Seasonal Flames [Flashback | Rei | NM | NK | NN | NQ | PP | G1 | GA | PNF | IO | RCBOP(IHW)]

Just a little further... Rei told himself, encouraging his aching body to patiently wait and restrain from sudden alarming movement as he watched his prey from a concealed but uncomfortable spot. His prey had come into this part of the forest some time ago and was rather quite slippery: whether knowingly or not, his target had evaded his ambushes and traps so far several times. Surely this time would be different however, he had stayed close by and studied his target's patterns and mannerisms to determine when and how it would react when in a certain terrain. His target was actually a white doe, an albino that a specific hunter in the village had failed to capture many times: in his frustration, he had hired a shinobi to hunt down the creature and bring its corpse to him so he could boast to his buddies who also coveted the white doe. Rei thought it was poor sportsmanship and untruthful, but it wasn't his place to be the man's conscious, plus he didn't really care one way or another. His job was to hunt the deer down and kill it: a simple task or so he thought when first agreeing to the hunter's request.

After having spent two days out in the forest hunting the deer however, had given the Genin a different impression about the deer and how difficult this mission actually was. Rei had hunted down another deer in the meantime and cooked its meat to sustain himself on the mission and used its pelt to mask his musk and provide a convincing decoy. Even now, he hung suspended on a large branch overlooking an open grassy field with his makeshift deer decoy in the clearing. It had been a buck, and it was mating season: Rei had used the bladder of the buck to spread the urine around the area and draw the attention of the white doe who was surely to come looking for mating. Come on you stu-! he had started to tell himself, getting impatient after hanging from the branch for around half an hour. His line of reasoning was halted however as the white flicker of he doe appeared in the distance by the field's clearing. Out poked its head, large blissful eyes looking around and sniffing the air as it slowly approached the buck decoy.

Rei hung suspended while hanging upside down by his arms and legs, a kunai in his mouth. Looking down on the scene, the white doe was sniffing the decoy and was rather confused as to why its mate wasn't moving or responding to its nervous prancing. With one hand, Rei let go of the tree branch and grabbed the kunai from the grit of his teeth and then used his abs to slowly and silently release the hold of the branch with his legs and he lowered them to dangling beneath him. He released his grip on the branch with his one hand and silently dropped down ontop of the doe, who bleated once in fearful surprise as Rei tackled it and jabbed the sharp edge of the kunai against its neck. Blood splattered from the doe as its heart raced and quickly poured out its life fluids all over the rich green grass and on Rei's legs and arms as he pushed the doe down against the ground to prevent it from escaping. Even if it had broke free from his grip. It would have only made it a few feet before dropping to the ground lifeless.

With the gruesome task accomplished, Rei stood up and wipes sweat from his face, accidentally wiping blood onto his face and then pausing as he realized this and breathed heavily in exasperation. He picked the doe up and held it upside down to let the blood drain out. He had purposefully stabbed it in such a manner to appear as if it had died by an arrow wound. If he had been more effective in slitting its throat, the hunter couldn't have used it for "proof" he had killed it while hunting. The purpose of draining the blood was to reduce its weight and slow degradation of its body. With the task accomplished, Rei felt it was time to head home- however he needed to wash the blood from his clothing and face beforehand. There was one spot nearby, a small lake that he could bathe in to clean himself. He held the white doe's corpse under one arm in a limp manner as he trudged on light footsteps towards the nearby spot.

Upon his arrival, he set the deer's corpse on a nearby rock and then proceeded to strip naked and wade out into the waters with his bloody clothes to wash them. The lake was larger than one might expect, but there were several larger lakes in the area of the forest around Kirigakure on three sides, the fourth side surrounded by the sea. Rei was at one end, washing himself and his clothing, soaking the nearest water crimson with the deer's lifeblood. So preoccupied in his task, that he didn't even notice as a stranger had arrived with the intention of bathing as well: some one hundred feet away and around a small bend in the lake's structure, was another shinobi not of Kirigakure, but Rei didn't know that. He was a cautious person, but no one enemy would be so foolish to come so close to a powerful village like Kirigakure. Hearing the rustling waters of the stranger, Rei would tense up momentarily and then peer around the small bend of the lake, around the side of a bush as he peered in the direction of the sound. He saw another boy, someone his age though who he didn't recognize. Possibly it was a Genin Rei didn't know in th village, an easy explanation because Rei didn't associate with most anyone, not even while he had been in the shinobi academy. The boy was bathing, so Rei would leave him be, he had no reason to interrupt the boy and embarrass him, especially when he himself was naked. The problem was that, this boy had unclothed and had his belongings near the location of the white doe corpse he had hidden. I will bathe and then place my clean pants back on and then circle around to get the rest of my clothing and the deer corpse. he told himself in a calm and planned manner. He quickly finished bathing and then squeezed most of the water out of his pants and then slipped them on and began to circle around the edge of the lake towards his personal belongings.

Rei had successfully skirted around the side of the lake undetected, how awkward it would have been to be seen and then attempt to explain himself to the naked boy. Without a proper reaction and explanation, Rei would look like no other than a peeping tom, a gay pervert. Rei was neither however and only wished to gather his belongings and be on his way while the other boy remained none the wiser. It was in both of their combined interest if an awkward situation were not to happen. I should pick a less obvious spot next time for bathing, though I didn't expect to find anyone else this deep in the woods. Possibly the boy is from a small village nearby? The closest small village is about a day's travel from here, possibly he was on a hunting trip as well. Peering around, Rei saw the boy's clothing, not too far away from the boy but safely out of the water's grasp. He paid little attention to the clothing, though he was usually quit witted and analytical by nature, at the present he was much too concerned with silently gathering his own belongings while avoiding looking at the bathing boy.

Rei hunkered down by his own clothing and the deer, not so far away to the right side of the boy's own clothing. He picked up his shirt when suddenly the boy seemed to be alerted of his presence and immediately stood up and inquired about Rei's intentions. At first, Rei had his back slightly turned to the boy, so he was somewhat surprised by the boy's reaction, though more surprising was the question posed to him in a slightly alarming manner. Normally, Rei would have been expected to be called a pervert or maybe an attacker, a thug or rapist or something along those lines. But he was a boy himself, no older than fourteen or fifteen. Rei was a natural beauty, he had inherited his mother's beauty and compact body structure, that combined with his long and thick raven black Uchiha hair, it was a common occurrence to mistake him for a beautiful young woman. This time however, Rei wore no shirt and clearly had no breasts: obviously a male, though still very attractive and appealing to the eyes.

As he was found out and the bathing boy stood presently forgetting his own nudity, Rei stood up and quickly put on his dry shirt while he remained turned at an angle and looked to the side, refusing to look directly at the naked boy. Though he wouldn't look, he kept the boy in his peripheral vision to ensure the boy didn't attack him or try anything sly and sneaky. No, not at all! I just bathed after hunting and needed to wash myself before returning to my village. he explained honestly, not really bothering to inquire of the boy why he was there. Obviously he was taking a bath, asking a naked boy what he was doing seemed like an awkward way to get in trouble and make things more weird. The boy seemed to remember that he himself was naked and turned away to retain some modesty. Rei remained in his position for a moment, not speaking because he was trying to think of something to say to ease the awkward tension. You must be from that village to the south about a day's distance from here. I saw no game by your clothing, either you are hunting and haven't found any food, or you are lost. Rei himself was hungry and he still had deer meet from his previous buck kill. He would be willing to share a small meal with the boy if he were hungry. I have some deer meat to cook f you are hungry, it's better than leaving on a long journey home on an empty stomach. realizing he was making a gesture to eat while the boy was still naked and vulnerable in the water, Rei took a couple steps away from the water's edge and called out over his shoulder. That blueberry patch about three minutes from here to the East, I am camped there. he told the boy and then picked up his belongings, not bothering to finish dressing fully. He also picked up the white doe carcass and hurried to his little campsite to properly dress and prepare the rest of the deer meat in case the boy decided to eat with him.

Once at his campsite, he dressed quickly and let his pants air dry as he wore them. Normally his arms and legs would be wrapped tightly in white bandages to cover his multiple scars on his limbs, though there was no way to hide the vertical scars that ran down his eyes, two perfectly vertical and clean scars ran downwards beneath his eyes and stopped near the edges of his mouth. The most notably scars on his body, a testament to his jealous uncle's alcoholic abuse growing up. He left his bandages on a rock in the sunlight that pervaded the thick trees, though he wore everything else- his black attire, 3/4 length baggy pants, a long sleeve black shirt, black shinobi sandals. His shinobi headband was not worn right now, if his weird companion decided to join him for a meal, Rei would rather be seen as a civilian by a stranger rather than a potential threat. His ninja headband lay tucked in his pocket for now.

With a flint rock and dry twigs, he started a small fire and stacked dry wood in a square cabin fashion to provide a flat stove surface for the skillet he used to cook the meat in. He had gathered the wood the day before, choosing only the most dry wood. A skilled camper knew that wet wood gave off a lot of smoke, dry wood gave off very little smoke, if concealment was important, only the most dry wood could keep your presence hidden in daylight. If the boy arrived, Rei would have just finished cooking the meat and seasoning it with ingredients he had collected the day before out in the wild. Survival in the woods was important, to know what to eat and what not to eat was also important. A skilled hunter and a fair portion of shinobi knew these things, whatever his guest assumed, was not anything Rei could help- he wouldn't serve bland cooked meat to the boy. Along with the meat, was a loaf of bread and a gourd of fresh cool spring water. Rei would point to a stump across the small fire-pit and nod his head. Have a seat and join me. he said, adopting his usual neutral expression and tone of voice.

It was not long before the boy would show up. Rei had already stuffed his ninja headband in his pocket and his ninja pouch was with a few other things stuffed in a sleeping bag behind him. Any physical evidence that he was a shinbo was hidden, though his seemingly prepared manner for hunting and his mannerisms were too refined to be that of someone unprofessional or inexperienced in the forest and hunting. The killing blow on his white doe was too precise as well, though he had made it appear as if it were an arrow wound: Rei had no bow or arrows, a fact that he knew, but wondered if this stranger noticed as well. It was just one of those things he would have to "wing" and make up as he went if the boy's sense of perception was higher than the average intelligence. By the time the boy had arrived, Rei had completely cooked the meat and seasoned it. Rei had sat himself in the direction facing the lake so he could see the boy as he was approaching, but instead the boy had arrived through a clearing some thirty degrees to Rei's peripheral vision. Whether intentional or not, Rei had to note to himself that only someone who was careful would circle to the side. It was somewhat a valid concern, but this was the world of shinobi. By appearance, both ere just two boys who had decided to bathe at two ends of the same lake and had accidentally stumbled upon each other in an awkward manner. It was the most rational and less paranoid of the logic.

Rei had seen the boy approach from the side, though kept about his business until the boy had cleared his throat to announce his presence while still at a safe distance so he didn't startle Rei. Rei had responded by looking up first in the direction straight, where he would have been expected to look at thinking Gen would have come from that direction. He then angled his gave to the size and had seen Gen, who immediately had apologized several times and tried to get passed the whole awkward moment only a few minutes ago. Personally, Rei would have been fine to just forget about it and never speak or think of it again: to him, there was no need to mention it or have some kind of closure on the matter. No need to apologize so much Gen. If you keep apologizing, you either look weak or seem suspicious. My name is Rei, I live in a village not too far from here. he said, stating the truth, albeit Kirigakure was a bit further than "not too far"

Gen had produced some food of his own to share, good manners for a stranger, even as young as Rei himself. Together, the two of them had a fine simple meal. Rei took the meat and divided it evenly and then put it between two pieces of bred with a slice of cheese for a sandwich. The canteen of cool and fresh spring water was placed near both of their feet as they sat on stumps, Rei took a swig of it just to show Gen it was safe to drink. Lest of course Rei was someone who cared not for his own life if it were poisoned, which was highly unlikely. To be honest, Rei didn't care for his own life, but he had promised his deceased sister that he would become a great shinobi and lead the village of Kirigakure into a brighter and more powerful future. He didn't have the luxury of throwing his own life away no matter how much he loathed his existence. Let's just forget that happened back there. No one needs to know, nor is it important. he said in a simple but somewhat callous manner, adopting his usual cold logic and practicalities. Thank you for the food you brought. I was getting tired of plain deer meat. he said in an encouraging way, realizing his usual mannerisms might have caused Gen discomfort.

As they ate, Rei would think over the boy's previous explanation. He wasn't a curious person by nature, but he hadn't actually paid too much attention to the boy's reasons for being so deep in the woods: he had been too preoccupied with trying to avoid the awkward situation. You said you and your parents were farmers? he asked, completely forgetting the boy had said his family were merchants. I don't know too much about farming, I'm more of a hunter than anything. I go out and hunt small game for my village sometimes, mostly to earn a little extra ryo here and there. he explained, somewhat true, especially in this sense for the low level mission he was on. Speaking of which, he would need to get back to Kirigakure within a day or so or else the deer would start to smell terrible, a fresh kill was what the hunter had requested.

Rei had suddenly felt the urge to smack gen on the back of his head when the boy had started to apologize again, though the boy caught himself short of completing the sentence. Most of the time, Rei didn't concern himself with others, nor did he care what they said or thought. Feeling the sudden urge to smack Gen for his weak appearance of always apologizing was a new feeling to Rei. Rei had no friends, only comrades in arms: other shinobi, all much older and out-ranked him. Those were the people he felt the closest to, more out of respect and reliability than any actual mental or physical connection. Typically the higher ranked shinobi showed more maturity and were strong enough that Rei felt he could rely on them for intermediate things like low ranking missions.

Gen praised him on the choice of meat for the meal, Rei accepted to praise with stoic appreciation. The deer in this forest eat of the healthiest grass and leaves in the trees. Such green food makes their meat very delicious. I find that between the ages of two to six years old are when the deer taste the best. Any younger and their body does't digest the nutrients properly. Any older and their meat has a tough texture. he explained, using his pragmatic and simple reasoning on how to determine the best tasting deer meat. Gen changed the topic, commenting on his little campsite and how things were kept neat and effective. A keen eye for a merchant who hardly spent proper time out in the woods hunting. He could appreciate the boy's affections for solitude however, it was just nice to get away from everything else and focus on the simple parts of life. Rei disliked interaction with other by nature and did as little as possible to associate with those of his village. He felt no need for such feelings when talking to his new acquaintance Gen. Gen didn't seem thrown off by Rei's stoic nature and his serious attitude about most everything in general: most people felt uncomfortable or constantly tried to get Rei to lighten up. If Gen were a shinobi, I bet we would have a lot of things in common.

With the little meal finished, Rei would stand up from his seated position and stretch. Eating a meal usually made one tired, especially after the long and stressful day he had had while hunting the doe. He would refuse to sleep however, now that someone else knew of his camping spot, he no longer felt safe falling asleep. Since the meal was over, Rei figured it was time he head back to Kirigakure and hand the dead deer over to the "real" hunter. I should return to my village Gen. My family will be expecting me home soon. he lied, he had no family but his sister Yin who took care of him. If you want to rest here for the night, you may. Just be sure to bury the fire pot before you leave so there isn't a forest fire. He would offer the boy a handshake and then a small proposal. I find your company agreeable. Something about you makes me feel at ease. If you ever need a shinobi to protect your family's merchant business, you can always request Uchiha Rei of the village Kirigakure to help. he told the boy, divulging his association as a shinobi of the powerful village that protected the forests and smaller villages in the area. After a small farewell, Rei would have finished packing up hiw few belongings and sleeping bag. be seeing ya. he said and then headed back in the direction of his village. Gen huh?

With each their own departure, the campfire had been smothered and buried. Mostly to prevent a forest fire, but also to cover their tracks. If there were any bandits in the woods, they would surely tell how long ago the campfire had been lit. Rei had wanted to cause no trouble to himself, nor his new friend. Whether they would see each other again, Rei couldn't know, but he enjoyed the thought of a manageable friendship. Friends were not a thing ever spoken on Rei's lips, much too withdrawn from the world with eyes of uncaring superiority: yet this merchant boy seemed to easily bypass Rei's protective barriers around his social standings. Back in his village, Rei was considered a prodigy of his own clan. A skilled Genin and dedicated to the village alone: yet he desired no friends and his callous and blunt nature scared even the most friendly of people away crying. However it had happened, he had made a friend here in the woods and his name was Gen.

Rei would travel the whole day on his way back to Kirigakure, his mind going over the events of the little mission for the deer as well as his meeting and discussion with Gen. Finally he arrived back at Kiri and was quick to find the hunter at his home. He had wrapped the white doe up in a cloth to prevent wondering eyes from seeing or recognizing it. He set the wrapped deer onto the man's table and the man thanked him for his hard work. Rei grunted to the man and nodded. It was time to go back to his own house and be scolded by his loving sister Yin for being away for so long. Little did Rei know at the time, he wouldn't have his loving big sister around for much longer and the next time he was to meet Gen, were of less than friendly or fortunate circumstances.