[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - Muramasa Uemon



NOTES -

To say that she was taken aback was an understatement when Muramasa told her his name. Of course, she had guessed that Muramasa was his family name, but not once had she even thought to ask him about his first name. But then again, she felt that it was only natural that she knew his since he was now calling her by hers. "Uemon-san..." she whispered the name under her breath, her gaze fixated on his. "Quite an interesting name. Would you prefer if I called you by your first or your family name?" This wasn't a question that many asked often. Shiina understood there were people that only preferred to be greeted by their family name, as a sign of respect, and some who insisted on being more familiar to everyone they met, using people's first name's exclusively. She was fine with either or, noting that people who knew her often referred to her given name by default.

The woman knew that there were people who simply didn't want to let the world know their real names, she herself a prime example of this. Despite having adopted an identity and thus having to uphold the traditions of this identity completely, she wondered if she would have gone with an alias regardless. As a nukenin, it felt like the most natural thing to do. "And since you have taken me here to see your home, I think it's only right that I should return the favor." Shiina thought long and hard about the next place she wanted to visit. "I am unfortunately unable to take you back to the place I grew up in, but if you don't mind, we could go to my geisha house. It's in a small village bordering Kaminari no Kuni." She would give him a small smile as he accepted her gift. "While I trust completely that you would have done this for anyone else if it had been anyone else, I still appreciate everything you have done for me. I am not one who easily forgets things people do for me, regardless if they had to move mountains to accomplish it." And she spoke the truth, a trait of hers that many who knew her as a geisha would come to appreciate.

It helped build better and stronger relationships.

"A geisha house isn't exactly the most interesting of places to visit, I admit. But it's the place I spent a good four years or so training." Shiina's mind would travel to the geisha in-training, called maiko, and the other geisha who shared the same lodgings. While it was non-customary for geisha to bring guests directly to their lodgings, as long as they weren't criminals or politicians, this rule was somewhat lax in her village. Assuming the man would agree, she would walk towards the entrance of his home before stopping and turning back to look at him. "I suppose I haven't been entirely honest. I am Ryuujin Shiina, a nukenin from Kumogakure no Sato." She would watch his expression, to see if he would even understand what nukenin meant. She assumed that most if not all villages had them, but was wondering if he had heard of them as she assumed he didn't belong to a specific village.

MADE BY MIZO

[Muramasa Uemon]

Muramasa

A slow nod of his head followed the woman's words as she repeated his name.

She asked what he preferred. "First name is fine." It was for family. Friends. By this point they had already disclosed much to each other... so it only made sense. Shiina mused that since they had visited his home now it was her turn to show him around. Uemon had never visited the Land of Lightning in all his years of travel. So the idea was an intriguing one. "You're a geisha?" Came his next question, one of his hands moving to cradle his face as he looked into her eyes. His expression was as soft as it had ever been. "Now I know why you're such a good performer." Being from a common family he had never had the opportunity to visit a geisha house. While he was sure he wouldn't like much of the clientele there... the prospect of getting to witness a show was too good to turn down.

"Sounds wonderful." He would say in response to the plan. Though... her not being able to return did raise a question. One he kept to himself for the time being. The Ryuujin woman told him that she would not forget his kindness. "I won't forget you either... or your help." Quietly he replied. She assisted his first step towards his goal. Not something many would do. "Couldn't even if I wanted to..." With that he would begin collecting his belongings, taking with him a Muramasa clan banner that hung on the wall still and packing up his black wolfdog back into his bandaged luggage. The woman said that her geisha house may not be the most interesting. Uemon simply shook his head. "I'm sure it's plenty interesting." As he slung his gear back over his shoulder and placed his new gloves on he noticed her pause for just a moment.

Walking towards the door she would turn and reveal her missing status to him. "..." Silence. He thought for a moment, staring into her eyes again. Then he half smiled. "One of my mentors was a Missing-nin." A layabout and a drunk... but a rogue shinobi all the same. It would be clear from his tone that he held no judgement in his heart for her status. "That's why you can't return to where you grew up?" He asked, slowly approaching the woman. Fascination abounded where Shiina was concerned... which only put in perspective the fact that they still had much to discuss. A fact that he now welcomed.  

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - Muramasa Uemon



NOTES -

It would dawn on the woman that she had never actually disclosed that she was a geisha to him prior to that moment. She thought back long and hard, recalling the more intricate details of their initial encounter at the ryokan. It was true, she realized, that when she had been about to tell him about herself the samurai had come to their table. And then all that was history. "I apologize, I seem to have omitted the very important part about my profession..." she would say sheepishly, looking at Muramasa, "And I am flattered that you think of me so highly, as a performer, I mean." The woman remembered having told everyone she met except Muramasa about her geisha identity. "In any case, I'm glad that you have decided to accept my offer to come see our geisha lodgings."

And then as though she remembered something of grave importance, she would add in a solemn voice. "As a geisha, we have a code of conduct that we must swear to on our life. We are performers by nature, our skills often sought by people who hold special positions of power. The people who ask us to perform are our clients, and by default, we are forbidden to recount all that we hear during, before and after our performances to anyone." Shiina remembered one woman who had tried to sell the secrets of a conversation from diplomats of a non-shinobi nation, only to be killed by said nation once it had come to light. "As such, we do not disclose our identities easily. I would appreciate if my identity as a geisha remains a secret between the two of us." This was true, geisha were protected in a very unique sense in order to protect their lives because of the nature of their work.

She almost expected the silence which ensued when she dropped yet another bombshell about her identity, one that held the gravest importance. However, this time it would be her turn to be surprised, as Muramasa told her that one of his mentors had also been a missing nin. "Indeed, I have not been back to Kumogakure no Sato since the day I was labeled a nukenin...." It hadn't bothered the young woman at all until recently that this was the case, the firm belief that her village and its people had done her and her clan wrong. "If you choose to disassociate with me because of this status, I can understand perfectly..." Despite how much the two of them had been through in this short period of time, she understood very well what the implications of her status meant; she was basically a criminal, her head sought after by one of the greatest shinobi nations.

She would understand if he chose not to continue their...friendship.

MADE BY MIZO

[Muramasa Uemon]

Muramasa

Uemon's dark eyes watched the woman carefully as he listened.

An apology caused him to shake his head. "No need... a lot's happened in the past few days." Details were easily forgotten. Especially in all the excitement and emotion that had occurred. She told him she was flattered about his opinion of her. "I think highly of you in general." Came his quiet response. He had never met someone like her before. Shiina reminded him of someone he knew long ago... but only certain aspects. Truthfully they were very different. Lastly she said she was glad he accepted her invitation. "Glad you invited me." He took a step towards her, his eyes fixed on her face.

As she spoke of her duties and responsibilities of a geisha he observed quietly. Intricacies of the lifestyle were unknown to him... but it was fascinating to hear. "Don't worry." Finally he replied as she asked him to keep her secret. Meeting her eyes he spoke again. "I'm not much of a talker, remember?" Half a smile bloomed on his face, keeping its newfound warmth. Uemon was a secretive person too. So he would respect her wishes. Slowly the mystery began to unfold. Perhaps not intentionally but it seemed they still played the same mental game they had been when they met. With different goals now.

Instead of trying to obscure their true selves... they now were attempting to open up to one another.

More easily said than done. His head nodded once more as she confirmed the avoidance of her home. "Shiina-san..." Uemon was a wanderer. Out of circumstance yes, but he was no stranger to the seedier sides of the Shinobi World. "Once, a drunken nukenin from Takigakure took pity on a vengeful boy... and helped when no one else would." His face neared her own, his dark eyes searching her golden hues for a sign of understanding. "It doesn't change a thing." Status truly meant nothing to him. His own principles did not allow it.

If past actions alone were enough to cast judgement... then he himself was a criminal as well. Even before the ryokan.

[Ryuujin Shiina]

In the city of fools, I was careful and cool but they tore me apart like a hurricane.

TAG - Muramasa Uemon



NOTES -

The woman smiled, appreciating his words. They were comforting, and the half smile he gave her would not go unnoticed. "I'm glad..." she breathed, when he mentioned that what they had wouldn't change despite this revelation. "I'm guessing that the person of whom you speak of meant a lot to you?" Her curiosity peaked as Muramasa told her of a particular missing nin who had taken in a young child. The woman returned his smile to the same degree, her voice was a soft whisper as she continued. "Let's go, then?" She would put out the fire, which barely burned now, her eyes glanced at the man every so often, re-evaluating him as a character. He was everything that nobody ever was or seemed to be; he was just a tad bit too consumed by emotion and yet seem to be free of emotion altogether at times.

A mystery in and of itself, something that she could definitely relate to.

"The small village borders Kaminari no Kuni," the woman would walk out of the Muramasa home first, her skin immediately taking in the chills of the morning. "If we hurry, we can get there in a little less than a day." She could feel a slightly gnawing pain form in her chest, one that she had learned to ignore since she was a child. Of course, she didn't let on that anything was amiss, merely continuing to walk silently. One of her hands drifted to her chest as she did, tugging a little at the collar of her kimono. Her eyes avoiding his face and gaze entirely, the young woman could feel pressure build. Her muscles tensed and her mind was racing, hoping that she could at least make it to the geisha lodgings before anything was to put a fork in it like her fever had for Muramasa.

I can do this...

Shiina repeated this again and again, steadying her breathing with so much focus and concentration. Noticing the silence was wearing down on both of them, she would attempt to break the silence, asking her companion a little bit more about his past. "You mentioned at the house that a young boy had once been saved by a drunken Taki nukenin. Do you mind telling me a little bit more? Of course, you don't have to tell me everything..." her voice trailed, her head turning away from him as pain coursed through her veins. She continued to play it off, knowing that they couldn't afford to stop at any point anymore, especially when they should have been traveling the day before.

MADE BY MIZO

[Muramasa Uemon]

Muramasa

A half smile returned with one of her own. She was certainly much better at it... which meant more time for him to admire. 

Expressing her joy at his acceptance, she then asked him if the person he spoke of meant a lot to him. Instantly he rolled his eyes. "'A lot' is pushing it..." A grumbled reply as he thought of the lout. Admittedly the man did was important to him... but his tone made it clear that there was a colorful history there.

Before leaving he spotted the picture frame from before, shatter on the ground. Kneeling down to inspect it his eyes widened slightly. "This is..." A pleasant surprise. For once. Silently he would slip the photograph into his kimono and follow Shiina outside. She told him of the journey and that it wouldn't take long to which he nodded. "Are you glad to be returning to your homeland?" A question came, glancing to her as they walked. For a moment he could have sworn she was grasping at her chest... but he figured it might be the cold.

For a time they walked in silence, his eyes wandering to the woman every so often. Appreciating the sight.

Eventually she asked him about the nukenin he mentioned and his expression once more turned grumpy. "Don't know if he saved me so much as I saved him... but the old fool helped me out." Despite his words there was a begrudging gratitude there. Of some sort. "Met him when I was thirteen. Stowing away on a ship, actually." His eyes moved forward, narrowing a bit as he recalled past memories. "After my master died... I snuck aboard a ship headed for the Land of Fire. Found him passed out in the hold." A hand rose to rub the back of his neck as they walked. His eyebrow twitched a little. "Mostly he was too drunk to be of any use... but he taught me the ninja arts as best he could." Realizing he had initially made the man sound a lot more noble than he truly was he sighed. But his point still stood. Nukenins didn't bother him at all.

If she had more questions he would oblige. For now they would continue their journey to the Land of Lightning.