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Aug 27, 2013 7:58:34 GMT -5
Post by Wani Ryuze on Aug 27, 2013 7:58:34 GMT -5
Ryuze wasn't quite ready to turn in for the night. She could smell the water, but it was quite a time finding it. Her Konohagakure escort, apparently charged with making sure that she wasn't intending on eating the village or setting it on fire, directed her to an area that closely bordered the Training Field. There was a small lake of sorts there that would be just perfect.
Ryze always felt like there was nothing that a midnight swim couldn't do to clear one's mind and cleanse the soul. The area wasn't big enough to swim as fast as she would have liked to, and she was sure that transforming into what she sometimes felt to be her 'true' form wouldn't be received to warmly here, so she kept it mild, swimming swift circles around the perimeter of the lake, diving and surfacing. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't bothered by the events that had transpired tonight. Particularly the situation with the Biju. It wasn't her problem, but she also didn't want it to become her problem. That was something that Amegakure, at this time, was not likely equipped to handle. There were no real fuinjutsu specialist clans of any real acclaim, to her knowledge, in the village who might be able to handle a threat of that caliber. The shinobi would probably wear out before the beast did. But she also didn't want to interfere in something that might not ever reach her doorstep. While human life was important to her and she could not leave any but the worst tyrants of the human race to perish, her people and her village still came first. She would not get herself killed over the welfare of those unaffiliated with her. It just was not going to happen.
Ryuze allowed herself to float upward now, surfacing on her back in the middle of the lake. It was a waning crescent moon tonight, and she let its light fall over her. Tomorrow, she was to meet with the Hokage. She really should be sleeping. Perhaps she could just sleep here.
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Aug 27, 2013 8:50:21 GMT -5
Post by Sarutobi Sio on Aug 27, 2013 8:50:21 GMT -5
Sio had the same idea, about the midnight swim apparently. She would arrive only a half hour or so after Ryuze, though she would come through the interior of the Training Field, opposite of the Amegakure Lady. There were so many thoughts swirling around in her head now, and while she was sure it was not okay to be moving around on her own and by tomorrow, she would be under strict watch (if she wasn't already), just this one time might be okay. It was late and the streets were empty. She wouldn't stay out long...just long enough to get her shit together. Reaching the water, she stripped off her sandals and scarf, wrapping the scarf around the shoes to keep it from blowing away. She then laid her jacket atop both before slipping as gently as possible into the water, to avoid making any noise.
Sio would let herself slowly sink, eyes closed as she savored the cool feeling of the lake embracing her. She let her mind drift to a place she had been spending a lot of time in lately, approaching Kurama's gate quietly. He was agitated...it wasn't hard to tell. Where he normally was laying, either actually sleeping or pretending to sleep, this time around, he was up, pacing. She could feel it within her, and though the words to calm him likely had not been invented yet, she could try. Don't get yourself all worked up, Kurama. How could I not? If it isn't one thing, it's another with you humans. Now I have this clown who wants to seal me away forever, and I have you asking dumbass questions at the worst possible time.
So he was mad about that. Sio immediately felt a pang of guilt in her chest. Kurama...I'm sorry. I just...it just seems sometimes like you don't like me that much. And...truth be told...you probably COULD blow my seal and leave whenever you want. I guess I was just wondering... The fox sat pointedly, narrowing his eyes at Sio. I have something to tell you, whelp. Naruto never made me promise not to tell, so I don't have any problem saying it. Sio sat cross-legged in front of the gate, staring up at Kurama. He had never sounded so serious before. She knew this was going to be something important. Something Naruto had told him.
It's not your seal that's holding me here. he admitted, almost seeming...what was the emotion you would call that? Ashamed? Embarrassed? He continued, folding his ears back. You're right. If you got angry enough, emotional enough, I could blow this seal any time I felt like it. To punctuate this, he flicked the gate with the back of his hand. Sio flew up and skittered backward as it swung open, and Kurama was right there, not even twenty feet from her, no barrier between them. But to her surprise, he reached out and pulled the door back to its original position, latching it shut once more. I'm still here because I made a promise to the Uzumaki kid. That promise is my seal. He told me, shortly before I was sealed into you, that this act would be the last thing he could do for me to erase the hate from my heart.
Sio leaned forward now, her interest peaking. He told me that he was going to seal me into a host who had no intention of using me as a weapon. Sio's blood ran cold and her heart nearly stopped. That was why he had chosen her. She wondered why it was. She wondered why he had not chosen someone stronger, someone older, someone who more embodied the ideal of what it was to be a shinobi. He said he would seal me into a jinchuriki who did not need to control. Of course, at the time, I didn't believe him. I went along with it, but I have never believed such people to exist. It's what we've always been. Since we were separated and loosed upon the world, we've been power...weapons...tools. Who wouldn't want that?
Sio sat silently. She didn't need to say it. Kurama had access to her thoughts, and he knew it was true. Not for one moment had she even considered the possibility of using Kurama as a weapon. The capability was just not within her to use and manipulate others. Apparently, you don't want that. I've been waiting. Waiting for the moment that comes where you ask for my power and I can prove him wrong. Where you let your anger take over and I can prove him wrong. I'm still waiting. And you'll be waiting. Sio said finally, nodding. I am Sarutobi Sio, of the legendary Sarutobi clan. One of the first clans to inhabit Konohagakure after its creation. My people helped build this village. Our Will of Fire is what drives us to live for this village, and die for it. And I am successor to that lineage. My grandfather defended this village as a Genin when it was under attack by the Akatsuki. My great grand uncle died for this village, and my great, great grandfather was THE THIRD FUCKING HOKAGE, who sealed himself away in death to protect Konoha from an imminent threat. WE DIDN'T NEED YOU ALL THOSE TIMES, AND WE DON'T NEED YOU NOW!
Sio opened her eyes. She was floating now, staring up at the same moon as Ryuze was on the other side of the gate. She was breathing hard, adrenaline coursing from the strength of her speech. Sio sighed, smiling a bit. She could feel Kurama smiling, also. Well done, whelp. Maybe you're more like Naruto than you thought you were. My name is not 'whelp'. It's Sarutobi Sio. Use it. For now, her mind was off Ojin. She had just handed a giant fox his ass, and it felt good. They were both able to laugh now. Sio smiled as she stared up at the moon. There was a solution somewhere. She had to get stronger if she hoped to defend anybody: her village, her biju, or herself.
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Aug 27, 2013 18:54:14 GMT -5
Post by Wani Ryuze on Aug 27, 2013 18:54:14 GMT -5
Ryuze's eyes popped open the moment Sio's toe pierced the surface of the water. Some primal organ alerted her to the change in arrangement of the water molecules in the body of water they both inhabited. By the time she righted herself and looked in that general direction, Sio had already slipped underwater and was gone. Ryuze flipped and kicked downward, third eyelid flipping down over her eye as she searched the waters for the other swimmer. It didn't take her long to see Sio serenely descending so far before seeming to hang suspended in the water. Her eyes were closed, a serene smile across her face. That's the girl from earlier. she thought, advancing slowly, crossing beneath the gate that ran just under the surface of the water, separating the training area from the neighboring clearing.
Ryuze stopped short, noting Sio's action. Or lack, thereof, rather. She began to ascend slowly, starting to float toward the surface. It was obvious something was going on within the girl, and Ryuze only watched for the moment with interest. Finally, Sio's eyes opened and she stirred the water a bit with her fingers. "I see you found what you needed." Ryuze said gently, rolling back on her back in the water and allowing herself to drift a bit. "The water back in Amegakure is much fresher and clearer than it is here, but I love the temperature of this lake much better. So much colder. I wonder why that is." She looked over toward Sio, hoping she wasn't intruding on the Genin's evening swim. She was eager to get a feel for what life in Konoha was like. She had never been out of the village before, and was already learning so much. It was interesting to see the differences and the parallels between here and the only home she had ever known.
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Aug 28, 2013 8:53:32 GMT -5
Post by Sarutobi Sio on Aug 28, 2013 8:53:32 GMT -5
So...that promise is a seal? Sio asked, still staring up at the moon. Kurama seemed to wince at that question. Essentially...yes. Most of us are bound to our hosts' bodies by a seal. But this one is different. I'm bound directly to your soul. If the promise was ever broken, then it would negate the seal, but he apparently had that much confidence in you. All of this new information was simply blowing Sio's mind. She had no idea that something like that was even possible. Walking up to the gate, Sio reached up and unhinged the latch, pulling the double chain link doors open. Then we have no need for these, then do we? she asked, smiling. It was metaphorical, of course. The seals that Naruto had given her were still intact, but there was something about the action that brought a warmth to her heart. Apparently, it did something for Kurama, also, who couldn't help but smile. Stepping foot beyond the threshold into Kurama's space, she stopped right in front of him.
Sio had never stopped to consider his size, really before. She was barely the size of his head. He towered above her, and she barely reached past his wrist. Still, she reached out and touched one of his claw-tipped knuckles tentatively. Instinctively, Kurama flinched, drawing his hand back a little bit, all the while staring down at his host. None before had dared to step willingly beyond that gate to lay hands on him. This Sio certainly was a strange one. So...if our souls are bound, then that pretty much makes us one entity. I art thou...thou art I? Kurama rolled his eyes a bit, reaching up to scratch his head. I guess it does...don't go reading too much into that, though. Sio flashed a huge grin, not unlike that of her mentor and friend, and Kurama couldn't help but feel nostalgic. Sio raised her fist to him. So, then...let's get along fabulously, Kurama! And take care of business?
Kurama just stared at her for a moment. Such determination in those eyes. These Konoha shinobi were certainly something. Dauntless. Their optimism was unending. They certainly were a rare breed. And apparently, now, he was one of them. He raised his own massive hand and brought it forward, gently bumping fists with his host. No...his partner. And instantly, Sio was back in the lake, still looking up at the moon. A voice not too far off from her left caught her attention, and she turned to face it. "You're the lady from earlier." she said matter-of-factly. The one that Ojin had gestured toward when he mentioned the leader of Amegakure. Sio smiled gently, rotating in the water so that she was facing in her direction. "I think I finally did find what I needed...." She was silent for a moment, treading water.
"Thank you for earlier." she admitted sheepishly. She wasn't eager for her first impression to another village leader to be that of a petulant child running away from problems. Ryuze had to have figured out what she was from that entire exchange. She felt like the woman wasn't out to kidnap her or kill her...the Lady's guard escort was just on the bank, watching them. And so Sio was able to relax again, just letting herself float. "I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Sarutobi Sio...genin of Konohagakure. And jinchuriki of Kurama, the nine-tailed fox."
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Aug 29, 2013 11:14:42 GMT -5
Post by Wani Ryuze on Aug 29, 2013 11:14:42 GMT -5
"It's no problem." Ryuze said genuinely with a smile. "Like I said...I know what it's like to feel like it's all too much. But when you have people depending on you, you have to just suck it up and do your best." That was the best way that Ryuze could put it. There were times during Amegakure's liberation that she wanted to give up. There were times when they would lose two comrades and another one would be seriously maimed and unable to fight any longer, and Ryuze would begin to question if she was doing the right thing. She would question if she was fighting an unwinnable war and leading her brothers, sisters and cousins into the grave. They all followed her. Would take their weapons to their own hearts on her order. Not because she had some birthright, or because she was the leader. They followed her purely out of trust. Trust and faith. There were nights were Ryuze sat up after everyone else had already gone to sleep, a kunai clutched tightly in her fist. Where she wondered who they would follow if she weren't there, and if that person might do better by them. There was even a time where the point of that kunai was pointed at her temple, and she was half a thought away from driving it in, herself. Surely anyone had to be better than her. Any of her siblings could fill her role.
But there was always something that stopped her. As badly as she didn't want to live anymore, it was not about what she wanted. It was about what Ame needed. And whether or not she was what it needed, she was all it had.
Those thoughts were not pleasant ones for the young ruler. Particularly because they persisted to this day. It was only duty at this point keeping Ryuze tethered to the world. She had no life...no friends, no love. She had no hobbies, no pets, no hopes or dreams. She was too damaged now to even begin forming a functional relationship, she felt, friendship or otherwise. She was only twenty-six years old, and already had her fill of living. But there was too much she had to do before she left. Far too much. She wasn't even sure, naturally, that there would be enough time. But that was neither here nor there.
It surprised her that Sio would introduce herself so frankly. But then again, this was a time of peace and Kurama was widely regarded as a hero. So prior to Ojin's arrival, it would make sense that introducing herself as such would be a point of pride for her. Ryuze extended her own hand, shaking Sio's. "I'm Wani Ryuze. Lady of Amegakure."
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Aug 29, 2013 11:44:24 GMT -5
Post by Sarutobi Sio on Aug 29, 2013 11:44:24 GMT -5
Sio had heard about Amegakure, but that was about the end of her knowledge about it. They, reportedly, had not shown up to any of the Chunin exams in the last five decades, and any attempts to contact them went unanswered until recently. Many had assumed that the village had simply perished in that time and thought no more of it until word reached them about a month ago that it was under new leadership.
Ryuze seemed nice enough, though there was something off about her. Sio couldn't put her finger on it, but something wasn't right with the Ame Lady. She was certainly friendly and helpful, so she had to assume that any of the past actions of the village were not of her doing. And that by maintaining contact and being here now, it seemed that she was trying to rectify the past and start a new future. "What's Amegakure like?" Sio asked. She had never been outside the village before. Even so, she knew a little bit about the others. Osa had been to Kumo. There were photos and such of the other villages. But Ame was a complete mystery. Sio wished she could see it one day. Maybe once she was a Chunin and was able to leave the village for more varied missions, she would visit every village that she could, just to see what they were like.
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Aug 29, 2013 12:04:49 GMT -5
Post by Wani Ryuze on Aug 29, 2013 12:04:49 GMT -5
The child certainly was inquisitive. But it warmed her heart to see Sio's interest in her home. Many from the greater Hidden Villages might not think much of it, but to Ryuze, there were few better places to live.
"Well..." Ryuze began, "As you might have guessed already, it rains. A lot. Out of a week, we probably get three to four straight days of rain. Sometimes it storms, other times, it just drizzles. But on the days it doesn't rain, it's usually pretty humid." Ryuze wished she had her folder with her. There were photos in there that would be easier to show than describe. but for now, Ryuze's imagination would have to do. "We're a fairly industrial village. Lots of metal...high buildings. Stone pathways. A lot of the buildings were damaged over the last few decades...it would be nice to be able to repair them."
Ryuze thought for a moment, still treading water. "Let's see...what else, what else....Around the outside of the village, it's very undeveloped. Because of all the rain, the vegetation grows quickly. It's almost like a rainforest. There's other smaller villages in there, but they're unaffiliated with us. Mostly civilian villages. When I get back home, I'll be looking to start up some commerce with them, maybe get fresh produce and food coming into the village. There's really a lot to do. But If I can get some help, hopefully, we can get it done. It's really a beautiful place when it's all in order. I think it can get there again." Ryuze smiled. She had so many plans. So many things that she knew would excite and incite the people of the village, inspiring people to do something with their own lives.
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Aug 30, 2013 9:36:03 GMT -5
Post by Sarutobi Sio on Aug 30, 2013 9:36:03 GMT -5
"Oh, that's so cool!" Sio squealed, her mind conjuring images of towers of scrap and steel. A glittering, futuristic city of opportunity. It was unlike anything she could possibly imagine prior to this moment. She wasn't even aware that places like this could exist. Now she wished even more that she could see it. She made up in her mind that one day, she would visit Amegakure just to see it with her own eyes.
Ryuze certainly seemed proud of her home. The something that Sio was sensing before was temporarily gone as she watched a smile come to the Lady's scarred face. Sio wondered what it must be like to have something like that to be proud of. A legacy. Something that only you could do. Perhaps one day, Sio would have a legacy, herself. She was beginning to think more about the future now. More about what she wanted out of life. That's when she remembered the mission she had set out on only days prior. Rotating so that she was facing Ryuze, she drifted a bit closer to her. "Ryuze-san...can I ask you a question? What...what makes you happy? What do you live for?" She remembered that she was going to work hard to figure out what it was that made her happy. And Kurama, too. The trouble was: there's so many things in the world. Maybe if she got an idea of what made other people tick, she could come a bit closer to understanding herself. She hoped it wasn't too loaded of a question for someone that she had just met.
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Aug 30, 2013 13:46:16 GMT -5
Post by Wani Ryuze on Aug 30, 2013 13:46:16 GMT -5
It would have been a loaded question, even from someone she had known all her life. The questions echoed in her head like a chime down an empty hallway, and it made the blood in her veins run cold and the breath catch dead in her throat.
What...what makes you happy? What do you live for?
There was no answer. That was the part that scared Ryuze most. She didn't know the answer to the first question, and she feared there might not be an answer for the second. What makes her happy? Had she ever been happy? What was happy? She didn't even know what happy was. She smiled often, but more out of reflex than authenticity, and often more for the benefit of others than herself. And what did she live for? There might be an answer for that one. Was it a good answer? Who knew. But she knew what she was for, right here and right now.
Ryuze was barely aware that she was hyperventilating. She was shaking, taking deep breaths. Her vision was spotty, and fluorescent even though it was night. She had no feeling in her fingertips, and Sio was looking at her strangely. This was her existence...she couldn't even handle an honest, existentialist question without springing into a full-blown panic attack. Choosing to brush it off and not even address it, Ryuze took one last deep breath before answering. "I...guess I live for my village. I want nothing more than for them to have everything they need. I want them to be self-sustaining, like the other villages. They've gone through so much over time. Things they shouldn't have had to. I want to be the one to make things right. I live for the day that things are the way they should be." It was as good of an answer as anyone was going to get from Ryuze. Now to tackle the other question. "As for what makes me happy...I guess....nothing, really. I'm not sure I've ever been."
It was her first time admitting it out loud, and the words stung. They shocked her with their frankness, and the implications from them. It must have sounded terrible to the teenager, and Ryuze was instantly ashamed. Kids shouldn't have to hear things like that, feel like that was the future she had to look forward to. But she didn't see a point in lying to Sio. She asked the question for a reason, and lies would be of no assistance to her, whatever that reason was. "I....was born into war. It was all I knew up until recently. For a shinobi, war is supposed to be a time of honor. A time of duty. But...I only became a shinobi out of necessity. I sometimes wonder...had times been good, had nobody had to fight for their freedom, what would I have done? What might have been different?"
Pure honesty. Ryuze felt comfortable telling Sio. She felt like she wouldn't judge her. And even so, Ryuze was a visitor here. If Sio did happen to judge her, she'd likely never see her again. At least not for a long time.
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Aug 30, 2013 17:03:09 GMT -5
Post by Sarutobi Sio on Aug 30, 2013 17:03:09 GMT -5
There it was again. The something she noted within Ryuze, and it was flaring and as apparent as could be. It was also super familiar, and a pulse of sadness went through Sio at the realization.
Ryuze was sad.
She couldn't put her finger on it before, but now, it was heavy in the air, reflected in the Lady's response to her question by going into something just short of shock. Sio wished she hadn't asked. Ryuze was so overwhelmingly in pain. And Sio knew what that was like. She had lived that, but no more. Because Sio had friends, family, mentors. And now she had Kurama, and a responsibility to her village. Did Ryuze not have any of that? Was her world truly so destitute? But then she seemed to recover, catching her breath.
It was a sad answer. Almost like a cop out, really. It just sounded like Ryuze was keeping herself busy. Her next answer was a lot more honest, and it hurt how true it rang, even within Sio. It's different...hearing it from someone else. Kurama said, speaking up for the first time since Ryuze had made herself known. He sounded a bit wounded, as well. They were broken, the three of them. But Ryuze was the most broken of all. She didn't know, juts like Sio and Kurama, but she also wasn't seeking answers. She had resigned herself already. Sio listened carefully to her story. Though she didn't know exactly what had happened in Ame, she knew it had to be something drastic, heavy to have done this to a human being. "Well, what do you think might have been different...if you didn't have to fight? What do you think you would have liked to have done?" Basically, she was asking Ryuze what her dreams were. If she had no answer for this, it would likely break Sio's heart. Everyone had to have a dream. something they felt strongly for and about.
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Aug 30, 2013 20:20:48 GMT -5
Post by Wani Ryuze on Aug 30, 2013 20:20:48 GMT -5
Ryuze was ready to run. It was funny that she could tear out the throat of one man and partially devour another, but when it came to a conversation that was absolutely tanking, her only option would be to turn tail. Ryuze was absolutely positive that she could outswim the Genin. She could be gone in a flash. But that was a dick move. Sio was genuinely curious about her, and to be honest, Ryuze kind of liked it. Back home, no one spoke to her like this. She was so well revered as a warrior that people so often forgot that she was a regular human being. And though it petrified her so, made her feel things that she didn't want to feel and she didn't have all the answers, she craved it. It was normal. As close to normal as she was ever going to get. And so she wouldn't leave. She would stay, no matter how painful or uncomfortable or frustrating it got.
And surprisingly, it was becoming less so. Sio was not judging her. At least, not harshly. No, in fact, she wanted to know more. And this question, Ryuze would have an answer for, albeit an embarrassing one. Where would she be had things gone differently? "Had I never needed to pick up a kunai...I don't think I ever would have. Though my family and my clan are all shinobi, I likely would not have become active. I would probably have the most quiet, mild job anyone could ever imagine. I'd probably own a yarn shop or something like that." She said the last part with a laugh. She was only partially being facetious. Ryuze imagined that she probably would have enjoyed something like knitting and crafting. She loved blankets. Unfortunately, being as hot and humid as it was in Amegakure, they were rarely needed, but it didn't stop her from having quite a collection of them. "I'd like to think I'd be married by now. Maybe with one or two children."
Her tone became sad again. All things that would never happen. She felt blocked off forever from any life besides the one she was living now, or the one she had lived before. "Pretty much the opposite of what I'm doing now. Not that I don't like being the leader of Amegakure. I do...but sometimes I wish for something a little...quieter, I guess." A quiet life. Yes. That was what she wanted. Maybe if she ever learned to relax, she could come to enjoy it. Even now, with nothing at all that she HAD to do, she was kinetic. She was worried, on edge, and ready to GO. That wasn't right. It wasn't the way things were supposed to be.
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Sept 3, 2013 18:51:10 GMT -5
Post by Sarutobi Sio on Sept 3, 2013 18:51:10 GMT -5
Sio had never contemplated not wanting to become a shinobi. There was no greater honor for her than to learn the jutsu that her grandfather knew and was taught to him by the rest of the Sarutobi clan. Then again, Ryuze didn't sound like she had a very good time of having been a ninja. She supposed that had she actually had to deal with horrors that she never wanted to deal with, that she might contemplate a life without the battle. Still, it was nice to hear Ryuze's dreams of another life. Though she was wistful, and rightfully since that life was far from her reach right now, it was still interesting and informative to see this scarred, knowledgable veteran imagining a life of knitting and motherhood.
"You should do it. One day. Maybe once Amegakure is all better and you can retire. You should open your yarn shop and just spend the rest of your days in peace and quiet." Perhaps it was a pipe dream. But Sio was of the mind that you should never give up on what you want. You should never give up on your dreams. "I think I would still be a shinobi. Maybe I would travel the world with Kurama, seeing everything that we could see, learning lots of different things and meeting lots of people. Hopefully, our world would never see war again, and I might be able to do this."
Sio nodded, feeling a shiver run through her bones. Throwing her head back, she let out a sneeze, accidentally bringing her hands down and splashing Ryuze. "Oh...sorry..." she said apologizing, all the while feeling another coming on. Sio sneezed again, this time briefly slipping under the water before surfacing again.
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