Shadows settle on the place, that you left. Our minds are troubled by the emptiness. Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time. From the perfect start to the finish line. And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones. 'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs.
He tacked a strand of hair behind his ear quickly. A smile formed on his lips with the same swiftness as he quietly continued listening to Mrs Hitomi complain about how her neighbor was most likely hiding a dead body and who knows what else in his backyard, while trying his best to keep his eyes focused on hers and not on the giant zit on the right side of her forehead. He couldn't tell her; he wasn't that cruel. Instead he just nodded understandingly and skillfully dodged any questions about his opinion on the matter, until he noticed she'd had enough of him and he stood and bowed politely. "I'm always happy to chat with you, Mrs Hitomi, but I'm afraid work is calling for me." He smiled, he left.
And on it went, the series of brief visits at the most important stops. A famous merchant, the wife of a Daimyo, anyone who spent more than three hours at the restaurant above the bathhouse had Sei's attention and pretty smiles. Of course a man is a man and a man needs to rest. Physical and mental exhaustion walk side by side and when someone falls victim to one, the other follows as well. His hurting feet and heavy eyelids were evident to that. Thus he found himself outside the building, sitting down on a wooden bench and leaning back on the wall, his eyes closed. The neatly tacked hair strand behind his ear has found its way back to the side of his face again, the wind now playing with it along with the rest of his hair. The sky above slowly threatened to darken as the afternoon gave way to night and the sound of life inside the bathhouse only got louder by the minute.
The trip had been a long one, though not an altogether unpleasant experience. It was rife with an array of unpleasant memories, sure, but it had also presented a vast vista of varying views of the countryside as it changed effortlessly from a well vegetated forest to the now endless expanse of desert. The trip had also been enjoyably uneventful with almost no one crossing paths with the man, save until he drew closer to the village of the sand, at which point he found himself drawn up into a bit of a crowd gushing in and out of the main gate of the village. From that point, entrance to the village was a rather simple matter not acting like a murderous lunatic, a simple fact when one was not, in fact, a murderous lunatic.
He toured the city briefly, acclimating himself to the landscape and placement of certain important buildings, grocery stores and interesting looking eateries most often catching his eyes. However, he had one place in mind above all else: the legendary bathhouse of Sunagakure, Okumata. It took him a brief time to catch wind of the place as it seemed to be on the tips of most of the residents’ tongues, its well established nature notwithstanding. Additionally, many people made it a part of their daily routine, visiting the hot or cold baths at least once a day. This seemed a bit overboard for Gen, but he let it slide and chose to allow these people to simply lead him to the building.
The day was drawing slowly to an end, the sun slipping ever closer to the encroaching horizon as night spread dark fingers through the atmosphere. A few paper lanterns had been light, some light to ward off the coming darkness, and then the massive building came into view. It was large, far larger than Yogensha had initially expected, and so tall. Someone approaching for a nightly visit commented on how excited she was for the food in the upper floors, something that sounded great to Gen’s ears. He moved along, drifting in and out of groups of civilians as he meandered closer to the bathhouse.
He did not make it in before he saw something that he never expected to, someone who he wasn’t sure he would ever see again. He’d aged, that much was certain, but so had Gen, filling out and growing taller, standing now just over six feet and having put on a fare bit of musculature from his profession. He stared openly at the man on the bench, idly taking in the evening. He had aged, had come into his own person even more, but Gen didn’t forget faces.
Subject: Re: reckless [nk] [will, nana; invite] Fri Aug 28, 2015 9:40 am
wild youth
Shadows settle on the place, that you left. Our minds are troubled by the emptiness. Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time. From the perfect start to the finish line. And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones. 'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs.
His eyes instantly opened at the sound of his name. Not being able to recognize the voice (like he always did with people who called him by first name) somewhat alarmed him. He gently moved his head towards the source of said voice. He smiled. He always smiled. His smile slowly faded though as his eyes inspected the tall and bulky figure. He stared with a gaping mouth. He never stared.
"Gen?" The name brought with it a sense of warmth in him and he was up on his feet and standing in front of a face from the past. The boy he knew was no longer a boy, and Sei just couldn't wrap his head around it. Sure it had been more than five years now, but the image of Yogensha in his mind had not ever dared to change. The fact that he had to actually look up now to catch the other's eyes had him feeling guilty. A sudden storm of questions fogged his mind, but he quickly put it aside.
The smile he had on before returned, and lingered there on his lips as he took a good look at the man in front of him, inspecting him for head to toe. "How's the leg?" he asked, waiting for something more than just a confirmation of an already closed wound he himself had treated so long ago.
Yogensha stood, motionless, before a man whom he had never expected to see again. Certainly he had no way of knowing that the man would be here, sitting outside the bathhouse that he had almost just entered. Sei had his hair tucked up behind his ear, a habitual motion that he had repeated in particular exaggeration just to annoy Gen when the two had known each other. Gen thought fondly of those moments, only to be struck by a sudden, unexpected chill, a fear creeping through him.
Sei’s smile had fallen. Sei’s smile never fell; he maintained a smile at almost all times, rain or shine, good or bad news. Sure, he had dropped the façade after a while Yogensha following him about wherever he went as per his mission orders, but as a general rule, Sei maintained his smile unless something serious occurred. Maybe he was just surprised. Maybe he too had not excepted to see a figure of his past, little more than a random acquaintance turned pseudo-friend, in such a place, particularly knowing that Gen did not live here. Maybe he had been deep in thought and Gen had been rude in his abrupt calling out.
Maybe Sei didn’t want to see him.
Maybe he didn’t remember him.
Sei’s face fell and the smile fell off and Gen felt uncomfortable. Gen had not felt particularly uncomfortable in years, had met few people in Konoha and had no strong friendships. He could not say with certainty that he and Sei were friends, but it felt that way, at least it had back then. Gen shifted awkwardly, averting his gaze for a moment or two as the other man would rise to full height, searching his face and body. When he turned back, he met his eyes briefly before looking away once more. Reunions had never been a huge strength of his. He allowed the inspection to continue, something he was not all together unfamiliar with or uncomfortable about, before looking up once more. To a smile.
Sei’s smile had returned once more, a full and genuine tugging of the mouth that lit his face up. This was not a service smile, not a placating or patronizing smile, but was a true smile. It was the kind Gen remembered from the two’s days in Konoha. He grinned back, a lopsided smirk that lifted only half of his face yet reached up to both of his eyes. That is, his face glowed for a few seconds. It stopped when Sei spoke.
“How’s the leg?”
His grin not quite fading, his facing fighting the muscles that would lead to a laugh, Gen would roll his green eyes in a wild, almost vicious circle. Those who saw this, particularly for the first time, often marveled that he could manage such a full eye roll without utterly dizzying himself. He leveled his gaze flatly at Sei, trying and almost succeeding in keeping a spark out of his eye, before he replied back, quick and playfully cutting.
“No actually, I think it’s about to fall off. That’s actually why I’m here, to see if you can take another look at it,” he intoned in his classic deadpan, though his face betrayed his obvious mirth. The man did not feel warmth with much regularity these days, his job preferring a calm, detached view of most situations, but Sei was different somehow. Not magical and not cheesy, just good. He had good memories surrounding the blue haired man, memories untarnished by strange clan pressures or a need to serve his country. Sei never thought he was a genius or an idol or an object of a religious worship. At least, it never seemed that way.
He grinned fully now. “Were you going to enjoy Okumata as well?”
Subject: Re: reckless [nk] [will, nana; invite] Sat Aug 29, 2015 5:38 am
It was purely out of boredom (and totally not any special need for alcohol) that drove the young woman out of her home and in the direction of the well known bathhouse that was owned by Natsume Sei. Or so she kept telling herself. Why, she rather liked the calm and collected atmosphere there – plus it was very refreshing in a strange way to see that beautiful looking owner. Also, didn‘t hurt that the food was fantastic. (But she really just wanted some sake). It was strange though, the weird ... relationship or whatever it was which existed between Nana and Sei, as they hardly ever talked – but would simply nod in each other‘s direction; and that was that, they would go do their own things but feel completely comfortable. It wasn‘t the same with other guests in there, Nana had noticed. It seemed that every time she would enter the establishment – she would see Sei talking to someone... no, she would see someone talking to Sei (rather talking his ears off) about their personal problems, whilst the pretty male would simply stand or sit nearby with his usual calm expression and his smiles on the ready. Like he was the rock in the life of every single individual whom so wished for it. Nana didn‘t judge that, she didn‘t really butt into other people‘s business. But she was not blind either to the fact that oftentimes the blue haired male would look tired – ragged even – after such a long conversation.
So now, - as the sky was darkening, and Nana‘s light footsteps echoed across the buildings as she ventured through alleys no normal person would dare go through from fright of getting mobbed, raped or killed, - she wondered to herself what kind of people would be drawn to the bathhouse this evening. She may not be the overly talkative or cheerful person, but she had a great deal of curiosity about others. Plus it was a really good hobby to simply sit back and watch people get drunk. Every single person reacted so differently to alcohol; some liked to cry, a few turned into professional flirters, others laughed at everything, and the rest either got sleepy or aggressive. Without anyone knowing, she often made wagers with herself about each person she‘d notice – as she tried to guess just what the outcome of their drunken state would be. So far, she had about 80% success rate.
Thanks to the many shortcuts she had taken, the woman found herself quite quickly in front of the desired establishment. But instead of going straight inside – she took a look at the two males which were in front of it. Sei was there, sitting down and looking exhausted. He was very recognizable for his general clothing and looks - and it always amused Nana just a tiny bit how alike their hair and eyes were. But now she was not amused, but felt a rather strange feeling of annoyance in the pit of her stomach. Which was very rare and strange for her. Really, he should think of himself from time to time and not waste his energy on everybody else. But it wasn‘t her place to comment on that. Her gaze then traveled to the other male, a rather tall one (even if she herself was considered fairly tall) and muscular in build. The blue haired woman had not failed to notice how the ever-ready smile on Sei‘s face fell for a moment – and that caused her to start walking again. Because Sei did not stop smiling, like... ever. It was alarming to see that happening (albeit a tiny bit refreshing as well) and it made Nana wonder if trouble was knocking on his door. Her protective instincts (which seemed to only really kick in when near Sei and her father) came crashing into her mind and body, so it was safe to say that the beautiful woman looked a bit grim when she finally reached the two young men whom were conversing.
She only just managed to hear the last few words uttered by the stranger, before she was suddenly standing next to him, looking at Sei and giving him a curt nod – before she‘d turn a near predatory stare at the stranger. Strange, I thought I knew just about everybody in this village. And especially the shady types. Instead of beating around the bush, her pale blue eyes stared directly into green ones as she drew up to her full height – yet not managing to top that male at her side.
"Everything alright here?"
Her long, blue hair was pulled back in a ponytail as per usual. Her rosy lips were bit slightly together while her gaze seemed to pierce into the man at her side. She was dressed all in black, just like usual, in black pants that fit her snugly and a black cropped top. All in all, she probably looked more suspicious than that stranger she seemed to be wanting to stare down.
Shadows settle on the place, that you left. Our minds are troubled by the emptiness. Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time. From the perfect start to the finish line. And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones. 'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs.
Gen's eyes moved and Sei followed them decisively. He was doing that thing again. When they were younger, Sei called it the Roll of Death -in his head, that is; he would never suggest such a ridiculous thing aloud- and had always tried to follow it like a child determined to outrun a horse. That one gesture gave him more than the simple "I'm okay" he had asked for. The taller man slowly got his colors back in Sei's eyes. The colors of the young shinobi he had met in Konohagakure, who had been his so called bodyguard, who was actually more fun than most took him to be. He felt shoulders relaxing and was surprised that they were tense in the first place.
A breath of a laughter escaped him before Gen pretended to lose the merry glimmer of his face. His own eyes didn't change at all. The other's attempt to worry him was merely another reminder that Sei wasn't the only one clinging onto those little childish habits of the past. "Well," he said while swaying a bit to the side and raising his chest up slightly, "you traveled an awfully long way, so I am obliged to do the best I can to cure your, ah, almost decapitated leg." He'd gotten rusty and he showed it through an apologetic look before laughing it off with one of those loud laughs he kept hidden in a box inside him. Anything loud was too risky in front of customers. Gen wasn't a customer. He was one of the few tall trees Sei could rest under without caring if the leaves would fall off. They wouldn't. At least he hoped they wouldn't.
A glow of blue and black held him back from replying to Gen, and he now found himself under the shade of a second sturdy tree. He could only laugh even more at the turn of events. Whatever prayer he had unconsciously made to whatever god to rid him of the stiffness of his work had been miraculously answered, and he would not even question it. The oh so familiar greeting of the woman was returned in an equal manner, before he put a steady hand on her shoulder and smiled his brightest smile. "It's quite alright," his eyes traveled briefly to Gen's with a tint of playfulness and the returned back to Nana, his arm now resting on his side again. "Why don't we go inside? As much as I enjoy the moonlight, I am famished," he exclaimed almost theatrically, his illusionary flawlessness slowly giving way to something more approachable, if not weaker.
notes.Sorry for the delay! You are both wonderful! words.860 | 1941 chakra.
The look on Sei’s face when Gen almost subconsciously rolled his eyes alleviated a tension the larger man had not initially known he carried. He thought he had been relaxed, thought this trip was a vacation of sorts for him, and certainly those things yet held true, but the abrupt meeting with Sei had altered his course slightly. While he may not say it aloud, he’d felt the slight twinge of fear when first he laid eyes upon this figment of his past. Normally, that wouldn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter; many people had entered and exited his life and he did not react to them as anything but a professional, capable person. And yet Sei differed from them in some ineffable way.
He wanted the other man to remember him, and then when he did, Gen wanted him to still like him, to still be the friend he’d made so long ago.
He wouldn’t say it out loud, but he did harbor that seed of fear, the touch of doubt that maybe, Sei had forgotten about him or moved on or regretted going to the distant village. The relief that washed over the dark haired man was something like showering after days of unbathed filth. Suddenly he was clean. Sei’s laughter was a fluffy, clean towel after that and he immediately began once more taking shots at Gen’s once injured leg. The man managed to restrain his eyes from rolling wildly this time, but just barely, his face lighting up full grin, the completeness and freedom of the expression something few and far between in the life of a warrior. While Sei shot an apologetic look, Gen simply continued grinning, shaking his head slightly and throwing his shoulders into a half-aborted shrug. The years between their meeting seemed to have simply vanished altogether, along with the awkwardness that they engendered.
As the two chatted, another appeared, a tall woman, even by comparison with Gen, whose long blue hair flowed behind her and who would have been lovely if not for her eyes. Gen’s head turned slightly with her arrival and stopped froze, neck held in a crick and eyebrows raised. While she had addressed the both of the men, her eyes found only those of Gen, boring into him with a vicious intensity as though she could pull him apart with only her looks. He did not feel naked like in some silly book, but rather jarred, stunned, like he was a clock and her gaze had arrested all motion of his inner workings, his facing failing to tick or in any way move. Had she not had an air of such complete self-possession, Gen may have thought she was little more than a common street vagrant come to steal from or solicit them. Because of said self-possession, she seemed infinitely more dangerous.
Stunned, Yogensha had no time to respond before Sei took the lead, telling her that all was well and that the trio ought to go inside. Gen’s eyes flicked back to the blue haired man for a moment, a thank you reflected in the green there, before returning his attention to the woman. He had no idea what to say to her or how to respond; he was unused to not being known and to being spoken to as though he was dangerous, to being looked at as though he were worthy contempt. Such contempt would likely be misplaced by no one, of course, but when raised as a hybrid between royalty and divinity, one becomes accustomed to a certain treatment regardless of the validity of such treatment. He blinked a few time, nodding vaguely along with Sei’s suggestion as he maintained the eye contact with the woman next to her, her eyes stabbing into his.
”I wasn’t going to,” he gestured with his head at Sei, ”I mean I wouldn’t, he gestured at Sei once more, this time with an undefined flail of his hands. He paused for a moment, suspended in his strange game of charades, trying to convey that he was not trying to hurt Sei or bother him. ”I’m not dangerous,” he said lamely, inflecting it almost as a question, as though he weren’t sure. He immediately winced at himself and how stupid he sounded. He was supposed to be good at talking to people, damnit. He huffed out a deep breath and glancing at Sei with an apologetic look as he made to follow him into the bathhouse. Already this meeting was going smashingly. He had managed to rekindle and old friendship and then immediately embarrassed himself in front a woman who Sei seemed to know, the entire street around them, and Sei himself. Fantastic.
Already walking towards Okumata, Gen would return his eyes to the woman. ”I’m Gen, by the way. It’s, uh, nice to meet you.” He did not stutter, which was a plus, though he once again gifted his last statement with a question, flushed, and then simply turned back around to face the bathhouse. Maybe he could simply excuse himself to use a restroom and then flee the country. At this rate it sounded like the best option.
It wasn't likely that she would raise any Hell if that stranger was bothering Sei. At most, she'd make sure he understood that if he wouldn't leave within 5 seconds he'd never look as good again and his mother could not even recognize him afterwards. She'd tell him that with a calm and collected voice, whilst carefully selecting the most descriptive words she could find in her vocabulary. But shouting and breaking things around them wasn't really her style, even if she could become quite intimidating if she wanted to. But, for a moment, the young woman even wondered what she was doing or even thinking at this point. The pretty owner of the bar, whom she had only spoken to a few times before, seemed to be able to handle himself just fine at his job. No matter who his customers were, he would hold his ground and disarm just about anyone with his charming and calming smiles.
So why was she going all Alpha-male on this young unknown man in front of her? Was this some territory claiming from her behalf? Was she going to be peeing in corners anytime now? If she had not been so deep in her own wondering thoughts about her own behavior, she would have probably noticed how the stranger was looking like a little bird that had been caught in the piercing gaze of a hungry snake. If she had noticed that, she might have calmed the attitude just a little bit and maybe even started to find this rather amusing. However, she kept glaring harder and harder as she thought more and more about why she was even standing there and glaring.
As the seconds passed she even started getting the idea that she had completely misread the whole situation since nobody said anything or moved. Especially now as she thought harder on it, then neither fear nor anger had been reflected in Sei's brilliantly blue eyes earlier as she had approached the two. So, if she had taken a moment right there and then from the glaring; she might have noticed the humorous mood of the bar owner during this peculiar situation. But seeing as Nana was even confused herself about what was going on; then she could only really keep staring into those green orbs in front of her own blue ones. This staring contest had every potential of getting dragged on for a few tense hours. But before that could happen, the pale eyes of the woman finally left the poor stranger's face as she felt a reassuring pat on her shoulder. And then Sei started assuring her that everything was all fine and dandy. Instantly, almost at the same second as the blue haired man said it out loud, the entire posture and expression of hers changed. Instead of the ice statue facing off with the stranger; came the calm and collected - also rather carefree - Nana back into view.
She was after all not aggressive in the slightest sense and never did enjoy any conflicts. She liked to relax, have a drink and a random conversation with good friends and she liked taking naps in warm baths. It was only in these random and rare moments of her feeling like she had to protect someone that almost turned her into a female-Hulk that threw around her strength and talents in order to scare people off. But now as the situation was cleared, her previously stiff muscles were completely relaxed as her icy eyes were becoming a bit warmer.
"Sure, I could eat. And drink." And it was just as simple as that. She was hungry and thirsty. No second thought was spared on the earlier situation. She was actually just about to follow her friend (or whatever it was she could call him), when the stranger started speaking out. Nana paused and looked at him, her gaze now more curious and calm than cold and aggressive. She didn't really show any change of expression as he talked, but she tilted her head just slightly to the side as he started following Sei.
Did I hurt his feelings somehow?
It was sort of ... cute how he claimed to not be dangerous and then looked utterly flushed before and after introducing himself. Cute enough to get the 'Ice princess' smiling just a little bit even if she felt guilty for acting that way towards him earlier. The corners of her mouth were tugged the slightest upwards as the skin around her eyes crinkled a little during that small, warm but brief smile. She gently placed her hand on the male's shoulder and turned him towards her (but was careful not to be brutish with the action) so that he might see on her expression(the very rare smiling one) that things were just fine.
"I'm sorry, Gen. It's nice to meet you. My name is Nana. How about I buy you something to eat or drink and we forget about this whole stupid situation?" A sly look in the direction of Sei almost made Nana look like a cat about to steal a whole bowl of cream as she continued speaking. "And perhaps Sei can open up a bottle of his best sake so we can toast to this new friendship we got going on here."
Shadows settle on the place, that you left. Our minds are troubled by the emptiness. Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time. From the perfect start to the finish line. And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones. 'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs.
He could have sworn he had never seen Gen acting like that before. The contrast of his build and his awkward reaction made Sei raise an eyebrow, his lips tilting up into a smile ready to break into a laugh. He felt refreshed. He gave a brief last look at each one of his two guest, and, maintaining his smile, made a swift turn around and headed towards the entrance of the bathhouse.
No other word came out of his mouth while they slowly made their way inside. He separated himself from the duo behind him and let them speak. Not as much out of kindness or manner or anything of the sort. He stole quick glances at them with the corner of his eyes from time to time. He was curious. They had suddenly become a sort of social experiment in his eyes. A cold and quiet woman who could hold her alcohol unsettlingly well and a village popular man with sarcasm tendencies. He was surprised the conversation was going so well; a shudder of guilt washed over him.
A grand wooden staircase made Sei realize they had already passed through the whole first floor. Due to the hour, the bathhouse wasn't exactly crowded. Most of the customers occupied the second floor instead. He guessed the silence was probably what made him lose track of time and space. A thought of taking Gen for a tour around the bathhouse came up. Maybe some other time. Maybe he could stay for the night and Sei could tour him in the morning. Maybe Nana could stay too.
He turned his head abruptly at Nana's suggestion. "Ah," he blurred out thoughtlessly before he shook himself back into reality, not knowing exactly when he even lost it. "Why not? It's been a while since I've opened one with friends." He had unconsciously put a nostalgic tone to his words. Instead of debating whether it was too heavy or not though, he started going up the stairs, the sound of chatting and laughing getting louder and the smell of smoke and alcohol getting stronger.
And as much as he liked just taking it in every other time he went up those stairs, he couldn't help but distance himself from it now that something of much greater conform walked just behind him, and in double too. He smiled to himself, before he slightly turned his head back again. "Don't worry about the noise. We won't be sitting in the main room. I fear the customers will turn into predatory animals the minute I open that bottle of sake."
He continued up the stairs, until his feet finally touched the second floor. He stood there for a few seconds, looking over the mass of people, half up on their feet and half sitting down, half drunk and half slightly less drunk. A sense of pride lingered on his face; which was somewhat inappropriate. He frowned and shook his head to get rid of said frown.
![reckless [nk] [will, nana; invite] Icon_minitime](https://2img.net/i/fa/icon_minitime.gif){kind=icon}
by ![reckless [nk] [will, nana; invite] I_vote_lcap](https://2img.net/s/t/18/55/17/i_vote_lcap.png){kind=small}
![reckless [nk] [will, nana; invite] I_voting_bar](https://2img.net/s/t/18/55/17/i_voting_bar.png){kind=small}
![reckless [nk] [will, nana; invite] I_vote_rcap](https://2img.net/s/t/18/55/17/i_vote_rcap.png){kind=small}
![reckless [nk] [will, nana; invite] Empty](https://2img.net/i/empty.gif)
