[Inuzuka Tsukimono]

     Tsukimono enjoyed watching Azarea confuse the waiter with her order. It made a lot of sense to him that she would become a drinker like him. After all they were both likely drinking for the same reasons, to drown the memories of all their years apart. The expression on the waiters drink was much more fun than Tsuki had even assumed to begin with, so he figured he’d add to the confusion and swing his arm around her shoulders. "What you expect from me?” He questioned with a raised eyebrow, "I don’t drink with weak women. I want a woman who can drink me under the table. None of these cowards can.”

     Tsukimono spoke with the experience of dozens of drinking competitions over the last few years. He loved a good drink, and he loved it even more when he was drinking with a friend, like he was today. 

     Azarea certainly wasn’t wrong when she talked about their squad being made for the Anbu. All three of them certainly had their specialties within it. Tsukimono couldn’t help but wonder how things would have changed if her mother hadn’t attempted that coup. If Azarea had stayed in Konoha Tsukimono was sure he could protect her from the Aburame, especially with the help of Kyo and Izanagi. It also would’ve likely meant that Tsukimono would have never been called on to join Root. He had only joined the organization out of necessity. Toshi had made it clear that day that he didn’t want to bring Tsukimono in, some favour to Tsuki’s dad. 

     But all that changed when Azarea left.

     "Izanagi figured that the Aburame, even if they wanted to pretend like you didn’t exist, would’ve had some record of what they did to you. Wether you were in that compound or miles away.” Tsukimono felt safe that they were far enough away from the others, if he kept his tone low they could speak freely, "So he broke into the compound. He got caught in the library, with a lot of info the Aburame didn’t feel like sharing with outsiders. Luckily I don’t think he found anything on you or they probably would have just killed him like the Hyuuga did Kyo.”

coded by benetnasch of THQ

Muse:
Artificial Nocturne

Notes:
Reconnecting

Tags:
Aburame Azarea

Words:
385

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Fond Memories

Azarea eyes the men in the room as she leans into Tsuki's grasp resting her head against the curve of his neck playing her part well as she flashes them a fanged grin smirking at their collective bafflement. Yet grief was a parasite and alcohol was one such poison used to kill it. Her poison of choice most days as she forces herself to relax canting her head up to listen to Tsuki giving all the appearance the pair were trading soft murmured sweet nothings when the reality was far from the truth. As Azarea blinked quickly to disperse her tears at the news of what happened to Izanagi. The man was a terrible flirt, a unrepentant thief, and a kleptomaniac of excessive proportions, but stealing things was how he showed he cared. The fact he'd been willing to risk life and limb to break into the Aburame compound to try to find info on her touching Azarea in a way words could never truly describe. It hurts her more then words as she realizes that as she is now there's nothing she can do to help him.

"There's a loophole I can exploit. If... if I get strong enough to manage to use it then it'll net me enough pull with Konoha I can push to get you both cleared or at least maybe get Izanagi put under my jurisdiction for 'rehabilitation." She murmurs both of them well aware the 'rehabilitating' Izanagi of his thievery was a lost cause. The best they could hope for was to focus it.

"Remember when we'd first been put on Team Nine and we could never take any D-ranks working with merchants without practically emptying his pockets after every mission. He'd always steal the candy we liked anytime we went near a shop. We never really did convince him of the immorality of stealing, just that it was less immoral to steal from greedy assholes." Azarea murmured recalling back when they were younger, bright eyed, and full of trouble. In the end when Izanagi's sticky fingers saw them well fed on missions outside the village when supplies ran low none of them could entirely complain about his thieving habit. In war after all he'd have been referred to as an 'acquisition specialist.' In peace though he was just a thief.

SPOILER: Click to show

Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: | Inuzuka Tsukimono

[Inuzuka Tsukimono]

     The way that Tsukimono’s gaze cast over the room a chill was something of a learned ability. This was an environment where he was in charge, and so even if people would look over at him and question who the girl on his arm was, no one in the room would be brave enough to go asking around about it. Questions like that always made it back to Tsukimono’s ears, and his nature in root meant that people asking questions simply had to disappear. This was a world of criminals, so thankfully those disappearances rarely, if ever, made waves. 

    The reach of Root was limited though, and the Aburame clan was still too powerful for a takeover like this. Azarea needed to be stronger, Tsukimono needed to be stronger. There was another problem with her plan as well though. "I can not return to the village,” he had to chose his words carefully here, "I have work to finish out here. I promise you though that I’ll return to the leaf, and I promise that everything I do, is to make Konoha a stronger place. The Will of Fire burns, it’s kindling fades away.”

    It was a phrase that the Anbu had used a lot, and a motto that he had taken on himself. It referred to his true attitude. The village came first, even if it hurt him, even if it hurt others, as long as it lead to the village being a better place. But then Azarea decided to take them down a walk down memory lane, Tsukimono just felt so many emotions rushing back to him. It had been so long since he’d last seen Izanagi. Their trio had been absolutely destroyed, and all because of the clan politics. Because Konoha’s clans were so stuck in their ways that they held their interest above that of the village. 

     "You know, you were always a good calming force for the two of us. Hell remember when we’d go on missions with hose loud mouth rich brats and you’d have to stop me from beating the shit out of our clients?” He’d laugh, remembering the one time she’d failed to do just that and he swung at some rich brat and knocked him on his ass. "I’m still not the best people person, even in this line of work.”

coded by benetnasch of THQ

Muse:
Artificial Nocturne

Notes:
Reconnecting

Tags:
Aburame Azarea

Words:
404

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Questions & Answers

Tsukimono's words didn't make sense. His wants contradicting one another in a way that sounded alarm bells in the back of Azarea's mind as she narrowed her eyes gaze searching her best friends face for some clue what was wrong. One moment he was spouting off about the strength of the spirit of fire, repeating phrases that sounded like they belonged in the mouths of special ops and then the next he was telling her he didn't want to have his name cleared despite longing to return home. It. Didn't. Make. Sense. What could be in Konoha besides his impending trial and the Hyuuga that could be preventing Tsuki from...

"Is Toshizou threatening or coercing you? Is that why you can't talk about him or return to Konoha? Did he do something to you or Izanagi?" Azarea questions leaning forward to wrap her arms around his neck in a lovers embrace her lips caressing the shell of his ear in a motion that certainly look scandalous to outsiders, but gives her the privacy needed for such an exchange.

"If yes then tap my thigh once. If no then tap it twice. If you can't respond..." Well the lack of response was as telling as anything else. If it was another councilor or official threatening her teammate with the noose it'd be easy enough for him to simply state that it was not him. Not to mention telling of what restraints were on her friend.

"And truthfully I rather enjoyed watching you whip that one brat. I have to admit I might have forgotten you weren't ever supposed to be on guard shift with him after he asked me for the third time when I'd give up on this silly idea of being a Kunoichi and do real woman's work by being his mistress." She states a little louder as she sits back in her seat with an indulgent smile, but Tsuki could tell she was waiting...

SPOILER: Click to show

Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: | Inuzuka Tsukimono

[Inuzuka Tsukimono]

     The answer to this question was an important one, Tsukimono was almost disappointed, it had seemingly been the wrong one. "No,” he could speak honestly here, as long as he said it the right way, "I’ve never been threatened by Toshizou, I trust him. I can’t talk about my interactions with him though.” He scanned the room for anyone staring too closely at them, and seeing no eyes pointed their way for the moment he simply opened his mouth and showed her the seal on his tongue. 

     He technically hadn’t told her that he was still interacting with Toshizou, so there was nothing incriminating about what he had said or done. And him simply having that seal on his tongue told no one why he had it, or when he had been given it. He could have left Root when he left the village, the possibilities were many. But with that he quickly closed his mouth to make sure no one else got a good look at it. Letting the two laugh about their stories of their Genin years. 

    And the timing couldn’t have been better as their drinks were being brought to the table. A large bottle of Whiskey for Tsukimono, a rich brown color in a bottle with an all black label, simply the Kanji for the company imprinted in gold font. Alongside it was an array of shots, all clear spirits, but two varieties of Sake. Both of which were incredibly overproofed. Tsukimono would pretty much immediately uncork the bottle and poor himself a shallow glass, sitting up and lifting the glass to Azarea. "A toast, to old friends finding each other. No matter the distance, nor the obstacle, we were meant to find one another.”

coded by benetnasch of THQ

Muse:
Artificial Nocturne

Notes:
Reconnecting

Tags:
Aburame Azarea

Words:
296

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Hell Hath No Fury

Slowly Azarea's brows arch as she chews over Tsukimono's choice of wording. The fact he'd stated clearly that Toshizou hadn't threatened him, but left out her question on coercion and failed to mention Izanagi only left the rabbit hole running deeper. The red headed woman letting out a harsh breath nostrils flaring and it's clear this conversation isn't over. Though at the sight of the seal it takes everything she has not to freeze. Her skin paling slightly in shock and then flushes with fury she conceals by grabbing a shot the second the waiter puts it on the table and slamming back three of them in quick succession. Using the flush of alcohol to cover the way she's nearly trembling with fury.

"Too finding old friends." She agrees lifting her glass and smiling pretty as a picture, but her scarlet eyes promise murder of the most painful degree as she throws back the forth shot starting to feel the buzz hit her head, drags Tsuki down into his seat and leans forward to slant her lips over his own in a kiss. Pausing just short of a hairs breath noses brushing, but mouths never touching as she whispers, "Who. The. Fuck. Branded. You?" She questions low and fierce. "The Hokage?" She will wait for him to nod or shake his head. "The ANBU Captain?" Her second question lingering just as long as the first as she waits. He was trying to throw her off the scent before and while normally she might dismiss it whether it was spite or suspicion one name still lingered on her tongue.

"Did Hatake Toshizou have you sealed?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: | Inuzuka Tsukimono

[Inuzuka Tsukimono]

     Tsukimono was nothing if not used to finding Azarea in his personal space. It recalled their time as Genin together, far too close to one another at all times. He was happy that she could understand what the absence of his words meant, that she was finally asking the right questions, even if he could t answer them the way she wanted. "I’m not able to speak on Hatake Toshizo,” it was all he could say in response to her, but he hoped not responding to her other questions would fill in the blanks well enough.

     He still hopes she understood what he meant when he said he trusted Toshi. It had been hard not having the village behind him, but Toshizou had protected him, kept him alive. He was angry at Toshizou for not being there for Azarea, he couldn’t deny that, but that didn’t change the respect he had for his commander. At the end of the day, just like him, Toshi did what he needed to do to protect the village. It was just unfortunate that Tsukimono wasn’t  able to pass that information on to his friend. It would involve telling her that a member of Konoha’s Shinobi Council was associating with a criminal. Incriminating him.

    

coded by benetnasch of THQ

Muse:
Artificial Nocturne

Notes:
Reconnecting

Tags:
Aburame Azarea

Words:
215

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

To Make Right

Her head comes to rest on his shoulder with a soft shuddering sigh. Her hands gripping Tsuki so hard that he could feel the bite of her nails against his skin as if should she loosen her grip for a second he might slip away. Dragged back to whatever hell hole he'd escaped from. Azarea wasn't naïve. She knew the rumors surrounding Toshizou. Murderer, Cold blooded, a monster hiding behind the mask of a family man. She knew these terms well because the same quiet fear that lingered in peoples eyes when they spoke of him soon colored their gazes when they learned of her. "I hate him." She whispered vitriol like acid coating her tongue and burning with a fury of a thousand suns. The force of her anger caged like a wild beast within her bones leaving her muscles trembling for the want to make such a man hurt.

"I'm so sorry Tsuki." She murmurs her tears dampening the shoulder of his jacket the burn of the alcohol in her gut only barely easing the pain. "If I'd been stronger maybe..." Maybe they would have reached the chuunin exams earlier. Been promoted and been gone long before the coup had been necessary. Maybe she would have been powerful enough that she could have dashed whatever trap Toshizou had sprung to snare her teammate. Strong enough to spare herself the agony of having them plucked from her lives likes losing the eyes from her skull.

"I promise. One day I will make this right." She swears soft and low with every ounce of conviction contained within her body and soul.

SPOILER: Click to show

Justu Goes Here

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: | Inuzuka Tsukimono

[Inuzuka Tsukimono]

     Tsukimono let her words wash over him. He didn’t know how else he could explain to her what happened, he couldn’t blame her for being mad, he had arrested her, at the end of the day, he lead to her fate, wether that had been his goal or not. "I chose this life, the only people I blame are the Hyuuga and the Aburame. Not Toshizou.” For now that was all he can owe to say on the matter. He knew that the history between him and Azarea was complicated, and that went even more so for Azarea’s relationship with Toshizou. He  was a cold man, and that led to a lot of hurt feelings, things that were hard to let go of. 

    Things were complicated, as it always would be when friends met after so long apart. In some ways it was like they’d never been apart, but one look at all the fresh scars between the two of them made it clear that just wasn’t the case. Things would be different, they couldn’t not be. Tsukimono poured himself another glass and downed it in one gulp, trying to drown the pain of that realization.

    The two would keep drinking, but Tsukimono wanted to forget the current, so he would just share stories of their past as Genin, but even those would hold the unfortunate sting of Izanagi and Kyo’s memories. The sting of regrets and what ifs would be the backdrop for a night of heavy drinking. Long past when the others in the bar would stop drinking, past when the chairs would be placed on the table. Tsukimono would shoulder the costs of of drowning out the sorrow. 

coded by benetnasch of THQ

Muse:
Artificial Nocturne

Notes:
Reconnecting

Tags:
Aburame Azarea

Words:
215