A Dull Bloom[private]

[~Sonomi]

Burning. Everything was burning.

Flames roared to the sky while its essence licked and swallowed everything it touched. There were screams echoing through the fire, but as soon as the sound left for the distance those you gave the sound were no more. They were incinerated by this flame, this deadly, awful flame. A bittersweet flame that smelled of ash, wood, and flowers that smelled so sickly sweet it contradicted the heavy undertone it carried.

Death.

The pain set in as that sickly sweet smell enveloped her. It twisted from sweet to bitter, the bitter smell of flesh melting and falling from the meat of her body. Any longer and the very meat would fall from the bone and leave her dead; to the mercy of those licking flames. A cruel fate for a child so young. A cruel fate to survive. A cruel fate to have her own mother take her place in Death’s bed.

Sonomi, live. Flee and prosper. Don’t ever be afraid.

Icy eyes opened to take in the cloudy sky above, tracing along the supposed silver lining of each and every graying cloud. There was no silver lining, just gray. A perpetual gray. Regardless, she rolled on her side, finding comfort in the small patch of grass she could find amongst the craggy landscape of Iwagakure. Despite finding solace in a new home not faraway from home, there was no mutual feeling of safety or reprise.

She wished that there were more flowers here, like there was back at her home of Kusagakure. With a nostalgic feel, her fingers traced along the headband that was around her neck, thinking back to days where a nice warm day and a cup of tea with her mother was the highlight. However her movements froze as the tips of her fingers traced along the inscribed insignia of Iwagakure rather than that of Kusagakure.

Once upon a time she was a Genin from her own beloved village, but forced to flee upon its destruction and upheaval. Rather than going rogue, she followed her mother’s wishes and came to Iwagakure and now held up their banner, their symbol. This wasn’t her home, but thankfully they took her in with open arms.

Removing her hands from her headband, she brushed her fingers through the grass below her, releasing chakra from her fingers into the ground below. Around her Bleeding Hearts popped up, coloring the bland landscape with dark pink and white. However they only were livid and full of life for a brief moment before they began to brown and wilt.

At least the flowers are still my friend…

[♠Solo♠]

The day was just as ever other. The sky never really changing for the weather that was free to roam and do as it pleased in other areas of their planet. However the sky remained the same. As the day went on, so did Kei and his antics.

"GET OUTTA HERE, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"

Yells and screams could be heard coming from the market area of Iwagakure. The sound of roaring crowds could be heard, stampeding on the main roads. A mob of angry villagers stormed after the lone child. His staff held tight in his hand, Kei rushed away from the scene, smiling and grinning like the pervert that he was.

The mob would soon learn that they would, in no way, be able to keep up with his natural speed. They all pumped their angry fist and shouted with violent voices.

"YOU SNEAK INTO THE WOMAN'S BATHING ROOM AGAIN AND YOU'RE DEAD!" He only laughed wildly, as he escaped to a less social area. Not looking where he was running, as he was far too excited to see Mrs. Miyamoto's soft, supple body. His mind drifted off, creating the perfect fantasy that he would often visualize, about Mrs. Miyamoto, and about any woman in general.

Eventually his air headed running would find him tripping over a young woman's legs. His shocked expression remained on his face for the entire fall. His staff flew forward, and his body rolling along the ground.

"Ooooowowowowow," he exclaimed, rising to his posterior and rubbing his cheek. Dirt and grass stuck to his face from the impact and would slowly fall like rose petals. Adjusting his vision he would eye the woman, instantly noticing the Iwagakure shinobi headband wrapped around her neck.

Another shinobi? He thought to himself as he rose to his feet and dusted himself off. "I apologize. Sometimes that happens when ya just sit around on the ground. Heh." He walked over to grab his staff off of the ground, inspecting it for any wear that it hadn't already endured from training and missions. He continued on as he inspected. "Never seen you around here before. Name's Kyousei, Kei. How bout you?" His eyes peered back over to her.

[~Sonomi]

A ruckus broke through her solace and from the village ran a boy a few years younger than herself. People from the village were chasing him much like that of an angry mob. In all honesty it was almost comical. Almost. If her foul mood hadn't already been set, then she may have laughed at this.

However all she could do was stare.

"YOU SNEAK INTO THE WOMAN'S BATHING ROOM AGAIN AND YOU'RE DEAD!"

Pale eyes widened, though slightly, at the obvious mischievous antics that the kid was playing at. He was a boy after all, though that still didn't condone his actions. He was running her way and because of that a slight smile played at the edge of her lips. Laying back some and extending her legs, she watched with glee as the boy tripped right over her and stumbled along the ground.

Grass and mud were ripped from the surface and stuck to his figure while his weapon, a quarter staff from the looks of it, went flying. Immediately Sonomi stood, only scowling a tad at the insinuation of her being in the way.

"It also happens when a young woman hears how perverted such an impish brat is, and decides to stop him in his tracks." She extended one of her legs out, as if to emphasize this point, before returning to a normal standing stance. "Quite literally might I add."

Sonomi motioned to the rutted path his body had made upon impact and the skid that followed. That smile only tugged further until her quite radiant smile was released. It was a rarity these days. After all, there wasn't much to smile about being here. Though her smile had yet to fade until her eyes had come upon the headband he wore.

Another Iwagakure shinobi. How lovely.

"My name is Niwasaki, Sonomi. I hail from Kusagakure and was once a Genin of said village. That is why someone like you would not know of me." She flipped her hair from her face, though the red ringlets only fell back into place via the pigtail it was in. Perhaps it was more of a flippant, quiet gesture of superiority. Or maybe she was just being shy and needed to make herself feel better.

Regardless, Sonomi now finally knew another Iwagakure shinobi by name. Still, she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that...

I do hope his skills aren't as childish as his behavior. That would be such a shame for this village...

Sunlit blades of grass swept by an ever gentle breeze now hardened to stone, like her heart. Even the flowers of her very soul wilt like that without water, without life.

What a sad story.

[♠Solo♠]

"Dirty trick." He grinned like he usually did, sliding his free index finger under his nose. Seemed someone else liked to have fun in his eyes. Upon further thought he may have realized that she did this on purpose. He ignored it, as she was a fairly attractive woman. She appeared somewhat older, but around the same age bracket. They were shinobi and very rarely does age prove anything, other than years of experience, which could always be gained through books, but books were not a strong point of Kei's personality.

After the introduction was made Kei would plant his staff into the earth below him, and using just one arm, would balance himself a top the staff, allowing him to rise higher than the woman. She was an inch or two taller than him. He noticed her vibrant red hair. No something normally seen in people everyday.

"Kusa, huh?" he inquired, continuing to inspect her. Her face and frame. Clothing and accessories. She was a shinobi, but even those in his line of work he could find attractive. Even more so, someone who has an equal chance to kill him as he did to her was an exciting thought. "You're new here then? Explains why I never seen ya before." He was familiar with a majority of the women within the village, due to his own private "roster" he kept track of.

"Why are you here by yourself? Boring day for you as well?"

[~Sonomi]

Sonomi didn't quite like being inspected like this. It almost felt as though she was a slab of meat on a hook, just waiting to be bought by the richest contender. Especially considering the young Kei seemed like one of those guys that saw women as more so eye candy than anything else. She could be wrong of course, but first impressions were lasting.

Interesting boy...

She eyed him carefully though, watching as he basically starting showing off, balancing on the top of his staff. With a roll of her eyes she stepped forward some, circling him slightly. "Yes, I am new here. Only just recently was I able to transfer my rank and status as a shinobi so I could act as one for Iwa." Even though she wasn't too happy about it.

That's what she would have liked to say, but alas, some things were best left unspoken. However, he was irking her slightly with his show of what she could only guess, was his masculinity. With only a few quick hand seals, the ground below where Kei had his staff erupted into a small field of fragrant flowers.

Her aim was to knock the staff off balance and require the other shinobi to stand normally. Or fall flat on his face. That would be nice as well. She really wasn't all that cruel though! Just in an odd mood. "I have nothing to put my talents too at the moment, no. I have to wait a few days before I can start doing missions."

With a bit of a grumble, she took a step back and outstretched her arm as if to showcase the small, grassy area she had been laying in. "So, I figured, I would find someplace in this craggy hell that at least somehow resembled my home." She sighed softly. "However this was as close to what I could find..."

Kei wouldn't understand, how could he though? He still lived home, in peace one could say. She already had tasted the bitterness of war.

"I assume boredom for you is chasing skirts and watching women? I don't suggest you keep that hobby. You might get knocked down~"

Her voice was sing song, but it carried the dread of thorns. Just like a rose.

[♠Solo♠]

His eyes trailed her as best he could from his improvised throne. She was odd herself. No one ever just circled him while he took this position. He had to remember his relations to those whom he have associated with in the past. They were use to his strange custom. Her next action, however, would be one that only she would probably do to his knowledge. The earth below him suddenly became unstable for his seating. As his staff began moving he had to move with it. With his balance being taken away he would extend his legs toward the ground, as to make them a landing space and not his face.
Landing upon the ground, and grabbing his staff back up, he rested it on his shoulder, eyeing the woman, not in the least angered. She could have fun. Most people would have left him at peace, but peace was far from the heart of this young shinobi. She lectured him on his habits. It was nothing he hadn't heard before.

"Hey, hey. I'm not all that bad," he exclaimed with a naturally cheerful tone of voice. "After all, there's not much around here to keep me entertained, ya know? Speaking of which...," He approached the woman more closely, being a few feet from her. A natural speaking distance. "Not being able to do missions must be rough. I know. I haven't taken a mission in weeks. There's nothing worthy of my skills on the mission boards." In actuality the new Tsuchikage being admitted into office put several higher ranked missions on hold. The normal D and C ranked missions the shinobi had were too boring for Kei's case.

"We can't go getting rusty, ya know? Even great shinobi, like myself, need practice." In between his words he started walking away from Sonomi, spacing a small two meters. "Come on. How bout a quick spar?" With his free hand he pointed to his chin with his index finger. "Hit me as hard as you can. Right here." A grin popped up on his face, wide enough to show his fangs.

[~Sonomi]

Everything about this boy, Kei, seemed rash and absurd. Well, perhaps she was being a bit harsh. He was young and rambunctious, not to mention pent up with energy thanks to the apparent lack of work. Maybe that's why she hadn't received any missions yet then? Or at least partly the reason.

"Come on. How bout a quick spar?"

Pale eyes went slightly wide, eyeing up the boy in front of her with a bit of disbelief. Spar? Here and now? What would be the point in that other than exhausting their reservoir of chakra for other purposes. Not only that, she was better at training alone. No one really appreciated an attack via flowers anyways.

"Hit me as hard as you can. Right here."

Arrogance annoyed her. Though she knew that more often than not she came off that way as well, but there was a difference between her actions and that of true arrogance. For her it was merely seeing the waste in effort to certain tasks while to others they acted as though the feat they dared was too high to accomplish.

So very bothersome. Regardless, Sonomi didn't say anything, just pressed her hands together to make a few quick hand seals. The many flowers she had produced earlier to knock ajar his staff ripped from their stems and floated in the air like shuriken that were sent Kei's way. However in the second following that, the Hanakora girl switched the seal to invoke the forgotten stems to uproot themselves and be shot like senbon right behind their flower shuriken partners.

In that instant that she released her hands, she pulled a small blade, a wakizashi, from her hip and charged forward, stopping far enough way though to simply point her sword in his direction. Though a smirk was on her face, she didn't attempt to look cocky, or even look proud of her own ability.

"That is all. I don't want to spar with you. In my current state, you would most likely win due to my lack of enthusiasm." She paused briefly enough to stand straight and sheath her sword. "That also wouldn't be very fair to you, Kei, who seems to want to let loose entirely."

I don't expect him to go this quietly though...I"m sure he'll attempt to show something off for me to see. Probably more acrobatics with that staff of his...

[♠Solo♠]

His eyes gazed upon the woman's slender fingers as they were brought up to do a dance unfamiliar to Kei. She preferred ninjutsu, it seemed. It was nothing like fighting an opponent with bare fists, or weapons. When those seals began, anything could happen at the end of them. He prepared his body. He took a few hop steps back during her handseals. He gripped his staff in both hands now, waiting for the worst. What would come was far from expected to him. Flowers, rising on their own terms from the roots they were seated in.

They would fling themselves, like shurikens, at Kei. His eyes caught wind of their trajectory, their speed, everything needed to stop them. It was a familiar scene. Not the first time he has had dangerous weapons at him. Each blade would be met by a heavy iron rod, forcing them back to the ground. The flowers, and the surprising stems.

Interesting technique. He thought to himself. The rest of his thought seemed to be cut short, as Sonomi's wakazashi would be pointed at him, at a vital point, which in a normal training battle, would have been then end of the spar, granting Sonomi the pleasure of being the victor. She was less than excited to have won the little exchange, however.

"Now, now," he said, smiling. He brought his staff up to touch her blade, and he moved it away from him, not forcefully, but calmly. "You won this day, but I'll be back." After he spoke his stomach made the sound only little children could call a monster under their bed. He gazed down at his ripped abs, openly exposed due to his dress attire. "Hey," he said in a higher tone of voice than usual. "You wanna grab a bite to eat with me? No way I can fight on an empty stomach, ya know?"

[~Sonomi]

Sonomi eyed him suspiciously as he raised his staff in order to calmly move the blade of her wakizashi away from him. He wasn't going to continue to try and spar with her. That was a good thing. However, he claimed that she had been the victor. Perhaps she was, but it certainly wouldn't be counted in her book.

The sound of a rumble broke her from her thoughts and her icy eyes glanced dully down to his stomach. He really was just a child, wasn't he? It bothered her that he could be so carefree, so free spirited when the world itself was no where near that kind of attitude.

"You wanna grab a bite to eat with me? No way I can fight on an empty stomach, ya know?"

"You're serious?" She paused and stared again, not quite believing this. Was he asking her on a pseudo-date? If she had been in a better state of mind, she probably would have laughed at his attempt and walked away. However she was a little hungry. Why not humor him.

Shrugging to herself as she sheathed her blade once more, Sonomi reached out and poked the boy in the stomach before turning away from him. "Loser buys." A slight smirk was given to this as she started for town. The Hanakora knew he would follow, he was just that sort of guy.

He's still young and naive, and a free meal wouldn't be so bad. Of course, I do hope he realizes nothing will come from this.

[♠Solo♠]

"Heh. No losers here. Winner pays for dinner. That'll be me." He caught up walking to her, at her pace, heading to where he had wished to eat. "Dunno about you, but I'm thinking steak and ramen, with some fish and a huge bowl of rice. A meal fitting for a shinobi such as myself."

Kei and Sonomi began their travel into the busy districts of Iwa. The postal office, where the birds and messages are prepared, and delivered. You could always see a flock of them, heading to, and from the large tower. Just past it were the shops and small homes. The road leading north would take them down the path where the shopping district was.

The district was busy, as usual. People moving to and from, not particularly acknowledging each other, but yet all moving as one, like a calm river. They were fitting backgrounds to the vibrant Sonomi and Kei. Their clothing ranged from fairly elegant to wild and rough.

"Come on. It's right over here." Kei exclaimed as he pointed to the restaurant. It was one of two restaurants that were in Iwa. Any and every kind of food one could think of were here. The inside looked equal to the outside.

"Well look who walked in," a loud voice shouted from elsewhere. "That little punk, Kei. Come in to pay for your meals today?" Kei walked swiftly up to him, getting close to speak. "Hey, hey. You should be honored to serve food to a warrior, who fights for you, every...," He was suddenly cut off but a stronger, more ferocious tone of voice. "Oh shut up! I shoulda feed ya anything, but I owe ya." "A man's debt." Kei added in. "The usual for me. Anything the lady wants." The chief nodded. "Have a seat, young lady." His voice matched his age. He was an older man, still tough and young in heart.

[~Sonomi]

Sonomi let Kei prattle on, not really in the mood to pay close enough attention to respond or even talk with him as they walked through the village. She did nod, and even shrug at various points to simulate the act of listening. After all, she was hearing what he was saying. She just didn't care.

When they arrived at the restaurant, immediately trouble started. For some reason she had the feeling that trouble followed the younger shinobi around. Of course, she hardly knew him, so it wasn't as though she could be sure. Just a hunch.

After the commotion settled down, and some sort of declaration of debt and talk of Kei being a warrior, she couldn't help but giggle a little. She could hardly believe that Iwagakure would consider her fellow shinobi anything more than a silly Genin. However, she didn't voice her opinion, only nodded towards the man taking the order.

"Chai tea and a bowl of ramen please. Also, a bowl of rice would be nice as well."

Taking a seat afterwards, she eyed Kei momentarily before sighing despite herself. The least she could do was try and be semi-thankful for the free meal. Turning in her seat some to face the younger boy, she leaned forward, though put her chin at rest in the palm of her hand as if to get comfortable.

"So, Kei. Tell me something. What is your goal as an Iwagakure shinobi? I once had a goal, a dream if you will when I was a Genin for Kusagakure. Now, I'm not so sure."

She paused, staring passed Kei as if seeing into the past at the person she once was and the place where she once lived. Snapping out of it, the Hanakora smiled, though it was a smile that contained nothing but thorns as her cynical stare returned to her comrade.

[♠Solo♠]

The two would take their seats and wait. The group of two got comfortable. No one else was really in the restaurant today. Might have been a boring day had Kei not found a new shinobi to converse with. Training alone even seemed to be a boring task to the energetic shinobi. Despite it being one of his favorite tasks he just seemed to want to test himself. Using academy level techniques to sneak into various places and run from the local authorities began to get boring for him. A question would be posed. Kei cocked an eyebrow, looking at the woman.

"Well," he sat his staff along on the ground near him. He sat with his legs crossed on the seat provided to him. Another habit of his. "Never really thought about it." he responded in a cheerful voice. It was a question he was asked before, only once. By his academy teacher. Kei did not know at the time, nor did he really know now. A life without guidance, he only depended on his sheer strength to pull him through. But even he knew that that was not the meaning to life, despite the fact that he might not even want to admit it to himself. All he knew was training to get stronger and stronger.

"I guess I just want everyone to acknowledge me, for how strong I am. Even if I have to beat the Tsuchikage in battle. Or even any kage." The excitement in his voice grew. "And when I am all mighty and powerful, I want a gorgeous woman to bare all of my children, whom will also be great and powerful shinobi!" A large laughter emerged from his belly. The Chief walked over, sitting Sonomi's tea on the table, along with a large glass of milk for Kei.

"You? With a woman? Ha!" The chief chuckled as he prepared to walk away.

"Hey!" Kei shouted at the man. It pause his retreat for a brief moment.

"Good luck with that." He disappeared as swiftly as he appeared. Kei growled at the man, clenching his fist on top of the table.

"You'll see, old man." All of you will. "Anyway," he scratched the back of his head, appearing to be in slightly thought. "What about you? Why are you here and no longer in Kusa? Oh!" he spoke as his energetic demeanor reappeared as though it never went anywhere. "Are Kusa shinobi strong?" He's only traveled to the main five villages before, for missions. He's only ran into one other shinobi whom was from the village of Kumo. His curiousity skyrocketed at the power of shinobi all around the world, all with different techniques and abilities.

[~Sonomi]

Sonomi chuckled and shook her head. Last she knew, most shinobi had their dreams and a general idea of what they had wanted to do even before they joined the Academy. For Kei to say he never really thought about it baffled her. She could remember back before she had started in the Academy in Kusagakure how he had dreams and aspirations to become great. She was going to be a master of her clan and bring a good name for Kusagakure.

She was going to put the lesser Hidden Village on the map as strong, and hopefully, be recognized one day as something greater. One day she wanted to see her home become the SIXTH great nation.

Of course she nearly wanted to bust out laughing at his next statement. He aimed high, that was for sure. The chef had come back out to drop off their drinks, and she quickly nursed her cup of tea while the two men before her had their little exchange. It never ceased to amaze her how pigheaded men could be.

"You know Kei," she started, taking another sip from her cup and setting it down. "Those are fine goals, but they are a bit far ahead, aren't they? What about your goals now? So far the only thing I've heard that can apply to now is becoming strong." She yawned, as if for an emphasis on the matter.

"How linear and boring."

Did he really have to ask her why she was here? Up until now, she had tolerated his antics and his childish like behavior. However to be so ignorant to world events was disgusting to her. How could he call himself a shinobi when he didn't even know what was going on just outside Iwagakure's backdoor.

Sonomi scoffed and slid her tea forward, shaking her head. "Unbelieveable. Kei, Kusagakure and Kusa no Kuni has been nearly been destroyed thanks to the Yonbi attack. It's salvageable, but still a mess." She trailed off, shaking her head once more. "That's why I'm here. Because I was sent here to live a happy life in a flourishing village and not in one that is always stomped on."

Even though these greater nations do most of the stomping...

"But yes, Kusa ninja are strong. But who can really stand up to a bijuu, hm?"

[♠Solo♠]

"I...uh, was that recently? Heh heh...," he could only fumble upon his words as Sonomi explained why she was there. A reason he had not expected in the slightest. A Bijuu attacking. Nothing like that had ever happened before. At least in the young Kei's lifespan. His face began to turn a bright red from his embarrassing moment with the woman. "I had no idea. I'm sorry." He took a deep breath and exhaled, allowing his face to calm down, back to a normal point.

His mind drifted off. A Bijuu. That was a fairy tale, as far as he knew. He had seen some rather unusual and unexplained events and phenomenon in his short life, but a Bijuu was just something extremely unheard of actually happening. He heard tales. He began wondering if the demon beasts would roam the world once more.

"I can stand up to a Bijuu," he responded, scratching his nose. "Hey, hey." Kei lifted his arm, flexing his muscle, and gripped upon his bicep with his free hand. "Won't have to worry about any Bijuu anymore. I'll watch your back. You just wait and see. I'll defeat a Bijuu, Shinobi, anything that stands in the great Kei's way. Ha!" He laughed wildly at his gesture. No reason to change the way he thought. He lived his entire life under the impression that he could fight and defeat anything and anyone. Was not the best way to go about thinking the world worked, but he thought so.

[♠Solo♠]

As the two prepared to enjoy their lunch break, a loud booming voice would shake the restaurant and even blowing the wind, if one imagined it as much. Kei's eyes turned to where the familiar sound had came from. His eyebrows raised.

"Oh...," he squeaked up like a mouse. The sound of footsteps far away in the distance emerged.

"That's him. That's the little brat! I just know it!" A woman, accompanied by several beefy looking men had began marching toward the restaurant. Kei grit his teeth in shock as he swiftly turned to Sonomi.

"Well it was a pleasure meeting you. Gotta run. See ya later, Sonomi. BYE!" The words shot out of his mouth like bullets as he grabbed up his staff and took off.

[exit]