[Deleted]

[googlefont=Fira+Sans|Playfair+Display]

PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT,

"No. I didn't." His focus had been on current events, and the moon did not come into his consideration. But she was right. It meant for her, that it would be better to flee under the cover of midnight if that were the case. Akira would not be around for that part, but he wished her the best. "It'll be dark tonight, then." he understood the "luck" of it all.

Akira didn't even know if there was another map shop in the town, they wasn't exactly a thriving industry of cartography, as Akira understood.

And there it was. He was passing by the place that he'd be, with her, in the not-so-far distance, a knot in his stomach was already beginning to form. He had work to do. He still had a few days worth of supplies though, so it was best to get himself a room before he went charging out into the quarry.

"I need to grab a room at an inn. Do you want to accompany me?" Akira would say, there was not much jest or joy to his voice as he spoke, feeling on the stressed side, now. It would also provide her some ample coverage as well from the tracker nin, seeing as how they'd reacted to him.

A few more minutes, they'd be there. Their route would open up into a quarry in the distance on their left, and the village on a plain open road to their destination. "This village is well known for artistic work. Lots of creatives here. Good if you have spare coin, not so much if you don't have much material room to take it." he would point as he spoke, giving a small rundown of its niceties. He didn't know much other than that, he'd spent some of his day by the stalls, but little else.

AND MINE IS THE FURY

dandy ♫

[Akatsuki]

❊ even though our ❊ destinies are connected

they never should have intersected

Accompany him? Akatsuki raised an eyebrow. She fully believed that once they got to the town the two of them would split ways. She would spend her last few hours meditating until nightfall, then return to the forest and battle the tracker ninja.
    She didn't plan to run away.
    And Akira had someone he was meeting with, wasn't he? Or was it that he was going to meet with the person in this town, but not within the next hour or so--and because of that, he would need a place to stay. That seemed to be the likely reason.
    Still, Akatsuki was a little surprised he offered for her to tag along. The woman figured he'd probably would want to get rid of her as soon as he was able. He had an important meeting coming up, and probably could use some time on his own. Akatsuki wasn't exactly the most helpful person, so she didn't see any reason why anyone would want her around during a time like that. So the question caught her by surprise and threw her off guard, a little.
    "Um... Sure--yes, I could," she stated, agreeing. It wouldn't take long before he was able to find an inn and get a room, so she didn't see what the difference would be for her to tag along, but she didn't see the harm in walking him there, either. He'd made the suggestion. Maybe he just didn't want to be alone right now? She wasn't sure. If it were Akatsuki, she'd want to be alone and not have anyone around.
    But, then again... Akatsuki usually preferred to be alone, anyway.
    Once they'd arrived at their destination, soon approaching the village, Akira gave a brief rundown of the village. It seemed he was familiar with the place--so it wasn't just meeting up at a random location, but somewhere that had history behind it, Akatsuki assumed.
    Still, the mention of artistry caught her attention.
    "Yeah?" she questioned, looking at him in surprise. "I might give that a look..." She enjoyed things like that. The craftsmanship of a sword, the structure of a necklace, the intricacy of a musical sheet. What money she had was usually reserved for shelter and supplies, and Akatsuki was planning to stock up on bandages while she was here before she left. But even if she didn't purchase anything, there wasn't any harm in looking--she enjoyed window-shopping, and she was able to appreciate art even if she couldn't keep it.
    In fact, she preferred not to keep it.
    She liked making things, but didn't often have any use for them, herself. She enjoyed creating for creativity's sake, and she enjoyed looking just for the pleasure of it. It was a simple delight.
    "Do you like art, Akira-san?" she questioned, following by his side. She held the flower crown with both hands, behind her back, as she walked. He liked architecture, maybe he was just an artsy person?

WORDS: XXX TAGS: @tag Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only Violet Text - Common Language

XOXO SHIN OF GS + THQ

[Deleted]

[googlefont=Fira+Sans|Playfair+Display]

PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT,

"Alright then." Akira would nod, and they would finally reach into the gates of the town, unmanned: it wasn't like a Shinobi nation and there were no guards, it was the most simple defence one could afford. Though he didn't know her plan, he thought she'd be on the run during the night.

There was a main square that was on the far part of the town, as the village was centric around a U shape, and the square where he'd been before was on the left hand side. "The people do many things. Pottery, jewel making, drawn art, the lot." Akira would remember from his last visit some of the things he'd seen. All things that were done by the hand and usually by civilians.

She asked him about art. He would breath in through his teeth, thinking about it. "I... kinda. I can appreciate it, for whatever art one pursues aids contentment and Ikigai." it wasn't to say that he was a big hands on person himself: like his lack of talents in singing, somewhat in dancing and others: he couldn't say that working with his hands outside of weaponry was good. The weapon on his back was indicative of that.

She would be able to get a glance at the place as they walked, revealing the sorts of people that you would encounter on a journey. All generally hardy people, but they seemed to be for the most part outside major villages and cities.

Akira didn't dither as he walked into the town, he knew where he was going. It was an inn that had interested him as he'd been here before. It was small, but three stories, and looked like an old temple that had been re-purposed. He entered it quickly enough, clipping his bag from his back on one side so that it would be held on the left side.

"Good afternoon. I'd like one regular room, for one guest, for four nights." Akira would say to the man at the front, placing his bag at his feet to grasp at some money. That itself would give Akatsuki knowledge that he was going to be here for a few days at the least. And he needed to allow for time to mail to arrive, be read, and all of that.

It turned his stomach to know if it had been read or not. Whether ignored, or seen.

He passed over the money to him, the man would explain a few things and his eyes flickered to Akatsuki and him, but didn't speak any further of the observation and would begin to guide them both to a room, it was on the second floor, down a hallway.

He would open it up, standing by the side of the door and passed over a key, before bowing as they both entered it, to when he could go back to the front desk.

"This is a regular room?" Akira would be confused, his face showing the oddness of it. It really... wasn't... that good... It was a room with a nice view, leading out to a balcony: but the room itself effectively was a small bookcase and a futon on the floor, padded of course. And a toilet/shower, but that was about as high tech as it got. He would drop his bag against the wall and the bookcase, turning around to observe the room.

He was hoping for something a bit more... comfortable. The bed itself would be fine, but it didn't scream amenities at all. There was apparently a small co-ed baths, but yeah, it wasn't special.

AND MINE IS THE FURY

dandy ♫

[Akatsuki]

❊ even though our ❊ destinies are connected

they never should have intersected

"I like jewelry making!" Akatsuki beamed, any seriousness from her present situation seeming to melt away at the mere mention of it. Now she was definitely going to have to give this town a good look before she left for the forest. By the sound of it, Akira wasn't the most artistic person, himself, but he held appreciation for it. "That's good, too!" There were several art forms she didn't quite grasp, herself, or hadn't found interest in nor the time to invest into learning their craft, but she still appreciated what other people could do. And there was enjoyment in simply appreciating, too.
    They walked through the town, and Akatsuki rested her eye on everything that she could--the potted plants that rested in some houses' windowsills, the design of the cobblestone streets, the lamps hanging from door posts. Akira lead the way through the village and stopped in front of a temple-looking building, and Akatsuki found herself stuck in front of it.
    She stared up in awe, taking in the details and the outward appearance of the building, and with a contented smile, she chased after Akira as he headed in. The woman glanced around once they were inside and her temporary companion spoke to the innkeeper. I wonder what god this building was devoted to before it was renovated, she wondered, looking up to the ceiling. So, Akira's going to be here for four days or so? That's pretty nice. It's a pretty nice place, feels like home.
    Well... Home for her.
    Her attention was shaken when Akira began to walk off again, and she followed after him. He quickly made his way to his room, and Akatsuki followed him inside. He wasn't shooing her away just yet. Though, as he dropped his sack to the floor, setting it against a wall, he seemed pretty disappointed by the inlay of the room.
    Akatsuki shrugged.
    She was used to sleeping on the floor, so a room like this was pretty nice in her eyes.
    But maybe it was so barren and lacking a proper bed and furniture because the establishment was suffering financially, or something. And they just couldn't afford to provide nicer things. But, still, it was a place to rest one's head, sheltered from the cold, with a roof over one's head. And it had a balcony!!
    Akatsuki quickly walked over to the door leading to the balcony and opened it, slipping outside and leaning against the railing--looking down to the town below. She grinned brightly as people walked about beneath, going about their business. Then, she turned and pressed her back against the railing, looking up at the sky.
    I wanna climb, she thought. Resisting the urge--for now--she turned her head back down and looked at Akira. "Well, probably hopefully at least they don't have any leaky roofs, right?"

WORDS: XXX TAGS: @tag Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only Violet Text - Common Language

XOXO SHIN OF GS + THQ

[Deleted]

[googlefont=Fira+Sans|Playfair+Display]

PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT,

He wondered if she was skilled with her fingers: nimble and deft enough for it. There were different kinds, whether like Midori like thread or a Tantetsu with metal and blacksmithing. It was a varied art.

Her head movements were a bit distracting, she had become a child in spirit when seeing the village. 'Is she like this all the time?' It was only a joke, because he'd seen how she had behaved earlier. But some things took interest more than others and the rustic and rural type villages likely interested her more than a city like Kuwana.

Back at the room now, Akira was stood in the middle of the room and Akatsuki would move past him. Light would flood into the room - letting in the sky and white. It would take his attention and he would go out onto it as well. It was nice. Cold, but nice.

His profile of the stranger was growing as she shrugged. Akira wasn't stupid enough to completely dismiss the thought that she as a traveller didn't sleep as much with a roof above her head. "I'd hope so, given what I paid." Akira would cross his arms as he looked down at the people, and then up. His face would fall slightly.

The view had a decent view of the Quarry that he'd be needing to go to. 'Really?' Was life just being so cruel? His view was a bit preoccupied now, standing beside this stranger. It only made him a bit more uncomfortable now the situation itself, finding himself in a room alone with someone he'd never met, with no more than an hour of interaction, majority of that them walking in silence for no other reason than Akira had shown a bit of kindness.

Akira would sever the tie with his vision as he turned back into the room, and would stand in the middle of the room. "Akatsuki-san, come in here for a moment." Akira would wait for her to join him, before beginning to study her. "Just give me a moment." Akira would walk around her, in a three sixty, and looking at her: her body, her clothes - the individual scrapes.

Six clones would come into existence, filling the room with a bit of smoke, trailing out and into the world from the balcony. They would each, in turn perform a hand seal and the smoke would fill the room a second time. When the dust settled, Akira would give her the opportunity to look them over. They would be replicas of her, and then would take off themselves. Six different directions.

"This is it." Akira would put his hands on his hips. "Do you want to stay here until nightfall?" Akira had to go out and survey just like he'd promised himself to.

AND MINE IS THE FURY

dandy ♫

[Akatsuki]

❊ even though our ❊ destinies are connected

they never should have intersected

Akatsuki looked at him when her name was called, and, curiously, she stood upright from where she'd been leaning off the balcony. I'm not in trouble, am I? She wondered. She didn't know why she would be in trouble, but the thought still invaded her mind. Cautiously, she returned inside the room and approached Akira. Then, he started circling her like a hawk.
    The white-haired woman immediately grew on edge as he moved around her, staring her down and taking in every detail. I don't like this, she thought, uncomfortable. He stopped after making a full circle, then performed a hand seal and created six clones appeared, and after each one phased into existence, they all performed hand seals of their own and took on her appearance.
    Ah, right, that makes more sense, she thought, her violet eye locked onto one of them before she darted her attention quickly through all of them. He did say he was going to make clones for me. Nervously, Akatsuki spoke up. "Um--actually, Akira-san, um, thank you very much. I--but... I don't think I'm going to need them after all. I'm sorry." She'd completely wasted his time and energy, she realized.
    She was going to face the shinobi on her own. No distractions, no tricks. Just... old traditional style.
    And she needed to fight all of them.
    She couldn't have one or two lost in the area while she was fighting, hunting down fakes. Eventually, they'd realize they were just clones, and then they'd come after her, anyway. They might try to tail her as she escaped from the area without her knowing. And although being gifted a few minutes between individual fights between the shinobi would normally be a blessing, it wasn't something she wanted to risk. Akatsuki wanted to make sure that she knew where each of her enemies were, and that they didn't get away unless she let them get away.
    Once they were defeated, it'd give her a couple of days before a new batch were sent out after her. But, by then, she'd be long gone without a trace. They'd have to try finding her all over again from base one, with no idea where she'd gone and the whole world to search.
    She was about to turn to head out to the balcony again--this time to jump off--when Akira spoke up again, asking a question of her. Akatsuki paused, then slowly turned to look back at him.
    Stay here until nightfall?
    "I..." she frowned slightly and looked away. Quietly, she explained, "I was going to look around town for a bit--while everyone's still out and about." They probably wouldn't start a fight in the middle of the streets where citizens could get caught in the crossfires, right...? "Then I was going to meditate on a roof or something until nightfall, and return to the forest." She was careful before she spoke again. "Unless you wanted me to stay for a little while?"
    Did he need someone to keep him company, or something? She was willing to offer assistance in any way she could, even if it was only keeping him company until she had to leave, but... She didn't want to be a burden on him, and in her eyes she'd already quite overstayed her visit. Akira surely wanted to be alone, wouldn't he?

WORDS: XXX TAGS: @tag Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only Violet Text - Common Language

XOXO SHIN OF GS + THQ

[Deleted]

[googlefont=Fira+Sans|Playfair+Display]

PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT,

He didn't blame her that she stiffened up when he crossed to her behind where she couldn't see. Like she felt that she was under investigation. The clones would do their thing and they began to move out, but the woman's sudden tone would make him re-evaluate. "Stop." Akira would call out to the clones, bending slightly as he looked over her shoulder, prompting them to stop as well.

Before his clones had the opportunity to leave, they'd all look at her, as would Akira himself. "Alright, no worries." The six of them would say in unison, and they'd all puff in smoke. People would likely think there was a fire since how it was smoking in the room. "Why?" He questioned her choice.

His offer didn't go unheard, and he would wait as she mulled over the offer. It didn't matter whether she said yes or not. The Jinchuuriki nodded at her response. He didn't take it personally. It made sense that she'd return to the forest, which would've explained her silence in the forest, they were for difference reasons. But she had asked if he'd wanted her to. Which, ordinarily he would've been light hearted enough to mull over the offer, or outright accept. If he was on a mission? Unlikely. This was a bit more serious than that.

It was harsh as a response. "I have things to do. Sorry." He wasn't about to say that he wanted her to waste more time with him, so that he could avoid doing his duties. So he would walk her to the door (or rather, he'd walk to the door, open it and keep the door open for her to take the hint and walk through it as he turned back to face her).

If she made no further fuss, and exited the building, then Akira would close the door and lock it - before going over to the balcony. For a minute or so, he'd stare out at the quarry, and sighed - jumped up onto the balcony, and then took off, hopping from roof to roof, out the village and toward the quarry, where he'd spend the next few hours to investigate the unknown.

---

Potential [FIN], left enough room for it to continue if desired.

AND MINE IS THE FURY

dandy ♫

[Akatsuki]

❊ even though our ❊ destinies are connected

they never should have intersected

"Er, well..." Akatsuki said quietly, pondering on it some. She felt it was only proper to explain, though she didn't know how much detail she had to give to him. He didn't need to know every element of the course of action she hoped to take, did he? "I can't run away, I need to face them." Not a gesture of pride or honor--though perhaps that was an element, too. "If they are distracted by clones, one will still probably find me, and can signal for the others to come, too." The distraction would probably only give her an hour, at best.
    After all, they surely would know that one of the clones was really her, after all. So they'd split up, but as soon as the real her was located--they'd immediately signal for the others to come over.
    "If I run, I might make a little bit of distance before the fight, but we will have to fight either way. Sooner, or later," Akatsuki said. "So, if I have to fight, anyway... I'd rather it be tonight, in that forest. With all of them, at once. So I don't risk anyone getting away and trailing me. I want to deal with them all right now, so that when I defeat them... they are either dead or have to return to the settlement to report back, and by the time that happens, and they send out more trackers for me, I'll be long gone. That sort of distance will give me a couple of days to lose them, and then who knows--it might be another month before they end up finding me again." It seemed like a fairly good plan, in her mind.
    Better to deal with them and give herself a few days of escape time, then try to run and only give herself a few hours.
    "At night... They won't be able to see me so easily, I blend in with the dark," she explained. It's why she wore so much black--it wasn't to look cool or mysterious--although that might have been an added bonus--it was so that she could travel undetected in the shadows. Or, at least, make it more difficult to be spotted. "But they don't. Their special abilities--are very bright, and very noticeable in the dark. I will be able to see them, but they won't always be able to see me."
    Maybe movements of shadows every time they shoot out a projectile, a brief glimmer of her blade reflected from their blasts before she cuts them down. She would make sound--but they would, too. Ultimately, she would still have a slight advantage over them in that sense.
    "And, it's hard to fight in a forest. Trees are in the way, they can shield me from their techniques--sometimes." Of course, there were plenty of jutsu that would tear up the world, and could still seriously harm her even if she hid behind a tree, but it could take the brunt of the force, and it could lessen the damage, if nothing else. They could also pose as good distractions--wasting their time and energy by trying to land hits on her, only for her to be moving quickly around the area and ducking behind a new obstacle right when they thought they had her. "But trees aren't an obstacle for me."
    She could create vacuums that would be able to bend around a tree and cut them up into pieces. She was able to cut through a tree entirely and slash the person standing behind it--which usually caught them by surprise, if nothing else. Trees could pose an obstacle for her, but less so. She was specifically trained with techniques that eliminated that dilemma. To an extent.
    "So I would rather fight them tonight, in that forest, than save myself some hours and fight them tomorrow in the morning somewhere else--out in the open. I have a much better chance this way," Akatsuki finished. "So, thank you for the offer. I really appreciate it. But I think it might be better to face them alone." She gave a slight nod, hoping her explanation made enough sense to him.
    Not that she technically needed to give him an explanation. But she'd wanted to. He had asked, and it felt rude not to explain herself.
    Walking over to the balcony once again, Akatsuki nodded a little at what he'd said. No, he didn't want her around. She wasn't surprised--really, she would have been more surprised if he did want her to stay nearby. His blunt retort didn't rub her the wrong way at all--she took it for what it was (and Akatsuki could be incredibly blunt, too, sometimes). "That's what I thought," she said with a slight laugh, pulling out her grapple. She stuck it to the railing of the balcony and then stood up on it's edge, before looking back at Akira who was standing inside the room, by the door. "Well, it was very nice getting to meet you, Akira-san. I wish you the best of luck on your meeting--I sincerely hope it goes well." She smiled. "Thanks for the company and help! Farewell!" And then, just like that, she jumped off the railing and, hands gripped tightly to her rope, safely descended to the ground below. She flicked the line and the grapple came loose--falling into her expecting hand.
    And she was off!

WORDS: XXX TAGS: @tag Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only Violet Text - Common Language

XOXO SHIN OF GS + THQ