Darude Sandstorm (P, Kai)

Tue Nov 12, 2019 3:30 pm

The sunset was brilliant that evening, the blood orange blended seamlessly out into a soft violet tinted pink and finally out into the overbearing black purple of the night sky - Mizuki had been sat on one of the surrounding cliffs, her notebook in her hands as she penciled in the information she had gathered throughout the day, adding specific information about her fellows and the civilians still foolish enough to linger in the decemated village. Crossing off one of the lines in Amateratsu’s page to replace with the trait she had picked up on during their training she glanced back up to the sky in time to catch the last bits of sun sink below the horizon - allowing her hand to pause over her book she took that moment to take in just how different her whole life had become in the last week or so. Maybe it was the color of transition in the sky that made her think it but she felt like she too was evolving into something that was beyond what she would have thought. Had she not been staring at the sky at that moment though she wouldn’t have noticed the large cloud of sand that had picked up in the distance, gathering in size and speed headed straight for the village - and of course she was right in the path of it.

Her face fell into a disgruntled expression as she slapped her book closed, pocketing it back onto her person and getting to her feet, taking a few laxidazel moments to stretch and push and lingering strands of her hair out of her face she finally began her decent down from her perch. Landing on the slightly stirring ground she noticed that it had taken her a little longer than she thought to get down and the storm was now much to close to escape from without it being from cover closer to her current location - sighing she began to look around for any buildings with enough walls to keep her safe, her black hair was beginning to swirl around her as the wind from the storm was picking up. Finally she found an old abandoned three bedroom home. Some of the corners were caving in but for the most part she could seek shelter, slamming the door behind her she stared around her new surroundings- nothing much was left, a few basics really, and she headed into the dining room and slumped down into one of the chairs, creaking slightly under her sudden weight being thrust onto it. Drumming her fingers on the dust covered table she stared around, eyes hard and judgmental, “Now what…”

[WC 443]

Thu Nov 21, 2019 5:18 pm

It had been some time since his Master had brought Kai to Sunagakure, and he had done exactly as he had been ordered to. First, he sought out the one called Amaterasu that Kenshin had mentioned, and found her still lying in a hospital bed recovering from whatever it was that had put her there in the first place. Seeing that, the young Uchiha decided to let her rest instead of revealing himself. There would be plenty of time for introductions later, after all. So instead he simply left to practice his stealth and intelligence skills while he waited for his promised training with the Demon.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much in the way of difficult targets to test his skills against considering the village was all but deserted. Sure there were civilians enough for him to tail and gather general intelligence from about the area, but where was the challenge? He couldn't expect to get any better by only using low level skills to track low level civilians that had no way of noticing his presence without at least some degree of shinobi training. At least he wouldn't get rusty, though. Some number of days after he had begun, something interesting happened. Apparently, there was another person doing exactly what he was. Although, it was clear the other person, a young girl from what he could see, was even more of an amateur than he was.

Kai spent some time following the girl, considering it to be a much more productive way to spend his time than what he had been doing before. There was no way she had snuck into the village on her own the skills she appeared to possess. He couldn’t sense much chakra from her at all either, for that matter. Of course, it was always possible Kenshin had knowingly allowed the girl to think she had infiltrated the village so as to further his own machinations. Regardless, the Uchiha needed more information on her. After a while he found himself staring into the face of an enormous incoming sandstorm as the wind whipped his messy black hair around his face. The girl apparently noticed as well and dropped gracefully down to the empty streets below. As he watched, Kai saw her disappear into what seemed to be one of the many abandoned buildings in the area and he followed quickly after her.

Staying in the shadows, the man moved swiftly and silently into what appeared to be a three bedroom home long since abandoned. It looked like the previous owners had left in a rush, and no one had bothered to clean up since then. After a quick moment he left the entrance room and spotted the girl sitting on an old wooden chair not far away. From where he was standing no light would have fallen on him and revealed his presence, though he could see her quite clearly. ”Now, we wait,” he said as he stepped forth and revealed himself. ”And maybe you can tell me who you are and why you’re sneaking around.”

Sat Nov 23, 2019 6:30 pm

Her fingers stopped instantly, now pressed tightly against the table, raising one eyebrow in response to his voice, she would become immobile- ”Now, we wait,” - her eyes slid to the side so she was able to witness the emergence of the man, her stare was intense as she was taken aback, not only from the appearance of someone but the appearance of someone who was leagues above her. ”And maybe you can tell me who you are and why you’re sneaking around.” a small smile would surface on her lips as she slowly turned her face to his- stern eyes would meet her own unyielding pair, he was taller than her and more muscularly built, with black messy hair around his face - they looked similar enough though she was more limber and agile upon first glance.

She stared at him for a moment longer, the soft smile resting pointedly on her lips, no trace of fear or apprehension in her body language - she was in observation mode - it was obvious by his question he had been watching her for some time and the fact that she hadn’t noticed herself being followed bothered her more deeply than suddenly being in the company of a stranger who was questioning her. Licking her lips slightly she turned more fully toward him, her upper torso rotating in her chair, it was a risky decision on her part but she wasn’t willing to show how much his sudden appearance had taken her surprise, but she decided to play coy to a degree. “And you are late.”, her voice matched her cool and calm demeanor, standing up she brushed her dusty black hair behind her shoulder and cocked her head to the side slightly with her right hand resting on her hip, “Plus-”, her eyebrows raised in an exaggerated defiance, “-who said I was sneaking around? It sounds like you have a keen eye for seeing suspect where there isn’t any.”, her tone had taken a sharp edge on her last word, seeming to spit out the bad taste the accusation had given her.

She suddenly broke her cool exterior with an earnest laugh, turning her full smile away from him she shook her head- her long black hair flying with the motion, “I’m only teasing, lighten up won’t you?”she laughed to herself as she held out her hand, eyes directly on his, “Mizuki Ohta. Not sneaking around since I earned my way into this ex-village the hard way.” she quickly recalled her meeting of Amaterasu and how at any moment she could have been extinguished from this world ,but her she was, meeting another skeptic. “I assume you and everyone in every village… will know the name one day.” her tone had gotten darker and more serious, more indicative of who she was and her own personal goals in this village.

[WC 477]

[TWC 910]

Mon Nov 25, 2019 9:41 am

He watched the girl carefully for her reaction to his revelation, noting the tightening of her fingertips against the top of the table she had just been strumming them against. A very subtle indication of her surprise at hearing him speak, a slight tick of a motion she probably hadn’t even realized happened with how smooth the transition had been. In fact if his own senses hadn’t been so honed from his many experiences over the years he probably would have missed it as well. Inexperienced or not, this was someone who was skilled in controlling her own body language in order to keep hidden her true thoughts and emotions. Interesting. The man couldn’t help but wonder what else she might be hiding, or even how capable she might truly be.

And just like that the flicker of true emotion he had seen was replaced by a calm, confident demeanor of someone who knew how to play the game, confirming his suspicions almost immediately. He had to admit that he was impressed with the young woman, and though he made no outward change in body language or demeanor, he was now fully on guard against this vixen. It wouldn’t do to let a pretty little thing like her distract him enough to do him harm. No, Kai knew better than that.

The corners of the Uchiha’s mouth tugged up into an amused grin as he casually folded his arms against his chest and leaned sideways against the doorframe he was standing in. The girl’s name was Mizuki Ohta, or so she claimed, and allegedly had been allowed into the village due to her own merit. Kai supposed he could see how that would have happened, considering his Master seemed to like to collect talent and this woman apparently had an abundance of potential talent wrapped up in her lithe frame just waiting to blossom. Of course the Demon would have seen fit to allow this vixen into his Den.

Even as guarded as he was, the Uchiha couldn’t help but take note of that warm oral of laughter that escaped the girls full lips and the welcoming smile she plastered upon them afterward. Coupled with her long, dusty black hair and those violet eyes that seemed like they could see right through him, the former Konoha shinobi had to admit that she held a frightening, yet somehow conservative appeal to her. The right bait for the right fish, he supposed. His eyes flicked to her outstretched hand for a moment in consideration, his smile never faltering from his face, before straightening himself and extending his own hand to trade grips with the woman. ”You can call me Kai. I’ve been watching you for some time now, Mizuki, and even I can tell you have quite a bit of talent.” He released his grip and shoved his hands in his pockets, a grin spreading across his face. ”I can certainly see why you would have been allowed to stay. Point in fact, you still haven’t answered my question, though it was a good attempt at deflection, I admit. So I’ll ask again, what are you doing sneaking around?” His tone grew harsher at the last, and his eyes seemed to house an endless burning flame of intensity as he questioned the stranger.

Tue Nov 26, 2019 4:53 pm

From the moment her fingers had pressed into the table she was on the lookout for any and all behavioral cues that would lend her to understanding how to maneuver a conversation with her new companion. She noted then of course when a grin reached his face, just as hers had, and just as she had he too was mirroring the causal body language she was now projecting - leaning against the door frame was a good attempt and seeming relaxed but his fault lay in the crossing of his arms across his chest, this action suggested that even though he was playing the unphased shinobi very well his body was giving away the fact that he was suddenly on guard. What are you so guarded about? Mizuki thought to herself, You came in all strong and confident what's with the step back?

The feeling of being analyzed was something she was so used to at this point in her life, and today was just another instance of someone reassessing their first impressions. She knew he was considering her in a new light, approaching with more caution than he thought necessary. It took him a few moments to straighten up and take hold of her outstretched hand, taking his rough larger one in hers and giving it a firm squeeze. Her middle finger tip rested momentarily on his vein, a person's pulse lending more information than one might think.
It was an easy task to do especially since Mizu had been doing it for so long that she only needed a few fleeting seconds, but his pulse was a little faster than it should have been. Very interesting… what was even more interesting was after their handshake he slid his hands into his pockets, taking them out of my reach perhaps.. Or simply re grounding yourself. With a faster pulse and the unconscious withdrawal after skin contact it seemed as though Kai either found her intimidating… or attractive - possibly even a twisted combination of the two.

“Okay Kai.”, she tried out the name, saying it with authority as if she was the one granting him his own name, “Weren’t you taught not to spy on women? Honestly.” ,she flashed him a joking eyebrow raise, “And please… do intend to listen better because I have said twice now I wasn’t sneaking around. I was simply reflecting on some of my most recent meetings and I preferred a view.”,her voice had started out as an almost purring plead only to melt seamlessly into an assertive tone. Her eyes flickered down to his hands still shoved into his pockets, “Good attempt at deflection, I admit.”

Feeling as though her point had been made she headed toward the kitchen, hoping to find something that had made it through the hellscape that had become the village of Suna. Her hair whipped back as she had walked past him, like an invitation to follow her if he so chose. Reaching the generally clean loomking kitchen she ran a fingertip across the counter top, coming up with a layer of grit and sand - sighing she flicked the dust off herself and approached a cluster of cabinets in the corner. Mizuki always hid her liquor in the bottom cabinets and it was a good a place as any to start - luck was on her side it seemed, in the cabinet she found a half bottle of Shoyu. Crouching down she reached for the bottle and cradled it in her fingers, memories of her past having been drowned in this liquor before.

Nodding in approval she finally stood up, turning on the balls of her feet and neatly rising from her crouch in a gliding motion - much like the grace of an uncoiling snake. With the bottle gripped in her right hand she let her arms fall back down to her sides, while her left foot would kick back and shut the cupboard door closed with a snap. “Care for a drink?”,She wiggled the bottle in her hand, an innocent smile pressing more persistently to her lips - unbeknownst to Kai this was Mizuki’s attempt at doing what Kenshin had done to her, the best way for her to learn his tactics was to use them too. “Call me Mizu by the way.”

[WC 711]

[TWC 1621]

Thu Nov 28, 2019 3:41 pm

Clearly this woman was used to being the one in control, the one analyzing others instead of being analyzed herself. Her entire confident and unconcerned aura spoke volumes about her to the Uchiha, but he acknowledged the fact that it would probably seem as normal as snow in the winter if he hadn't already picked up on her attempts to hide her true emotions. Still, the added implication that Kai had a far from innocent ulterior motive for watching her was undoubtedly meant to ruffle his feathers a bit and keep him off balance. "Shouldn't spy on women? That's strange. Part of my training was to explicitly spy on women. Particularly in bath houses. What I saw you doing was......much less intimate, I admit." he replied with a sly grin. Before he continued, Kai allowed his eyes to slowly move up and down her form. "Though I suppose I could spy on you in the bath house as well, if you wanted,"

Mizuki apparently deigned not to grant him a response, instead walking past him toward the kitchen. She She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she went, and the former Konoha shinobi simply rolled his eyes, smiled to himself, and followed the vixen. He found himself leaning back against the door frame with his arms crossed once more as his eyes roamed over the new space, almost instinctively searching for potential threats, weapons, escape routes, all the while Mizuki seemed to have found an old, dusty bottle of liquor left behind in a bottom cabinet. The dark-haired man's grin widened as she shook the bottle and offered him a drink. Unfortunately for her, she had just handed him the upper hand in this little game they were playing. "You expect me to drink that?" he scoffed, pointing at the bottle she held. "Crows know what's actually in the damn thing."

Thu Nov 28, 2019 9:48 pm

She stood, bottle in hand, the innocent smile she wore unwavering as she thought back to his misogynistic sentence she had ignored on her way to the kitchen. He had positioned himself against the door-frame again with his arms still crossed across his chest - this time he was also giving a critical look to the entire space that only years of experience would make so instinctual, she was familiar with the impulse. The smile he wore widened at her offer, but not in agreement as she had expected, it was something else. He expressed his disgust at the drink, actually scoffing at the bottle in her hand. Raising her eyebrows in a bit of genuine surprise she would shrug her shoulders, reaching with her free hand and uncorking the bottle - tossing the cork over her shoulder with apathy before bringing the bottle to her lips and taking a swig. Scrunching up her nose for a second as the liquid passed over her pallet before seeming to settle into her bloodstream - a deeper calm exuding through her.

Best part of finding your personal drink of choice was the tolerance she had already built to it, she felt more at home while she was drinking, her actions would come more fluidly and confidentially. Sighing slightly she would step closer to Kai, a considerable distance still between them before settling herself on top of the counter, the bottle resting between her legs - “Honesty is in this bottle that’s what. How am I supposed to know the real Kai when he won’t even join me in a friendly drink… to new companions of The Ragdoll.” Mentioning Kenshin should put him at ease, since he couldn’t be in the village if Kenshin hadn’t approved it himself - getting past Amat was only half the battle.

Her thumb gently stroked the neck of the bottle in contemplation, his entire speech pattern had changed in the last few moments, instead of skeptical and harsh he had become light hearted, teasing and even playful. Perhaps he was simply putting on airs as she was but the new tone seemed to fit him more the authoritarian entrance he had given. “So what were you doing following me, don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered, but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Did you find what you were looking for?”

[WC 388]

[TWC 2099]

Thu Nov 28, 2019 11:49 pm

Mizuki would see Kai watching her drink from the dusty bottle with one eyebrow raised himself in a sort of skeptical look which would quickly change to a piqued curiosity while she stepped closer to the Uchiha and sat atop the counter near him with the bottle between her legs.

Her words had a point to them, and the woman would probably see him let a mischievous little smile grace his lips in what might seem a sincere reaction as he would reach forward and grasp the bottle himself. ”To new companions indeed,” he would say, his own sea-green eyes staring into her violet ones for a brief moment before taking a swig and placing the bottle back on the counter between her legs. It would appear he tried to hide it, but his own face would scrunch up as well as the burning liquor made its way down his throat and then began to warm his stomach.

”Now, now. I’ll answer one question for you, then you answer one question for me. It’ll be a fun way to pass the time until this,” he waved his hand around to indicate the sandstorm outside, ”finally subsides. Deal? Ok I’ll go fist since you did just ask me a question.” It would appear that his mischievous smile deepened even further and there was a clear amusement painted across his face as he spoke. ”I happened to spot you by chance while you were, ahem, not sneaking around. Since I hadn’t been informed of your presence yet, I decided to follow you and see what I could find out. I suppose I didn’t necessarily hate the idea of keeping an eye on a pretty young girl either...” Mizuki would have seen him wink at that last statement a bit as he flashed her a wicked smile. ”Now it’s your turn. Why are you here in this village, not sneaking around?” The question was real enough, and he supposed his answer was true as well, though Kai Uchiha was certain Mizuki would never be able to tell whether it was or not when this was over. Truly it was too bad for her that this sort of thing was one of the man’s specialties.

Meanwhile, the real Kai would not have moved or spoken at all since he had gestured at the dirty bottle. In fact, as soon as the woman had taken a swig from the bottle his smile and playful demeanor would have faded and his eyes would have been trained on her entirely. He wouldn’t have needed to worry about the girl gleaning any information from him anymore, considering she could no longer actually see the real him. No, everything she would think she saw, heard, smelled, touched, and tasted would have all been part of an elaborate genjutsu that seemed entirely real to her, triggered when he had pointed in her direction only a moment before. One subtle manipulation was all it took for him to completely control the situation. Now he just needed to watch and listen while the storm raged on around them.

-30AP for ephemeral
570AP remaining

Sat Nov 30, 2019 5:45 pm

”To new companions indeed,” - The bottle clunked softly back in place between her legs, her eyes narrowing at the bottle’s neck, the last few moments catching up to her mind - was the liquor really that strong…? The striking sea green of Kai’s eyes leaving an almost after image on the bottle before she raised her violet pair again in time to catch the grimace he made as the burning reaching his throat as it had her for years. Chalking up the weird loss of time feeling she was experiencing to the unorthodox aging of the liquor she brushed the weird feeling aside - normally she would trust her gut but there was nothing that seemed outwardly off for her to pinpoint on. The feeling of uneasiness rested itself in the back of her mind - held at bay by the drink she was clinging to more aggressively now, needing a source that she could control completely. Her fingers would wrap around the neck of the bottle unconsciously again, tight, white knuckles sprouting on her previously relaxed hand. Deep-rooted animal instinct that something was off lapping at her mind as she pushed forward through the conversation as she normally would have.

With a mischievous smile he would give her an answer first, winking at her even as he mentioned he wasn’t bothered by watching her either. Her eyes flicked up and down his body again, narrowing very slightly as the compliment washed over her - she wasn’t keen on them and hearing them from someone who wasn’t… well, who wasn’t Kenshin made her uncomfortable. She knew deep down why it made her uncomfortable but this was no time for that realization, instead she adjusted her posture - sitting a bit straighter on the counter top - and raising her eyebrows again at him. This time he was asking her for her reason for being in the village… which was a deeper answer than she really wanted to give - at this point in time the only one who knew her real reasoning for entering the village was Kenshin himself, and she intended to keep it that way. “Since you won’t let it go,”, she took another swig from the bottle - the liquid calming her rising nerves, “I’m here for the same reason any of us are, gotta be the strongest.”, she raised the bottle in his direction as if celebrating that fact, “My turn next, wasn’t it...Hmm,”, her eyes drifted down in contemplation, “Why are you so blatantly open with a stranger you were tailing not that long ago?”, Mizu stared him down as she asked it, it wasn’t hostile, open curiosity at his demeanor really, and what better way to understand the why of someone than simply asking outright. Sometimes the directness would yield better results in the long run that skirting around the question itself.

[WC 470]

[TWC 2596]

Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:23 am

The false Kai lean back on a nearby wall and slide his hands into his pockets again while a wolfish smile made its way into his face. His sea green eyes met Mizuki’s violet ones as he spoke. ”That’s simple, really. Stuck in here with you during the sandstorm would have been extremely boring if I hadn’t shown myself. I figure maybe I’ll get some information from you by just being upfront about it.” His tone was light, playful even, and there was a gleam of something in his eyes that could be seen as amusement. ”Besides,” he began again as he shrugged in his indifference, ”by the time this storm ends I’ll either have found you trustworthy enough to stay in the village, in which case there’s no point in not being open, or you’ll be dead and I won’t have to worry about anything I’ve said to you.”

The words would hang in the air a moment as the real Kai watched the girl’s reaction all the while hidden from her completely. It was mostly true, what he had made his genjutsu self say to the girl, but the Uchiha didn’t actually intend on harming her in any way. Still, a small threat could be useful in gaining information. It would also allow him to gauge the girl’s competence if he was able to analyze her reaction to the false Kai’s words.

”I think it’s my turn now, yea? Ooook let’s see. Oh I know, what were you doing before you came here? To the village I mean.”

Darude Sandstorm (P, Kai)

Darude Sandstorm (P, Kai)

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