dictatorial return. [asato/pm]

[addy-hime ♥]

Who knew that a beach could be so utterly unpleasant? The sand beneath my feet was coarse, as if the various minerals that made it up had not been properly refined into their basic forms. Can it even really be called sand? I wondered, distracting myself from the thoughts that were actually dying to resurface and cause me distress.

Shit. I thought about them. I lost!

My head twitched up uncomfortably fast and I focused my gaze at a mountain in the distance, large despite how far away it was. Kaminari no Kuni was a harsh environment, but I could take steep inclines after living in the desert for such a large part of my life. It was the desert that frightened me now, though—or the people I had left behind in it, anyway. Asato and I had traveled away from this very continent to escape my past, but now we were back. Why? I didn't even know. I doubt he did, either. I could feel my stomach clenching from the nervousness I felt; my hands were likewise shaking.

At some length I managed to suppress these feelings once more and tore my gaze away from that awful mountain, alighting back upon my wonderful husband. "Well, here we are." Such an underwhelming response after such a long bout of silence. Had he spoken to me while I was lost in myself? I could not tell from his expression.

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[Comatose]

The blank expression on my face hadn't subsided the whole trip until now, though it was just replaced with one of contemplation and confusion. It was true that I too did not know why we had come back to this land of ninja and war after so long, especially after all of my -- our transgressions. Our lives in this land were not our own and were forfeit to the most infant ninja willing to take on the task of attempting to hunt us down for the bounty on our heads. Not that succeeding was likely in any stretch of the imagination, not with out skills and the demon blade at my hip.

"We are here, again." I spoke, lightly as I bent down to take some coarse sand between my thumb and my index finger, feeling the thick grains.

"The world didn't exactly lay out the red carpet, did it?"

My gaze shifted from the grains of 'sand', back to my own wife, looming upon her wonderful features before returning to her side. The thoughts of the danger we'd be in coming back to this land quite literally sickened me, as I did not wish any harm upon her but I was reassured by a cooing Kusanagi that harm befalling us was impossible.

How would the denizens of this continent react? Would they remember us? It was hope that guided such thinking. I had hoped not.

"Where shall we go?" Such an empty question.

[addy-hime ♥]

I smiled hesitantly as Asato returned my dull comment, realizing there would be no good response to such a statement. We were here for no reason other than to be here; it was foolish in the extreme. I vaguely remembered that I was the one who suggested it, but now it was impossible to decipher my logic. It was true I missed my village and my family, but evidently I forgot just how badly I had wronged both of them before we made our escape into peace and decent prosperity.

"I can't imagine that we would deserve a red carpet, love. Those are reserved for celebrities and, as I recall, we are quite infamous."

I formed a more genuine smile as he returned to my side and reached out to him, taking his hand into my own with a light squeeze. I loved this man for everything he was and is, both the side that I saw and the one that could so easily slaughter another person. Kusanagi and I were not on the best terms, even now, but ... he hadn't had much a reason to draw the sword from its sheath in these long years. I was connected to Asato and also, too, to the demon sword; I could feel its twisted happiness at being back on a continent that was forever plagued with war, terror, destruction.

"You and I both know my first answer is Sunagakure. But then, we also know that is nigh impossible and extremely dangerous. That said, what are your thoughts?" I squeezed his hand a bit harder, encouragingly, because I knew he disliked making all of the decisions. Well, I disliked making any! Kageship had been about the prim, the proper, and the choices. I never wanted to return to a lifestyle like that one. The only major decision I made—besides returning here—was not to bare his child yet. In hindsight, that was probably the best one I had made by far. Who would ever bring a child into such hardship? "You know I'll follow you anywhere."

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[Comatose]

Though I had not heard word in a very long time I was still sure that we were likely the most wanted criminals on this side of the world. The killing of Kage, the stealing of scrolls, and the abandoning of our respective villages were just some of the more grandiose crimes we had done. Even if people had long forgotten about the crimes specifically, it was likely our names and information were still in the Bingo Book.

"Sungakure would be most impossible, love. They know your face specifically there and it's hard to forget someone as high ranking as a Kage leaving, even in all the time we've been gone."

Taking Youka away from the world was we knew it was probably the best choice we could have made at the time, given everything. Leaving the world for untold lands had allowed us to both start anew and grow. Both of us were definitely different coming back now, in some way.

Just as Youka's hand had squeezed mine all those times, my hand had squeezed back. There was no set destination, and no real place we could go to be safe from anything. I had once lived a primarily nomadic lifestyle, but, having settled down and going back to it my instincts weren't as keen. The world had likely changed and no where I knew to be safe-haven safe anymore.

"We'll walk in a direction and see where it takes us. It is unlikely unaided we will venture anywhere near a village, and no single ninja scout would ever pose a threat."

[addy-hime ♥]

I was actually a bit stunned by his answer. He wanted us to just walk and see where it takes us?! I felt my mouth parting in shock, but managed to quickly recompose myself. Instead of such a drastic reaction I opted for quirking an eyebrow at him, knowing I could not go back on my word now. I had, after all, just said I would follow him anywhere. Even if he sounded like a mad person. :)

"You don't think having at least a basic plan would help?" I inquired, brain scrambling for a few ideas to give him an example. To give myself a bit of time I stepped closer, pressing myself flush against him and removing my hand from his. Instead, it moved to linger on his hip, just above where the Kusanagi was sheathed. I leaned up and placed a chaste kiss upon his lips, giggling as I did so. "If we pick a location, I think it would be a good idea to set up a sort of ... base of operations. Kaminari has all these mountains, so we would be relatively sheltered. I don't really like the landscape, though."

I batted my eyelashes at him, willing him to dig into his memory to find a place we could set up a home. Well, it would be more like a very well-guarded secret base, but a home nonetheless in a land where we had none. Perhaps Asato was equipped to handle a nomadic lifestyle. I, on the other hand, was not and never had been accustomed to it. I needed to know I would have a place to go back to, a place to sleep next to him.

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[Comatose]

Formulating a basic plan was almost beyond me, as I could not even fathom why we were here in the first place. It had seemed as if something had called us here, something tugging at our subconscious and willing us to come back to this wretched place. It was true however that the mountains made a likely easy hideaway, but it had seemed all too logical, likely the mountains were checked by Ninja scouts, militia guards of towns, and samurai for stray criminals.

"If seclusion and a base of operations is the goal, I would believe that a lower nation would be the best place for it. Low numbers of people, low security, and less ninja."

Of the several lower nation countries few were readily accessible after the war for various reasons. Those two nations were Grass and Waterfall, both of which I had only briefly encountered on my many travels years ago. I had zero knowledge of the landscapes, what to expect, or where villages were. However, perhaps that was for the best in the first place, it was less likely that enemies would venture that far either.

"Grass or Waterfall are the two lower nations with the lowest percentage of ninja, and people in general. They could be viable areas to set up a camp of sorts. They are both west of here, with Waterfall being a bit closer of Grass."

It was impossible to resist Youka's kisses, affection, or charm - the plan came together in my head just as she had willed it to. My hand wrapped itself somewhat around her waist as I ushered her somewhat in the western direction. It was in fact quite a ways, and needlessly using chakra for flight or expedition would only cause us to tire quicker. Walking some of the ways was the only choice we had.

[addy-hime ♥]

I nodded my head, a bit distracted by his closeness—the heat and scent of his body always got to me, no matter how long we spent together. Seven years of marriage was most definitely not long enough for me to come out of the so-called honeymoon phase; I was convinced that I would love him this way, this intensely, until the day I died. And given our current location and circumstance, there was a decent chance I would die within then next couple years.

"One of the lesser-known nations is definitely a safe bet," I conceded, listening as he explained his two biggest theories. I did not know the landscape of either country, but if one was called Grass it was safe to assume there would be quite a lot of grass within it. While I had no problem with grass as a feature, it was very strictly at odds with what I was used to: sand. I had grown up in the desert, and we even made our home across the sea on a beautiful, sandy beach. Waterfall sounded the best option.

I was pulled out of my contemplation as my body was pushed in the western direction. I blinked, realizing that we would in fact have to walk at least most of the way there. How awful! I flinched, then glanced back at him, sighing. "Let us go to Taki no Kuni. It's closer and ... well, there are a lot of reasons." Although I was not looking forward to the trip, neither was I one to dawdle. Instead, I curled my hand back into his own and started pace in the direction he mentioned.

Taki no Kuni, here we come.

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[Hotaru]

Moved.

[Comatose]

The landscape of Waterfall and Thunder was none too dissimilar when it came to rocky constructions as there was a lot of them. Notably though, it was much like Fire in it's construction, with the addition of many more interesting water formations about. The waterfalls and rivers native to the land did give it much more of a dynamic and beautiful landscape. This place felt more like home -- a land of wonders and a certain charm I could get used to.

"This is much better than Thunder Country, and I think it'd be quite easy to find somewhere to call home here."

Though we walked and walked, almost aimlessly, I made sure to look behind every waterfall for a specific type of waterfall. Often times the Waterfall used to be fed another way, perhaps below the original waterfall, by a cave system. This cave would effectively be behind the current waterfall, making the perfect hideaway. While these sorta hideaways were quite obvious in design, it was likely the country had several dozen, if not several hundred of them -- a needle in a haystack.

"A waterfall cave, one with a small entrance but big real-estate inside."

[addy-hime ♥]

We had been discussing how we could gather materials to make a secret base—or how to find one pre-made—the whole way to Taki no Kuni. His mention of a cave behind a waterfall was the first that really made sense to me, but I still felt a little indignant at the prospect of living in a dark hole that was probably partially submerged in water. I forced myself to put on a smile as I considered it, grasping for any positives in this absolutely negative outcome. Then, suddenly, I felt better. A small voice in the back of my head asked me, When did you become so indulged? When did you stop being a shinobi?

Well, the short answer was 'when I ran away from this continent.' That wasn't the point though, was it Brain? As a shinobi I had encountered much worse living conditions, and had even expected such on long missions. This was no different, and I struggled to regain that kind of mindset. I was a shinobi! No. I AM a shinobi. With my husband at my side, my Fuuton jutsu, and Kusanagi ... we were, in fact, quite powerful and infamous shinobi at that.

"I think a waterfall cave sounds like a good idea," I finally spit out, glancing around us as we continued to walk. There were plenty of waterfalls around; the sound of rushing water all but saturated my hearing. How would we possibly know which one had a cave hidden behind it? Wasn't that the point—no one would find it? "Any idea how we plan to track said real-estate down, though?"

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[Comatose]

There was simply no easy way to find said cave behind the waterfall besides simply checking each one. I myself did not possess any specific talents in the area of tracking, or any sight based Dojutsu that could help us out in this department. Besides, it may or may not have been a good idea to use our skills just yet. Though we were in relative wilderness, there was no way of knowing who was out here amongst the trees and foliage, and our talents were unique enough to draw suspicion should they be seen.

"I don't think there is an easy way right now, we shouldn't use many Ninjutsu just yet. I'm still wary that we are out in the middle of nowhere."

After that there was a lot of nothing but searching that ensued, the looking behind each and every waterfall that we came across that had the opening for a cave behind it. The time flew by as quick as it does when people are engaged in a rigorous activity as searching for the cave was when one had to continually trek up and down hillsides and through thick forest. Every single waterfall cave we had come across until the very last always lacked something, whether it was too small, filled with water, or was too visible. The last cave was perfect, as if it had been designed simply for the task of being a hideout by nature, the thick forest around it, small mouth of the cave, and large waterfall meant it was hard to spot.

"What do you think? It's. . . a cave of course, it isn't a five star hotel, but, it has everything we need. I'm sure if we went deep enough it might have an alternate exit too. I'm sure you could. . spruce up the place."

Not that I thought it was possible to make a cave any less a cave.

[addy-hime ♥]

Hunting down a cavern that would be suitable for our needs was hard, hard work. With doing that on top of the long trip we'd just taken, there were moments where I wanted to sit down and refuse to move until I had a nice, long rest. However, I managed to push through by reminding myself that shinobi could not be a spoiled young woman with low endurance; I also remembered that I had done much worse in my youth.

Finally, it was found. Finally I could cease the derisive remarks I was making at myself.

"I ... like it, actually, Asato. It's not too big or too small, it's not too wet. It's concealed well enough for our purposes. I have no idea how we could possibly spruce up a cave, but I'm sure we'll think of something." I allowed my gaze to wander over the interior—or, rather, what I could see of it. The place was pitch black, so we would need to venture into a small town to get some lighting fixtures. I did notice that the ground was rather uneven, sometimes even with jagged spires reaching up toward the ceiling, ready to impale one if they should be so unlucky as to slip. "I can probably use one of my Fuuton jutsu to level the floor out a bit. Rock is pretty sturdy, but it can be worn down over time."

I turned toward Asato and closed the distance between us, leaning up to hug him tenderly. I rested my chin against his shoulder and sighed, feeling suddenly happy. "Thank you for this, Shujin-sama." I smiled. That nickname had not been used for years.

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[Comatose]

I thought for a second when she commented on the impossibility of sprucing up a cave. The task was truly daunting, but not impossible. As a master of paper, I could make all sorts of things, and as long as I was around to allow the paper to grasp onto my chakra, they would hold into all sorts of marvelous shapes. I could, in fact, simply have created a room from scratch with all the amenities we needed. However, that would have used far too much chakra, and possibly even more over time to feed the constructions to they held their desired shape.

My thoughts were broken by the hug of my wife, Youka, my arms instinctively moving around her frame and embracing her as tight as possible.

"Youka. . ." I managed to get out, hearing the former nickname that hadn't been used in years, the name catching me off guard.

One of my hands freed itself from around her frame to usher several sheets of paper into existence, folding them by will alone into three simple shapes. Two of the shapes were chairs, and the final a table. At first the chairs looked the part of paper, white and seemingly porous, but slowly they seemed to take on more real-life form, transforming in both color, texture, and hardness into three pieces of furniture made from wood.

"And whatever we should need, I can make."

Kusanagi seemed to be pleased with the use of my power, as I hadn't had much of a reason for years. A slight chill ran down my spine from it's metaphysical grin.

[addy-hime ♥]

His reaction to the nickname pleased me, because it was exactly what I was hoping for. Even still, I felt my heart squeeze and then race; my face grew hotter with an emotion I could not place. I loved this man more than life itself, and he constantly proved to me that he loved me just as much.

Too overcome to respond quickly, I watched as his formed a dining set. It wasn't particularly practical at the moment, but it proved his point: if necessary, he could make us anything we needed. For a short time, anyway. I would never stand for having him create a bed or couch to keep me comfortable if it meant a constant drain on his chakra, his life force. It would be easier to buy it or make it. Finally, I couldn't take the way my heart was reacting any more. I turned away from the table and chairs and back to him, tightening my cling-hug further. And then I kissed him passionately, trying my best to express my love and gratitude in that singular action.

"I love you ... " I choked out, pulling back to stare into his eyes. Blue. Beautiful. I felt embarrassed from the thought and glanced away, leaning my weight against him. "This is perfect. We can make a life here, at least a better one than it would have been if we remained nomadic. We can still go out into this world and do what ... whatever it is we need to do. But I need to know we have this to come back to—our home."

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[Comatose]

My wife's kiss was of course returned with one of my own, just as passionate. There wasn't a day which I had regretted any decision when it came to being with Youka. She was my life, and I was ready to give up mine for her at any point in time.

"And I love you."

The illusion of living in peace back on this continent seemed so real - too real. It was true that we had found a spot that we could stay in without much fear of the outside world. However, something had clearly drawn us here for a reason. Somehow - as ninja always do, someone will catch inkling of our resurfacing. Between the wanted status, our misdeeds, and the Kusanagi, trouble was almost impossible to avoid.

"This can and will be our home. It will be wondrous."

The lingering thought of why in the back of my head drew me to the thinking of what would happen next.