Golden Opportunities

There was a flash of crimson light and then they were at their destination. The first thing either would likely notice was the strong smell of cleaning chemicals and a strange silence. The change in lighting from the snow-covered clearing to this dimly lit tavern would cause their eyes to adjust for a brief moment before allowing them to really take in their surroundings. A quick glance around showed maybe a handful of patrons scattered among the tables. There was a short, balding, portly man cleaning a glass with a dirty rag behind the bar and a young boy, maybe nine or ten years old, trying to scrub a deep crimson stain off the floor near the bar. All eyes were on the new arrivals, some just curious and others fearful. Those were the ones that remembered where the pool of dried blood had come from. Remembered the beheading of the foreign man here just the night before.

Letting go of Valen’s hand and motioning for him to follow, Alice walked over to the bar, smiling at the bartender the whole time. She remembered too.

”Oh no. I-I didn’t tell anyone anything! I swear. Here, take this. Drinks. On me. Please just, just don’t attack anyone else.” the man said, quickly pouring two glasses of whiskey and sliding them at the rogues across the bar.

”Oh don’t worry, sweetie. My associate and I just needed a quiet place to talk.” The kunoichi picked up one of the glasses and swished it a round for a moment before taking a swig and turning to look the Hogokage up and down appreciatively once more. ”Actually, we’re going to need a room too. Just one bed. I assume that’s on the house as well?” she said to the man with a cheerful tone.

”Y-yes! Of, of course. Sure, yea anything you want. Here. Here’s the key. Room three right up those stairs over there. It’s the second room on the left” he said, shoving the room key at the girl which only made her smile even bigger. What a difference a short display of power could make. Alice grabbed the key, turning it over in her hand, and turned her attention back to Valen.

”So, will this do?”

A flash of crimson, and suddenly the two individuals would be standing in the dimly lit main room of a tavern. Luckily, due to his clans latent powers he had no need to allow his eyes a moment to adjust, for even without his bloodline active he could see perfectly in all but the darkest of places. He’d of course allow Alice the time needed to let hers adjust however, she was the one leading after all and it would be rude to move along when she couldn’t see well. After a moment of two the petite woman would let go of his hand and motion for him to follow, to which he would simply do so, taking note of the reactions of some of the patrons of the tavern as he did so. Some were downright terrified, but it wasn’t of him. Indeed, Valen wasn’t sure how to feel about most of the patrons in the bar being absolutely stricken with fear at the sight of the woman almost a foot shorter than him. It was an odd feeling to say the least, for he had gone so long being the center of attention within his village. Everywhere he went, everyone knew who he was. Even his first destination within their dimensional realm ended up tossing him in a field by someone who recognized him immediately. Even if that someone did need confirmation that it was him. Now however, he wasn’t the center of attention anymore. It made him wonder what she had done to instill such fear into the hearts of the majority of the tavern.

His eyes would eventually fall to the young boy trying his hardest to clean out a deep bloodstain from the floor. It didn’t look like it was coming out very well, and Valen could tell immediately that the planks would need replacing. However he’d keep this thought shut in, let the tavern keep try what he can. Let the boy have a few days of trying to clean the same stain. It would instill patience, something so many people of today simply didn’t have. When they reached the bar the bartender would stutter out a sentence that causes Valen’s eyebrow to raise. It seemed something happened here. Perhaps his companion was the cause of the stain? He had no proof to solidify that accusation, however the fear in the bartenders eyes showed that she had clearly done something absolutely terrifying. His stammering that he hadn’t told anyone clearly implied that he was afraid she might kill him.

It was an incredible tool fear, in mere moments she had capitalized on the man’s fright and the bartender had given them a couple of shots at no charge. Valen preferred a different approach himself. Preferring to gain the respect of those involved in order to reap long lasting benefits. However both styles had a place in the world. Hell, the former was probably the best way for a missing nin to handle things. They had to constantly travel after all, so one could hardly expect to reap any long lasting rewards, built on respect and trust. So the short term winnings of fear would win out in the end when it came to survival. It was an interesting thought process to have. He wondered if he would end up utilizing fear as a tool like Alice did, or if he would continue to work to garner the respect of those around him. The ashen haired man would reach forward, taking the shot in his hand as he sent a mental command to the beast within him. ‘Gobi, make sure this stuff is filtered out safely without effecting me if you can. I want my mind alert around this woman’ He would think as he lifted the small glass to his lips. ‘Right.’ The voice in his head would say as Valen knocked back the shot and set the glass down. At this point the heterochromatic eyed girl next to him would look him up and down again in an appreciative manner before telling the bartender that they would need a room with only one bed in as cheerful a tone as he had heard her say. ‘Forward, isn’t she?’ His tenant would ask, prompting a mental chuckle from Valen. ‘Indeed, but what have I got to lose at this point?’ He would ask, prompting the beast to raise an unseen eyebrow. ‘Your life?’ He would ask to which Valen would give the equivalent of a mental shrug. ‘She needs me to tell her about Kenshin. Even after I do that she’ll probably decide she can use me like those three in the clearing. Besides, anyone who has seen that bounty knows they can’t underestimate him. I’m the best chance she’s got of handling him if he attacks, and I’m not even sure I’d win at this point.’ The teen would say to the beast.

Outside of his mind he’d let his own eyes, now gray, having deactivated his bloodline when they appeared in the tavern, look over his own companion, his eyes noticeably staying on her eyes if she happened to still be looking at him. At her question he’d give a shrug “Free room, and free drinks? Yes I believe this will do nicely. Let’s get upstairs before I answer anything about our mutual friend. It’s easier to listen for eavesdroppers there.” He would say before waving looking back to the bartender “Give us the bottle.” He’d say, deciding that if he had the Gobi to keep himself sober, then he might be able to use the situation to obtain information that she might not be willing to share. He’d rather enjoy knowing who he was working with and exactly how far he could trust her. He was willing to put his money on ‘not at all’ but it never hurt to be sure, and the quickest and easiest way to do that was to lower their mental defenses. The easiest way to do that? Was to simply use alcohol. “Y-yes sir.” The bartender would say, setting a full bottle of the drink they had just taken a shot of on the counter. Valen would pick the bottle up and motion for the lady to lead on, a small gentlemanly bow and a smirk appearing on his features, little more than the most barely perceptible twitch of his lips. “Ladies first.” He would say, wanting to keep his eye on her, even if he was confident she wouldn’t try anything until she knew what she wanted.

[Choosing Chakra as my buff from this]

WC: 1093

Her eyebrows raised for the briefest of moments before returning to rest. The bottle was a nice touch. It would seem Valen was indeed more than just a pretty face. Well then, she supposed it was finally time to get this show started. ”Such a gentleman,” she teased as she snatched the bottle from his grip and lead the way to their room.

It wasn’t glorious by any standard. Quaint would probably be the best way to describe it. Perhaps a bit dingy. There was a single bed in the center of the room pushed up against the back wall. To the left of the bed was the only visible window and to the right was a small end table near a closet. There wasn’t much else of note in the room besides that.

Without waiting for her companion, the heterochromatic-eyed rogue sat down on the bed with her legs folded to the left of her and took a swig of whiskey straight from the bottle before placing it on the night stand and leaning back on her hands. ”Well don’t be shy. Come sit with me. We’ve got a lot to discuss, handsome,” she said, patting the bed next to her.

The dark haired girl would take the bottle from his hands and lead on upstairs toward the room, referring to him as a gentleman in a teasing tone the caused a mild smirk to play across his lips. It was a fleeting thing, and the woman wouldn’t be able to see it as it had happened after she turned around, but it was there. Moving up the stairs, the floorboards would creak every other step or so, a sign of wear and tear on the building itself. It seemed this place had been around a while and in only decent repair under the current owner, if there had ever been a change at all. The hallway at the top of the stairs was large enough for two people to move comfortably, and the decor of the place was rather plain. The building certainly was not designed with comfort in mind, although that hardly mattered to the man. He had lived most of his life traveling around with a merchant caravan after all. He was more likely to sleep under the stars by a campfire in those days than in a inn or tavern of any kind. When he lived in Hoshigakure he stayed in a simple apartment. It wasn’t glamorous by any means. Actually, the entire place had been rather spartan, but he kept it scrupulously clean. His companion would open the door and they would step inside. No, this place definitely was not a luxury hotel by any means.

A queen sized bed sat against the wall, neatly made up with simple white linens and multiple pillows. A small side table sat next to the bed and a closet could be seen on the other end, near the aforementioned side table. This was a room of function, no more, no less. Entering the room Alice would  sit down on the bed, folding her legs under her before taking a swig of the whiskey and setting it down before leaning back on her hands. Her invitation to join her was not missed, and he’d finish removing the longsword he had been unfastening from his waist before sitting next to her, leaning the sheathed blade on the table, easily within arms reach of the bed as well as removing the cloak he always wore and set it on a hook on the door of the closet. The man would proceed to take the whiskey in his own hand and take a swig, before setting it back down and sitting next to the Alice. His own posture was rather stiff, but he never felt truly comfortable in social situations, or even private ones. The past few years were full of training, and fighting. While in combat he could move with a speed and grace that would astound many, had in fact done just that, without a blade singing it’s battle cries in the air, or techniques to learn, he was very want for casual conversation or even casual play. “My own experience leaves me a poor match in situations such as this. I’ve always been rather concise. So I’ll get right to it if you don’t mind because this conversation could take quite a while depending on what you want.” He would say, starting up the conversation as he laid back, his feet still on the ground but his upper body fully laying on the bed. He hands would be folded behind his head, forming a makeshift pillow.

The bed itself was comfortable enough, it was no better or worse than the one he’d left behind back in Hoshigakure. However he found this similarities to things annoying. It kept bringing his mind back to where he had come from. The room, reminding him of his rather spartan apartment, the bed, reminding him of his own. Everything just kept sparking his memory and a feeling of guilt welled up within him at the thought of it all. Especially Hikari, he wanted her to come with him. Desperately so, but it got to a point that he didn’t even know if she had been alive. Or if she would even want to see him at all. He still didn’t, no contact attempt had been made. She hadn’t put on the ring she had left him either, he would’ve felt the bond between them form if she had. He loved, gods but he did. He wasn’t sure if Alice’s invitations for a more intimate encounter had been genuine, or if she had been playing up the act to get him alone to talk to him. He didn’t know enough about her to be sure, but he wasn’t sure he could go through with it if she were serious. Was it right to feel that way? Was it wrong to lead Alice on like that if she were serious? He didn’t know, and it bothered him. ‘Of course it’s wrong you idiot, in some small manner. However in this case it’s justified. You left without saying a word to the girl you loved. You left her a letter, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next she saw you she hated you. Wouldn’t be surprised if she had found someone else. At the same time, it was wrong of her to keep you waiting like she did, and admit it or not. She did keep you waiting little container of mine. You love her, deeply, I know it was all you could do to keep things as a working relationship between you two when it came her needing time. Hell, I know it hurt like hell when she disappeared on you when you first told her your feelings. However that doesn’t give her the right to keep you waiting like you’re some puppy, waiting to be chosen from what could potentially be a long line of suitors.’ The beast would say, smacking Valen’s mental thoughts with cold, hard, logic.

‘I’ll do you one better, remember that missing nin that was in Hoshigakure? The one that Kyousuke found had pictures of Hikari in provocative clothing? Or at least that he had pictures that would piss you off if you had seen them? Which, what else could they be if not that? Do you really think you’re the first one to fall for her? Do you think you’ll be the last? I think she was leading you along while she tried to decide who she wanted to end up with. No one takes that long to figure out how they feel about someone.’ The beast would say, prompting Valen to give the equivalent of a mental scowl. ‘She wouldn’t do that though.’ The Ex Hogokage would say to which the bijuu would scoff ‘And how do you know? How much of her have you actually seen in recent memory? There was when she helped you purify your sword, which is when you confessed to her as well. Then she avoided you like the plague for weeks until you both got sent out to hunt me after Denkiteki passed away. Then you both had that conversation at your place about how you felt. Then she came to your office at your request so you could give her the news that she would be your deputy kage should anything happen to Kyousuke and you had to take the position of kage. That’s it little container of mine, you haven’t seen her whatsoever since then because after Kyousuke committed suicide you were in the hospital while Kenshin healed you, then you left for the summit. Then you came back and she immediately went to the chunin exams that Konoha hosted in your stead while you took the time you never got before to start consolidating things. You’ve literally seen her twice since you professed your love for her. Twice, in months. Does that not sound like she’s been avoiding you too at least somewhat? She hasn’t contacted you, written, or anything. She hasn’t used the telepathy seal you both have. She’s literally made herself busy with other things. The fact that you thought she might be at all willing to leave Hoshigakure for you astounds me to no end.’ The beast would say, ranting in it’s own way within the mind of the jinchuriki as he lay on the bed next to Alice. The silence that had descended between the two individuals was still well within reason for a ‘comfortable’ amount of time. Although Valen would probably need to end that silence shortly, lest it begin to seem too awkward.

‘The bottom line is, I don’t see what you owe that girl back in Hoshigakure. I understand you’re in love with her, but she clearly doesn’t feel the same Valen. I know, I said she’d probably go with you or after you if that ring she left you was any indication, but I was lying to get you out of that miserable place, it was holding you back.’ The legendary beast would say, causing Valen to pause in his mind. ‘I could summon her you know, the ring should let me do that..’ Valen thought back to the beast to which the creature would laugh. ‘What, still working yourself up to being willing to sleep with one girl and you’re wanting to add another to the mix?’ The beast would ask, causing Valen to pause mentally ‘That isn’t what I meant and you know it Gobi.’ The man would mentally snarl, annoyed at the beast at this point and on the verge of going on a mental tirade before the voice of the creature spoke fast ‘Kokuo..’ It would say, causing Valen to raise a mental eyebrow ‘Bless you?’ He would say, he didn’t think bijuu could sneeze. ‘It’s my name you fucking moron, Kokuo, ‘Gobi’ is my title, but it isn’t my real name.’ It would explain, causing Valen to be silent in mild surprise for a moment or two. ‘I see, I suppose I should be thanking you for telling me. So, thank you..Kokuo.’ The ashen haired man would say the beast mentally before realizing that the newly named, in his perspective, Kokuo had used that to derail the conversation. ‘Don’t summon her, why not just use the telepathy seal to talk to her? Give it some time to settle, if she’s staying behind there’s little doubt she’ll become kage. Don’t suddenly appear in her life via telepathy when she’s trying to get her life together and figure out what to do about the village. Give her some time, then contact her from a nice, safe distance. Because you best believe she’s going to want to kill you for what you did if she doesn’t want to kiss you for being alive, or contacting her at all.’ The monster would say before pausing and adding ‘Now then, the whole point of me explaining all of this and giving you a dose of reality was to loosen you up a little bit. You have no requirements to anyone, least of all Hikari, who never even admitted if she loved you or not. Wouldn’t even grace you with a real answer. So enjoy yourself. I’ll keep the alcohol from influencing you so if this girl tries to kill you then you can react, but try to relax for sage’s sake.’ The beast would say, promptly ending the connection and leaving Valen to his own mental devices, such as they were at that precise moment.

At that point it was time to say something, he couldn’t just remain quiet for so long, lord only knew what Alice was thinking at this point. “Sorry, I spaced out a bit there, life has been changing quite a bit lately and I guess it’s catching up with a me a bit. What do you want to know about Kenshin exactly? For that matter, I suddenly appeared next to you in a field in the middle of the Land of Iron, I’m sure you have questions regarding that as well. So please, ask away. I’ll answer all I can but you understand the nature of the business. If I refuse to answer a question, accept it. Although at this point I don’t know how much I’d refuse to answer unless it’s personal.” He would say, explaining to Alice that she basically had a metaphorical ‘blank check’ when it came to asking him anything. After doing so he’d reach over to the whiskey bottle, taking it and knocking back another swig from it. He only wished he could afford to let Kokuo allow him to get intoxicated at this point. He’d proceed to offer the bottle to Alice, giving it to her if she accepted, or setting it back on the table if she didn’t. At this point, the show was hers.

WC: 2124
TWC: 3227

It was quite amusing to watch the ashen-haired male try to settle in to the room with her so that they could begin their conversation. Everything he did seemed to have a small modicum of pride or nobility to it. Everything from the way he walked and spoke, to how he had unfastened his weapon and placed it within arms reach before joining the psychotic kunoichi on the bed. The latter act lent an air of caution to the man as well, something which Alice appreciated. Especially if she was planning on making this man an ally. Examining the man was even more interesting when comparing his stiff, almost uncomfortably so, posture to her own relaxed nature. Sure, she had her own concerns about this, but her whimsical nature won out in the end and soon enough her inhibitions would be even lower than normal if she continued to drink. For now though, she would just live in the moment.

Observing Valen so closely, Alice couldn’t help but see the similarities between him and her previous leader, Kazuo. Although seemingly similar in a few ways, their differences were even more striking. For one thing, Valen was much more pleasing to look at then the swordsman was. Very pleasing to look at indeed. She slowly pulled off the ribbon she was wearing around her neck and the long sleeve jacket she had on, and tossed them carelessly toward the closet door.  Valen leaned in closer to her, staring passionately into her eyes before ripping off her blouse. She could feel his lips on her neck as his hands explored her body until......

Until she snapped out of her fantasy with a heavy sigh. ’Straight to business I see. Well we might as well get this over with so we can get to the fun part at least..’ Preparing the questions she wanted to ask him in her mind, it took a moment before she realized the ashen-haired male had started to space out again. That was the second time in less than an hour. She sincerely hoped it wasn’t a bad habit of his or having him as an ally could become more of a liability than anything soon enough. ’Although, he is the Hogokage. Perhaps he’s paying more attention than it seems...’

Wanting to see if she was right, and also because she was a little impatient and liked to tease, Alice began unbuttoning her blouse from the top slowly while she stared at her prey seductively until the top of a lacey, black bra could be seen peeking through. Biting her lip, she did her best to “patiently” wait and see Valen’s reaction.

Aaaaaaaand her lip biting quickly turned to a playful pout when the male snapped out of his little space-out and got right back down to business. She did, however, cheer up a bit when he implied that he was basically an open book to her at the moment. ’Well then, this should be interesting indeed.’ She graciously accepted the bottle and took a generous swig before wiping her mouth with the back of her wrist and handing it back to her new potential ally.

”What do I want to know about Kenshin? Well I guess I should start with what I know that prompted me to come see you,” she began to say, leaning back on her hands again and purposefully pushing out her chest. ”The technique I used to bring us here. I was using it to take my companions, the ones you met earlier, somewhere with me when I became in some place I only know as The Void. It was a dark emptiness with no light or living things. I have no idea how I got there, but I was trapped for three or four days. Eventually I was able to teleport back to this plane, but when I got here I found out that over a month had passed. In between leaving The Void and appearing back in Iron, I saw that mans face. I didn’t know who he was at the time, but it lead me to believe he was somehow connected to my getting trapped over there. On top of that, several of my acquaintances can’t be reached, at least one of which was from Sunagakure and headed to Kumogakure to confront someone named Kyson last time we spoke. So, after seeing your notice about Kenshin, I decided to meet back up with my companions and head to Hoshigakure to speak with you directly.” There was a brief pause then, while she took another swig from the bottle and let her words sink in before she continued. ”So I guess my first question for you, Hogokage, is would Kenshin have a way of trapping me in that forsaken place, or perhaps he knows someone who could have done it for him?” She finished her question by taking another swig from the bottle before handing it back to Valen.

As the previous Hogokage came back to his senses he couldn't help but notice the minor changes in Alice's clothing, mainly the unbuttoning of the top few buttons of her blouse. The results of which were the reveal of the top of a lacey black bra that she apparently wore beneath. This would cause him a moment of confusion before he continued with the rest of his explanation as being spaced out. At this point however Alice would be asking her questions. Valen himself would be lost in thought while she did, thinking about everything she was telling him. 'Hmm, could it be Kenshin?’ He would think to which his constant companion would of course decide that it was time to respond. 'I don't think so, based on your memories of the man he does not seem like the type to trap somebody in some strange alternate dimension. I know we don't know all of his capabilities, but we can safely say he focuses on the medical arts as well as general ninjutsu. Utilizing space time anomalies and such like you and Den doesn't seem like his style. Besides, remember how he seems to keep so many corpses. No way he keeps them around for decoration. I don't think he'd risk throwing away a potential corpse to experiment with and dissect.’ The beast would say, to which Valen could only nod mentally in agreement. 'I concur, Den, Hikari or I are the only ones affiliated with Hoshigakure that could have possibly done such a thing. Den is dead, she seems to be friends with Hikari, and I just met her.’ He would say back, prompting the five tailed beast to give it's own nod.

While this conversation was occurring Valen would be taking steps to even the scales that Alice had tried, sitting up and taking another swig off the whiskey as his upper body clothing seemed to melt away slowly, fusing seamlessly with black Shinobi pants, leaving him bare chested. His arms were different colours, one tan like the rest of his upper body. The other however was pale, a remnant of his battle against the Yonbi. When the Gobi had been sealed within him the chakra of the beast had interacted with the chakra that was held within his curse seal and changed his appearance. The results of said changes were a darker skin tone and his hair becoming ashen white as opposed to the raven black it had been before. When Kenshin had regenerated his arm after the summit, it too came back as pale as he had been. The same as both of his legs as a matter of fact. The three limbs were giant scars themselves. Constant reminders of his failure to defeat the second bijuu he ever fought.

It was after his clothing had finished receding that he spoke “I can't say for certain, as I don't know all of Kenshins powers or techniques. However I can say it isn't in his character to do such a thing. He's a medical expert, one of the best Hoshigakure has ever seen. I've never once seen him dabble in the space time arts beyond maybe the Storage Displacement technique. He'd prefer to kill you and keep your corpse and utilize it for experimentation and dissection. Not trap you in another dimension where you're of no use to him. To my knowledge there's only three people that have ever come out of Hoshigakure that could do such a thing to you. My previous master Denkiteki, my previous Deputy, Hikari, and me. Denkiteki is dead, it sounds as if Hikari and you are on good terms, and I just met you. So I would hardly have reason to trap you in another dimension.” He would say, explaining all he knew or could infer to the woman sitting next to him. “I do however know Kenshin's last known location. I intended to go to it within the next few days, I could take you with me if you chose although I'll be honest and warn you. I'm unsure who would win in a fight between us, Kenshin was arguably the only one in Hoshigakure before he left that was my equal.” He would say, following up his previous explanation with a counter offer. She could ask him herself, easily enough. At this point he'd pass her the bottle again, offering another drink to help her process the information he had just given her.

‘That will be an interesting meeting to be sure.’ The voice of Kokuo would radiate throughout his head in what could only be described as a ‘dry’ tone. ‘You think so?’ Valen would think back in curiosity. Causing the beast to give a snort of amusement at the comment made by the sword wielder. ‘Indeed, the last time you two spoke he was nearly ready to kill you I think. Instead he bartered his way out of the village with the corpse of your previous kage and items that once belonged to your master. Now, not too long after you’ll show up wherever he might be located. I give it ten to one odds that he attacks first and asks questions later.’ The beast would say, a sense of morbid amusement lacing his voice. ‘I think you’re wrong actually.’ Valen would say in response, denying the beasts claim in swift fashion. ‘For all of his power and cunning, Kenshin has one massive flaw. He likes to hear himself talk. His Miasma also radiates from him, so the closer he is to me the better chance he has for it to work. However he also knows that close range combat is where I excel as well. I think he’d rather not risk it. I think he’ll talk first, see what’s going on. He was never stupid Kokuo, he won’t waste an opportunity to learn something, and when he learns that I no longer serve Hoshigakure, he’ll probably realize that I’m not there to kill him. I might not join him, depending on his goals, but I won’t necessarily try to kill him either. He’s a missing nin now, but so am I. So I have to be ready and willing to accept whatever he’s up to, and who knows I might just join up with him if I feel it is a worthy effort.’ He would say, giving his own analysis of the situation. This time, he’d keep enough of his attention to his surroundings to pay attention to what Alice was saying if anything. Particularly, keeping his eyes on her eyes, for the most part. Every once in a while they’d drift downward, being drawn to the slightly unbuttoned blouse.

The moment an opportunity presented itself however he would snap his eyes back up to hers and speak again. “I should warn you also, I’ve yet to admit this, although you might have guessed by now unless you were merely confused by my own presence. However I am no longer affiliated with Hoshigakure. I abandoned the village. That does not however mean that I still do not have strong ties to some within the place. Hikari being one of those ties, if you intend to go after the village or her, I’m not sure I’ll be able to let you. So I hope you gain all of the information you need from this discussion.” He would say, his words measured, level. They were spoken in a tone that would not accept argument over the fate of the village, at least, not yet. He wanted it clear that if she intended to do harm to the village he had called home for years, so soon after he left it. The wounds of doing such a thing still open and raw, he would cut her down before she could leave the room. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that of course, he hoped this night would be somewhat enjoyable, however he prided himself on being as honest as his profession allowed. ‘Are you sure that’s wise? If she takes offense she might wait until an opportune moment to kill you.’ His companion would ask in what might be a concerned tone. ‘You say that as if it wasn’t a risk to begin with.’ The ashen haired man would say, and proceed to await her response to his words.

WC: 1390
TWC: 4617

Was....was she actually seeing what she thought she was seeing? Valen’s armor seemed to actually be....receding from his torso and merging seamlessly with his pants. It revealed a finely toned bare chest and arms, one of which was incredibly pale in color and mismatched from the rest of his tanned body. Intriguing indeed, though that strange receding armor caught her attention more than anything. Another question she would have to ask the ashen-haired male. She took another swig from the bottle he had handed her. Everything seemed to be getting....fuzzy. She could feel her impulses slowly winning out over logic in the silent war being waged between the two in her mind.

Her musings were interrupted by the answer she sought, though not one that she had hoped for. A medical expert, but no experience with the art of space-time manipulation. And to learn that that Hikari girl from what seemed like so long ago was not only the deputy Hogokage, but an impressively skilled space-time user as well. Wait, he said ex-deputy, didn’t he? What was all that about. It seemed like the answers he gave only lead to more questions.

As curious as she was about Kenshin, and even Valen himself, her attention kept being drawn to what she had just seen. There were no signs visibly weaved that she could see, and she didn’t think that she had been placed in a genjutsu, although she no longer had the automated defense against such things that Ren had placed thanks to her time in The Void. She tried to keep her eyes focused on his, but they kept darting down to his bare, muscled chest and even further down to his pants. Before she could stop herself, or even really thought about what she was doing, Alice straddled the man and began examining his chest, feeling it with her hands to see if it was just an illusion. It didn’t feel that way.

”I see,” she said as she continued to examine the male’s body. She even went so far as to start examining the waistline of his pants, the soft skin of the back of her fingers gently caressing the bare skin of Valen’s waist as she did so. ”Hikari has no reason to trap me in that other dimension. If you say Kenshin doesn’t have the ability to do it either than I may be inclined to believe you, but I still plan on confronting him myself.” Alice was so enraptured with trying to figure out how his armor worked that almost nothing could have taken her focus away from her work. Except maybe if something ahem rose to her attention. Personal space wasn’t exactly a concept she was good at in the first place, and nothing about her tone or body language implied this was abnormal for her in the slightest.

”How does this work? Your armor I mean. I didn’t even see you weave any signs and it certainly doesn’t seem like I’m in a genjutsu. There’s no seam here on your waistline either but I’m sure I saw your armor meld with it somehow.” As she finished her question, the kunoichi would look up and into Valen’s eyes, which were only a couple of inches away from her own. If he seemed at all uncomfortable with their current position she was completely oblivious to the fact. There was clear excitement in her tone when asking about the armor, and the act of talking had caused her hips to rock back and forth ever so slightly on Valen’s lap. ”Oh and yes, I would appreciate you taking me with you to see this Kenshin guy. And don’t worry about me attacking your village or your precious Hikari. I’m not interested in that right now, handsome.”

After he spoke the woman would proceed to do something that he simply hadn’t been expecting, although given the circumstances he probably should have been. It would appear that most of her attention was on his armour and how it did what it did. However she seemed to have been paying enough attention to be able to ask questions, and assure him that she had no intention of moving against the village that he has until very recently called his home. As she straddled him, the bottler of whiskey she had been holding would go drop to the floor, the fiery liquid within spilling outward onto the wood, wasted. Although that was the furthest thing from the mind of the ex Hogokage. His grey eyes would be drawn toward Alice’s own red and green, his own mind lost in her close proximity, and whether she knew it or not, intimate actions that he had yet to deal with. The girl had clearly known what she was doing to a degree and her fascination with his armor would leave her trailing a hand along where it had disappeared as well as where it once lay, no doubt trying to figure out the nature of such an illusion. Valen considered it for the brief moment his mind could and realized that not many people had ever seen his armor recede as it had. As a matter of fact, not many people outside of Hoshigakure would know of the Manipulated Fabric that his master had fabricated. He wanted to answer her but his own mind kept being drawn to the woman’s actions.

As her eyes finished trying to discover the mystery that was his armor her eyes would come back up to peer into his. His mind and tongue working furiously to try to answer the question that she had asked regarding his armor. First however he would answer the statements made about her joining him to find Kenshin as well as those regarding the safety of his old village from her. “Thank you, I appreciate you not going after the Village, or Hikari for that matter. In regards to Kenshin, of course. I intended to stay here for the majority of tomorrow before leaving for his last known location, Wind Country. In regards to my armour, it’s something my master, Denkiteki fabricated. It can take the form of any clothing I wish it to as well as recede for the sake of jutsu that spring from the body. There’s more to it, but we can discuss that later, right now, I just can’t think of the rest.” He would say simply, his voice trailing off toward the end to where the final few words would come out as little more than a whisper. His hands would find their way to the woman’s waist, before he would move to kiss the woman. The distance between them being no more than a few inches after all. Within his mind he heard Kokuo speak, barely able to make sense of the words at that time. ‘Alright, so I may have let the alcohol affect you a little bit. However it won’t be enough to screw you up in a combat situation if one were to arise. I’ll burn it out quickly but for now, just enjoy your night, Valen.’ it said, prompting the named man to consider the Gobi’s words before realizing that he very rarely used his own name, if at all. However that was inconsequential at this point in time. If the kiss was allowed, he’d break it, only long enough to speak, his voice mildly breathless. “We can discuss the rest of that stuff in the morning.” He would say simply, allowing that to be the end of the conversation before moving to initiate the kiss once more and letting the course of the night simply continue on with any further interruptions.

Should all go well it would be late in the morning before Valen awoke. His arm would be wrapped around something warm but his eyes would remain closed and his breathing would continue in the same rhythmic pace of sleep. His senses would expand a bit, taking in his surroundings carefully. The smell of the spilled whiskey would be apparent, and he could feel the warmth of the sun hitting from the window. Obviously that bed had been positioned that way to make sure the tenant awoke to either pay the room for the next day or simply leave. His legs were caught up in something warm as well but he paid it no true mind. He was content to stay exactly where he was for as long as possible, despite the damned light shining through the window. It wouldn’t take long before that light, incessant as it was, would compel him to full wakefulness. He’d let his breathing normalize, allow his mind to truly filter through all that had happened, and his arm would shift over whatever it was wrapped around.

WC: 832
TWC: 5449

It seemed emotions were running high and Alice’s actions had finally unsettled the ashen-haired male, prompting him to grab her waist and pull her in for a kiss. All the rogue kunoichi could think was ’it’s about damn time!’ as she found herself kissing him back. And then the kiss was broken, all too soon in her opinion. Talk about the rest in the morning? No shit, Sherlock. ”Shut up and kiss me,” she said, moving even closer and kissing him once more.


Fade to black


Alice woke early the next morning with the warmth of the sun on her back as it shone through the window near the bed. She felt something warm and soft against her cheek, the rhythmic breathing of the ex-Hogokage told her that last night had indeed happened and it wasn’t just her imagination running wild. The smell of whiskey mingled with that of sweat and other odors as telltale signs of the near sleepless night they had had. Even though Valen was quite muscular, his body was incredibly comfortable beneath her face and chest. She could feel the warmth of his arm still wrapped around her waist and his legs interwoven with her own.

It was still too early for the Nara woman to want to do anything but lay there and enjoy the moment. Unfortunately, she felt his arm slowly moving as her bedded companion woke from his own slumber. Giving up on any ideas of continued rest, Alice lifted her head and kissed the man’s cheek softly. ”Mmmm, good morning.” She smiled at him and lifted her body up to allow him to take back his arm before resting her head on her own and wrapping the blanket tighter around her chest. ”Thanks for last night, handsome. Did you get any rest?” she asked, trailing the fingers of her free hand over his tanned abs as she looked up at him, trying to catch his eyes.

He’d feel a kiss on his cheek after shifting his arm and he’d smile back at the Nara “Good morning.” He would say, his tone light and content. He would take the chance to free his arm when she gave it to him and he would instead wrap it around her and plant a soft kiss on her lips if allowed. Upon breaking it she would speak, thanking him for the prior night and asking if he got any rest. “It should be ‘I’ thanking you my lovely companion, and I got about as much sleep as you did.” He’d say with a slight chuckle as gray eyes met those matching shades of gemstones. Based on the height of the sun, given it’s rays coming through the window, he’d gauge it to be about ten in the morning. “I certainly slept far later than I usually do so I would hope some rest was obtained.” He would say in a slight jest as he gave her a small parting touch on the cheek before removing the sheets from himself and standing. He’d step on the single piece of clothing that was his, and will it to form into a full set of clothing at the contact. Within moments he would be dressed in his full normal attire, black undershirt, and a red long sleeve undercoat. “To further elaborate on your question from last night. My armor is designed off of something my master made. My personal armor is superior to the version he created, but the basic function of it being able to form into any outfit you might want, simply by touching your chakra to said outfit is still within it. The armor is able to open up to avoid jutsu coming from ones body, preventing the destruction of clothing. It’s that ability I’m using, I’m just opening up the top half of the armor, causing the excess substance to form into the lower armor completely seamlessly.” He would say, remembering the conversation from last night and where it ended before things got a bit more intimate between the two.

Come to think of it, didn’t he still have the spare set that Kenshin returned to him when the mad doctor left in a rage? He could gift it to the woman sitting in the bed at this moment. It wasn’t like he was using it, and his master didn’t create the stuff to just sit there when it was made. He’d shrug before performing a quick tiger seal and pulling out the Magic Bag in his Storage Displacement before reaching inside and pulling out the Manipulated Fabric. Three Stone Facets had already been grafted onto the armor but that didn’t concern Valen really. Of course this was prior knowledge, as the Manipulated Fabric was currently in the form of a small cube on the palm of his hand that he would idly toss over toward Alice. “Here.” He would say simply, as the small cube flew through the air. After tossing it toward her he’d reach over for his sword and begin to tie it off at the waist in its usual location, completing his usual ensemble. ‘Time for your morning work out?’ A familiar voice in his mind would ask to which Valen would mentally nod in the affirmative. ‘Yeah, a late start doesn’t excuse me from it. I’ll invite her along too, maybe she’d be interested.’ Valen would say to the beast. Kokuo would snort in amusement before saying ‘I’m sure she’s interested in working out, just not the kind you mean.’ The beast would say, causing Valen to stop for a moment and blink once at the audacity of the comment ‘Mouthy horse aren’t you?’ The teen would say before turning back toward Alice.

Whether or not she had completed her investigation of the object she had thrown at her, or simply dodged it and let it fall harmlessly to the ground, he’d speak frankly. “I’m going to go train a bit, I always start my day with a morning workout. While I might be starting late, that won’t stop me from doing it. You’re welcome to join me if you wish later on we can travel to where I last know of Kenshin to be located. We can bring your friends of course, provided they don’t do anything stupid like antagonize my old comrade. How we get there is of little cause although I cannot teleport there myself yet.” He would say before moving toward her side of the bed. If allowed he would tilt her chin up and give her a gentle kiss. “Come see if you can keep up, neh?” He’d say with a small smirk before disappearing in a flash of light. Reappearing outside the tavern and in a secluded area, it was off the path outside of the town although it wasn’t so far away that he didn’t think Alice would be able to find him if she wanted to. It was however far enough off the beaten path that some random civilian wouldn’t accidentally happen along. ‘For obvious reasons we’ll have to forego practicing with your power today. I don’t want people to know about you. It’ll put a target on my back for your power.’ The ashen haired swordsman would say mentally as he drew his sword and began to slowly move through katas as he waited for Alice to arrive 'Obviously' his companion would respond, relaxing within Valen's mindscape and letting the teen move on with his training

WC: 920
TWC: 6369