The Discovery Of Ones Heritage

Valen awoke in the morning ready to go talk to the deputy Hogokage about his concerns regarding his eyes and abilities with light. He dressed himself in his usual attire of crimson cloak, black undershirt, black cargo pants and shinobi boots. He proceeded to tie his blade to his waist before rolling his shoulders and stepping out the door, making sure to reset his traps when he did so. He began to turn toward The Unseen University, where he would be able to find the Deputy Hogokage in most situations unless she was baking as he heard she enjoyed doing. As he turned toward the direction however he found himself shaking his head and turning back to go toward his usual training ground. He moved quietly down the street toward his preferred place of practice, taking slow strides and getting some fresh air as he moved toward the training ground. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ He’d begin to think as he shortly came within view of the church that stood nearby. 'Why didn’t I just go toward the Deputy Kage’s Office as I had intended to? Why did I turn away?’ He’d ask himself as he stepped onto the field and began to mill around, pacing back and forth, trying to figure out why he was hesitating. ‘Am I afraid to find out about myself? If she knows, would I somehow find out more about my parents? Am I ready to find out what I am? What this is?’ He’d ask himself as he paced around the training ground. The sun was high up in the sky and he soon decided it would be good to get out of the heat. He turned toward the church and walked toward it, taking a seat on a nearby bench that was shadowed by the structure. He would sigh in relief of the shade before placing his elbows on his knees and nervously moving his feet up and down in a rapid manner. He simply didn’t know what to do, should he go ask her? Should he wait until he thought he was ready? “What is this power is dangerous to other people around me?..What if I accidentally harm civilians?..That settles it, I need to speak to the Deputy Kage..Denkiteki Sama would probably be too busy, but I’ll bug him about it if I need to instead.” He would say aloud, mainly to himself before nodding and standing up to leave. He’d look back up at the church before leaving, staring at the structure that seemed to be a constant fixture in his training.

WC: 430

"The Commoner Queen"

That was the word Akihana had been hearing a lot lately, and she wasn't entirely sure if it was a good or bad thing. Certainly Queen Shiera would not have liked to be referred to as the Commoner Queen and Princess Tehniyat may have simply found it an insult of the highest degree. Yet Akihana, when she did give into instinct in times of non realization, found herself warming up to the title. There were definitely grander versions of it. Queen of the People, Mother of Haven, The Princess that was Promised. But all those names never really described her, they described an image the common folk had of her.

An image that most days had to be more real than the kunoichi was, because in this world, there was little room for a woman who baked and prayed and mourned. She had to be kept out of sight in favor of the beautiful Queen who exuded confidence in her people and hope for the future. The Commoner Queen allowed for a little bit of Akihana to leak into the persona her royal image had created.

She had always been just one of the people, and that title reminder her that she would always be one of them. She sometimes wondered if that was how Youka felt, playing a part for his people as much as she played one for hers. The pain that came with thoughts of her husband was welcome at this point. It had been almost half a year since she had last seen him on the battlefield created outside Kumogakure's gate. Half a year since she'd heard anything from him, half a year since she'd asked him if he'd eaten, or slept, or had more work pending, or simply sat with him in silence.

Now, the pain was the only reminder that the silence had once existed, so it would always be welcome in her heart. if all she had to remember him by was the pain and the promise that rested on her ring finger, she was really one of the lucky ones. Someone had told her once that tokens didn't matter, but they had not clarified what forms tokens could take. Would she miss her heart if someone took it away? Or would she learn to live without it, reminded of its former existence only by the ache and emptiness it left behind?

The tear that threatened to escape her golden eyes was hidden expertly as Akihana bowed her head in prayer, seated in the back rows of the pew without her guards. There was no need, for it was Ser Kyousuke who was giving the sermon today. The knight had been so diligent in his duties to her, she hadn't realized he was neglecting his church. The Queen had insisted on attending one of his sermons and here they were. The church was beautiful, modest and catered to all who wished to learn the ways of a loving and merciful God. Ser Kyousuke's deity of choice welcomed everyone, the rich, the poor, the healthy and sick, the men and the women and ninja too.

It was the only place she felt right praying for the man who may never wish to lay eyes on her again. He may have been a sinner by many counts but this church welcomed sinners, and Akihana could only hope her silent plea for Youka's well being would be heard. As the bell for midday mass ending rang, the blonde rose to her feet, gathering her modest pale peach gown around herself. If she stayed, there would soon be a queue of people lining up to pay their respects and the last thing she wanted was the attention drawn from her Queensguard's excellent sermon. He deserved the spotlight today for his tireless duty to the crown.

Making her way out of one of the side doors to throw off any attention, the blonde found herself underneath the scorching midday sun. The heat felt cleansing on her back, travelling through the thin material of her gown to envelope her slender frame and make her golden locks glow. There were benches outside but those would soon be crowded by the church goers stopping for a word, a gossip, a favor or to simply congratulate someone on a wedding, a birth, even a death. A lonely shadowy figured was the only person that occupied the area of the benches and the kunoichi wandered why he hadn't gone in.

Feeling bolder than she would have before she had prayed for a man who many believed was beyond prayer, she made her way towards the ambling shadow up head. If he was a commoner, he would recognize her by her hair, if not, well, she was the Commoner Queen. Might as well be the "common" bit for a while.

"Good Morrow," she called out, raising a hand to the male slowly looming in view. "You should attend the service one of these days, they really are lovely."

Valen realized during his small mental breakdown that he didn’t even know what the woman looked like. That would mean he would need to speak with her during anytime she might be in her office. This drove him absolutely mad as while a great deal of his being was a nervous wreck over actually learning something about his heritage. The other part of him wanted to know, badly. But unless he knew of someone that knew the Deputy Hogokage herself and could introduce him he doubted he’d be able to get a meeting with her easily. After all she must have been one incredibly busy woman. What with paperwork and having to deal with Hogokage-sama as well. A job which was probably a full time job in it of itself. So, while he wanted nothing more than to dash to the offices in  The Unseen University he knew full well that’d he’d probably be a bit of a fool for doing so. This would lead to a long drawn out sigh right before he heard someone call out to him under the blistering afternoon sun. He turned to face the melodic voice to see a slender woman with striking blonde hair that seemed to be illuminated by the sun as she moved. She had deep brown eyes and wore a simple peach coloured gown that went perfectly with her hair.
 
After rudely staring at her when she called out to him, a fact he become all too aware of. He would blink a few times before realizing that she would be waiting for a response from the crimson haired young man. He would nod his head in her direction, not bothering to stand or move from the bench, but also not blocking the available seat on it if the fair haired woman decided to occupy the lone spot that remained. She must’ve been inside, so she was a civilian church goer? This made him nervous because his sword was currently strapped to his waist. This meant that this particular civilian might notice it and try something. He couldn’t physically hurt her if she did, but at this point there was much on his mind that he simply didn’t care if she tried to strike him, or belittle him or not. At this point he’d realize that she had told him that he should attend a service at some point. It seemed that she herself was a fan of them. Personally however, they simply weren’t Valen’s thing. Especially since most of the people that would go would absolutely love to see him and every other shinobi burn for all they cared.
 

Therefore he’d shake his head at the suggestion, while the lack of hostile words for the a moment was a kind respite, he wouldn’t put himself so obviously in the middle of their world. “I think not, the majority of my kind are not welcome in most of the churches.” He would say, not making eye contact mainly out of a minor bit of nervous tension. He didn’t really understand why he felt so nervous about this woman. Perhaps it was simply him being worked up over his earlier thoughts. That could very well be it. Still it didn’t really fix the issue he had but it didn’t really matter. Someone had taken time out of their day to speak to him so he would at least be polite enough to not anger her. “I am however glad to know that people really do find peace in there.” He would say as he continued to move his leg up and down in a nervous fashion. His mind was running too quickly for him to keep up at this point. He needed to calm down left he make HER nervous.