Sunaku, an undervalued clan in Sunagakure, one of the few who possessed the inherent skills of the Earth Court. One of the few who could have subdued the maelstrom given sufficient effort. It was always a curiosity of hers as to
why they never actively tried to halt the advance of Sand. The Sunahoshi had lightning, wind and sand but they were never masters of the art and they were never meant to be. That was their curse and their plight whereas a Sunaku was adept in ways the Sunahoshi could never hope to be. Their kinship to the earth was one of the things that attracted her to him like a magnet once she fully appreciated what he was, but sharing an affinity alone was not enough to garner more than her fleeting interest. Handsome by human standards, not necessarily an incredible feat considering the frequent use and overuse of henge. No, it was something else, something less tangible. Partly his friendship with Sousuke, Harupia was an intended
rook in the war about to unfurl between Ancients and man. She needed to turn the king's pieces against him, it was likely the Steward did not understand the value of his friend the way she did. She saw him fight, Harupia actually had the potential to be more powerful than Sousuke and a fearsome opponent if unleashed. She failed in her first attempt to destroy her cousin, just today. Mikaboshi got in her way and via poor timing on both of their parts
allegedly Sousuke's house burst into flames. The wildfire that erupted from the unseen explosive might consume the surface, perhaps it was a good thing that everyone had not already relocated.
She saw the Sunaku break through the crowd and she smiled as she slid the vial back into her bag and called out a confession.
"Sorry I am late--" she began to announce when he also apologized.
"Sorry I had you waiting there...I wasn’t expecting there to be such a crowd around here"
The Sunaku was simply a 'nice guy' and she actually enjoyed spending time with him, as simple as that sounded. She still had ill intent in her heart, that was what initiated their interaction in the first place but the more time she spent with humans the more hominid-like sentiment she seemed to suffer from. Like a contagion. She desired him like most woman likely would considering his form. It was unfortunate actually, humans were strange in their rituals and in their mating. Ancients did not require physical proximity and she would have believed before the loss of her brothers that they did not even require companionship at all but Maslow would be proud to know that they had a social need as well. A part of her wondered how much of his cordial behavior was an act, a shinobi lacks the luxury of probity. He was a practiced fighter, not an artist in vocation despite his assertions otherwise although perhaps it was nothing more than a hobby and a dream that the killer would one day might be able to live out his days as an artist. A lofty goal to say the least considering the rising tensions throughout Wind Country, one he would likely never enjoy. She wondered first and foremost if he
knew what she was -- he had seen the crimson sand and he was a friend of the Stewards and her advances on this day were purposefully not a secret from the public eye. Why had Sousuke not shared -what- she was? Did he simply not care about the Sunaku's safety being in such close proximity to a 'monster' or did he have such confidence in this Sunaku's skill-set that it was a non-issue.
"Now, I’m no sure if you got you muffins, but I think I have a nice place to eat...if you'd like to follow me?"</B><i></i>
Harupia broke through her thoughts and offered her his arm.
He did not know. There was a sense of
happiness within her oddly enough, she did not want him to find out what she was. She was blithe. She did not look forward to the day that he learned who or rather what she was, it was a queer sensation that almost resembled trepidation but it was not because she feared the power of his recourse but rather his disappointment and anger.
Did she actually like him? The answer was yes, but it seemed to be an odd conclusion to come to with such haste. In theory this was only their second private meeting but this was not the first, the second or the third time they had met. She was not always in this form but she had seen him before on multiple occasions and he carried himself with dignity and legitimate concern, an ethic she rarely saw in humans. An integrity she rarely saw in Ancients even. A part of her felt contrite when she was around him, not for eating, thriving or surviving. While humanity would see her actions differently, she did feel a sense of regret however for the terrible things she would soon do in the name of vengeance and out of fear that she would suffer the same fate as her brother and be subjugated by Sousuke's will. Mikaboshi announced to her after he had pulled her from the flames that he planned to go to war and that he had shattered the fetters that bound him to the Kazekage's word and will. She agreed to be his accomplice rather than his savior and the wheels had already started to turn. She wrapped her arms around Harupia's arm and clung to him as he led them through the crowd.
Then she noticed something, he mentioned
muffins. Yes, she did have muffins in her bag. She stumbled when the revelation entered her head.
How did he know? (I assume because they smelled awesome, but as they are inside a bag and she is a tad paranoid considering everything)
<B>"Y-yes, I do," she stammered, her words seemed laced with surprise.
"Are you part Hyuuga?" She asked hopefully, the only other, logical conclusion in her mind was that he knew and she was just fooled by his chivalrous behavior as the teen knew what she had brought to the Steward's apartment as he was her convenient witness in the matters that unfolded. Had he already reported what he saw and had Sousuke already relayed that information to his allies.
"I am... uh... sorry?" She struggled to find the right words while simultaneously telling as much truth as possible while determining what he actually knew.
"I tried to drop off some muffins at Sousuke's house after we had tea, I got them from Senti-Mints," a bakery that they both likely knew well.
"His house blew up and the ANBU Sennin pulled me out before I got hurt," she added quickly, for once telling the actual truth although the series of actions and events seemed near nonsensical when out into words.
"The fire should not be too bad, I mean... there is not much that is actually flammable in our homes, but it is a bit chaotic on the surface today but thankfully it did not look like anyone was hurt," she admitted as she shifted her bag of muffins. They would go to waste otherwise, but she wondered if this change of topic would change the course of their date a new direction entirely.
