Happy Birthday.... I guess (Open)

It was Salzem's birthday today and he loathed it. It was tradition that when his birthday came around, his mother and his father would be there to celebrate with him. Just them and no one else. A perfect little family for that one day of the year. Now that his father was dead and his mother was in hiding, Salzem had nothing more to return to at home besides the dust on the table and the trash can whom he had neglected to feed lately. He began to walk around Konoha looking like someone had killed his dog or something, trying to find a nice spot for meditation. He wanted to keep his mind off what today was. Freshly 15 and had already suffered the problems adults were usually faced with. Wandering around for a while, he found himself walking up to a balcony that overlooked the entire village. He always seemed to end up there in his time of need. Perhaps the Leaf God directed him there so he could see all he had and now all he will give up (He just called chance "The Leaf God". More flashy). He looked out over the place that had been his home his entire life. A bustling village with many young ninja (most of which he knew).  He was going to leave them to fate for his own selfish comfort.

"Happy birthday..." Salzem muttered to himself bitterly. "You big jerk..."

It was a nice day the sun was out and their was a nice cool breeze running through the village. Cole had just spent the day before doing hard training with his new friend yensung. Cole figured that he could use a day off. Just this week he had mastered four new jutsu. Two of which was A rank, and he learned how to use his wind element. Cole was walking down to the ramen shop so he could go and grab some good food.

On his way through the village he was talking to people, and having a good time. Cole happened to look up at to the sky when he noticed a man standing on the highest balcony in the village. Cole had been their before it was a nice sight to behold. From their you can see the hole village, and it looks awesome cole thought to himself. Cole looked closer and he could see that it looked like the guy might jump. Cole felt like he couldn't let the guy jump not with out trying to help. He quickly jumped onto the roof of the closest building and started making his way to the balcony as fast as possible. Jumping from one roof to another roof, as he got closer he noticed that it was sal, and now he definitely wouldn't let sal jump off the roof. He would stop him before he leaned on over the edge of the rail and plummet to his death.

Cole got almost to the balcony but he knew he couldn't make the jump from the roof to the balcony, so as he ran he made a few hand signs and formed the water whip jutsu. Jumped as high as he could and used the water whip jutsu to grab the rail and sling himself up onto the balcony, as he landed on the balcony he took off running at sal. Making a few more hand signs he charged and would try to create a water prison jutsu around sal with out him noticing it till it was to late.

AP-255-20-20=215

Wallowing in his bitter state, Salzem didn't notice cole, nor did he notice the water closing around him before he could do anything about it. Salzem saw the water closing around him like a mouth, the orb trapping him, slowing his movement. He glared angrily at whoever had trapped him, feeling his rage boil through to the surface. He saw a rippled shadow of a person, but couldn't make out any defining characteristics he could use to define him. With his massive strength of 70, he tore himself out of the prison, teeth bared in a snarl, eyes wild like fire. He was in a dark place and being attacked most certainly didn't help. However, as his vision cleared, he saw it was Cole. He wanted him to stop doing something. What was it, brooding? Was brooding against Konoha jurisdiction now? He restrained himself, shoving his rage down into his stomach like it was a nasty pill. Salzem felt sick. Not like he had contracted an infection, but in that way when you are wrestling with rage and sorrow and they stir into a nasty brew. In his state of emotional confusion, Salzem glared at Cole, eyes showing his mixed emotions.

"You better have a good reason for this, Cole..." He whispered. Even though his voice was low, his tone spoke volumes, like that if he was harassed like this more.... well.... nasty things come to those who poke the Hornet's Nest. He would stand in front of Cole, body tensed, ready to pull an attack of his own if Cole tried to pull another trick.

Cole got sal in the water prison jutsu, but sal broke out of it like it was child's play. Sal turned and looked at cole with a look mixed with anger curiosity and possible the urge to kill. He looked cole in the eyes and said that he better have a good reason for this. Cole could tell that sal was not in a good mood, but cole figured since he was about to kill himself, or at least thats what cole thought.

“Look sal im only here to help. I don't know whats wrong, but you can't do this. Nothing is bad enough for you to try and kill your self over” cole would say as he raised his right arm up with his palm out. While leaving his left arm down and by his belly.

“you have to stay alive Sal how am I suppose surpassed you if your dead. Now back up from the rail and lets talk about this” cole would tell Sal. He wasn't the best at giving speeches, but for his friend he would try. At least he thought of Sal as a friend, but right now he couldn't tell if Sal felt the same.

Salzem's eyes widened at what cole was saying. Was this a joke? Did he honestly believe he was up here to off himself? He could've just as easily plunged his sword into his heart or broke his own neck. Salzem would stare at cole for a moment longer, not saying anything. Just staring. His anger diminished as what Cole had said to him sunk in. I guess it would make sense considering the gloomy demeanor he wore all day. He would step away from the railing as Cole asked, taking a step towards him instead.

"I'm not here to die, Cole." Salzem said, voice forced. "I'm here to think." Behind his eyes, he felt tears coming on but he held them back. Crying in front of Cole was the last thing he wanted. Well, next to telling him that he was leaving Konoha.

“O well good” cole said feeling a bit dumb. Of course he wouldn't want to kill himself cole thought to himself. Sal stepped to cole the look of anger now left his face cole let his arms fall back down putting them in his pocket. He would wait a minute and then say “well if you want ill talk to you. Ill listen to whats got you down, or we can spar if you want to take some frustration out. It's your call were friends so I kinda feel like I should help however I can” cole tells Sal with a smile. He didn't care which choice sal went for. He would listen to him and talk or he would fight with him in a spar. Either way cole would learn a few things. Either about sal or training either way cole was fine with it.

Salzem looked at Cole, his sympathetic smile on his face. It reminded him of the smile his father would give him when he would fall over as a small child or fail at a jutsu. Salzem's face looked ashen, his body shook, but he some how kept the tears from coming. He laid up against a near by wall, scooting down until he was sitting, head down-cast.

"It's my birthday. Today  I would normally meet my mother and father together back home." Salzem's eyes seemed unfocused as he said this. "My father died recently and I haven't seen my mother the last couple of years. I can only assume she is dead to..."

He looked back at Cole, his eyes, a look of pure suffering.

"I feel alone on this day..."

Sal walked over and leaned against the wall. Sliding down till he was sitting on the ground and leaning against it. Cole walked over and sit down in front of Sal. Cole could see that sal was in pain, and that their was nothing that he could do to ease the pain but he could take his mind off of it. “i'm sorry about that” cole tells Sal as he looks him in his eyes. “look I can't help with you family and I am sorry about it, but we will do something do today. Because I can help you with the feeling of loneliness. I will stay with you today lets get out of here, and go do something fun” cole said as he stood up.

“Come we will go get some food first” cole would add as he offered Sal a hand.

Salzem noted how caring Cole was being now. Despite Salzem lashing out at him earlier today and his dark and lonely demeanor, Cole persisted in making him feel better. He looked up at him, Smiling hopelessly. He was a good friend. At his offer to grab some food, Salzem nodded, getting up from his spot with the aid of Cole's hand. He then wiped his eyes with his other one, as they had gotten a bit wet.

"Alright Cole..." Salzem said, voice slightly less hopeless than before. "I'll go where you go."

Sal took coles hand and got up telling cole that he would go were ever he went. Cole made a few hand signs and water began to form into a whip in his right hand. He then grabbed sals hand with his left and ran jumping off of the ledge. Using his water whip to sling them to the safety of the next roof down. He would then take off running letting go of Sals hand as they land on the roof. He knew sal was faster then he was so it wouldn't be no problem for him to keep up with cole. Cole was headed to the ramen shop he liked eating their and he was sure that Sal would like to as well. Ichiraku noodle shop was were they was headed. By the time they got their which wouldn't have taken more then ten minutes at the speed they was going and jumping from roof to roof. Really cuts down on the time it was getting close to noon. The little shop was on the side of the street it had about eight bar stools up against a bar. On they other side of the bar is were every thing is cooked.

Cole would land on the street in front of the Ichiraku's, and wait for sal to get down. “this is the place Ichiraku's noodles are the best” cole would say before he stepped inside. Cole would sit down in the center of the bar with no one else here at the time they had the place to their self.

“so cole what will it be today another bowl of pork ramen with extra onions again” Ichiraku would ask cole? He would have a grin as he loved to see people come and eat his food. It was like his only goal in life was to feed people that loved to eat.

“you bet Ichiraku this is my friend Salzem hes a chuunin and we've been training off and on for the past few weaks, and you know what to day is his birthday, so I decided that instead of letting him spend it mopping around that we would go and have some fun today” cole told Ichiraku as he motioned for sal to sit down as well.

“well then if its you birthday and your coles friend then the first bowl is on the house, as a birth day present, but you cole you still have to pay” Ichiraku would say with a laugh as he turned around to start to make their order.

“so Sal after we eat I got something im going to show you how to do. You thought me so much stuff, so I figure that I could teach you something, and I think that this jutsu is right up your ally” cole would tell Sal as ichiraku laid the bowls down infront of them.