
The cave was small, dark and moist. On the stone walls were easily noticeable water drops. There was a little lake on the side where she washed her hands. A dim light was coming from the entrance, so they were able to see there.
- So... - she'd start - things changed. I added one more condition - The man Fang tries to find. This cannot happen. You help me and I'll help you.

[MFT]
WC: 444​

 

[Junan]

He smiled as she approached him, claiming to have been walking with him, effectively saying if he hadn't noticed her it was his fault not because she were hiding. Which she could well have been doing in all honesty, he hadn't been keeping an eye out, it wasn't something he was worried about.

They did however have unfinished business and so when she asked him to follow her he did so.

She moved through the bushes, seeming to know where she was going, so Junan assumed she'd been here before. Still he'd not heard anyone else nearby so it seemed pretty clear. She moved to remove the leaves and twigs which covered a small cave entrance, he'd noticed the cave entrance as they'd reached the location due to what was effectively sonar.

So he waited for her to guide him inside. It was tight and damp, but he pushed through. As he did so it seemed to fit him a bit better, till they reached a point at which she gestured for him to stop. He wasn't sure how much further he could reach inside anyway, but clearly anything further would be uncomfortable for her.

The discussion began with her adding another stipulation, one which was of particular interest.

Oh? So you know him then? It's all good, I already turned down her request. She felt it a fair trade for me to be wasting my time searching for someone for her to effectively do the same. My time is far more valuable than hers. He grinned.

Lets list the things you're requesting for your side of this. You want me to train you, you want power, you want to do this is a comrade, and you want me to ignore the fact that I could get that woman to do a minor favour for me for effectively free?

He looked at her and then continued.

And for my side of it you'll work for me?

My issue is that if I'm training you then you'll need to be around me, and the only place I need people doing work for me at the moment is in Sand where I will not be for too much longer. So your payment to me isn't good enough at this time. Also if I'm training you then you are not my equal, and will not be seen to be my equal. You had some little rant about not being owned by me before you ran off the other day, but let me answer you now.

He would move closer to her, almost pressing his body against hers in the small area they were in. The idea was to make her feel uncomfortable, they were intimately close, and he'd found that forcing himself closer to someone tended to make them naturally want to draw away from him. Doing this where they couldn't do so meant they would have one of two reactions normally, though there were exceptions, either they would look away, backing down and submit, or they would stare him in the eye defiantly. He didn't actually care what their reaction was.

Moving his head beside hers so that his lips would brush against her ears he would whisper his answer If I wanted you as a pet, as my toy, as whatever I wanted you to be. He pushed himself against her to emphasis this You would already know.

With that he drew away from her, back to where he had been. That wasn't what he was interested in, he didn't want another pet, one seemed like it was going to be trouble enough, two? Ugh.

So then. What do you want to be. My disciple, He liked the word or my business partner?

 

[Ayame]

She listened the man's blabbering carefully. The girl actually enjoyed this talk. It was something she haven't done in a long time. This behavior took her back in the days where she had to deal with people of his kind a lot. Something kept pushing her to go down this road, that made her regret her existence. But she wasn't the girl from before. There was no way for this man to scare her.
The thrill... the thrill from this was like a drug. It made her feel good and the darkness in the cave made her feel comfortable. This was her place. She did not chose this location randomly, she planned everything in details.

The man moved close to her. Even closer. He tried to violate her personal space, to make her feel uncomfortable and thus to make sure she won't be able to negotiate.
No. With her things didn't work that way.
The girl didn't move. She didn't back down or look away. But she grinned. She saw his neck and wanted to sink her teeth there and suck out the red life force that his body kept.
But this wasn't professional.

When he drew away from her she looked him with her wicked smile.
- You know... you talk to much, Akuto-san.
She started pacing playfully back and forth.
- And you can't see the big picture. Tell me... what kind of criminal are you, when you can't see farther from your nose? Ooooh... I know... the kind that your organization sends away so he won't screw up things. How could I forget?
She laughed at him.
- You know… people say that we learn our entire life. I can learn things from you, you can learn things from me. We can… hmm… how do I put this? Enrich each other. And … if you try to own me I’ll will be really really upset. Believe me, there are people that would kill whoever upsets me.
The girl leaned on the wall and crossed her hands.
- But let’s not get too smart here. We’ll think of a way. You can think of me as… investment for a brighter future. Because, believe me, I have great ideas that wait for the right people and the right time. Tell me, Akuto-san, did you ever wanted to have your own business? To not be the guy they send away, just because might crew up something? You to be the guy who decides what people would do.
Ayame got close to him with slow steps and smile on her face. He was way taller then her, so the girl lifted her head to see him.
- I… - she placed gently her hand on his forearm – I can help you, a lot.
Her eyes took the pattern of the sharingan.
- And I'm not alone.

 

[Junan]

He knew she was trying to push him off his stride with her comments about the organization trying to get rid of him. It was clearly untrue. If they had wanted rid of him then they would simply kill him off. They had plenty of resources to do so, and he wasn't such a threat that this wouldn't be taken. It was amusing to Junan that she'd even attempt that tactic, if there was one thing Junan was sure about it was that the organization was backing him.

Even though he was wrong.

She placed her hand on his arm and had moved close to him, he looked down at her his grin widening as he saw her sharingan. Perhaps he wouldn't pull out his jar which held a pair of the eyes... though perhaps he would look at creating that as a puppet sooner rather than later so that he could throw her off her game by flashing those eyes at her as well.

Still he was here inside his Hashigaki puppet, and so he knew that many of the advantages that the eyes gave he also had in his own way. In others he had a greater advantage. It was however nice to know what he was dealing with.

Perhaps you might prove to be an investment. An investment is something owned however and you do not wish to be owned, nor do I wish to own you. Ownership would restrict your ability to do what I would like you to be capable of doing, so though I enjoy your fear of my deciding to own you there is no need to concern yourself with this.

It was true, she did seem very hung up on the being owned thing.

If you want to prove to be a good investment as you call it then you would start as my student and grow from there. Whether you're alone or not this is how this will work. As long as you're with me I will not let any harm come to you, I may work with scum, but I like to think that I have never pretended to be anything that I'm not when I am that.

I do hope that you will help me. With eyes like yours you will see things that I will not.

Sure, that last thing was a bit of a lie, a compliment though and intended to flatter. Still, two sets of eyes were better than one, and she was far more conservative in her actions than Junan was, so he could see the advantage of taking her under his wing.

He lent down so that their faces were inches away from each other, he could feel the heat from her breath, she would feel nothing from him unless he were speaking. No foulness or scent from his breath when he did speak... there wouldn't even be the dampness normally felt with breath. All these things would continue to challenge her thoughts on what exactly he was.

 

[Ayame]

Ayame smiled, even when he was so close to her. She couldn’t feel his breathing and questioned herself what was wrong with him, but now was not the time to ask.
- Consider this like… investment in yourself, Akuto-san. I’m sure we’ll get along. If we don’t… well.. we’ll have to. And who knows what would happen… you ever considered of starting your own… business?

She didn’t felt complimented by him. She barely heard him. All she knew was that she got what she wanted. She needed to become stronger and he was one of the ways for this to happen. She’d pay with her work, he’d pay by teaching her. And Ayame wasn’t scared or worried from the work she’d do. She did this before coming to this village. Trying to fit in wasn’t an option anymore. She knew she didn’t belong here and she wasn’t destined to become a shinobi. She was a criminal and that was the path for her. Nothing good would come from denying her true self. Life kept bringing people like him to her, so who was she kidding?

Ayame liked what the man said. Keeping her safe was something she’d need. Until she was ready and start hunting the people from her gang.
She knew she had to get them first, before they get her.
She imagined the leader of the gang and smiled even more. She wasn’t ready for him, but she took the first step on the road to revenge.
Also, she knew that she and her brother might need people behind their backs. Being alone in this world as not the best idea…
Akuto had no idea for her intentions, but in the future there was a chance he’d learn the truth. But not yet.

The girl didn’t move. She touched Junan’s nose with the tip of her finger and removed it fast.
-Boop – she said and laughed – as much as I like you being so close to me, I told you I’m not alone. And that person miiiiight get a little angry…
She looked behind Junan and said:
- Oniii-saaaan, come out, come out wherever you are.

[MFT]
WC: 359​

 

[Uchiha Izura]

“Upsie daisy!”



Izura exclaimed as he phased through the ground beneath Ayame, immediately picking her off the ground in such a manner where she was now sitting on his shoulders. In the next instant he teleported about 10 meters away from Junan, with Ayame still sitting on his shoulders.

Holding onto her legs so she wouldn’t fall off, he spoke to her in a bit of a scolding manner.



“This is the guy you wanted me to meet? You know I don’t like it when you keep putting yourself in danger, Ayame.”



Unlike how he was usually dressed, today Izura was wearing fairly casual clothing. This winter had been especially cold, and so he decided to wear a dark blue sweater, some jeans, and a red scarf. Nothing that really indicated he was a ninja, necessarily.

Izura looked at Junan with an analytical eye, raising an eyebrow.



“Doll man seems a little shady…are you sure he’s a good guy? He diiiid say some kinda scary things earlier…”

Of course, Izura was acting a little aloof compared to his usual self. Usually, he was a lot more secretive, quiet, and professional. But alas, it was all just a way of making it harder to pinpoint descriptors on his mannerisms. If one person saw Izura as the aloof type, and another thought of him as a man with a serious demeanor, then the chances of them using mannerisms to identify him was lessened to a minute degree.

He gave Junan a stern warning glare.

“If you harm my sister in any way, Mr. Puppet, I’ll rip off your limbs and repurpose them for furniture.”

He then smiled and showed genuine cheer.



“But if you don’t, then I’m sure we can get along!~”

WC 291

 

[Junan]

He enjoyed seeing his smile on other peoples faces, it meant that there was a kinship there, something he'd never had.

The man popped out of the ground, interrupting any potential reply he might have given to any of what had been said by the brat. His having been underground, moving by way of chakra had meant Junan hadn't heard him, or at least that's what he suspected was the case. It was nice to have this new puppets senses tested in this way, it meant he knew at least one of its limitations already. This was a first outing for it, so he was happy that he got to find that out.

Still, what was most disconcerting was that the man who popped out of the ground seemed to instantly discern that he was a puppet.

Junan's smile left his face as soon as it was mentioned...

He moved away from the brat and turned towards this man.

How could you tell? He asked looking at his arms.

I put in a lot of work to keep myself from being able to be seen as a puppet, and yet you knew at a glance what it was that I am. You need to tell me what gave me away. The last sentence was spoken almost as a threat.

At this exact moment in time Junan didn't care if he was outclassed, the one thing that he took immense pride in had just been slapped in the face. The only thing he thought he did well was make puppets. So... how could someone see through it so quickly, so easily?

 

[Ayame]

Ayame thought Izura would appear from the entrance. Instead he phased through the ground beneath Ayame, taking her on her shoulders.
She was surprised and laughed out loud, hugging him on his neck, while standing on his shoulders. He teleported about 10 meters away from Junan with her still sitting on his shoulders.
- I'm not in danger, onii-san. He is my friend. He is helping me.
Ayame didn't really believed this, but for Junan's sake she said it. It was the first step for building their relationship, so something like a trust had to be there. Even if it wasn't, it had to look like this.

"A doll? What do you mean a doll?" - she asked herself. The girl clearly had no idea about puppets, but decided not to ask Izura about that. She'd let Junan tell her everything, that's how someone build a relationship with others. She showed her sharingan, he had to reveal parts of himself soon too.
- He said scary things, but I liked them. For me he is good, onii-san.

Ayame noticed the change in Izura's behavior, but said nothing. She liked seeing him that way, because he looked more... happy.
And then... just when she thought things were going well, he threatened her new friend.
The girl closed her eyes, facepalmed herself and then looked at Junan. His smile has disappeared. She realized he wasn't comfortable of what Izura learned about him.
Ayame jumped off her brother's shoulders and stood between the two. She wanted them to get along, because somekind of a trust had to be build here for things to run smoothly.

- Hey now, who cares how he learned about whatever you're hiding? He won't tell anyone. Let's get back to business. Akuto, this is my brother.
The girl didn't introduced him with his name and let him decide if he wanted to share it.
- Onii-san, this is Akuto-san.... or at least I call him Akuto. He works for an organisation that...
Ayame didn't know how to say this, without making Izura too concerned for her.
- You know Akuto, you better tell him. And onii-san, give him a chance, he can be in help of us, and, of course, I or we can be in a great help of him.
The least the girl wanted was a fight between them, because then she'd have to show them what an angry little teenage sister was capable of. They might be strong, but she was crazy.

 

[Uchiha Izura]

Izura’s sharingan activated, the pale red of his natural eye color giving way to the deeper red hue with black tomoe that indicated his doujutsu was active. It was also the reason he was able to discern that Junan was….not normal. Every small detail was noticed, scrutinized, and remembered under the watch of Izura’s sharingan, as expected of any high level wielder of the doujutsu. The sharingan’s ability to discern the smallest movements was already famous for giving the uncanny ability of seeming foresight into the future, and when pushed to the limitations of the bloodline limit, some users were even capable of seeing motion at a cellular level. A degree of precision that was nearly unheard of in most circles.

It was the way Junan’s body shifted in the most minuscule of movements. The intake of breath. The exhalation. The muscle tension as the body shifted to support it’s own weight. Things left unnoticed to a normal eye, but captured in full detail by the sharingan. Ayame likely didn’t notice it because her sharingan activation was relatively recent, compared to the years upon years that Izura had lived with the doujutsu, honed in the fires of combat.

But there was something beyond just that. The other senses did not betray him. There was a three year period in which Izura had been rendered temporarily blind- a side effect of his then weak chakra reserves attempting to uphold the power of his sharingan to little fruition. An entire three years during which he was still expected to survive against the assassins which had hunted his family since he could even remember. The sound of his breathing, or lack thereof….it wasn’t as accurate and honed to a razor’s edge as his ocular powers, but his heightened sense of hearing and smell caused many to believe almost as if he had a sixth sense at times.



“My doujutsu…it allows me to notice details that others wouldn’t. You move as if you’re being controlled by something….it’s very hard to notice, but it’s there.”

He sighed, as Ayame said what she did in an attempt to get them to work together.

“I suppose, although he’ll have to earn my trust…” he said, as he deactivated his sharingan.

"Now…what is this organization of yours? And what business do you have approaching a 13 year old girl and her older brother?”



WC 400

 

[Junan]

The Brat tried to even things out, she could tell Junan was annoyed by how simple it seemed to be to identify him as a puppet. This was his only point of pride in his life, he wasn't strong, he wasn't anything, he was a puppet master, a man who had dedicated his life to constructing puppets which couldn't be seen through and until now no-one had ever seen through them as far as he was aware.

He was angry, his pride damaged, how could someone so callously figure it out, the man had been underground for however long and then the instant he pops out he is able to tell that he's face to face with a human puppet. Junan watched the eyes turn crimson and didn't care. Uchiha had an ability to see details, but it shouldn't matter unless someone were specifically looking out for human puppets, or that had been Junan's assumption.

Sure, the man with his sharingan out would see that Junan would seem to not be breathing, the complete and utter lack of muscle tension in the body and how he lacked the minuscule movements which normal people had.

His frown deepened, his normally grinning face almost turning the opposite direction as he took in the explanation for how he was so easily figured out. Yet in his mind the small voice of the child who failed the Genin examinations would speak out, reminding Junan of the world they lived in, reminding him that there would be shinobi who were experienced enough for this kind of thing to just come naturally.

Which in turn meant that he might well be face to face with a full fledged shinobi, someone who went through the trainings, passed them, succeeded as a shinobi and was not like Junan, who was simply playing the part.

If he had muscles which automatically responded to his feelings his hands would clench, his teeth would grit more instead of seemingly just be pressed against each other at a normal pressure, the expression itself almost comical in its obscene extremism, and yet because he was who he was it wouldn't seem amusing. What was worse was that this expression, all of Junan's expressions, they were all a replication of the only person Junan had spent a long period of time stalking and pretending to be before he turned the man into a puppet.

So in many ways, his own eccentricities were to blame on someone other than himself.

Still a moment or two passed in silence as Junan regained control over his emotions, his frown faded, but his grin didn't return, he was in a place of neutrality. Angry that he had clearly failed to pass as human, but clearly it wasn't his puppet making ability which had failed him, it was instead his own skill level. The blame moved from something he was prideful in to something he felt was severely lacking.

And so he answered, even if the tone were like that taken by a child who was on the verge of a tantrum, though the tone improved as he spoke, got more comfortable with what he was saying.

The organization is a group I work for which exist within the shinobi villages, they don't take a specific name. I work for them in the human trafficking business. Basically we make contact with wealthy non-shinobi who have more money than is good for them and offer them shinobi slaves. We do perform other activities from time to time like helping people out of a village if they want to get out and no longer serve the village, as well as sometimes needing to kill specific shinobi to stop them being able to report whatever it is they're about to report, things like this.

He looked at the brat briefly and then back to the older brother.

I didn't approach The Brat to join, she struck up conversation with me in a dodgy bar in a dodgy part of town, so I simply asked if she knew someone who could help. She is here by her own desire.

 

[Ayame]

Ayame listened to her brother, while explaining. He was able to see such details, she could only dream of. Even when she tried to focus on Akuto, she still wasn't able to see what her brother did. How much time she'd need so she can at least obtain half of her brother's strength? A lot. But she wasn't from the people with endless patience. She wasn't from the people that had patience at all, regarding things like that.

She smiled at Izura's response and hoped that Akuto won't fuck up things. This was a great way for her to get to know her brother and become stronger. Also, acquiring comrades was always helpful. One can never know when he'd need someone's help.

Ayame noticed how Junan's face changed - his frown deepened. That meant the man tries to hide this information from others.

- Akuto-san, don't get angry, you look better with your evil smile - she said to him with an innocent smile on her face - That's a good thing, actually. Now you know what do to in order to fill the gaps in your defense.

So, now he knew something about her and she knew something about him. Also, she had her brother and Junan must've realized how powerful he is, so he'd know not to screw around with her.
Not that this was the point. She brought her brother not because she wanted to brag with him... well, okay, maybe a little, but her goal was to find people that could help him if he needed. She'd be there for him always, but she was still weak, and Akuto... well, he was something.

Everything was going well, and Ayame was smiling, while Junan explained about the organisation. Something, however, took her smile away in an instant.
"she struck up conversation with me in a dodgy bar in a dodgy part of town,"
Why he had to say this? Her brother already tried to tell her he is not okay with her doing things like that. She started rubbing the back of her head and laugh guiltily.

- Well, he-he-he, it wasn't that dodgy, Akuto-sa-a-a-n, don't exaggerate, he-he.

 

[Uchiha Izura]

Izura crossed his arms, his face yielding a stern frown as he looked at his sister’s leg and tapped her shin. After all, she was still on his shoulders.

“I just don’t get why you do this, Ayame….you know we’re actually rich, right? I can….hire this guy if you really thing we could work well together.”



Izura wasn’t lying. He had amassed quite the fortune over his lifetime. The issue was accessing it. Much of the wealth of the old organization he had been a part of had been scattered amongst several safe houses in different countries. All of them were well hidden and laden with traps. It’d only be a matter of getting to them and then reaching the treasure troves within. And even then, it was no guarantee that the caches weren’t already depleted or raided by now. For all Izura knew, their locations could’ve been compromised, however unlikely that was.

He turned his attention back to Akuto-san.

“I’d be willing to hire you…it’s just a matter of accessing my wealth to do so. You see, I’ve been….away a long time. We’d need to travel to reach where I store it, although because it’s been such a long time, the traps set there might not be set to detect friendlies anymore.”

He set Ayame down in front of him, patting her on the head.

“Don’t get into anything too crazy, alright imouto?”

He then turned to Akuto again.

“If you’re interested, I’ll have you filled in on the details later with Ayame here…but in the meantime, I have to go.”

He smiled again at Ayame, hugging her before teleporting away.

[Topic Left]

 

[Junan]

Junan stood there silently, his smile hadn't returned and instead he simply watched as the man said he could "hire" Junan before he then talked down to his sister like she were some child, sitting her down, patting her on the head, and then he left.

How can you take being treated like that? He asked, his eyes still searching the area where the other man, her brother, had once stood. That was an interesting technique he'd used...

Does he not realise that you're too old to be treated like some infant?

His head turned towards the brat.

I'm not for hire, just to make that clear.

Clear to the Brat, Junan was either unhappy (though he wasn't frowning anymore) or he was thinking on his current situation. Either way he wasn't happy, or excited, or whatever other emotions engaged his grinning or frowning. In the end for Junan he was contemplating his situation. Then he remembered why they'd been here and what was effectively an unresolved conversation for them.

His smile grew.

So, are you going to be my student? I wont treat you like a toddler like your brother does, but perhaps you enjoy that?

 

[Ayame]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NknjE2SBPxw​

Ayame frowned to Junan's remarks. But she knew he was right - her brother really treated her like she was infant, incapable of taking care of herself.
The girl let out a sigh and surprisingly took Juna's hand with her warm soft little hand, leading him outside of the dark cave.

- Akuto-san... - she started, ignoring his question - Have you ever had a family? Have you ever had someone that you love so much that even the thought of losing him makes you shake in fear?
It was quiet in the forest, only a bird's singing could be heard. Narrow beams of light from the sun were making their way to the ground through the branches of the trees. Ayame and Junan were away from the civilization and the girl was still holding his hand, leading him somewhere.

- And imagining even worse things... like death... makes your heart skip a beat from the dreadful thought. Now imagine it's not only one person, but, let's say, 2 or 3. And they die. One by one, they slip away from your fingers, never to return again. Never to hear their voices, see them, feel them...

Ayame passed through something that looked like a little bridge, but made from a fallen tree. Still holding Junan's had, but never turned to see his face.

- It can be hard, Akuto-san... to go through all this. Living with the thought for years... and then suddenly... you see someone that's a part of you. Part of these people and the world becomes meaningful again.

They quickly got down a stairs made by rocks and continued on a slightly noticeable path, filled with green leaves. After a while they arrived at a little pond with still water that looked like almost like a mirror.

- He treats me this way, because I'm his little sister. He met me recently. At first I wanted to kill him. He looked so desperate and miserable, but the minute he saw me his look changed. And I never draw my weapon. He cares about me. He loves me. That's why he is acting like this, and it doesn't matter if I like it or not, because he likes it.

The girl was still holding Junan's hand.

- You know, Akuto-san... that organisation of yours treats you like a child too. But not a child that's loved. They treat you like a child that get's in their way. When things get tough they sent you away, alone. They're not trying to teach you how to act and how to deal in situations like that, because they don't care, you're just a tool that can be replaced.

She smiled at him and let go of his hand, pointing at the pond.

- Look there. Just keep looking an tell me - do you like what you see? And don't move from there, just keep looking.

 

[Junan]

He didn't answer at first. Of course he'd had a family. His father had died when he was very young... his mother had taken her own life when she thought that her efforts to make her son immortal had failed.

Junan had found her rotting carcass when he'd finally found a way to open his eyes, to move. The emotions of which were something he'd blocked out, at the time he'd wanted to cry without the capacity to do so, he'd fallen to his knees and moaned like a wounded creature, the pain he felt he couldn't express due to his new body. His mind wanted him to vomit, but he had no stomach, his mind wanted him to cry but he had no tear ducts, his mind wanted him to break, but all he could do was scream.

Yet his memories now ended when he saw her, next he was leaving the house out the back, hiding, finding his way into alleyways where he was found by the organization. They reforged him, taught him to help people, the Raikage had closed the gates to all comers, there wasn't enough food to go around, there were people who wanted to leave who couldn't. So he helped them. He fed those who had no food, he saved those who needed saving... his life was owed to the organization.

Then the Raikage was murdered, replaced, but then the replacement disappeared and was replaced by the monster of the Saito clan. Junan had heard stories of the man through the streets, of how he was Shinbatsu's chosen son. Junan looked up to the new Raikage, he was infallible, immortal, and that was what his mother had wanted for him. So that's what he would be.

He began to follow a young shinobi, watching his movements carefully, following his every action, recording it all in his mind, slowly mimicking him in every way. It took a year, more, but time didn't matter in this body and the gates were now open, so the organization was dispersing. Eventually he was contacted by some of the old members of the organization, told that they'd found more work, that the toll the shinobi villages took on the people who weren't shinobi was terrible. Junan was secreted out of the village and shown some of the townspeople, the posters which existed talking about salvation against the shinobi.

Shinobi were a plague on the world. So the organization began to target them, they found people who would want specific shinobi dead, who wanted their own shinobi pets, who wanted weapons, poisons, with which to combat shinobi. So the organization changed to work towards this new goal.

Junan's purpose for his immortality was found, and so he took the life of the man named Junan, and he took his identity. He no-longer remembered his first name. He'd let go of all that he once was, and he now was the entity known as Junan.

So he walked with his hand being held by Ayame. She told him her own truths about the organization, but Junan new better, and as she told him to look into the pond, so he did. He looked at his reflection, and he kept looking. She asked him if he liked what he saw.

In there he saw murder, he saw the enslavement of the shinobi people, he'd watched them raped, watched as they fell away one after another to the organization, to himself despite his weakness.

His grin split his face.

I love what I see.

 

[Ayame]

​

Ayame stood behind Junan, watching him, trying not to miss every detail, even though he was with his back against her.
The girl had no idea what was he thinking about. She wanted to know, but decided not to ask. He kept a secret everything about himself, even his name, why would he want to tell her this?

I love what I see.

The girl went to the pond, moving aside from Junan, so she'd be able to see only herself.
- Good, Akuto-san - answered him - not everyone is so lucky.

And looked at the water.

Her look, despite her eyes being red, was cold. After a while she looked at Junan and smiled softly.
- I don't.

Deep inside she was hiding anger towards everybody she knew so far, even herself. Some didn't deserved it, but still she couldn't help it. And Junan was a breathe of fresh air. He was new, she felt nothing towards him. It was... refreshing. She wasn't controlling herself or her anger around him, she wasn't controlling what was coming out of her mouth, because she didn't had to. It was up to him and her to write a story. Short one or long. Bad or good. It was a chance for something new. Maybe it was going to end bad, in blood, hatred, pain like the story with Nataku, or good, but for now the pages were blank.

She got close to Junan and looked at the water. Now, the images of both of them were there. She laughed.
- Now it's a little better.
She expected nothing from him. She expected nothing from anybody. The girl was well aware that nothing was free in this world.
- About your question - let's not lie to each other - you can't be a teacher and I can't be a student. But we can train together and become stronger. I can see you like causing pain to others and I'm not afraid of pain.
She smiled softly:
- What do you say, Akuto-san?

 

[Junan]

Again he watched the brat as she moved next to the water and looked in, telling him that she didn't like what she saw. He was confused a bit, he was outside of his own mind at the moment and actually paying attention to what was going on. She moved closer to him and looked back telling him she liked that more. Wait... what? He frowned, confusion, why would she like that more? That made no sense.

He looked in the water. No. What was going on? Why would this be better than them on their own? Looking down a the brat again he didn't understand. She continued speaking though, telling him that he couldn't be a teacher and she couldn't be a student. Why couldn't he be a teacher? What was he lacking?

Fine. But I will be the one to bring these villages to ruin. He said looking out towards Sand, his voice eerily serious.

I will be moving on to Leaf soon. I couldn't find anyone to get regular work here for the organization, but that's fine, I tried. He pulled out the metal cylinder and let it sit in his open hand offering it to Ayame.

Put your finger in the cylinder, this way I can get a message to you at any time.

In his eyes the village of Sand burned, and standing at the peak of the flames stood himself... but was he still alone in that image?

 

[Ayame]

- Don't get me wrong, Akuto-san - Ayame started explaining - I don't want you as a teacher. I want you as a friend. And you can do whatever you want with the villages, I'm not a fan of them anyways.

She sounded confident. Of course, the brat was aware that this was unlikely to happen, but she was willing to try this frendship nonsense one more time. Maybe this time it could work and he won't to try to kill her. Maybe she needed this more than he did, if he needed it at all. But why she always ended up with people from dangerous organisations?
Maybe because she was raised in criminal organisation. And after Nataku tried to "save" her and then just left her with her hopes smashed into pieces, there was no way she'd settle to work for the village like a normal person. This was his gift and she wasn't going to accept it.
She realized she was talking too much. Words meant nothing, even if they were sincere.

Junan pulled out the metal cylinder that he used on Amaya and asked her to put her finger there. She lifted her head to look at Junan and then back to the cylinder. This thing could be used for something else as well and she didn't trust the guy yet.
"Fuck it."
Ayame placed her finger there.
- Is it done?
She looked at Junan and waited for an answer.
If they were done here she'd just turn around, say goodbye to Junan and leave the place.

 

[Junan]

And he was serious. This village, all the villages would be under his control one way or another. Still there was an issue. They were strong, and they were many, while he was few, and he was weak. Also the organization wouldn't like this. But he would live forever, and eventually he would watch as they burned, and he didn't even care if they knew it was by his hand or not.

He took the object back and pocketed it.

Good. I will contact you when I am leaving.

Then a thought came to him, he opened his abdomen and pulled out a few pieces of paper.

Here you go. Maybe something to look forward to. He said as he left Ayame.

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