Winner Winner Dango Dinner

[Saitou Rei]

As the sun began to set, the brightness of the afternoon giving way to the pinks and blues of twilight, two young figures made their way through the still busy streets of the Red Oak District. The breeze that had danced in the leaves and been a welcome reprieve from the hot sun during their spar now felt chilly; Reicheru had taken the scarf from her neck and wrapped it around her arms like a shawl until she and Maikeru made their way into Azumi's Dango Shop, where she would return the article to its proper place.

"One order of Nikudango for me. No tea, just water, thanks. Also, whatever this guy is having," she said, pointing a thumb toward Maikeru with a smile as an employee looked to take their order. As her friend placed his order, Reicheru looked around and took note of the other patrons. There was one table where two older women sat, who had seemed to take notice of the younger pair as well as she had taken note of them. Both smiled with a knowing look, nodding in approval. Confusion hit first, then realization hit as the young girl's cheeks flushed red and her eyes shot wide open. "No - I lost a bet." Reicheru mouthed to the grandmotherly figures without actually saying a word while Maikeru was still looking toward the waiter, hoping he wouldn't catch on. The older women nodded, but still smiled. Reicheru turned away, wishing her meatballs would appear instantaneously to give her something less awkward to focus on.

As the waiter went back behind the counter with their order and the chef went to work, Reicheru pursed her lips and tried to think of what to say. Maikeru was her friend, this had never been hard before. Those old women had gotten in her head. That or the fact that she had just used almost all of her chakra and been beaten like a rug. One of those for sure. "So… you fight good…" Yup. Great. 'Kill me.'

 

[Maikeru]

"Uh, yea, I'll have what she's having." He said, as he noted Reicheru turning back to some of the other compatriots in the restaurant. Whatever she was up to, though, he couldn't quite make out. "Except, I will have that tea. Oolong, if you have it."

With the waiter gone, Maikeru turned his attention back to his friend. She sure was acting weird, why would she be blushing? It wasn't hot out, in fact it was unseasonably cold. Did she see a cute guy she liked? Maikeru took a quick glance around the restaurant, and noted a few guys that would probably be up to her standards. Then again, he wasn't quite sure what she looked for in a guy. Hm.

With a shrug, he removed his mask from his face and set it on the table in front of him, as well as removing the long trench coat and gloves he had been wearing. He folded them neatly, and set them on the stool next to him. The sleeveless shirt he wore underneath it felt nice, the cool night air running along his arns as the heat from the nearby stove warmed them. He ran a hand through his mess of black hair, 'tidying it' as best as he could. Which was not at all.

"So… you fight good…"

The comment from Reicheru brought a smile and a small chuckle to the Uchiha. She seemed nervous, and he couldn't quite figure out why. Regardless, he simply nodded at the girl, before responding.

"Yes.. I fight real good." He said, giving her a teasing wink. "You shouldn't feel bad, Reicheru. I'm a bit older, and both my parents are ex-jonin who now teach at the academy. I've been training since I was like.. four. I guess you could say I've been going to the academy longer than anyone else."

He cocked his head as he noticed something on the girls face, a small black smudge from when they had been fighting. It looked like ash from one of his jutsu, whoops. With a laugh, he pointed a finger at her.

"You got something on your.. right.. here, just let me." He moved his hand to her face, rubbing his thumb a few times along the dirty spot, before removing it. "There, much better."

 

[Saitou Rei]

Though Maikeru teased her slip up, Reicheru was able to relax a bit as he explained his experience in training and at the academy. That was more familiar territory than whatever had been rattling around in her mind before. Opening her mouth to comment, she was cut off by a finger wagging in her face, followed by Maikeru rubbing a spot on her face that was presumably dirty from their fight. Grimacing in embarrassment, gave a light laugh and scratched her head. "Heh, thanks…" she paused, and feeling more herself after his almost brotherly act of embarrassing her, she followed up with a grin and raised eyebrow with a mock-accusatory tone, "though, I suppose you were the one who put it there in the first place."

A smoky-raisin scent filled her nostrils, and turning Reicheru found Maikeru's oolong had already been brought to the table, and the dango were on the way. Her mouth watered at the smell of the thin slices of onion that topped their meatball skewers, so much that she gratefully gave a small bow from the table as the waiter dropped the little treasures on the table. An order came with three skewers with five dango apiece, and though their fight had worked up such an appetite that she felt could down them all in one fell swoop, she picked up only one and paused before chomping down on it - she was in public, not at home alone, different rules applied. Though her stomach growled, she paused and finally commented, "I didn't know your parents taught at the academy, that's really cool. Y'know, that's always been my dream job… at least, it always had been." Finally she allowed herself to bite into the first perfect morsel, her tense shoulders dropping with relief as she did so. "See? I told you I'd introduce you to something more savory next time. Not all dango has to be sweet - just as good as udon," she said with a nod and a grin. "Well, with all that training time I'm sure you've given a lot of thought on what you want to do with all that experience. What are your plans for when we finally get out of this place?" she asked referring to the academy, not really thinking about the other possible (and more serious) implications should another shinobi overhear. Still she took no notice, too happily involved in her meal and company.

 

[Maikeru]

Maikeru paused at the question that was asked of him. He had never really thought much of what he would do once he graduated the academy. He'd always just assumed he'd join the main branch, and take any mission given to him. Eventually met a woman, have a few kids, and retire at an appropriate age. Now that she asked though.. it did make him think. What exactly did he want to do with the rest of his life, where did he want his story to take him, and eventually close it's final page?

"Huh.." he mused aloud, taking one of the meatballs in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully as his mind raced a bit more, trying to formulate an answer for Reicheru. "Well, that.. is a good question. Hmm. If I had to say now, I don't really know. I recently took up blacksmithing, and I like that a lot. Maybe I'll travel to the land of snow, learn from the samurai for a bit. I've also become really fascinated with medicine lately, maybe the medical branch is for me?"

He gave her a soft smile as he popped another dango into his mouth. She was right, they were really good. No Udon mind you, but, pretty good nonetheless. Taking another sip of his dango, he took another cursory glanced around the bar, taking note of the patrons. Two in particular. There were two girls, around his and Reicheru's age though seeming closer to Maikeru's. The Uchiha curse seemed to be kicking in, as the two girls kept shooting their looks at him, before giggling to each other.

"While we're thinking about the future, tell me something." He said, subty nodding towards the girls he had noticed. "I assume, like everyone you wanna meet the man, or woman no judgement here, who will be your husband and/or wife. Again, no judgement. So, tell me, what is your perfect guy."

He gave her another small grin, before looking to the waiter, ordering a second plate of the dango. This was good, and if nothing else, it was something he wanted left overs.

"Those girls behind us, not my type. Look at their hands, completely soft." As he said that, he reached out to grab a hand of Reicheru's, flipping it over to show her palm, and running his fingers over the callouses that all shinobi built up. "Now, yours are totally different. There's callouses, theirs bruises, in time there will be scars that will constantly remind you of who you are, and what you've done. I can't be with someone with delicate hands, because it tells me their a delicate person. I like strong women, women who don't need me to defend them. Not that I wouldn't, mind you. But, I want a woman who is capable of standing up for herself, ya'know?" He released her hand, resting his chin on his other empty palm. "So, what about you? What do you look for in a man? Or Woman. No judgement."

 

[Saitou Rei]

"Blacksmithing? That sounds really interesting - probably something I should know how to do, to be honest, given my heritage. It just never came up somehow. I tend toward the techy side of things - figuring out how moving parts work together. But maybe you could teach me sometime? Or maybe a few of us could go to Snow together? I've always wanted to see some of the world outside of these gates!" She grinned with a glimmer of wistfulness in her gray eyes. Travel was a bittersweet thought to her; it seemed more exciting than anything and she'd especially wanted to travel to Earth, but leaving her home and her village and everything she loved even for a short time considering many people who went out those gates never came back made it difficult to get starry-eyed over.

After Maikeru took his turn to ask a question, it was Reicheru's turn to be stumped. She'd never given much thought to dating or anything of that sort. She knew most shinobi did, though it was more difficult for them than the average person; knowing your life partner was off risking their lives everyday and all. But she imagined so long as it was two shinobi it'd be easier; a civilian would lose their minds with worry. Her father's side of the family was proof enough of that. "Huh. Honestly, I haven't ever given that much thought. I figure I've still got some time before I need to worry about all of that…" As their server passed by and Maikeru ordered more dango, Reicheru added in a request for green tea now that her body didn't feel so hot from the fight they'd had.

"How can you tell that about their hands from he---" suddenly, Maikeru had her hand in his own. She almost shot him a questioning look before he made his illustration, pointing out the callouses and reinforcing her earlier thought about shinobi-civilian relationships - they didn't work. "More than just being strong or delicate, if two people try to share life when the most important things to them are different… I don't see it ending well," she said with nod. As he prompted again for what she looked for in a partner, she pressed her lips together in thought for a moment. "I dunno, really… I guess I'll know it when I see it… when I see the right guy, that is," she said with a smile and wink, considering giving him a hard time for his implications before deciding to chalk it up to thoughtfulness.

As she thought on her answer, her mouth pulled onto one side in a crooked purse. No, that wasn't quite right, was it? "Well, I guess I know I would want him to be kind. Not a doormat, though. Someone who genuinely cares about others and will stand up for them. I'm learning that not everyone entered the academy for the same reasons, and I'm sure it'll only get harder when we start taking missions and seeing and doing things that make caring difficult. As hard as it might be to be with someone delicate, I'm sure going the opposite direction of being a stone-cold killing war tool would make it even harder." She thought of some of the leaders in their village, things they had done and the things they would justify for others. They stood in such stark contrast to what she had hoped for, what she thought they would be; what they could be. Shaking the thought away, she turned to their waiter who brought Maikeru's dango and her tea. She sipped at it before holding it in front of her in both hands and looking at her friend with a smile, turning the conversation to lighten her mood before she dwelt on that thought any longer. "Seems like you've gotta beat them off with a stick," she said with a head tilt toward the girls he had indicated earlier. "So I imagine that if you're mentioning it there's someone you've got on the brain - someone from your class at the academy maybe? Don't worry, we're friends, you can tell me who it is. Pinky promise that I won't tell Akiko that it's her," she said mostly in jest, though leaning in playfully in traditional gossiping teenager style with an accusatory sideways glance.

 

[Maikeru]

Maikeru laughed at Reicheru's antics, shaking his head lightly from side to side. For a shinobi, she wasn't very observant. He decided he would play along with it for a bit, tease the girl a little more. After all, a secret is no fun if you just willingly give it out. Even the weakest prisoners held out for a little bit of torture. He raised another meatball to his mouth, chewing tortuously slowly as he watched the girls expression.

"Akiko is very pretty, I'll give you that much. Plus, I think she's been doing more squats, 'cause damn girl." He started off, exaggeratedly wiping sweat from his brow. "But, no, it's not her. A safe guess though, I'll give you that much. It seems that everyone is pinning after her. I've never been one to go after the class 'beauty', though. My first year at the academy, there was this girl named Aoi. Very beautiful, and so smart. As much as I study, I could never pass her. She ended up graduating early, I hear she's a chuunin already. Every boy in the school wanted her, and I was pretty sure some of the girl's did to. To me, though, I never saw her as more than an academic rival. She just, didn't interest me."

He took another meatball, washing it down with a swig of tea. He looked back to the girls again, wondering to himself how much different his life would be if he had decided to just be a civilian. That was what his father had wanted for him, before he unlocked his Sharingan at least. After that, shinobi life was all Maikeru dreamed and talked about. It brought a bitter sweet smile to his face as he thought about all the memories locked behind his soon dead eyes.

"How about this, I'll describe her to you. If you guess her, I'll tell you. If you don't, well.. you'll have to live through the eternal suffering of losing to me.. again. That's embarrassing. Wouldn't want that, would we?" He gave her another soft smile, before placing his tea to the left of him, indicating he would like a refill. "Well, let's see, where to begin. Well, she's very pretty, but I doubt she sees that. She doesn't seem the type to worry about her vanity much. She's a really hard worker, and that what draws me to her the most I think. She's always working to improve every aspect of herself, even the things she probably will never use. I swear I saw her practicing genjutsu the other day, despite having never used one as far as I know. She's a swordsmen, and a damn good one at that. She's actually the one who inspired me to take up blacksmithing. And, finally, she wears this bright red scarf around her neck, despite how hot it is. Must be very important to her."

As the waitress refilled his tea, he thanked her, before taking a sip. He gave Reicheru a moment to take all the information, before speaking again.

"Well, any guesses?"

 

[Saitou Rei]

A chuckle escaped Reicheru's lips as Maikeru mentioned the penalty of their guessing game. She'd gone into their fight with a mentality that prepared her to lose, but twice in one day might be too much! She wiggled her eyebrows to show she was ready for the challenge before he began to describe this mystery girl. Though vague, his early descriptions helped narrow the field of candidates. Th real meaty stuff came as he started talking about swordsmanship and inspiration for blacksmithing. She remembered him mentioning to Danii the first time they had dango together something about her grandfather helping him with his sword; bingo! Daenerisu and Maikeru… Maikerisu! Reicheru thought the pairing seemed odd, that they had much more of a brother-sister vibe going on, but who was she to judge. She liked Danii, so she could totally get behind it.

She was just about to make her guess when Maikeru gave his final hint.

Oh.

No, that didn't make sense. Surely there was another sword-wielding, scarf-wearing, female academy student she wasn't thinking of. As the holes in her logic grew too large for even her state of denial to handle, Reicheru could feel her face getting warm, which only served to embarrass her more and begin a vicious cycle of reddening cheeks. Perhaps the signs had been there, but it still didn't make sense to her. Sitting back in her chair, she gave a soft smile. "You don't mean that," she said with a slight shake of her head before sipping at her tea. At this point, she began to wonder if her friend was messing with her. After all, she was in every way incredibly… average. At least by shinobi standards. That must be it; they'd been trading barbs all day, this was just taken a little further, that's all.

Pursing her lips, Reicheru looked down at this scarf he mentioned for a moment, moving one hand away from her tea cup and taking the edge of the fabric between two fingers. "Though, you're not wrong about that last part. I know it must look silly a lot of the time, but this helps remind me… it reminds me of why I'm doing all of this, why I'm going after this shinobi life. It reminds me of what I hope to stand for, the kind of person I want to be. I know I don't need an object to do that, but… I suppose, especially when those objects are connected to ideals or to people, we can all succumb to a certain sentimentality…" she commented, making a point of eyeing the Uchiha clan necklace that Maikeru wore constantly before returning her gaze to lock with her friend's charcoal black eyes. Eyes that were somehow a terrifying threat not long ago in the sparring ring, but now offered a reassuring security. Raising her eyebrows, she grinned and gave a short, airy-laugh. "I'll give you this. You are full of suprises, Uchiha Maikeru."

 

[Maikeru]

Her reaction the the information was.. cute, to put it in the simplest way. For someone so sure of herself, he hadn't expected her not to be more confident in herself in manners like this. He let out a small little laugh as he watched her, shaking his head from side to side. The story of her scarf made sense, it was one of the same reasons he always wore his necklace. Gifts from loved ones usually had a lot more meaning behind them than something you had bought yourself.

"I am, surprise might as well be my middle name," he joked, his fingers wrapping around and playing with the necklace that hung near his chest. "And I do mean it. Do.. do you want to know why this necklace means so much to me?"

He paused as he spoke, tiny little tears forming at the corners of his eyes. This story was always hard for him to tell, it was a beautiful moment in his life, but it held so much bittersweet pain behind it. He opened his mouth to speak, before biting at his lower lip. Was Reicheru really someone he could talk to about this?

"My sister.. she was always sick. I was four years old when she was born, and on that day I truly discovered what love was. She.. she had what my grandmother, on my mothers side, referred to as the family flaw. It was described to me as a congenital heart disease, but, it was more than that. It was a disease that ate away at the nervous system of the body, and eventually moved to your heart. She was four years old when she lost the ability to walk, and her ability to do much else soon left after that."

He was doing his best to hold back the tears as he spoke, his speech becoming choked and semi forced. It had been.. years, since he had talked about his sister. His hand moved to rub at the corner of his eyes, before he continued to speak.

"I'm sure you've been to the new years festival, everyone in Konoha goes. Well, Tsubaki looked forward to it every single year. Even when she couldn't walk, she would hop on my back and I'd carry her all around that festival. She.." He stopped, laughing slightly as he thought about it. "She called me her valiant steed. She always believed herself to be a princess, and.. you know, I think she might have been. She was always too pure for this world."

"Anyway, we uhm.. we would go to this festival every year, because she loved these little.. treats, I guess you'd call them. A merchant from Suna would come every year and sell these like.. spiral bread deals. He sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar, and Tsubaki absolutely adored them. Every year our parents gave us some yen so we could each go and buy one, and I would carry her to get them." He paused to take a sip of his drink, coughing to clear his throat, and try his best to hide the tears that streaked from his eyes. "Well, the uhm.. the last year we went, there was this cart next to his. It was selling these necklaces. It had one for all the major clans of Konoha. I guess she saw me looking at it, because, she refused to get her treat that year."

He stopped again, burying his head in his hands.

"The uhm.. necklace, it cost as much as two of those treats. I.. I think she knew her time was almost up, because I'll never forget what she said to me. She looked at me, with these big blue eyes she had, the only one of us two to get those from our mother, and she told me 'I always want you to have something to remember me by.'" There was no hiding the water that poured from his eyes now, doing his best to keep his composure as he talked. "She uhm.. she passed the next spring. Sorry, for this. The story.. always gets me emotional. I've only ever told one other person, and that was Danni."

 

[Saitou Rei]

Reicheru listened as Maikeru opened up a part of himself she had never seen, in fact one that she doubted many had seen given the way he typically carried himself at school and with their friends. She got that feeling that perhaps there was some healing and beauty in this moment, even though her throat tightened and her eyes became moist as her friend choked his way through the story. As he finished, he confirmed her suspicion that few others knew about what happened. "Thanks for sharing that with me; I hope you didn't feel like you had to. She was lucky to have a brother who loves her so much and honors her memory so well," she offered with a small, sad smile.

Steam continued to rise from the cup of tea that she had lowered to the table as Maikeru talked. She stared into the half-empty cup, noting the bits of tea leaves that had settled at the bottom. In spite of the fact that her cousin seemed ill often, he always pulled through and so Reicheru had never given much thought to how hard it would be to watch someone you loved slowly fading, knowing you would lose them sooner rather than later. She hadn't been able to say goodbye to her father and often it had felt unjust, but now she wondered how much harder it would have been to have seen it coming.

No, she decided, there was no 'harder' about it. Loss was loss, and no matter how it came there would be inevitable pain and the ongoing struggle to cope. She looked to Maikeru with a hint of violet in her typically gray eyes. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. It doesn't seem right, that we all have experienced that kind of pain that comes naturally and yet still fight and inflict it on others," she paused, turning her gaze out the window that was now dark, the street outside lit by the moon and by street lamps. People continued to walk, to eat, to shop - each person living their own lives to the background of the chaos of a shinobi village. "Imagine if we spent half the time investing in medical jutsu to combat natural diseases like that as we do into healing injuries brought on by war. Things could be so different."

Turning back to Maikeru, she asked, "Our teachers always talk about how we, the next generation, will shape the future. Do you think this cycle will really ever end though, that there's anything we could do to break it? Will we ever be able to stop fighting to protect the people we love? I mean, I always will… but it feels like we shouldn't have to." Sighing, she took another drink of her tea.

 

[Maikeru]

Maikeru thought for a moment on Reicheru's words. It was nice that she was so supportive of the young Uchiha, even offering words that he had honestly needed to hear. But, more than that, she asked a question that had been plaguing him since he was a young boy. Having two shinobi parents, he got quite use to the idea of death and killing at a young age. Still, he had never become someone who had reveled in it. He didn't look forward to having to take another life, but he knew someday he would have to. Not just one, but scores. The ironic thing was, the better he would become at his job, the more he would grow to hate it. He wasn't sure how many walks of life could say that, but, he had somehow fallen into one of the few families that would set him up for it.

"You know, I sometimes wonder that same thing." He admitted, looking into his own cup of tea. "Every time I wake up, and the first thing I grab after getting dressed is a holster of kunai, I wonder what I'm doing with my life. Yes, with our positions, and the power we're growing and fostering we can save many, many lives. But, more likely than not, we will take far more than that."

He sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"I do wonder sometimes what I would have done if I hadn't been born an Uchiha. Would I still become a shinobi? Would I still walk down this life of bloodshed and misery that I've chosen for myself?" He took a thoughtful sip of his tea, before raising his eyebrows and setting the cup down. "Apologies, I started rambling and ignored your question. That's.. a bad habit of mine.."

He gave her a nervous smile, before rubbing the back of his mop of thick raven hair. Biting his lower lip in thought, he contemplated for a moment. Who had expected the night which had been to celebrate a fight to come to this level of deep conversation?

"Well, honestly, I don't know Reicheru." He said, giving her a shrug and a deep exhale. "I think we can certainly makes changes, if we apply ourselves and do our utmost to stick to a higher degree of ethics than our current leadership shows. However, will we be able to change it completely? I'm doubtful. A cycle this deep, this ingrained in our society won't change in one lifetime. All we can really do is set the ground work for the next generation, and hope we teach them better than we were taught. I do hope someday that children will grow up in this village without shinobi life being a choice they have to make until they are much, much older. I mean, we started learning to kill at what? Four? Five? My father gave me my first blade on my fourth birthday for gods sake."

 

[Saitou Rei]

Nodding along as Maikeru described the morning ritual of all academy students, all shinobi for that matter, of quite literally arming themselves to face the day. She nodded as he considered what his life would have been if he had different lineage, and she even nodded as he jabbed at the morality of Konoha's leadership though she didn't realize it at first. She eyed the boy; Nitish had been a member of his clan, as was the man and leader who did the killing. That was a thought she hadn't considered before - the esteemed Hokage walking back into his clan complex, back into the family he'd just robbed of a member. Did they know what had happened, how it went down? Or did he play it off, keep it short and use his position to suppress any questions? Maikeru's comment seemed to imply to her that he knew, but still her hand formed a fist under the table at the thought.

"You're probably right," Reicheru said with a small smile that was betrayed by a sigh; letting her fist go, she crossed her arms on the table and leaned in. "This has gone on forever, how much could we change? And with things like Frost always lurking in the background, I'll probably perpetuate that cycle and give my kid a blade at four, because who knows how long I'll be around to protect them. I suppose that's hypocritical, but given the reality it does seem like the right thing to do. Even if they don't want to be a shinobi, it's not uncommon for shop keeps and citizens to get robbed or roughed up by others who have shinobi training or experience." A small pause gave way to a short, airy laugh. "Sorry to be such a downer. This was a celebration, wasn't it?" She looked down at their mostly empty plates. "What's next, Mr. Champion?" She summoned a smile to lighten her mood. Just because they were in the academy together didn't mean that was all they could talk about; they were still human after all. Though it was nice to have someone to commiserate with, she wanted their friendship to be more than just fighting.

 

[Maikeru]

Maikeru couldn't help but laugh at picture Reicheru as a mother. It wasn't her specifically, more picturing any of their friends as parents brought a smile to the Uchiha's face. Even though that was a road most of them would go down, carrying on their lineage and bloodline to the next generation, to carry on their name. Still, it was an inappropriate time to laugh, and he quickly stifled that.

"Don't worry," He said, clapping the girl on the shoulder. "You're going to be a fantastic mother, your kid won't need a blade because you'll be there to protect them. If the choose to go down the shinobi route, I know you'll be right there behind them showing them the proper way to hold a sword. Most importantly, you'll teach them how to show restraint, and how to be more than just a killing machine. Then when they have children, they'll do the same, and so on and so forth. That's the best way we make change, by being and teaching the change we want to see."

He smiled at her softly, before pushing the bill towards her. He took a small look at it, before inhaling slightly. Had they really ordered that much. Part of him offered to help her pay, but, this was a prize after all. Plus, he was an Uchiha, he was not a cheap date.

"Where next.. hmm..." He looked out at the skyline behind them, a small plan creeping into the back of his head. It was just past sunset, with the last embers of daylight leaking over the horizon. "I know just the place, come on."

As he turned to walk off, throwing his coat and gloves back on, he grabbed the Nanjirou's hand and gaining her a few shocked and angry looks from the girls who had been watching the duo earlier.

"I hope you can keep up Nanjirou." he teased her, as he began to run off, dragging the girl behind him.

It was a short trip, but Maikeru did his best to drag it on for as long as he could. The thinking, rational, part of him didn't realize he had been holding her hand the entire time he had been running. The subconscious, however, was very aware of this fact. He lead her to the Hokage rock, a large sculpture of all the hokages that had been etched into the mountain side. He didn't break stride as he continued to run towards the cliff face, before eventually attaching his feet to it and running straight up.

At the top of the First Hokage's head, he released her hand, giving her a large, proud smile.

"This is where next. Hopefully no ANBU show up to chase us off.." He said, taking a moment to look around. "I come here sometimes at night, and just sit and think. It's a really beautiful spot. If you look straight out, you can see the entire village, and all the lights and fanfare that comes with Konoha night life, and if you look up.."

As he spoke, he gestured up to the night sky, pointing at the millions and millions of stars that twinkled in the night sky.

"You can see every star for miles and miles. I've never learned their names, but, I like to make up my own. See what I can see, ya'know?" As he stood next to her, hands in his pockets, he choked for a moment at the next words he wanted to speak. "I brought you here for a reason. I wanted to bring the only thing in the leaf that could make this spot more beautiful."

 

[Saitou Rei]

Feigning offense at Maikeru's laughter, Reicheru placed a hand on her chest and leaned back in her chair with eyebrows raised. As he stifled the laugh, the young girl dropped the façade responded with a smile of her own. Though she kept the smile up, her eyes saddened as he mentioned his confidence that she would be a great mother who would be there to protect her children. She knew too well that the two were not mutually inclusive; sometimes being a great parent meant you wouldn't be there, at least in this backwards shinobi world. Still, she nodded at her friend's reassurance - he really was kind. Kind enough that when the bill came, she worried that he would feel obligated to cover his part despite their bet. Thankfully that wasn't the case, saving them from the awkward "I'll pay-no-I'll pay" scuffle.

After they were squared away there, she looked expectantly at her date friend as he considered what to do next. It didn't take long, and soon she found herself being tugged along out of the shop and through the streets of Red Oak. She laughed as they ran, the embarrassment and awkwardness of earlier completely gone even as the boy gripped her hand, wondering what antics the Uchiha would have up his sleeve. As they continued through Maple District and finally neared the base of Hokage Rock, she smiled. It had been awhile - too long, in fact, since her last visit to the monument. She expected that he would divert their path to one of the trails leading up the rock, but quickly focused her chakra to the soles of her feet when she realized his plan. "Well that's one way to go about it - you really do always cut to the chase," she said with a laugh as they climbed.

For all of the conflicting emotions she'd felt lately about her village and its leadership, Reicheru couldn't help but be taken aback by the sight of the quiet grandeur of Konohagakure. Though a familiar view, its power had never been lost on the young Nanjirou. What she rarely did from this vantage point though, was look up. As she stared into the night sky where flecks of brilliant white and blue lights had been painted across the dark canvas, she realized how singular her focus had been, how limited her lens was. Konoha had been everything to her for so long that when it was revealed to her that it was less perfect than she thought, her world threatened to crumble. But shifting her gaze only slightly allowed her to see a bigger, equally beautiful world that she knew so little about. Her slate grey eyes locked onto Maikeru's charcoal black orbs that held so much more depth than could be told on the surface. "So many surprises," she said quietly, before placing her right hand on his arm and lifting up on her tip-toes for just a moment to kiss the dark-haired boy on the cheek. Her hand lingered for a moment before dropping to her side, fingers running through her scarf. She smiled as she turned back to the stars. "Thank you for this," she said quietly, taking everything in once more.

 

[Maikeru]

Tonight was a nice night. Even the weather wasn't too harsh, cool enough that he wasn't sweating in his ostentatious outfit, but warm enough that he could walk around without the trench coat and gloves of it. Mostly, though, he was enjoying the connection he was forming with Reicheru. Even if it didn't go beyond friendship, she was a pleasure to be around, and he hoped to have her in his life in some capacity for the years to come. Gods know he needed some level head friends to help balance out the absurdity of Riku, Katsu, Ryujou and the others. He looked to Reicheru when he felt a light touch on his arm, and that's when it happened.

It was wet at first, before the warmth of it washed over his cheek. Although it lasted only a moment, it felt like forever to the young man. Time seemed to slow, he swore he could see the distant dots of people making their way through Konoha's streets slow to a near crawl. The stars above him seemed to glow brighter, and his whole body had this warm sensation that flowed through it. He questioned for a moment if he had activated his clan's kekkei genkei. As he stood in the aftermath of the moment, his entire body locked up in nervous paralysis , his face becoming a deep, and warm red, he slowly turned his head to look at Reicheru.

"I.. uh.." he muttered out, swallowing hard at both the giant lump that had formed in his throat, as well as any sense of composure he could muster. "You.. uh.."

Now, in most situations, Maikeru was calm, rational. This, however, was not one of those moments. His brain was swimming with hormones and confusion, and he felt himself being washed away in a wave of speechlessness. It was an innocent act, a kiss on the cheek was something that his mother and other female relatives would part on him on many occasion. But this one.. it felt different.

"Yea.. you're welcome." He finally said, turning to stand in front of the girl.

His gloved hand moved to her cheek, placing it lightly upon it. He looked down at her, his charcoal eyes meeting her grey ones. He was trained in numerous ways to kill, he could literally summon lightning from the tips of his fingers, and bend fire to his whim. With his eyes he could predict the future, and set the greatest of men ablaze. Yet, in this moment, he had no idea what he was suppose to do. So, he went with instinct.

His face slowly moved towards her, hesitating, pausing with every slight movement, waiting for any reaction or sign of disgust. As he moved closer, able to smell the scent of tea and dango from their dinner on her breath, as well as the sweat and exertion from their fight, he took the final plunge. If she didn't pull away, he pressed his lips against hers in an awkward, inexperienced kiss, but a kiss. His first kiss.

 

[Saitou Rei]

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With her gaze fixed on the stars, Reicheru hadn't initially noticed Maikeru's face become flush until he moved to stand in front of her. Since she was already looking up, her eyes immediately locked onto his as he did so and his intention became exceedingly clear. Though her face would quickly match the color of Maikeru's, both of them as red as the famed eyes he possessed, she wouldn't pull away. Her breath caught in her chest, her heart raced; she'd opened herself up for this, but now what? The embarrassment from earlier threatened to swallow her, but she pushed it down and instead leaned into her first kiss; their first kiss. She wouldn't know if she had done it right, if she should be embarrassed, or what to do next. Yet, as she pulled back with eyes still closed and the hand that had been on his arm slid down to hold his hand, she smiled.

How strange this life was. At thirteen she'd already gone through so much, felt so many things so deeply. Yet this feeling - the way the worries about tomorrow that they'd been discussing mere minutes ago simply drifted away, the way time stood still, the way the leaves falling from the trees danced around them on the gentle breeze - this was new. She relaxed in the warmth that filled her, and opened her eyes to take in Maikeru's features. She'd always known that he was handsome - it was considered a fact amongst the girls at the academy. Reicheru had never fallen into those conversations though, too focused on her training, and now she seemed to be discovering him for the first time. As she studied his face, young but already tired and worn by the life they'd chosen, she was reminded of what had led them here.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Reicheru asked softly, looking down at their interlocked hands. "We just talked about… about how we've both already lost so much. Are you really alright with forming another bond you might lose?" A single leaf from amongst the others flitted through the air and came to rest on their hands, remaining for only a moment before it was caught by the wind and carried off again. Yet as it did, it joined on in the dance of a dozen others like it, moving on its journey to a new destination. Though her eyes were somber, a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Because I am. Without these bonds, what do we fight for? Without them, how do we keep going? I'll understand if you're not, but I…" Reicheru paused as the wind pulled both of their messes of hair about them and looked back up to the stars. "…I like you, Uchiha Maikeru; and even with what it could cost, I'm okay with that."

 

[Maikeru]

It was a peaceful, serene moment, despite the pounding in his chest that seemed to reverberate through his entire body. As he slowly pulled away, feeling Reicheru's hand interlock with her, his hand that had been resting on her face pulled away for a moment, before falling to her hip, laying gently upon it. It was strange, such a moment of innocent beauty in the midst of the chaos that had quickly become their life. Frost at the gate, friends dying around them, and an ever pulling urge to become stronger. Maikeru was glad that if even for just a moment, he felt truly at peace.

"T-thank you.." He stammered out after the kiss, as unsure as Reicheru about what to say next. He felt like he was going to melt, his entire body was hot, and words were catching in the back of his throat. For a young man who had been so sure of himself, who always seemed to know what to say, he was completely and utterly lost.

It was when she spoke again, that Maikeru realized the consequences of his actions. It was true, in their life a bond could be formed and broken within hours of each other. You could do everything right, everything required to nurture the relationship, and still lose them the very same day. Through no fault of your own, or theirs, death was just a part of shinobi life. Still, the way he felt around her, it felt right. It wasn't something he wanted to lose, it was something he wanted to hold and nurture for as long as fate would let him.

"I.. I like you too, Reicheru." He finally said, biting at his lower lip as he become lost in the correct words to say. "The thing about bonds is, they're something we need. A force that drives us to come back from every mission, drives us to jump in front of that kunai to save a friend, to risk our lives for this village that is so broken, yet so important to us. I don't.. I don't want to give up on this bond before it can grow, I want to see how far and deep it can run. I've watched you from afar for longer than I care to admit, and I want to enjoy my time next to you, hand in hand, as long as I can."

He gave her a soft smile, before laughing slightly. A small chuckle that emanated from the back of his throat, shaking his head slightly as he listened to himself speak. His hand that held hers squeezed a bit tighter, not wanting the moment to end.

"Listen to me, I sound like the main character of one of those cheesy romance novels my mom reads." He said, his laugh getting a bit louder, before bringing himself back to the seriousness of the moment. "I want to see where this goes Reicheru, even if that means the bond breaking one day. I don't want to live with any regrets."

He stood in silence a moment, looking at the cityscape of Konoha once more. It really was beautiful this time of night.

"So, what does this mean for us? Are we dating or.. I'm not good at this, that was my first kiss."

 

[Saitou Rei]

I like you too. The words reverberated in Reicheru's mind and body, a smile broadening on her face as they reached her ears. She wasn't sure what she expected; after all, Maikeru was the one who had initiated this whole thing. Still, words had more power than people tended to give them credit for. In this moment, those words turned the trained Nanjirou kunoichi into simply just a girl standing in front of a boy. She laughed as he made the comparison to his mother's romance novels, and filled with warmth as Maikeru confirmed that he thought the bond worth the risk of pain. A bond with her, an optional one. This was truly a first for young Reicheru.

Again laughter filled the air around them as Maikeru followed up with his question. "That was my first kiss too, so looks like we’re in the same boat. But I suppose it does mean that. Those girls back there will be terribly disappointed," she jested with a grin and raised eyebrows. Though he'd called them silly, she knew the boy had a flirtatious nature - and yet this was a different side of him altogether, and for the second time that night she felt honored and thankful to see a side of Uchiha Maikeru that she suspected few others did. "Thank you," she said quietly with a smile, though without telling him exactly what she meant by it.

After a few moments she would lead him toward the edge of the first Hokage's likeness etched into the rock, sitting down so that her legs dangled off the side as people passed on the streets below and stars danced in the sky above and the wind sang all around. She would like nothing more than to pass the rest of the night here, head on his shoulder as they looked out on the external beauty of Konohagakure; they wouldn't even have to say anything and it would be a perfect night. But inevitably they would have to return home at some point, and though she would return to an empty house it would be the first time in a long time that Reicheru felt so full.

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[Maikeru]

Tonight was, in a word, perfect. When he had awoken this morning, he never would have thought that he could possibly be this truly, blissfully happy. As Reicheru led him towards the edge of the Hokage's head, the two of them sitting next to each other, feeling her head against his shoulder, he just smiled. They sat in silence for a while, staring up at the stars, enjoying being near each other. When he finally went home that night, before crashing into bed, he visited his sisters grave.

"Hey, little one." He would say, kneeling down in front of the tombstone. "I know I haven't come and seen you in a while, but, it's been hard. I've been busy, and, well, I miss you. I miss you so much."

He would spend the next hour or so catching Tsubaki up on his day to day life. On how the academy was going, on his new friends, but most importantly, on the amazing night he had just had.

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