Minding Her Own Business.

[ken]

Izanagi tightened the fresh bandages around his arms and hands, making sure all of his skin was covered adequately. He smiled down at his handiwork - the bandages were so white they were practically glowing. He was washed, his clothes cleaned and he felt like a human being again. Better yet, he had had it all done for next to nothing: the little old woman had not only let him use the facilities of the bathhouse for dirt cheap, but had even cleaned his clothes for him while he was away! Okay, maybe she felt his ass a couple of times, and maybe he had to pay a little extra in bribe money to stop her calling the authorities about the blood spatters, but who cares. It was still damn cheap, and she was very kind - besides the whole groping thing and the fiasco with the blood of course.

He had been gone for a little under an hour, so he was due back soon. He wasn't keen in letting Hishime go off by herself at first, for fear of her bringing the heat down on him or somesuch, but he was one step ahead anyway; the bathhouse he was in wasn't even the one she had marked down on the map. Turns out they were everywhere in this place - he didn't have troubled finding another one anyway. Regardless, he hadn't heard any ruckus outside, and no cops came a-knockin' looking for a pale guy with grimy clothes in the area. It was a good sign.

'I have to go now, miss,' Izanagi called from the sitting room of the bathhouse owner's sitting room. There was a cup of lukewarm tea sitting just in front of him on a low, blanketed table. He had been invited in after changing back into his now sparkling white attire; and he was never one to pass up tea.

'What's that, dear?' Came a disembodied voice in the direction of the kitchen. It was one of those voices that you could tell the age of accurately, and for some inexplicable reason. It sounded about 180.

'I said I have to leave now. Thank you for the tea and your help, but my, eh, friend is waiting on me.'

'Are you sure, dear? I have the kettle boiling and the cru--'

'Really, miss,' he said again, standing up quietly and creeping towards the door. 'Thank you again, I will be sure to tell my friends about this place, of course.'

'Oh, well, let me say goodbye, then. I'll be all turned 'round in a few seconds... Nearly there.'

Izanagi closed the door behind him gently and exhaled, relieved. The sun was climbing higher into the morning sky, and the temperature was really soaring along with it. People bustled about the dusty street outside the bathhouse, going about whatever business they had. He pulled his hood up over his head and positioned the small bandanna he had around the bottom half of his face. Suitably protected from the glare, he stepped from the building's shade and into the vicious sunlight, turning against the tide of bodies and struggling through the throng down the street.

He just hoped his little helper hadn't done a runner.

[Hishime]

(OOC: Sorry, I couldn't really think of anything to post. ^^')

Hishime leaned forward in her seat. Resting her elbows on her knees, a loud yawn came from her mouth.

‘Man, how long will it take that guy to get a freaking bath?’ She thought to herself, getting slightly annoyed.

Out of boredom, she took the pouch on her hip and placed it next to her, this also made it able to sit more comfortable. She slowly opened it and took a good look at what was inside. Bandage, a scroll, a small pack of extra shuriken; the usual basic ninja equipment. But, also, there were three small bottles with in each one a different kind colored liquid, and a few injection needles. She carefully took the bottles out, and placed them on her lap. She kept one bottle in her hand, and brought it closer to her face so she could see it better. The liquid inside was a dark purple color. The bottle was still almost full; Hishime never used this poison much.

“Will I have to use this soon?” Hishime questioned herself. She gently let the bottle roll through her hands. The glass reflected some of the sunlight that managed to shine into the large, dusty room. The liquid inside, no, the poison inside, could be very lethal. Hishime never got a chance to really try it out. A smirk appeared on her pale face.

Carefully, she placed the other bottles back in the pouch, on the seat next to her. The young girl gently held the small, breakable bottle in both her hands. She eyed the liquid for a long time.

In the shadows of the dark room, her pale skin and pure black hair, made her almost look a little vampire-like. Slowly, she closed her hands around the bottle and brought it to her chest. She shivered gently as a little bit of the cold glass met her pale skin. This liquid, was one of her most deadly weapons.

[ken]

[OOC: Yeah, that was my fault. I was going to have him head straight to the house, but the post was dragging out a bit so I cut it short. Plus I had an idea. Sorry!]

'It cannot be safe playing around with that,' Izanagi said from behind the young shinobi. In fact, saying he was behind her would be generous. He was directly behind her, hefting a tweed sack over his shoulder. It was as if he had appeared from nowhere. He circled around to the opposite side of the couch and dumped his baggage on the floor next to the map table. Hishime had a small clear bottle clutched to her chest like a mother comforting a child, its contents dark purple in colour and most likely very bad for his health. He was no stranger to poisons - he used them himself - and he was no stranger to the methods of medic-nin either; utilizing poisons was, after all, one of their most sure-fire attacks. Izanagi, of course, completely ignored it.

'I brought some more food and water for tonight,' he said, tapping the sack with his foot. 'We can keep the food you got yourself here, and take some of what I got with us when we head out. If worse comes to worst tonight, we can always come back and stock up, rethink our plans and lay low if need be.'

He was lying of course. He had no intention of coming anywhere near this place once they were away, regardless of how the mission went. In truth, he had picked the food and water up on his way back out of caution. Hishime was a medic-nin, and a medic-nin that could quite possibly turn on him at any moment. Of course, a straight up melee against an armed, skilled and athletic guy would be very one-sided, so what would a young medic-nin do? Well, she has poisons at her disposal, and some food and water that her enemy will need to use at some point in time, so...

Needless to say, Izanagi had already very much gone ahead and figured. The fact that he had caught her mucking about with bottles and vials of strange liquids seemed to prove his point nicely. When it boiled down to peculiar situations like the one he was in with this girl, it was vital he stayed one step ahead whenever possible, at least until he figured out what she was really up to, if anything.

'Any problems while you were out?' Izanagi asked without much conviction.

[Hishime]

(OOC: Oh, thats okay. And I fixed this post, I hope it's better now.)

‘It cannot be safe playing around with that.’ A sudden voice came from behind her. The kunoichi was a little bit shocked by the man’s unexpected appearance, but made sure that it wasn’t shown in her bodylanguage. Her lips curled to a small grin.

“Don’t worry, sir, I know how to use this.” She replied, and rested her hand on her lap; still holding on the small bottle protectively. Her once kind voice had changed as she said this. It was colder, and, a little bit rude. What he had said, sounded like she was to young to play with lethal things such as poison. And that was something, she definitely wasn’t. She was fifteen. Old enough to know what she can do and what she cannot do. She might still be young, but she was not a child anymore.

Hishime lifted her head very slowly. Her green eyes, showing a hint of annoyance, and maybe a very little bit of anger. With that expression, she eyed the man. The girl knew that her behavior wouldn’t help anything. Maybe, it would only cause the man to trust her even less.

‘I brought some more food and water for tonight.’ The unusually pale man said. He carefully kicked the sack, that laid on the very old, creaking floor. 'We can keep the food you got yourself here, and take some of what I got with us when we head out. If worse comes to worst tonight, we can always come back and stock up, rethink our plans and lay low if need be.' The ‘nameless’ warrior continued.

This all, didn’t seem quite logical in the shinobi’s eyes. Leaving the food behind? Sure, it would spare weight, but it also sounded like he didn’t trust the food she’d brought herself. Of course, this man was still a stranger to Hishime, just like she was a stranger to him. And, there was no way in hell that she was only going to eat his food. She didn’t trust this idea, there was a possibility that the food he’d give her would be poisoned.

Hishime didn’t reply to this, it wasn’t like she didn’t knew what to say, but she didn’t know how to say it. If she would say something wrong, he could get it the wrong way, and have even more doubts about her. Also, if she would say what she was really thinking, it would probably sound rude.

‘Any problems while you were out?’ The man asked. Hishime slowly shook her head. “No, sir, not at all.” She replied. This wasn’t totally true, but she was completely sure that he was also hiding things from her.

“What about you?” Hishime asked. She let her deep eyes met his, and just stared at him while waiting for a reply.

[ken]

'No authorities, if that is what you mean,' Izanagi said. 'I do not think they have found the body yet. Mark my words, this place will be a hive of activity once they do; and they will, eventually. Better if we find Nakamura before then, otherwise things will become much more difficult for us.'

He knelt down on the cracked and groaning floorboards on the opposite side of the table and pulled the small tweed sack over to his side. He opened it and fished inside, producing a brown bag tied at the top with string and a waterskin with a cork cap. He pushed the brown bag over the table to Hishime and took a swig of water.

'Some rice balls, fresh today,' he said, wiping his mouth and gesturing to the bag. 'There is two for each of us. We better get something in our stomachs, and you cannot ask for much better than those with the money I had left.'

He took another long gulp of water, then placed the waterskin down next to the bag.

'And if you will not eat anything, at least drink some water - this is a desert after all.' He wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to ignore the fact that the interior of this wreck of a building was becoming a furnace as the sun climbed higher in the morning sky outside. A single waterskin carrying just a litre of water would not last long in the heat. They'd need to top up whenever possible.

Izanagi picked the pen up from the table and marked the pump where he got the water from earlier with a circle on the map, drawing beside it a small tear-drop shape. Despite the crudeness of it, he recognised the nearby market district well - a very long street that bisected the residential area of Sunagakure almost utterly, and knew that the pump was near it and the house they were in, less than ten minutes walk away. It wasn't the exact location, but it was near enough in his eyes. He also marked five other locations with the same circle/tear-drop formation; most appeared to be in the west side of the city in one area in particular - near the training grounds of the shinobi school. These were water outlets and pumps that he had used a few months back on his last trip here, a trip that had left him with two broken ribs, more bruises than he cared to count and a path of destruction in his wake. He was lucky he wasn't caught after that fiasco, but the Fathers sure gave him an earful for it.

'Okay,' he said eventually, chucking the pen back across the table to the girl. 'We will have to keep our water intake up on a regular basis should we have to continue our search tomorrow morning, so those are the pump locations that I can remember from my last visit here. They are a little out of the way, yes, but it pays to be prepared should fate decide to cast us in that direction. If you can contribute' - he nodded at the map - 'then please do.'

[Hishime]

Hishime slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry, sir, I’m afraid that I cannot add anything else to the map.” She said. “Even though I was born here, I don’t know where everything is; I actually wasn’t allowed to go outside. I know the main streets and shops, of course, but I can’t really help with this. I’m very sorry.”

Carefully, the young chunin placed the small vial back in the pouch on the seat next to hers. She searched inside the bag for a moment, and pulled out a small metal box. She slowly opened it, revealing a few small balls. She took one, and closed the box again, placing it back where it belonged.

“Like I said, I can’t add anything.” Hishime took the small ball in her mouth, playing with it with her tongue. “I guess, I’m a not great helper when it comes to those things.”

It was silent for a few moments. The young girl had swallowed the food pill, and carefully took a sip from the water bottle. After a while, she took a deep breath.

“Uhmm..” She started. “Can I ask you a few things?” The young girl spoke in a quiet and almost a little nervous tone. “What is this Inuukubi? And why are they after Satori’s son?” She asked, her fingers playing with the edge of her short, old skirt.

[ken]

Izanagi froze with a rice ball half-way to his mouth. He slowly placed it back into the bag, stone-faced.

'You heard that, did you?' He said quietly. His head was bowed, casting shadows over his sharp features. 'I cannot give you any satisfying answers to what the Inuukubi is, none at all.

He raised his head to look at the girl. His face was completely alien, it was as if he was another person entirely; as if some deep-seated emotion was bubbling up to the surface for the briefest of moments. It didn't last. Izanagi frowned slightly at the girl.

'Largely for your own well being,' he said flatly. He picked himself up from the floor and paced over to the main entrance of the house, the door itself shut tight. A few brilliant lances of sunlight shone through from cracks and holes in the once ornate wood. He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms.

'The Inuukubi are cleaning up the trash,' he said eventually. 'I am the one that justs happens to be doing the cleaning. Satori was not our first and he will not be the last - neither will his son. We are not the bad guys, Hishime-san, and that is all you need to know.'

He sighed gently to himself and walked back over to the girl.

'To be honest, you should not even be with me. Inuukubi dogma suggests I kill interlopers, yet last night I did not do that.' He cocked an eyebrow at the young shinobi. 'Now tell me, why do you think I let you live?'

[Hishime]

Hishime froze in her seat as she saw the man’s reaction. She knew it hadn’t been the smartest thing to ask. Why did she question it, then? She didn’t know, and it didn’t matter anymore at the moment.

‘To be honest, you should not even be with me,’ The man spoke to her, ‘Inuukubi dogma suggests I kill interlopers, yet last night I did not do that.’

Her heart started to beat faster, pumping adrenaline all through her body. Slowly, she moved her hand to the kunai holster on her right thigh. With this man towering over her, and with words that sounded like he could attack her at any moment, this was a very dangerous situation.

‘Now tell me, why do you think I let you live?’ The man asked. Hishime just stared at the man. Her heartbeat, now so loud that she couldn’t even hear her own thoughts. She crawled back into the couch as much as she could, and made sure that she would be able to react if anything bad would happen, in the worse case.

“Because I’m useful to you.” The young girl answered. “You’re only using me for your own good.”

Slowly, she opened the kunai holster and touched one of the metal handles with her fingertips. She didn’t know what was going to happen next, but there was a chance that it would not be a good thing, and she had to be prepared for whatever was coming.

[ken]

A mistake had been made. The air crackled for a fraction of a second and there was a flash of movement. Before even his own conscious mind had time to interdict, Izanagi's instinct had barged its way to the forefront and had him lunge forward onto the table with his weapon drawn - the blade hovered just millimetres from Hishime's throat. It was deja vu; the same lightning-quick movement had led to the death of Satori the previous night.

'You are exactly right,' Izanagi whispered to her intensely, his deathly pale eyes boring into her more than any blade ever could. 'I kept you alive because you are useful to me, and nothing more.'

He relaxed his stance and withdrew his knife from her throat, stepping off of the table with an annoyed sigh.

'You put yourself in this situation, Hishime-san, not me,' he said irritably, shoving his knife back into its sheath. 'I am using you for my own good - of course I am. Best get used to it, because there is no way you are getting out of it now. But here is the thing. As long as you work with me you have nothing to worry about, and when this is over we will part ways and you will never see anything of me again.'

He wiped the sweat that had beaded on his forehead and slowly knelt down into his usual spot on the floor opposite the girl. He was silent for a full minute.

'Listen,' he said, his voice quiet but clear. He was putting the record straight now, because this cloak-and-dagger nonsense was wearying him. 'If we are going to work together, this peering over our shoulders business and sleeping with one eye open needs to stop. No more keeping our hands poised on our weapons, no more hidden threats - just some semblance of trust between us, for now at least.'

Then, he did something very odd. Something very unnatural - very un-Izanagi. He looked the girl in the eye and slowly stretched his arm out to her across the table, offering his hand.

'I am willing to try it if you are.'

[Hishime]

Before Hishime was even able to react, the cold, silver blade was already held against her throat. She had managed to pull out a kunai, just when the man had lunged himself towards her, but that was it. The only thing she could do at the moment, was holding onto the kunai and not move an inch.

The man made his eyes met hers. The girls eyes, wide and filled with many kinds of emotions; annoyance, anger, distrust and maybe even a little hint of fear. Her heart, beating so loud that she couldn’t hear what the man was saying, she could only see the movements of his lips.

A deep, shaky breath came from the girl’s mouth as the sharp blade was pulled away from her throat. She shut her eyes tightly for a moment, and gulped.

The man spoke again, and this time she was able to hear what he said, but just a little. She nodded quietly to herself in reply.

A long time of silence followed. The man had positioned himself in front of her, on the other side of the table, like a few minutes ago. Hishime just stared at him, not being able to, and not wanting to take her eyes off of the man.

‘Listen,’ he said, ‘If we are going to work together, this peering over our shoulders business and sleeping with one eye open needs to stop. No more keeping our hands poised on our weapons, no more hidden threats - just some semblance of trust between us, for now at least.’

Suddenly, the still unknown man offered his hand to her. This was something very strange in her eyes. Hishime slowly shook her head.

“Do you honestly expect me to trust you?” She asked, “Just a minute after that little trick of yours? I understand what you’re trying to say. But I’m afraid that I can not trust you so easily.”

Hishime kept hold on the kunai, and spun it around her finger. She just looked at the man, her gaze cold and showing a hint of anger. “You’re lying.” She said with a cold voice. “You’re just lying. After this is over, you’ll probably just try kill me anyway. So, this is a warning. Do not lie to me. I can see it when you do. Do not try to trick me, and betray me. Or you’ll regret doing so.”

She took a small breath before continuing. “Actually, it sounds like you need me. It sound like you can not do this on your own.” A small smirk appeared on the kunoichi’s pale face as she said this. “Kind of embarrassing, don’t you think?”

[ken]

[OOC: It's a pity Hishime can't tell when Izanagi's telling the truth - because he was genuinely telling the truth in the last post! ]

'Do you honestly expect me to trust you?' She asked. 'Just a minute after that little trick of yours? I understand what you’re trying to say. But I’m afraid that I cannot trust you so easily.'

Izanagi pulled back his hand slowly. Not a muscle moved in his faced. He had only went for her because he saw her going for a weapon; if he had ignored it he might've got a nasty stab wound, and he didn't like nasty stab wounds.

The girl spun the kunai about on the end of a thin finger, her gaze locked on his. If it was a stare-down she was wanting, Izanagi was happy to oblige.

'You’re lying.' She said coldly. 'You’re just lying. After this is over, you’ll probably just try kill me anyway. So, this is a warning.'

Something odd happened here. Izanagi's eye's flashed for a second; it wasn't a flinch, but it was damn near one at any rate.

'Do not lie to me,' she continued. 'I can see it when you do. Do not try to trick me, and betray me. Or you’ll regret doing so.'

If giving him a warning was strike one, the last sentence out of Hishime's mouth had been strikes two and three. Izanagi nodded at nothing for a good few seconds, his brow knotted as if in thought. He turned on the spot and stood up quietly. Then, he pivoted to look down at her. If eyes could look truly murderous, then his were in danger of popping out his head and stabbing the girl violently in the throat personally.

'I have been here for over three weeks now,' he growled. 'Couple of months ago, I was here for 42 days and a night. Did my job back then just fine without help - and that was after I sustained two broken ribs and a gouged shoulder courtesy of some nutcase ninja with too much time on his hands. I do not know this place well - that much is true - but I know it well enough. Make no mistake, I do not "need" you by any stretch of the imagination. But my time in this gods' forsaken place will be all the shorter if you do help me.'

He unsheathed a kunai and hammered it violently and suddenly into the table, pinning the map underneath. He stabbed a finger on the area where the kunai had breached.

'That there is the northern housing district. Nakamura is there - somewhere. All I need to do is ask for a census report of that area in the Sunagakure library. And then I have him. Simple as that, and all without your help.' He pulled the kunai free from the table and holstered it. 'The difference is that you can direct me from one place to the other faster than I could myself. That, and you are a fighter, and in this violent day and age, that is useful.'

He brushed the dust from his hands.

'Now, let us try this one more time.' He said finally. Once again, he offered his bandaged hand to her.

[OOC: Both of them shaking hands would be a good time, in my opinion, to end this RP on a positive note, as opposed to them growling and saying nasty things to each other. What d'ya say?]

[Hishime]

(OOC: Who said she was talking about this time? =P And yea, lets finish this RP soon.)

Suddenly, the cold and angry look on Hishime’s face changed. Her lips curled to a small but kind smile. Slowly, she stood up from the dusty couch and reached for the man’s hand. Then, very gently, took it in her gloved hand, and slowly shook it.

“That was exactly what I wanted to hear.” She said. “I like you.” She kept that small smile on her face as she let go of the man’s hand and placed hers on her hip. In her other hand, the kunai still spinning around her finger. Her gaze moved to the sunlight that managed to shine through the partly torn door. The kunoichi sighed quietly to herself. Then, slowly turned around, and stood with her back to the man. She took a few silent steps forward, kunai remaining in her hand, and definitely not putting it back.

“Then, will you at least give me your name?” The young girl asked. Her voice not as cold as before, it was more friendly. “You don’t have to give your real name, though. But calling you ‘sir’ all the time is kind of annoying and tiring.”

Slowly, she continued her pace. And after a few seconds she came to a stop in front of the partly burned wall. On the wall, there was a painting. It was almost completely ripped, but what was left of the whole thing, was still pretty intact. There was a young woman in the picture, but it stopped at chest height; the rest was torn off. Her hair was very long, and it was like her eyes would be able to suck you into the painting if you didn’t watch out. The young girl lifted her right hand, and slowly and very carefully trailed her fingertips over the with paint covered paper. She stared at the painting for a pretty long time, but then suddenly turned around and faced the man with a kind smile.

“When were you planning to move out, again?” Hishime asked.

[ken]

Hishime drifted across the room dreamily. The ruined remains of a once magnificent painting hung lopsided and blackened from a fire-ravaged wall. The young shinobi stared at it for a long while, fixated by the only remaining detail on the otherwise despoiled artwork. She caressed the painting with delicate fingers, treating the wreck like it were a masterpiece of human achievement.
Izanagi watched her carefully with pale eyes; studied her as she ran her fingers down the length of the frame, almost hypnotically.

It was vaguely sexual.

Then, as if snapping out of her trance, she pivoted to face him with a little smile.

'When were you planning to move out, again?' She asked innocently.

Yup, odd was exactly what she was. Izanagi sighed quietly and scratched the back of his head in thought.

'This evening, before sunset,' he said, leaning on the table. 'It is more comfortable for me and cooler for both of us, optimum conditions for working in. But first we will have to pay the Sunagakure library a visit and find a census.' He picked up the pen from the table and twirled it about between his bandaged fingers. 'You can help me find that.'

He stood up from the hard floor and stretched, dusting his backside. He approached Hishime.

'Tonight could go a multitude of ways. It could go all kinds of wrong, or it could go without any problems whatsoever. Either way, be prepared for the worst.' He tapped the hilt of his weapon with a smile. 'I certainly am. Now, our differences have been put to one side, so let us get our heads together, shall we?'

He turned and floated back over to the map table. He chucked the pen over his shoulder for Hishime to catch as he went.

'Oh, yes.' He stopped suddenly as if remembering something, and pivoted to face the girl with a small smirk on his pale face. 'My name is Izanagi. Nice to be working with you, Hishime.'

(OOC: END OF PART ONE!! Yup, done and dusted, my first completed RP on Kenran! We'll begin the second chapter this Friday, shall we? Here's to part two - cheers!)