Seventeen [Private]

[Ethereal]

A starlit horizon fringed by nothing but the peace and quiet of the desert and pierced only by the soft whistling of the wind as it flowed through the village was a thing beyond compare. After the sun had fallen and the moon had come to play, the otherwise sweltering heat drifted away into a pleasant cool. Sure, it could occasionally be broken by the odd chilling wind, but by and large it was all perfectly comfortable. And tonight was even one of those clear, cloudless nights where every twinkling light in the heavens was plainly visible, radiating their calming aura down on the quiet village nestled below.

No, nothing quite compared to the nights in Sunagakure if one could find a quiet spot for it. And luckily for Ethereal, he had just the place. Nowhere was quite as peaceful as atop the flat summit of the otherwise perfectly rounded shape of the Kage house this time at night, at least not unless you wanted to make a trek into the desert. And even though a bit of metallic railing was obscuring a bit of his view, Ethereal couldn't have been convinced to start complaining for anything. Maybe he was a little bit wierd for thinking that this was among those few perfect times when one could be content to simply exist, but he still planned to savor it while it lasted.

Of course, he also planned to savor the small cup of rose hip tea held securely in his right hand, the saucer to which was perched in the palm of his left. Every once-in-a-while he could be seen taking a small sip from it, though his gaze never left the sky, expression placid as could be. The drink had long-since gone lukewarm, but Ethereal either didn't notice, or simply didn't care.

Tonight he was in his usual attire, with the exception of the absence of his usual sleek black jacket, leaving him in just the typical jeans and white button down dress shirt. His sword was with him as well, the bottom of the scabbard nestled into the ground between the left calf and thigh of his cross-legged sitting position, with the rest of the sword rising up and angling towards the corresponding shoulder to lean securely against him, offering the same comfort to him as a blanket would a small child, minus the silly emotional attachment.

[/font]

[addy-hime ♥]

It was pure opinion that emotional attachment was silly, as even the strongest willed human being could benefit from a strong bond with an object or another person. It did present a certain weakness to one's enemies, but there was little use for life if one had to live it with the soul locked away in a stone prison. Youka was not new to the concept of erecting barriers against those that attempted to gain access to the inner sanctum of her thoughts, so careful was she about the friends she surrounded herself with. Every now and then she paused to wonder how she could have consented to take on a full-time student as her own, much less a boy her age.

Lashes fluttered closed briefly over cerulean oculi, blocking out the image of Ethereal and her beloved Sunagakure no Sato in the distance. There were very few lights twinkling on in the houses, as most were safe, sleeping soundly in their beds and awaiting another day of hard work. As for the Shodaime, well, she contented herself by leaning against the frame of the door that would inevitably lead down into the Council meeting room, a place with memories best forgotten—about past feelings, her deceased nephew, the blood on her hands. It was much more peaceful to pretend that these things did not exist, that she was merely a teenager come to watch the stars with a comrade.

"What are you doing up here, Ether?" She finally called, voice raised an appropriate level for the amount of silence that pressed in around them. It was broken further still by the soft padding of bare feet across the sand structure—still warm from the sweltering heat of the day—as she approached her pupil. He seemed happy to be alone here, drinking what appeared to be tea from that little cup, but she couldn't help but wonder if he had been waiting for her. After all, not many people were allowed to come up here alone, unguarded; his privileges stemmed from his status as her protege, a formidable title indeed. As much as this building was her office and the place of work for many people, it was also her home. He was intruding here now.

It would have been clear to any onlooker that Youka was in her natural state at the moment, no longer as guarded as she would have been dealing with shinobi or simply walking along the streets of her village. There was no heavy hooded cloak to mask her identity and protect her from the sun, but a simple white sundress instead. It was akin to the one she wore a week or so previous, when Asato and herself had been reunited after a long period of unwilling separation from one another. In all, it bespoke comfort, and mimicked the smile curling at her lips when she eased herself into a sitting position beside him. "I didn't expect anyone to be up here at this time of night. Little weird, don'tcha think?" Her nose wrinkled teasingly; she didn't look at him to focus the expression, but turned her gaze back to the stars. "I wanted to go for a walk, but I thought coming up here would be a better idea. No chance of being hassled by the late-night straggler who wants more water rations to wash their alcohol down with, yeah?"

A hand lifted, fingers running through loose locks of carnation pink: a nervous habit. Small talk was always difficult, especially with Ethereal. Their relationship was tentative at best, considering the amount of power she had without the age difference. If only she were a few years older, then maybe people would start to take her seriously ...

[Ethereal]

Whether or not the maroon-haired boy realized there was anyone else on top of the Kage's house was anyone's guess, much less whether he realized he was being looked at. The way he hadn't payed the other person any mind at all, even a slight shifting of his eyes to show he was aware of someone else, pointed that he didn't know at all. But, the equal lack of reaction one way or the other when a voice spoke out and his name was called spoke in the opposite direction almost as well. The only thing Ethereal did was... well, exactly what he had been doing for as long as he'd been sitting there; stare at the sky and take a sip of his tea. Unfortunately for him though, this sip was to be his last. The cup was empty, causing his amethyst gaze to relinquish their hold on the stars to glance down in disappointment at the cup.

Only then did he display any sign of acknowledging another person besides himself. "The stars." His recognition of his sensei's voice came in the fact that he'd answered her at all, further marring the otherwise silent night her footsteps were shattering. The boy that had up to then been enjoying the quiet didn't seem to mind though. He was still staring forlornly down into his cup, as though strong enough wishing could cause it to refill. Finally, he set the cup back down on its saucer with a sigh and returned his stare to the horizon.

"The sky is nice tonight. And this is the best place to watch it from." His voice was soft and smooth, perhaps not a treat, but a rarity that only a few people were actually given in earnest. The girl in the sundress beside him easily counted as that, for several reasons.

Her second question didn't get a response at first, Ethereal instead just staying quiet for the time being. Only when she spoke again to explain why she was here did he look over at her, with an actual half-turn of his head to accompany the usual shifting of his eyes, the latter being all most people usually got. But that gaze was short-lived before it was inevitably turned back to the sky, though now one corner of his lips was curled upward in a subtle grin in response to the reason why she was here rather than anywhere else.

"Company is welcome." he stated plainly, leaving it to whatever ears that heard him to decide whether he was informing her that she was welcome to sit with him, or noting that he himself was the one that had gained the welcome he may have been waiting for. "Not to say I won't harass you for more water." Sarcasm this time, though delivered dryly enough to sound almost like a statement of fact unless one happened to glance over at the rare good-natured expression on his face. The male set the teacup and its saucer down on the ground in front of him with a small clink before turning his gaze back to the female once more. "I'll bring you one too next time.

Ethereal was purposefully avoiding use of her name, or any of the couple titles he could rightfully have called her by. She wasn't the only one that had trouble making small talk with him; Ethereal often had a hard time knowing just how to react to her. When one was a Sensei one day, leader of all you stand for the next, and then even something akin to a companion on others, it was hard to tell just how to address them, especially when they seemed to be in companion mode. The necessity to maintain respect while keeping things casual was a confusing issue for sure.

[/font]

[addy-hime ♥]

Even if Ethereal had expressed the wish to be alone, it was very unlikely that Youka would have bent to his whim. His mature, calm personality provoked a savage childishness inside her—when they were not occupied with important work—that made her enjoy tormenting him. Some lines were never crossed, such as physical contact if it could be helped, but tricking others into making him feel uncomfortable with just as well. They never seemed to understand why he despised the feeling, and he wasn't prone to explanation very often, was he?

"You don't have to bother bringing me a cup, Ether," she laughed quietly, eyes narrowing a fraction as she studied a particularly large star. It had a faint red glow to it, a phenomenon she could not explain; it would have helped to be more versed in astronomy. Perhaps if there was time later in her life the Shodaime would put some effort into broadening her intellectual horizons. "I suppose I could offer you an extra glass of water though, if you ever truly needed it. I don't want my student to die of dehydration before he has a chance to show off our work at the Chuunin Exams, no?"

The pink-haired girl lifted her hands into the air, stretching the muscles in her arms taut with an audible sigh of pleasure. The night air was perfect, a little chilly in comparison to the haze of earlier, especially in this dress, but beautiful none-the-less. It made her want to jump up and dance, but unfortunately, she had an image to protect around him. Already she could tell he was hesitant in her company, unsure of how to address her even after so much time working with one another. Still, he did not mention it, and she could not figure a way to broach the subject on her own. Would that be rude? Was she presuming too much by his disuse of her name or various titles? Generally Youka was very astute when it came to other people; in this case, Ethereal was far too similar to herself to pretend she had even begun to understand his thoughts.

She seemed to have decided that staying silent would be easier than this silly small-talk of theirs. As the Kazekage drew her arms back down, she shifted her weight on her backside and fell in a controlled motion to the rooftop. With her back pressed against the warm surface, eyes half-closed, it was easy to pretend she was safe in her house; easy to forget that Shiro was dead, Kaiiro was missing, and Soratsu had willingly left Sunagakure to find their brother's murderer. The one thing that remained constantly on her mind, no matter how beautiful the velvet sky and silver stars, was Asato. Even in her dream-hazed state her mind wandered to his face, provoking a lifting of her hand into the air, so that her engagement ring was framed by the scenery she enjoyed so.

"I'm engaged now, you know? You haven't met him yet ... You should, sometime."

[/font]

[Comatose]

The tasks that were laid before me to keep up my persona as an ANBU member were rather menial. In my former life I had done these nightly patrols, which equated to simply walking about rather aimlessly until one's shift was over. Seldom did you see any action on these; they were more leisurely thinking time than anything. I did not mind the task in that respect, especially on nights like these, with the sky so filled with stars. Sunagakure reminded me much of my home of Yukigakure in this way, both were afforded with such open and rather clear skies year round, allowing for a perfect viewing of the stars.

It was no surprise that I would tour the roof of the Kazekage's house. Securing the location was both a stop on my patrol and important to me personally. In this house would lay my fiance, the only person who had managed to ground me to a conventional level of sanity. I couldn't imagine a life without her anymore. For that reason, I found myself on this roof several times, during several different periods of the night, even beyond the necessity of duty. Having not seen anyone on my previous few trips, I had of course not expected anyone to be here. Much to my surprise, two individuals came into view after the bound of a leap that sailed me through the air onto the Kazekage's Roof. One was definitely Youka but the other was someone I had never met before.

Their postures and mannerisms seemed acquainted and usual, as if they were friends, and turned off my silent alarm of alert to the presence of another. As expected, it was probably just another ninja of the village. I wasted very little time in closing the gap between myself and Youka. Though I had wanted to embrace her there the situation advised against it. I did not know who this person was or if they knew of our relationship. Consequently, I simply walked over.

"Youk--- Kazakage-sama, what are you doing up here this late?"

It was hard to be formal at this point.

[Ethereal]

"Tea is best enjoyed with two. I'll bring you one next time."

His answer was a simple one, as usual. Whenever anyone said 'you don't have to do it', it usually meant that they'd like it if you did, but don't want to trouble you with asking. Or so Ethereal had observed from his own limited experience with such interactions, at least. Her offering an extra glass of water, on the other hand, got a much more concrete answer. "Thank you. But no, I don't actually need it." It was her follow-up to the offer was what managed to spark a real reaction from him though. A small grin swept across his lips, eyes turning up to the stars to shine with determination.

The Chuunin Exams. He'd forgone going a few times now. Being as old as he was and still a Genin wasn't exactly rare, but it was certainly uncommon. For some, a lack of motivation was the reason they didn't go. For others, fear of death. There were even those who were simply content with where they were, and thus stayed there. But for Ethereal, the reason was something else entirely. His preparation had to be assured. In his mine, failure was not an option; he had to succeed the first time, or not at all. But to ensure success beyond a shadow of a doubt, one had to be powerful and prepared, able to rival any Chuunin to be able to seamlessly ascend to that height and beyond.

That was the dream, at least. While he knew it would hardly be possible to pass the Exams so easily, he was willing to bide his time and try anyway. However... his self-imposed deadline was coming. He'd decided to do it before his eighteenth birthday, and while he'd only just turned seventeen a couple months ago, he was nonetheless feeling the slight pressure of time constraint. All during these thoughts he'd been absolutely silent, not realizing he'd accidentally gone without answering his question, rhetorical or not. It wasn't until she delivered some truly surprising news that he managed to be dragged out of his reverie and back into reality.

"I'm engaged now, you know? You haven't met him yet ... You should, sometime."

The maroon-haired boy's head spun to face her, eyes wide and lips parted with surprise as he stared at the female beside him for confirmation. He didn't seem to realize, or at least pay any attention to the fact that she was now laying down. His gaze was riveted on the ring adorning her finger. No matter how he searched, he couldn't quite manage to find the right words. Hearing your sensei and Kage, not to mention someone your own age was engaged was one hell of an unexpected revelation, especially to have been announced so casually.

The arrival of yet another person yanked away the necessity for him to fill the awkward silence he was creating (awkward in his mind, at least). This time around he did react to the arrival, though only when the footsteps caused by the newcomer crossing the rooftop reached a distance of five meters from them. Ethereal's head jerked quickly to the person, amethyst eyes flashing a quick warning from between his subtle narrowed lids, left hand rising to grip the sheath of the sword leaned against his shoulder just below the guard. While his own safety was trivial, that of the leader of his village was paramount. More than worthy of him at least making a warning known to any stranger who approached in the dead of the night.

His first words shattered any and all pretenses of defensiveness Ethereal had placed up though. Even if he'd corrected himself, the fact that he'd nearly called her by her real name was more than enough to establish their familiarity and disarm whatever caution may have otherwise been necessary. Ethereal's hand left his sword, resting casually on his knee as he turned his gaze back towards the sky. "Yeah, I should meet him one day." It seemed like all it had taken was something to break him from his initial shock for Ethereal to be capable of a real answer, despite how late it was.

[/blockquote]

[addy-hime ♥]

No matter how casual Youka may have seemed about her engagement, her actual feelings were much more complicated. The only other person besides herself and her fiance who was aware of the arrangement was Soratsu—her elder brother—and he had reacted negatively. The rest of the village could simply not know, not until the Council was put in its place and her seat as Kazekage was assured until such a time as she no longer could do it successfully in her own mind. Not even death, she thought, could truly keep her from helping the village she loved so much ... If a shinobi was to kill her, she promised herself she would haunt them until their dying day, regardless of the circumstances. Ceasing the rambling, needless to say Ethereal was important to the teenager. She wanted him to know, and at the same time she also craved his approval. He would just not be aware of these nuances, that's all!

Her blue eyes widened when a new figure appeared upon the roof, quite unexpected but thoroughly apparent from her vantage point. She hoisted herself back into a sitting position, just in time to see the tense and protective reaction of her student. He was certainly ready to pounce upon the offender, ready to give up his life to protect her own, not knowing that he was silently threatening her fiance and putting his own life in jeopardy. In no way was Youka in danger, not from either of the two men on that roof top, anyway. It would have been a perfect time to introduce him to Asato, but Ethereal's shock made her pause, swallowing what could have been said along with a mouthful of cool air.

Instead, she shook her head and stood up. "I'll be sure to set up a time during our training where you can meet him. I have not told him about you yet, so it will be an interesting first encounter ..." She wanted to laugh with the irony, but instead turned to face Asato, smiling at his effective ANBU disguise. "Ah, Serpent. I was just telling Loussier-san that I wanted to go for a walk, but thought it safer up on the rooftop instead of wandering alone through the streets. This is fortuitous, though. Will you escort me back to my office? I need to speak with you directly about an important matter." She waved her hand toward the door, then glanced over her shoulder at her student a final time. "I'll talk to you later, Ether. We'll set up a training date, 'kay!"

Youka waited long enough for Asato to move through the door and then she followed after him, smiling to herself.


exit, with len'autre asato!

[/font]

[Ethereal]

Ethereal's thoughts couldn't help but wander to just who this mystery man could be. In his minds eye, the first thing that came to mind was a tall, dark skinned man wearing a turban with eyes that swirled with the unbridled fury of the wind, sand whipping around him in a whirlwind. Of course, he banished that thought pretty quickly... while that seemed like something that would fit what one would assume the fiance of a female Kazekage would look like, it hardly fit the other sides of his leader. And... because of this, Ethereal could honestly say he didn't have a damn clue what to expect.

But, as the girl beside him had just said, he'd be finding out one day. That was more than enough for him. Ether was a patient person at heart, so he quelled his initial curiosity and gave his teacher nothing but a slow nod.

The way she addressed the newcomer blew away whatever lingering doubts he may have had. It was as though his warning had never happened, body and mind reverting completely to its previous calm. He replied to hearing of her departure with nothing but silence. At least, not until she addressed him with his farewell. "I'll be looking forward to it." he replied, grin sweeping across his face, though neither of the other two could have seen or detected it by the way his back was now to them and the flat, level tone of his voice. His only genuine smiles came when no one was looking.

And then, he was alone. As quickly as the ANBU named Serpant had come, he'd left. Taking the Kazekage in tow. All for the best, of course, but it left Ethereal quite bored. With no pleasant (if a little uncomfortable) company and an empty cup of tea, all he had left was the sky and his sword, and the latter of which hardly counted; his sword carried no particular importance other than its use as a comforting presence in his hand.

With that, Ethereal returned his hand right hand to the sheath of said sword, just below the guard in the same manner as before, then he uncrossed his legs and slowly stood up, sighing and dusting himself off with his free left hand before shoving the palm and four fingers of that hand into its corresponding pocket, leaving them thumb to hook around the outside of the fabric. His other hand likely would have followed suit, were it not for the fact that he'd then have to set his sword down. The hassle of having to pick it up again seemed like too much trouble to be worth it, and his sword was always carried. Never once had he hooked it onto his belt or his back. Having it in-hand at all times just seemed more efficient.

After lingering for several minutes, just standing there still as a statue save for those brief moments when the chilly wind rustled through his clothes and hair, Ethereal made an abrupt running leap off the roof, little warning given before he was suddenly off and on his way back towards his house.

(Exit Ethereal Loussier)

[/font]

[Axcel]

Ether: +40 exp

Addy: +30 exp

Asato: +10 exp