One Life.[Private, training thread.]

[Mercury AkariCitizen]

"Really Mercury, for someone so serious you can be a real doof sometimes!"

Silver colored eyes open, giving the source of the voice a small helpless shrug in response, brows furrowed in amusement and lips curled into an awkward smile.
He's sitting upon a bench, being berated by a young woman with pale skin, orange hair and teal colored eyes, a bright grin on her face which causes his own smile to become more natural.
His eyes narrow and he tilts his head curiously as she raises a lecturing finger and places a fist upon her hip, leaning in to wag said finger at him as she speaks in a bright warm manner.

"He's not all you have, you'll always have me too!"

She declares brightly, before unceremoniously turning on her heel, stepping over and plopping down beside him, before pulling him into a one armed hug, causing him to blink in surprise down and lean down awkwardly due to their high difference.
But still, he can't help but close his eyes and enjoy the embrace, allowing a breath he didn't realize he was holding out, and a tenseness he wasn't aware he had fade away from his broad shoulders. Resting his head against her shoulder lightly, the feelings of warmth only intensifying when her delicate fingers begin combing through his light gray hair, parting it and running her callused fingertips soothingly against him, her hand giving his shoulder a light pat while she whispers comfortingly to the Young Mercenary.

"So just relax, you'll do fine by yourself, he doesn't matter, even if he leaves you, we'll always have a home when we're together, you'll always have Me to come back to.."

"Someone like her will only slow you down, I removed the distraction."

Silver eyes shoot open before flaring a golden color, and shooting up from his resting position, tilting himself over and wretching raggedly as a choked gasp claws it's way past his throat, his face reddens and his eyes clench shut as nothing comes up, so instead of bile a choked despaired growl tears past his now clenched teeth, long fingers clutching his bangs and the heels of his palms dig into his eyes and he tilts his head back as his heart throbs in agony. "God damn it..!! God DAMN IT!!!!" That dream again, always that dream...Always today, always this day...The Worst day of his life. "Why? Fuck..Why..!?" He gasps out softly, his hut far away from prying eyes, far away from people who can see him being so fucking weak. So they can't see him trying to scramble to piece together the last of what's left of him, he grits his teeth further before they part in tune with a scream of anger and despair which bubbles up from the back of his throat only to be released from the gaps in his teeth.
He cuts himself off, before he throws himself to his feet and stalks away from his bed in the dead of night. "Fuck this." He decides promptly, eyes reddening around the edges slightly as he heaves out harsh ragged breathes, his door is kicked open as he walks out, fists and feet bare, leaving him in a pair of black pants.
He tears off to the left suddenly as soon as he's clear of his door frame, he draws his fist back and with a primal yell he shoots it forward, planting his fist and forearm deep inside of the wood, before he rips it out and spins with the force of his elbow, fling himself in a circle before his heel lashes across the thick wood, carving out a deep gouge which causes it to tilt sideways and topple over, he's off again before it even has a chance, blurring across the field like a silver streak, fists and feet blazing out leaving deep gouges stumps in his wake as he fights with nothing, eyes blazing with despair, anger, regret and loathing, uncaring of his form, of how sloppy he's being or of how much damage the splinters are actually doing, he can't find it in himself to care. He needs to get away from that feeling, needs to forget it, needs to stop thinking about what happened, needs to forget she ever existed and most importantly.

"Hey Mercury...? What do you fight so hard for..?"

He needs to forget that she's never coming back.

"DAAAAAMNN IIITT!!!!!"

He roars, voice cracking as his eyes clench shut, his fist cracking painfully against the tree, which is left unmarred, he leans forward slowly, his elbow bending and tilting up as he rests his forehead against the bark, shoulders shaking as a harsh sob slips past his pursed lips. "Damn it..." He whispers softly, his other arm raising and bracing itself against the tree to get some measure of balance, even as his strength seems to leave him and he begins slowly sink to his knees.
"Damn it...." But he can't, he can't ever forget. He can't understand this, can never understand it, why it had to happen, or how it's possible to feel this much hurt over something that didn't even happen to him...

"Honestly Mercury, you should smile more often, it's not a crime y'know!"

"...." His eyes lid slightly now, his shoulders sagging as he stares into the bark of the tree, head tilted downward, simply sitting there for awhile now, throat aching and feeling terribly dry as he breathes out a calming breath, head slowly tilting up now, darkened eyes peering past the canopy to seek out the stars..

"I don't know what to do..." He utter softly, tone light and lacking in inflection as he stares longingly up at the stars.

"Well, you don't have to know what you fight for now, you've got all the time in the world to figure it out!"

"But where do I even start...?" He whispers in response to a voice from a distant memory, he just wishes she could help show him the way, instead all he has to answer him is his memories, and her cheerful voice telling him with that bright smile on a face he'll never see in person again.

"Start with what Feels right silly!"

His eyes clench shut again, his hand draping over his eyes to conceal them from view as he arches his back, another choked sob slipping past his lips before he rocks himself forward, fingers peeling away a lair of bark as his shoulders shake, tears falling silently as her curls in on himself, alone in this clearing.
He's alone now, he's surrounded by other people, but they don't understand him, can't read him, can't comprehend him or make him feel like she did.
They aren't home, he can never go home ever again, no matter what he does, his home is gone, dead and buried atop the hill where he came upon the scene, upon the hill where he finally decided he was going to kill that man who called himself his Father, on that day where he buried his best friend, that day which this marks the sixth anniversary of.
He never kept track of the date, but he knows...Somehow he always knows, it always comes up like this, her memory whispering in his ear, his heart clenching and aching inside of his bare chest as the chill runs through his slightly bloodied skin. Thin lashes clear across his scar riddled body, the colds ignored, as is the pain from his throbbing knuckles and raw feet, he's lucky he didn't break his own wrist, but he can't care about that right now, couldn't care even if he did, that kind of pain is nothing.

"This..is nothing.." He tells himself, as his arms tense and he begins pushing himself to his feet, bangs hanging over his eyes as his legs slide under him and assist him in pushing himself upwards, he drags a forearm across his eyes and flicks his wrist away now, slowly turning away from the tree and walking off towards his hut again, he needs some sleep...He's tired, and he can't deal with all of this right now..

"Dry your eyes boy, you know nothing of true sorrow."

Eyes blaze gold suddenly, before shifting into a deep teal color and gold erupts from his body like a fire, spreading out and surrounding him as he turns around on his heel and charges forward, a scream of rage tearing it's way past his hoarse throat, eyes crazed as his hair spikes, and shifts into a deep golden color, a trick of the light surrounding him, swing kick after kick at a Spector from his memories, fists flying and blinding balls flashing as he tears through the clearing like a vengeful golden deity, skin splitting open across wood as they fly across the field and explode from the force of his blows, the shrapnel being ignored as he screams in a wordless cry of despair fueled anger.
By the time he's done, he's cleared and entire jagged path from the forest, toppled over trees splitting the wood of others, while some simply rest against them, or rolled off to the side...
And in the center of it he rests, golden corona flickering away as he breathes out raggedly, dropping onto his knees and hands as sweat pours down his brow and his skin glistens under the moonlight.
His eyes are clenched shut and his brow is furrowed, jaw clenched in anger as memories of his first Bounty run through his mind...
It sure as hell felt right at the time, and he'll never regret removing that man from the face of the earth...But now? He really does have no one, or anything else to make it all worth it...
He has no purpose, nothing to fight for besides coin and his own well-being, the Villages aren't home to him, she was home, so he has no reason to swear fealty to them, the Uchiha Clan seemed pleased with him, but he's not one of them, not really, and while he honors their traditions, they as people mean nothing to him. His Grandfather turned him away, spittle flying from his mouth as he shouted him out the door, he has no reason to return there.

So what can he do...? Where can he find something worth fighting for..?


Her voice repeats to him, he can almost close his eyes and feel her arms around him, pretend she's still here and still feel that warmth she always brought with her.
He can imagine her standing there, bouncing on her heels, glancing out by the entrance to the town, hopping once and waving at him when she spots him coming over the road, he can feel her fingers curling around his hand as she runs up to greet him before tugging him off to do something inane, childish. He can still feel her final embrace and see her smile before he set off alone for the first time, remember her cheery wave and the sound of her feet hitting the ground from her hop, clearly hear the wind from her hands waving him off excitably, feel the sun at his back as he crosses over the hill, he can hear her exuberant shout which carries over to him, and the words that came with it.
The final words she'd ever share with him.

"Remember you'll always have me to come home to."

"...Liar."
He mutters softly, before he stands up and turns away from the moon crossing over the curtain of leaves surrounding him. His gait is slow, with a slight limp in his step from his barrage of kicks..It's not bad, it's nothing he needs the good Doctor for, just something he should ice and wrap..
He can't explain it to anyone, nor does he want to, he doesn't need the questions, doesn't need the stares or the false looks of pity, he doesn't need the jabs or the banter.
He just needs to rest, that's it...

"You can't do everything on your own y'know? Why not let somebody help?"

"Cause they can't help me with this..."

[2,023 words, claiming 10 stats.]

[Akihana AkariCitizen]

Approved <3

[Mercury AkariCitizen]

His research is going well, the World Library is a resource that has proven vital to not only his continued survival and education as a mercenary, but to everyone who has ever needed to learn a technique.
Currently, he's been researching the Stone he was given by his temporary associate who is currently in-training, comparing the images in the book he's reading with the real thing...
There's no doubt, this is the Stone of Gelel, which holds a mysterious wellspring of power within it, that when introduced to ones chakra system...
He needs to find a Medical Specialist, Hex would charge him too much for such a procedure, and while it's not exactly simple, it's something too trivial to bother a medic of his caliber with...
Especially with how much he'll jack up the prices.

Scooping up the stone and closing his fist around it in a manner that could be called greedy, his silver colored hues narrow in thought as he ponders through his problem, unfortunately, it appears as if he'll have to visit a village in order to receive the surgery...Konohagakure is notorious for protecting it's borders with very violent means, Sunagakure while close, also would involve a long trek through the Wind Country's massive desert, Kumogakure...he's heard some terrible rumors about that place, Kirigakure..? Tch, no.

...Hoshigakure has been accepting refugees recently, even some powerful Missing-Ninja have been granted asylum if the rumors are to be believed..
His closes his hum, humming softly to himself in thought as he leans back in his chair, which balances on two legs now.
The danger of course, is if he'll be allowed to leave when everything is finished, or if a Village Ninja will realize what he has and attempt to steal it from him...
He has no intentions on fighting his way out of a Shinobi village, nor does he like his chances of doing so at his current level, but, the same danger lies with other mercenaries..
Perhaps he can negotiate a promise of amnesty in exchange for money and a few low-ranked missions..?
His eyes open now as he ponders this, sliding the stone away now as he begins gathering and storing away the books back into their rightful place.
Maybe he can trust the Knight's there, but a Shinobi is a Shinobi and if they deem him a threat then..

He wonders what he'd be ranked as a Missing-Ninja if this meeting went awry? Then again it should be easy, get in, find a medical specialist, have them perform the surgery, rest and then leave...Though, this could be an opportunity as well if they react well to his presence, perhaps he can get some advertising done, get a few jobs lined up for when his future 'Partner' is prepared with his puppets and any other tricks he'll be sure to figure out.
That one is creative, hopefully he'll stay on track, imagination isn't a bad thing for a Shinobi to have but one needs to be focused as well, rather than bouncing from thought to thought.
He sighs softly as he slides away the last book and prepares to depart, the Shinobi acting as the librarian giving him a once-over..Before dismissing him, probably to make sure he didn't steal anything.
Like anyone would ever piss everyone off like that, those books are too valuable a resource for the community for anyone to get away with stealing them.

The mercenaries of Tanzaku would fall upon the Thief as one, which is a scenario to be feared for a myriad of reasons...
All of Tanzaku working together..? That'd make the villages fairly nervous, too many unknowns, too many different faces, too many powerful Shinobi who don't follow their laws...
It would be something to nip in the bud before it became a problem. Carried on by his thoughts, Mercury wanders away from the town proper and deep into the woods..He's got a bit of training to get in, which would seem a bit strange to some...Until they remember that he is a Taijutsu practitioner and an adept one at that...
A rare factoid, is that in one way or another....
Taijutsu Specialists are insane.

Exhibit A could be Mercury's current training method, which involves him tying himself up by the ankles and binding all of his limbs and allowing only his index fingers to be manipulated, he sets himself up parallel to a boulder which is balanced precariously..
Both him and the boulder are on a trajectory that would force the pair to collide at high speeds..
Mercury does not see anything strange about this training, where he's focusing on both his precision and durability...
Mercury swipes a finger at the rope keeping both him and the boulder steady and with a mighty heft they swing at each other..!!


Six hours later and a bruised Mercury grunts as he hobbles his way back home, he'll be sleeping this off and then in the morning he'll begin packing for his trip...He'll leave a note for his 'partner' that he has some business to tend to and that he should be returning within a month, perhaps he'll even say he's heading to Hoshi to look for work, so that he can follow if he gets delayed for whatever reason..
He has heard rumors of an Akari living in Hoshigakure, perhaps he can persuade a trade of techniques...That is, if they have something useful to teach him.
His lips quirk up at the thought of his own advancement in the Hikariton element, and his own techniques that he's been developing over the course of a few weeks..
The Stone will allow him to perfect most of those techniques which require a bit more power.
The Second level of his Dojutsu is also something that seems to escape him, which is a rather frustrating occurrence..What is he missing exactly, what riddle has he yet to solve and what milestone has he yet to reach..? Perhaps that Akari will also be willing to answer those questions, but..His first priority must be getting the stone implanted, preferably somewhere discreet, deep inside of his flesh, where it wouldn't be easily discovered by an enemy and targeted as a weak-point.

The thought has Mercury's lips curling into a smirk, the power that's sure to come from the Stone will give his jutsu a much needed bite to them, and also allow him to finally seek out a Summon without fear..
Though it is a risk, who knows what Summon Race you will stand before when using the method Mercury plans to use, he's heard story of missing Shinobi who never returned from their Summon attempt.
It's assumed that a particularly carnivorous race ate them in most of these cases...
The thought has Mercury wincing slightly, that particular fear is why he avoids Volcano at all costs, too many freaks have settled in and nothing good ever comes from those islands.
The Bloody Volcano, that place is permanently on his black-list, he won't take jobs from there, and he won't take jobs that require him to go there, the monsters that have started appearing not to mention the permanent cloud that seems to have settled over the village proper..?

It's a bad omen, something that has even the mightiest of the mercenary's refusing to step foot on that land..
It's also why a few bounties have been left untouched, no one wants to take them, cause they aren't sure if they'll come back from the attempt.
Mercury shakes those thoughts off as he enters his home, sealing it up and stripping off his over clothes, he's got a long day ahead of him tomorrow, and a long trip to prepare for..
He just hopes this will all be worth it after everything is all said and done.
The Mercenary breathes a deep sigh as he lays himself over his mattress, sinking in slightly and allowing his sore body to relax, his eyes drift close slowly and his furrowed brow becomes less so, facial expression relaxing visibly and allowing him to look peaceful as he slowly drifts off to sleep, mentally running through the supplies he'll need for the long trek ahead of him in the morning. Hoshigakure, land of Nobles, of Queens and a strange set of foreign customs..He'll have to be careful how he reacts and how he speaks to some of the people there, lest he offend someone over some silly cultural difference...

This may end poorly for him.

[1,414 words, claiming 7 stats, and gifting out the knowledge that Mercury is about as insane with his training as Might Gai...

You are now picturing him in tight green spandex.

You're welcome.]

[Risako AkaraCitizen]

Approved