HIDDEN!

[Axcel]

When Blanche held her hand out holding the ryo, Axcel merely smiled when he handed her the map. The trade had been complete, and Axcel, for the first time in a long, long while, had ryo in his pocket. Hopefully this money wouldn’t have to share the same fate as the last bag of ryo Axcel managed to get his hands on—at an ice cream parlor. This money that he had just now acquired was important, and would likely be the gateway to much more money should things work in his favor. Who knows what he would find upon entering the summit.

“The necklace?” Axcel glanced downward towards the silver chain that hung about his neck. Truthfully, he hadn’t ever been able to perfectly describe what it actually meant to him in a clear, concise sentence. It was where he got his surname, having been unaware of his affiliation with a clan and noticing the word ‘Zenryoku’ carved into the back of the pendant. He knew it belonged to a family member of his, so the sentimental value was great in itself. “It means. . .”

“It means everything. To me, anyways.” Axcel said, and as corny as it sounded, he spoke with such vigor that it didn’t even matter. The necklace was something he had always held near and dear to him, and whenever someone threatened taking it away from him or even destroying it, he became extremely defensive.

Regardless, Axcel pushed all sentimental thoughts from his head, opting to move the conversation elsewhere. “What now?” He asked Blanche. The question was sudden, considering they had been enjoying a casual conversation up until their deal. It was still a valid question though, considering they were literally standing in the middle of nowhere in a country with freezing weather.

[/justify]

[Apple]

Her hands would take hold of the map that she had bought, and she would then soon open it up, taking a look at the symbols and colours that were on it- Upon it lay quite some information though. Gazing at the map for a few moments she would take in accordance that the mark was within Mizu no Kuni- Kirigakure? she would ponder as her gaze lay on the page for a few moments, taking in the information that she had just read. Curling the map back up and then keeping it held in her left hand, she would turn her attention back to Axcel himself, who was going ahead and musing about the necklace that he had around his neck- Her guesses were correct. It was silver from what she could see, and didn’t look cheap. Probably a heirloom, something passed down. And it being a necklace- Perhaps it belonged to his mother? A female relative? Who could have known.

“It means everything. To me, anyways.”
”I knew it.”

These words were simple, and yet they spoke truth. Jewellery wasn’t really her thing but she could point out a nice accessory when she wanted to. However, with her eyes still on Axcel, time would pass, the deal had been done, and he would question as to what would happen now- Surely he didn’t just say that? Didn’t he know how to speak to a girl? A heavy sigh releasing from her lips she would rest her hands on her hips once more, and prepare to speak to him, engaging in conversation; ”What are your plans regarding Yukigakure?” she would ask, wondering if he had the same determination to go back and rebuild the place as she had. Surely enough it was something they could speak about, and it was directed towards him and his goals, so- It would be interesting to hear what he had to say about it.

As the chill continued to flow through the area, delivering short blasts of icy wind, Blanche would but shudder once before returning to her normal stance- By no means was she all that cold, just the shock of having such cold air collide with her soft, supple skin was strange. But with eyes still plastered on him, all eyes were on Axcel and his very interesting pendant. She stood with an air of confidence- A lady who shouldn’t be kept waiting. Her question had been quite understandable- She too was from a minor village, and it was interesting to hear what people from other lands had in store for their villages once the time came. Axcel however was the first Yuki nin who she had stumbled across. Being in tetsu with its bad weather, he would no doubt feel at home with this weather.

She however, was far from it. But, her clothing provided enough warmth.

[/blockquote]

[Axcel]

Amber eyes gazed at the blonde as she scanned the map. If she was looking carefully enough, she would definitely find Kirigakure on that map. It was unfortunate that the information of the hidden village was being leaked so easily, but Axcel held no allegiance to them. Although he was given hospitality at the village purely out of Hiromasa’s generosity, he still hadn’t forgotten that the village were part of the reason his parents had been forsaken by their clan. Still, he remembered little of that incident and didn’t place the blame entirely on the village, it was merely a means for Axcel’s justification of giving up the location so easily. . .

When she mentioned Yukigakure, Axcel turned to the side and took a few, slow steps forward as he shifted his gaze upward. “I have no plans for Yukigakure. . .” Axcel said, his own mind lost in thought upon hearing Blanche’s question. “I left before the war—they think I’m dead.” It was true, although he had left out the details regarding on his reasons for leaving, the people did believe Axcel to have perished not long after his sudden departure. “A student of mine became the Yukikage and decreed me a nuke-nin, despite the people having thought I died long before that,” Axcel continued, even laughing a bit after he had spoken.

“I guess he refused to believe I would have just died—so he decided I was a criminal instead.” He said, his laughter beginning to be sedated by a shift in thoughts. Now that he mentioned it, his student supposedly ‘died’ to a dragon in Yukigakure—upon finding that out, Axcel sought and fought the wyveren himself. Upon doing so, he refused to believe that his protege had fallen to it. Years later, after the war, Axcel decided he would try and find him, but to no avail. He had caught wind of him being at Kirigakure, but upon his arrival, he hadn’t found anyone, or any clues, as to his whereabouts. “Where are you, Asato. . .?” Axcel mumbled underneath his breath, his words barely audible.

The Rokudaime turned to face Blanche once more, parting his lips to speak again. “I can’t return to Yukigakure no Sato—not because I was declared a nuke-nin, though. No, they would happily accept me back, despite being declared a ‘criminal’.” Indeed, despite the bounty on his head, the world still believed the the shinobi to have died. Though rumors sprang up during the war, a consequence of his sudden activity, nobody believed them to be true—all of them still certain that if Axcel were alive he would return to his home. “I have my own reasons for not coming back.” He said, his tone clearly expressing that it wasn’t something he could openly share. It was obvious he still cared for his village, despite having abandoned them.

“. . .and yourself?” Axcel asked, realizing he had been talking for too long, and lacked his usual eccentric attitude when he was talking.

[/justify]

[Apple]

“I left before the war—they think I’m dead.”

Well this was quite interesting. She could never have suspected this, right? He had spoken of his county with no ill feelings in the past during their little meeting, and to hear exactly what had happened to him in regards to his home village was very strange. She had heard tales of people going missing for genuine reasons and then the kage declaring them as so, but, to be declared missing without a fully plausible reason? It was shameful. The blonde, raising her right hand and flicking a piece of hair which was connected to her fringe away from her face, her other baby blue eye would now be seen in full, as both now looked at Axcel in divine curiosity. ”And I assume that you aren’t taking any extreme measures against him because he was your student?” she would ask- She wasn’t trying to be inquisitive, this was just interesting- A scenario like this she hadn’t come across before in her life.

With her own village- She was pretty sure that there were missing nin all over the place from the wars. Because of the decisions to join the great war itself people who disagreed with their leader deflected at the time, and afterwards, there was no doubt that more joined on the bandwagon. She had stayed faithful probably because of her duties, and the fact that she was a stubborn bitch. Right now, the village was weak, and what did she seek? Eternal greatness- with it being so vulnerable right now, if she made the right moves, she could find herself leader. But, although it was so hard to not think about herself, she had to place her attention on Axcel right now as he further explained his situation.

”So, he has officially marked you down as a missing shinobi, bingo book and all, simply because he lacks the knowledge of what happened to you? What a fucking genius-” she’d say her sarcastic remark at the end- It wasn’t that she was angry at whoever this guy was no, if anything, she was just pissed off that leaders could do such a thing, it only made her wonder what things went on in her own village at the time of the war. Her blue eyes gazing over him and his wild crop of hair once more, they would soon go down to the chocolate-coloured eyes that he bore, as she listened to him question her what she was planning to do- With a very smug smirk upon her face, she would then flick her head to the side, before crossing her arms again.

”What I plan to do?”

Oh now- Now he did it. He could have asked anyone; But he had to have asked her. Her goals were strange- Although they centered mainly around herself and perhaps gave off the air that she was selfish, she truly thought best for the people of Kusagakure. ”I’m going to lead Kusagakure back to its former glory.” she would tell him with an air of pride in her words- She already had plans, so many plans within her mind at the current time, but they were to be deployed very soon. ”With the restoration of the village, I want to make it great- Greater than anyone of the major villages that dare walk all over us again.” it was easy to say that the last few words were spoken with a poison tongue- She was angry about what happened to her village but in the end, everyone suffered, even the major villages, and, a small part of her inside was glad because of this.

[/blockquote]

[Axcel]

Taking extreme measures against Asato? Now that Axcel had thought about it, he realized the fact that he hadn’t ever thought of it. Revenge for declaring Axcel a nuke-nin—the thought hadn’t ever crossed his mind. Perhaps he was naive, but Axcel bore no ill will to Asato, no—the Shichidaime, for making the decree that Axcel had become a ‘criminal’. If anything, Axcel understood why it was done. Being the logical person that he was, he probably realized that making an example out of Axcel by making him, a shinobi who had garnered international fame and was celebrated throughout the country, a nuke-nin, all shinobi who served under his reign wouldn’t dare think of crossing him. Indeed, though his methods were different, there was no denying that in the following years, despite some harsh circumstances, that Yukigakure no Sato had enjoyed a certain prosperity it could never dream of under Axcel’s rule.

“No,” Axcel finally replied; despite the time it took to respond, his answer had been given with such resolve that the thought of him appearing to have hesitated would likely be dismissed. He recalled his days of leading a squadron of three, which consisted of Yuri, Ankoma,, and Asato. Asato had relied on taijutsu back then, until Yuri offered to teach him Shikigami techniques before leaving the shinobi world forever, enabling him to realize his true abilities as a ninjutsu user. “I wouldn’t be able to.” Axcel realized he still saw him as his student—his last student—but perhaps that would change if they were to meet again. He couldn’t imagine Asato, with all these years having passed, to still hold any respect for Rokudaime. He had probably became the monster and walked the dark path Axcel had hoped to led him astray from—it would take another to help him find the light once more.

When Blanche’s second comment was made, Axcel was quick to respond. “You’re wrong,” He replied with a certain calmness. “If anything, he was the only one who did know what happened—after all, everyone else thought I was dead, no?” Axcel followed, a sly grin now shaping his face once again. There was truth in his statement, and no matter what the Scichidaime’s rationale may have been for doing what he did, it was fact that he had declared Axcel alive and a nuke-nin while others thought him to have died. It was also fact that Axcel was alive.

“Ambitious, eh?” Axcel said in response to his own question. She wanted to lead Kusagakure? It wouldn’t be easy, that’s for sure. “You’ll have your work cut out for you, Blanche.” With the way he said it, it would be difficult to tell if he was simply making small talk or speaking from experience. It was a little bit of both, truthfully, but Axcel was certain that if she expected to lead Kusagakure into a new age, she would have more than her fair share of work to do. Considering the conditions all the minor shinobi villages seemed to be in, having a village rise from the ashes and achieve as much notoriety as she hoped to achieve would be difficult, especially considering how vicious the other villages could be. Even allies would be quick to change teams should they feel threatened by some of their supposed ‘weaker’ allies.

[/justify]

[Apple]

It had suddenly occurred to her that there had been a quick change in the way that he had spoken- In the past, where he had the assumed intelligence of a ten year old, he had spoken with such.. creative youthfulness that it was hard to tell exactly what age he was- Now, he spoke much more alike his true age, whatever it was. His words, coated in seriousness, he spoke much older than he probably was, she even going so far as to think that his words actually sounded quite intelligent, in comparison to the things that he had said minutes ago about ice cream. Although, when confronted with a serious topic, surely his mind would change from that childlike innocence that he seemed to have, to something more.. fitting for the situation. And so his personality was noted down, and Blanche would simply listen to him as he chose his words carefully.

“If anything, he was the only one who did know what happened—after all, everyone else thought I was dead, no?”
”..But are you sure about that?”

Her words had been said quickly- Of course, it did make sense that he make him missing surely if he knew what had happened- But, then again despite being shinobi, they weren’t mind-readers. The two hadn’t probably met in a while now, and neither could tell what each other was up to. Her questioning was complimented with the same smug smirk on her face which somewhat matched the one that was blossoming on Axcel’s own face. She could safely say that she enjoyed conversation more with this side of him rather than his more.. talkative side. intellect seeped from his pores, and it was easy to tell that this man wasn’t exactly all that he seemed- She’d have to remember this for future reference- Despite having spoken to him, knowing his name and such, there was something off about it all.

And then- A comment about the work she was to do, saying that her work would be cut out for her. The same smirk on her face, she would seem at least a little entertained by this comment- He was speaking about it as some kind of challenge- And she loved challenges. ”It will be a long and hard journey but I assure you; Kusagakure will rise- A year, two years, five years, ten years- twenty, no matter how long it takes. The forests will see the light once more and I will be the bringer of it.” the way she spoke so highly of herself, she believing herself that she was a kind of goddess- She wasn’t a mere mortal in her own mind- But a mind warped by war and cruel events could ponder so many things in a lifetime- This being one of them. She was determined, and there was no breaking that.

Her right hand rising from being crossed and flicking hair from her face once more, she would look back at him again with the same smirk on her face- She had actually started to enjoy speaking to this guy now- If only she knew what the future held! ”In a few years when you hear the words Kusagakure- Or anything to do with grass- Remember me, Axcel.” she would tell him- Was this a request? Or an order? It was hard to tell at the current time- She wanted people to remember her for the things that she had done- To know her as a brilliant medic, the lady behind the restoration of kusa- She wasn’t too fussed on titles but for people to think of the blonde when they think of the village- It was a thing that she desired.

[/blockquote]

[Axcel]

Was he sure? He would be lying if he answered with a ‘yes’. Axcel couldn’t be sure that what he had said truth, but even so. . . “I have faith,” he replied, his answer was short and simple, lacking any sort of elaboration. It was really all he could say, but it was still his genuine answer. Faith—he was almost certain Blanche would have laughed at the notion of believing in his student as much as he did, but Axcel wouldn’t care. He was just as stubborn, if not more so, than the medic from Kusa that stood before him.

Afterwords, Blanche went on about how she knew what Axcel had said was true. It was good that she acknowledged the amount of work she had to do, for if she thought she was walking an easy path she would have been in for quite a surprise. The woman was definitely ambitious, content with even waiting as long as twenty years to have Kusagakure rise again and be on top of the other villages. She was sure passionate about the subject, which was certainly a good sign.

Axcel nodded at her last statement. She wanted him to remember her when he thought or even heard of anything related to Kusagakure? “Of course! Whenever someone utters anything regarding Kusagakure to me, I will think of. . .” Axcel paused momentarily, his eyes gazing elsewhere, seemingly lost in thought. “. . .uh. . .” It took a few moments, but eventually his head would turn back towards Blanche, his amber eyes meeting her own once more.

“What was your name again?”

It would seem that he had forgotten.

[/justify]

[addy-hime ♥]

Apple: 150 EXP.
Axcel: 110 EXP.

Totally forgot about the COTM exp, Apple, sorry. xD 40 more added to total.

[Apple]

“I have faith,”

There wasn’t all that much to say further about that certain topic, so she would but respond with the same smirk that she had been wearing for the past few minutes, and would nod her head understandingly- It was his own opinion. With her arms crossed once more, she would but ponder- She would need to get to Kaminari with some haste if she was to get her plans started in time. With the map still held carefully in her hands she would then place her hands on her hips once more, the item held carefully in her hands as she’d keep speaking to Axcel- Hopefully, should he some day return to Yukigakure as Yukikage (Although he spoke of his want to not return) she would be acknowledged at some degree by him once more.

Being Blanche- Fantastic, beautiful and talented, she was worth all of the admiration that she got, of course. She thought of herself as the best of the best, a national treasure. Kusagakure’s best medic and most beautiful flower- She had a long list of titles that she found appropriate for herself, and hopefully, the male in front of her saw some kind of greatness in her already- Although she was in the early days of everything, her training, her plans, soon she would become greater than anyone ever imagined her to become- Past medics who thought that she’d never ascend to their ranks would soon become shocked. She was striving to impress. ”Then keep it close to you- Faith is something that many a person has lost during the past few years.”

“. . .uh. . .”
”…..?”
“What was your name again?”

Sigh......

No matter. ”My name is Blanche. Remember it.” she would tell him. Although her smirk soon left her face, there was no telling whether or not she was annoyed or if she was just bored like she usually appeared to be- A look of distaste growing on her entire face as he said that he had forgotten her name, he shouldn’t be too taken aback by it- He had already been victim to her temper, and this was something normal for her- Dirty looks were like simple glances to her, and people usually mistook it. Of course, she wasn’t against giving dirty looks to people by no means- She was positive about doing it most of the time, really. But- She would let him off the hook this time- She had acquired a map from him with a location already in, so she wouldn’t complain all that much.

With one look towards Axcel once more and his curious eyes, she would soon give him another smirk before looking up to the sky above, turning back to him, and speaking the words; ”I am sorry to say, but I must now leave. It’s been pleasant meeting you, Axcel.” she would tell him simply- Of course, should she know exactly what was wrong with the map that she was currently holding, it definitely wouldn’t be too pleasant for him the next time they would meet- Or wouldn’t be too pleasant for him. ”…..” With another smug smirk, the blonde would soon leave the area with the map in her hand- Axcel, eh? she was bound to remember such.. a strange guy.

EXIT!

[/blockquote]

[Axcel]

“Blanche! I’ll remember the name.” It was actually unlikely that he would remember the name, if anything, he was bound to forget it moments after having heard it again. One thing was certain though, he would remember her. She was quite the character, and being able to leave a notable impression on Axcel, whether good or bad, was a feat in itself. Indeed, Axcel may forget Blanche the medic, but he would never forget the ambitious shinobi from Kusagakure who had hoped to restore Kusa into an age it had never see.

Then she said she was leaving. Axcel’s grin shifted into a stoic expression. He had met a new ‘friend’ in Tetsu no Kuni and she was already going to leave? Ah, well. It couldn’t be helped. “Sayonara, Blanche!” he said, making sure to call her name out while it was still in his head. He waved vigorously to her as she left, the Rokudaime himself turning as he did and walking in the opposite direction. His direction wasn’t aimless though, he had a destination in mind. . .

---

When enough time had passed, as well as a large amount of distance being covered, the Kage Bunshin would find it’s creator, handing it the 10,000 ryo. Axcel was unsure of how his Kage Bunshin had acquired the money, but he definitely had a joyous expression at the sight of it. He would dispel the jutsu, collecting all the knowledge it had gained during its short lifespan.

Blanche, huh?

—Exit!

[/justify]

[Kii!]

Apple: +9
Axcel: +6

[Comatose]

+86 Axcel