[Akatsuki]

 

- A WORLD AWAY FROM HERE -

"It's the Morning"

Akatsuki cried out. The stake was driven in further through her leg, breaking through her femur and shattering the bone as the steel rod pierced through her limb and dug into the stone beneath. She hung there by her wrists, pinned to the wall of stone with several of the man's weaponry nailing her in place. Stakes, nails, kunai. They'd been driven through her limp form, the only things keeping her in place. Where some were too shallow to strike all the way through and only stopped at the bones, others had traveled through her muscles and flesh and been buried into the wall from behind.
    The minutes crawled by like years, and every breath was labored and shaky as the man continued to have his way with her, eliciting as many sounds of anguish as he could from the woman despite all that she bit back.
    Deep lacerations covered her arms. They were drenched in blood--not even an inch had been spared from the sharp edge of his kunai. Her katana and armor had been removed after a ruthless and desperate fight against the Jashinist, but it had done little good. She had been caught off guard, she admitted--and she hadn't been expecting the man to withstand so much damage without worry. While he'd been stabbed through the heart and slashed across his back, it had done so very little to him, and he continued to get back up again and again to carry on with the fight. She tried to flee after realizing the situation, but it had been too little too late, and his whip had kept her from escaping, snaking around her limbs and binding her to his will.
    And when he'd pinned her down and started breaking her without hope of escape, not even her flames could deter his hand.
    "Yer a damned Yōki, ain't'cha? I hear you demon spawns can withstand hell's wrath and get back up again like nothin'," he sneared, getting up close and personal as he drove the kunai down her chest. "I'll make this especially painful, just for you. Need ta make sure ya fully understand the weight of yer choices!" He ripped the blade out of her, before plunging it into her shoulder.
    Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen... Blood dribbled from her lips as he continued slamming the knife into her near-lifeless body. Again, again, and again. It was hard to breathe, and she wanted to try pulling herself upright to ease the strain on her lungs, but her arms ached and every muscle screamed. They had been cut and torn, and would do little to service her. Even the thought of trying to move revived the sensation of the stakes driven through them.
    Fight, fight back--
    She had tried, but there was nothing she could do.
    This was it.
    She hadn't even heard the man finish up his prayers, and even as the onslaught ceased, she hadn't noticed. The current of the nearby river roared, the sound like nails being driven into her skull. Blood pooled beneath where she hung, and it dripped from her forehead and into her eye. This is it, she thought weakly. It'll all be done with soon, just keep hanging on. It'll be over, soon. It's okay. It's alright if it ends like this, nobody will be waiting for you and it's better that it's you and not someone else. This pain will cease. Things will be okay.
    It's okay to die.
    Whether from blood loss, traumatic shock, or asphyxiation, she wouldn't know. But her vision darkened, and her breathing slowed before, finally, she succumbed to the shadows and fell unconscious.

---

She awoke, her mind still in a haze as her eyes fluttered open after an unknown amount of rest. The first thing she noticed was the soft cushion of bedding beneath her, a pillow cradling her head and warm blankets draped over her form. She felt hollow. Numb. And sick.
    Akatsuki blinked a few times as she tried to get a reading on her surroundings. Her eye patch was missing, bandaged wrapped around her head in its place. It was, perhaps the first thing she noticed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd viewed the world with both eyes, and it was disorienting. I'm alive...? She turned her head slightly to get a better look at what was nearby, blinking slowly. Dazed. Or have I died...?

@tag | 733 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

RENAISSANCE 文芸復興

"Ye’ done already, Yōki?” The jashinist asked as he licked a sliver of crimson a shade lighter than his hair from the kunai that he had lacerated her with. "Yer na’ even worth the trouble, Jashin’ll be cross with me…” he said as he looked at the woman crucified upon a stone with a heavy laughter.

He circled around the outdoor execution site in a forest’s clearing. He had made a table of a nearby tree stump where all manner of blades and torture tools lay. From it he retrieved a particularly large nail and a hammer. He came close to the unconscious girl and balanced the nail at her chest directly in front of her heart. He lifted the hammer back and began to bring it down.

Flesh was torn through. The hammer dropped and fell to the ground in front of the jashinist and the nail rolled down to join it. He looked down at his elbow joint, where a senbon was embedded through the bone and into his forearm. Only a little bump of metal was visible and slicked with blood.

"What?” he yelled out as several more needles embedded into his knees and arms. The wounds were not fatal but had locked his joints into place, making moving to see what was coming difficult.

Like a breeze a figure clad in a sienna cloak and mask jumped with an otherworldly grace, shifting in midair to jump a second time before landing behind the cultist. Two gunbai were drawn and both slashed in a diagonal at the neck. Severing the head of the red haired butcher.

"What’reye doin’ ye idjit?” the head cried as the man in the brown cloak shot a cold glare at him. "Jashin will not be pleased!”

Hotaru walked forward and ignored the heckling of the severed head. He approached the stone where the young girl of snowy hair and complexion stained with red. He shook his head and sighed.

"T’late, boo hoo! Haha,” the jashinist replied.

As Hotaru turned to move away he saw a rise in the woman’s chest. She was still breathing. He looked her broken body up and down. Could he even save her if he tried? He had come here to take care of the jashinist who was getting a little too close to the Tori no Kuni for his liking… but he couldn’t just leave her like this if there was a chance.

Still, he had much to learn of medicine and he was better at surgical procedures than ninjutsu overall. It wasn’t unheard of for medical doctors to know a little ninshu, but he didn’t want to draw too much attention to himself so his practice had been somewhat stunted in the past few years. He usually only used ninjutsu to handle poison. He was regretting it now as he looked upon the wounded dove. Removing the spikes driven into her body where bone had been pierced would be the most problematic, as it was very likely to cause catastrophic blood loss. A surgical table with an assistant would have been ideal.

First he would try to stabilize her. The points of penetration were not bleeding excessively and wouldn’t so long as they stayed in place. It was the deeper lacerations that he was worried about as the most immediate concern. He needed to seal the wound on her chest faster than he could really stitch around the blood. He pulled a kunai from inside of his cloak and the tip of it began to glow hot as he pressed it against the lacerations, sealing the wounds and killing the bacteria around them. He could repair the scars once he got her to his office later.

After some time he had cauterized the lacerations and bandaged her arms and legs around the spikes driven through them to reduce the amount of movement. All the while the cultist ranted, raved, and cast doubt upon his endeavors to save her. After stabilizing her condition he began a painstaking process of using his gunbai and chakra to cut into the boulder she was hung upon. He essentially cut a slab from the rock and gently lay her on the ground on the forest floor.

Throughout the early night he extracted, cauterized, and wrapped each puncture wound with extreme care and patience. He was dripping with sweat in the firelight through the whole operation, one which the disembodied servant of the dark lord slept through. Although things went as well as they could, she had multiple bone fractures that would require a longer term of care.

He grabbed the severed head that screamed out in protest as it was shoved into a sack. Afterwards he lifted up the woman’s body and carried her off into the night. He brought her to a two story home that was attached to an orphanage next door to it. Using a hand cranked elevator she was brought upstairs and laid upon a hospital bed next to a glass window. He would spend several hours binding her in casts on her legs.

"Were you working alone?” Hotaru asked the jashinist, whose head he had fixed on a dish near his desk.

"Piss off!” the head would retort.

Through the night Hotaru monitored the woman’s condition and studied up on medical ninjutsu scrolls that he had been neglecting to read for years. If he could learn shousen then he might be able to get her back to good health in no time. He would repeatedly pry at the red head for information but was getting nowhere.

Having worked harder than he had in recent memory Hotaru had fallen asleep at his desk not far from the hospital bed. He was dressed in a surgical uniform that had little spots of blood on it and his long raven hair drooled down under the edge of the desk where he had put his head down.

When Akatsuki awakened with the morning sun pouring into her window, it was not Hotaru who would greet her, but a familiar voice.

-

"Good mornin’ sweet!” the jashinist called out to her. "Ready for more? Hahahaha!” he said, trying to get her to panic.

Like an alarm clock, Hotaru punched the nose of the severed head and looked over at the stirring patient at the other end of the room. "Don’t try to move,” he advised as he stood up while the jashinist cursed at him. He stuck a rag into the man's mouth to silence him and made his way over. His eyes looked tired but at the very least kind. "I was worried you might be comatose, I am glad that I was wrong… can you tell me your name?” he asked.

SPOILER: Click to show

[Hotaru- Training for XP]

Don't worry I usually write like 200-300 words, I am not expecting a match.

Akatsuki

[Akatsuki]

 

- A WORLD AWAY FROM HERE -

"It's the Morning"

The first thing she noticed upon inspecting her surroundings was the desk set not too far away from the bed she was reclined on. A voice called out, mockingly, to her--the very one that had been taunting her as he broke her bones and plunged stakes through her body. Morning...? She didn't pay him much mind, only staring at the severed head from across the way as he tried to spark fear into her--but there would be no such emotion visible on her features. She was quiet, her gaze softened, and her expression was soft.
    Though, even when he'd been trying to strip her of her life, she hadn't been fearful of him.
    In agony, yes.
    But not in fear.
    And this was no different.
    Besides... You're just a head. Ready for more? He laughed as though he could do something about it, but as the Jashinist spoke up, he roused the other figure from their own sleep--the one who had been slumped over the desk. For a moment, Akatsuki was uncertain. Was this the Jashinist's partner, who would act on his behalf? No, that didn't seem right...
    Something had happened between when she'd been awake and just now.
    Someone had attacked the Jashinist and managed to... well, defeat him. Kill--it seemed it was impossible--but stop? Somehow, he had been. Though why the head had been brought along, she couldn't say. She didn't know. And she didn't want to try to think about it to figure it out. Somehow, she was also alive. That was, perhaps, the biggest surprise to her. She was still among the living--the pain in her chest and in her arms and her legs told her so--and she had to think it had to be out of an act of mercy.
    The individual rose from the desk and turned to face her, and Akatsuki stared at the man with mute surprise as he sternly ordered her not to move. It didn't sound like a threat, though, and by his treatment of the Jashinist's head she had to assume he had been the one who had slain him. The man approached, revealing a sliver further of light upon the situation. Afraid she'd been comatos... but glad she wasn't.
    Were you the one who saved me...? she wondered. He seemed, to her, to be tired--exhausted, even--if the circles beneath his eyes told of anything, and perhaps a bit irritated (though she figured it was pointed more at the Jashinist than herself). His tone of voice was stern in his instructions, but it was not unkind. There was a benevolence to him, surely. Especially if he truly had managed to pull her, a complete stranger, from death's doorstep. "I... I'm Akatsuki the-- Bleeding Sun," she croaked weakly.
    A million questions flooded her mind. How was she alive? Who was he? Where were they? Where was her--? Akatsuki's eyes widened in panic as the thought made itself apparent. Her heartbeat raced and instinctively she tried to move to get up-- "Where--my satchel-- where is it--" she cried, but the muscles in her abdomen had been ripped and torn, and even as she tried to move her trembling arms to force herself upright--it did little good and she'd achieve nothing. Hissing in pain, she fell back upon the bed without success of her attempt to rise, despite the man's instructions.

@tag | ### Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Hotaru looked back into Akatsuki’s eyes. One ruby and one violet, both more colorful than the platinum greys that carried only the subtlest hint of blue. Though heterochromia was entirely different he was reminded of the trait that some of his kin possessed in their eyes. Though he had been through many miseries it had never awakened, and he was sure now that his genes were recessive of the trait.

When she gave her name he was reminded of tales of old. Perhaps a fable that he had read in his youth. He couldn’t quite remember but it sat at the back of his mind and at the tip of his tongue.

”Akatsuki,” he repeated quietly to help himself remember it. The titling that followed her name seemed a cruel irony given the state he had found her in as the sun was setting in the evening. He was glad that she had endured to the dawn.

Always soft spoken and contemplative in his words, he hadn’t time to introduce himself properly before Akatsuki had realized that her belongings were missing. In her panic she had gone against what he had advised and tried to move herself. There was muffled laughter from the gagged horror at the other end of the room. Hotaru moved forward and put pressure on the strained abdominal wound in fear that she might have opened it. He sighed with relief after looking at it. It was fine this time.

"It’s best not to worry about such things right now,” he said, stepping away slightly to look out the window at her bedside. He hadn’t grabbed her belongings, he hadn’t even been sure what belonged to who.

They were in a city of irrigation canals. Greenery of trees and shrubs decorated the area within the town, while the plains were a sea of yellow savannah grass surrounding it. In the yard below there were two children who looked no older than ten volleying a hane ball with hagoita paddles. Several others were gathered at wooden tables eating bowls of rice. They were all dressed simply, but seemed to be in good spirits and health.

"I was worried that you wouldn’t make it,” he said without turning from his spot watching the children of the orphanage in the window. "I am sorry about your belongings… It may be a long rehabilitation, but I will try to help you replace what is within my means.”

Akatsuki

[Akatsuki]

 

- A WORLD AWAY FROM HERE -

"It's the Morning"

The severed head laughed at her pain, but Akatsuki paid the thing little mind. It wasn't on the forefront of her mind, and in truth she didn't care if he tried to mock her or found pleasure in whatever suffering she was enduring. It was the least of her worries--not even the throbbing in her chest or the stinging of her arms was enough to grab her attention. When she fell back down upon the bed, however, the raven-haired man had quickly moved to her side to apply pressure to the most concerning of her injuries--his attention seemed solely focused on her wellbeing.
    Moments passed and he gave a sigh of relief after checking for any blood spots indicating new tears or reopening of the injury, but there were none. He tried to calm her, speaking with a soft and gentle voice--he dismissed her concerns. Not out of apathy, but in an attempt to ease her mind. Worrying about it would only cause her stress, and there was nothing that could be done right now. And so, in this exact instance, fretting over the matter would do no good.
    The man moved away, shifting over to the window to gaze out from it, allowing her space and checking in on the world outside. She watched him carefully, her eyes glistening with tears as she listened to the stranger express the seriousness of her condition and apologized for the loss of her belongings. It wasn't his fault. She knew that. He couldn't have known the importance they held to her--the letters, her katana. His attention had been on saving her life. Taking her from where she was being sacrificed alive. Slaying her assailant. Making sure she kept breathing through the darkest hours of the night. He had been doing the best he possibly could have, and even now--he was still there waiting for her to wake up, if she ever did.
    Even the thought of this stranger having toiled through the night just to keep her alive--when so much of her had wanted to die--doing everything he could just to spare her... Of course he hadn't thought to grab her things. It was the least of his concerns. And even still--he offered to compensate her as best as he could for her losses, even though he had no reason to. It wasn't his fault. He'd not done her any wrong, so there was no need for him to try to make it up to her.
    Akatsuki shook her head a little. "No..." Besides, she had to think. How often did people wander the woods? There were many, she knew. Travelers--though they tended to stick toward paths and roads--hunters, shinobi, and criminals like herself... But it was a great big world, and there was a good chance that nobody would find her things being where they were. Even if they did... The things I value most have no worth to a stranger. They can take my coins or my map or even my clothes and I wouldn't care--but a thief would have no use for some letters, and nobody can wield my companion properly. He would cause them more trouble than anything, and he's worthless to them. "It... it'll be okay..." she had to believe that.
    She had to.
    They were not things that this man could replace. It was impossible. But the offer had been kind.
    "I... I'm sorry for... all the trouble I've cause you," the young woman spoke gently. "What's your name...? And..." she glanced over to the window, blinking in the morning light. Everything was so bright. She didn't recognize the location, but the topography seemed similar enough. They were still in Tori no Kuni, weren't they? He couldn't have taken her that far. She hoped not. "Where am I...?"

@tag | ### Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

"I know not everything can be replaced, but.. I will try to get you back on your feet,” he reaffirmed. He could sense from her words and mannerisms that she was feeling guilty about being upset about the loss. Had he arrived earlier, maybe she could have walked out of there intact. "I am glad to have helped.”

Benevolent as he was he did have his questions for her, but now wasn't the time. She was still settling into her situation.

He paused for a moment on giving her his name. He moved over to the side of the room where several clay jugs rested in the shade. He picked one up and carried it over, sitting it down near her bed.

"I am Kazutoshi, you are in my home and hospital in Tori,” he stated. It was a lie of necessity, for his true name was a troublesome thing. It had been so long since he had heard it that Kazutoshi was more familiar anyways. After a long pause he clarified. "Same name as the country. You should be safe while you are here.”

He had carried along with the water a ladle of sorts that he dipped into the water, bringing it up to the woman’s lips gently.

"I don’t have the resources for an IV,” he said with an apologetic look. Though he was well versed in modern medicine Tori no Kuni wasn’t exactly the epicenter of technological advancement. Most of the equipment he had was donated by one of his benefactors but he was always short of supply. "Try your best to drink a few sips. I don’t know when you last had water.”

@

[Akatsuki]

 

- A WORLD AWAY FROM HERE -

"It's the Morning"

"Thank you..." she spoke softly. Really, he didn't have to. Akatsuki so badly didn't want to inconvenience him, but she already knew that just being here was serving great enough a burden anyway. He stated that he was just happy to help, and she wanted to believe that was true. She knew that if she had been in his position, it would have been the same. For now, her sole purpose in living was to help others and she was happy to do so. Even when it had been at her own expense, before, she hadn't minded. While she hated the thought of causing such problems for someone else, she understood that as much as she didn't like it, there were moments where she had to rely on others and couldn't do everything on her own. Just as she wanted to help others, so, too, did she need to accept assistance when others offered it in her own times of need.
    And right now was one such time.
    The man offered his own name--Kazutoshi. It was a nice name... And the nukenin watched as he slipped away from the window, moving to fetch a clay jug. So, they were still in Tori no Kuni and... in his home? So where he lived doubled as a hospital...? She half wondered if she was sleeping in his bed or if he'd had several cots that could be used for patients. Oh, she hoped she wasn't taking what was his...
    Kazutoshi assured her that she was safe here, and she gave a little nod in acknowledgement, tired eyes watching him as he moved to get her some water. He apologized about not having an IV to supply to her, but the words were lost on the girl. She had no idea what he was talking about, or what that even was, but given his expression she figured it was something that probably could have helped her in this situation. Akatsuki didn't mind, and shook her head a little in protest at his words. He seemed to be in such regret that he couldn't do more for her, but already he was providing more than she could ever have asked for. "I... wouldn't be alive at all... right now, if it... weren't for you," she spoke slowly through shaky breaths.
    Even if she didn't end up making it, there would be no blame or shortcoming on Kazutoshi's behalf. Not in her eyes. He'd done everything he could to keep her alive, and he was doing everything in his power to make sure she was alright and that she was going to be okay. Akatsuki had less hope than that. But he couldn't blame himself for what he'd lacked--he'd already spared her this much more time, and that alone had been nothing short of a miracle.
    Everything hurts and I'm not sure I can stomach much of anything right now, she thought to herself. But I think I could probably handle a few sips of water. He's not asking much. I think--I think I can do that. He brought the ladle of water to her lips and with one hand raised to help stabilize it, Akatsuki drank slowly from it--little by little. She pulled away shortly enough, unable to completely finish, and coughed into her hand.

@tag | ### Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

She had managed to move her arm enough to balance the ladle without showing signs of pain. Though it was a small act he was impressed, though still worried that she might have suffered some nerve damage in the experience. He took a cloth and helped her to gently clean her hand off after putting the ladle away. He would find another way to get her hydrated soon. He began wondering about using fuinjutsu on a small pill to store some water in it. Once her stomach acid dissolved it the seal would theoretically break and release it.

He’d have to test that on himself first.

"I can’t take all of the credit,” Hotaru replied, closing his eyes and giving her a small smile. "Most wouldn’t have been able to survive even with treatment. You are very resilient.”

He withdrew from her side for a moment and moved towards a drawer on the opposite end of the room. He retrieved from it a small sealing paper which he quickly placed his hands on to send a burst of chakra to open it. A tiny syringe was inside of it, which he took into his hand and approached. She was due for more antibiotics.

"I don’t like to think of kindness in terms of debts,” Hotaru said as he slid into a chair next to her bed. "Humanity should transcend its business model in such matters,” he elaborated as he began to tie off one of her arms to enlarge her veins.

With his final words he began to draw the needle towards her flesh to give her the injection, unless she made a move to resist he would give her a dose of antibiotics with the clean syringe. It was a rather large needle, so he had hoped conversation might have helped her not to think about it. If she showed signs of struggle against it he would back off and explain what he was injecting her with.

@

[Akatsuki]

 

- A WORLD AWAY FROM HERE -

"It's the Morning"

Akatsuki smiled weakly at Kazutoshi as he offered some element of praise to her. While it was true that she was resilient, and she knew that much to be true from all her years of hardships and violence that she had pushed through and survived, it still was true, too, that she wouldn't be here right now at all if it weren't for him. She was resilient and durable, yes, but that only could get her so far. It only meant so much. Maybe someone else would still have died even after receiving his help, but she wouldn't have even been given the chance if it weren't for him.
    She wouldn't have been able to pull herself from the stone she'd been crucified upon. She wouldn't have been able to stop the Jashinist from driving a nail through her heart. She would have bled out from the wounds on her arms or the stab wounds in her chest or died a slow and painful death otherwise from her other injuries. No amount of resilience would have changed that. And though, yes, Kazutoshi had given her an opportunity to survive, one that others still might not have been able to walk away from even despite his aid, that didn't change the fact that still, if he hadn't interfered, her fate would have had an entirely different outcome.
    He also brought up a different belief of his. One that she felt she could share. He didn't like to think of kindness in terms of debt... while she wouldn't have worded it exactly in that way, the sentiment and belief was shared between them. She wouldn't have wanted anyone she saved or helped to feel that they were endebted to her, and in her heart she knew she would never be able to repay Kazutoshi for his actions. But it seemed to her that he wouldn't ask, and she appreciated it. Even though a small part of her would always feel guilt that she couldn't repay him for his deeds, at least he wouldn't hold it over her head.
    Akatsuki watched as he retrieved a needle and syringe from a scroll, tying off her arm so that he could easily inject her with whatever was inside it. She was quiet through the process, not putting up a fight or starting a fuss, and would simply watch with curiosity at whatever he was doing. Despite how many injuries she'd sustained in the past, it wasn't common she ever actually received help from a medic, so everything was still a wonder to her.
    She carefully moved her spare hand over to her chest, resting it there as she breathed as steadily as she could and watched the man carefully. "You're very beautiful, by the way..." the girl commented softly.
    There was a sort of elegance about the way he moved, and the smile he'd offered her, although slight, had suited him well, she thought.

@tag | ### Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

The words were spoken as he was finishing the draw, and he raised an eyebrow at her statement as he withdrew the needle from the silverette’s arm.

"Beautiful…” Hotaru repeated quietly, tucking his mouth beneath his collar to discreetly hide any sort of blush that may have spilled upon the canvas of his face. With the other hand he withdrew the syringe, and then discarded it into a bin at her bedside.

He smiled a moment more with his eyes closed, and then stood. He moved over towards his desk where there sat a test that he had been running on her blood back where he had dozed off. There were several vials containing different antigens that were mixed with her blood so that he could be sure of her blood type. He stirred multiple vials with separate plastics until his isolation was complete. All the while he worked he contemplated the various forms that the word beauty could take and its many connotations.

He sighed with relief, he had blood pills that she could take. That would help to keep her stable. He opened up a drawer on the desk and opened up a container with several red capsules inside, retrieving one in the palm of his hand.

He made his way back to her bedside and took a seat. He found himself looking into her unique eyes once again. Noting that she seemed to have function with at least one arm he lifted his hand out to hand her a blood pill to consume. Speeding up red blood cell production would help oxygen get to her extremities and support the work of platelet cells as well. It was the last bit of work needed for the moment.

"...a word with many meanings, and sometimes devoid of one,” he finally added after having left the sentence hanging for so long. "In which meaning do I model the word to you, Akatsuki?”

The Uchiha were creatures of passion and conviction. Hotaru’s flame was held for provoking thought and exploring meaning. His curiosity to explore the concept in a discussion had triumphed over a natural bashfulness. Had she simply called him handsome things may have been different. Beauty was open ended to many forms.

He wasn’t completely without empathy that he was pressing her for something that might be embarrassing. She had been bold though, so why not clarify? Still, he would leave her with a way out. If she seemed to take pause he would interject after a few moments by saying "You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

@

[Akatsuki]

 

- A WORLD AWAY FROM HERE -

"It's the Morning"

"Mhm..." Akatsuki hummed lightly. She continued to watch as he finished injecting her with the medicine. At least, she assumed it was medicine. It might have been something else entirely, she didn't know--and frankly, she didn't have enough concern to care, either. If he was shooting poison directly into her veins--which she doubted, given everything he'd done so far just to save her--then so be it. She was already dead, as far as she was concerned, so he could do anything to her at this point and she wouldn't feel it was right to protest, get concerned, or fight it. Even though she didn't feel that was likely the case, anyway, she didn't want to bombard him with a million questions, either, and was content enough to simply watch the man do his work.
    It was fascinating, in a way. An entirely different world than she was familiar with. She couldn't fully see what he was doing once he returned to his desk set just across the way, but it looked like he was doing something with vials of... blood? Now that, she really didn't understand. Must be a doctor thing.
    He returned with something in his hand, looking her over once again. For a moment their eyes locked and a slight rouge tinted her cheeks before she quickly looked away. There was a sudden flurry of emotions as she became quickly reminded of her situation. In truth, she was incredibly self-conscious about her eyes. She'd worn an eye-patch ever since she was thirteen, and even back when she still lived in the settlement with her brother she didn't like to take it off. Whether they were outside where a stranger might chance to see, or within their own village where everyone else was also Kyōbō, it didn't matter to her. It had been years since the last time she'd had it off, even when only in her own company.
    He wasn't grimacing, though. Didn't seem disgusted or on edge. It was entirely possible he didn't even know what a Kyōbō was, to be fair. But, even so, his cool and collected demeanor was appreciated, even if verbally unacknowledged by the woman.
    Akatsuki took the pill from him when he asked his question of her. What did she mean by that? Well... she understood what he meant. And it was true that "beautiful" had many meanings, and especially in different situations. You could have a beautiful heart, a beautiful soul... You could find the way someone expressed their feelings to be beautiful, the compassion or emotions they showed could be a beautiful display. Anything could be beautiful if it was something viewed in admiration by another, really.
    "I don't think it... means nothing," she spoke carefully, her voice soft so as to not break. Everything had a meaning. Nothing was purposeless. Even if it was a word that was used too many times and has lost it's value--that alone also meant something. "But... you're just very..." Beautiful seemed the right word for it, but he wondered exactly why her mind had wandered there. For what reason had she thought that? It was simple, really. "Pretty." Pretty, beautiful, pleasant to gaze upon. He seemed to be those things, to her. "You seem kind of... graceful. And your eyes are a pretty silver... like the... passing of a storm." They were a cool and calming sort of color--not wild or bright or vivid, but peaceful, in a way. With the slightest tints of blue, too. "Also your hair is very pretty. Dark, like the night and... very long. Just... pretty. I think you're very beautiful." Her brother had long hair, too. At least, he'd used to. It wasn't something she saw as frequently in men, but she thought it looked nice. Kazutoshi was sort of feminine, in a way, but Akatsuki admired it.
    Of course, she didn't discriminate. There had been many men she'd come across who were giants, with big, rough hands and hairy arms and full beards. Muscular arms and scars all on their skin. And they were all wonderful and lovely, too.
    But Kazutoshi was just much prettier than they were. Her brother had been quite pretty, too. Probably prettier than I am, even. Perhaps delivered a bit oddly, it wasn't an insult from the young woman. At least, it hadn't intended to be.
    She popped the pill into her mouth with the slightest shrug she could manage, giving it no further thought.

@tag | ### Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

He lost himself in thought for a moment as he listened to her response. His eyes retreated from hers as they closed in quiet contemplation. It was aesthetic beauty that she had seen, an appreciation of form. It had been the nothing that he had spoken of beauty with the least weight.

"I’ve always seen that form of beauty to be fleeting,” he replied. "Our guest over there saw the same sort of beauty in his own way, when he took so much effort to make you into an altar. Like an artwork on display.”

Of course she couldn’t have seen beauty in much else, she knew nothing about him beyond the few minutes that she had been conscious and in this room. It was still an interesting thing to discuss.

He smiled at her and stood up, playing his hand on her forehead to check for fever. He turned for a moment, stopped and put his hand on his chin. He then turned back to look at her standing near the foot of her bed. Had he forgotten an appreciation for art on his quest for humility?

"But I think I can understand seeing meaning in it,” he confessed. "After all it is often aesthetics that define our humanity and culture, it even influences the circumstances of our births.”

He took a long pause. The way things look was something simple, yet there was a deeper beauty in simplicity. Indications of an inner person: their hygiene, genetics, and much more could be acquiesced from a simple look. For someone complimenting his eyes, Akatsuki’s own were exciting to the senses and her hair reminded him of snow- a thing he had seen little of in his retreat to the west.

"You are a beauty in that regard as well, though I found myself in disagreement with his ideas of the concept,” he said gesturing to the head with his eyes. He lightly chuckled into his sleeve at his own jest, which made him irritated with himself because he always found it to be rude.

@

[Akatsuki]

 

- A WORLD AWAY FROM HERE -

"It's the Morning"

"It is," Akatsuki agreed quietly, her voice hoarse. Physical beauty was... an incredibly temporary thing. And it was entirely subjective, too, she'd realized. It was fleeting. But so were many other things in life. Security. Happiness. Anger. Life. She didn't think it was the most important defining factor of an individual--far from it. But it was still something that could be admired for what it was. Kazutoshi mentioned something else, too. The Jashinist had also found beauty in how he'd crucified her in such a bloody display?
    A morbid take on it, she would have to agree, but she could try to understand that, too.
    The Jashinist was... twisted. Dark. And much more vile and brutal a creature than she was. She didn't find beauty in death or carnage. But for a religion which demanded human sacrifices, which was born of blood and pain and immortality, with such heavy themes of life and death an everyday occurance... she could understand how such a person might have found admiration in such a horrific thing. "Hmm..." she turned her head slightly to glance at the remains of the Jashinist, who was still placed on the platter. It was sort of unnerving, she thought, to have her murder be described as an art-piece. But, even so... for someone who was so well-acquainted with brutality, violence, abuse, and bloodshed--she didn't express disgust or fear at the sentiment, only quiet contemplation.
    Kazutoshi placed his hand against her forehead and his fingers were cool to the touch--a comforting sensation, to the Kyōbō, and though she was warm she didn't seem to be feverish. He got up and moved to the foot of the bed, elaborating a bit further on his thoughts on the matter. He had a good point. The circumstances of one's birth. Culture. And even their humanity--all sad but... true realities. Akatsuki knew it well. Cultures valued different things, visually and spiritually. Those who were deemed beautiful often were held in higher regard, and offered more worth by their peers. Sometimes, your appearance alone would determine whether you would beloved or scorned by those around you. Seen in holy light or viewed as a monster. 
    Being a Kyōbō was not a good thing. And while many places of the world didn't know of the clan, there were some regions where even looking like a Kyōbō would entice violence.
    "I don't think it... needs to be, though..." she spoke softly. Akatsuki turned her attention away from the severed head back toward the raven-haired man who stood nearby. She gently ran her thumb across the fabric of the bedsheet, contemplatively. "A cherry blossom blooms only for a... very short time... and it has no... meaning to look like how it does... but even still, it's nice to... still enjoy it for while we can... for no other reason than to... just admire it while it is." A part of her could understand the Jashinist's take, though. Life was fleeting. It was short. And death came for them all, and time destroyed every thing. Nothing was sacred. It would all crumble eventually. And maybe, even if it was sick and twisted in a way, there was something that could be admired about death. The inevitable fate that tied them all together. The beautiful collapse of a star. The poetic ending to a story. Maybe. Though she valued human life, so it was hard to fully identify with or truly understand the perspective.
    Though, Kazutoshi's next words caught her off guard. He... thought her a beauty--as well? She could feel herself blush, and a noise of embarrassment and flattery escaped her lips. She often didn't know how to respond to such words, and though it wasn't common, she'd had her interactions where others had expressed how they thought she was beautiful or pretty. It rarely felt genuine, though. Often just words spouted from the mouth of a flirt, or someone who had ulterior motives and hoped to buy her body with flattery. Kazutoshi's words seemed genuine, though. His words sweet and his voice gentle. And he'd seen her eyes--both of them. She'd sustained dangerous injuries all over her body from the Jashinist's attack, so it was likely that he'd seen just about everything--embarrassing a thought as that was--and knew the extent of all the scars she'd possessed in time past. Markings which she knew many thought as flaws--ugly, or hideous. Things that a woman should be ashamed of, that she ought to get rid of them if she could. And even still, despite those traits... "Y-you think so?"

@tag | ### Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Listening to her speak of appreciating the moment was a fresh perspective against his own. He understood her sentiments and found it enlightening to have the discussion with another person. He found himself smiling as he imagined cherry blossoms, he saw such things rarely in these lands and he was reminded of the North and the East that he missed here in his secluded part of the world.

His mouth withdrew beneath his high collar again, hiding a flush of his own. He wasn’t immune to the feelings of anxiety that speaking of such things could bring on, though he had always been one careful to control himself. With due pause though, he would find some semblance of courage to overcome it.

"It’s true,” he said quietly, though his compliment was confirmed with not expectation. He was unable to help himself from averting his gaze, before grounding himself. "You remind me of the carnations that I would bring home to my mother long ago. The kind with white petals, with shades of rose and heather on their edges.”

Perhaps a dangerous line, as it would reveal he was not a native to the savanna. He didn’t stop himself from saying it though, because she had paid him a compliment much more specific than he had up until that point. His desire to live free of worrying about a balance seemed to be challenged when the debt was his own.

"More so I admire your candidness,” he said in follow-up. He did not know her well enough to know her entire character, but she had most certainly made a powerful first impression. She seemed like someone that he could speak with

At the end of the room, near the stairwell, was an elevator that was operated by a hand crank. From the floor below, the sound of winding and cranking could be heard slowly churning and pulling the suspended box upwards with someone inside. Due to it being very rudimentary, it would still take some time for whoever was coming to arrive, but Hotaru quickly stood up from Akatsuki’s side and moved towards the desk where the head was sitting.

He took the jashinist’s head, who stared at him and made muffled curses through the gag. In haste Hotaru opened a filing cabinet and took out a bunch of medical records and placed them on the desk, and then shoved the head inside. Afterward he would take the time to get her approximate temperature recorded. She seemed to be stable for now.

It was likely one of the former orphans that were in his employ making their way up the stairs with supplies for him. Certain children were never adopted and he had trained them to assist in his facilities in keeping things clean, educating the younger, and keeping everyone fed.

"I apologize about the comment about the cultist's attack,” he said. "I meant only to evoke thought, but it was insensitive. What he did to you was sickening…”

@

[Akatsuki]

 

- A WORLD AWAY FROM HERE -

"It's the Morning"

Akatsuki blushed at the man's words, though she was much less prone to hide it, there was still the urge to cover her face with her hands. His words were... entirely unexpected. While she supposed it was natural to return compliments when given them--and that's all her intention had been to begin with, merely speaking her mind for what it was--the comparison had... completely caught her off guard. But it was... incredibly endearing. It had been years since the last time anyone had... ever complimented her in the fashion that he had. She shook her head a little--not in denial or argument of his words, but in shock, embarrassment, and flattery, simply not knowing how else to respond.
    While it had been implied that Kazutoshi wasn't from these lands natively, Akatsuki didn't dwell on the information or think anything of it. She wasn't from this country, either, and for someone who traveled as extensively as she did, the woman thought little of someone residing away from their old home. People moved all the time, and for all kinds of reasons. She wouldn't assume nefarious purposes in such.
    "Candidness...?" she repeated softly, the word unfamiliar to her. She couldn't help but to be curious what he'd meant. While in part it was undeniable she was enjoying the attention he was supplying her with, in truth she couldn't help wonder what others thought of her--what they appreciated or admired. It was basic human curiosity to wonder of one's place in the world, their relationship with others and how they were perceived. Good or bad, if the latter was true she could always try to improve her shortcomings and flaws.
    She watched as he moved away from the bed, the noises from the other end of the room announcing someone's ascent to their level. That was a wonder, too. She was entirely unfamiliar with elevators, primitive or not, so the young woman couldn't have even guessed at the concept of what was causing the sound--though patience and observation would reveal it soon enough. Kazutoshi plucked the Jashinist's head from the table and stowed it away in a drawer--a curious action. He was hiding it? Why? Was it a secret? Something he was ashamed of? Did he simply not wish to scare the person who would be soon arriving? Akatsuki didn't speak on it, though even that raised another thought to her.
    "It's alright," she assured softly, hoping to ease the man's mind. Truly, she hadn't been bothered by his words. "I'm not upset. Besides... it's an... interesting perspective." And if nothing else, she enjoyed the opportunity to view the world in a different light, or from a different point of view. Even if she couldn't agree with it, necessarily. The world had countless different opinions, different stances and beliefs... and everyone was shaped by them. You would never grow if you never exposed yourself to new elements. Different thoughts or ideas. "I'm... curious, though...." the young woman rolled her head to one side--just slightly--from where she lay on the bed, getting a better look at Kazutoshi and what he was doing. "Why did you... keep his head...?"
    She was partially surprised that the Jashinist continued to live despite his condition, but when she'd run her sword through his heart it had quickly become apparent to her that he wouldn't--and couldn't--die through normal means. She was adjusting to that truth. But still, the purpose in lugging it around was entirely lost on her. She couldn't grasp the reason for it. Had he wanted the head for company...? Or something else entirely? She couldn't know if she didn't ask.

@tag | ### Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox