Bultaoreune « REIZO »

For almost as long as she could remember her life had been nothing but monotonous. Day in and day out, everything revolved around training or reading up on the jutsus described by her mother or the scrolls she had procured in some way or another. And it had always just been her and her mother in their little family. Saya couldn’t say she had “friends” but rather acquaintances that she could discuss things with. There were very little instances in which the girl found herself drowning in emotions. The only thing that came to mind would be when a jounin had taken a liking to her and her mother, seeping into their lives so easily and so effortlessly. Then just before Saya had graduated from the academy, he abandoned them; betraying Kumogakure by fleeing in the night.

Saya thought that she had been over the loss.

It was done. She no longer felt anything towards the man’s leave. But Senshi’s passing had not only made the kunoichi recall that particular night, it had served as a reminder that her mother was still gone. However, the war was over and the celebration had come and gone. Where was her mother? Saya couldn’t think of any other mission her mother could be on, and though the medical chuunin was strict with her daughter, she had always made sure that Saya was aware of the nature of her missions.

Her palms rubbed against her cheeks and over her eyes. Thinking too much was giving her an unnecessary headache. And the pain in her chest continued to ache even after so many days. Saya sighed as she kneaded above her sternum and over her chest. Just like she had done previously when Max had dropped the news about Senshi - a father figure for barest of moments. She squeezed her eyes shut as she had come to realize that caring for people was painful.

A distraction. That’s what she needed. Something to pull her away from feeling too much.

Saya needn’t have to search far, however. This particular jounin's presence had become a permanent fixture in the back of her mind the moment she memorized his chakra signature. A view of snow-capped mountains and evergreen trees with the taste of a sweet rice beverage and the scent of after-rain and sunshine wrapped around her senses. Oh, and there was always that lingering fire somewhere in his chakra. Sometimes it was malicious and angry, and other times it was almost non-existent.

Either way, Saya pushed off the lone tree in the area. The one that she and her team had gathered around the first time they were placed together. Its surroundings, which were basically green grass, went on for many yards until its border hit the tree line of a nearby forest. She patted off whatever dirt had settled on her person before making her way towards Reizo’s approaching signature.

”Hey,” was her only greeting. It was soft, lacking her usual oomph and force in her tone.

WORD COUNT: 505

Unsure of where to go or what to do following the news of Senshi’s demise and his own discovery of his pedigree, Reizo went to the one place he knew he could always find peace- the training grounds. It would probably always feel weird now to look around and see so many new and unfamiliar faces of genin who were younger than him. In the past, the training grounds were always a place where he would bump into people he knew and almost nobody seemed foreign. Now it was practically the opposite. Now he felt like the out of place one given his rank in the village. A few genin halted their training to observe what Reizo would do- it was unusual to see a Jounin training on his own.

Truth be told, he wasn’t even sure what he was going to do on his own, especially with several pairs of eyes on him. He wanted to put on a show, but that wasn’t really why he was here. The blonde wanted to figure out how to use his new found ocular talents at will. He really wanted to learn more about the history of his doujutsu and clan; however, Kumo wasn’t really the foremost village in general history or knowledge, especially since Mortarion took over and had most of the writings of the outside world and Kumo’s past destroyed.

As Reizo contemplated on his course of action, he recognized the chakra signature of a ninja among the cacophony of foreign chakras. Although there were a few genin still waiting for Reizo to do something, most had returned their focus to their own training. His attention turned to the approaching girl; she seemed unusually quiet, even for her. ”Hey, Saya. You come here too to reflect, huh?” he would ask his junior. Today seemed to bea calm day for everyone. The sky was overcast with stratus clouds and it was quite gray. The Cat lurking inside him was silent and calm too, allowing Reizo to have some peace of mind. Perhaps he could finally work through some of his thoughts and decisions today.

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353 words

For a moment Saya remained quiet, trying to determine if it was safe to be around the jounin. His chakra was clean and it was obvious that the young man was in a stable mind. The tenseness in her shoulders crumbled to nothingness as she relaxed around him. He was suppose to be her team’s new “leader” now, but it was only a title. Reizo and Max had been teammates, and they seemed to be equals more than a superior and his underling. She and Renji, on the other hand, could learn much from both of them.

”A bit,” Saya replied as she eyed the other genin around the area. There were still a few groups eyeing Reizo’s presence. Some of them even shifted a little closer in hopes of getting a few pointers. They had their own jounin leaders but a jounin was a jonin. Such high leveled shinobi had a plethora of knowledge they could impart unto them. But Saya was not in any mood to be surrounded by fellow genin; she had enough of that whenever she was in Komori’s presence.

With a quick gesture of jerking her head towards a more remote area of the training grounds, she asked, ”Want to move elsewhere?” Despite her question the girl had already turned her back towards him and was leisurely making her way towards the empty space. Saya didn’t bother to look back to check if Reizo followed. It was a bit of a breach in protocol as he was a jounin and she should be following his lead. Give him the option of staying in the midst of eager genin or choosing another place to take their conversation.

Pain continued to wrap its tendrils around her head. Most of the pounding congregated at the base of her neck and the posterior end of her head. There was also a thrumming around her temples. It wasn’t as bad but it was there nonetheless. Training was going to be harsh today with her migraine, but that didn’t matter. Not to her. Not when all she wanted to do was slip into the ease of muscles coiling and expanding, and the satisfaction of hitting the bullseye with her weapons. To forget that emotions existed; that she was only human.

”So,” Saya started quietly, still refusing to look at the blonde. ”What have you been up to? Anything interesting happened?” She wasn’t one for small talk nor was she one to even initiate them, but there was a need to fill the void.

WORD COUNT: 426
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 505 + 426 = 931

Reizo could tell that Saya was having a tough time deciding whether to be cautious or open around Reizo. He realized that such doubts would be permanently cast on the impressionable Genin ever since she encountered his inner demon. He considered assuaging her of her fears, but realized that he himself didn't even know if her caution was warranted or not. It would continue to be that way until he managed to master and tame the demon sealed inside of him. Though the bijuu had been quite easy to handle as of late, there would always be those concerns that it would take over.

"H-hey wait a minute, Saya-kun," Reizo stammered soon following Saya's lead and letting her escort him to a more secluded area. He wasn't used to being dragged places and the lack of control bothered him a bit. He didn't mind it that much... he was just unaccustomed to it.

Saya would ask her question, although her pain and indignation were apparent to the former medical nin. He chose to ignore her question and cut straight to the heart of the matter. He totally wasn't dodging the question because nothing had elapsed since they had last seen each other. "Saya look at me. It's gonna work out, I promise. Don't blame yourself for any of this. I know it's not what any of us wanted or hoped for, but everything happens for a reason," Reizo bit his tongue after that last trite platitude. It felt almost disingenuous even though he meant every bit of it.

Reizo closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, damming the effusion of emotions that so badly wanted to escape. He had to remain steadfast, if not for himself then at the very least for Saya. Keeping his internal sadness in check, Reizo opened his eyes and exhaled, showing no signs of the feelings he felt just as he had been trained to do as a shinobi. Or so he thought. His eyes now betrayed his thoughts and intent, glowing the soft crimson of the baby 1-tomoe Sharingan. No matter how well he attempted to conceal his emotions, it was impossible now that it was mirrored in his red eyes. Gently but firmly, Reizo grasped Saya by her petite shoulders and turned her body toward his if she hadn't already. "There is nothing to be afraid of, nothing to worry about. There's Komon, Komori... Maku, Itami, and Kyson as well. It'll be tough, but we'll overcome this. United and stronger than before," the Jounin reassured Saya, not sure if he was even saying any of the right things. He just wanted to show that he cared and that she wasn't as alone as she probably felt.

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452 + 353 = 805 words

The sound of the jounin's voice pulled her to a stop, enough distance away from the prying eyes and ears of her fellow genin (and a few chunin to boot). Saya waited patiently but didn’t bother to turn at his calling. He was already by her side in a few strides, and, honestly, the fourteen year old wasn’t sure if his presence was what she wanted or needed at the moment. Reizo was Senshi’s teammate, a person more close to her sensei after Max. But… at the same time, having him in her surroundings assuaged her stressed mind.

Guilt coiled in her abdomen. Saya had been the last one to talk to him, technically, before he had gone off to his mission. The memory of him, straightening on the bar stool and immediately flaring out his chakra, remained vivid. She could close her eyes and recall how rigid he had been, bleeding danger and something else Saya couldn’t perceive before he gave her strict orders to return Reiya back to her parents and to seek a group for shelter. It had been a command, and Saya had wished she had stopped him from going or at least asked what troubles had arisen for him to essentially leave her after scolding her for not travelling in a group.

She swallowed and willed herself to wash that memory away. The ache in her chest protested by twisting dangerously that it was almost too painful to bear. Reizo, however, acted as a beacon for her to focus on. He was speaking to her; his words seemingly doing the opposite of his intention to comfort her. Saya tried to hold back a wince. Everything happens for a reason? The sentence echoed in her mind, and Saya’s lips curled into a bitter smile. Though it was unknown to him Reizo’s words cut deep into her.

Had she been destined to be alone? Call her an egoist, but the girl could not help the snort exiting through her nose and mouth. Her father was never in the picture, and the two people she had remotely considered taking on that role had disappeared or died. Not to mention her mother, who simply vanished in the midst of the war efforts in Suna. Who was left but her teammates - Max and Renji? They were basically her only family, the only ones she wanted to rely on.

As Reizo took a moment to collect himself, Saya mirrored his actions. Her eyes fluttered to a close as she tried to bury her emotions. It didn’t work. Especially when the genin allowed the blonde to steer her body to face him. She couldn’t raise her head to look at him. If she did, the girl knew something in her would break and his assurances were the culprit. A brief moment of silence came between them before Saya shook her head and placed a hand on top of his, gripping it tightly.

”That’s stupid.” She said finally, a bite in her tone. Even now Saya still refused to turn her gaze to him. ”You can’t promise or say something like that. And you know that.”

There was no way he or any of the other people he mentioned could beat away her fears. Saya was not afraid of her own demise or the monster that crawled under her bed. What she was absolutely terrified of was the prospect of having everyone she had come to value - teammates, friends, or mentors - to fade away. To abandon her. And leaving her to battle against an opponent she was doomed to lose to.

”You!” Saya spat out but clamped down on her temper. ... You can’t promise me that you or anyone else will leave me too. Eventually. Senshi didn’t, but he’s gone anyways. It was then she raised her blue-amethyst orbs, a storm of emotions clouding them. Her hand on his increased its pressure, not in any way comforting but rather, something desperate.

Her gaze finally connected with his and Saya stiffened in surprise. Instead of the blue she was accustomed to seeing, a black comma against a red iris stared back at her. It was both mesmerizing and frightening with the way it turned, round and round. ”W-What’s wrong with your eyes?”

WORD COUNT: 714
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 931 + 714 = 1645