The Mind's Eye

[Guyviroth]

The day was like any other day within the land of fire; bright, breezy, and refreshing. The winds would kick up the cool air that simmered around the confines of the area's dwellings, almost as though it was a perpetual spring. The sun glared daringly through the canopies of the green of the trees, beaming its rays of comfort upon the citizens of the lands. The birds could be heard quietly nestled within their own homes among the branches, while the others took towards the bright blue sky above; freedom was to be relished by all creatures, and freedom was to be embraced by man, and the hidden leaf capitalized on that notion with both strong arms.

"...And again..." One young boy within his preteens, Helios Marushagan, sat upon one of the silk-padded stalls within the small ramen bar, sizing up his bowl of ramen, piping hot... well, ten minutes ago it was fresh from the stove, and not a single piece was touched in the salty warm water. Holding a pair of chopsticks as motionless as stone itself, Helios didn't seem to be breathing, and just stared intently at the fried egg that was nestled among the noodles and the slice of pork. Suddenly, striking quickly, he lunged the chopsticks into the egg openly before pinching at the hardened yolk in the middle, pulling it out within a single stroke cleanly.

"Ah, your skills are always within top shape, Helios," the voice of a rather old, discerning man could be heard over the bar, he was beginning to once again praise Helios for his ... skill. "That Iaijjutsu training is quite spectacular! Who'da thought you could cleanly remove the yolk from a cooked egg like that?"

"... That's only because I hate the yolk..." Helios muttered to himself, eyes shifting upwards quickly to see if the old man had heard. Fortunately he didn't to save himself any more conversation with the man. Placing the yolk on a napkin beside him, he began to slowly eat away at the rest of the ramen. The best part of it he found was the saltiness of the water and the chewiness of the noodles, coupled with the soft, tender texture of the pork.

[That Guy]

Amon strolled through town with a slow and weary step. He had been in kaze for some time and he hadn't had much rest there. First he had trained, then he almost ended up in a scuffle with two powerful ninja, and of course there was the run in with the bear summoner. All in all the trip to the desert had proven far more eventful than the swordsman had planned. And the journey to the fire country while much less eventful had been long and tiresome. The nonstop sprint had brought him here finally and suddenly he became readily aware of his exhaustion and hunger.

Turning on his heel to the nearest smell of food he wandered on until he found the source. A small ramen bar with a decent enough atmosphere beckoned to the afro headed stranger who gladly welcomed the invitation. Dusting off clothes that were still dusty from the desert he walked in and eased himself onto one of the stools at the bare beside a young pale skinned child.

The man behind the counter looked across at the dark skinned stranger with a questioning look before asking, "Ummmmmm can I get you something to eat or drink stranger?"

"Yes, please," he answered in a tired quiet voice before putting his elbows on the counter and resting his face in his hands and closing his eyes. There was a moment of silence that followed and Amon could be left alone to his thoughts. Left alone to his thoughts and tired amon fell asleep in the palms of his hand breathing deeply and heavily.

[Guyviroth]

It was almost entirely awkward to of seen a man of this calibur, and of this look, suddenly taking a seat right next to Helios. The man looked as though he was dragged ass over head through mud and sand, then back again. However, Helios couldn't help but feel too cautious around the man; his eyes shifted to the person's direction briefly before taking a look around his surroundings. Through quick eye movements he began to calculate the best route of escape shoudlt he need arise and anything in the vicinity that could aid in that approach.

As soon as the man placed his hands over his eyes, Helios quickly shifted his left hand to the handle of his chokuto, gripping the handle gently in a reverse sword stance in case the man attempted to attack him. As the thought of a fight began to rush through his mind, with the surmountable amount of possibilities of attacking, defending and maneuvering flooding his thoughts within seconds, Helios began to lose control of his own chakra, beginning to encase the chopsticks he was holding in ice, but quickly he was able to form the ice to water to avoid giving away his Hyouton; to anyone it'd just look like the chopsticks were just covered in the water from the ramen. However, as the man fell asleep, but Helios couldn't be sure if it was a ruse or if it was for real. "...Who is this bozo...?" Helios spoke to himself softly, grasping at the long strands of noodles.

[chiatsuki]

+ 15 guyviroth
+ 8 that guy

[That Guy]

After a few minutes the man behind the bar set a bowl of ramen before Amon with a glass of water. As the powerful reached Amon's nostrils his eye's flared open and he grabbed the bowl hungrily and taking a giant heaping of food in his chopsticks before jamming it into his mouth and chomping strongly to turn the mass of food into swallow-able debris. He continued at this progress taking giant bites of food pausing to chew it all at once and repeating until the bowl was empty. He then shotgunned the glass of water draining it in one gulp as weariness seemed to fade from his frame.

"Sir, may I please have another bowl of ramen and a cup of coffee this time?" Amon smiled friendly enough to the man as he began preparing more for the dark skinned stranger. The food didn't make Amon feel 100% better, but going from starving to being fed was enough to brighten anyone's mood. Beaming with joy he turned his head this way and that glancing about the ramen bar before his eye came upon the kid and his hand upon the hand of his blade.

He turned his gaze to the kid dead on with a wry smile, "Kid if you're planning on killing someone do you think you could do it elsewhere please? I'm tired and I don't wanna be pulled into another persons 'adventure,' today." Amon used air quotes to emphasize the word adventure as he spoke in his still quiet voice. He turned back to the bar watching the man prepare his meal but watching to kid from the corner of his eye.

[Guyviroth]

Well that was obviously a short nap. It was also quite the short meal as well for the guy too, it almost made Helios completely dizzy with watching the guy wolf down the ramen like it was just a side dish. Helios couldn't help but shake his head, but as he looked down at the ramen he had in front of him it began to make his own stomach churn as though he had just ate something rotten. Well, more to the point he had just seen something rotten as he had moments ago glared at the man's rather untolerable eating habbit. Helios instead just rest the chopsticks into the salt water of his bowl, beginning to darken the smooth planed wood as it began to soak up.

Still though, Helios had some liking over the large afro-styled man; the guy seemed to be pleasant if not outright plite with his speach, but Helios didn't want to crack any sort of smile over his face, and any chance to was erased as soon as the guy began to direct his speach towards him. Helios didn't make eye-contact with the guy throughout his monologue; he instead watched his hands for any sudden movements, and as he raised his hands for air quotes, Helios gripped the handle of the chokuto much tighter, almost taking it from the scabbard by mere millimeters. In fact, it was surprising the guy noticed him grip the handle considering Helios did it when the man covered his eyes. Still, Helios wasn't bothered by the man's speach.

"A rather imposing man, with his own sword, comes into a bar and sits next to me. You think I shouldn't be cautious?" Helios questioned the swordsman, as though the swordsman had expected Helios to of kept his guard down but that just simply wasn't how Helios worked. However, Helios continued. "Besides, why would you think I'd kill you anyway, as though I could anyway?" Helios didn't know if he was just setting himself up for an arguement or even a fight, but he couldn't stand people getting the wrong impression of him.

[That Guy]

"Weapons are more and more common these days," Amon answered quietly, "I imagine especially so here in one of the five great ninja nations. I've only been in the world of the ninja for a short time myself but in my opinion there are certain things to look out for. If a man comes onto the scene violently attacking without reason, then be prepared to defend yourself. But, if a man comes to a place without any violence or hostility you should always be aware of him whether he has a weapon or not. The chances are good he won't attack so long as he's not provoked, but he may be provoked at any time for his own reasons. For if a dangerous man came upon you, what reason would he have to attack you?" Amon paused and realized he was speaking his thoughts out loud. Fuck he hated when he did that, he only tended to do it when he was delirious or drunk.

Pulling a pouch of tobacco and some papers out of his sleeve the swordsman began rolling a sloppy spliff before turning around in his seat to look out on the street. Lighting the end of his spliff he inhaled deeply before jettisoning a thick plume of smoke out onto the street away from the other customers. "Sorry, sorry, I don't mean to talk your ear off or argue with you. Just know I'm not here to start any trouble, I'm tired and hungry from a long trip and I'm just looking to recuperate. If you promise not to pull any tricks I promise i won't either and that's a wannabe-samurai's word so you can count on it. Deal?" He looked out the corner of his eye at the kid and gestured an open hand to him.

[Guyviroth]

Helios gave a slight chuckle at the man; it was obvious that the guy was so tired and hungry that he began to ramble, although what he was saying was taken in by Helios; the guy did have some good points. However, he still kept his left hand upon his sword even after the guy's rant; he'd only known the man for not even five minutes and he was expected to trust him. Reaching over at his glass of juice, Helios took a small swig of it, savouring its sour apple and lemon taste. He always did like bitter fruits.

Looking back at the man, Helios noticed a hand extended as though to offer a handshake. Fortunately the gesture was right handed, meaning he was able to shake his hand and still keep a guard up upon his scabbard. But that really wasn't the case of Helios; he wasn't into courteous pleasantries, especially with a guy he'd known for only a few minutes. Instead, Helios liften the pair of chopsticks from his bowl of ramen and placed them in the man's hand, then with the back of his right hand pushed the still rather full bowl of ramen in front of the person's face along the top of the bar. "You talk to much, so stuff your face with this." Helios smirked as he did so, showing that he had some vote of confidence of the guy, but he wasn't completely trustworthy. Not of him anyways.

[That Guy]

"Thanks very much, I'll get to that in just a moment." Amon continued smoking his spliff until it was done when he gave it a light flick to the dirt where it smoldered out safely. He took in a deep breath of clean air before turning around and quickly wolfing down the remainder of his company's bowl. When he finished he again turned to face the kid before starting out with a question, "So tell me, what can I call you, and what do you do? I imagine you must have a good occupation to afford a blade like that."

Amon suspected the kid was a ninja which would be a step in the right direction as far as seeking some form of tutelage on the next technique he hoped to learn. It originated from here after all and if this kid was a ninja from the fire country then perhaps he would have some insight if any at all he could share with Amon as far as where he might be able to continue his search. Surely the eight celestial gates was at least worth some acknowledgement but most Konoha shinobi.

[Guyviroth]

It seemed like the more and more Helios spent with this guy his opinion of him wavered more than a checkered flag. It was like this guy was some sort of subjectured rollercoaster; the guy was polite, well spoken and dressed good, but he seemed to have an awful manner of eating and smoked. Then again, Helios couldn't complain too much considering it was an open-ventilated bar and wasn't a no-smoking establishment. Despite any of this, Helios wanted to remain in the guy's company. Well, until he had had enough for the guy's company and that he had learned all that he wanted from a man of this calibur.

"The name's Helios," Helios gave out as his introduction and nothing more, taking another swig of his apple and lemon cordial; his Summer Bitter as he liked to call it. However, the man showed some interest in his sword which was a plus in Helios' book. "This sword is all that it left of my family that I was able to recover. When my mother died she left me this, and a few hundred Ryo for other supplies. I guess you could say this is the only family I have left..." Helios had never felt so sentimental before. In fact, that was likely because no one had ever shown interest in anything but his looks and his skills. His grip loosened around the scabbardm instead caressing it as though it was a prized posession, but in actuallity it was.

"So what about you? You don't look like you're from around here judging from your gear. And a pretty nice sword you have there, too."

[That Guy]

Amon smiled as the man set his coffee in front of him and he sipped gratefully before setting it back down on the table. The coffee had been a good choice to help wake him up a little more and pump some energy back into his system. "I'm from Tetsu no Kuni the land of the samurai. My grandfather was a mere soldier in the army, but he looked up to and revered the samurai. So much so that he too tried to learn Kenjutsu but then the samurai disappeared and he grew old."

Amon picked his sword up by the scabbard it was in holding it out slowly to Helios so that he might inspect it himself. "My grandfather never became a samurai, but his sword was given to him by one of them. The samurai told my grandfather that it had been his before he completed his samurai training and was given a sword forged for a proper samurai. I accepted it from my grandfather with the promise to have it reforged and train with it to become accepted as a samurai one day."

Amon looked back to his coffee taking another drink before setting it back down and staring into the cup solemly. "It's become increasingly hard to be noticed by the samurai. They are so few in number and their standards are much higher than they used to be I've heard." He turned back to look at the kids with a smile, "Which is why I'm travelling way out here actually! I've come to learn some of the ninja techniques and incorporate it into my kenjutsu. I've come to Hi No Kuni to train and learn the Hachimon Tonkou. I've heard it can do amazing things for taijutsu users."

[Guyviroth]

Helios couldn't help but idol the sword of a samurai. He didn't know why considering that the sword didn't seem to be much different that his own; the blade was curved, and didn't seem much longer than his either. Gripping ahold of his own chokuto's scabbard, he removed it from the roping around his waist and held it vertically up to the katana. Though he was correct, the blade of the katana was around two inches longer than his own chokuto, Helios instinctively gripped the handles of both swords from between his fingers, and unsheathed a few inches of them. The blade of the katana was only single-edged, although the chokuto was double bladed, making it effective for Helios' own style of Iaijutsu. The chokuto was also much lighter as he held both swords above the scabbard's full threshold, although the katana felt much denser as well, though that was because the Katana was effective for blocking too. Dropping both swords back into their scabbards and reholstering the chokuto into his ogi, Helios turned back to the bar to grab his drink.

"Well that's not such a bad piece," Helios praised the craftsmanship of his sword, but he knew that the sword, even in its current state, was better than his own. "I haven't really thought about getting mine appraised, or even reforged... I might have to consider that option later." However, one part of Amon's story fell to his ears; Hachimon Tonkou, the Eight gates. Helios wanted to frown because he knew that he would never be able to undergo the harsh training that was the eight gates, something he thought he'd be able to accomplish, but his body was simply not that durable. Parts of his mind was beginning to curse his bloodline limit, for it was his heritage that caused his body to become so frail... just like ice.

[That Guy]

Amon drank his coffee quietly sitting at the bar beside his new friend. The drink was beginning to wake him up again and he was coming to his senses. "So what happened to your family?" he asked in solemn quiet tone. He knew it might be a sensitive subject so he prepared himself for the worst. However on the other hand he prepared himself for what could be a long story.

He pulled more coffee into his mouth washing it around gently before swallowing and turning to his companion. "If it's too personal I understand of course. We just met after all, but I just figured a family passing down a sword like that would have a story worth telling."

[Guyviroth]

The question was awkward for Helios. He didn't know whether or not he was friends enough with this guy to start divulging such information like that. It was a strong, mental turmoil for the young Genin to the point where he just seemed to blank out everything around him, instead images and mental passings of his childhood began to flash quickly, yet clearly for him to follow it, through his mind. He began to strum his fingers along the glass of juice quickly, but slowing the pace as more time went. In the end, Helios took a deep breath slowly, and then began to speak.

"I..." but suddenly as soon as Helios opened his mouth, his mind drew a blank. Everything that he was going to say, vanished. Everything that he thought, drifted away. In fact, the more he began to think about it, the more he began to realise that he had completely forgotten about what happened to his family; it's been so long since his childhood that he never gave it much thought. It began to flood back slowly, but painfully. "I remember that, both of my parents served in the war years ago. But, why do I remember the life so clearly? Either way, they ended up... losing it all in the war. I was made an orphan, but I always lived in my own home for so many years that it never bothered me. I got this sword about... when I was eight years old. I say "Given", my mother showed it to me and said it was mine should I become a Genin. I guess, a year later, it was when I got it."

[That Guy]

"So you've taken care of yourself for some time, quite independent then. I'm sure it was hard at first but you're stronger than most for having gone through such hardships. Although I'm also sorry to hear about your family, seems too many people are lost them in the wars." Amon finished his coffee dropping coins that rattled as they fell to the counter. "Well my friend, I feel rested and ready to depart this," he paused to glance around the ramen bar, "errr fine establishment."

Amon stood up from his seat and tucked the stool back to the bar as he stepped away from it all while rolling a crude spliff in one hand that he promptly set to his lips. He lit the spliff and took in a deep breath before expelling a massive cloud out towards the street where it rose into the air but seemed to stubbornly refuse to dissipate. Amon's shoulders and whole body relaxed now, as though he had just detoxed his body of all evil and set himself right in a karmic way. He let out a pleasurable sigh before muttering, "that's much better."

Stepping out onto the road he turned around to look back at Helios. "So then, what are your plans for the rest of the day then? If you've got nothing better going on, would you care to show me around and help me find a comfortable place to stay for the evening? I don't know this area all that well and I don't have the best of luck when it comes to finding a place to stay... the last cave I spent the night in was home to something rather big."