Meeting under the Stars (Shiva)

Night had fallen over Hoshigakure, the city in the Land of Haven. Regardless of the time it was a beautiful and lucid luminous blue sky. Resting against what could be described as a wall was Akaboshi, the red haired Uzumaki. With his head upwards and aimed at the sky the Chuunin was counting the many shining stars. The young man, early in his twenties, would truly feel at peace whenever he was able to witness the beauty of a night in Hoshigakure. Things had finally settled down in the village after the many chaotic events they had experienced. In a short period of time a lot of changes in leadership had passed through. Different leaders had followed each other in high succession, the current one already being the sixth Hogokage.

Stability used to be the standard for the Land of Haven. Ever since the ninja village of Hoshigakure was established years ago, the place had spread quickly in wealth, military and influence. But unfortunately things started to go downhill rather sooner than later. Akaboshi didn't want to think back at all the events that had brought chaos to his village, but it was safe to say a lot had happened since then. Important people had left or died, others had tried to destroy the home they once promised to protect and with them they took most of their forces to deflect to god knows where, leaving the village in a state of chaos. The current Hogokage, Yasaki Uchiha, had brought back peace.

The redhead couldn't help but feel a certain uneasiness when he thought about the current situation. On one hand he was glad that peace had returned, but on the other he feared that the people would get used to this false sense of safety. If the passed events had shown them anything it would be that danger was always lurking around when you were least expecting it. In the darkest corners there was always something or someone waiting to strike. Not to mention there were always people who couldn't get used to peace and saw it as a means to bring back chaos. Those who do not understand true pain can never understand true peace. Which was why it was up to people like Akaboshi to ensure and protect the future of Hoshigakure. 

There he was, leaning against a wall and admiring his view. The Uzumaki was wearing his usual black, leather jacket with a fur collar and a white V-neck underneath. His dark blue, denim jeans held up by a simple brown belt, with a silver chain attached to his back pocket, additionally with black shoes to top off the rest of his outfit. Everything complemented by jewelry pieces such as a silver ring, and a star-shaped necklace. The piercing in his left ear shining as bright as the stars up in the sky. Akaboshi would reach inside his pocket for a cigarette which he would then light up with a single match. The smoke surrounding the area he was standing in, inhale and exhale. A truly beautiful night under the stars it was.

(WC: 517)

As he kept looking up at the night sky he noticed the moon had fully reached its peak. In it the red haired Uzumaki had found himself a loyal companion. It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon is friend for the lonesome to talk to, and lonely was how he felt. It was that light that was almost blinding Akaboshi, hurting his eyes. Inhaling deeply as he would exhale with the smoke obstructing his view. 

For a while he thought he was the only one out there but he would soon be mistaken when he heard the sound of a female voice close by. "Apologies, I was under the impression I was all by myself." Akaboshi quickly tried to make the smoke disappear by violently waving his hand from left to right. He would throw his cigarette down to the ground before putting it out using the bottom of his shoe. Looking over as his amber eyes would meet hers, the Uzumaki noticed them to be silver just like her hair, resembling the moonlight. The kunoichi was dressed in a Jounin attire, giving away her rank.

"Excuse my insolence, if I had known .." He wasn't able to finish his sentence due to being caught by surprise. He was so lost in his own thoughts he didn't notice someone walking up to him. A disgrace for a shinobi of his stature. As he tried to regain his composure he would simultaneously listen as the silver haired woman inquired about the reason for him being out there. "Thoughts and memories, mylady. Thoughts and memories." It would be easy to say he was just out there thinking as it was deeper than that. His reflection on all kinds of things that had happened in the past or still had to happen in the future. 

Maybe such a heavy topic wasn't suited for a late night stroll, which made him decide not to share any further unless she would delve deeper into his mind. The red haired Uzumaki would go through his hair using one of his hands as he continued looking up at the sky. Such a peaceful night it was, one that could last forever if it was up to him. His gaze would then be directed at the Jounin with the silver hair. "What brings you here? Finishing up your late evening rounds perhaps?" It would make sense for the kunoichi to make her rounds around the village, he was all too familiar with a task like that. 

(WC: 453, TWC: 970)

Any fun memories she'd ask? "If only" was the short answer he came up with. Two words were enough to reply faster than he actually wanted. It was not that he didn't give the question much thought, it was just the first thing coming to his mind. Trying his hardest to force a genuine smile as he answered the silver haired kunoichi. If only his mind would be filled with pleasant memories of the past. There had been plenty but unfortunately none of them were the reason as to why he was out there by himself looking up at the night sky. 

Before he could explain any further the silence was suddenly broken by a loud yell that could be heard from nearby. A robbery, a fight, someone breaking in? A lot of scenarios started playing off inside his head but he knew there wasn't any time to waste. The red haired Uzumaki followed behind the female Jounin as they would make their way to the location from where the scream originated. Akaboshi, placing one hand around a kunai, would quickly look around in case he would notice someone or something suspicious. It didn't take them long before they had arrived at one of the many alleys in Hoshigakure. 

"Finally you're here." A voice could be heard coming from up high. As he looked over Akaboshi witnessed a half naked woman wearing nothing but a bathrobe, standing on her balcony. Innocent as he was he immediately turned around as his cheeks turned red. "You might take the lead on this one" he would say to the silver haired kunoichi. Standing with his back turned at the woman he would carefully listen to what she had to say. "I'm telling you, there was a peeping tom." Now, Akaboshi knew a lot of people but he had never heard of a shinobi called Tom. 

The Chuunin would turn around as soon as she got a bit more decent before he would ask some questions. "So, how did this peeping Tom look? Did you recognize him or have you seen him before? Any idea where he ran off to?" The redhead would give the woman some time to explain everything as he paid close attention to every word she was saying. Once they got all the information they needed they would make sure she got into her house safely before they would start their pursuit. "So, how do you want to do this? Stick together or split up to cover more field?" She was still a Jounin so he would let her decide how they would handle things.

(WC: 435, TWC: 1405)

Akaboshi was following close behind the silver haired Jounin while at the same time his mind would go back to when the woman described the so called peeping tom. The only thing she remembered would be that the culprit was a tall man. Not exactly a lot to work with but still worth a shot. The redhead still couldn't believe that there were perverts running around in the village. And in all honesty, if you really wanted to enjoy some female beauty there were far more better options out there. No offense to the lady of course. But still, he saw more flesh than he wanted.

The Uzumaki noticed how the kunoichi suddenly came to a halt. She took a brief moment to focus before she activated her byakugan. "A Hyuuga? Interesting." A pleasant surprise to say the least and something he did not expect but it kinda made sense with her silver hair and eyes. Not that those two characteristics immediately meant they belonged to a Hyuuga and would be standard. It wouldn't be his first since his friend Yoshimi belonged to the same clan as well. The Byakugan, a kekkei genkai that gives them extended fields of vision and the ability to see through solid objects and even the chakra circulatory system, amongst other things. Very powerful indeed.

They could talk about their different heritage later. First they needed to catch the one responsible for scaring the poor lady. Akaboshi would give the Jounin a minute to adjust and look around before he would act. With her Byakugan still active she told him he wouldn't be needing his kunai for there wasn't anything able of posing a threat. A bit confused the red haired Uzumaki put away his weapon and followed the silver haired Hyuuga into one of the many alleys in Hoshigakure. Careful not to make a single noise they would walk up to what looked to be the perpetrator.

In one swift move the female Jounin was able to remove and pull away the coat. "Well, well. What do we have here?" Standing in front of them were two little boys, one on top of the other to hide their true presence. "You should know all too well it is long past your bedtime." Akaboshi would look at the young boys, figuring he might play a little prank on them to make them nervous. "Breaking the curfew, harassing a poor harmless lady. I'd say that's at least twenty, thirty years. What do you think?" He would then look at the Hyuuga, expecting her to understand what he was trying to do. 

(WC: 435, TWC: 1840)

Akaboshi just wanted to give them a little scare but it seemed he had done more than that. With both their eyes and noses red from crying it looked like the two boys completely fell for it. The Uzumaki was able to pull off some solid acting so of course they believed him. If being a shinobi didn't work out for him he could always get into the movie business. His looks were above average if he'd say so himself and he would be able to stand out due to his red hair. He already had a nickname so he would fit right in the industry. But alas, there were other important matters that required his attenion.

Two of them were standing in front of him, wiping off their tears and snot. Having a hard time speaking they were finally able to get a couple of words out. If what he could understand it seemed the little rascals weren't strangers to the silver haired kunoichi. From what they were saying it sounded like they were her students, quite the coincidence. It might have been their lucky day since it was Akaboshi and the female Hyuuga who caught them. Others might not decide to let them go so easily after the little stunt they pulled. After promising to complete the punishment given to them by the silver haired kunoichi the two of them were able to go. 

Once the kids had left the Uzumaki and Hyuuga could continue their stroll through the streets of Hoshigakure. "As the son of a Senju and Uzumaki I always had a certain sense of responsibility, almost as if I felt that's how I had to be. I enjoyed my childhood but there was no room to play pranks. And once I got in a certain organization I had to mature even faster" he would refer to his time at the Queensguard. There wasn't a lot of time to take it easy once he served in the organization, but there was nothing he'd regret, how it all ended being the only exception. "What about you? I imagine growing up a Hyuuga can be quite .. strict, Shiva Sensei?" As he asked the question a smile started to form on his face as he looked at the silver haired Jounin. 

(WC: 382, TWC: 2222)