Market Mischief (Sal, P, NK)

Her smile slowly vanished the longer Salzem didn't make eye contact with her. Once she saw his hands cover his face she frowned with worry, did she say something wrong? Soon the air was filled with his irregular gasps and soon his sobs and words filled her ears. He betrayed people, his village, all to kill one person. He thought himself a monster...maybe that's how father felt too. She decided to pull an Echo...and make him feel better with a story, like he did for her when she couldn't find her way.

"A long time ago, there were these brother's, The eldest had two children, the other one ran a village, the third watched the children while the father was away. One day...the uncle that took care of the children...died in battle for his village...their father...blind with rage, turned his powerful fire to burn the world that took his brother from him, and only one man stood in his way, his best friend, his student, a man so close they could be considered brothers. Both of their strength matched as they fought, but the father was to be assassinated. He couldn't die though, he still had two young children still learning they're way in the world, and so...He turned his flames on his own friend instead." Her voice became sad almost, it pained her to repeat it over and over without using their names...but if Sal could here that he wasn't alone in his endeavor, well, maybe that'd help.

"The man had two brother's to lay to rest, and just before his friend died, he promised he would no longer intervene in any village affairs. Now this father, sits at home, alone, watching his children grow into fine shinobi's, living with his choices day after day. Making sure, that his children will never have to endure what he did." She finishes, a small pause to sigh out. She didn't tear up this time, her tears dried out while she trained with her father. She had to be stronger now.

"We all make mistakes Sal, but its what you do now that counts more than ever, you are no monster. If you were a monster, would you still talk? Would you still feel? Would you still cry like you are now? If you were a monster would you have friends like Saka and I? I'm pretty sure you have a few more friends standing behind you than just us as well." With each question she walked closer to Sal, a hand reaching out to grab his leg, too short to reach his hands.

Salzem heard every word Ashie spoke, not oblivious to the obvious emotion in her voice. It was clear that this story meant something special to Ashie, but, in the state Salzem was in, he couldn't quite begin to put whatever pieces there were together. Ashie walked over to him, tugging at his leg as he sat there on the floor, hiding his face. She said that he wasn't a monster, that if he were, he wouldn't be able to feel all the things he could, to suffer remorse for his actions. She reminded him that a monster wouldn't have friends the way he had Ashie and Saka as well as perhaps a few more. Salzem simply shook his head quietly, quivering with his despair all on the outside. It wasn't just that... The action could easily be forgiven... but every decision since that one had only added to the massive compound of failure that piled upon him. Not one moment since he left did he ever feel that any bit of progress had been made. He had spent an entire YEAR searching for the man who cut his friend down and with nothing to show for it. Most people would take this as a sign to quit, to give up and go home, but Salzem just didn't He persisted and, with his false confidence failing and his rage exhausted, all that was left was an overwhelming sense of futility. He'd been hiding it all behind a convincing mask, making it seem as if he hadn't changed, but with the wounds all exposed and the mask torn away, Salzem looked less like a person and more like someone who'd rotted away in that year rather than healed.

"I AM a monster...." Salzem insisted, squeezing his eyes tighter. "No matter what I do... every choice I make... every decision I choose... It always ends up going wrong... I'm a monster because, despite my best intentions, I can't save anyone... Not my friends... not myself. For all I know, I'll wake up one day and you'll all be lying in front of me dead... I'll look for your killer and fail miserably... leaving you to die in disgrace... Unavenged... I'll fail you just as I did them..." Salzem whimpered pitifully, fresh tears running down his face. His head, his heart, it all stung. It felt like a massive purge was going through his system, leaving only the gaping, open wounds behind, exposed to the air.

With her tug Salzem slowly slid down to a seated position next to him, she could reach his hands. She wanted to wait for his respond though, listening to him speak, he feared his failure and that everything wrong he did to get up to this point was for nothing. She almost became angry, but she couldn't be mad at Sal, he was really struggling with his purpose. He didn't want the same thing to happen to Ashie even if he forgave himself. She'd erase that fear. She stood in front of him gently trying to pull his hands away from his face, if she succeeded he would see her stern look upon her visage.

"I am not going anywhere Sal." She offered up a soft mile to reassure she wasn't. She meant it. It was the truth and not even Sal's sorrow would deter it. She pulled her handkerchief from her pocket, it was one she found in her Uncle Echo's room before she left Konoha. She used it to dab at the fresh tears pouring down his face, if he had let her pull his hands away.

"Making the wrong choices do not make one a monster nor a failure. You must see your mistakes Sal and come to terms that you will have to learn from them and do even better next time. If you want to avenge your friend so badly, then you need to get off your wolf butt and do it! That killer could still be out there, causing the same pain you have experienced to other's. Just because you have yet to find him doesn't mean your friend will remain unavenged, its a work in progress, you'll find him and when you do, you'll give him what he deserves!" Thoughts plagued her head, was her Uncle's foe still out there too? Was he still out there slaying someone else's uncle? Her fists clenched his hands, she couldn't think like that now. If she did, she'd be trapped by her thoughts, allowing them to eat her resolve from the inside out, just like Sal allowed his. She would give him a new resolve. She'd be the fire to lead him from the dark.

Ashie took Salzem's hands from his face, his sanguine eyes forced to come into contact with hers once again. She smiled lightly at him, assuring the older ninja that she wouldn't disappear or die on him. He was going to tear his arms from her grasp, anger was beginning to rise in his throat from his misery. Before he could do or say anything he'd regret later, however, the little uchiha girl did something Salzem didn't expect. She took out a small handkerchief and began to dab the tears still rolling from his eyes. All of a sudden, her apparent sweetness turned into a brutal, yet motivating honestly that shook Salzem out of whatever rage was building up. She said that he needed to wake up and learn from his stupidity, not simply wallow in regret. If he wanted to avenge his friend, he should persevere and do it rather than sit here and cry. Salzem was actually quite shocked that this level of motivational speech was coming from a child no older than 10 and, on top of which, she was encouraging his quest for vengeance rather than trying to get him to move on. He stared at her, his expression unreadable. For a few moments, he held that stare before breaking eye contact and staring at the ground by his hand instead.

"I've been looking for him out here for an entire year..." Salzem seemed ready to burst into tears again but, unexpectedly, he began to laugh instead. With tears still rolling down his cheeks, he laughed, finding humor from somewhere he couldn't identify. He then looked at Ashie and realized he was laughing because of her. She had given him the brutal honesty he could respond to. Although sorrowful tears still spilled out of his eyes, he smiled gratefully at the little girl was she wiped at his cheeks. Salzem took his hands and gently pushed Ashie's handkerchief away from his face, feeling that he needed it all to flood out instead of stop.

"...So whats a few more days?" He chuckled, feeling in a place between peace and chaos. At any moment, he could regain his wits or break down again. Only time would tell. "Thanks Ashie... That... that helped."

She took her time to dab at the tears, her heart clenched as he saw an anger in his eyes fade. Soon he was pushing at her hand for her to stop and she did, not wanting to pester the older shinobi in front of her. She gasped as soon after that he was laughing, wiping the tears from his face with his arm he laughed heartily. It scared her a little, made her think her new friend was sinking into the depths of insanity. Soon her fright was cleared as he had admitted that her words of honesty helped him. She knew what it felt like to want revenge, she felt it when she held onto her brother's hand when they found out their uncle had passed. It wasn't a happy feeling, it was a feeling that made you feel sad all the time, and then when Ashie was told she shouldn't have felt that way at all she got so angry. That all went away when she was allowed to properly mourn on Zero's shoulder. Maybe that's all Sal needed, was a shoulder, a friend, and Ashie really wanted to do that for Sal, so her could mourn without judgment. She'd let him grief, like a good friend would. She bowed her head to Sal,

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to be so blunt, but, I was like that too when my uncle died, I was so upset...that it wasn't me who died in his place instead, that it was someone's fault, and I blamed myself...my father...it hurt...I yelled at my mother...I was so angry. My friend was the only one who listened, let me cry it out of my system. I just...I want to do the same for everyone if I can, even if it helps a little bit." She was embaressed admitting her own faults, the horrible things she said to her mother, the resentment towards her father for not being there. It was awful what she felt at the time, but once she had gotten over it and forgave herself, she was able to move on.

This was the result of her resolve, she could see the world with opened eyes. Wise and experienced. She was smart, perceptive, and gentle. Something akin to her title in Asgard. It was almost like she was a princess from another world. However in this world, she was just another humble shinobi of High rank birth. She wanted to be equal and for everyone to feel equal to her. She was just a little girl after all, of Chuunin rank. The only thing that proved her nobility was her eyes, which she kept to herself most of the times. Her uncle had told her one day she would find her purpose, and she was going to do it well. She could feel him now, her heart thrummed with the beat of her own drum. That was Echo, telling her she was doing good.

"And now I respect you even more." Salzem said, hearing Ashie's explanation. He got to his feet slowly, wiping what remained of his tears away. It was hard to believe that such wisdom could come from such a young person. Made him feel self conscious about how dense he could be sometimes. "I really do appreciate the kind of person you are, Ashie. Trying to help me the way you are... I feel lucky." Salzem grinned and shrugged, purging whatever darkness that remained from his heart (for the moment) and he put a hand on Ashie's head, patting it gently.

Even as he complimented Ashie, a wave of shame washed over the lycanthrope. He had let his true feelings be known, unable to contain those raw emotions, only spew them all over someone he thought of as a friend. Salzem felt as if he had violated Ashie's security, even if she didn't feel that way at all. He felt stupid and incompetent for not holding his emotions in better, for not keeping them chained until he was sure he was alone. He must have looked like the dumbest of ninja to whoever was watching, crying his eyes out in front of a child almost half his age.

"Yeah... uh... on that note, I really think I should go." Salzem said, quickly making his way towards the exit, his face painted with red. His eyes were still wet from his moment of weakness a little while ago and it almost seemed he was going to break down again in shame. If Ashie tried to stop him, he wouldn't spare her a glance and, instead, would slip out into the crowd of people outside, pulling his hood over his head and his mask back over his face. Although in Sunagakure, no place was every truly free from anyone's prying eyes (what with the anbu and all), Salzem would slip through the maze of people, searching for a place that seemed vacant

(EXIT)
(WC: 5952)
(Claiming Seven Heavens Breathing Method B-Rank, Basic Medical Ninjutsu E, and 59 ap)

She smiled big as she heard Sal thank her for her honesty. Ashie wasn't going to lie to Sal, if he felt ashamed for not chasing after something, then he should go and do it! Her smile dropped into a thin line of worry as Sal's face turned red and tears started to form in his eyes as he offered a farewell, even though Ashie lunged forward to grab his hand but Sal was already moving into a mass of people and when she had finally apologized for walking in between them Sal was already moving with the swarm of people.

She saw him pull his hood up, she dropped her hand, she hoped that she helped Sal. She didn't want him to feel shamed, worthless, any number of negative feelings he could've gotten from their encounter. She hopes that she'd see him again soon, so they could talk again. Ashie slowly makes her way back to Koroshi's office, looking around making sure no one she knew saw her wandering in. She checked in with his secretary who was actually really nice to Ashie,

"How was your day today? Make any new friends?" She asked, while writing on her notes.

"No, but, I think I helped a friend today, he seemed sad so...I think I helped him anyways. He seemed sad when he left..." She rubbed her arm shyly adding on, "I haven't told any of them about me living with the Kazekage who is my uncle...I don't want people to see me differently." she admitted, a soft blushing dusting her slightly tanner cheeks, she's caught some sun. The receptionist smiled and pat Ashie gently on the head,

"There there Ashie, I'm sure your friend is fine, and take your time adjusting to Suna, now head on upstairs, your dinner is on your desk in your room." Ashie smiled softly as she thanked her, walking up to her room to eat and relax.

[EXIT, total word counts provided from the scrapped fights as per Viper's request.
Total word count 5,736.]

Allotting Salzem 3,000 words, and Ashie 2,900 to only be put towards stats/AP. No jutsu can be gained from this due to none being trained in the CD part of the thread.