Promised Sunrise (Hae)

[Katsu Katakuzure]

1:00AM

Yuudai got just crawled out of bed, being as quiet as he could muster. Well, it was more like the tatami mat he had turned into a bed, seeing as his actual bed was given to his guest, a girl from the Village Hidden in the Stars by the name of Hae, from the night before. He didn’t mind in the slightest, seeing as he didn’t exactly sleep much as it was. Indeed, he had his eyes closed at eleven and already up, ready to begin with his morning. His eyes were long since used to the lack of light, able to locate the clothes he would soon need to wear with ease. He was careful to move silently, not wanting to wake his parents or Hae.

1:25AM

Cold water poured down Yuudai body as he showered, washing away the soap to reveal the ink that rested just under his skin, keeping his power in check. He had grown used to them, having grown up with them, unable to remember the brief time that weren’t attached to him. He used to hate them, fear them, cover them up. But he grew to understand them, letting the ones on his right arm show in public and not brothering to part the wet hair covering his eyes to gaze upon them. They were just apart of him, like everything else.

2:15AM

Silence. Stillness. Lifelessness. Not even the birds Yuudai loved so much dared to sing here. Not even the small furry animals Yuudai went out of his way to protect dared take shelter here. Not even the trees Yuudai admired dared grow here. No, only Yuudai was allowed in the one patch of empty land by his house. It wasn’t particularly nice land, weeds covering the few patches which weren’t dirt, and it was surrounded by a rotting fence. Yet, it gave off an aura of calm, of peace. It was a place with no distractions, just silence. Stillness. Lifelessness.

And Yuudai stood in the middle of it, his katana resting in its sheath, his right hand gripping the handle. He stood there, one foot forward in a striking stance. Yet, his body was loose, calm, as unmoving as the land around him. Why, by just looking at him one could believe his heart had stopped beating or his lungs had stopped breathing. Even though it was a morbid thought to think he had died there, he seemed to blend in with the world around him. It was almost as if he belonged among the silent, still, lifeless land he stood upon.

Suddenly, without a sound, without a hint of movement, Yuudai sprung to life. His blade jumped from its sheath, seemingly teleporting from its home to the end of the swing. It was the Battojutsu, the swing of his blade he relied heavily upon. His regular swing was fast, but he had honed this technique so there was no equal to swordsman in all of Konoha. And all his hard work had shown in just how perfect the strike was. Yet, if his face had been visible, there would be no expression on it, no sense of pride or accomplishment. No, he merely sheathed the sword once more, so he could do the strike again, and again, and again, and a thousand times over. Just like every morning.

3:45AM

Yuudai sat alone in front of a small bowl of white rice, his breakfast, the steam rising up to lightly press upon his face. He didn’t feel hungry, but then again, he never did. He ate more because he knew he had to in order to survive rather than pleasure or some need to feel full. No, he just ate enough in the day to get by, to make sure his body wouldn’t shut down if he was sent on a mission. He ate in silence, chopsticks gingerly entering the bowl in order to remove small clumps of rice for him to consume. It wasn’t exactly good, but Yuudai his rice all the same.

4:15AM

Yuudai slowly slide the door open to his room, shrouded in darkness from the lack of sun. Not that there would have been anything there if the lights were on. The only furniture in the room was the simple bed, everything else was just open space. He didn’t need anything beyond his bed anyhow, preferring this simple style. He almost glided silently across the tatami mats that made up the floor over to his bed, which he had given up to Hae the night before. He assumed the lump in the bed was still her, kneeling down and lightly placing a hand upon where he assumed her shoulder would be. “Wake up,” he whispered to her, “If you still want to see the sunrise from atop Hokage mountain, we are going to have to hurry.”

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae had turned in late last night after a rather eventful day of meeting a Konoha shinobi named Yuudai. He was about her age, and he'd shown her kindness when they'd met. In her eagerness to explore Konoha, and in his want to show her, they'd found themselves in a bit of trouble. However, they each had cast any rules aside for the sake of having a bit of fun. She'd wanted to see Konoha at a certain time from atop the most noticeable figure in the village: their Hokage Mountain. On their way up, though, they'd been interrupted by a higher-ranking Konoha shinobi, who seemed quite furious at them, deeming her an outsider, which she was, and reporting them to the Hokage. She hadnt liked being considered a total outsider. Konoha and Hoshi were on a treaty of peace at the time...it wasnt necessary to treat someone like a total alien, in her opinion.

All of this was behind her, though. Yuudai had been kind enough to invite her into his house to have something to eat after their long day, and even a place to shelter for the night so she wouldnt need to resort to an inn. It was incredibly kind of them to do so, and she didnt want to be rude and turn them down...even if she didnt want to feel like she was intruding all the same. And what had added to that was that Yuudai had given her his bed to sleep in. She hadnt argued, but she had fallen asleep thinking it wouldve been nicer if he had kept his bed. She didnt let it bother her, though, and just went along with it without a word.

She had been in between consciousness and deep sleep when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It charged her nerves and sprung her senses from the slumber which they were sort of waning to. First her sense of feeling came alive, then her hearing when he whispered to her to wake up in order to see the sunrise. A burst of energy filled her as she felt herself wake up. She had always wanted to see Sunrise from various well-known places in villages outside of Hoshi, and this was actually the first time it would be accomplished. She sat up slowly, as not to let the blood drain rapidly from her head, and she turned to look at him before she spoke. "Alright...im awake. Give me just a minute..."

She smiled as well, but if he could tell in the darkness of the early morning was beyond her. She shifted quietly as to disturb as little as possible as she went about folding the blankets she'd used into a neat pile, and placing them beside the pillow, which she flipped over. It was a habit of hers, really, to neatly fold up anything she'd used to sleep. She'd also slept in her clothes from the previous day, so all she needed to do was slip her sandals on. She moved quietly to the corner where she'd left them, as well as her backpack. She slipped it on, and fastened the straps to assure it wouldnt fall off.

"Okay..." she said quietly, failing at keeping the eagerness out of her voice. "I'm ready."

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai’s eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness of early morning, and were able to clearly see the smile on Hae’s face. It brought a faint smile to his own, but even if she could see in the darkness, she wouldn’t have been able to view it through his mask. He made sure to leave the room and stand by the door, just in case she was changing. He was pretty sure she had already changed the night before, but one could never be too safe about these kinds of things. He was close enough to the door in order to hear let him know that she was ready to go. He poked his head back into the room, sticking a hand through the doorway to signal for her to follow him.

He lead her out into the main room, picking up a bag of his own in it. It wasn’t quite designed for carrying long distances, but this was the first time he was carrying breakfast for two. Yes, it was mostly just more white rice, seeing as Yuudai had never learned to make anything else, but he had to pack enough encase she wanted more than one serving. And even though he had already consumed his breakfast, he had packed for himself as to not be rude and leave her eating by herself. He had packed some tea as well, along with a couple of things to make a fire with, in order to cook said tea. He knew it was more than he was used to, but not more than he could take, so he wasn’t going to complain or anything.

He slung the bag over his shoulder, standing still for a moment in order to make sure it was secure before heading out the door. Once the two were outside and the door behind them was shut, he turned towards Hae. “I am sorry if you are hungry, but we need to be at the top of Hokage mountain soon, so we can eat once we are up there. I am afraid all I can offer is rice, since I never learned to cook anything else,” he informed her. He had chosen to wait till they were outside to tell her as to not risk waking his parents. He was sure they wouldn’t mind the two going off, and it was better for them to sleep.

[Hae Kyohaku]

He gestured for her shortly after she spoke, and she quietly made her way to the door, careful not to make any more sound than necessary. Yuudai's parents had been kind enough to let her stay, and she had no intentions on being rude and accidentally waking him up. She slipped out his door, and quietly closed it, watching him adjust the pack one last time before they began to head out. She followed him without a word through the house, and outside, where a door was closed once more.

She turned her violet eyes on him when he began to speak.

"I am sorry if you are hungry, but we need to be at the top of Hokage mountain soon, so we can eat once we are up there. I am afraid all I can offer is rice, since I never learned to cook anything else." he said. She gave a smile and half waved a hand as if to partially dismiss his concern. "No need to worry about that...I'm not much of a cook, either." she said with a small smile. "And rice is fine...I dont have much hunger at the moment anyway, making it to the top of Hokage mountain will be no problem at all. You should lead the way, though...it is your village." she said, her smile growing a bit broader.

She fidgeted with her pack a bit, and then tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai nodded at her response, beginning to walk towards the mountain… well, sort of. He had decided on a less direct path for this trip, just to make sure they didn’t run into any one. He didn’t think it would be that big of a problem this early in the morning, but after last night, he wasn’t in the mood to take any chances. Besides, it would only be a couple extra minutes, so unless something unplanned happened, they wouldn’t be loosing much time.

Yuudai walked at a brisk pace, figuring Hae would be able to keep up with him. He could already see the village edge ahead of him, which he was planning to walk along till they made it to Hokage mountain. The houses around here were few and far in between, and most active ninjas were on the other side of the village walls. As such, the entire area was completely deserted. There were a few tall trees here and there, but that didn’t really matter in the already dark surroundings. He soon took a sharp turn, using the time to glance over his shoulder to keep an eye on Hae, not wanting to lose her. After all, nothing could be worse than getting lost in a strange village.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae followed him swiftly. Her sight was not the best at night. Sure, it was fine during the day, but at night it never seemed to fully adjust to allow her to see where she was going, and who she was following. She was following mostly by sound at the moment, because her eyes hadnt even begun to adjust to the darkness. She looked up from her feet a few minutes in and found herself looking at Yuudai glancing over his shoulder.

She thought for a moment before forming a simple handseal to activate some of the Star Chakra, letting it flare briefly around her body before channeling it to her eyes. Everything was instantly clear as if the sun were shining. However, it wasnt bright like if it were daytime...everything was outlined as normal, just in the dark. She gave a small smile before speaking to him "Dont worry...I'm right behind you. I wont be getting lost that easily."

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai nodded as Hae told him that she was fine, continuing on the way. He once again turned his attention towards the large mountain ahead of them. It really wasn’t all that far to the base, and as long as they stuck to the edge of Konoha, there wouldn’t be any trouble. He quickened his pace a little, more than confident that Hae would be able to keep up with him now. He served past tree after tree, tiny building after tiny building, trying to keep the line as straight as possible. It really wasn’t all that long before he managed to reach the based.

But of course, reaching the base was only the beginning, they still had to actually walk the steep and thin paths that led up Hokage Mountain. Traversing them under the cover of darkness would be painfully slow in order to avoid injury, not to mention avoiding being spotted by sharp eye jounin still on duty. Still, Yuudai felt it would be worth it in the end. He stared at the mountain for a little bit longer, turning to see is Hae had gotten lost, or had managed to keep up. He didn’t want to start climbing without her.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae blinked when Yuudai turned around. She smiled a little. He seemed really very nice, and considering they'd only met the day before in the middle of the Land of Fire. He was keeping a promise he'd made to her, even if their venture to do something similar last night had almost gotten them in big trouble. She gave her head a shake as she re-adjusted her focus on the large mountain in front of her. Though she couldnt see the actual art engraved upon it...the finely and precisely chiseled faces of the previous and current Hokage's. It was going to be a sight to behold later, for sure. She had grown up hearing various stories about the landmarks in all of the major villages, and now this was one of them. However, she had elected to go beyond it...she wanted to see the village from atop the rocky face.

Looking around, Hae familiarized herself with her surroundings. They were on the edge of the village, probably to avoid any trouble like what they came across last night. She shrugged her shoulders to relieve a bit of tension that had built up in them thinking about the shinobi they'd crossed last night. She didnt like him...at all. And I'd rather not think about him... she thought bitterly. Instead, she focused on Yuudai's back. He quickened the pace, and she followed easily, as though it hadnt changed in the slightest. Tree after tree, Hae noted that they were coming pretty much in a straight line. A simple out-and-back? she thought to herself.

Hae's wandering eyes turned forward again to see Yuudai looking at her again. At least he has good intentions... she thought, a small, reassuring smile crossing her lips. She wouldnt get lost that easily, although she had to be careful. This unknown territory was bad enough, and given the deficit of the darkness, she had to be extra cautious not to get lost...not to mention the Jounin guard that may cause a situation the same as last night. Nodding her head, she set her eyes forward as if to say "It's alright. I wont fall behind".


[[So sorry about that. My mom took it upon herself to become a computer Nazi and take my computer each morning to make sure I got my work done before she got home from work, which is funny because thats what I've been doing all summer @_@ As soon as I think I have my life under control, I'm proved I dont XD; *sighs* XD]]

[Katsu Katakuzure]

((not a problem ;D))

Yuudai glanced up at Hokage Mountain, staring upwards at the bottom of the faces. The care that had gone into making these faces prefect, so even when looking from this odd angle in this terrible light you could identify who was who. He eyes soon trailed down the mountain, unable to see the upper parts of the path due to the darkness, even with his eyes long since adjusted. He knew they were there, he had walked up them many times before, but never in this lights. He finally looked back to Hae. “Well, up we go,” he said cheerfully.

He stepped onto the tiny ledge protruding from the earth wall. Yuudai had forgotten how soft the earth was when compared to the paved roads, not that he was complaining. What was going to be a problem was the width of the path itself, as it was barely enough for Yuudai to fit both his feet. He knew that the path was only going to get thinner and thinner up ahead, and eventually they were just going to have to climb straight up the cliff face. He wasn’t going to mention any of this to Hae just yet, not wanting to scare her.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae smiled slightly as he spoke. He sounded cheerful enough, despite the early hour of the morning. She was relieved. Hopefully, she could finally make a new friend on her travels. She had been to many villages throughout the whole shinobi world, yet she had never met someone that had been as kind to her as he had been. Maybe she could finally have a contact elsewhere, instead of just in the Land of Bears. It could get pretty lonely, because there were so few people she met that survived to see their full life. She frowned slightly, but let it blow away with the slight breeze that crossed the mountain face, letting her re-focus on the path ahead of her.

Due to the chakra she was focusing into her eyes, she could see clearer than most at night. The path was rough, and it was also small. It wasnt unlike what she was expecting, though...she had guessed that to climb up t the top of the mountain, it would not be an easy route. She peered ahead into the darkness, tearing her eyes from the trail and examined the mountain. They would be going up the back, as not to be spotted. After a quick analysis, Hae felt her mind falter slightly as she realized the vertical incline that lay ahead. It didnt bother her, really, but it was going to be...different....to climb in the dark. She said nothing, though. She wanted to see this sunrise...no matter what.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai started to walk along the path, signaling for Hae to follow him. Though the pace they were forced to travel at were less intense, it didn’t take long for them to get higher than the village walls and trees, causing the cold winds to blow against them. They weren’t very strong winds, but without all the trees and structures to shelter them, there would be a noticeable temperature drop. Just another hurdle for the two to jump in order to reach to reach the top of the mountain. Yuudai was having a little trouble balancing, due in part to the pack of food he carried over his shoulder, but so long as he didn’t look down he didn’t think he would fall… at least, he hoped he wouldn’t.