A Person in the Void(Akane)

The sanguine-eyed ninja hugged her silently for a little while longer before slowly pulling away, a thankful smile on his face. She didn't have to do what she did. She didn't have to give up her existence simply to enhance his own. She didn't have to become a lycanthrope just to understand some of what he was going through... he felt so thankful... She saw his pain and decided to try to save him... She decided to come down to his level and pull him back up. She really was his family wasn't he? He said nothing for several moments, just smiling at Akane with such happiness in his expression. Suddenly, he didn't feel so alone. Standing before him was someone who wanted him was a person willing to change into a monster just for his sake and for only that reason... He wanted to place a hand on her cheek and tell her that he'd always be there when she needed him, that he'd soothe her when she was distraught and calm her when she was enraged. He wanted to say those things, but he had not words. Instead he took her uninjured hand in his and held it gently as they continued their way back to the village of the sand.

"There will be a change..." He explained, looking out across the desert. "During a full moon, you're body will change for the first time and you won't be in control of yourself... When that happens, I'll be there for you... I promise..." He swore to her that he'd keep her safe, that no one would be hurt unlike his own first transformation. He had no one to help him then, but he refused to make her go through the same guilt. Sunagakure was in sight now, only about a mile, maybe 2, away. As they both stood atop a dune overlooking the sand below them, Salzem would turn and look at Akane with a small frown on his face.

"You didn't have to do any of this..." He said quietly. "You didn't have to help me or do what you did... You didn't have to become like me or offer to become a part of my family. Why did you do it?"

After their long, silent and heart-warming hug Sazlem would smile at Akane and she'd smile back at him. Akane wanted him to know that she was there for him and would always be there for him. Even in his lowest times, she'd be there for him to bring him up. It was her duty as a new member of his family. Akane knew the pain of not having a family much better than him and didn't want him to endure that pain for the rest of his life. She wanted to pull him into another hug and tell him it'd all be okay, that the pain would be all gone soon but she couldn't. She was too emotional at the moment, she was at a loss for words. So instead she'd let Salzem take her hand would hold his gently as he held hers and would begin to walk.

When they were about one or two miles from Sunagakure, he told her that she would have her first change on the next full moon, one that she wouldn't be able to control. Salzem told her that he'd be there for her so Akane would gently smile and him and would say, "Just as a precaution I'm going to place a Mark Seal on you. If you're not there when I begin to transform, I need to be able to summon you." She'd then proceed to focus chakra into her finger and would tap his neck leaving a Mark seal if he didn't resist. 

Akane would then listen to Salzem tell her that she didn't have to do any of this for him and asked why she had done it. "I never had a real family before I came to Sunagakure, I know the pain of being alone and not having anyone close to me. It's pain that nobody should go through and you definitely don't deserve to go through it. You've already been through enough pain." She'd say before gently patting his head and would smile at him.

Salzem allowed himself to be marked, feeling her Akane's chakra etch itself into his skin. He had a couple of these things on him now, but this one didn't feel like a brand. It felt like his calling card home. Silently, as she placed the seal on neck, Salzem would place his on hers, now making it clear that they could keep track of each other over a respectable distance. When Salzem asked his question, Akane was quiet for a moment, but then went on to say that she never had a family herself and that she knew what it was like to be alone. He believed it. Someone who had lost everything or never had anything to begin with had a certain look in their eyes, a very slight but unique change in their expressions. Salzem had noticed these things among her smiling features and he believed her. Akane went on to say that nobody should suffer that fate, especially him, and that he had been through enough. Salzem latched onto these words... Such words were never spoken to him before. Maybe it was a lie, if unknowing, maybe it was a sweet nothing just so Salzem would feel better, but he didn't care. It was a wonderful thing to hear that someone recognized the extent of his suffering. He thought for a long time he had suffered enough and the blows kept coming. He thought for a long time that the pain would end soon and it never did. With one more person believing, hoping beside him, he almost felt confident that the world might grant him his wish.

Salzem hadn't been patted on the head since his father 2 years ago. He never let anyone who wanted to try to get that close. Such an act would imply that he was being cute or vulnerable or something of that nature and the way he was before... Salzem refused to make himself look weak. Here, in the desert though, Salzem was weak but it was a comforting weakness. He could destroy trees, lift massive amounts of weight and crush almost anything, but he WAS weak. He was tired, scared, sad and angry. He was vulnerable there in the sand and if Akane had attacked him, it was likely he wouldn't have fought back. But she adopted him instead... She let herself be infected by the monster Salzem was just to understand him and become his family... Salzem was weak, but he let it show as they looked over the remaining distance. His face was many expressions, all reflecting his inner demons: Rage, Despair, Sadness... They flowed from his eyes and down his cheeks until the only thing left on his face was a small hopeful grin. He looked back at Akane who's hand was still on his head and his smile softened. He would take her hands in his and stare at her, his eyes serious. "I promise.... I promise I won't let anything happen to you..."

After hearing Salzem's words Akane would say, "I won't let anything happen to you either! You protect me and I'll protect you, that seems fair right?" Akane would then smile softly while holding Salzem's hands and would begin to pull him towards Sunagakure. She then would ponder for a while before saying, "If you're staying at Sunagakure, how about you stay at my place when I get one? Just so I don't go around killing people when I transform!" Akane would then look at him and would smile softly before continuing onwards. Once they were close to the gates of Sunagakure she would ask him, "Would you mind training me in a couple of days?" She would then laugh and would proceed to say, "I'm not that strong and with your help maybe I'll actually be able to protect you!" 

Akane really felt that she needed to become stronger to not only have the ability to protect Salzem but the ability to protect Haruki. They had both become quite important figures in her life in such a short amount of time and had both taken her in as family as well. She was older than them anyways and if they did all the protecting then she wouldn't be a very good big sister. It'd almost be as if she was the younger one and she didn't want to feel like the younger one.

Salzem's smile grew just a bit as she reciprocated his promise. Powerful ninja often had no one to protect them other than themselves, leaving them with a sort of fear, a sort of exposure those below them did not suffer. Salzem acted tough often, showing his lack of care of attention to some matters, demonstrating his strength for the young-lings, but sometimes, he wanted to know he had someone at his back he could count on. He wanted to feel protected and Akane had sworn to him that she would be his protector. It felt nice... soothing really. Akane was so kind and sweet where Salzem posed himself as being cold, short-fused and rough... With her as his protector as well as his family... He might be able to learn a thing or two. She led Salzem down closer to the sand, saying that once she had a place of her own that he should move in with her. He smiled softly before moving his free hand to hold hers as well.

"I actually have my own little place in Suna..." Salzem explained, his eyes on the ground. "It's a pretty big hotel room I rented out. I could make space for you if you have nowhere else to stay..." He spoke in a semi-shaky tone, clearly nervous about his counter-proposition. He had never shared his room with anyone. Neither friend nor close friend have ever gotten a look on the inside of his room and probably with good reason. He didn't keep it especially dirty, but it wasn't really well kept either. With everything going so fast, he was afraid that one minor infraction might cause this whole living dream of having an actual family to come crashing down around him. Eventually, they reached Suna's gates and she asked if Salzem would like to train with her in a couple of days. She admitted that she wasn't too strong and that with his help, she'd be able to protect him as well as he would her. His gentle smile only grew at that. For the first time in a while, she was making him want to train.

"Of course I'll help you... We're family now, right?" He said as he squeezed her hand reassuringly. "You've done so much for me already... The least I can do is help you get stronger. Now..." He said, gesturing to the gates with a nod. "We've been out here for a long while and I'm beat... How about I show you to where you'll be staying?" If Akane would agree to his proposition, He'd smile lightly and lead her back to his home, soon to be their home.

(Exit)

Akane would smile at Salzem as he told her she could stay with him for a while and would rub his head while thanking him. She still wanted to buy a place in Suna just in case she wanted to stay in Suna but that was dependant on if Salzem wanted her to go with him to wherever he decided to travel next. Hopefully, she'd be able to travel with him while getting back to Suna every once in a while to see Haruki. She didn't want to just ditch Haruki in Suna after they'd just became such good friends and hoped that she'd be able to keep up with him every once in a while.

Soon after, Salzem would tell her that he wanted to train with her since they were family now and he felt he owed her for becoming a part of his family. Akane was glad that he would train her and she'd smile at him and would squeeze his hand as a show of thanks. Salzem would then offer to take her to his place and she would accept gladly and would follow him to his place soon to be their place for the time being.  

[Exit]
[Claiming Lycanthropy Bloodline]