I'm Sleeping Under the Dead Tree

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

Surprisingly, the light shredded through the thick clouds. She was actually walking about the day, as if she was like any other normal person. Her choice of scenic route wasn’t of the ordinary though. Of course, she was in Susukino, slinking about the back ways. Maybe she felt ashamed because she could never feel a part of the crowd, so she avoided everyone together. Perhaps it was because she clung onto her firm beliefs that no one was to be trust and everyone was to be hated. She wouldn’t risk accidentally stumbling over a stranger. To fall into another person’s life would be disastrous. For them or her, she wasn’t sure.

The district was particularly enchanting that late morning. Stumbling drunks and off duty prostitutes were just now heading back home after a night that would be forever hushed under their liquor stained breaths. The paths were all hushed into a calling calm of eerie silence and dead lullabies. The whole world had an overall gray cast, making her believe she was travelling through a time frozen world. The air was a bitter stab to her lungs, fall was taking its leave and winter was settling in.

She was bundled so prettily in a black pea coat, a blue scarf wrapped so snugly around her neck. Her chocolate curls spilled out from the black beret pinned to the top of her head. Those emerald eyes, so wide and deceptively innocent, watched her gray colored world with distance. She didn’t feel tied to her environment. It was like she had to connect herself with a string, not strong enough to firmly plant herself on the ground.

Everything felt withered. What the hell was she doing? The stillness of her plans was driving her mad. As always, Kotaza was left confused and frustrated with the choices. Paths were thrown down in front of her, a thousand thoughts screamed at her to pick one, and none of them moved her. Nothing ripped the bravado up through her soul and into action. She was still. A silent statue. A withering tree. A buried corpse.

The young Nara stood in between two rows of apartments that were at one time beautiful. Now time and evolution had driven away their glory. What was left was worn paint, withering rocks, and tacky apparel. Streamlines of laundry billowed softly in the brisk air, blotting out the sky. For what it was worth, she liked the laundry better than the boring clouds. She was halted by the scene. To most, it was ordinary life, but she felt a candid sensation about the scene that put her in on hold.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu leapt across another gap between the buildings, dashing over the rooftops like some sort of shinobi who didn't know what streets were for. He had spent many years moving through the Susukino District and new many pathways, but had always preferred the rooftops. Something about traveling so high in the sky made him feel good, like he was leaving any problems behind on the ground. Besides that, there was always that momentary thrill from passing over gaps between buildings. Would he make it? The answer was without a doubt yes, but the adrenaline still came, as if he body wasn't so sure as his mind was. He loved that feeling- it was something he sought every day in various ways. Why was he crossing over Dawnbringer Square that day? Ayumu had just finished dropping off another box of his belongings at his new quarters within the Sileo, and was now returning to his former apartment for another box full.

It was an arduous process to move his stuff one box at a time, but he was, for lack of a more flattering term, cheap, and did not want to pay for any moving. Besides that, he wasn't sure if the Sileo would let movers in deliver his stuff. Nobody had told him, so he was handling it the only way he knew how. At least the furniture was supplied- he was selling his former furniture to the one that would be moving in to the apartment after him. It was no luxury suite, but it had served him well with its location in the Dawnbringer's Plaza, as he was sure it would serve the next person well. After a few more buildings passed, he had reached the building next to his former apartment. He sighed with a feeling of nostalgia as he looked at the dilapidated old building that housed his small starter apartment. He had only been there for a couple of years, but it was his home for a while.

"Ahh well, no time for sentimental crap," he whispered to himself as he stepped over the ledge of the top of the building across an alley from his building. He dropped down in to the alley, prepared to cut through it to the main street and the entrance to the building, empty box in hand. As he landed, however, he found before him a woman whom he had not seen from atop the building. She had been obscured from his view by the lines of laundry that stretched across the alley over her head. The suddenness with which Ayumu had fallen from the sky and landed but a few feet from the woman might have shocked her, with as lost in thought as she seemed to have been.

"Sorry- didn't startle you did I?" he asked as he stood up to full height, holding his box in one hand hanging at his side. She had been standing there when he noticed her, not actively walking towards or away from the street. Maybe she had been waiting for someone or something? It struck him as a bit odd for her to be stopped in an empty alley.

"What are you doing here? You're not going to mug me, are you?" he said with a laugh accompanied by a grin. He was obviously joking, but his sense of humor was a bit off from the normal. Of course she wasn't going to mug him. Looking at her, she seemed so bright and innocent. Her clothing, her hair, her eyes, all added up to a pretty young woman- definitely not a mugger. Then again, looks could be deceiving, especially in the shinobi world. He himself was dressed in an unbuttoned dark green jacket with a slightly oversized collar, a white long sleeved shirt (text obscured by the jacket), blue jeans, brown boots, and naturally his glasses. One could speculate over whether or not he would mug somebody given the right opportunity, but the glasses usually cast him in a harmless light.

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

He fell from the sky, like an angel. He kicked over and shattered what little bit of serenity she received from her peaceful scene. The glasses on his face reflected the dull light of the sun as he stood up in full height. She was so diminutive in comparison, only standing at five foot and four inches. Her emerald eyes flashed with a subtle disbelief. Men were not normally falling left and right around her anymore. No, they didn’t fall because of her beauty, because she wasn’t the kind of pretty that would drive men to tear down walls. It was because of what she had done. The death and destruction she caused.

But, here she was now faced with an unidentified person who had rained down. She shook her head barely to indicate her unshaken status. There was a jaded gaze that filled her eyes as she examined him from head to toe. He was seemingly harmless, but she wasn’t entirely convinced. Apparently she wasn’t the only one to be so wary of strangers. Who was he to ask what she was doing? He was the one that dropped on her.

She took the moment to piece apart his smile. His grin was so foreign. She was used to the haughty smirks of dark shadows and hateful murderers. The essence of a calm and sunny day rested on his lips, in the first smile and laugh she had heard in a long time. That was when her cold face infested with irritation changed into a surrendering smile. The corner of her lips only slightly turned upwards as she let a small laugh out.

“I’m not going to mug you.” The sweet tone of her voice bubbled forth into the icy air. “And, shouldn't it be me asking you that question? You’re the one who dropped on me.” Kotaza mused, a dark eyebrow raised as she let her grin grow wider. “Kotaza.” She introduced herself, holding out a fragile hand.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Her response made him laugh again as he supposed that she was right. To be fair, she was certainly there first and therefore had more right to ask questions of him. Or so normal etiquette would suggest, but he wasn't prone to get that right on the first try. Still, he was glad her at first gloomy appearance had approved a bit. She held out her hand to him in greeting and he took a few steps forward to accept the gesture, giving a slight bow as he introduced himself. A very slight bow, like the kind that didn't seem entirely serious, more playful than anything. Then again, that was his personality, so that description was probably accurate.

"Ayumu," he said in response, offering up his first name alone as she had. He released her hand and stepped back a bit, lifting the box up and slinging it over his back. He supposed he had time for a little chat, he was feeling a little lazy and didn't really want to go pack another box right that instance anyway. The last box had been particularly heavy consisting of quite a few books stacked a bit too high. On his way to the Sileo one of his hands had accidentally slipped from the box as he made a jump between buildings and the whole thing had ended up overturned in the alley below. THAT had been a very frustrating moment. He was pretty sure some kid had run off with one of his books while he was picking a few up, too. That was behind him now, he would let it go some day. He adjusted his glasses just so that the glare completely obscured his eyes for a moment.

"Anywho. As for what I'm doing here, my former apartment is in the building here," he said, angling a thumb in the direction of the wall opposite the one he had descended from in the alley. Now that he thought about it, it probably did seem quite odd that he had fallen from the sky with an empty cardboard box in hand and asked her what she was doing. Still, he was curious why she was in the dark alley of all places in Dawnbringer Square. Why, there were many fine restaurants, markets, or anywhere that was not in a random alley.

"I still want to know what you're doing in such a shady place, though," he reiterated, hoping that she would give him the answer this time. "It's kinda depressing to hang out in alleys, y'know?" he said as he flipped the box over his shoulder to his front once more and began trying to balance it on a corner on the open palm of his hand. It nearly fell off before he managed to catch it with the other hand.

"You're not depressed are you?" he asked, though he wasn't realistically expecting her to say yes to that. She was smiling, after all! Then again, there was the whole hanging out in a dark alley thing. You couldn't ignore that. Ayumu was just passing through, don't judge him.

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

Ayumu was his name and she silently thanked him for the genuine smile. It appeared that he was moving into the area. She wondered why he’d want to live in such a low area like this. It made her think back to when she was younger and living on her own. Her small apartment had been nestled in an alleyway such as this. Although it wasn’t much, Kotaza had always preferred it to the elegant estate that belonged to the Nara. She felt more at home there than she ever did in the halls of lies of the Nara mansion resting in the Seki district. She wanted to leave and go back to another apartment, but it was better for both her children if she stayed with them.

After all, there was no one better to be raised by than her father. At least in that domain, her father would always be there for Yoku and Yukimi. She didn’t deserve a mother of the year award, for certain. Hell, she never even wanted them. Now that they were here though, Kotaza wanted to at least attempt parenting. She couldn’t think of anyone better to watch and learn from than Mashuko. Although, his children really didn’t say the best of his track record. He couldn’t be blamed for their countless mistakes.

She hadn’t quite dodged Ayumu’s question as he unearthed it again. Was it really so weird to run around in dark streets? Kotaza laughed in her head. She was a kunoichi, it wasn’t like anything would be too dangerous. As for depressing, well, maybe only she saw the beauty in the sordid streets. Her glistening gems of green stardust twinkled as they gazed around their surroundings. The billowing laundry created a subtle and sultry music to their conversation.

Ayumu decided to take it a step further. She snapped her head back to squarely look him in the eyes. She had the cruelest note to actually answer it. However, she let a few moments pass between them. Weighing the choice of her words, Kotaza wanted to pick just the right thing to say to pull out what kind of person he really was.

“No.” She enforced with a cold stare. “I just was admiring the scenery. There is something beautiful about what is normally perceived as dangerous, ugly, or unwanted. No one else takes the time to look at it and for one moment, you can be completely alone…Just taking in all that you see by yourself. No one can bother you or tell you it’s wrong. That is,” and she glanced up at him after gazing at the sky, “until some man falls from the heavens.” She smiled at that.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The way Kotaza's head suddenly became quite rigid as she stared directly at Ayumu in silence for a moment, it was fairly clear to him that she hadn't liked that question. He had meant it as a joke, but he was now wondering if he was closer to the truth than he thought. She denied it, however, and her expression informed him that he had best accept it as truth. At last, she came to tell him what she was spending her time in the alleyway for, and it was not what he had expected. He hadn't really known what to expect, because after all, what did one do in an alleyway but pass through it? Of the things he could have imagined, however, taking in the scenery was not high on the list. As she spoke about the hidden value of the alley, he could see a spark of admiration in her green eyes. She really did find it beautiful.

Taking a few steps towards the street, Ayumu stopped near where she stood and dropped back against the wall and dropped the cardboard box beside him. He tilted his head up to see what she was seeing. The several lines of laundry and linen wafted gently in the breeze, the brightness of the sky dancing around between the clothing articles as they fluttered. He could see, admittedly, where there was something pleasing about watching it. It was peaceful in a way, even if it felt a little strange still to be watching other people's clothing. He looked down the alley as well which was empty save for a few dumpsters against the buildings. No matter how he tried to justify it, he couldn't truly see it as "beautiful scenery" per say, but he could not say that she was wrong for thinking so herself.

"Hmph. Sorry for interrupting your alley viewing session with my thoughtless... falling," he responded to her with a bit of a smirk that implied he wasn't really sorry. He placed his hands behind his head and returned his gaze to Kotaza, curiosity evident in his expression. What did she see in this place? Was she really here just to check out a few laundry lines and dumpsters? He tilted his head up once more and looked at the lines above. A variety of clothing hung overhead, but his eyes stopped on one article in particular. A pair of stark white boxers with ridiculous red hearts patterned across it stood out from the rest like a sore thumb.

"Ahhh, I think I see what caught your eye now," he said, pointing his index finger in the direction of the obnoxious unmentionables strung up nearest to the window on one side. He couldn't help but laugh, knowing that if they were up there to be dried, that certainly meant that somebody had washed them, that somebody had actually worn them.

"Must be wondering where you can purchase a pair for your very own, am I right?" he asked, looking down with a toothy grin. He laughed again, shaking his head still in a bit of disbelief that the garments he had pointed out actually belonged to somebody.

"But really, why don't you show me what it is you find beautiful here?" he asked, lifting his arms to gesture around the alley.

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

That fact that he took what she actually said, and thought about it was enough to make her interested in him. She didn’t expect him to actually care what she said. Kotaza was preparing for him to believe it was total bullshit. To be fair, it wasn’t, but she’d never say anything like that out loud on a normal basis. It was just better than answering the alternative. She wondered why a perfect stranger like him would say such a thing? Why was he even interested to stay? It wouldn’t have been difficult to just pick up his box and leave. She would of done that.

Her focused was derived from Ayumu while he took his time to observe the surroundings. She paced with slow, deliberate steps which came to a halt when he pointed upwards at the clothes. Her emerald eyes followed the path to see what he was talking about. She laughed alongside him, completely caught off guard by his foolishness. Her laugh was so innocent and sweet, like a young child. It was the same laugh from her childhood. Since it never carried into her adulthood, it hadn’t evolved with age but remained the same. A preserved sound from her past. She shook her head, protesting against wanting such a fine pair of boxers.

Her eyes drew to him as he gestured outwards at the cramp surrounding. She took the moment to breath the cold air and reflect. Smoothly, she traipsed towards him with a gentle sway until her body almost rested against his. Then, she pointed upwards at lines of garments that blotted the cloudy sky. “Here, look, I know it may just seem like a bunch of wet laundry to you, but it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than clouds. People normally hide everything about themselves, but I can see traces of these people. Mister Heart Boxers, well he’s probably some lonely middle aged man, because what wife would let their husband wear those? He probably use to be some Casanova back in his time, but his foolery caused him to end up alone. And even if that isn’t true, I just had a damn good time making that shit up.” Her hand drew back to her side.

She still remained close to him. Kotaza really didn’t notice or understand that this was probably uncomfortable for him. The young shadow master never was taught the concept of acceptable distance and touching. “And listen,” she whispered softly near him, her breath created a small cloud as the warm air from her body hit the outside. Her blossoming lips of soft pink dissolved into a contemplating frown. They stood in silence for a few moments. “Not a sound. It’s just me- and you, “she added quickly. “It’s like the whole world is frozen inside some kind of picture.” A slight smile and quick glance from her dazzling eyes went his way.

“Now tell me, Ayumu, why do you prefer to travel by sky?”

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu was asking for her point of view, hoping that she would share with him that which she called beautiful. He really wasn't expecting her to show him so directly. As she drew close, he took a short breath and then held it, pressing his back up against the wall. At his sides, his hands were flat on the surface behind him. He watched her closely, uncertain of what she was doing and why she was suddenly so close. Indeed he was quite uncomfortable with a woman so close, especially one he didn't know. His face felt hot, but his eyes followed her pointing to the clothing lines once more. He calmed slightly now that he wasn't looking directly at her and listened, nodding slowly as she explained her theory. He even thought that it could be true, at least until she admitted that she was probably just making shit up. He laughed, shaking his head.

"Nice. Real nice. I bought it, but hey, you could be right, I suppose," he said as he made a point not to look at her in order to maintain his cool. Despite his age, he hadn't really had any experience with girls, so something like this was quite awkward for him. He tried to distract himself by looking at the other clothing items and trying to make up stories for them, though he only got part way through one story before she whispered and his eyes were drawn to the cloud from her breath in the cold air. He glanced at her briefly, then away as he listened for whatever it was he was supposed to hear. He narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion as no sound came, and then she explained.

"When you put it that way, it does seem special in a way. Out in the streets you wouldn't be able to escape the constant sound," he said as he marveled at his realization of how quiet it really was. He adopted a nervous smile, not thinking about the proximity issue he was facing at the moment. He focused on her question, trying to decide on a single thing he liked about traveling over the rooftops. There were quite a few things really.

"What's not to like? Nice view of the sky, high enough up to see everything below. You can watch people, if that's your thing, or just see the bustle of the streets in general without getting bogged down in it. If I had to name one thing I enjoy the most, it's the rush of jumping the gaps between the rooftops. The rush- it's almost like flying for brief periods of time," he explained, listing several of his top reasons for rooftop traveling. Of course, it was not uncommon for a shinobi to take to the roofs or travel through tree limbs, but that was more so for efficiency usually. He had many reasons that were not quite so practical, but that was not a bad reason either, but not really important to him.

"I like the feeling of adrenaline it brings. I often seek out that feeling, you know?" he said, still avoiding looking in to those sparkling pools of green that seemed to be drilling into him. How could she not be embarrassed? Fortunately, at the very least, at least he wasn't sweating. The cold was eliminating that possibility.

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

He came alive at her simple question. She couldn’t help but smile straight at him. The sparks flew in his eyes, chattering off as she would if there was something of interest to talk about. Kotaza had to agree that the sense of flight was liberating. A cruel trick for humans to experience at least a few times in their lives. She remembered being younger and doing the same thing he did. Back when she felt invincible and full of clarity. Alas, the skies were not for her anymore. She was tied down by the burdens of her past. There were too many sins to wash away before she’d reward herself with any sense of freedom.

His love for an adrenaline rush was very trademark in many shinobi. Perhaps it was a encoded strand of their DNA. But, something about him made her catch the scent that he was more a risk taker than other ninja. Which made her believe that maybe he had some special niche within the system of Kumogakure’s force. She got along with her gut and ask about it eventually. For now, the young woman stood before Ayumu with a pondering expression. She too went out to find that exhilarating feeling of adrenaline being pumped through her brain. Although, she always ended up in more dangerous situations than jumping from one roof to the next. Often at the end of a threat, Kotaza was sure to seek her thrills.

“Hmm, I do know the feeling. Although, I don’t take to the skies. I’ve grounded myself.” She looked straight up, her emerald eyes absorbing the color of the grey sky within them. Strands of her curly chestnut hair fell softly from her face. It wasn’t until just then that she realized how close she actually was too the man. “Oh…” She gazed back down, her eyes direct and even with his. The Nara took one swift step backwards, still within his reach. “You could of pushed me away. Sorry, I have spatial problems.” A smile crossed that often troubled face.

“Ayumu, are you a member of the main branch?” She tilted her head slightly. The cold air passed between the two. Giving and taking, they exhausted their recycled breaths between the two of them.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Completely unaware of the depressing thoughts Kotaza was having, Ayumu was still frozen in place as the woman responded to him, looking up at the sky. He wondered why exactly she had "grounded" herself- why would anybody deny themselves the joy of dashing across rooftops as shinobi did. She said that she knew the feeling, so she had done so before. Why stop? He pondered this for exactly five seconds before she looked back down and managed to catch his eyes with her own. Their eyes locked briefly. 'Oh no... she's not going to-' he panicked in thought, but fortunately she briskly stepped away, at last giving him some breathing room. He let out a sigh of relief and placed his hand on his chest.

"I couldn't exactly just unceremoniously push you... but don't worry, it's fine," he lied, as he recovered from his miniature heart attack. Perhaps there was the option of pushing her away, but the thought hadn't occurred to him. To push her away would have been prudent, perhaps, but quite mean. While he wasn't always very careful about what he said, he was at least considerate enough not to shove a woman. Regardless, he had been too preoccupied with panicking to think of such an idea. Her question barely registered with him as he recovered, which was perhaps why he gave the answer he did so fluidly.

"Yep," he said quite easily, only realizing that his answer was false a moment after he had already given it. He had only just recently become a part of the ANBU branch as a trainee. Until then, he had been in the main branch for several years. Less than a month ago, his answer would have been true, and he would have been speaking as a Jounin. There was no official written rule that stated that ANBU members could not tell others they were ANBU, but it was strongly frowned upon from what he had gathered. He had quite a bit of experience being a main branch shinobi, so impersonating one wouldn't be hard. Still, no need to spend too much time on the topic.

"But man, you really do have to work on the proximity thing. I was worried you were going to kiss me for a moment. And fortunately for you, I am a gentleman," he said as he placed his hands over his face. Despite being gloved, they were still cool and helped to lower the temperature of his face which had gotten a bit warm over the past few moments.

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

She took his easy reply with a smile. He obviously wasn’t fond of talking about his occupation with a complete stranger. Kotaza could understand that. Still, she had the feeling that there was more to him than just being a regular. Maybe he was a Sensei. Or something important. The young shadow master wasn’t going to spend her time prying. She knew how irritating it could be. And he certainly didn’t egg her on when she coldly replied to his depression question. Those were sort of things that could only be discussed between close friends. Well, Kotaza didn’t have any friends to talk about it with. Somehow Souseiki always got her to talk, but often the words weren’t right. They were always directed in anger. The truth was distorted between the Jounin and Sennin.

He seemed generally relieved to not have her near anymore. She really didn’t get why he was so spazzed by it. Kotaza was only a woman. Not a drop dead gorgeous one either. Just pretty enough. It made her wonder how warped her little mind was. Maybe she was just too much of a flirt and didn’t realize it. Unfortunately, actions such as this had gotten her into too much trouble in the past. She watched him carefully as he expressed his relief. Finally, she let out a sad laugh, shaking her head.

Men…What a bunch of bastards.

“A gentleman, huh? I don’t think they exist. And, don’t worry…” She began to stroll away from him slowly. “I wouldn’t kiss a complete stranger. I’m not that big of a tramp.” She winked with a little smirk. The woman thought for a moment, letting the wind skip across her face. Her back was turned to Ayumu. “Do you need help?” She turned back to him and pointed at his boxes.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu had managed to settle down, and was now thinking about what he had just said. It was a joke, but he had a strange sense of humor that not everyone understood- especially not strangers. Was she upset? He lowered his hands from his face which had been adequately cooled and found that she was walking away slowly. He worried for a moment, but then she winked and gave a smirk reassuring him that she wasn't offended.

"I hope it was clear enough, but that was a joke. You have not given me the impression of a tramp, you can rest easy," he said, as he picked up his single large cardboard box and stepped away from the wall. He slung it over his back holding it up with two fingers and walked to the middle of the alley as he watched Kotaza walk away. He guessed their little meeting was over with now. So he thought, until she suddenly turned back and asked if he needed any help. His eyebrows raised slightly as he blinked a few times staring at her in surprise. A moment ago, she had called him a complete stranger, but now she was offering to give him a hand. It seemed he had met a kind woman in that shady alley.

He was not too proud to accept help from someone he didn't know. The only issue with accepting her help was that where he was moving was the Sileo. Non-ANBU were not allowed in the ANBU headquarters... they weren't really even supposed to know about it, from what he had heard. He scratched his head a little as he contemplated how to reply. He didn't want to decline both because she could be helpful and because she might take it the wrong way. An idea quickly came to him. So long as she didn't accompany him all the way to the Sileo, she would never know that was where he was headed. He only had one box, so it wasn't as if she would need to carry anything. He could make it there on his own just as he planned and she could simply help him pack a few things.

"How can I say no? That would be helpful, thanks... so long as you don't mind coming up to my apartment here," he said, pointing to the building next to them with his thumb. He made his way down the alley walking briskly until he had caught up with Kotaza and then headed towards the street, rounding the corner to approach the entrance to the building. When they reached it, he would open the door for Kotaza like a gentleman, although it was really just a set up to what he was about to say.

"You're not going to murder me when we reach the privacy of my apartment are you? Anyway, why wouldn't you think gentlemen exist?" he asked, although some part of him realized if she answered it would probably be filled with bitter stories about men. Chalk it up to his curiosity, something that went hand-in-hand with his reckless nature.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

[Okay... I guess I'm gonna have to go ahead and leave this one due to inactivity. It was fun while it lasted. Let's say she gave him a hand packing a few things then they parted ways as he went to the Sileo with his box o stuff.]

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