The Wanderer [OPEN]

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai’s heart sank a little watching the beast form of Hae technique. Too him it was like watching a dog with a bad leg limp. He understood it wasn’t a really animal, but watching it reminded him of one. His heart was lifted as he watch Hae take to the air. It was interesting to see the chakra pull her off the ground, to be able to travel all the way over to him through the air. A look of concern grew underneath the mask when he saw how heavy she was breathing.

When she began to explain the effect of using these techniques, Yuudai frowned. He was the first to admit that gaining power at the expense of your own life was an ugly thing. To him life was such a beautiful thing, that giving it up for something so misguided was unimaginable. Still, he bite his tongue, not wanting to fight with Hae. “I see,” Yuudai let out softly, pausing for a moment afterwards. “Do you need me to walk you to Konoha? You could rest there for a little bit.”

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae's breathing finally returned closer to normal after she had finished her little speech of sorts about the Kujaku Myouhou's downfalls. Bringing herself to look up at the masked face after such a depressing speech, she sighed and gave a grim smile during his silence. She guessed that he was biting his lip at the sacrifice the shinobi Hidden in the Star. It was debatable by anyone. And understandably so. The price of power being your own welfare- it was quite a gamble. However, he spoke again Do you need me to walk you to Konoha? You could rest there for a little bit." She smiled at this offer, but first she said a final statement in her little educational show of the Kujaku Myouhou.

"Unfortunately, thats the way it is...even when young, Star shinobi accept what may be in their years of training" She paused for a moment, and decided to show him something. She swiftly reached down to the bottom left end of her shirt and lifted it a small amount. Beneath it and imprinted on her skin were some small flecks that glowed a rather sinister shade of purple. The covered area was no larger than the palm of her hand, yet it was evident none the less. Pulling her shirt back down, she said simply "Whenever someone's body is starting to deteriorate due to the Star training, those marks appear; and the further over their body that they spread, the closer they are to loosing their life to the disease. Im lucky enough to belong to a clan whose kekkei genkei slows and lessens the effects of the Star training on the body, so I have a much greater chance of mastering the method completely than many others. To the Star shinobi, its a way of life. I guess you could say we would do anything to become stronger for our village."

She laughed a bit as she added "Heh. Stronger for my village, indeed, yet here I am nowhere near it." Responding to his final statement, her eyes brightened with a bit of joy as he offered "Oh, Konoha? That would be just wonderful...that was my next stop on my list of destinations, and hopefully a place I could stay and re-cooperate for a while from the many miles I've traveled so far...it would be great if you could, please and thank you."

She shifted her body before she placed a hand on her knee, and began to push herself up. She was tired from both her journey earlier and the demonstration she'd just given. Her arm shook as she began to bring herself up. After a fair bit of trembling over her body, she managed to push herself up into a standing position. Her gray bangs fell in her eyes, and she was glad for that temporarily, because she didn't want him to see how tired she really was, and that she was pushing herself to even stand up. Her mind wanted to do everything, but her body wouldn't let her due to fatigue.

She said a bit breathlessly, "Lead the way!" as she began to look up again.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai listened to her explain the side effects of her training. He watched as she showed him the flakes of purple. He shook his head a little, still not understanding why someone would be willing to train like that, and at the same time feeling some sort of kinship with Hae. “My chakra is too much for my body,” Yuudai let out, “if I didn’t have the fuuinjutsu on me, I would have been dead a long time ago. Even now, if I were to unseal, I would be reduced to a puddle of blood within minutes.” It wasn’t exactly like the techniques Hae was showing him, but he felt it was similar enough.

Yuudai could she her shaking as she stood. In her state, she wouldn’t be able to make the walk and Yuudai knew. “If I carried you, it would be easier. You don’t look like you could survive the trip,” Yuudai told her. It wasn’t in a rude tone, but it was very blunt and direct. He knew he wasn’t exactly built for moving things, but he figured he could make it. If not, they would take another break before they made it back.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae's eyes simply stayed expressionless as she looked at Yuudai as he spoke. That is, they stayed expressionless until he mentioned what happened if the fuuinjutsu were to fail him at a time. Her eyes then widened slightly, pupils dilating in slight fear at the thought of death. About 90% of the time, death was something to be feared to Hae, the other 10% of the time, well...she just wouldnt let herself think about that. However, she blinked and thought on a bit of a lighter note; perhaps she had found someone that was like her, in a way- their chakra could, and in Hae's case, eventually probably would, kill them or harm them in some way, shape or form. She actually appreciated it, knowing there was someone outside of the Star Village that shared possibly the same future. She gave a small nod in understanding as he told her about his dangerous chakra. Responding, she half attempted to lighten the mood by saying "Well...lets just hope that the fuuinjutsu remains strong and unbroken...."

It was odd, really, that Hae couldnt think of something more than that to say, but she was more focused on what Yuudai had just said. She licked her lips sort of awkwardly as she responded to his gesture, which was actually closer to a "You're going to need to do this" type of phrase. She nodded and said "I agree that I probably dont look like I could survive this trip, due to the amount of travel Ive done in the past few days and the chakra I've recently expended...but you dont have to carry me...I should be fine at a light pace uless I pass out; then you'd probably have to support me on the way...and my things are also back where I slept..." Hae glanced at the sky, noticing that the moon was still high in the sky, before asking; "At a light pace...about how long do you think it would take to get back to Konoha?"

[Katsu Katakuzure]

“It will only break if I choose to break it,” replied Yuudai. He could think of only one situation where that would happen, if he was hopelessly outmatched and guaranteed to die. He would take out his killer in one last blaze of glory, then let his own chakra consume him. It wouldn’t be a pretty death, and he would be racked with pain, but that was the way it was. He hoped it wouldn’t ever come to that, but he was ready to if it was ever needed.

“At a light pace?” Yuudai wasn’t sure off the top of his head. He knew the valley was about half way from where he came from, but the pace he was moving at was different. He looked in the general direct of Konoha, wondering. “Six hours,” He finally let out, “maybe more.” It was more of a guess than an estimation, but it sounded right in his head. “If we want to make it before the sun rises we better get going soon.”

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae listened to Yuudai tell her the simple truth that if his seal were to ever break, it would be by his choosing. However, she couldnt possibly think of any situation where he would want to break a seal to die. She let the matter float to the ground there, deciding not to press it any further, having a strange feeling that he would be fine with that decision. She bit her tongue, however, when he responded with "Six hours, maybe more."

She felt her jaw drop slightly, for the distance surprised her greatly. She'd known it was far enough away, just not that far. Glancing behind her, she saw her stuff laying a ways off. "Oh wow..." Hae murmured, more to herself than anything. "Thats much further than I expected....I dont want to hinder you..." She thought silently for a moment. Raising a hand, she looked at it. She was still trembling, but the tremors had grown from strong to a small shiver. She looked up at his masked face and then quickly scanned his body. He seemed to be built enough to where he could carry a light framed person such as her, but she didnt want to press that upon him.

An idea sprang to her head as she turned around, to put her back to him for a second. "Maybe I could spare some chakra..." she said aloud, and she began to lift her slightly shaking arms to form the few needed hand seals to perform the summoning jutsu, but paused for a moment and did a quick self-assessment If I do this... Hae thought to herself, I'd give it about a 90% chance that I'd pass out...I want to get there...but quickly, yet I dont want to burden him...

[Katsu Katakuzure]

“You aren’t a hindrance,” replied Yuudai. Yuudai knew it was far, but he had walked the path many times before. He knew the way like the back of his hand, so it wasn’t like they would get lost. Even if he had to carry her part of the way, he wouldn’t think of her as hindering him. Besides, it would be nice to talk to someone that answers back, instead of the tree and animals on the way.

Yuudai saw that she made some hand signals, but didn’t make a move to physically stop her. “Be careful, you don’t want to tire yourself out,” he mentioned, his voice having a hint of concern. He was worried about whatever she was planning on doing, as he didn’t want to see her harm herself to make things easier on him. Still, if she was set on doing this, he had no place to stop her, and he understood that.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae looked over her shoulder as he spoke, and gave him a level stare for what seemed like an eternity, but she knew it was only a couple of seconds, however, she smiled soon after, feeling her eyes close as she did so, showing the expression on her face. She lowered the mask she'd pulled up and tucked it back into the turtleneck. She knew that otherwise, Hane would not recognize her. "Dont worry" she said confidently; "I'll be fine."

Forming the needed handseals quickly, she again slapped her hand to the ground, muttering under her breath the name of the summoning jutsu. When the puff of smoke vanished, she was yet again met by the great bird before her. "Miss Hae, again, I see. What brings you calling again at this time? And also, who is that? Hane asked, inclining his head towards Yuudai. "Hane, Yuudai; Yuudai, Hane" Hae said, giving the brief introduction between the two. She paused and put a hand up to her temple. She definitely felt a bit weaker, but not so weak that she would loose it. "Listen, Hane...I know its not normal for me to summon you, let alone twice in one day, but I was wondering if you could give us a lift to Konoha because it would be much faster than walking...Yuudai can direct you..." She let her voice trail off as she turned a violet eye to Yuudai, willing him to give some indication of agreement.

Hane was still for a moment, to the point of making Hae wonder if he'd even heard her, but then he straightened a wing to touch the ground for them to run up. "Get on quickly...we should get going soon. he said nonchalantly. Grinning, Hae deftly leapt to where her bags were, leapt back and ran up the wing, sitting down between Hane's shoulders, beckoning to Yuudai Come on, Yuudai...its safe, I promise...

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai watched at Hae summoned the giant bird. He felt a little uneasy, not because of the bird itself, but because he wasn’t a fan of using animals for things. He would rather see them be free, observing from the distance. Still, no vocal complaints from him, as he bowed towards the bird named Hane. “Nice to me you Hane.”

Yuudai quickly made my way onto the bird’s back. He too special care to make sure he wasn’t sitting in a way that would make Hane uncomfortable. Yuudai pointed straight ahead, towards the direction of Konoha. “That way, just head straight. You won’t be able to miss it. Just make sure not to land inside the city. We have to go through the front gates and make sure the guards know I am bring Hae in,” Yuudai said, giving his directions and then shutting up.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae looked at Hane as Yuudai bowed. She knew the bird could care less if he bowed or not, but his great black eye simply stared levelly at Yuudai. Nice to meet you too, Yuudai. Before Hane could continue, Yuudai made his way onto Hane's back, sitting in a sort of in a southwest position from Hae. Yuudai spoke the simple directions and Hane nodded "Thank you. Just dont fall off...that would be sort of bad." the great bird said, spreading his wings and lifting off the ground, his large talons leaving long ruts in the ground as he took off. Hae peered slightly over his side once they had leveled off at a fair altitude. She'd say about a hundred feet. Hae looked at Yuudai as she noticed he had been sort of silent since the take off. "Hane and his ancestors have been in mutual blood contract with my family for generations. I forget how it all started, but now we'll help each other whenever its needed. Sort of repaying the favors, you know?" she said quietly.

The night was so peaceful. Looking up to the moon, her violet eyes turned a shade of silver with a darker glow because of the reflecting light. "Its beautiful out here, isnt it?" she asked as she gently drew the hand which she was leaning on down the glowing white of Hane's shoulder and into her lap.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai nodded, “I won’t fall.” He didn’t plan on falling at least, that would be bad. He watched the tree below him, their forms moving by. He glanced up at Hae as she explained the contract between her family and the birds. She explained how it was a mutual contract, but he just nodded in agreement. “I am sure it is for the best. As long you get along with them”

“Yeah, it really is,” replied Yuudai as she mentioned the beauty of the land of fire. It was a different kind of beauty from the air though. More majestic and distance. For now it was pretty, but Yuudai couldn’t wait to have landed, where everything had a more natural beauty. Still, he smiled underneath his mask.

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae grinned as he simplistically said "I wont fall". She smiled back and said "Good! If you did fall, I would have to catch you, and that would be kind of difficult." Breaking off, she nodded as she responded to his sentiment "My family wouldn't ask for help, nor would Hane's if we didn't get along. We wouldn't disturb each other."

Pausing for a moment, she continued to stare at the stars in a more focused manner; and his words seemed like a background noise even though she processed them "Yea..." Hae simply said before she was brought down-to-earth again with the realization that she was rather hungry. Reaching over to her pack, she swept it up and began fumbling around inside of it, looking for some nuts and seeds that she'd collected, and were sure were safe to eat.

"Would you like something to eat?" she asked, offering a small pouch-full to him. "And also...would you mind telling me a bit about Konoha?" she asked shyly. She didnt want to seem annoying, constantly pestering him with all of her questions, making her sound like a total foreigner.

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai shook his head at the offer of food. “No thank you, my family knows I will be back soon, so they should have food waiting for me back home. It would be rude of me to refuse them,” he replied. He was hungry, but he could wait. It wasn’t like he hadn’t done this before, staving himself till he made it open. Made him feel more apart of the family.

“What is there to tell? It is a village, just like any other. Bigger than most, but similar,” replied Yuudai. He decided not to go into a lot of details, figuring it would be more fun for Hae to figure out on her own. Besides, to him it was the people that made Konoha special, and he couldn’t just go around explaining each person to her. Well, he probably could, but he would feel awkward judging them. “But I promise you will like it.”

[Hae Kyohaku]

Hae's smile didn't falter as he politely declined. She could have expected as much, however, she had to ask from a small question that was seeded in her mind as he mentioned that his family was expecting him. "Do you often take journeys that take a while like this?" she asked. He had made it sound as though being out late was a habitual thing. She paused for a moment as he continued to speak...telling her that Konoha different in that it was a large village, larger than most; and henceforth like most others otherwise.

She sort of frowned a bit as she couldnt quite piece what a 'normal' village looked like, considering she lived in one that was small, desolate, and surrounded by a toxic gas. She said nothing though, but used the 'smile-and-nod' method to respond initially, but then she put on a true smile when he said "But I promise you will like it". "I hope so. Ive traveled through 8 countries that are not my own...at a rather quick rate, and not too many have appeared to great, except Iwagakure. Very interesting architecture. Aside from that, nothing too interesting."

She paused and it fell silent, except for the singular beat of Hane's wings, then the gliding sound of the wind brushing the feathers. "Would you mind if I got a bite to eat, then? I didnt manage to get myself something to eat before I ran into you..."

[Katsu Katakuzure]

Yuudai nodded when Hae asked about his trips out into the forest. “Every time I finish a mission, I head out into the forest, and find my clearing. I then sit there for three days, just becoming one with the world. It is relaxing, and I feel great when I am done. Then I head home, which is always a lovely journey. When I get home, I eat, and await my next mission,” replied Yuudai. “My family doesn’t mind, though I am not quite sure they understand.” Yuudai added, attempting to preemptively answer any question she might have had about his family being okay with this.

“You just haven’t found one with the right people yet,” replied Yuudai, “towns, cities, villages, they are all the same. They all have buildings, their histories, their foods and drinks, but that is not what makes the a place feel inviting. It is the people, who make a place truly inviting. I could give up all the houses, the memorials, the foods and drinks, the academy, even this forest I spend so much time in, and I would still protect the people that live here with my life. Without them, this place would be the same as any other place.”

Yuudai nodded as she asked about stopping for food. “If you wish. Although, if you like, you are more than welcome to have dinner at my house. I am sure my family would be more than willing to have you over, and I can give up some of my food so you can eat.” It didn’t occur to Yuudai that this might have sounded like he was giving up something for Hae and looking for sympathy, to him it was all just apart of being a good host.