Finally Out of the Dredges [Private/Onamuji]

[Hanone]

Things change so quickly. Last time the man had laid eyes on his brotherly companion, Onamuji, the two had been sure of Koho's intent to never return to them and now...

Now she was going to be his wife.

The man was distressed from the suddenness of it and the emotions that had flooded both the red queen and her knight. He had agreed to marry her because he loved her and she could not leave him... but he did not accept marriage, he could not understand it's value and it was one of the few things he feared in life. He needed to see his chosen-brother again, for his aid and words. He could always take council with him.

Saemon had sent Onamuji a letter two nights past asking him to meet him at the one of the finest dining restaurants in the Golden District; the Crested Mare. The golden district was a place those with money shopped and those with fancy titles lived. All around him were women with jewels strewn about their... everything and men with too much money to need to join the shinobi ranks. A small group of younger women sat nearby his own table, giggling and twirling their stupidly made up hair. They were old enough to bed, but everything about them made him feel ill and disgusted. Not one of them knew what it meant to kill a man, to be take a hostage or to fight for their lives. They were weak and their money made them foul and rank like rotten meat.

Sae looked away, resisting the urge to punch a hole through each of their pretty little faces.

A waiter appeared next to Saemon. He too looked down on the man in a T-shirt and black pants, his face scruffy as always and his hair unkempt. "Can I help you today sir?" Saemon almost didn't answer him. But it wouldn't do. He was here to meet Onamuji and treat the man to some of the best food in Suna; it was the least he could do. "Two crystal waters. My companion will be here soon." Water was not free in Suna. In fact it costed nearly more than things like milk and fruit juices. Crystal water was pure, underground water that had been purified with a special chakra treatment. It was perfect to say the least.

The man nodded and walked away to fetch the drinks. Saemon was left waiting, his hand propping his chin up. He tried not to listen to everyone else's conversations. The restaurant was pretty busy today.

 

[Onamuji]

Dressed in stately robes, Muji entered the Crested Mare, looking like a strange piece of the spectrum where shinobi and aristocrat met. It fit his self-prescribed role of sage, even in a social setting that pandered less to warriors and more toward...well, the hardest opposite. Despite his undeniable fate as a shinobi in the most traditional sense, given his ancestry, he looked surprisingly fit for the posh crowd. Though, that was less to do with his clothing and more to do with the fact that he was a beautiful man. Fit, devoid of scars, long-haired...he was a pretty boy as far as outward appearances go. Like Saemon, however, there was an angel of death beneath the surface. Perhaps that's why they got along so well...

Casting a sidelong glance at the gaggle of giggling girls, Muji sighed. They were worth some interest, but seemed so shallow. Fun was fun, and he was hardly one to demean any woman or view a casual encounter as demeaning, but something about them made it seem unavoidable.

Shaking his head, Muji took a seat opposite his friend.

"An interesting choice of scenery," the sage noted with a grin, "It sparks my curiosity even further, I'll admit. What's the occasion, Sae?"

Playfully pretending to think to himself, the auburn-haired man raised an eyebrow and bit his lip as he recounted, "It's not my birthday, since...well, I have no idea when my birthday would be. It's...not your birthday. Then again, I don't know when that is, either. I'm at a loss!"

 

[Hanone]

Saemon saw the man approaching before he met the table. And so did the girls. His beautiful, sculpted face took their attention away from the scruffy beast. Made sense, and thank gods. But then... he was about to sit down with him... sigh...

The waiter slipped in as Onamuji came to the table, setting himself down with that usual haughty air about him. The server set the water before both of them then left, it was obvious they wouldn't be ready to order anything. Saemon didn't rise to greet his friend, but nodded his head instead. He allowed the man a quick guess as to the reason for the meeting and in the place, then corrected him with a companionable humor, "No, but then I don't celebrate my birthday and why would I celebrate yours?" The man took a drink of the fine liquid and relished the clear, unmurky flavor.

"No, there's a reason and I'm sure you already knew; she's back." There was only one she. He was sure Onamuji knew, but how much he knew was the real reason. Saemon made it simple for him. He lifted his left hand. Clutching to his left 3rd finger was a plain, solid gold band. He was engaged now, not quite married but soon. "I dont' know how it happened. One minute I was going to lose her, the other..." he shrugged and dropped the hand back to the table.

 

[Onamuji]

"You're getting married," Muji concluded unceremoniously, with a raised brow. He wasn't sure what to make of it, and it showed. He never was very good at lying or emotional pillow-fighting. His reaction was plain to see. It just...didn't make sense.

After a moment of contemplation and awkward silence, the sage explained, "Forgive my hesitation. I'm not sure what to think. The last I left her, she was marrying the Mizukage without a moment's hesitation. It's hard to fathom her coming here and rushing so quickly into another marriage. The logic of it escapes me."

Truly, the normally wise Rikudo Sennin was stumped by the prospect. Koho didn't make it a habit to follow logic, but Muji imagined that something so major would hold some shreds of logic to be discovered and followed. At the moment, he was at a loss.

"Is...this what you want?" the auburn-haired gentleman asked plainly, his amethyst eyes watching for a reaction.

 

[Hanone]

"Mhmm." Was his first reaction, but his eyes followed his hand to the table. IF there was anyone to be honest to, it was Onamuji. Roku didn't even know him like the man sitting across from him did. He could feel his eyes on him and he didn't shy from it. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat then said in a low tone, "Of course it isn't what I want." Only a moment of hesitation.

Saemon had had the last few days to think about it and since saying yes and slipping on a ring, he'd crushed his thoughts of it back to where 'marriage' usually rested in his opinion, under his fuckin' boot. He loathed the idea. Being with someone, loving them, understanding them.. that was different. Marriage was...

Sighing Saemon slid the hand back off the table and into his lap. "I love her, but what there was between us is gone or at least, soiled. What she did..." he grinned and looked up at the man. "Even if I was okay with marriage, how can I marry someone who still wants you inside her?" It wasn't exactly meant as a cut, but well, what woman didn't think about Onamuji that way when they saw him? But it was just that; she was not suitable wife material. He was not suitable husband material, of course he hadn't brought that up before. Not exactly.

He was about to say more when the waiter returned, only slightly eager to take their orders. "Have you decided, sirs?" he asked, his nose turned up.

Saemon contemplated putting his fist through the man's teeth. "No, fuck off already." he uttered. The man seemed baffled at first, then snapped his little ordering book shut and stomped back away from their table. When he gone again, the mountain leaned back in his chair, taking on a less than gentlemanly posture. "Koho isn't my only companion either. I have two other...s." He fished for a word, but lamely just stuck on an s at the end. "And I was supposed to cut it off with them both, play the nice husband, but I can't. Koho left, went to be with another man, I wasn't her puppy." There was anger creeping into his voice, whether it was at her or himself was up to someone else to decide.

 

[Onamuji]

Muji sighed, in that tired way he usually did when he was forced to make sense of something beyond his understanding. This whole experience made him thankful he had remained single. Not all women were like Koho, but as far as Muji was concerned, this was a typical scenario - or it would be, in his case. However, this was more dire than a simple fit of jealousy. He could almost sense it.

"It may sound childish, but...that's also part of why I left her in Kirigakure," the sage admitted with a very slight shrug, "We stood, threatened and insulted by two men. I could've crippled them both, then and there, at the expense of my life - killed one or both of them, even. However, I chose to use some sense and logic, despite how determined they were to keep such things out of the picture. I thought it a sick joke when the man demanded her hand in marriage in return for asylum and status as a Kiri-nin...yet she did not even hesitate. That....that was when I knew my time at her side was over. Something in her eyes at that moment told me. It wasn't love for that man, it wasn't anything tangible...it was just a dim flame that let me know that, for all we three had together, she had just tossed us aside - both of us."

Taking a deep, exhausted breath, the sage ran a hand through his long, copper-toned hair and glanced down at the table. Subconsciously, his pearly whites started pressing on the inside of his bottom lip, gently as he let his thoughts gather once more.

"I cannot blame you for your actions. I may not be the best person to say it, but marriage cannot exist between multiple lovers. I could say it would, but it wouldn't be what it should be. If your heart has found others, so be it. As far as I'm concerned, Koho broke our contract in Mist by aligning herself with powers beyond our control and marrying the Mizukage. However...we both know she won't think so..." the Rikudo Sennin warned, raising an eyebrow as he continued to stare at the table below.

 

[Hanone]

He loved her. Saemon always would. In his heart, it was the red woman who really owned his being, yet.. he couldn't give himself to her, not completely. She had turned away and though he loved her, she had damaged them. He blamed her as much as he blamed himself.

The taller man reached out wearily and gripped onto the straw sticking out of his water. He swirled the liquid around slowly, watching the clear ice-cubes dance around after the tube. There was no doubt he could pull a tie between anything he saw right now and Koho, so he didn't think about it anymore. Stupid ice cubes, stupid straw... He let it go and sighed, hearing what his companion was saying, but looking as if he did not. He was not much good at looking people in the eye.

He wondered to himself, just how badly she had hurt Onamuji with her actions and felt pity for them both. They were fools, boys.. she'd known what she was doing. "Well I suppose she gave me a taste for fractional relationships." Saemon interjected when the subject of his multiple attachments were broached on by the slimmer man. His eyes moved over from table to table, finally coming back to rest on the one with the young girls. One noticed and blushed, then squeaked to her friends. "I still want to be with Koho, in a fashion. I still want to protect her, aid her, fuck her." he said, bluntly, "And love her, but I don't think it will exist for us anymore. She..." his lips twitched, "won't even want me to touch her again. Hand, foot, shoulder.. nothing."

I think she coined the phrase for me once, ""What's mine is mine." I'e been using it ever since. Thing is.. fuck man I don't know." He closed his eyes and imagined her red hair, her strong perfume and the ore sultry smells her body possessed. It was a line of thinking he needed to stop. So he changed the smell in his mind. Vanilla. Warm, sweet vanilla. And then he knew what he wanted to say.

"Mio is one of them. I was seeing her before I started protecting Koho." which meant about 6 months before he started sleeping with the red lady. "But she's become more like a good friend than anything else. I care for her, but it's not physical like it used to be. She's kinda fragile." He spoke about the younger girl first, because it was the latter he wanted to speak of. Muji, he knew, he could always tell anything.

He was about to bring her up, when the waiter returned, his face sour. Rolling his eyes, Saemon picked up his menu and scanned over the front page. Cactus drinks, lizard cheese dip, rockwall snake slices... Gross. Then he spotted the only appropriate thing. "Right, biggest ox steak you have, cooked rare, leave off the green shit." I.E. vegetables. The waiter jotted it down then turned to Onamuji.

"And you sir?"

 

[Onamuji]

"Just a seasoned pork kabab, please," the sage answered, his menu still flat and unopened on the table, "Well done, but not burnt."

Normally, he wasn't much for a big lunch. And while a single kabab wouldn't strike many as much more than an appetizer, the truth was that the Sunan boars were rather large and the kababs were made from their meat. Naturally, these kababs weren't your average piece of meat on a stick. The piece itself was the length of the plate, and about half of it in girth. As the Sunan boars were dangerous creatures to hunt, their meat was somewhat of a delicacy. This particular day, Onamuji decided he would partake.

With his order - and the waiter - out of the way, he clasped his hands together and eyed Saemon for a moment.

"You know Koho as well, probably better than I do. She's not exactly the selfless type. When she says 'hers', she means hers. She could lay with any man she pleased, because it meant more for her. The moment you slept with another woman, you challenged that idea. You were no longer hers," Muji explained.

And she wouldn't handle that well, he thought. He wouldn't say that out loud, of course, but it most certainly clung to his mind.

Placing his hands on the table, the sage tapped an idle index finger on the surface and stared at his glass of water for a moment before concluding, "I will talk to her about it."

Raising an eyebrow, the auburn-haired man looked to Sae and tried to push the mood a different direction.

"Tell me more about these other women. Forgive me for saying so, but 'fragile' doesn't seem your type. Nor does having a woman as a good friend," he noted with a wry grin, "How curious."

"And what of the other one? Would I know her?" he asked.

[MFT | WC: 317]