A Day making things Right (P, NK, Sal)

Sal was suffering, Ashie listened to his sorrows, his anger at his own self for not being there for other's when they needed back up the most. Ashie too thought that, why couldn't it had been her instead of Uncle Echo? Samuru and her family would've been so much happier....but she couldn't think like that...because she knew her father and everyone else would be just as upset if Ashie had fallen in battle. There was really nothing Ashie could do for Salzem, all she could do was be a shoulder for him to lean on...metaphorically. If he really leaned on her, Sal would surely crush her. She looked down slightly, she wanted to say something anything that might make him feel even a tiny bit better!

"I know you can't forgive yourself, but Saka and I can. We don't want you to leave, but we want to see you happy. I'm sure my Un...the Kazekage has spoken to you at least once, I'm sure he cares too. If you like hunting, then...maybe you should aspire to be an ANBU. I mean yeah sure you'd be loyal to a village for the rest of your life. But you'd have an adventure everyday! And you'd get to do so much stuff! I know it'd be impossible for me, but someday, I'd like to become the Hokage, and stop this selfishness spreading through the Leaf. I want peace Sal, I'm tired of people being hurt for all the wrong reasons. I want the villages to work together!" She paused, before she realized how stupid her dream was. The sparkle in her eyes fading as her smile went into a stoic line. She couldn't do that, she was just...Ashie. She didn't even belong in this world anyways, she was meant to be a shield for her brother, who was to become the next Head of the Uchiha clan.

"I know...sounds stupid right? The only reason why I passed my Chuunin exam was because I was pit up against my brother, I managed to outwit him...but in the end I didn't have the skill to beat him, and in a redemption round I made it just barely." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace, it was a ying-yang necklace, she made a bunch of these before she gave the finished one to Zero before she left Konoha. It was a momento, something to remind Zero of Ashie. If Sal were to leave, she wanted him to remember this talk, to remember her, her kindness. She held it out to Sal, the thread it was hanging from was paracord, it could go through rain and wont ware out. She looked up at Sal,

"Take this, I know it's not much, but I want you to have it, as a token of our friendship, and whenever you feel down or think bad thoughts again, I want you to think of me and Saka! Think that you have two awesome friends who will always be here for you!" She said this with a big smile and she meant it, hoping that maybe this was the start to helping Sal heal his pain. Hoping to cheer him up she stood on her tippy-toes moving to put the necklace over his head and letting it fall around his neck.

Despite himself and his misery, Salzem managed a genuine grin through the tears. Granted it was pitiful and waning, but it was still a smile. What she had said to him... He really didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve a lot of the kindness he had been shown. Ashie said that he didn't have to forgive himself, that Sakai and she already did. She offered him dreams of something to aspire to: to be an ANBU of the sand have adventures everyday. Sure, he'd have to give up the freedom he'd grown used too, but wouldn't being close to his comrades be worth it? To make sure they don't die as so many of them had before...? Yes, it would most definitely be worth it but he had invested so much in tracking down this killer... If he didn't find his whereabouts before he settled down, it would haunt him for the rest of his days. He probably wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing that he gave up when he was this close. Nonetheless, Salzem silently tucked the idea of joining the sand permanently in the back of his mind. Maybe he'd do that.... He didn't think on the idea of having his loyalties torn between two villages. It would only cause him to spiral into another disheartened state.

When she announced that she wanted to become the Hokage, Salzem let out a short burst of laughter. It wasn't spiteful like he couldn't believe she'd try Nor was it Ironic and sarcastic. No, this was a joyful laughter. To have someone like Ashie on the throne of Hokage, that might actually work... you know.... later in life. She commented on how her dream was dumb and that she'd never achieve it and to that, Salzem let out another laugh. He could and has gone through a phase where everything, his dream, seemed pointless and stupid. Maybe she could understand him enough to lob him out of the mile-deep hole he'd dug himself into.

"You're dream is not stupid, Ashie." The wolf contradicted her. "The moment you have the Hokage's throne, all the villages will rejoice because they know you can make your dream happen."  Despite her saying that she couldn't even outfight her brother, that didn't really matter. Stuff like that no one really looks at and judges. "Stuff like winning a tournament may be nice to look at, but in the end, it doesn't matter." That could be taken as a negative or a positive but in this case, it was meant to be a positive. 

It was then that Ashie gave him something... A little pendant with a small yin-yang symbol on it's front. He held it in his large hand unsure what this meant. Then, she explained it. A token of their friendship... a memento of this conversation they've had. A Reminder of Ashie and Sakaiza. With a wide grin on her face, she told him to remember the amazing friends he'd made here in Suna. His smile widened as he did and wondered if he could give her a hug....? It probably wouldn't be a smart decision considering that Ashie was Ashie and he was... well.... him. Too big of a height and mass difference between them. Instead, Ashie tried to slip the necklace round his throat but she was just a bit too short. Smiling in amusement, He bowed his head, lowering it so that she could reach. The pendant fell over his chest, giving him another thing to remember. Something good.

"Thank you Ashie..." Salzem smiled. "You are going to be Hokage, you know."

As she spoke she heard him laugh here or there, but that was good! She was getting him to feel better! She didn't like seeing people cry, specially when they feel something is their fault. It wasn't Ashie's job to give judgement, that was her father's. Her job right now was hard, she was a Leaf ninja, and here she was in Suna because her father felt like they weren't safe at the moment in the Leaf village. She was glad though, she made a few new friends while she was here. Her eyes widened when he had told her that her dream wasn't as stupid as she thought. She wanted to be like Koroshi, she sees a lot of people going in and out of his office, and Koroshi was really really nice to Ashie and Samuru. I mean...yeah they were family, but he could've been lax in the kindness department, but Koroshi really was a kind man. Ashie liked that, wanted to be like that for the Leaf. To stop all the anger and maybe even start making alliances with the other villages. She pictured it in her head, not as she was now, but older, sitting at the Kage desk. Of course being a Kage wasn't easy. She knew that, her father use to be Hokage, she remembered the nights where he wasn't in Asgard for days. He even gave her consolation for her Chuunin exam which she had to fight in a redemption round to even stand a chance.

She shook herself from her thoughts, she was now standing on air putting the necklace on Sal, who had lowered his head for her, her eyes widened again. Surprised that he'd do such, she smiled as the necklace fell against his shoulders and neck and she jumped back and off her air platform. There is was, that smile, the same smile Zero, Saka and now Sal have given Ashie. She did it, she made another friend. He had thanked her, but really Ashie should've been thanking him, he gave her the chance to make things right, had even given her a lesson to watch what comes out of her mouth half the time. She smiled and then he had told her that she was going to be a future Kage. She smirked, she hoped so, but she couldn't get her hopes up only to be smashed. She knew she'd have to protect everyone and it was going to be hard. She would have to manage squads and do a lot of paper work, she remembers when she met Uncle Navi, he had huge piles of paperwork on his desk. Piles the size of Ashie. Yet again she found herself doubting, maybe in the future she have a talk with her father about returning them to the Leaf, and maybe Sal could visit, she knew that if he would ever ask Koroshi, he would say yes.

Of course that was an issue too, ANBU, they weren't meant to feel, they were meant to only focus on the mission for the village. Complete the objective whether it'd be right or wrong. To guard the village and the Kage with their life. She felt her heart tighten, she didn't know if she could even do that, she knew her father right now as he was, didn't want anything to do with this world anymore. He spent his days sitting on his thrown in thought, but...maybe all it took was for someone to get him up and going again. Maybe Ashie would return to Asgard and try just that. Shaking herself from her thoughts again she looked up at Sal and smiled,

"Maybe I will, but If I don't then it's okay, I'm not that strong to begin with, that's why Saka and I were at the ramen shop. When you caught us, we had just finished training. He taught me a few things, he's a nice guy. It really is nice here in the Sand, even if its too hot. The people here are a lot nicer than...well...home. I want this world to be a gentler place, for everyone, for my brother." She finished speaking, she knew what she was saying was wrong. Protect Samuru, protect her family with her life. When what Ashie should be saying would be, Protect the Leaf, die for the Leaf, but she couldn't do that. The Leaf could order her to slay her brother and she needed to be prepared to say no. She wouldn't do it and that was her flaw as a shinobi, she'd disobey and defect. If it came to that her wrath would be as powerful as Viper himself. That's why she followed her father, he protected his family, his wife, his son...his daughter. She was Viper's daughter, and she followed in his footsteps, one by one.

Salzem let out a sigh. He was about to get philosophical. He didn't do this often so... it was somewhat special.

"Ashie, I am strong. I can crush boulders, I can rip buildings from their foundations, and given time, I could tear this whole village down with nothing but tooth and claw. Strength, though is void and useless without a worthy wielder. Me? I could never be a Kage because one, who would want to follow someone like me?" He let out a short chuckle before continuing, growing serious. "And two, I am no real leader. As I said before, I couldn't make a smart decision to save anyone's life." The dark humor was not lost on him, even if he didn't mean to tell such a joke. "I don't know what family is, nor could I make a decision that would benefit my people more than me. Its just not who I am. It is every ninja's dream to be a kage, but I found out real quick I just couldn't do it." Salzem let out another, more wistful sigh, his shoulders shrugging involuntarily as he took the breath. "My point is, strength is overrated. What do they call it...?" The wolf rubbed the back of his head as he tried to find the words. "Will of Fire, I think...? That's all you need. You are young, Ashie. You've got a whole lifetime to figure out what you want to do, but, In my professional opinion, I think you'll do a fine job if you still want to do it when the time comes."

What he didn't say is that he hoped he was around to see it. He didn't know if Ashe was aware of his Missing ninja status or if she even cared, but to lose a friend over her knowing his status... He didn't want that... So he kept his mouth shut on that topic. Instead, he offered one last word of wisdom, one he debated amongst himself once Kouse had come to Sunagakure. A piece he should have told him.

"Keep in mind, friend, that there will come a time where you will have to pick lives whether you are kage or not. It is said that choosing the village over friends and family is the correct thing to do, yes? When you make that choice, just know that it's not completely true. There are so many things to consider, so many human flaws that even the greatest of champions share." Salzem shrugged his massive shoulders and offered her a playful wink in an effort to lower the intensity. "You are not in the wrong if you choose to save a close friend over a group of people. I promise. While it is true, that the precedent requires the village over all others, The precedent is law for machines. Good guidelines for us people, hm...?"  

With that being said, the whole intensity of their conversation had worn out the great wolf. Either that or it was the sunstroke contracted from his dense fur trapping the already insane Suna heat. He let out a large, unexpected yawn, his teeth easily brought to bare, sparkling under the Suna sun.

"Anyway, enough with such depressing talk of the future. Feel like getting something to eat? I'm in the mood for something cold."

She listened closely as he explained that he was so strong, but yet knew for himself that being a Kage wasn't for him, then he said it, Will of Fire, her eyes widened and sparkled as he explained that even though its the dream of many to become a Kage, Sal still thought Ashie would've done a great job at it if the chance should arise. He went on to explain that saving her brother over a village, isn't really a bad thing. To save a group of people over one close friend, is for people who don't feel. Was that true? Her eyes faded as her mind went to that dark place,

'Your Uncle Echo wasn't killed by any mere man, your uncle chose death for himself. My actions in the past led to the world fearing us, and the neighboring villages were getting unstable, your uncle died at the hand of a known shinobi to correct that balance, to help bring peace to the world. Your Uncle Navi, gave his life to make me see that. He came to me, and stopped me from burning this world to the ground....at the cost of his life.'

That's right...her father killed her Uncle Navi...her Uncle had given his life because the world feared them. If Navi didn't give his life, the world would be burned from her father's rage. Her head tilted down as she hid her feelings away again, not here, I can't do this here. She heard Sal yawn and stretch, he offered to get something cold to eat. She closed her eyes open them again and turned on her best smile.

"That sounds great Sal! Where to? Definitely not the Ramen shop!" She giggled as she joked, she asked him because she knew that he probably didn't like the same foods Ashie did, so she'd go where he want to go that way Sal got to eat something, even if Ashie didn't want the same thing.

Salzem saw the light in Ashie's eyes fade for just a moment, but chose not to probe her on that information. It was hers and hers alone to relive unless she felt like sharing it. No point in digging through her own memories for the sake of simply being curious. He ignored the subtle change and shrugged his shoulders, waving a massive hand over at the village from which they came.

"Oh, somehow Sunagakure managed to set up an ice cream stand down the way. I have no idea how they maintain it in this heat, but hey, its there." Should Ashie feel like ice cream, The white wolf would lead the way back into the busy market, ignoring the gazes of the various people in the crowd. T'was not long before Salzem stopped in front of a large, white table stand, the man behind the table giving the same smile to everyone who passed by, even monstrous 7 foot tall werewolves. There was a large metal box behind the man with frost flowing off of it like mist. There was a large chalk-board titled "Flavors" with various different options ranging from the classic vanilla to the more exotic like grape and orange with prices ranging from cheap to... well... not cheap. Not to mention the multiplier of scoops and various sizes. Some of the more exotic flavors were worth that of a D-Rank mission, easy. It was almost a scandal the prices these flavors demanded, but, from what he heard, they were worth it. Salzem looked over at Ashie and smiled.

"What do you feel like? I'm buying."

If the girl had ears like Sal they would be perked up at attention from the mere mention of ice cream. The girl followed Sal, as she followed she watched his tail, she wanted to touch but no! That would be rude, and she didn't know if Sal would be comfortable with that just yet, he wasn't an animal after all, he was a human too, just...not in a human form. When Sal stopped she accidently bumped into him, but it wasn't enough to really move or hurt either of them. She moved to his side apologizing for bumping into him before staring at the chalkboard with wide eyes. The sparkle was back again, she was hopping up and down before she began to dig into her pouch for some ryo. Then she heard him offer to pay, she looked back with a worried face, again, she wanted to treat someone for once, but everyone just kept offering to pay. Ashie heard about this though, her mom taught her that whenever friends or clients go to eat, sometimes it's really nice to pay for their meal. Ashie looked up at Sal and asked if he was sure, Ashie had plenty of ryo form her missions back home.

If Sal were to tell her that it was fine she would look up at the gentle ice cream man and ask for vanilla, she did want to try the other flavors but she would do that another time, she didn't want to waste her friend's currency for a flavor she might not like. Vanilla was the only ice cream she's ever tried. She watched as the man scooped her a nice scoop and handed it to her to hold, the thanked him and then turned to Sal and thanked him too, it was really sweet that he would do that for her.

If he changed his mind about paying she would do the same only taking some ryo from her pocket to pay the ice cream man with.

When Ashie asked if he was sure about paying Sal simply nodded his head and smiled, showing that he didn't believe a simple ice-cream was enough to make a big enough dent in his wallet for him to care. His companion ordered her frozen treat, a simple one scoop of vanilla and Salzem browsed the flavors, finally settling on chocolate. He always had a soft spot for chocolate. I was his favorite candy and ice-cream, even in this wolven form. That being said.... it would be a little awkward eating the stuff with a mouth like his. Luckily, the stand also provided napkins for not a ryo more. This was great as if the man charged the napkins, Salzem just might've gotten a little angry. Salzem then lead the young uchiha back to the gates, a place only a little ways away, but more specifically, he lead her to the bench that overlooked the gates. He sat down on one end, practically taking up most of the small bench for himself accidentally. He grinned at Ashie sheepishly (pun) and adjusted his tale so that it rested beside him on the bench, leaving just enough room for Ashie to sit as well, should she want.

He had noticed her staring at it earlier, his tail. For what purpose, he did not know, but it made him feel just a tad self conscious. It was really the only part of him that wasn't vaguely human. It was something new and, to some extent, his vulnerability. Attempting to keep his mind off his weakness, Salzem struggled to pick up the spoon that rested in his chocolate ice cream bowl. These cursed hands could rip things to shreds, but they couldn't hold a simple plastic spoon right? Frustrated, Salzem just snatched up the spoon in his hand, holding it as if it were a kunai knife. He was getting impatient with his lack of motor skills. If he waited any longer, he'd be drinking this instead of eating it. Awkwardly scooping the melting ice-cream out of the bowl, he stuck the spoon in his mouth, attempting to eat it as he did when he was a human. With his huge teeth, this proved impossible, causing most of the ice-cream to remain on the spoon as he retracted it. Deciding he was done, he set down the spoon, opened his maw as far as it could go and dumped the treat inside, splattering his face with brown just a bit. Salzem nearly choked on his ice-cream, but he managed to get it down, the chill of it resting nicely in his stomach. Snatching up a few napkins, he began wiping his face clean, muttering to himself.

"This stupid body.... can't eat ice-cream right... Feh...."

The girl was maintaining her manners, she noticed though, that Sal was having trouble eating his ice cream while attempting to eat like her, she smiled big, she stuck out her tongue and gave a long lick to her ice cream cone. This cause to make a small mess, little spots of vanilla appearing on her cheeks. She giggled remembering,

'He leans forward now gripping the spoon in his right hand and twirling it around a bit, "Ok, this is what you call desert, the most important meal of the day for kids!" he says speaking his own personal views towards the sugar filled concoctions.'

She giggled, she remembered that day, she was so ignorant about this world, her brother had tricked her to eating a rock, but then he treated her to ice cream. She remembered her brother swearing while not being able to eat it right, he fell off the stool in the process and flung the ice cream right past her. Such good memories, she hoped to make even more memories like that. She was happy to share these moments with Sal, she was glad he felt comfortable around him.

"Just use your tongue Sal! Don't cha know? There is no right way to eat ice cream! You can even do this!" She took a bit out of the bottom of her cone making a small hole to suck the ice cream out and then to stop the top from dripping she'd lick around it to keep it maintained. She was being serious of course, she watched adults quite often and she thought it was the best thing, a food that had a million ways to eat. The perfect treat for anyone to eat. Hey that rhymed! She paused as she wanted to share a small story.

"When I first came to the Leaf, I didn't know anything, and my brother showed me around. He bought me ice cream. I thought it tasted fantastic. He brought cake too. Come to think of it, I've come a long way since then. I know it's only been about a year and a half, but I've still made so much progress." She was thinking about her brother, she loved him, he was her only friend until she met Zero, Shanks during the Chuunin exams, and now Saka and Sal. Her heart was bubbling with joy. It seemed like Ashie really was enjoying herself, she hoped Sal was too!

Salzem, still brooding just a bit as he stroked the last of the chocolate icecream out of his face-fur, tossed his ice-cream cup blindly to the side, somehow managing to hit and score into an trashcan. That little thing made him smile just a tiny bit. He listened silently to Ashie as she spoke, leaning back in the bench and looking out over the Sand's gates. She recounted a story of how she and her brother had ice-cream in the leaf. She said that this happened about a year and a half ago, a time when Salzem himself wasn't confined to this form and when he wasn't considered an outlaw in his own homeland. The very thought caused his blood to boil and he tried to suppress this anger. Being called a traitor, being striped of your ties with friends, family and kin just because you were trying to do what was right, it made the wolf seethe, but he seethed silently, quietly, masterfully enough so that even if one looked into his eyes, they'd see only his eyes.

"And you've got a long way to go." Salzem responded. "That's not always a bad thing though... I think you've go a lot of potential, Ashie. I mean... I'm not saying that just to be nice. If this body is useful for anything, its sensing and what I sense now is a lot of power coming from you. A lot of potential." At this point, Salzem turned to her, eyes inquisitive. "You've said a lot of where you've been, but not exactly where you're from. If it's not a too touchy subject, Where do you come from Ashie?"

Of course, Salzem meant this question to  be one of curiosity, not one of probing. He hoped he hadn't touched a nerve asking about her origin. If people asked Salzem where he was from, I'd be hard for him to answer without him getting some kind of angry. This whole thing that they did to him, it didn't feel fair. What Konoha had done to him, what they took from him, he felt was unjustified, rash and stupid, somewhat like his own decisions. That thought gaze Salzem some measure of ironic humor, but it was brief. Now, the wolf didn't believe the whole village should pay. No, that would be too dramatic and unjustified. No, but one person will pay for it. A certain stupid-hatted Aburame would get what's coming to him. The thought made Salzem smile just a little more.