A Person in the Void(Akane)

"Yeah... I suppose it is." Salzem admitted. Yup, he should have known she would turn the topic back on him. At least she looked like she belonged here, what with her lighter clothing keeping less of her heat in. Salzem, on the other hand, wore much heavier clothes that were BLACK, the color that attracted heat. Needless to say, he was nothing short of miserable in his daily clothes, the hot desert air making it NO EASIER for him to go about the daily grind.

"I'm not really from around this area... I come from a place that was much cooler, a place where I could afford to wear this and be comfortable. Here... its nothing short of painful. I keep wearing it because... well... I want that resistance to heat the Sunagakure people have here... I want to train myself to not suffer under that blighted sun, but, surprise surprise, I've been getting nowhere." Salzem frowned, looking out across the dunes with a great strain on his face. It was clear that he was either going to have to transform into his wolven state, or be carried home by the girl, neither option plausible. He still had a mile left in him. He could put off his revolting state a tad longer and so he did. He didn't want to scare her... He didn't want her to scream as she witnessed him becoming a horrible, inhuman beast. He didn't want her to attack him for fear of him attacking her first. Someone as kind as her didn't deserve to see something so hideous... Something so ugly and beastial.

"So..." Salzem said with his breathing almost as heavy as his weighted clothing. "Yeah... I still like you're outfit more... its... breathable. Mine is so bulky and heavy, its training by itself just to get up and put it on....."

Akane would look at Salzem and would listen to him talk about how he wanted to build a resistance to the Heat of the desert and as he talked about how he couldn't build his immunity to the heat. "You can't wear things as thick as those silly! I don't even think I'd be able to! You need to wear lighter and more breathable clothing.", she would say while smiling at Salzem. Akane was surprised he had even got this far while wearing those clothes and knew that soon he'd collapse from dehydration because of the sweat he was letting out by wearing those clothes. She was correct as well and after ten minutes or so he'd begin to breathe heavily when he spoke to her and looked like he was about ready to collapse on the ground. "You need to take off the heavy jacket and your gloves, if you don't you'll probably die out here. It's far too hot to be wearing things like that.", she would say ignoring his comments about her clothing.

Akane would then wait for him to make the decision whether or not to keep on the clothing or not and once he made his decision she'd hand him two pouches of water, telling him to drink up while doing so. It was still going to be a while before they got to Sunagakure and she couldn't afford to let him die before then.

Akane was right about one thing: It WAS far too hot to be wearing this. In fact, he could go full lycan form now and discard the entire upper half of his outfit entirely. It would make his life a whole lot easier and his trip back a whole lot quicker, but if she were to witness such a... violent transformation, he could only assume Akane would shun him. He let out a deep breath and pushed his heavy black jacket off over his head, revealing a black tank-top underneath protecting his torso. Although he felt a ton lighter and far cooler, he felt... exposed, as if he just realize he was out in the open without his full gear on. He felt a different kind of discomfort, the kind that constantly made him look over his shoulder. He tied his jacket around his midsection, deciding that was enough for his... lighter clothing. Without his jacket, his frame was revealed. Salzem appeared a tad thinner than most, but his body was scarred and athletic, likely due to the heavy training he went through in Konoha. Especially along his back and neck, large gashes could be seen where one of his teachers, Fenn, had slashed him with an edged banboo switch. With his hands also exposed, one would be able to see the callouses formed up and down his palms, knuckles and fingers, natural defenses formed from intense taijutsu training. Finally, to aid with his breathing, The sanguine-eyed ninja lowered his mask from his face, revealing a large, splash-scar running down one cheek where he was splashed with acid. Salzem appeared even more weathered with his gear removed, especially with that look on his face. He looked like someone who suffered hell up until this point, and to some degree, he had.

Salzem graciously took the water offered to him, nodding in thanks before chugging a good bit of it.

"Thank you." He said, sighing in contentment as the cool liquid reached his stomach. "I needed that." Now, the only thing he had to worry about was sun-burn. Hokage's sake, he hated sunburn. It ached and peeled and.... burned... One of the reasons he hated Suna's deserts. Sunburn never happened in Konoha. Regardless, he felt invigorated. "So... Better?" Salzem asked, spreading his arms out to either side. "Breathable enough?"

Akane would watch Salzem as he took off his heavy black jacket and mask off and as all of his scars came into view. He looked a few years younger than Akane, but he had so much more scars than her. Akane had only had a few small scars on her body from fighting off the deadly creatures in the desert as she travelled. It was a wonder how Salzem hadn't died yet, it looked as if he should've died at least a good 10 times by now. What was even more mysterious was when he had received most of the scars, had he gotten them from his time in Konoha or did he get them in the small two years that he had been a missing ninja? 

"Rough life, huh?" She'd say while looking at Salzem with a hint of pity in her eyes. He had it worse than her and she complained that she had such a horrid life. Akane had always thought she had it worse than most people, but it seemed that wasn't true. She felt so bad for him and his scars made her feel sad, even though she wasn't the one who should be feeling sad this point in life. He was the one who should be sad and he probably was, for all, she could've known he was hiding his emotions from her. Within the next few moments, she'd have suddenly pulled him into a hug without even realizing she had done so and would apologize before releasing him from the hug which had probably just made things a bit more awkward between them.

She didn't seem to react to his question, instead, staring at the scars that ran down his neck and face. He could see the sorrow well up in her eyes as her eyes ran up and down the gashes on his body, the pity obvious. She still said nothing. Not a word escaped her lips. Just... staring... Salzem raised an eyebrow at her silence, not quite picking up on where her eyes were going or the purpose of that look. Why was she looking at him like that, like he had just told her he was a dead man walking? Judging solely from her expression, one might have thought Salzem had told her he was due for a shameful execution in a few days and that he was spending every moment he could trying to reach friends and family. She looked so sad... why the sudden mood change...?

Spontaneously, and completely out of nowhere, Akane wrapped her arms around him and pulled the sanguine-eyed ninja into a hug, holding him tightly to her chest. Salzem's white, scarred face immediately flushed red around the bridge of his nose and cheeks as she squeezed him. Salzem was frozen as the older girl simply hugged him, unable to move or act or think properly within her grasp. It wasn't as if she were hugging him with this much force. On the contrary. It was a gentle, almost apologetic hug, as if she had wronged him in some way. How could she have? They had only met a little while ago. After a few long moments standing there in the desert being hugged, Salzem felt the girl pull away, her face as blushed as his as she stared apologizing profusely. Salzem just stood there in stunned silence, staring at the other girl for a moment, before breaking his gaze and, instead, focusing on the sand at his feet.

"W-what was that for...?" He mumbled, still quite flustered by the sudden gesture. His face seemed to go an even deeper shade of red as he asked this, the coloring flowing around the scar on his cheek.

Akane would look at the boy as she blushed and would dig her foot into the sand while he replied to his question, "I-I don't know... I just thought you may like a hug or something.." Akane didn't really know what went through her mind when she hugged him, she just did it. It was almost as if she felt she could comfort him and make him forget about the pain and suffering he had been through if that was even possible. She also felt that she could cheer herself up if she hugged him but all she did was just fluster herself and make him feel flustered at the same time. 

After their awkward moment of silence, she would then say, "I... I think we should continue onwards to Suna.." She was still blushing, but she didn't just want to stand there making awkward contact with him causing them both to become flustered once more, so she began walking towards Sungakure. If he followed her she would ask him something a little personal but nothing too personal to break the tension, "So... Are you apart of a clan or something?.."

Akane explained that she thought he needed a hug, as if that explained her reasoning for giving him one at all. Perhaps it was something he needed, perhaps he needed that comfort instead of people yelling at him what he should do, what he should be and how he should live. Maybe he needed that unexpected hug because it was the only real comfort he could get in Sunagakure, the place where you come to people with your problems and they tell you to man up. Of course, Salzem wouldn't admit this. He simply stared at the ground, cheeks burning hotly and not from the sun. After a few moments at them staring at their respective patches of sand, Akane noted that they should probably be getting back on the road and to that, Salzem nodded, eyes still latched onto the ground. He could still feel her arms around him, holding the younger ninja to her core. He could still feel the warmth of her body against his, something completely different from the ungodly amount of heat that stupid sun produced. It felt more... personal. He wanted more, but at the same time, the prospect of asking a random stranger for something as personal as another hug was so stupid! Imagine how much of a fool he would look like if he said "Can I have another hug?" Hokage's sake, he was a NINJA! He wasn't supposed to get flustered over stupid stuff like this! Hell, he shouldn't be talking to strangers so openly like he had been either! It was like he was forgetting his ninja training ON TOP OF his common sense. He still wanted another hug though. A longer one. He remembered how that simple act melted at his emotional barriers, how quickly it punched holes in his defenses. It felt invasive... but... freeing.

In his moment of contemplation, Akane asked if he was part of a clan, breaking his focus and forcing his eyes to shift up and meet hers. He saw how her cheeks were blushed just as deep a red as his, showing that she too was unnerved by the hug she'd given him. Did he belong to a clan? The question left a bitter taste in his mouth. Salzem had no family besides his adopted brother and although he loved him greatly, Salzem still felt so very alone at times, like he was the only one alive in a ghost town. He'd wander that town for hours just picking through the skeletons and crying his eyes out until no more tears came, hiding from the ghosts that haunted the place until he regained his composure. No, Salzem didn't have a clan. He was almost completely alone.

"No... I don't..." Salzem said, his voice still shaky. "I had a dad once... but he... he's gone." Pulling up those old memories made each heartbeat in Salzem's chest a painful one, as reflected in his expression. "I don't have a family or a clan. Just myself... No one ever stays or lives long enough to be my 'clan.'"

Akane would listen to Salzem as he told he had no family and that everyone who does become his family just ends up dying. It was quite depressing, but Akane was still too flustered to be saddened by his words. She did empathize with him, though, she had no family and has never had any family. The closest person to a family she had was Haru who was like a little brother to her. She wanted more than just Haruki though and thought that maybe she should offer to be part of Salzem's family even though his family did sound like it was cursed with the plague of death. That didn't really bother her too much, though, if Salzem was able to endure so much then she would be able to endure that much. She had made up her mind and pulled Salzem into another hug, this time, she held on longer and this time, it didn't make her feel flustered.

"I'll be a part of your family, clan or whatever you want to call it Salzem! I promise you that I won't die!", she'd say enthusiastically before releasing him. She hoped that he'd accept her into his family even though they had only just met. Akane wanted Salzem to be happy, after all, she was out here looking to spread her happiness among the wanderers of the desert. She thought Salzem deserved a bit of happiness in his life, happiness that would stay.

Another silence fell over them both as Salzem explained his story. As the silence grew, so did his discomfort. Why wasn't she saying anything? was she judging him? Was she getting the wrong impression? Did he misspeak? As he opened his mouth to say something, anything to clear up what he meant to say, Akane grabbed him and pulled him into another hug, holding him tighter and longer than before. His eyes went wide as she hugged him for a second time but instead of standing there like an idiot, Salzem leaned into the gesture and wrapped his arms around her, placing his head on her shoulder as he returned the hug. He felt her heartbeat in her chest, slow, calm, warm... soothing his own. They stood there under the burning sun far longer than before, just holding eachother. He felt his eyes grow moist as he hugged this girl he didn't even know and as she hugged him back. They knew eachother for so little time and she was willing to hold him, to comfort him in this way... He had no words. For the longest time they stood there together before she pulled away with a soft, gentle smile on her face Salzem couldn't help but reciprocate. She held his hand as she exclaimed that She'd be a part of his family and that she wouldn't die. She claimed that she would stand by him and be with him through thick and thin, help him when he was down and talk to him when he needed it. She offered to join her life with his and become part of his Kin. The sanguine-eyed ninja's eyes widened as he heard this declaration. He was speechless for several seconds, almost not believing her words.

"D....Do you mean it...? Do you really, truly mean it...?" He'd ask in almost a hushed whisper. If she agreed once more, a single tear would flow down his unscarred cheek as he smiled softly at Akane, squeezing her hand gently. "Then... there's one more thing..." As he said this, his entire face began to contort and twist, becoming more bestial and inhuman with each passing second. His hair grew long, white and course and his nose became that of a snout. His teeth sharpened into fangs and his pupils thinned into slits in his sanguine eyes. Despite how hideous his monster form appeared, he still looked at her with the same soft and sad smile he gave her a moment before.

"I need to bite you...." He said in a voice far lower and gravely-er than his previous one. "You will be like me... and you'll understand..." He raised her hand up to his face, looking at Akane with a look of sad anticipation. "It's okay if you don't want to... I wouldn't blame you... If you want me to stop, just tug you're hand away..." With this warning, Salzem would open his mouth, revealing the long rows of jagged fangs. He tugged her hand inside just far enough so he could bite her thumb. He closed his jaw around the thumb with just enough pressure to break the skin. Once blood was drawn, Salzem immediately too the hand from his mouth and his head shifted back to it's normal state. He immediately rushed to Akane's side, checking her hand vigorously if he bit too hard or if she was in pain or if there was an infection or something. He didn't want her to hurt more than it had too. He took out a small roll of bandages from his pack and began wrapping her hand as gently as he could and, once finished, he would embrace her in a hug, the first one he's given since he'd gone out today.

"Thank you..." He'd whisper.

As Salzem asked if she meant what she had said in a hushed voice she would answer him back also in a hushed voice with a simple yes. She had meant every word that she had said, she thought that someone like him shouldn't have to be alone for the rest of his life wandering the world. Suddenly, he'd squeeze her hand softly and would tell her that there was one more thing while softly squeezing her hand as his face morphed and changed shape, his hair growing longer and turning white in the process. Salzem had turned into what looked like a werewolf. She would smile softly at him as he smiled softly at her. 

He would then tell her that he had to bite her so that she would understand and Akane would nod in approval, giving him the signal that she wanted to be like him. She wanted to know what it was like to live like him and what it was like to be like him. She wanted to understand him and wanted him to understand her. After raising her hand up to his mouth, he would ask if she wanted to become a werewolf and would tell her to tug her hand away if she didn't. She'd suddenly respond by pushing her hand closer to his mouth before he opened it and put her hand in his mouth.

Akane would then prepare for the pain that was about to come and would begin gritting her teeth as he bit her hand, just breaking the skin, making sure that his saliva had mixed in with her blood. After Salzem bit Akane he would then rush to her side and would begin to examine her hand, making sure that he hadn't hurt her. She'd simply giggle and would tell him, "You didn't hurt me, thanks for being gentle." After Akane said that she'd then be pulled into a hug by Salzem and she would hug him back tightly and would begin to pat his back before he softly whispered thank you.