__ xx. within the lies, you break. « Thread Started on Apr 3, 2008, 2:12am »
"...the smile I shall never make, the tears that I shall never shed, the screams that I shall never hear..."
In a world of make believe and the spinning lies and dreams of foolish, hope seeking weavers of wishes take into heart the truth of it all; because within everything imagined, the ugly truth will unveil itself from the lies. The weavers cease to dream, and the wishes are no longer wished for, hope is merely a thing to fuel the deranged sense of need and want that people want to pretend they have, and the foolish become the intellects. Make believe world's are created to hide the horrible truth of reality, and as hope turns to wishes, wishes turn to lies and lies loophole back to the truth and everything is set in balance accordingly. But when the weavers never dream, and the wishing children stop looking at the shooting stars, and all hope is lost in the face of fear... where does that leave the truth that the lies cover? Do we live within a world of mere truth, without the need to dream? A fate that surely would become the undoing of some of the most fragile and oldest things of time, surely not! Must we limit ourselves to the everyday bustle in the markets? The idle chit chat? The same day playing over and over like a broken record. Surely there is more hope in this world than that-
"Yer readin' that trash again, 'Kikom" Susumu's familiar and easily distinguished words and tone, broke through the near trance like state Akiko had been locking herself away in, for the past hour or so, alert only to the things that she need be alert for. Susumu tended to have a unique manner of speech that was easy recognizable, his tone was rough yet smooth at the same time, but mostly intrusive and loud; breaking into the silences, whether or not he was welcomed was not a thing that crossed his mind.
With a delicate sigh, Akiko bookmarked the page of her current 'book in progress' (as Takumi had started calling this new habit that the Abarai had picked up) she hugged it to her chest as she looked up to greet her friend. His hair was a mess, like every other day, green blue locks were in an array of styles... Susumu had a habit of tucking the hair that would normally be behind his ears, out and over them, whilst everything else was just everywhere. The eyes, much the same, were bored yet slightly amused - he must have been, to try and spark a conversation with her - whilst he wore his everyday attire, mostly just black hued material and a bit of red here and there, his hitai-ate was tied to his left bicep; it would have identified him as a shinobi of Mist, if not for the obvious scratch through the symbol.
Akiko observed him for a short moment, before softly inclining her head in an action that was perhaps a nod, perhaps a slight shrug, perhaps something entirely different. The missing-nin was like that, it was exteremly difficult for people whom did not know her, to descipher what was going on in her mind. When chance might come that you think you understand her, she'll change and you will be forced to start all over again - if in fact, one would find it necessary to do so, to look upon the female as if she was worth the time.
"It keeps me sane," she murmured, and Susumu chuckled in reply. Sanity was a very questionable aspect, for all of them.
"New one, eh?" Susumu inclined his head towards the book's cover, reading a new title and author since the last time he had caught her getting lost in silly little stories.
"Mm," in 'Akiko-language' that translated into a, "why yes, Susumu, it is a new book, how very observant of you." Really, was it too hard for her to at least talk to him, once in a while? Really talk, not little things here and there... even then, the little things she usually said were highly lacking today. "I've got a job to do," she said after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Akiko never referred to the missions she was given by her current employer, a boss of some underground gang, but looking upon them merely as jobs. Susumu grunted in acknowledgment and stood up, offering her a hand that she surprisingly accepted.
"Always runnin' off," the male grinned, observing the matter of how Akiko never seemed to stay in the same place, let alone around people, for longer than necessary. She was here one moment, and gone the next... like the wind, Norio had observed on their last encounter. Sometimes, she could be a gentle summer breeze that was cool and refreshing. Sometimes, she might be the icy prick of the skin when a snow storm was brewing. Sometimes, she left the people around her like a whirlwind, terrifying and brutal, destructive and uncaring. Then, there was the maelstrom that she was when she fought. And then sometimes she was just gone.
Akiko seemed to have taken a scroll out, earlier, and the put she had been reading disappeared - she was always quick, you had to watch so very carefully to pick up most of her actions and movement. "I'll see you," she said gently, pausing only for a moment as she walked away, when Susumu said his farewell and 'good wishes'. Then on the whispered note of a goodbye, the wind carried her away.
Her employer had sent out the request for her assistance merely this morning, to have her take care of a few shinobi whom he had hired, yet supposedly hadn't completely the tasks set out for them, properly. Her employer was not the type to be angered, one must always go to the highest possible lengths to please him. Akiko really couldn't care less about the warnings, all she cared was that he paid her well enough. And well enough was certainly a high amount. The shinobi appeared to be at least former Jounin's of their villages, stated now as missing-nin, so she wasn't going to have it easy... or perhaps she might, it really all depended on certain aspects.
They weren't too hard to find, she just had to follow the signs and habits that they're profiles had stated; they seemed to split up when they were not needed on a job, and each had their different 'hobbies'.
The first of whom had adapted an unhealthy life of earning money, and then wasting it away on gambling at casino's and drinking, a lot of drinking. Akiko found him in Stone. Indeed he was obviously not the brains of the team, but seemed to find that brute strength would be all he needed to get by. He was easily dealt with, and after a lot of buildings collapsing and a few casualties here and there, Akiko finished him off with her first attack (after avoiding all of his until he lost his stamina). She left the scene quickly with only a slight scratch on her cheek.
The second wasn't so much strength, but tactics. A female that Akiko had found in a small village just off of the coast, she did not bother to acknowledge her name nor questions she might have asked, not sure if she had even spoken. This was a task set out for her to complete within a set time limit, she hadn't the time for words uttered or shouted or screamed. The female was clever, and had a talent for genjutsu... but with the right eyes, trained beyond the limits, one could see through them. Genjutsu were things of the mind, penetrating and feeding off of one's fears and weaknesses, after a while they became to be meaningless in the eyes of one whom had seen, experienced and done it all. By the end of the fight, the female literally lost her head, and Akiko walked away.
The third and last of the team had been the one she was most prepared for, drawing out information here and there. He wasn't as strong as his other male teammate, and nor was he as clever as his female teammate; but instead, he was a mixture of brains and brawn. Ninjutsu seemed to be his special ability, and sword play on Akiko's part wasn't going to finish him. Thus, she resorted to her own ninjutsu, and within a maelstrom of thunder and lightning, rain and cloud, harsh winds and freezing temperatures... he was caught unaware. Akiko walked away from the battle, however this time there was a cut down her left arm, which was dealt with later.
Akiko, wearing a black cloak that hid her form from chin to foot - protecting her from the rain, that relentlessly fell from heaven to earth - strode down the streets of Kumogakure, that were still surprisingly packed full of people, probably doing last minute things before the true storm hit. She wouldn't need to inform her employer of the mission being completed, he always was aware if she had or had not, either way. Eyes searched the bustling streets for an inn, one that was preferably rather empty. "Tch," she muttered, stepping out of the way before a child ran into her. Always in a rush to get somewhere, human beings, she licked her lips, thinking of all the reasons why she disliked being in such crowded places.
Re: __ xx. within the lies, you break. « Reply #1 on Apr 7, 2008, 4:08pm »
the blood of the innocent
Rain...it was raining again. Eyes turned upward toward darkened sky, hand coming up to pull the rim of the hat down to block the rain from his face. Lately, it always seemed to be raining where every he went, as if the darkened clouds above were following him...as if to taunt his failure. Yes, even he had to admit it. He had failed at the orginization known as the Akatsuki, but he would not fail again. The Akatsuki would rise from their own ashes like a phoenix, reborn from the destruction of the old cycle. A small smile crossed his lips; he sounded like an old philospher, now didn't he? Returning his hands to the pocket of his cloak, he countuined on his way, eyes locked on horizan ahead.
Why was he here? He was wandering of coruse, though to where, he did not know. He had become restless lately, and found himself moving away from Amegakure more and more often, feeling a need to simply move. Too do something other then just sitting around. He hadn't bothered to alert Amegakure to his depatures, he rarely made an apperance in the village, so nothing would look out of place. Sigh escaped him as he walked on, not bothering to boost his speed with chakra, even though it would make his journey quicker, he wanted to hide in plain sight. Conceling his chakra signature and removing Amegakure forehead protector; he didn't feel like standing out today.
His body moved automatically, his mind miles away as he walked, unaware of were his feet were taking him. He soon snapped out of this trance, finding himself near Kumogakure, seeing the gates in the distance. Driven by some unknown force, Pein approched the village, steering clear of the main gates. It would be child/s play to enter into the village without being noticed. He did so, entering quietly and without drawing attention to himself. When he did enter the village, he would slip out into the main street, thankful that he had had the foresight to not wearing the infamous Akatsuki cloak. His clothing was rather modest actually.
A black cloak with a few pockets, in which his weapons were stashed for easy acess. Not that he thought he needed them, but one should never be unperpared. Before he stepped into the crowd, he deactivated his Rin'negan, not enjoying the feeling that came when he deactivated it...but he did not wish to draw attention, which his eyes would surely do. Stepping into the crowd, he navigated his way though it, avoiding making eye contact with anyone, though not looking down at the ground in a suspicous fashion.
He watched the people carefully, moving over all whom he saw. Once thing he noticed as a child, wandering though the crowd and tugging on adult's arms and legs. He assumed that the small girl was asking for change or food perhaps; she looked underfeed and sickly. He became disgusted as he watched the women whom the girl was asking glare down at the girl and shove her away, the child falling back, and hitting the ground. He hands curcled into a fist, and he took all of his self-control to keep him from killing the women on the spot. How dare the women deny the innocent girl some food, or whatever it is she wanted! His fist fell away, and he looked over toward were the girl had fallen. She had already gotten up, and scurried off, probably looking for someone else to ask.
He knew she would most likely be denied again and again, considering from what he had seen eariler. If a women was not willing to help a child, even if it was not her own child, then how could the rest of this village be any better. He pushed the incident into the back of his mind. 'Don't dwell on it. It's not important,' He thought, nodding to himself in agreement. Yes, there was much more at hand to worry about. But before he chould get into such wonderings, he suddenly collided with someone, once again his body had been walking while his mind was elsewhere. He stumbled backward, eyeing the women he had just crashed into. Eyes narrowed as he studided her, forcing himself to not activate the Rin'negan even though he wanted to get a better look at her chakra...he didn't think any shinobi would be doing in Kumogakure.
Re: __ xx. within the lies, you break. « Reply #2 on Apr 11, 2008, 1:26am »
keep you in the dark
She moved without a sound, even though the mud screeched and puddles were disturbed by the other pedestrians, passing through the crowd as if she were not there. Light footed and quick, she avoided contact with anyone that passed her, her mind sorely tempted to change her decision to find an inn, and move on to another, more desolate village. Common sense always won in the end, of course; no need to head out into an awaiting storm to catch a cold, when she was already in a village with everything that she needed. Akiko might have missed the unfortunate generation to fall victim to the mysterious Abarai Clan's illness, but her immune system was not the most strongest. A cold could quickly become more serious for her, and so she took precautions to limit that 'threat'.
Takumi was the one to drill it into her brain that she couldn't afford to be reckless; the missing-nin, a medic-nin, was always sure to give Akiko a check up - claiming that, "it would be a waste if a shinobi such as you died from a cold," and using it as his excuse for 'caring'. Missing-nin can't care... "caring leads to forming an attachment, an attachment to someone meant they were a weakness, weaknesses would lead to your failure when they proved useless and died, and failure leads to death". Akiko had had this drilled into her by the many people she had been taught by - shinobi were a tool, and these tools could not afford emotions... emotions were for fools.
Aa, but since when did you start to not give a d*mn about that, Akiko? When did it start that you were so desperate for human contact, for a conversation, to smile and laugh, to belong somewhere? Takumi, Norio and Susumu are proof of that, the part of her mind that loved to remind her of her faults, and prove to her that she was still human, argued.
Akiko could only keep silent and not reply, as the 'voice' was completely correct. The missing-nin still, however, wasn't the type to go off and run around a field of flowers, chasing butterflies. Even though in some ways she still was human, Akiko was very much a shinobi, and a good one at that. This roaming around in crowded places is annoying, she thought with a silent sigh, searching with her eyes around the village to see any signs of an inn; she came up with a surprising 'none', and decided she would pause to ask someone.
"Excuse me, Miss," she said, trying to catch a women's attention. The brunette in front of her turned around with an annoyed expression, and studied Akiko for a moment, before snapping a harsh, "what do you want?" Akiko was not at all effected by the women's tone, nor the glare, the missing-nin merely came across as blank, if not albeit calm.
"Do you perhaps know where one might find an inn?" Akiko asked, and the women merely rolled her eyes and pointed west, "down that direction, you should come across something," and with that rather snippy answer, the brown haired women didn't bother waiting for a reply, and walked off.
"Thank you," Akiko murmured, and changed her course to the direction of where the women had pointed, inwardly noting to herself about how today's society was getting more and more rude as each day passed by.
Eyes blankly followed the crowd, not looking but then again seeing everything, Akiko folded her arms, which weren't in the arms of her cloak, under the cloak. It was almost claustrophobic, the way every one was pushed into one large but oh, so small place. "Tch," she muttered, gliding through the mass of people - that if someone else might look upon as a rather small crowd, for as the most part everyone had retreated to their homes once the rain came - with an elegant ease, never touching, avoiding. Still she was not completely out of it of course, time was dragging out like a torture, Akiko could practically hear the tick and the tock of a clock, and rain, lots of rain; falling from the heavens, shattering on the earth. The sky was crying... so much so that sometimes it would seem as if it would never stop.
Before she could react, Akiko's lack of attention caused her to collide with a wall. Although, from the fleetingly brief moment she was near the wall, it breathed and was warm and not so soft, but not stone, either. It was a man, she realized after gathering her wits and taking a step back just as he did. Auburn hair, various piercings, black coat, nothing too out of the ordinary, unrecognized. She assessed him even before she thought about doing so, her eyes met his, a picture of perfect deep blue, though hollow and vacant, without emotion, nothing to light a fire.
Re: __ xx. within the lies, you break. « Reply #3 on Apr 11, 2008, 3:15pm »
all my excuses turn to lies
Those eyes. He stared back into eyes of the same blue hues, vacant of emotion. The eyes of a shinobi no doubt. His eyes often held that look, although emotion lingered upon the edges of them, controlled emotions. Pein was always in control, whether it be himself or others, but it was he whom held the strings. Always. He stared at her, face and eyes blank of anything, regaining his composer almost immediatly. He had never been one to lose control, but over the last few months, something seemed to be weighing him down. He didn't know what exactly, but it was affecting him nonetheless. He hadn't slept in two weeks, leaving dark rings under his eyes. Even though deprived of sleep, his phsyical body had not been affected, his mental one was heavily though. Even the most simple of conversations with Konan or Itachi put a heavy strain on his mind, and were often cut short when he left without a reason.
An idea. It suddenly blossomed in his head, chasing away all thoughts of what had been alling him. Perhaps this women could be of some use to him. Rin'negan was unconiously activated at this thought, the feeling of power it gave him welcomed. In a small part of his mind, he was disgusted by his need for power, for enjoying the feel of being superior. Pein had ignored his part of himself for many years, but now he couldn't seem to get rid of it. Am I losing my mind? He silently asked himself, knowing that no reply would come. Ringed eyes took in the women's chakra signature, looking for any small flaw, anything to indicate a weakness of sorts.
"Would it be too much trouble to ask," He paused, searching for the right words, "If I may join your company?" Voice was smooth and soft, not the voice of a powerful man, nor of a innocent child. The two combined were infact Pein himself, the powerful and the innocent. Though many would not consider him innocent, in certain ways, he was. It was more like innocence lost, though tragic experiences that had made him into the powerful man he was. The child however, refused to leave. It clung to his mind, only gripping tighter at his attempts to dislodge it. Had this contributed to his many sleepless nights, were he stared up at the night sky, lost?
Emotions were shoved roughly aside, he would deal with them later. Eyes trained back onto the women, and he watched for a reaction. She was emotionless, but was she powerful? He had a feeling that she was no weakling, nor incredibly strong. He would have to test her somehow, although exactly how he should do this, did not come. Smallest of smiles flickered onto his lips before it was gone, face blank once more.
"I am Nagato." He introduced himself, using a name that had once been his, but was no longer familar to him. When he had been Nagato, he had been a child, a weakling both mentally and pyschially. Then he had activated his Rin'negan, power that he had never known, and still he had been a child. Terrified of what he had done. No, he was no longer Nagato. He was Pein now, but was he still lost?
"And you are?" Question was spoken mainly out for the affect. For him to convince this women, he must act like he cared about her, which he had done before many times in the past. She would be no different; perhaps a little easier, but no different then the rest. They were all tools to him anyway.
Re: __ xx. within the lies, you break. « Reply #4 on Apr 13, 2008, 4:45am »
it's like finding something pretty
Akiko had never heard of this man, seen him in the bingo book, on wanted posters, or anything of the sort; but deep down, in the pit of whirling emotions in her stomach, she felt a strange sense that he was exactly the type that should have his face plastered all over the world, with a warning. Even still, the kunoichi's outward demeanor did not change in the slightest, her eyes didn't spark to life, lips held in not a frown or a straight line, but perhaps a light pout that had nothing to do with looking cute or appealing. This man was definitely a shinobi, that much was a given bit of information that was held in the eyes and stature of all ninja. His eyes were controlled, and just as blank as hers, perhaps not so emotionless, but controlled nonetheless. His stature was simply that of a shinobi's; head held high, shoulders straight, a stance that almost said he was ready for an attack, but not so obvious. Mentally, Akiko couldn't help but assess him further, looking for possible weaknesses, things that might help if she was to ever fight the man. It came as second nature to her, and as a missing-nin it had heightened; Akiko did not trust easily.
For a moment she thought her mind was deceiving her, but in the split second his eyes changed, Akiko had to force herself - under the cloak, no suspicion should be aroused - not to retaliate to this by going for her katana, and instead dug her nails into her palms. Licking her lips that seemed incredibly dry at the moment, despite the weather, Akiko made sure her expression did not betray anything she thought. Ringed eyes... it had to be a doujutsu, of course, but she had never heard of one quite like this before. There was the Sharingan, of the Uchiha's, and Byakugan, of the Hyuga's... but this, these rings around his iris... what was this? Akiko was not accustomed to being unaware of things, and this eye technique of his worried her. He was assessing her, she could tell. Maybe that's all the eye technique was good for. Wishful thinking, she thought on an inward grimace. No, no Akiko found that she did not very much trust that this eye technique was anything less powerful than the Sharingan, or the Byakugan - perhaps stronger. That just added to the list.
Akiko would not be the first to speak, it seemed, and nor did she want to. If it was up to her, she would have muttered an apology and been on her way. But common sense, or perhaps a curiosity that would surely do her no favors, was in control for the time being. For now she would have to be cautious, and think out her answers and actions thoroughly before doing them, but at the same time not making it seem hesitant. Akiko tried to ignore the little, childish voice in the bad of her mind that begged, please, please, please just run away! Run away and be safe, don't talk to him, keep on going. Like every other time that it made itself known, Akiko was quick to smother it, locking it away and throwing away the key until it managed to escape again.
"Would it be too much trouble to ask," the man said, taking a pause it seemed, and Akiko noted that he didn't sound too savage, but the note in his voice that seemed to demand respect was what she was most focused on, "if I may join your company?"
That was definitely not what she had expected, but she was not hesitant, and merely paused for the slightest moment before answering in a soft murmur that was in no way delicate or timid, but emotionless and firm. "If you so wish to," she chose her words carefully, successfully coming off indifferent whether or not he did.
This was like invading enemy territory - really, isn't all territory enemy to me, these days? - and she trained herself to tread with the utmost care, as if exploding tags were just waiting to be triggered and send her to a dishonorable death, body pieces in several places. Akiko decided full heartedly that she would not be blown up, and she would not be the lamb, and he the wolf. Secretly, she suspected that the moment he decided to speak to her, he wolf and she the lamb.
There was a flicker of one very small smile on his lips for a split second, that Akiko thought she must have imagined. Mirroring his blank expression, the kunoichi kept his gaze and held it, not wavering; subconsciously, she was smart enough to make sure that no defiance was in her stature or overall demeanor, and that she showed the proper amount of respect, even though she had no idea why, it just felt like this man demanded it, in a way.
"I am Nagato." A name that she couldn't recognize for all her efforts and photographic memory; Nagato. Just who was this man, really? Akiko narrowed her eyes a fraction of an inch, no one that wasn't looking close enough - no one but a shinobi, really - would have noticed it. "And you are?"
Here was the 'breaking point'. Would she lie, and tell him a false name? Or would she be truthful and tell him her real one? And if the latter, did she dare include her family name? And if so, what would it matter? Her face would be easily recognized, and though she was mostly known as 'The Sadist', Akiko's name was accompanied with the titles on wanted posters and bounty hunter's lists and bingo books. S-rank missing-nin, criminal, kill on site.
"Akiko," she answered, same tone as before and betraying nothing, having spoken but a few seconds after being asked. She had figured this man would not appreciate lies, and thus she followed the truth... slightly. "I was just on my way to find a tea-house," or an inn, either way, I need a drink.
Re: __ xx. within the lies, you break. « Reply #5 on Apr 19, 2008, 5:30pm »
second chances they don't ever matter
Silence. It filled up the void after he had spoken, so vast and deep that not even the sounds of the crowd seem able to reach them. Ringed eyes studied her closely, reading her body language silently; he saw part of her thoughts there. She didn't trust him. Good, he had no time for naive trusting fools in his world. This women had potential, yes, but was he willing to join him? Question, oh so many questions there were, but he couldn't afford to dwell on them now. He had a goal in mind; and he finished what he had started. He would recruit this women for the Akatsuki, no matter what it took.
Was he really that desperate to take in a complete stranger into his organization? He had known the original members; not very well, but he had at least built up a relationship of sorts with them. He had literally bumped into her on the street, and already he had decided to recruit her on the spot. Perhaps things were beginning to slip out of his grasp. Itachi had said that he was losing his power; he had dismissed the uchiha's words. And he did so now, turning his attention back on the women.
"If you so wish to."
Women spoke quietly, voice neither timid nor shy, and he sensed the hidden satisfaction she got from coming off as indifferent. People tried to hide their emotions, but Pein easily brushed past any outer defenses they possessed, and found what they felt underneath. Which is exactly what he did with this women. Fear. The strongest emotion jumped right out at him, and he felt satisfaction for instilling fear in this women. And he knew it was him causing her fear; as well as making other feel like they must respect him. Or die.
He felt the internal struggle of the women, to tell him her name or not? Now he recognized her face; there had been wanted poster placed on the buildings walls. The poster had shown her face, as emotionless as the real thing before him, the words 'The Sadist' printed under her picture. Apparently she was a highly S-ranked criminal, and dangerous at that. Perfect.
"Akiko," a pause, "I was just on my way to find a tea-house." A tea house, of all places for a dangerous shinobi to be hanging about. But if she was to go there, he would as well. Silently he watched her for a moment, once again noting the fact that she gave his unquestioned respect. Smile didn't flicker across his lips, but it did flicker across his mental state.
"A tea house? Would you care to lead the way...? I am not familiar with this area." He moved forward, stopping next to her and looking down at her. Eyes remained ringed; he did not want to lose that sense of power, or superiority that he felt when it was activated. Perhaps that was why kept it active at all times. But why? He didn't need to ask though, he already knew the answer. To feel safe, and this weakness disgusted him. And yet it was a large part of him. It was him.
Re: __ xx. within the lies, you break. « Reply #6 on Apr 19, 2008, 7:23pm »
string this chaos
"A tea house? Would you care to lead the way...? I am not familiar with this area." Nagato said, and Akiko merely inclined her head to indicate that she had heard, though without being rude, "nor am I, but it's easy enough to come across something," she murmured, and set off through the now desolate streets.
The rain; harsh, merciless, cold… bringing with it clouds of darkness, thunder like the Gods’ laughter, lightning the struck the ground with fury, winds that howled. A storm, which would no doubt cause havoc on this night, Akiko wrapped her arms more securely around herself, under the black cloak that concealed most of her identity that would instantly have her recognized as a shinobi – there had not been a lack of Kusa-nin, patrolling the area, and even still she had received un-trusting looks. Akiko’s face was every bit that of a shinobi’s, the hard gaze within emotionless eyes, whatever emotions left were clearly controlled tightly, the eyes of a killer.
The missing-nin was careful to avoid the Kusa-nin, blending into the crowd when need be, though she was careful to avoid looking suspicious, and now that she had a... companion, or as she would rather; a tag-a-long, Akiko made sure that her 'behavior' wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Her chakra signature was now completely concealed, as she realized this trip into one of the villages wasn’t going to exactly be too simply for her – not that she was expecting anything but that. Where ever Akiko went, there would be a threat, someone waiting to reveal her identity, bounty hunters eager to win their prize, enemies ready to extract revenge. This was the path she had chosen for herself.
It was the slightest of a surprise, sometimes when she was thinking about it, to remember that it wasn’t too long ago since she had defected from Konohagakure, and effectively been stated as a missing-nin, some three years ago. It seemed longer than that, for all that Akiko had done in the time. Really, it was no different to what she would have been doing if she had stayed loyal to Konoha, perhaps not exactly killing important figures in the shinobi world, or working for underground gangs, but still she would have been taking lives; lives that she probably had no place in stealing, for was not that supposed to be left for the Gods?
Akiko sighed, reminding herself that she did not have a God – though, she didn’t necessarily not believe in them, of course – and it wasn’t good for her to get into one of these mental debates with herself about Gods and tiresome things. Akiko had made the decision long ago, that considering her career of choice, a God was a bit too far out of her reach, and there was little next to no hope in feeding her mind with lies and wishes about a sanctuary once death claimed her. Death… something all too familiar to the missing-nin, a thing that had claimed something so dear and precious to her, far too soon in her life. And then to add onto an ever growing grief, the life of a teammate being stolen away from her. Death was something that Akiko had come to live with, to understand, but also to hate and despise and resent. Death that had so quickly snatched her mother away, her mother with her warm smile and delicate grace and soft blues eyes and pale white skin. Death that had claimed the life of one of her closest friends, too soon in his life, too quickly.
However, Akiko was not one to challenge death, as she committed the crime of murder, or taking someone’s life, or stealing a soul, of leaving a family without a mother or a father or a brother; death was something that the missing-nin had lived with and would live with for the rest of her life. Who was Akiko to judge, really? Just another killer for hire in a treacherous world, everyone suffered losses, everyone committed a sin, everyone was destined to die.
With an inaudible sigh, Akiko stopped in her tracks on the near desolate street, and looked up at the sky, her face instantly drenched in the rain, hair complete soaked, it would look like she might be crying, as the water streamed down her cheeks.
We all die, she thought, before instantly regaining the emotionless mask and slipping it over the face that had just stolen a few moments, a face that would look utterly and completely lost, if anyone had observed closely enough. She hadn't stopped so long that it could have been an awkward pause, Akiko was quick to keep on moving, muttering something about, "damn rain," as she was suddenly more eager to find a place to rest.
She wasn't completely ignoring the man; she kept a respectable distance between them, and glanced at him every now and then, not the type to make idle chatter, Akiko was almost relieved to see a bar - not the tea house as she had hoped, but something nonetheless - and inclined her head towards it, before entering. It, thankfully, only had at least three customers and two bar tenders inside. All of whom looked up once they entered, the three customers were quick to look away, but the bar tenders were more suspicious.
Glancing back at the male, Akiko asked in the same tone as before, "would you like anything?" as they came up to the bar. Akiko didn't take a seat, however, ideas set for a booth away from the un-trusting eyes of the bar tenders and customers.
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