Blind leading the Blind [Private, Suzume]

[Miroku Riyota]

Riyota shook his head as he gently ran a finger up the length of her lower arm to the elbow, checking for anything malicious. "Nah, not to worry Suze,
just..." He trailed off without finishing his sentence, gently ruffling her hair to reassure her. Though if she were to look at his face she would still see clear signs of concern, as his eyes darted from left to right. "W-well seeing as you refuse to make a decision, let's go get some food." He stuttered slightly but forced a smile onto his face, trying not to worry his student. 'So he's come back after being warned...Dammit...' He mentally cursed, just another issue on his list of issues to deal with.

Leading Suzume out of the Miroku sect, making sure to stick close by her this time, and matching the glare of anyone who dared look at her, just in case. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt you earlier. Sounds like you had quite a story. Feel free to continue!" He said as they strolled their way into a nearby food court. "Or you can wait until we get a table if that's easier."

If she decided to tell the story as they walked, Riyota would extend the walk around the food court a few times until she was finished, listening intently the whole time. If she opted to wait until they sat down he would lead her into a nearby, fancy looking establishment and approach the waitress at reception. "Table for two, send the bill to me, Byakko Kyuji." He emphasised the name, making sure she heard it clearly before turning to Suzume and winking mischievously.

Eventually the pair would be lead to a table close to the window. If she chose now to tell her story, Riyota would listen carefully, not saying a word or making any sort of movement until she was finished. After she was done he would let the silence linger. Looking at her and saying nothing. After a long while he would state one word. "Impressive..." He would smirk, but not elaborate.

 

[Kazumi]

Electricity crackled from her skin to his finger as he ran it up the length of her lower arm, with the low voltage that she currently carried, it was a slight pain that he might have been used to by now, he certainly had felt worse shocks this day. Looking up to him, she tilted her head in confusion as he quickly tried to dismiss the subject. "He a friend of yours or something?" She presumed he was embarrassed that she had met him, anyone should be, given how weird of a guy that Doctor seemed to be. Dismissing it without pressing any further, unless he willing disclosed more information, she would turn and follow him out of the area, secretly thankful to be out of that part of the Dojo.

As they finally made their way out of the unsettling part of the complex and off to the more savory part, Suzume was able to relax a little more, at least until Riyota brought up talk of a story she was going to tell. At first, she appeared confused, but after a moment of staring over towards him as she walked, it eventually dawned on her. A momentary shadow seemed to fall over her, "Y-...yeah, table is fine." Afterwards, she remained in silence, her head tilted somewhat downwards as she followed absently after him, deep in conflicting thoughts. His mischievous antics seemed to be lost on her, only half paying attention to where he led her, much less what he was doing.

A minute of silence would ensue after they arrived, her staring down at the table that she sat across from him at, her hands fldding absently with one another on its top. "So," she suddenly began, sounding hesitant to continue, "story." She lifted her head a little and glanced off towards her right and then her left, as if keeping an eye out for someone or to see if anyone was listening in. Content with whatever she saw, her attention shifted back down to her hands as she begun. "I don't... want to get into the details, but I'll try."

Suzume took a slow deep breath before she eventually began, speaking slowly and pausing every dozen words or so to think before she continued. "I was in the Red Lights on patrol," she paused and interjected, "well, playing patrol I guess," before she continued on. "I came across a disfigured man with bulging eyes. He creeped me out so I tried to leave him be, but the next thing I knew I was frozen in place. They said it was some genjutsu I guess. Anyway, then he started to make very lewd remarks as he approached me, he must have been forty or something and was very disturbing. Eventually he used some wind technique and sliced up most of my clothes," she gestured to the arm on her table, indicating the faint scars that streaked parts of her skin. "A stranger came by and tried to call for help, but he was cut into pieces right in front of me before he could even yell out."

Suzume took a slow deep breath, keeping herself settled as a figure approached the table. Suzume's attention shot up, but was immediately deflated as she realized it was a thin waiter and not the subject of her tale. He give a small bow to the both of them, "Byakko-sama, it is an honor to serve you." He looked Riyota up and down, a little bit of skepticism in his eyes, but he spoke nothing of it. "What can I get you and the little lady to drink?" After Riyota gave his order, he would turn to Suzume who would give a simple quiet request for water. He nodded and gave them both a small bow, "it will be only just a minute." Without jotting anything down he turned and hastily made his way back towards the kitchen area.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

As the waiter came Riyota couldn't help but smirk at the suspicious glance he received from the waiter. 'Here's hoping Kyuji never finds out who ordered food in his name.' He thought to himself as he ordered a strange sounding beverage, specifically requesting a non-alcoholic version. When Suzume ordered her water and the waiter departed Riyota calmly said to her "Never be afraid to live a little, you're not imposing on me or anyone else if you want something more than water. Have a bit of confidence." He smiled, trying to get a smile out of her in return.

"Now, if I can elaborate on what I said, you are incredibly impressive. An experience like that would've shattered anyone ordinary, destroyed them for at least a few years. Yet here you are, struggling on. Affected but unbroken, absolutely remarkable." He complimented her mental fortitude. "I assume there's a bit more to the tale, you don't have to go into detail but...please tell me the scumbag got obliterated?" He asked with a look of great enthusiasm in his gaze.

The waiter returned and set their drinks down in front of them. Riyota immediately taking a sip of his. "Are you ready to order your meals?" The waiter asked, readying pen and pad. "Absolutely, I myself am not hungry but my ward here would like a spicy Maki roll, the spiciest you have I believe she said." Riyota looked at her with a wink as the waiter finished jotting down their order and bowed before heading off to the kitchen. "Get ready to live." He smirked. A smirk that broke into a slight chuckle.

Returning to their conversation he spoke once again. "You've been through all sorts of mental hell, I mean more than the story you've just told. Probably feels like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders sometimes, right?" He paused for a moment, allowing her to respond if she wished. "That's why I plan to help you become awesome. So you can look at the world with a big smile on your face and so you can laugh and not be afraid.
Everyone needs a bit of that." As he spoke, if she was paying attention, she would see his eyes shine with passion for what he spoke of. The conversation was cut off yet again by the waiter, setting down "her" order in front of her. Before bowing once more and leaving. "Dig in!" Riyota smiled as he indicated the steaming, fresh roll in front of her.

[Written whilst tired and on more painkillers than usual, please forgive the blatant awfulness.]

 

[Kazumi]

Suzume actually grinned a small bit as he tried to prod her into wasting more of the Byakko's money. Seen objectively, this was the sort of activities that the villages would prescribe to the Miruko, Suzume included, though they would likely quickly label it as theft or deceit rather than a playful prank. Regardless, he went on to languish praise upon her, but for some reason it all felt somewhat hollow. It was not that he was not sincere in his words, but it was hard to accept praise for simply being both horribly unlucky and astonishingly lucky at the same time. Then, as he asked about her assailant's ultimate fate, she hesitated. She was given no direct word on the matter, but from what hazy bits she could remember, she presumed he must be. If there was any justice in the world, he simply couldn't be allowed to live, right?

"Yeah," she responded in almost a whisper, not mirroring the enthusiasm he was showing. It would be a lie to say that she was so pure a person as to not take satisfaction in the death of such a man, but something tugged at the back of her mind that made the notion that he was dead feel surreal. Her dour gloom was momentarily broken as the waiter reappeared and Riyota attempted to prescribe her mouth a writ of death by spice. She offered the waiter a forced smile and a nod and, as he left, she turned to Riyota with a perplexed expression. "Ward?" she asked, either not knowing what he meant, or not knowing why he used the term.

In his own way, Riyota started once again speaking of hells, burdens and his word to help her rise above it all. As with his earlier words of encouragement, it still all felt strange, like he must be talking to a girl sitting next to her, rather than to Suzume herself. Even so, she found herself unable to look away from the pure enthusiasm that radiated from his eyes. He certainly was like no Miroku that he had ever met before, that much was for certain. "Why-" Suzume interrupted herself as the waiter quickly returned once more with the small plate, eight of the nearly wrapped rolls arranged in an orderly fashion on the plate. "Thanks," she muttered to the man, clearing her throat afterwards from how meek she ended up sounding.

When he was finally out of earshot, she began once more, "Why though? I mean, I appreciate it, but you don't owe me anything. Helping me through my own issues wasn't on the to do list from the academy." A sudden thought sprang to her mind: Perhaps he was simply trying to earn favor with the Oushi-Ouja? For a clansman to do so was not out of the question, and it certainly would be advantageous for the demonized Miroku to be associated more closely with one of the more upstanding branches of the Toraono. Even though it was a possibility, it was one Suzume had a hard time believing the man across from her had as his main motivator. Unable to voice her skeptical justifications, Suzume reached out and popped one of the rolls hastily into her mouth to keep her from being able to continue.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

His face fell slightly as he began to realise his jovial mood was not quite lifting Suzume's spirits as he had hoped. When she replied with her solemn confirmation he coughed awkwardly. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have asked so abrasively. Death's not something anyone should get excited about, I struggle to hold myself back when I get too emotional. What you told me about that man got me so angry and...I guess a little bloodthirsty. My apologies..." If she looked carefully she would be able to see a black tattoo like mark snake its way back down his neck. Hiding below the collar of his shirt once again.

"Do you need a definition or an explanation?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Unsure of where her confusion lay on the matter. "I've taken it upon myself to look after you, at least temporarily. Congrats, that makes you my ward." He explained simply, drumming his fingers on the table in an odd rhythmic pattern. Thud, Thud, ThudThud, Thud, ThudThudThud, Thud, Thud, ThudThudThud, ThudThud, Thud, ThudThud. There seemed to be no consistent beat within the tapping, it would likely drive a virtuoso insane.

As her meal and both their drinks arrived he gave a quick thanks to the waiter and returned his attention to her. Casually, he ignited a finger and tapped the liquid within his glass daintily with it, as the liquid ignited a look of distinct annoyance crossed his face. He sighed defeatedly and pushed the drink aside still ignited. "I asked for non-alcoholic...I asked as clearly as possible, did I mumble? Is that the issue? He muttered to himself, his eyes darting back and forth almost in a distressed manner. When she spoke up he quickly returned his gaze to her and returned his posture to normal as if he hadn't just been having a mini-crisis mere moments ago.

"There was a to-do list?" He asked, confused, an eyebrow raised once again. "Well I sure would've like to have go-...Y'know what,
it's not important." He ended his statement with a solemn laugh. "Why is a good question, I could answer it terribly with a simple 'why not?' but
I won't...not this time." He smiled. "How's the roll?" He asked, completely changing the subject whereas before it seemed like he was going to continue his answer. If she said nothing or answered in a confused manner he would indicate to the plate with his head and ask "Spicy enough?"

If Suzume pressed him for an answer he would proceed to change to a different subject every time. His aim being to confuse her, to keep her guessing. To let her form her own theories and ideas, Riyota's aim here was to teach her to not let him do the thinking for her. He was there to direct her power. It was up to her to direct her mind.

When the meal was concluded for both parties Riyota would stand and stretch, his prosthetic fingers clicking mechanically. "Shall we get back too it,
or do you want to wrap things up for the day?" He would ask her.

MFT

 

[Kazumi]

Suzume grew quiet once more as he spoke of apologies and her new status as his'ward'. Her attention was drawn down to her plate as the food arrived, offering the waiter a silent nod of appreciation before he left. The sudden, if small, flash of light and heat from his glass immediately caught her attention, startling her as she stared over at him in confusion. "You umm.. don't drink alcohol?" She asked quietly, sounding very confused at the notion. She eyed the vapor that quickly dissipated from the extinguished flame and then looked to him searchingly.

After he answered and went on to continue to keep the subject away from the real reason he was taking on all of this responsibility. Either playing along or suitably distracted, she put one of the rolls into her mouth and chewed it ponderously. After a few seconds her eyes widened and she quickly reached for her water, drinking down nearly a third of it before she let the glass rest back onto the table. "Mhmm," she responded, her tongue feeling like it was on fire. She was unaccustomed to spicy foods, and even less accustomed to fish, and the combination of the two seemed to catch her unguarded. "It's good," she quickly rplied before downing another quarter of the glass in a vain attempt to stifle the heat that bit her tongue.

The rest of her meal proceeded without as much difficulty, though she went through two entire glasses of water before she finally finished her rolls. With her tummy puffed out, filled nearly to bursting with water, she leaned back in her chair, worries momentarily forgotten. Suzume let out a small grunt of discomfort, shifting around to keep her stomach from threatening to explode due to an unfavorable position. "Thanks Riyota. We don't usually eat out anywhere fancy like this." In truth the place wasn't the finest dining in Sunagakure, but it was still far above the means that her family had. "I think," she shifted a bit and ended up leaning back in her chair, looking uncomoftably content, "I think I had a bit too much."

Suzume reached down and rubbed her angry tummy, hoping to soothe the tortured little creature for having to carry so much water for her. "Thanks though, really." She looked up from her plate and offered him a genuine smile, misery from her gut only faintly visible. "Since I am your ward and all," she hesitated a moment and softly added, "I guess," before continuing, "you're going to help make sure I become the greatest Storm Lord in the history of the clan!" She forcefully thrust her fist into the air, jostling her gut enough to make her wince before she rested it back on the table. "As soon as the tournament is over," she suddenly injected, possibly bringing his enthusiasm to a screeching halt.

"You plan on going in a few days to watch? Storm Lord Nabushin thinks it will help inspire me, and Samejima Naoki agreed to escort me there and back to watch." With a small grunt she pushed herself to her feet, almost penguin walking herself around to the back of her chair so that she could push it in. It was quite possible that she might explode should she take even another sip of water. "Once we get back though, you're going to regret being all enthusiastic and stuff." Suzume paused a moment, before looking over to him with a hopeful expression, asking in a tentative voice, "promise?"

 

[Miroku Riyota]

He struggled to hide his smile as she was clearly now more full than she had been in a long time. Showing discomfort at the state of her waterlogged stomach. His mind suddenly snapped back to a question she had asked earlier that he had completely ignored until now. He looked over at the now empty glass and stared for a few moments, likely a few moments too long. Snapping himself back to reality his eyes refocused and he returned his attention to her. "N-no, I...don't really like the taste." He stammered, obviously lying about the real reason.

She thanked him for taking her to the restaurant, gratitude which was met with a look of confusion. Riyota was unused to being thanked for something, he was especially not expecting thanks for merely getting the girl food. She then explained that she was not used to going out to eat. "Uh...sure, no worries.
Though, I guess you should really be thanking Kyuji." He smirked.

Finally, after being filled with food and water the young Suzume began to show enthusiasm and self-believe. Explaining to Riyota his future role as he teacher, to teach her how to hone her skills so she could become a legend amongst her clan. Something called a "Storm-Lord". The shinobi had no idea what she was talking about, she had probably mentioned it earlier when he wasn't listening. But he was happy for her, so he returned her smile with his own and nodded his head. She explained that she of course meant after the tournament to which he nodded his head. "Lots of things will be happening after the Tournament...I just hope I have enough time to teach you..." The last part of that sentence was mumbled, but still audible. "Seems we have a lot of work ahead of us." His expression returned to a smile after darkening for a brief moment.

She mentioned the name of a Woman that Riyota remembered from his childhood, someone he hadn't seen in many years. He pondered for a moment if he should organise a meeting between them but disregarded it, deciding that she would likely not remember him. Instead he responded to the young woman in front of himself with a nod. "You have my word, as much as you can trust the word of a filthy Miroku such as myself." He remarked cheekily with an eyebrow raised, showing her that he had noticed her silent contempt of his clansmen.

With the two in high spirits, the waiter returned once more. However this time he did not look happy, he looked furious. "Sir, a Ms. Byakko Kyuji has just arrived. Do you mind explaining who you really are?!" He asked, bright red with fury. Riyota looked over to Suzume and winked. "Next lesson, escape! Good luck..." And with that and a puff a smoke, a log was left with a note reading "Sorry" pinned to it, the man was gone. For now, and Suzume had to decide if she would follow.

[Topic left]