Water, please? Thanks [P, NK]

As smoothly as a nice cool breeze, and as quick as lightning, he arrived at the entrance of a cave, rather than the intended village gates of Suna, soon tripping over a rock hidden in the sand right after doing so. His face hit the dirt, roughly, and the black shirt tied around his head flew off and traveled deep within the damp-looking cave. Mugen could tell by the lack of laughter, or simply the lack of any human-like sounds that he was not in the correct location. Slowly, his head rose up off the ground and he peered into the darkness in front of him. Only a small amount of light managed to make its way into the cave, meaning only one thing.

Shade.

Mugen scrambled to get onto his feet, kicking up sand and getting some into his nose, forcing him to sneeze. This of course startled him, and he abruptly landed on the ground again, this time rather painfully. His "crash" kicked up more sand, which also got into his nose and made him sneeze even more. This poor boy. Today was just not his day, at all. Cautiously, Mugen crawled to the safety of the damp cave, soon standing on his two feet without any unfortunate events occurring to him. Moving swiftly and efficiently, the youth entered the darkness, the light now being very faint and limited. However, he was a god damn shinobi. He could see just fine...somewhat. Suddenly, he let his back hit the wall, now leaning against it. That whole trip from Takigakure was simply torture. A drink would be great right about now...

In fact, Mugen could faintly hear the sound of water running, somewhere further down in the cave. He was feeling too lazy to move at the moment, though...

Flashbacks for 'finding' Hikage; Read if you want:

Matsuri scrubbed her hands dutifully, trying to get the horrid cave slime off her hands. It was terribly damp in the tunnels she had taken shelter in for the past hour or so, and if she didn't leave soon, her knee-length hair was going to to become the most voluminous afro the world had ever seen. However, compared to outside, the caves were heaven. Matsuri absolutely loathed too-hot weather, and quite frankly, it was too hot to walk a quarter mile at this time of day, let alone all the way back to the village. The caves were much cooler, especially due to the running water.

The only drawback was the humidity.

Once past the first cavern, the walls were coated in slime. The air was cool, but it was hick with dampness, and Matsuri was surprised her clothes were dry; she might as well be walking through a cloud. The deeper in she traveled, the worse the place got, so she just stayed put in the second cavern.

As she splashed the remnants of the slime from her hands, the skin clean at last, the sound of commotion startled her from her thoughts. It started with a thud, went on to scrambling, a sneeze, another thud, more sneezing and scrambling, and ended with quiet footsteps into the cave. The person wasn't treading heavily, but didn't appear to be masking their appearance - Who would actually take the effort to do jutsu in this heat? - so she concluded that the person was probably a minor...or a midget. Both were distinct possibilities.

Maybe the person could be a new friend!!!!

Or, you know, a clumsy little midget assassin...

Matsuri chose to believe the second suspicion. Midgets were freaking scary.

Carefully, she did a once-over of her appearance, making sure her scars were covered. She'd been called a freak for her patchwork of skin one too many times, and was always cautious from then on. Plus, in case he wasn't a dwarf-sized mercenary out to kill everyone, she didn't want to scare him. Anyhow, all of her largest marks were covered by her oh-so-expertly placed outfit***, but her bare skin was still freakishly criss-crossed. So, she activated a skill she had been working on, and immediately her skin grew clear...er. It wasn't perfect, and the darker/larger ones still showed faintly, but it was good enough. Besides, no one could detect such small blemishes, not even a sinister ninja-dwarf.

...She really hoped he wasn't a ninja dwarf.

This was a legitimate fear, right??

Anyway, her skill tended to flicker every now and then, but for the most part, her control continued to strengthen and her scars became fainter and fainter - just, really slowly. Thinking she was good enough, she slung her pack over her shoulder and flipped her bangs out of her eyes, adjusting her hat with one hand and motioning to Hikage with the other. The lion padded silently behind her as she approached the wall, the girl moving as quietly as she could. Sheepishly, she peered around the corner, her fists ready to do some serious pounding and Hikage looking like he'd much rather leave the strange child and go back to sleep for an hour or so. Matsuri visibly relaxed when she saw.

Oh, thank Jashin it wasn't an evil midget from hell!

Matsuri let out a breath she had been very aware she was holding, dropping her fists to her side and moving from behind the cave wall. She walked into the same cavern as the boy, a ray of light hitting her as she did. It illuminated a smudge of dirt across her cheek, though Matsuri was completely unaware of this. She looked him over once, deciding that he wasn't in fact from hell, and wasn't in fact a midget. Still, he may not have been from the fiery lake, but he looked like he had been through it at the very least.

Matsuri resisted the urge to say the first thing that came to mind - 'Well, you look like shit.' Instead, she let her pack fall to her elbow crease, and fixed him with an inquiring look as she spoke. "You want something to drink?" 'Cause you sure as hell look like you need it,' she added to herself.

[2165/2000 words; familiar Hikage obtained]
[354/2000 words of using/training Bodily Modification and Adjustment - Version 1]
[***Same as my profile picture, plus a black chocker with a round silver clasp in the front/middle, low on her neck, and black fingerless gloves.]

His head snapped upwards in alarm once the sound of someone's voice reached his ears. The boy's shining sapphire orbs traveled to the side, allowing him to catch a full view of the new arrival. Or, maybe he was the new arrival, but that didn't matter at the moment. He gazed at the stranger, who was apparently female, and began to inspect her. From head to toe and then repeat. His ears and some of his face was already red due to the heat, but the color became more prominent after his recent actions. Great. Mugen didn't believe himself to be good with females, considering he had only met around 6 in his entire lifetime, one of which he considered to be inhuman (therefore, could not even be classified into one of the two genders), and another two that were shadow...clones...Did they even count? He didn't think they did.

Mugen opened his mouth, expecting words to fall out, but nothing came. He was far too parched for this. So, he simply nodded his head, signaling that "yes, he did in fact want a drink." However, mere moments after he nodded, the boy happened to notice another being by the strange girl. He had no clue as to what it was, but it slightly worried him and he took a step back in response.

Hmmm...I like her hair and eye combo. She gets a nine.

A...a what? Mugen blinked in complete and utter confusion. Was Kyokai seriously rating this girl?

You scored big time. Do not let her get away!

You thirsty sack of shit...

"Er..." he spoke, his voice coming out scratchier than it normally was, "So it's, uh, nice to meet you...stranger."

Unfortunately, that was the best he could currently come up with. He didn't care, though. His usual self loathing could always be done another time, after all. The only thing on his mind right now was water. Water, water. Freakin' water.

Matsuri distinctly felt the eyes wandering about her...entire self, really, and resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably. Oh, don't get her wrong - she loved the attention, but was a 'little' more anxious than she let on about her scars. However, when he finally seemed to have seen enough of her smokin' hot bod, she mentally relaxed again. He didn't seem to have noticed her scars, and she supposed she could thank he- wait, was he blushing? He was closer to the light, so she could see his face better... She narrowed her big blue eyes slightly for a moment. Was he blushing?? 'Nah,' she thought, brushing it off, 'it's probably from the heat.' The girl cut him a small, shy-but-not-actually-shy smile.

Matsuri's smile soon became a small chuckle as he seemed to choke on his words and turn to nodding instead. She turned her head back and motioned Hikage to follow her, not thinking once that perhaps a black lion, massively larger than any regular one at that, could ever be alarming to anyone. The gentle giant followed her tiredly out into the cavern, before plopping down unceremoniously in the center of the clearing and yawning, his white teeth gleaming. Matsuri walled forward, stopping a bit before him, and dug through her pack a few moments, searching for the water bottles buried inside. Where were they??

'...nakama ni nareru ne!...'

The song played in her mind, the part that meant, '...we can become best buddies!...' She knew it so well, it skipped around at parts. It was hard for Matsuri not to chime in audibly with the song, and normally, she would have. But she was in public, and in public, she couldn't. It was comforting to her, even should she be happy, yet to others it was downright morbid and scary even. Besides, she probably wouldn't even see him again, after today.

Finally, Matsuri's fingers brushed cool plastic. She pulled out one of two unopened water bottled she had stuffed in. The girl zipped the pack closed and slug it over her shoulder.

"Er... So it's, uh, nice to meet you...stranger," the boy said.

Matsuri giggled again at the boy's such professional choice of words. "You too," she responded, still amused. "My name is Matsuri Yukishima... and you are?" she greeted.

"Oh, right. Here!" she added, handing him the water.

He knew there was something else by the girl. He knew it, knew it, knew it. Oh, but what was that 'something'? Why, it of course had to be a giant black lion, one that looked like it could rip him to shreds. Not that Mugen would ever let that happen. The boy was ready to reach into his weapon pouch, which was attached to the right side of his purple jeans, but paused. The lion...didn't appear to be hostile. He had seen enough animals by now to immediately pick up when they were a threat. Not this one, though, this one seemed to have a calm aura around it. Was it friends with the girl? Possibly. If so, he would have to back down and relax himself. Sometimes, being so jumpy was no good, not in the slightest.

However, his body tensed once the lion set itself down onto the surface, showing off its pearly white...fangs. Fabulous. Just fabulous.

"Cute pet you got there," he commented, unconsciously using sarcasm. He continued to watch the girl search for an item. Most likely a water bottle, or something of the sort. As she did, a cool breeze traveled into the cave, making Mugen sigh in content for the first time since the start of his journey. It ruffled his fluffy, snow white hair, urging it to sway back and forth. Oh, how soothing the wind could be. He would have shut his eyes to enjoy this moment even further, if not for sudden sound of zipping. The youth directed his attention onto the bottled water that was now in the girl's hands before he began to twitch in anticipation. Water, water, water, water.

At the girl's giggle, he could only smile weakly, his eyes still directed towards the two objects in her hands. Water, water, water... Finally, finally, once the water bottle was handed to him he snatched it away, opened the cap, and began to chug it down. His movements would most likely seem to be in a blur. After he finished, less than a quarter of the original amount of water was left in the bottle. Obviously, he couldn't down the whole thing...he had to save at least some for later.

"My name is...Mugen," he said, replying to Matsuri's earlier question, "Thanks for the drink. Stupid little me would have died of thirst if it wasn't for you. I guess I owe you one now, huh...?"

A rather perceptive girl, Matsuri immediately noticed when Mugen grew tense. She saw his hand falter, her eyes moving to the weapons pouch at his side, and she visibly stiffened. She knew a weapons pouch when she saw one, and she also knew what weapons did. Hell, she'd been decapitated at least twice - at least. Suri knew she couldn't die, and didn't care whatsoever about pain, but he didn't know that. Was he going to attack her? Matsuri hoped not - it was too hot for a battle, and she didn't feel like taking 10 minutes to let some limbs reattach should need be. She also didn't fancy staining these clothes... But, maybe he wasn't tensed because of her?

Matsuri remembered Hikage, then. Perhaps...having a massive lion wasn't normal? Damn, normal people were weird. She listened to his sarcasm, not really appreciating the tone as she was the one helping him at the moment. Still, Suri brushed the annoyance off, responding in much the same tone as he, "Aww, isn't he though? He'll purr if you scratch him under the chin~!" Matsuri smiled a little too widely in his direction, though she didn't show any hostility. "Careful though, he might nip the hand you're petting him with - Hikage can be a little feisty!"

The lion, at hearing his name, flipped his tail in annoyance. When no commands followed, he snorted quietly, before burying his head in his large paws. "Oh yeah," Matsuri added, glancing over at the friendly beast, "he'll really get you!" There wasn't any ill intent in her sarcasm as she spoke - really, it was just the way she joked half the time. She wore a smile after the first comment.

Suri's tenseness faded as a soft breeze blew through the cave. She was always picky when it came to weather, not having been around enough to get used to extremes, and the hot, sticky air of the cave had become to be rather suffocating - though it was still better than the open desert. Matsuri relaxed a bit into the cool draft. Breezy days were her favorite days... However, in her relaxation, she began to lose control of her scar coverage. It only took a total of two second to correct, but she hoped it wasn't noticible all the same.

As Mugen chugged the water down, Matsuri couldn't help but blink in shock. Either he had the capacity of a camel, or he was really thirsty. Knowing not to trust her more radical suspicions after the dwarf incident, Matsuri dug out her other bottle. She didn't need much water to survive, but it was a luxury. Really, she only needed food, and a small bit of water when she ate. The girl handed the other bottle to him, an amused and good-natured smirk-smile on her pink lips. "Here, you have this one too," she chuckled, "I think you need it more than I do!"

Matsuri listened as he introduced himself, nodding at his name. She took not of the fact that he hesitated a moment, and gave no last name. It was information she would store for later, but for now, the girl decided not to pry. Her face became slightly inquisitive as she thought, her brows furrowing for the slightest moment and lips forming a small pout. Prying was not socially acceptable I first meetings, right? Right. She'd learned that the hard way... Anyhow!

Matsuri hadn't forgotten that a lack of basic needs could kill a person. After all, malnutrition was literally the only thing that could put her to death. However, she supposed she HAD forgotten how much the average person really needed, and had forgotten that to normal shinobi, death was always a fear. Mats smiled her own specific little gentle smile, messing with one of her long, luckily still sleek locks of hair. "Nah, you don't owe me. You're welcome, by the way," she said, shaking her head. As an afterthought, Matsuri also added, softly but sternly, "and don't call yourself stupid, either - accidents happen, you know. This one just got kinda serious!" Mats chuckled a little at the end, trying to lighten things a bit. Her control over her skill faltered slightly, but she regained control in an instant.


'...mujaki ni warau...'*


'Shut up.'

[*'But simply smile innocently']

(Shitty post is shitty when you can barely keep your eyes open. Next one will be better, and not so late...sorreh.)

Upon hearing the girl's sarcasm, he almost had the urge to snort, but where was his place to do such a thing? Once the lion shoved its, or rather his, face into his paws, the urge merely grew larger. He would get Mugen indeed, although the boy couldn't help but doubt such an idea. That didn't mean he was not thinking, though. He knew that by being a shinobi, his capabilities were above those of normal humans, and therefore above any animals aside from summonings. But...what if this lion was above average, would he be able to test himself against it? It was possible.

Moving on, he chuckled at Matsuri's comment. He supposed he really did seem like shit, hm? Why else would she offer him more to drink? He raised up his hand, signalling that he was turning down the offer, despite how kind it may have been.

"I'm fine, trust me." he spoke smoothly with a smile not so weak and filled with a bit more life. Mugen closely listened to the words that spilled from Matsuri's mouth next, and could only bashfully scratch the back of his head afterwards.

"I don't know about that, I can act pretty dumb from time to time, heh," he responded, his smile widening to the point where his pearly white teeth were evident, "After all, I stumbled across this cave rather than the village I was supposed to be heading towards. Maybe the heat had something to do with that..."

Mugen stayed silent for merely a handful of seconds, as if he was in deep thought. "Then again...I wouldn't have met you, and you wouldn't have given me water to drink." the boy stated, not thinking twice about what came from his mouth.

Matsuri shrugged as he declined the water, stuffing it in her pack instead and slinging said pack over her shoulder once more. "Eh, alright. I really don't need it though," she replied nonchalantly. If he asked why...Mats would just tell him that she didn't get thirsty easily. There was no way that the girl could reveal her Jashinism. It wasn't normal, was just another of her many qualities that marked her as a freak and a monster. She wouldn't tell anyone.

However, when he smile as wide as he did, Mats felt herself smiling genuinely as well. She decided she liked that expression on his face, and would try to keep it there as well as she could. It was nice to make someone smile again; she hadn't, not in an entire month. Not since... 'Forget it, Matsuri.'

However, as he subtly began to bring himself down, Matsuri found her smile faltering, even as his own stretched widely across his face. Ahiko used to do this a lot, especially in the night, when he was too tired to think straight and keep his filter on.

Ahiko... Matsuri steeled herself once more against the onslaught of despair that suddenly hit her. He always used to say that it showed on her face when she was conflicted, and though she had been working on fixing this... She shouldn't think of him amongst company.

Anyhow, Matsuri knew ways of dealing with this sort of thing. He had done it, and the girl herself fell victim to low self-esteem more often than she liked to admit. So, she corrected her big smile into a comforting one. "Pfft, we can all act stupid - I'm surprised I haven't screwed up yet, really. I'm kind of a super awkwo-taco," she replied, giggling. A little less ditzy, she added, "You aren't that far from Suna, actually. The village is pretty close by; want me to show you?"

In all honesty, though the caverns were better than the blaring desert sun, she didn't enjoy either area. Both were too warm, still. The caves were too humid, too dark, and too hard to breathe in. Plus, she could always have Hikage carry them if need be. He may be slow, but he was a lion and therefor used to the heat...and her feet were kind of tired. Matsuri hoped he would take her offer.

Oh, but then her awkward side just had to make it's aforementioned appearance. Damn her lack of trust issues!

At the statement that so casually left Mugen's mouth, Matsuri lit up like a Christmas tree...or, rather, her face did. It wasn't so much the sweetness of his comment - as far as wording went, it was completely average - but the meaning she took out of it. He liked the fact that he met her and she gave him water. Meaning he didn't think she was freaky and didn't hate her. Meaning he actually liked her. Meaning...

...new friend...!

And having a second person call her a friend was not normal to Matsuri, who grew up with only a yodeling lion and a boy six years her senior for the majority of her life (because the other years were alone or with a room of children suffering from various stages of dementia). Because of the strangeness of it all, she and her maimed emotional responses didn't just reply with happiness at gaining a new friend. No, they responded with happiness, as well as a pot of embarrassment above all others, in situations like the current.

A tiny, flustered little smile played at her lips, her cheeks red but her eyes wide and bright. "Um-" she began, but alas, it was no use. 

It was just, such a sudden declaration of friendship, that Matsuri was beside herself. 'Get it together Mats, it's not like he just got down on one knee and proposed eternal friendship or anything like that!' she ordered herself. Still, it was times like these when Matsuri's nonexistent social skills were glaringly obvious. Damnit, she wasn't in control anymore! Not wanting to seem inferior or strange, she forced her face into a more confident expression, though her blush still rivaled Hinata's immensely. "Well, I for one am glad you made that mistake!" she manage to exclaim.

Suddenly, though, her eyes went wide, and she quickly rambled on, "I mean, not that meeting me was a mistake! Shit, that came out wrong, too! But- Well, still, you weren't that off-direction, and I like you, anyway!" Perfect. Perfect cover, she played that so well. Like, an actor couldn't top that...wait.

'Ahah, oops...' Matsuri's face heated up even further and she threw her hands up in defense, her sparkling blue eyes wide in horror. "I-I mean, n-not like that! Totally just friendly, because otherwise it would be so weird, cause I just met you, and...and...-"

Matsuri's shoulders slumped in the type of defeat only mortification can bring about, and she hung her head. "I totally just awkward-ed in front of a complete stranger - again - didn't I?"

Through all of this strangeness, remembering people and then the whole embarrassment fiasco, her control over her skill had constantly been wavering, and though it was also improving, she could only hope that he didn't notice when it flickered.

Hikage snorted behind her, and Matsuri was sure she heard a mocking lit to it. She was being mocked by a cat.

Oh, how the mighty fall.

The "super awko-taco" comment forced a chuckle out of Mugen, however, it wasn't exactly forced. In fact, the small laugh was welcomed by the boy, for laughs were always needed every once in a while. They were healthy for the mental state of mind, and my oh my did Mugen need to stay healthy. Otherwise, Kyokai would certainly attempt to screw with him in ways that he could never imagine. Once the thought of his alter ego crossed his mind, the youth almost clenched his fist in anger and slight frustration. Yes, even the thought had an effect on him, and it was aggravating.

Fortunately, the topic of Sunagakure was brought up, which made Mugen immediately perk up. He nodded in response, feeling very eager about finding a place to stay, "Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks!"

Then, he saw the strange smile that appeared on her lips, the way her cheeks grew red, similar to that of a cherry or perhaps an apple. And once her eyes brightened, well, Mugen's own eyes simply widened. He had never gotten a reaction such as this out of another person, and he was slightly alarmed. Just what did he say to cause it? Next, Matsuri said that she was glad he made an error in his travels.

The hell does that mean?

Oh, but she corrected her mistake in the way she worded her sentence, and ended saying she liked him...well, that definitely made Mugen feel a strong heat travel to his cheeks. By reaction, he took a step back as his face continued to grow red with each passing second. Oh my, this girl was confusing him horribly.

"Uh...I guess so, if you want to put it that way," he stated, his eyes traveling off to the side, "But it's alright...like you said, everyone can act stupid. Heh, plus, I like you too." He barely registered his words at first, thinking they were completely fine, much like Matsuri did. However, barely a second went by before he did notice and chuckled awkwardly. "In a friendly way, of course." Finding the situation slightly amusing, he threw in a small wink in there for good measure.

Suddenly, he noticed a small change in her appearance. For a moment, multiple scratches appeared on her seemingly clear skin, at least, clear compared to his at the moment...which was rather sandy due to the desert. He didn't want to bother her about it, for now, but would simply ask later on, like when they made to Sunagakure. Yes, that would be the perfect time for questions.

Matsuri liked the laugh that spilled from his lips. It was a pleasant sound, and the girl had this nagging idea they weren't as common as Ahiko's, or even her own, really. This was another thing she mentally vowed to keep up - making him laugh, that is - because it was a nice feeling. With her general strangeness and such, people usually laughed easily in her midsts, once she was comfortable enough, or never really laughed at all... Mats was glad he was of the former group.

Matsuri, with her constant yet subtle analysis of every situation, didn't miss the way his hand tensed as though he was about to clench his fingers. However, she decided not to pry. It wasn't any of her business.....for now. However, he seemed to visibly brighten at the idea of Sunagakure, so she nodded. "Alright! Lemme just call up Hikage, then," she replied, before turning to the lion seemingly passed out on the floor.

"Hikage!" she called in a stern voice, but he didn't budge, so she reached out her leg and just sort of....nudged him, as he wasn't that far away. This nudge provoked an aggravated groan, and Hikage simply turned away from her. "...Get up." Instead of this, the irritable beast just flipped towards her, sat up slowly as if it was the hardest task in the world, and delivered a long, slow lick, right across her single clean cheek. And then he laid down again.

Glowering, she turned away from Hikage, muttering just loud enough to be heard, "...That Jashin damned lazy ass f**king wimp of a furball..." Oh, it seemed her vulgar side had made an appearance. Unfortunately, Matsuri seemed rather unaware of the audibility of her statement, and didn't acknowledge it any further, thinking she got away with it. Mats wiped the cat slobber off her cheek with her glove, mentally comparing it to a dog's, before mumbling, "He'll get up in a second..."

As Mugen became almost as flustered and red-faced as she was, Matsuri's blush only grew darker. Jashin, she had really, really awkward-ed this time... She almost flinched as he took a step back, choosing instead to hide her burning face in her hands. Suri figured she was being confusing at the moment, but really, she had no control! She confused her own self, so how was she supposed to fix up this mess?

On, but to her relief, it appeared she didn't have to. This was good as, the girl generally being a very level-headed person, she was bad with panic situations. Sheepishly, she made gaps in her hand-blindfold, peeking at him through her fingers. Matsuri soon dropped her hands away though, a small smile on her lips again. Okay, so her words still stood - everyone acts stupid sometimes...but oh, he likes her? Suri's cheeks reddened again, now resembling a ripened strawberry, until he cleared up the confusion as she had... Well, better than she had, actually. Mats  had absolutely fluffed up her attempt at clearing confusion, that much was obvious... She felt her blush beginning to fade, finally.... but still, a wink? That simple action kept the now-pale pink from leaving her face completely.

"Okay, good! I'm glad we're friends!" she replied cheerily, trying to re-assert her confidence back into the situation. Her statement wasn't too forward, or... untrue... right? If two people liked each other, that made them friends, yeah? At least, that's how her logic worked. Was it normal to just declare friendship like that...? Oh well. It probably was.