Sad Boys [Private]

[Tatsuo]

Who would've guessed someone capable of throwing Rasengans, creating forests and fighting small armies would be found in a small noodle shop, drowning his sorrows in broth and beer. It was a strange sight to see as Tatsuo himself was a large man, sitting at a solid 6'2 he looked a bit goofy hanging off the barstool which was a size too small for him. But today he couldn't care. It wasn't typical for him to be in a mood like this, usually burning bright with the passion of his chipper attitude, but after certain failures, it always took him a few days to get out of a rut. After finishing another bowl and downing another beer he motioned for the kitchen to provide him another. One of the waitresses hesitant to hand over another drink, as it wasn't advisable to have drunk ninja running around, but the manager there waved a hand prompting her to hand it over.

After downing another beer as he waited for his next bowl he took a cursory scan of the establishment, seeing if anyone else had popped their head into the noodle shop. He typically came to this one because it was on the other side of town where he was used to staying and he'd be a bit embarrassed to be seen like this.

 

[Maikeru]

Another day, another bedpan scrubbed. Honestly, he wouldn't mind the menial work if he got paid a decent wage, or well, a wage at all... regardless, he still had the free coupon he had been given by Siu, so he supposed now was as good as a time as ever. The back of his palm lifted against the chest length curtain that separated the small noodle house from the outside world, brushing the light fabric from his face as he stepped inside. With a quick glance, more habit than intentional, he took stock of the room. It seemed that there was only one other man here, despite his large frame making the shop seemed more crowded than it really was.

Taking a seat next to the man, Maikeru looked to the chef behind the counter, who bowed at the entrance of another customer. Placing the folded piece of paper on the counter, he slid it across to the other man.

"One large beef udon, and the biggest cup of sake you have." He said simply, his blue eyes taking one last look at the coupon, making sure it was valid for what he wanted. Sometimes being a med nin really was hard.

Taking another look to the tree man, Maikeru raised a curious brow. It wasn't surprising that he didn't recognize the man, his schedule left little room for meeting someone outside of the hospital, outside of the random encounters he seemed to be having lately. Still, he had the look of a shinobi, so the two of them should have something in common. Pausing for a moment, he opened his mouth to speak, before closing it again.

"So... any reason for the sullen look and the copious amounts of beer?" He asked finally, his accent really coming through. He had been able to mask it a bit since he had come to the village, but, the fire country accent was still present even when hidden behind his poor impersonation of the cloud accent.

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo's attention diverted over to the Uchiha at this side, while a mug was raised to his face. It didn't take him long to recognize the fire country accent which typically would bring a goofy smile to his face but right now was no time for happy introductions. Shrugging his shoulders as he looked over the boy for a long moment, deciding if he should say anything but perhaps a sense of camaraderie found in a countryman would do. He seemed like a shinobi from a different branch and it wasn't like Tatsuo spent much time in the village anyways. Not like he would look too bad if he shared a few war stories. Shrugging his shoulders and bringing the mug down, cupping it in both of his hands he hung his head low and sighed. "Aye, I'm sure you would understand well. You ever fail to save someone?" he said his gaze turning from the bottle to the med-nin.

It wasn't often that Tatsuo had to face civilian casualties on a mission as few of his missions were in urban environments. "Sometimes I wonder what's the point of being strong if you can't save 'em you know?" he sat back in his chair folding his arms together as he let out another heavy sigh. "You'd think after the first couple deaths it would start to wear off ya' know?" he looked to the boy expectedly, hoping he would understand the same pain he was going through. "But it never gets better, the idea I could've done something better always bothers me. I train hard so I can help people, so when I can't it feels like whats the point? What's the point of being a shinobi if we can't save those who can't save themselves, know what I mean kid?"

 

[Maikeru]

Had he ever not been able to save someone? The thought brought a physical smile to his face before he laughed incredibly inappropriately at the mood that was hanging in the air like a choking smoke. Coughing into his hand to save face, he turned back to the bar as he was handed an obnoxiously large cup of sake. Lifting the wood to his lips before taking a sip of the warm liquid, his eyes narrowed into deep thought.

Asking Maikeru if he had ever failed to save someone was like asking if the sky was still blue. At this point in his life it was something he had accepted as fact. No matter how hard he trained, no matter how strong he got, he couldn't seem to save them. Ever.

"Aye, I failed to save my brothers, or avenge them. One of the people who murdered them in cold blood was promoted to Sennin I hear." Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he shook his head before taking another, large sip. "I suppose we stay shinobi because we don't really have many other options. What are we gonna do? Start herding farm animals? Maybe that would work for you, but..."

Shrugging his shoulders, the boy set his mug down, before rubbing at the cloth covering his left arm, over the Mark of the King. Yea, Maikeru often wondered why he continued with a profession that did nothing but ruin his life, send him farther down the Uchiha path of darkness that he had spent years avoiding. Fate was often cruel in it's humor, wasn't it?

"It seems like more often than not we fail to save, almost as if some cruel joke is being played on us by some outside force. Ya'know what I mean?" He asked, raising a curious eyebrow at the older sage. "I could tell you a story or two about that, but, I suppose that would require opening up to a stranger."

 

[Tatsuo]

For some strange reason when Maikeru laughed he felt a flush of relief come over him. Had someone asked him in the same situation, he probably would have done the same. It was just hard getting out of these ruts, shaking his head a bit trying to hide the smirk coming to his face he turned his attention to the shinobi at his side. Spinning himself around the stool he finally got his first good look at the younger shinobi and could tell he was all fire country.

As he explained his failures he felt a similar fire rising in him, especially when mentioning the promotion to Sennin. "Aye, I know what you mean. I left the village for similar reasons, that damn Takeshit or whatever his name was becoming Hokage, a disgrace to everything about the fire country," he said, the vitriol rolling off his tongue. Luckily for everyone involved another beer was quickly placed in front of him. Instead of chugging this one he began to sip and listen to what the Uchiha had to say. "I've thought about changing professions, you're right it doesn't feel great when it happens but I always end up coming back doing what I do. It feels like the only thing that's right? For a year or so I stopped being a shinobi, dropped off the face of the earth, became a boxer. Was tough suppressing my chakra all the time but most people don't know to check for natural energy anyway so it worked."

"I don't know about failing more often, might just need to train a little harder," he said offering him a light chuckle before bringing it back down with a sigh. "I failed a lot more when I was younger, it made me train harder than I ever could imagine. I thought once I was older, once I was strong I'd stop failing ya' know? That's why these bother me so much. It used to be a driving thing, but now it just kills me. When some damn kids life is taken away by some psycho and I could've stopped it had I just been a bit stronger, a bit faster, it just.. it stings ya' know?" He brought his glass down for a moment and stared at the wall. "It was a girl this time, couldn't have been any older than six or seven. She had a whole life in front of her you know? She'll never have a chance to do anything anymore. Such a precious and innocent life taken away for no damn reason. Disgusting."