Mirror Moon [KITTY][INV]

[Kitty]

Her body wriggled about in the heap of hay below her, the boy kept inching towards her, but conveniently, she kept sliding away. She gained warmth from her comfort, and the boy needn't try to change that. She rarely dreamed, and in fact usually it was just nightmares, but tonight that was different, with Akuharu by her side, she found herself going back in time . . her mind drifted, and as her clouded vision became clear, she found herself surrounded by unfamiliar faces - where was she?

After some inspection of a mast, and the smell of salt water in her nostrils, it was apparent she was on-board a ship, surrounded by great volumes of sea water. Although, her body was almost spectral in this world - no one could feel her presence, but she could both see and feel all of theirs. Before her was a small child, strangely resembling that of the one she had met only a short while ago. . no, there was no doubt about it, it was the same person. Little Akuharu, on a boat with pirates? The captain of the ship seemed eager for the child to show himself off, she could only presume the blades in his hand were meant for doing just that.

Her eyes just about kept up with the blades that impaled what looked like body parts of corpses - spinning around on a target board. The sheer force of the knives hitting the severed limbs and parts caused the board to come to a hault. The pirates around her were impressed with Akuharu, it was sickening - what kind of dream was this? Was this boy so utterly psychotic that he dreamed about mutilating corpses?

. . . unless

As her mind began to return to reality, she could briefly recall the words of the captain, telling his crew about Akuharu's entrance to his first world war. Her body jerked, and she swung her torso up off the hay - she was in total shock. Something deep inside of her was telling her that what she had just seen wasn't as fictional as she had first thought, it occurred to her to what she seen was no dream . . it just felt so real. Her senses had been fully active - she could smell, feel and see everything so clearly, this dream wasn't a blur like most others.

She didn't want to say anything to him, because with a past like his, there's no way talking in-depth about that event was not painful. She knew all too well what it was like to be affected so harshly by war, although she wasn't a slave, her status as a forest dwelling savage, was just as bad. As she rose to her feet, Akuharu's attention was briefly given to her, before quickly returning to the fire he stood beside. Her arms that had been once exposed by the destruction of her coat, had been covered up by the cloak he had worn only the day before. Her arms unfolded it, wrapping it around her frame.

" It's strange . . "

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She approached him, kneeling down beside the small fire that had been created by her the night before.

" That you can walk past someone on the street, or find someone in a forest, and feel so inclined to ignore them and judge them at first sight, just as I did when I met you . . "

Her body tensed up, with her fingers clawing at the cloak that surrounded her. As her peekers pierced through the air with their harsh coldness, they were met with wavering hot flame - the fire couldn't help but make her feel rather nostalgic.

" In some ways, we're much the same, you and I. "

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[Naitome]

It's strange...

He stared into the fire as she spoke, wrapping the remainder of her torn garment around herself.

That you can walk past someone on the street, or find someone in a forest, and feel so inclined to ignore them and judge them at first sight, just as I did when I met you...

She extended her hand, allowing it to catch some warmth, before continuing.

In some ways, we're much the same, you and I.

Most people are the same.

He said suddenly.

Judgment comes easy. Condescension becomes a defense. Pain defines them, hardens them to the world. They hide behind their own self worth, and close their eyes to all that is worth seeing.

They turn children into soldiers, murderers, and they laugh and cheer as the world burns around them.

His face was an impassive mask, devoid of emotion. The friendliness of his natural tone was gone, he did not smile, nor would he look at her, and he seemed off put by her closeness. As if he were afraid to react violently to the presence of another. Barely restrained violence. Hatred. Something else.

I have met many men and women who believed that they were special for one reason or another. Different. Above others, through money or power, prestige or mere presumption. But they were all the same, from monks to midwives, shinobi to farmers to vagrants begging in the streets.

They all wanted change. And in that respect, we are all connected.

People should not be afraid of the shinobi. And the shinobi should not be afraid of the people.

None of us should be afraid at all. That is what I would change. That is what war has taught me.

And as if the words were a confirmation of his next actions, he removed a sum of ryo from his pocket, more than enough to cover the expenses of Tsuki's torn garments, and sat them next to her, before standing and for the first time in moments, looking directly into the cold glare of her eyes.

My name is Akuharu Uchiha. I am a shinobi of Kirigakure No Sato, and I have a feeling that I am a long way from home. Though I have been ordered to kill or capture shinobi of foreign nations, and your earlier display of ninjutsu is evidence enough of your own status, I have no desire to harm you. I require directions, if you are able to instruct me on how to reach a harbor or shore, I will be able to take my leave of you and this place. If you cannot or will not assist me, I can take my leave of you now, and you may continue on the path your life has set before you, alone.

[Kitty]

Most people were the same. Everyone wanted to change - just some of the generalizations that escaped him. Though she saw his point of view, she couldn't help but feel the harshness in his voice, the violent intent - the anger. Had he awoken in this mood? Or had her words upset him? Either way, she couldn't help but defy him, whether or not her closeness had unsettled him, was not within her realm of interest.

" That isn't quite what I meant, Akuharu. "

She took a few moments of silence to debate if she should express herself, it was true that she was argumentative, but not around strangers. It was rare for her to kick up an argument with someone she barely even knew.

" And you're wrong, by the way. Pain doesn't always define us. We're not all condescending, battle-hardened spirits, and we most definitely aren't all hiding behind our own self-worth. "

She turned to him, a weighty expression painted on her visuals, while her voice spoke with passion - it was evident that she was firm about her ideals , which were now being presented to him so clearly.

" Those who have been affected by war were never forced to harden themselves, or forced into making a single decision, Akuharu. War isn't the be-all and end-all. Even after the chaos it creates - we have choices to make. We always do.

Some people choose to fear shinobi, after seeing what they've done during war. Some people choose to handle their fears by hiding behind arrogance. We are the ones who choose what defines us, we are the ones that choose what does and does not affect us. "

The tone of her voice had changed, it wasn't as soft was it was before, there was fire in her eyes, and an unyielding determination in her gut to fight for what she had always thought and believed in for so long. Although she wasn't bitter, she was most certainly very firm.

" Good judgement comes with experience - it comes from the choices that we make, and the mistakes that we learn from. It isn't molded by what violence or war forces us to do, or what it creates- "

Her head raised high, and she spoke with pride.

" But you're right about one thing - we all desire change in this world, one way or another. Perhaps, our desire to change the world is what can ultimately bring us together. . it connects us all in some way. And its just one of the ways, in which you and I are similar. "

The boy offered her a sum of ryo after she had torn up her coat for him, but with her current fiery attitude, she was stubborn enough to refuse his offer. She took a single glance at his money, and pushed it back in his direction. He took the time to explain himself and his situation, and as he rose to his feet, she would find herself doing the exact same. He appeared to be one of the famed Uchiha, a shinobi of one of the great nations - Kirigakure. With that information alone, she found herself losing some of the respect she had once had for the boy.

" Uchiha Akuharu of Kirigakure, I would have no greater pleasure than to escort a shinobi of your . . status, out of a nation your type of people once destroyed. You should go north from here, you'll find yourself at the sea, where you can take a boat that will carry both yourself and your abundance of ryō back to your prosperous country. "

She felt guilty with having conversed with this boy for so long despite him being an enemy, ashamed even. He was a great nation scum like all the others she had encountered . . even if he had saved her.

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[Naitome]

That isn't quite what I meant, Akuharu.

And you're wrong, by the way. Pain doesn't always define us. We're not all condescending, battle-hardened spirits, and we most definitely aren't all hiding behind our own self-worth.

Those who have been affected by war were never forced to harden themselves, or forced into making a single decision, Akuharu. War isn't the be-all and end-all. Even after the chaos it creates - we have choices to make. We always do.

Some people choose to fear shinobi, after seeing what they've done during war. Some people choose to handle their fears by hiding behind arrogance. We are the ones who choose what defines us, we are the ones that choose what does and does not affect us.

Good judgement comes with experience - it comes from the choices that we make, and the mistakes that we learn from. It isn't molded by what violence or war forces us to do, or what it creates-

But you're right about one thing - we all desire change in this world, one way or another. Perhaps, our desire to change the world is what can ultimately bring us together. . it connects us all in some way. And its just one of the ways, in which you and I are similar.

Uchiha Akuharu of Kirigakure, I would have no greater pleasure than to escort a shinobi of your . . status, out of a nation your type of people once destroyed. You should go north from here, you'll find yourself at the sea, where you can take a boat that will carry both yourself and your abundance of ryō back to your prosperous country.

Akuharu approached her then, a suddenness of movement that extinguished the remaining space between them.

---

I am well aware of what you meant.

I have experienced things you could not imagine, I have traveled through areas of the world so remote that no living human being has ever set foot there other than me. I have killed things that your nightmares would twitch in horror to confront, and saved life-forms too complex for you to understand. And you would talk to me, of experience?

You are a hypocrite, and a child. To believe that all people have the ability to choose their own fate, is the hallmark of one who has simply never had that choice taken away from them.

You claim not to hide behind your self worth. You claim not to revel in a condescending judgment your own inexperience does not afford you the luxury to make. You claim not to hide behind your pain.

And yet, you judge me by something as arbitrary as the nation I serve in order to survive. My types of people?

You know nothing about people like me, because there are none. If we are similar, it is because you are a fool, and I am a fool who gave you far more credit than you have shown yourself to deserve.

---

But he would not say these things. He thought them, but would only stare at her, and smiling sadly, nodded his head.

Thank you.

He turned and began walking north, his thoughts moving on to what he might eat. The venom in her voice had been more than enough. He no longer wondered about whether or not she would follow him, she'd made her revulsion quite clear.

[Kitty]

And just like that, it was over. Their encounter approached its end, as the boy ' thanked ' her for her directions, and began to walk north, away from both the makeshift camp and the woman he had just met. A part of her felt some guilt, he had saved her life, after all. Though her hatred of the great nations clouded her judgement, she couldn't help but feel as though she had acted rather rashly. . perhaps this boy was different. .

No, Tsuki. Don't be so foolish. These are the people who took everything from you . . they're all the same

But it was at that moment she realized--

" The same . . "

The exact same principles she lived by; the ones she had just blurted out to the boy, went against everything she had thought about the great nation's shinobi. If people could be the same because they wanted change, then that made her and Akuharu the same - she knew this, but had neglected it when she so harshly judged him because of where he came from. Could it be that . . she had been wrong?

All her life, she had looked down on people of the great nations, she despised them. Her jealousy fueled her hatred - stemming from how lucky they were for their villages to have survived the tides of war. These were the people who had not grown up alone and running from the enemy who had destroyed their everything.

This was what she had thought, up until now. Not everyone came from good backgrounds - Akuharu proved this to her. The great nations survived because of their leaders, and the decisions their leaders had made, not the innocent people. In some ways, she had always known this, it was a strong bias that had swayed her stance on the matter - but now , those days were over.

" . . Akuharu "

Her eyes took to the boy, she was almost calling out to him, longing for him to stop, and listen to her. Though, she struggled to find the right words to explain herself, she remained silent for a while as she collected her thoughts, and when she felt the time was right, she spoke aloud. Her lips were pursed in disgust of what she was about to say, but given the circumstance, she had no other choice.

" I. . I didn't mean to . . "

The woman found it shockingly difficult to be apologetic, although she could never quite say sorry, her tone was; on its own, enough to understand what she had meant.

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[Naitome]

It's okay.

Akuharu said, interjecting between one moment of Tsuki's stammering reply and the next, his face still oddly composed, without much emotion.

They forced me to become a genin two months ago. After I'd been there a few weeks, I participated in, and won, the Chuunin Exams. I've had alot of people display...strong negative emotions...when speaking to me. Well...not alot of people. All of them. Everyone i've met so far, even the ones from my 'own' village. It's pretty normal now.


I guess that's why I was excited that you gave me a compliment when we first met. Even if it was directed at my 'illuminating energies'.

He shrugged, and though he was still walking, his pace slowed yet again, and he seemed to be waiting for her, though his eyes furiously scanned their surroundings, wary of the foreign land.

I'm pretty hungry. If you could show me where to get food around here, we could eat breakfast. If you want.

His voice was more easy-going, but it was not by the strange-girls doing. So often had he found others who seemed to hate him for reasons he couldn't understand, that when confronting a similar situation, it made him, oddly, comfortable. This was something he knew how to deal with. He could no longer count the situations where some child had run up to him screaming about the 'curse of the Uchiha', or when monstrous thing had called him 'demon-eye', or the few occasions he'd been called 'Kouketsu's spawn' even though he had no idea who the man was. The other villagers were angry with his swift rise in rank, his private audience with the Mizukage, and even when he attempted to help others, they often shunned him, or stared at his eyes and hair as if they instantly understood everything about him. When he spoke to others of desiring peace, in a world ravished by war, they laughed at him, or thought him just another 'treacherous Uchiha', plotting to rule over everyone and everything.

But that was not a part of who Akuharu was. He looked forward to a day without fighting, without wars. To a day where his 'cursed' eyes would never again be used, and he could see the world, simply, as a normal man.

That, however, was not his path.

[Kitty]

The boy calmed down once again, his tone completely changing. She was plainly being rude before, when she considered him bipolar, but now she was actually considering the fact that he could be. His behavior changes were dramatic, as a matter of fact it was a surprise he hadn't physically lashed out and attacked her yet. Though, he probably hadn't been far off it - given her harsh attitude towards him, he had surely been put on the edge. His words were filled with a sense of sorrow, though she refused to show weakness. As it stood, she wasn't going to show any sort of kindness, at least not openly in front of him.

" Pft. Just because I took back what I said, it doesn't mean I am going to feel sorry for you, child. "

Though, she of all people understood, as her history was no less grueling than his own . It wasn't that she had no respect for him, but rather that she preferred to mask her kindness with a tough exterior. However, as he mentioned the idea of going somewhere for breakfast, she found herself . . almost smiling - something inside of her stomach tingled like butterflies, she only remembered how hungry she was when he mentioned food, and the word rang in her ears like bells. With a smug look on her face, she approached the boy, her sandals dusting clumps of dry soil from the earth as they traversed the short distance.

" If I recall correctly . . "

Her mind raced back to her travels as a girl. She had explored these forests many a time during her brief hustles and encounters from every foe or predator the world had to offer. Somewhere around these parts, was a food stall, where a small family had set up and sold fish to passing strangers. It had been her source of nutrition for quite some time before she had got to grips with hunting.

" There is a sushi stall somewhere around here. Unless . . you would prefer to visit an actual restaurant. Of course, that could be pricey, and I'm not willing to spend such copious amounts of ryo on breakfast. "

She hadn't lost her attitude, but she wasn't nearly as nasty as before, she had no intention to insult this time. What the boy did was up to him, she merely followed out of guilt.

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[Naitome]

Oh, I would never expect a woman of your considerable age to feel sorry for me.

He replied, bowing to her as if she were someone's grandmother, a smirk crossing his features as they walked on. She suggested a nearby sushi stand, but he yearned to sit down and eat, to take his time, and he dismissed the idea with a simple gesture before asking

If there's a full restaurant somewhere, I'd prefer to sit down and eat. It also might help if I didn't have to walk around shirtless this entire time. Wouldn't want eyes as old as yours to take in too much.

If you know which direction we should go, lead the way. The meal is on me, of course. And try not to display how obviously you enjoy my presence. Your normal cold aloofness is far preferable to this gushing display of affection.

He teased her as they walked, laughing to himself as they moved on through the fertile grasslands of Kusa No Kuni. The forest truly did seem endless, and it wasn't long before they were surrounded on all sides by intense vegetaton, nearly as tall as they were. He would allow her to walk before him, careful not to pay too much attention to her swaying form as she would inexorably lead them to a quiet place to eat.

Your eyes....the ability you displayed earlier. How does it work? What exactly do you see when they change color like that? I can see the movements of spiritual and physical energy, its forming and molding, a limited image of an opponents future actions, physical prediction and the like. But I'm only really seeing the flow of chakra; it seems like you see the energy itself, even if it isn't normally visible. How? Is it a kekkei genkai?

He asked, suddenly more serious, his mind trying to gain an understanding of what he'd seen.

[Kitty]

" Oh. Clever are we? I'll have you know that, while I may not look it - I'm wise beyond my years. I'm not an old woman, but I'm still older than you. I have more experience. "

Her words were laced with cheek, even to the point that she pulled a subtle smirk, in response to the boys teasing. Her chin elevated into the air, and her steps became slightly faster paced, pushing her out in front of him, with her long hair floating behind. She appeared to be leading him in the right direction, towards a restaurant, which he seemed eager to go to. He was willing to pay, so she felt obliged to gratefully take his offer and run with it - a free meal wasn't bad going, given how terrible the day before had been for her.

" Don't take my lighter tone as a sign that I enjoy your company either, you brat. I have a debt to repay to you, and once that debt has been cleared, you and I are history. "

Her face grew red with horror as she alerted herself of what she had just implied.

" N-not that we were anything to begin with. . I-I mean I. . its not as though I . . you know. I mean I . . I don't even like you. I just mean that we're not going to . . . i-it's just that . . UGH, why are you making me so flustered!? You're just so . . you're so . . you're just a nuisance! Pestering me like this! "

She brushed strands of golden hair out from her globes, marching forwards even faster, in an attempt to brush off her complete embarrassment, she acted as though it hadn't even phased her, and with her natural arrogance, she began to act as though the boy wasn't even there.

Though, she did wonder how she was going to get rid of him, or more to the point, how she could repay him for saving her before. As he was a Chuunin with what seemed like a powerful kekkei genkai, she presumed her more support-based jutsu would be of little practical use in the case that he was in danger, not that danger was likely to come their way any way, Shi no Mori's forests were far too peaceful nowadays for that.

Coincidentally, just as she doubted her own talents, the boy took an interest in them, inquiring her on her mysterious eyes. This was a rather common question of people who saw the girls powers, but not many had the courage to ask her, or rather, not many had gotten close enough to her that they could get such information out of her. She began to pace slower again, allowing him to catch up to her, and her eyes took to him as she began to explain:

" My eyes aren't as complex as yours. They aren't a kekkei genkai that I have inherited from an advanced bloodline, as a matter of fact, they're not offensive at all. "

She paused

" They are, however, a unique form of sensory, that only I am capable of using. They allow me to see ones aura; the very core of ones being, at just a glance . . but the light created from my eyes is what makes my type of sensory so special. "

She took a moment for the boy to soak in what she had just said. Her uniqueness wasn't particularly impressive, but rather, it made her unusual, it made her a recognized individual.

" In the past, my eyes have made my enemies instantly recognize me. . in fact, at one point they began to label me as The Lady of the Eye. Unfortunately, that alias that seems to have stuck, even now. "

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[Naitome]

He turned to face her, activating his Sharingan, crimson red sparks burning red as blood with two black points spinning within their depths. He looked at her, up and down, without any lascivious intent, merely allowing the analytical properties of his dojutsu to fully take in the enormity of information she presented as she answered his question. The elements her body housed, the combination of water and fire that he'd read somewhere constituted a Kekkei Touta, astonished him. His gaze traveled to her heart, as he watched the minimal flow of chakra sustaining normal bodily functions radiate outwards, suffusing her with energy and light.

As his gaze traveled towards her eyes he stopped walking, noting that even without activating her unique abilities, the flow of chakra within them was...strange...haunting and complex, like a pattern of overlapping super-thin geometric shapes that spilled sharp bursts each second, in rhythm with the beating of her heart. He reached out slowly, as if to cup the side of her face, and his breath was short, his voice quiet, almost a whisper

Beautiful...

He stopped his hand from actually making contact with her skin as his eyes deactivated, pulled it back, his face grew slightly flush with pigment and he turned away from her quickly, embarrassed.

The...the internal structure of your eyes is quite...detailed. It is a rare gift, to be sure.

With the continuation of their walk, it was not long before they found a quaint establishment, one bristling with others who sat and waited to be served an impressive array of food the likes of which he'd never seen. The two sat, and no doubt their thoughts would travel to the emptiness of their stomachs, and they shared a meal.

It was a quiet ending to a rather unusual meeting, and the first of many times they'd spend with one another in the endless forest.

It was the only time in their life together, that they would not be hunted by him. A moment of safety in a collection that would soon be filled with terror.

But that story is for another time.

exit.

[Kitty]

A compliment?

As if her babbling before hadn't been humiliating enough, she found herself struggling for air whenever he abruptly decided to call her ' beautiful '. Akuharu's body leaned in close, his hand nearly brushing against the side of her silk-smooth skin, and the comforting heat of his breathe just glancing her lips. His every movement was entrancing, his voice was soothing - his entire being was . . intoxicating.

" Y-yes. It's . . it's certainly an unusual find. "

Her words may have been in relation to her technique, but her eyes had glued to him as they had been spoken. It was almost as if-

" OH. Look, there's the restaurant! "

She rushed ahead, and he followed. The two toddled along into the fine diner, seating themselves in what seemed like luxury compared to to the hay bales and soil they had situated themselves in not long ago. Their stomachs filled with food, but their talks were seldom . She kept herself reserved, having already been kinder than usual. She worried if she expressed herself too much, something might be said that she would regret later on.

As dinner was paid for, a simple nod of the head would signify the end. She wished to never see this boy ever again, his maturity and power brought out a side of her she hadn't seen in some time - it was a side of her she didn't like.

Tsuki Sukoshi had once thought she feared nothing, but this was a lie. There was something she feared, albeit something small, and perhaps insignificant, but it was something all the same. The only thing in the entire world that she feared

was herself.

e x i t

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[addy-hime ♥]

Naitome, 170 EXP + 10,000 Ryo.
Kitty, 169 EXP + 10,000 Ryo.

I awarded you extra based only on the posts that count toward the theme, because the overall thread was half-half at best. Still, really nice read guys. Keep it up.

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