Stormy Memories (Mission) (M Rated)

As soon as she yelled Yenn regretted it. She wasn’t actually brave, she was feeling guilty. That guilt led her to being angry and well, then to one of the more defining choices of that year. She was barely aware of Tamwyn just on the other side of the Wind Demon, his yellow eyes narrowed and. . .bestial. She didn’t dwell on it though as she had much more pressing concerns - like the very sharp looking blade that was swinging towards her. Time seemed to stand still as she watched the light shine along the edge of the steel and in that brief moment she felt a strange sense of peace. She’d always known that she’d die horribly at some point. It was simply inevitable. But knowing that this was it, the last moment she had to fear was oddly relaxing. Her focus only on that thin strip of blue light as it reflected the lightning above them as it echoed her fading fury; she wasn’t prepared for the blonde Chuunin to step in front of the attack. One second she was staring death in the face, the next she had her view blocked by the naked torso of one; Tamwyn, Seraph of Lightning. It all happened so fast she didn’t even have a second to think before Tamwyn was knocked into her, only having a moment to draw in a quick breath before she felt another heavy blow through Tamwyn’s body and suddenly she was flying through the air.

As they sailed through the air she realized too late what Tamwyn was doing as she felt his arms wrap around her and the angry sparking of her skin as it tried to stop the contact. Were she in a better state of mind, like say not sailing through the air after a serial killer tried to murder her because she almost let him, she might have had the will to stop her aegis. But she was terrified, and she couldn’t calm herself as they tumbled through the sky. She thought back idly to Tamwyn’s offer to take her flying and almost laughed, this was not what either of them had been envisioning she was sure. As he maneuvered to cradle her against him she would ball up her fists, squeezing her eyes shut tight as the sparks from her body snapped and popped, and her hair whipped wildly in the wind. They flew for what seemed an impossibly long time and she knew it wouldn’t be long until they crashed into the ground. She wasn’t afraid of dying she realized, she was afraid of having every bone in her body shatter and not dying from it. Her stomach heaved as gravity finally pulled them back into its embrace and she gritted her teeth as she curled closer in towards the person she would most likely die with.

The collision into the rocks made a sickening crash and thump noise and for a second she thought she might actually be dead. She wasn’t hurt and she’d just flown miles and miles through the air and fallen to the ground. She had to be dead. Right? Her confusion was set aside as she heard a groan of pain from beneath her and she realized why she wasn’t dead; Tamwyn had used his body to protect her from the force of their fall. Rolling off of him quickly she would turn to assess the situation. Lying in front of her was the crumpled and profusely bleeding form of her mission partner. “Shit, shit, shit.” She would say under her breath as she saw that not only was he badly injured he was also very unconscious. She had only rudimentary knowledge of first aid, and also only when it applied to her own body. She’d always been responsible for patching herself up, no one else did. So if she wanted her flesh and bones to heal properly she had to fix it herself. The difference between doing that and what she was looking at now was that when she’d been injured she always knew what was wrong, because it was her own body. Of course she knew.

She would move over to his head kneeling beside him and gently pat at his cheek trying to wake him. She didn’t want to strike him, she had no idea how extensive his injuries were. Her violet eyes darted between his unconscious face and the blood pouring from his chest. “Why did you do that you fucking idiot?!” She was mad, really mad. Somewhere in her heart she knew she wasn’t worth anything, wasn’t worth getting hurt for and certainly not worth dying for. As she moved to examine his wound she could see a thin piece of rock sticking out of his pectoral muscle near his shoulder. “God fucking dammit Tamwyn! Why in the name of all that is not completely idiotic would you do something so stupid?” She knew better than to try to remove the bit of rock here, as soon as she took it out there would be nothing to stop the bleeding. She had to move him, get him somewhere safe so she could deal with it properly. “Fuck!” She would scream at the sky as she looked over to him and placing a gloved hand on his jaw would shake his head more vigorously. “Wake up you moron! You weren’t supposed to get hurt, so wake up so that I can fix your dumb ass and you can stop being a twit.”

He wasn’t awake, he could tell that much because he was reliving the scenes from the fort near Iron. Strangely enough he had that knowledge, that he wasn’t actually there now. Reliving it, that it was simply a product of his subconscious imagination as he dreamed. It was...odd..seeing himself from the outside as he tortured, slaughtered, fucked, and enjoyed himself immensely. The stunning little blonde girl, with the sapphire eyes that eyes haunted him in his nightmares. He always felt those eyes upon him, urging him on, tuning into his inner predator and tearing apart his prey. He shuddered, as he watched the scenes play out before him. He could not however look away, like a train wreck, he just couldn’t stop watching as he slaughtered men and women, one after another. As he took Sayuri against the wall of the fort, both naked and covered in blood as they sated each other. He felt his gorge rise as he saw the man, the monster, he so very much did not want to be.

“Why did you do that you fucking idiot?!”

The voice would cut through the nightmare like a knife through butter. Immediately the vivid reliving of his nightmares would end. Although he wouldn’t open his eyes, they felt too heavy, and everything hurt way too bad to do so. As he felt a presence next to him Yenn’s voice would speak out, angry, really angry. As she cussed out the question of why he had done something, he would contemplate dying on the spot to get away from that wrath. For some reason though he couldn’t really bring himself to do it. Another exclamation would sound from her, and eventually she would grab his jaw with a gloved hand and shake, yelling at him to wake up. The shaking of his jaw jerked his neck as well, which, being close to the shoulder and torso as it was, would cause him to shift and cause massive pain. Eyes shooting open, yellow irises focusing on nothing through the haze of pain as he cried out. He brought his hand up instinctively and felt the wound, or rather the earth spike sticking out of his chest.

Immediately his eyes would focus, Yenn coming starkly into view. Blinking once, twice, three times before speaking. “Now that is a lovely sight to wake up to isn’t it.” He’d jest mostly honestly though, half to drain some of the tension and half to try to find something to laugh at. Meeting her violet eyes for a moment before looking her up and down, not as an interested man might, but as someone looking for wounds on another would he would nod his head. “You alright then? No Injuries?” He would ask before beginning to feel around his chest, taking a few breaths, he would nod after a few moments. “It didn’t hit a lung, thank the luck.” He would say as he laid his head back on...stone, of course, why wouldn’t there be a pillow or something when he stabbed with a rock, right? “Alright, first things first..Do you know where we are?” He would ask, looking back toward her. She had been the one awake after all. “Or have any ideas about what we do next if you don’t? I have next to no survival expertise, so we’re relying on your skillset now. What do you need me to do? I can get myself off this rock and help you look for a possible shelter if you want.” He would say, beginning to situate his elbows beneath him to push himself off the rock.

[Tam 14]

She felt a little bad as he cried out in pain, pain she had caused this time. She would wince slightly in sympathy to the added discomfort she had created. She really hadn’t wanted to hurt him and she was just about to apologize for it when he opened his mouth. She could hardly blame the man for saying such things with a rock sticking out of his chest, but even so she was not impressed with his choice of words. And her look of sympathy would melt back into a scowl as her mind worked furiously on a plan to get him out of here alive. She had nothing with her, not even a knife which was going to make removing the bit of rock from his chest quite excruciating. Assuming they even got to the part where she could properly attempt to tend to his wound, she had no idea where they were. Though even that wasn’t entirely true. Glancing around she noted the colour of the rocks, the coniferous trees; they were still in Kami no Kiri, where exactly was the more difficult part for her to determine. Turning her gaze back to Tamwyn she would nod and push herself to her feet, mostly ignoring his question about whether she was hurt or not. It didn’t matter if she was hurt, what mattered was that he was. “That is lucky.” she would murmur as she scanned around them for anything that might help. She was still angry, but now that he was awake she was less inclined to yell at him.

His questions about what to do next had her raising an eyebrow in incredulity, she had thought he was being modest, trying not to hurt her feelings or something when she’d mentioned that she was reasonably skilled at the art of outdoor survival. She’d taken his silence then as an indication that he was at least as competent as her. But as she watched him attempt to lift himself off the rock and suggest he go look for shelter she realized he was very much not an outdoors type person. With a grunt of frustration she would put her hands under his good arm and help him sit up. “Lean on me, don’t use that side. You have to be careful or you’ll bleed out before I can try to fix you.” If he allowed her to assist him she would crouch down in front of him and stare into his eyes, making sure she had his undivided attention before she spoke. “You are in no condition to help with anything. The best thing you can do is to not move around too much and try not to die.” Shaking her head she would hope that he listened as she rose again and paced around the immediate area, stopping every so often to curse as a twig or sharp rock drove themselves into the soles of her feet. “I don’t know exactly where we are. We’re still in the Land of Lightning for all the good knowing that does. I’m going to look for shelter, I need to build you a fire. Wait. Here. And for the love of all that is holy do not remove that rock. Got it?” She would wait for some sign of agreement before hurrying off in search of somewhere safe.

His words, which were meant to be amusing, didn’t seem to work. He winced as she got a highly unamused look and scratched the back of his head somewhat sheepishly. “Bad attempt to drain some of the tension, sorry.” He would say. She would look around a bit, seemingly noticing a few details before he started asking his questions. Her raised eyebrow proved that he had proven how truly inexperienced in this stuff he was. “I told you before, I’m not good at that outdoors survival stuff, or at least, I’ve never really gotten the experience. I can track well enough if I’ve got a scent, but that’s about it. I’m far more capable in combat and protection detail.” He would say. As he attempted to lift himself off the rock to help her she would grunt in frustration before putting her hands under his good arm. “Get me to an angle, I can probably break the spike at the base with my elbow.” He said, he didn’t know if that would risk crumbling the rock into the wound or not. But at least if it worked he’d be able to move around a bit.

Provided she did help with that task, he would angle his arm carefully, turning his head to get as good of a visual as possible before activating his Lightning Release Armor for the instant of his movement. He’d shatter the stone at the base of the formation, and somehow, blessedly, manage to not crumble the spike in his chest. With that done, he could at least sit up. Which he would do, potentially by leaning on her with his good arm. At her instructions to not use the side with the rock in it he’d nod. He hadn’t used that side to break the rock, bad angle there. “I doubt I’ll die from this. I’m more worried about night time, my scrolls with camp supplies and my clothing got blown away. Although we’ll need to close the wound somehow.” He would say, informing her of the situation from his end as he looked toward his belt and found only four flasks clipped to his waist. Two of those would be water, and the other two would be a strong as hell whiskey. He’d probably drink one of them tonight, maybe she’d like the other? He could find out later. At her confirmation that they were in fact still in the Land of Lightning he would nod. “Well, if you’re finding shelter, then it’s probably best to hold up for the night, handle my injuries, and tomorrow morning go out and try to make our way back to Kumogakure. This’ll be a mission failure I’m afraid, but dying would suck a lot more.” He would say with a single armed shrug. “I’ll wait right here, promise.” He’d say, giving her a cheeky smile, which probably didn’t do much considering he was covered in blood.

[Tam 15]

Helping Tamwynn up was a bigger task than she’d been praying for. She could only do as he asked and help him find a good angle to break the rock off himself, she simply wasn’t physically strong. It was difficult to watch him break the rock off, she imagined it hurt probably more that getting the injury in the first place. The shock of sudden violence was always less painful than the slow treatment and healing afterwards. Once he had smashed the rock off she would help him sit up properly, finally commenting on his apparent lack of experience with ‘outdoor survival stuff.’ “Well at least there’s no more swords for you to throw yourself in front of. Which I guess I should thank you for.” She would look down at his wound again, the sharp rock pushing through his angry red and blood covered chest. “So thank you. But why did you do it?” He very well could die from it, and she worried that he might be in shock, and not realizing how pierced organs were not the only things that could kill a person. Her voice was soft and full of sorrow and pleading, she didn’t really expect an answer, she just didn’t understand. Between the two of them he was the stronger, and without her he could probably have fought off Yuan Ji just fine, but she, like an idiot, had to put herself in harm's way. “You should have left me.” Her words were barely over a whisper as she stood and went to make her way off into the forest, turning back and moving towards him she would unclasp her fur cloak, placing it over his legs unless he stopped her. “I don’t need this, but you should try to stay warm. I’ll be back soon.” She would smile reassuringly as she ran off, she didn’t have much hope but just because she didn’t was not a reason to take his.

Yenn sprinted through the forest as fast as she could, only pausing to duck beneath low hanging branches and avoid obviously sharp rocks on the forest floor. She deeply regretted removing her boots at the creek, while it had been a relief then it was more than a mild encumbrance now to be without them. The twigs and rocks and thorns cut into her feet as she moved, her eyes scanning for signs of animal paths. She needed a cave, or an especially large burrow, and if she could just find a trail, if the universe decided to stop shitting on her today, then she'd have someplace to take him. Mercifully the adrenaline running through her body was helping to give her energy, to fight off the minor pain in her feet as she scouted. It also was keeping her from dwelling on her mistakes and what they could lead to. After about half an hour of frenzied searching she spotted a shady area off to her left and made a beeline to it, ignoring the possibility of running into anything that might want to keep her from occupying what she desperately hoped was a suitable cave. As she ran she spotted a green tree, only a year or so old from the looks of it as it was just about an inch in diameter. Snapping it and giving a sharp yank she pulled it from its roots and walked to what she could now see clearly was a cave mouth. It was a poor weapon but it would give her a few feet of fabricated safety should anything jump out at her.

“Oh thank god” she would say quietly as she entered the dark stony shelter and saw no signs of anything intent on ripping her to shreds for trespassing. Breathing a sigh of relief she would turn her makeshift weapon upside down and drag the broken end along the ground as she made her way back to where she had left her mission partner, making a clearly visible line along the ground that would lead her straight back to the cave as she moved. Finding her way back to him was not terribly difficult, she hadn’t taken any care to cover her footprints and with a bit of guessing she was able to go more or less straight back the way she had come. The closer she drew to where she thought she had left Tamwyn, the more anxious she became, wondering several times if she might have been mistaken about the direction or if he’d bled more in that time. Or worse if Yuan Ji had managed to track them and he was with the blonde haired man.

Her comment about there not being anymore swords for him to throw himself in front of would catch him off guard. What would do so even more was her telling him that he shouldn’t have done it. She thanked him all the same, but the eyes on her wound told him that she thought it should’ve been her. That he had wasted his efforts, that he should have gone for Yuan Ji. She asked him why, told him he should have left her, and he just couldn’t understand. Had she been broken so badly? Been abused so horrendously, that she wanted to die? He couldn’t wrap his head around that. At least, not yet, although some of his thoughts lately in regards to the monster he was becoming were getting pretty dark..Regardless, he wouldn’t have an answer for her, not yet. He would do so later, when they were both safe in shelter, and perhaps after a drink or four of his flask. The stuff in them was strong as hell, it had to be in order to get him intoxicated. He was hardier than most individuals on his worst day. Which is why he wasn’t worried about the stone in his chest.

When she began to leave, but instead turned, removing her cloak, and laying it over his legs. He would look back up to her, yellow eyes meeting violet, and nod. She smiled in a reassuring manner before running off and he would be left to his own devices. Leaning his head against the rock, he’d close his eyes and take a deep breath. The day was getting late, the sun was already beginning it’s final descent toward the horizon and his breath had a definite visible effect to it when he breathed. None of that mattered to him though, not at that moment. He didn’t move the cloak up to his upper body, he didn’t want to get it soaked with blood. Idly he poked at the small gash the swordsman had given him and found that it had already clotted. He hadn’t expected it to bleed long. The blood trail it left looked far worse than it was and he tilted his head to the side before deciding to shrug and take one of his water flasks. She could have the other one if she wanted, but he’d use some of this one to clean himself off and the rest of it to clean himself off after the shoulder injury was seen to, somehow. Uncapping the flask he’d pour some of on his chest and scrub, being careful around the clotted slice itself. The blood came off easily enough, it hadn’t had all that long to dry. He still had plenty in that one flask to clean himself off reasonably well later when he wouldn’t bleed all over himself again.

Of course the process of cleaning himself off a bit was painful, but he could work through it easily enough. Pain was relative, you could push through it and manage to get business done without too many difficulties. Once he had finished cleaning himself off, making sure not to get Yenn’s cloak soiled or wet in the process, he would lean his head back on the rock and begin to breath in deeply, slowly. He was going to have to tell her about the fort, about the Battle of Meijing at this rate. If she were going to understand why he had helped her, and why he wanted to continue to do so. She needed to know and understand him. Besides, sharing was the best way he could get her to open up too. After a time he’d hear her returning and he’d look up in the direction he heard her coming from.

[Tam 16]

Yenn was relieved to see Tamwyn sitting where she’d left him, still very much not dead and no Wind Demon in sight. Gasping for breath she would move to his side, her tree still in hand and kneel down to look him over. She had rushed as fast as she could, and even still it had been over an hour, she’d been suspecting the worst but was pleasantly surprised that he seemed fine. All things considered. She even noted that he’d managed to clean off a good portion of the blood on his chest. How he’d managed to do that without ‘moving too much’ as she’d requested, she tried not to think too hard on. It was enough that he was still breathing and in one piece. She could see his breath in the air in the dying light of day and a look of concern would cross her face, she’d forgotten about the cold. She had been so worried about him going into shock that she hadn’t even considered that the mountains were cool even in the bright sunlight. “Glad to see you’re not dead. I found a cave that isn't far from here. I’ll help you walk.”

If he allowed her she would help him to his feet, being careful to avoid hurting him as she would move her cloak from his legs to around his shoulders, clasping it around his neck. Getting underneath his left arm she would try to support his weight, her short stature made her nearly the perfect height for an appropriately sized crutch. “This is going to suck. I’m so sorry, I’m not strong enough to carry you.” She issued a sincere apology for the discomfort that she knew would come. He had a freaking rock sticking through his chest, she didn’t see any other outcome but discomfort as they would have to move through the forest. Assuming he did not protest she would begin to make her way along the trail she had marked, turning the tree in her hand upside down and using its soft branches to sweep away the remnants of their existence from behind them. As they moved she would explain what she would have to do upon arriving at their destination. Partly to prepare him for it, and also as a way of ensuring that he remained alert.

“Once we get to the cave I’ll need to leave you again for a while. I need to build a fire, gather some firewood and such. You’ll need the heat of course but also. . .” She tried to think of the nicest way to explain how she needed to burn his wound closed. ‘Don’t worry it’ll only hurt for a minute. I know this situation is totally unprecedented but trust me, burning you is the only way.’ It was ridiculous even as she thought about it. “But also I’ll need to close that wound. After I take the rock out. That will also suck, probably worse than this. I should also warn you I’m not exactly a trained medic or anything. Although I do have some experience treating injuries.” She would continue speaking to him, very practical explanations of how she’d found the cave, how she intended to find firewood and build a fire, and carefully avoiding explaining how she had any experience with the medical arts if she’d never been trained.

Her statement that she had found a cave not far from their location would be met with a relieved sigh. Finally, a bit of luck on their side. “I’m glad to see neither of us dead.” He would say in response as she helped him to his feet. To be perfectly honest, past that point he probably would’ve been fine alone. A shoulder wound didn’t really stop one's ability to walk. However he wouldn’t argue with her about it or even bring it up. He would let her clasp her cloak around his neck, for now anyway, that would have to come off to see to his wound of course. He wouldn’t stop her from getting underneath his arm, she was the perfect height for it actually. He’d lean his weight against her, he wasn’t overly heavy for his size or anything, but he was well muscled and that did put him on the higher end of his weight class. He briefly wondered if he could take some of it off and just try to make it seem like he was using her help more, but decided against it.

She seemed to feel bad he’d been injured, and while yes, the injury was bad looking, it wasn’t lethal. He wouldn’t die of blood loss from it, it wasn’t punctured through any organs or arteries given the rate of blood loss. He hadn’t lost feeling in the arm, he would in fact be alright. They needed to close it, but he’d be alright. She however seemed to blame herself, and letting her do what she could when it wouldn’t hurt her otherwise seemed like the best course of action. His yellow eyes kept up a watchful vigil for Yuan Ji, to be perfectly honest, he could probably still take the man even like this so long as he went for the quick kill. Which at this point, for both their sakes, he’d regretfully have to do. He didn’t like it, he didn’t like it one bit, but he simply wouldn’t have a choice. Still, he’d lean against her for now, enjoying the scents of pine and grass as it let it distract him from the discomfort that he was most definitely still feeling. Even if he was functional throughout it.

Her explanations of how she found the cave would be heard, and her decisions on how to close the wounds would be met with his nods, although a skeptical eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t have any equipment, and I lost my scroll in our..heh, journey here. What in the world are you going to use to cauterize them? I mean I know they’re rather small, just through and through holes. Do you have anything that’ll work?” He would ask, wondering if she had in fact thought of that. It was a concern that was necessary. As he thought her intent on building a fire seemed almost not required. A weak enough lightning jutsu would make a spark in dry wood and he had just the one for it, although it might also act as a beacon for their enemy if he was still around. Probably best to let her do it. Eventually through their combined efforts, mighty they be, they would reach the cave and he would find himself sitting against a wall that was worn almost smooth. This was man made, although no supplies could be seen, no signs of life here at all actually. Was it an old shelter for bandits or something? Probably, such places dotted the country as at one point or another they could make such places before being killed or taken in by shinobi. Leaning his head against the wall he’d take a deep breath as he surveyed the spot they would be spending the night. “Good cave.” He would say to Yenn, nodding to her in appreciation for all she’d done thus far. “You go get firewood, I’ll stay here and guard the cave I guess. Who knows, maybe a bear’ll come by and give me a chance to make me feel useful.” He would say with a self deprecating shrug. He hated needing to rely on others.

[Tam 17]

Yenn would smile as Tamwyn replied to her fairly crass and informal greeting. It made her chuckle quietly as she moved to help him stand. He was annoyingly protective in a way she knew she wasn’t worthy of, but he at least somewhat shared her sense of humour. He allowed her to fuss over him, her thoughts staying mainly on ensuring his safety. While normally she wouldn’t do any of this; touch him, take control of their plans, her own protective response to the dangerous situation was currently overriding her need for space and distance. The walk was uneventful, she did doubt that she’d been entirely successful in removing their trail, but without wasting more time there wasn’t a lot she could do to rectify that. When the subject of how she intended to cauterize the wounds came up she would give him a sideways glance. He at least wasn’t overly concerned with it actually happening, which was a relief. She did not have a plan beyond ‘need to close that wound with fire’. Shaking her head she would say “I’ll think of something.”

Once they were in the cave she would help move him to sit if he let her. There wasn’t exactly a great place to do it, everything was just rock, but she hoped that the fur cloak would provide a little comfort. As he offered a compliment about her choice of shelter she would blush again, not knowing how best to react. It wasn’t as though she’d performed some monumental task, the whole reason that she’d even needed to find this was because of her stupidity. Because for just a brief second she believed she was more capable that she actually was. She could see that Tamwyn being injured was causing him some. . .distress? Resentment? She couldn’t put her finger on the word, but whatever it was it meant ‘not happy to not be doing anything’. She didn’t want to give him some meaningless task, she thought that would be patronizing, so she would hold out the tree she’d been carrying to him. “Do you think you could try to make part of this sharp? We might need something long and sharp to help pull that rock out of you.”

Whether he took the tree or not she would rest it on the ground within reach of him as she moved out of the cave once more to gather bark and twigs and wood. This part of the forest was old, and it wouldn’t take her long to gather enough tinder and kindling to get a small fire going. Bringing the wood indoors she would begin looking for a suitable place to light it. The cave mouth was wide enough that wind was able to get in, swirl around the shelter and carry the smoke back out. So they wouldn’t die in their sleep. Probably. She normally made fires outside, since it was safer, but the temperature was dropping fast and she needed that fire close by to keep Tamwyn warm. She chose a spot slightly off to the side of the cave mouth, it would be visible were anyone to wander by, but she didn’t see a better option.

Yenn would hand him the tree she had used to mark their path and brush out their return tracks and ask him if he could make one of the ends of it sharp. He shrugged and nodded, it was something to do at least and he desperately needed that. Lest his mind wander toward dark thoughts of blonde hair and sapphire eyes. He thought back to her words of how she’d think of something and figured it was the best that could be hoped for. If he really had to risk it he could probably fly back to Kumogakure and get treatment, but it was extremely risky since they simply didn’t know where Yuan Ji was. No, the best chance was to sit it out and do what they could. He would hold onto the tree as she left to find more wood and snap the excess sticks off and set them aside. Then he would simply utilize a technique he never really used.

The Claw Creation technique was a simple ninjutsu that allowed you to elongate your finger and toenails into legitimate claws. He used it on a single finger and began to whittle away at the edge of the tree, swiftly cutting it into a sharpened stake. The process didn’t take very long and as he did so he began to put some serious thought into the situation regarding their fire and the cave. The fire would have to be inside the cave obviously. Feeling beneath him he would find dirt, not stone, at least not immediately. Sticking the shaft of his freshly made spear into the ground he would find that the dirt went down for quite a ways before he struck stone. That would make for something useful.

He didn’t know much about survival, didn’t know much about how to create fire without ninjutsu, or flint and tinder, couldn’t cook over an open fire, had no real hints or tricks about what to do in situations in the open wild. But what he DID know about was shinobi work, and that instinctively meant he knew how to hide. A fire in a cave was obvious to anyone who came by, and that meant it would have to be hidden. At least as best as they could. Besides, the more of the heat from the flame they could keep in the cave, the better off they’d be. Standing, to which he knew Yenn would yell at him for but accepted as what would happen all the same, he moved over a spot slightly off to the side of the cave more and, using the blunt end of his spear, began to pitch dirt out of the cave. Within a few minutes, he would have a decent fire pit for Yenn to make the fire inside.

The effort involved would leave him a bit tired, and he’d consider why that would be for a moment. He only go thrown across part of the country, smashed into a rock at insane speeds, was stabbed in the chest by a fucking rock and now he was moving around with said rock still in his chest to keep himself from bleeding. All that, and he decided to dig a fire pit of all fucking things because he wanted to do something practical and helpful. You know, he wouldn’t even complain to Yenn when she yelled at him, he might really deserve it this time. Either way, with his task down he would return to his spot in the cave and lean the sharpened stake against the wall next to him. Perhaps they would have to talk when she got here, he’d been quiet in the past while she was finding the cave and talking to him. His responses had been simple gestures or a one line joke. She didn’t deserve that, that would wait until after the cauterizing though. With whatever she was going to use to do the deed.

[Tam 18]

Yenn had managed to gather enough dry grass and bark that she was sure she wouldn’t have any trouble actually nursing a flame to life if she could make a spark. Back near Kumogakure she had stashed away a flint and bit of steel so she never needed to carry them with her, but out here she had neither. She would laugh grimly at the irony of being in a situation where neither shinobi had any weapons. Just a kunai would have made everything so much easier. As she gathered supplies she would occasionally stoop and pick up a rock, striking it firmly against the edge of one of the metal buttons on her shirt until she found one that produced a sufficient spark and slipped it into her shirt pocket. It would be a miracle if it worked, and she rather thought that Tamwyn deserved a miracle at this point.

When she reentered the cave she was taken aback by the newly dug fire pit and her eyes would narrow as she slowly turned her head to look at the now clearly ‘tired from digging a firepit when he was specifically told not to do anything strenuous’ Tamwyn. “What in the actual fuck is wrong with you?” She would growl as her violet eyes flashed with annoyance. “Are you trying to make this harder? Have a death wish or something?” She would continue on her tirade as she angrily set about preparing to light a fire. Each of her movements were punctuated by curses and glares as she made a simple nest from the dry grasses and carefully tore apart the dry bark to find a piece thin enough to substitute for char cloth. “Thank you, but why?! You could have just sat there, just. . . done anything else.” Angrily she would bring one of her gloved hands up to her leather overshirt and rip off the topmost button, she liked the shirt and didn’t want to destroy it but she needed the tiny bit of metal and didn’t feel like trying to light a fire on her chest. Turning to protect her attempts at fire creation from the wind she would hunch over and strike furiously with the rock from her pocket at the edge of the tiny button, holding the faintly sparking makeshift tools near to the bark. “Come on you little fuck. Just light.” After fighting and pleading with the firestarting eventually a spark would leap to the bark and she would smile triumphantly, quickly transferring the glowing bark to the nest of dry materials and blowing on it gently.

Having a single small flame made the rest of the process much easier and she effortlessly added more tinder and gradually larger bits of wood to coax a hot fire into existence. She put the button and the small rock back into her pocket and finally turned her attention to Tamwyn. With a still angry sigh she would push herself to her feet, which were now filthy from all the traipsing through the forest she’d done, and walk over to his side to examine the wound once more. She needed to get that damn rock out, but she also needed something big enough to cauterize it with, looking at the wound an idea came to her and she would raise her hands behind her neck and unclasp her pendant. She reverently lowered her hands and held the circular piece of embossed metal up near where the rock was sticking out of his chest. “Yeah, this will work.” She said it sadly, it was the only good memory she had and she was going to use it to burn someone with. “It’ll take a few minutes to heat up enough though so we can work on pulling that rock out of you. Assuming you can handle waiting and don’t want to, I don’t know, carve an elaborate furniture set out of solid stone?” She was only half serious as she berated him, she wouldn’t have even been surprised to hear a yes to her ridiculous question. Turning and placing the metal pendant deep into the fire where it could quickly absorb the heat necessary she would take a steadying breath and turn back to place her hands against Tamwyn’s chest. “I’m going to touch you now, alright?”

It would appear he was absolutely correct in his assumption that he would get an ear full the moment she arrived. Her entering of the cave would be paused by a brief moment of shock as she noticed the fire pit and then her eyes would narrow before turning to his clearly tired form. He supposed he wouldn’t be able to say the ‘fire pit fairies’ dug it for them. Or well, he could, but she wouldn’t believe him. Yup, here came the beration, her language seemed to become quite crass when she was angry and he honestly had a tough time not laughing at the shift. Still though, laughing at her now would potentially hurt her and she’d clearly been hurt enough in her life if he had to guess. As her violet eyes flashed in anger her initial question of ‘What the fuck was wrong with him?’ would be met with a wince. The next question of if he was trying to make this harder would be met with minor indignation on his features. “No, but I can’t just sit here feeling useless. I don’t want to screw up again..” He would say, his tone and expression neutral. His eyes would meet hers, his yellow, sad, and shame filled eyes against her angry violet ones.

When her next angry question came, this time accompanied by a ‘thank you’ he would consider it rhetorical and keep his mouth shut. Instead he’d just lean his head against the wall and stare off into space. Letting his breathing even out and taking long, deep breaths. A chill wind below through the cave and he involuntarily shivered against it. He closed his eyes at that, he didn’t want to show weakness. He was supposed to be protecting and guiding her, keeping her safe. Instead he needed her for his very survival, some Chunin he turned out to be. As she worked to get the fire sparking, her expletives minorly amusing, he would just stare into the location the fire was supposed to be. Eventually a curl of smoke would rise and a lick of flame would accompany. With some more coaxing, she would get it higher and then with an angry sigh push herself to her feet. He would hear her come closer and he wouldn’t even look into her eyes anymore. Wouldn’t even open his, he was tired, and it seemed he was always making her angry.

She would seem to take a few moments, he could feel her presence around him, although it was more akin to that sixth sense feeling when you know there’s a presence near you but you can’t pinpoint where. After a few moments she would say that it would appear something would work. It was with a sad tone however and he’d finally open his eyes to see her holding a pendant in her hands. That what was she would use then, very well. He’d nod his head as she explained it would take some time for the metal to heat up. Agreeing it was a good time to get the rock out of him. Although he wouldn’t rise to the joke, his thoughts were full of regretful memories now. How he was brutally slaughtered those men and women in that keep, how much he had enjoyed it. How he had nearly killed that young girl in Iwagakure. Had devastated her body with his raiton jutsu to the point of it being nothing more than a mass of charred meat and bone, barely living. When she spoke of touching him, he would nod absently, acknowledging her words. Time to remove the rock then.

[Tam 19]

In her furious ranting she’d failed to notice Tamwyn’s slow descent into actual sadness, his comments and replies to her questions only inflaming her more. As she knelt in front of him now though she could practically feel the melancholy roll off of his body. And it made her feel awful. He passively acknowledged her choice of tool and that she was about to remove a foreign object from his body. She would hang her head briefly and then place one gloved hand on his back, feeling for the point of entry gently. She wanted to try to pull it out smoothly, having the rock leave his body the way it had intended to all along. Once she thought she might have the angle correct she would brace her left hand against the front of his shoulder and grasp the protruding bit of rock with her right and begin to pull firmly. She didn’t bother warning him, she was pretty sure that he could see if he wanted to, and that he could feel what her hands were doing.

As she pulled she would speak softly and kindly to him. “You’re not useless and you didn’t screw up. That’s not why I was angry. You actually saved my life. Twice. That’s not useless.” As long as he didn’t stop her she would keep pulling on the rock until it eventually pulled free of Tamwyn’s chest. It came out cleanly, relatively speaking, since it was the remnants of a random hunk of rock that was undoubtedly originally covered in dirt and dust. Fortunately she knew the bleeding would take care of that. The wound wept blood and she would press the heels of her hands against it to see if she could slow the bleeding at all. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. And I know you told me to stop, but it’s necessary this time. I’m sorry.”

He would feel the touch of a gloved hand upon his back. She would take a moment to feel for the point of entry and she would grasp the rock, looking for the proper angle. He would utilize his Lightning Armor once it was removed of course. It made sense that the lightning chakra flowing through him and his body would help eliminate any dirt and dust if the fire didn’t. The wounds just needed to be closed at the ends once that was done and the cauterization would take care of that handedly. Once she got the proper angle, she would begin to pull at the rock. As she began to pull she would begin to speak, her voice was soft, and kind. His eyes would instinctively move to meet hers and he’d find them inches apart. His breath would catch a moment, not expecting the proximity between their faces to be quite that small but he would roll on as she spoke.

“I’m not referring to today..my career thus far has been riddled with failures.” He would say simply at the end of her words. “Even counting today, I’m supposed to be guiding you, helping you, but all you’ve been doing is dealing with the mistakes I’ve made. You’re even here now, having to deal with the consequences of my choices. I could’ve killed Yuan Ji the moment I saw him, I wouldn’t have even had to warn you to move..But I just couldn’t bring myself to kill him out of hand, your life was directly threatened by that. Then, when you bravely stood to face that threat, someone who’s had far more experience than you, almost killed you. You weren’t ready to face that threat down. Not through any fault of your own, but you weren’t ready for it. Yet you did what you thought you had to do anyway. Now you’re here, saving both our lives while I’m stuck with a rock curr-.” He would cut off as the rock slipped through, sliding back out of his chest and out of the back. “Scratch that..last part, while I was stuck with a rock in my chest.” He would say simply beginning the last statement with a grunt of pain. After she had removed the rock he’d activate his raiton armor to eradicate the dust and rock particles in his blood. The armor wouldn’t hurt her, although she might be able to feel the power of the charge from such a close proximity. His eyes would burn a brilliant yellow and his hair would momentarily raise up before he shut the technique down again. “Thank you..” He would say simply, his tone not really changing.

[Tam 20]

All things considered he was taking things rather well. Even talking while she slowly removed the shard of rock from him. His words troubled her though, she hadn’t considered that he might feel any guilt or remorse for what had transpired next to that creek. She couldn’t comprehend it. How could someone who had been so highly praised, promoted even so recently; how could he think he was a failure? Her tone remained gentle but her confusion slipped through as she replied. “You think you’re a failure? I’m sorry but I don’t see it. It was my stupid plan to be bait to someone who was definitely going to try to murder me. I told you that I wanted to do it, that’s not your fault. You’d never met him before either, so how were either of us supposed to know that he would be such a… such a…” She struggled to find the right word, she probably shouldn’t just say asshole, she knew there had to be better words than that. “Asshole.” But she said it anyway.

“What I did wasn’t brave, make no mistake. It was cowardly and reckless. And unsurprisingly someone else paid the price for my lack of judgement. That someone was you, no one’s ever actually sav-” Her voice would cut off as she let the thought die. She didn’t want to finish it. As luck would have it the rock finally came free just as her mind scrambled to find a new train of thought to ramble on about while simultaneously burying the previous one. “There.” She would say and then her eyes would widen for a moment as she felt a powerful charge course through him and watched his hair rise to stand on end. As he thanked her she would chuckle darkly, “Don’t thank me just yet.” Moving to grasp at her pendant that was now glowing in the fire she would say quietly as she felt the heat of the metal burning through her leather gloves. “Don’t move.” Was all she would say as she lined up the pendant with the wound on the front of his body and firmly held it down against his skin.

Listening to her, as their faces were so close, she didn’t seem to pause, although she probably couldn’t given that she was pulling a rock out of his damn back at that moment. Still, he himself felt a bit nervous. The last woman he had been this physically close to had been that crazy blonde. His body would stiffen, and his eyes would take on an almost frantic cast to them. But he’d remain where he was as she spoke. She was clearly confused as to how he could think he was a failure. How he had gone with her plan in the end, and that it was her plan that got them into this mess. Her difficulty finding a term for him, and settling on ‘asshole’ would bring a small smirk to his features. Her continued speech would tell him her thoughts on the matter and she would cut herself off as she reached what seemed to be something important, however he’d let her do so. Now wasn’t the time to get into her past, not yet anyway.

He would however continue to meet her gaze with the rock now out of his body and before she left to get the pendant. “What I didn’t tell you, was that it was better for me to be the one hiding anyway..Yes, if I’d been the bait, he might’ve come for me. But if you’d been hiding and he came from around where you were, you’d be at more risk. However with you playing bait it allowed me to control where I hid and could see everything..” He would say simply, informing her of something that might not have occurred to her. “Your plan really was the best option. Mine was the rushed one because I want to protect you, and you really were brave. It takes courage to stand forward in the face of fear. Without that fear you literally cannot have bravery, or courage. If you’d turned your back, you wouldn’t have had a shot in getting away. By facing him down, you at least had a shot in hurting him or even killing him if you could hit him.” He would say simply, a sigh escaping from his lips. As he thanked her for removing the stone she would tell him not to thank him yet and move to retrieve the pendant. He wondered if her leather gloves acted to help keep the heat from her hand. Her order to not move was not with a small nod. As she knelt in front of him again, his eyes would meet hers and as she pressed the metal pendant against the first of his wounds the sizzle of stench of hot flesh would permeate the air. His eyes would continue to meet her violet ones, his own bright and brilliantly lit as he withstood the pain through willpower. He wouldn’t make a sound as the wound was seared shut, although he would take in a sharp intake of breath. “Don’t I smell delicious.” He’d say, cracking a small joke to pierce the tension. “Now you heat it up for the back right?” He would ask, jerking his head toward the small hole still in his back.

[Tam 21]

Yenn felt the man’s body stiffen beneath her hands and she would glance up at his eyes, surprised to see distress in them. She knew that look, the tension - she’d never seen it in anyone else but her before. She didn’t know what had caused it, but she would pull her head further away from his as she continued her work, not wishing to cause him any more discomfort than she already had to. As he told her of how the plan that she had made was the best one, she scoffed quietly. She wouldn’t stop him from speaking, but she couldn’t hear what he was trying to tell her. She wished that what he said was true, that it was bravery or competence that had made her stand and try to fight Yuan Ji. But she knew it wasn’t. Or at least that wasn’t all it was. She remembered with crystal clarity the moment just before the Wind Demon’s sword was blocked by Tamwyn. The peace, the surrender, the hope. It wasn’t as though she was trying to get herself killed, but she didn’t have the will to fight against it when death loomed over her. She welcomed it.

She kept glancing at his brightly shining yellow eyes as she pressed her pendant into his flesh. He was silent save for a sharp intake of breath and she found his stoicism comforting. She didn’t know how she would react had he screamed when she’d done it. The hissing of his skin melting and the moisture from the wound evaporating gave her a sick feeling in her stomach. The burning smell of flesh in the air was not even that different from a cookhouse or a roast on a spit, and she would gag as he joked about how delicious he smelled, cracking a weak smile in return. It was funny, but it was also really gross. “Uh huh. Delicious.” She would nod to his question, gently lifting the rapidly cooling pendant away from his flesh and her eyes growing wide with panic as she saw what she had done. On his chest there was now a perfect mirror image of the circle and star embossed pendant. Glancing away from his eyes quickly she would turn and peel the pendant from the fingers of her now charred and melted gloves and place the pendant back into the fire. “Yes, it doesn’t hold the heat for long.”

As she pulled her head further away from him he would feel a mixture of relief and disappointment. He wasn’t sure entirely why though so he’d push it down and take a deep breath instead. He closed his eyes a moment and remember the moment of Yuan Ji’s attack, he had been moving to defend her when he fired that wind blast. Had been moving at his best possible speed to become a shield for her. Had he then seen her close her eyes to take the blow willingly? Or was he mistaken? He wasn’t sure, but it was just something else that would have to be answered later. His bad joke would earn a weak smile in return and he’d shrug with his non burning shoulder with a small, sheepish smile on his face. “I know, my jokes are horrible.”He would say, unapologetically.

When she removed the pendant she would seem to see something that would cause her eyes to go wide with panic and he’d look down for a moment to see that upon his skin was a perfect replica of the image upon the pendant. “Well, this’ll be awkward to explain later now won’t it?” He said mildly, an eyebrow raising before turning back to her. “It’s okay..I don’t mind..Is the pendant damaged? It’s precious to you isn’t it? Your tone when you figured out you could use seemed to indicate that..” He would say, his eyes showing concern. He didn’t want her to give us a precious sentimental object for his sake. Looking carefully at the fingers of her gloved hands he would see the charred and melted ends and his eyes would widen in shock. “Y-you’re hands! Are you alright?!” He cried, reaching to take one of them in his hands gently. If this was successful, and there was a shock, he would wince momentarily before letting go. He had forgotten about that. “I have a flask of water you could use to rinse a burn perhaps..” He would say, without much more to say on the matter.

[Tam 22]

The sheepish look on his face was, in a word, charming. “Not as horrible as your ‘delicious’ aroma” she would fire back with a smirk. Over the many hours she’d spend with him she had grown a bit more comfortable, it would have been hard not to, given all that had transpired in less than one day. So a tiny, tiny bit of her friendliness was beginning to show through. The friendliness she normally reserved for conversations with trees and forest creatures when she thought she’d go mad from loneliness as she segregated herself from other people. As she unintentionally drew attention to the scar she had given him she couldn’t quite tell if he was displeased or not. His voice was mild as he spoke of having to explain it in the future, and that made her shake her head in dismay. This was a mission. They were going to have to give a debrief regardless of whether they completed it successfully or not. She could see it now, and it was awkward as hell. ‘So there we were, lost in the woods. It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. Things got out of hand fast’

Her fears were momentarily abated as he reassured her that he didn’t mind. Then he started questioning her about the pendant and her fears returned. She would meet his eyes, uncertainty in hers, “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. It’s nothing special, just a trinket and it’s fine.” She was a notoriously terrible liar, all the times she’d thought she had been so clever in hiding the truth had always turned out to be traps set by smarter and more ruthless people than she. How could she bring herself to explain what the cursed bit of metal actually meant to her? How it was the only thing she treasured? Not because of its material value, but because of what it represented? She couldn’t figure out how to do it and so she lied instead.

Her dismay was abandoned as she jumped at both his words and his hands around her burnt one, her aegis sparking angrily at the unforeseen touch. Her heart thumped noisily in her chest as she stared at Tamwyn with the look of a cornered deer. With a few deep inhalations she would manage to slow her breathing enough to speak. “I don’t know if they’re burnt, probably not. I think the gloves took the brunt of it.”

Her verbal riposte would cause him to mock wince in response before holding up a hand “Alright alright, point to you.” He’d say in jest before setting his hand back down. It would feel as if they were getting to be a bit more comfortable with one another. Which was good because it hopefully meant that she would be able to relax a little soon. Perhaps offering her the other flask of Whiskey he had would indeed be a good idea. He’d consider that for a bit longer, at least for as long as it took for her to cauterize the back wound. The problem was that she was so much tinier than him, and he doubted she was stout enough to handle too much of the stuff. Well, as long as he warned her right? Either way, that would come later. At his mild panic of her pendent taking damage she would reassure him that it was fine. Although when she told him that it ‘wasn’t anything special’ he would damn near call out the lie for what it was. Although he would hold his tongue there. The sadness in her voice when she had decided to use was too obvious for the piece to be anything but valuable to her.

After his panicked touch to try to see if her hands were okay she would adopt the look of a cornered deer before telling him that her hands were in actuality probably fine. If the gloves had taken the brunt of it, then that was good. Although in his experience heat tended to become unbearably painful to the touch before it reached the point of burning and melting leather. Although perhaps she was simply hardier than he gave her credit for. “Well, alright then.” He would say as he turned to the cave mouth to see that sunset was upon them. They wouldn’t be able to see the sunset from the cave, but the definite chill in the air made the announcement that it was getting dark quite obviously. An involuntary shiver would run up his body, despite the fire in the cave the wind that was doing so much work to blow the smoke back out was also bringing the cold air with it. It wouldn’t freeze either of them to death, but it was damn sure uncomfortable. “Thank you..for all of this.” He would say, meeting her violet eyes with his and refusing to look away. “Now then, time to leave your mark on my back now?” He would ask, a mild tone to it as he asked if she was ready to cauterize the back wound.

[Tam 23]

She found herself enjoying the teasing and joking between them, even offering a playful smile at his insincere wince of pain at her words. She even started imagining what it would be like to go on a second mission with him - assuming they both made it through this one. She could see it now, the two of them triumphantly hobbling back to the village with Yuan Ji in tow - because in her power fantasy they were able to successfully capture him like Tamwyn wanted - one with no shoes, one with no shirt and both of them covered in dirt and blood and smelling of campfires and trees. It would make for a sorry and hilarious sight and she smiled secretly to herself as she imagined the scene.

The awkwardness of him reaching for her hand was mercifully short lived, she was devastated that with just a momentary lapse in vigilance she’d shocked him again. Her hand really was fine, a bit tender from the transfer of heat through the leather, might be some redness but other than that it was more of a problem that her glove was destroyed. And worse, that since he asked if it was time for her to ‘mark’ him again she knew that she’d have to destroy the other once. The leather along the fingers of her right hand and split and shrunk and curled, making for poor dexterity should she try it again with that hand. Not to mention that she had skin exposed on the destroyed glove and if she touched the heated pendant again she would badly burn herself.

She would nod, happy to move on from the uncomfortable topic of whether or not she was injured and she tried her best to look cheerful. “One more to go and then you can relax.” She didn’t like accepting thanks from the man, in some circles what she was doing was considered torture. So she would just blush and look away as he thanked her. With her left hand she would gesture for him to lean forward and turn. “It’ll be easier if I can see your back a bit better. Wouldn’t want to miss and have to do it three times.” She would wait to see if he would move for her, and she would work with whatever position he ended up choosing for her to ‘leave her mark on him’ a second time. Using her left hand this time she would take hold of the glowing pendant and line it up against the wound on his back and press it down once more.

Nodding his head in response to her confirmation he would wait patiently for the time to come. He was surprised when she blushed at his thanks, but he didn’t see why she would feel the need to do so. Although it wasn’t like such a reaction could be faked or something. That really couldn’t be done, could it? Eh, even it could be, why would she? As she motioned for him to get into a better position he would nod his head and do so, turning his back to her and to the fire to give her plenty of light to see what she needed. Their shadows played across the cave walls now and it was interesting to see them move in the flickering light of the flames. Once the fire came again he would again, not make a sound although the sensation of most of his body being cold due to the chill but the one spot being scalding hot due to the cauterization would be interesting to say the least.

Once it was done he would turn back to her and hold a hand out. “May I see the pendant?..I won’t take it, but I’d like to see the mark that’s been branded into me while it’s upright from my perspective.” He would ask politely, should she acquiesce to his request he would look at the pendant, the still warm metal resting in his hand before kissing the front of it gently in mild reverence. “Because of you and this little piece of metal, my wounds are healed. I know it wasn’t the best way. But it was the only option available.” He would say before letting it go, so that it could swing back toward her. Once that was done he’d sigh before taking one of the flasks from his belt and holding it up toward her. “I carry a couple of flasks of strong whiskey on me at all times. You’re welcome to one of them if you want. It’s not like the day doesn’t warrant a drink in my book. Be careful though, I mean it when I say it’s ‘strong’. It gets me drunk pretty quickly and I’m a hardier sort than most.” He would say, offering the first flask to her. Should she take it he would take the second, unstopper the lid and hold it up toward her in salute. “Here’s to surviving.” He would say before taking a pull from the flask.

[Tam 24]

He turned at her request, making the task easier to accomplish with the light of the fire. He was silent once more as she pressed the metal to his flesh, the sickening sound of flesh coalescing under the force of heat making her stomach flop once more. As she finished cauterizing the second wound she would teasingly speak to him. “Still delicious?” It wasn’t. Not even a little bit. But she found it easier to joke with him while he was turned away from her. As he turned back to face her with his hand held out she would move back an inch, staring fearfully at his hand until he asked to see the pendant. That made sense, he couldn’t see the one on his back probably and the one on his chest would be upside down to him. She would nod and hold the pendant out for him to look at, the cooling metal disc swinging on a mysteriously impervious bit of leather. Obviously stronger than glove leather, since it didn’t burn up in the fire.

She would watch in fascination as he brought the pendant to his lips and kissed it reverently. It brought a small smile to her lips, to see him treasure the pendant as much as she did. As Tamwyn let the pendant swing on its cord back towards her she would still the movement with her hand and attempt to re-clasp it around her neck, and finding that her ruined gloves no longer afforded her the manual dexterity to redo the small clasp. Moving back further from the blonde haired man she would pull off her gloves and set them on the ground beside her, before placing her pendant securely around her neck once more. Once it was re-tied she would look mournfully down at her bare feet, covered with dirt and light scratches and cuts and her gloves that lay in a ruined pile. She would shake her head again as he thanked her, a deeper blush appearing on her cheeks as she physically reacted to the message that her brain was rejecting. “You really shouldn’t thank me. All I did was get you stabbed and then burn you for it.” She would laugh as she spoke to try to lighten the mood, but in her heart she believed every word.

Seeing him pull a flask from his belt and offer it to her, her eyes would light up. She heard him say that it was ‘strong whiskey’ and she immediately dismissed the warning. Everyone always said that. As if her petite size couldn’t handle a ‘real’ drink. Her size did matter for quite a lot when it came to her tolerance for alcohol, but she didn’t much care. A good stiff drink always made her troubles wash away, leaving her with a blissful calm that she rarely got to experience. She would nod, trying not to look too eager as she timidly accepted the flask, being conscious of where his hand was on the flask as to avoid accidentally touching him. She would open the flask and raise hers as he gave a toast, taking a generous mouthful and swallowing it down. “To surviving.” She would laugh cynically at the poetic irony of his statement, irony that he couldn’t understand.

The sickening sound of sizzling flesh would meet his ears and her joke would cause him to grin. “Just don’t cook me too well done.” He would jest back in a teasing tone. It seemed easier to joke with her, although he figured that soon that would end. His actions when kissing the pendant would bring a smile to her lips and when she took off her gloves from the burns his eyes would fall on the scars. He wouldn’t keep them there long, but he would notice them. Her blush as he thanked her made him smile but her words would make it drop just as fact. “I got myself stabbed as far as I’m concerned.” He said simply with a shrug, he wouldn’t return the laugh. Because he really didn’t blame her for it at all.

Her eyes would light up as he pulled the flask out and she’d readily accepted the offer, even accepting his toast. She would down a mouthful and laugh cynically at the toast as he settled back against the wall. His eyebrows furrowed in thought for a few moments before sighing. “You asked me earlier, why I did it..I didn’t give you an answer. I could give you the usual mouth garbage about ‘You’re my comrade’ and such. But we both know that you were really asking for more than that. In order to give that though, you’ve got to know me. My life, and the reasons I consider myself a failure. I want you to understand my thought process, and the only way you can do that is if you understand what I’ve been through.” He would say, his nostrils flaring as he took a deep breath. A chill wind blew into the cave and he’d shudder again, but ignore it.

“I’ll start simple, you’ve probably noticed that I have no last name. It isn’t a clerical error. I simply don’t have one. I’m an orphan from the village. My parents, when I was much younger, struggled to keep a roof over our heads. When they lost our home they spoke to a family friend. Who agreed to take me in for a few months until they got back on their feet. As far as I’ve heard since, they were killed. Rumors abound about how the Jashinists within the village use to kidnap homeless people and sacrifice them to their dark god. I can only assume they got them. I was put into the orphanage system, and never adopted. Eventually I got into the shinobi academy, when I was sixteen or so. I was quickly discovered to be a prodigy with lightning release. I can use any lightning ninjutsu without the use of any seals at all, I can even do them more efficiently on my reserves than most. With that talent I quickly graduated. I stayed on my own a bit, no team to speak of, and eventually became a member of ‘Team Seraphim’ and a student of Raikage-sama.” He would say, beginning his tale with the beginning of his life up until he really began his shinobi career. As he paused here he’d take a drink of his flask, letting the burn slowly down his throat and taking a moment to savour it.

[Tam 25]

The sharp taste of whiskey filled her senses as she swallowed, and she would cough as it burned all the way down to her stomach where it finally settled like a fiery rock. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said it was strong. She could feel the artificial heat from the drink spreading through her body, and she would breathe a heavy sigh of relief as she felt it soften the edges of her anxiety. She would look out of the cave at the forest and the rapidly fading light as she knew the sun was setting. It wouldn’t be long until night fell and darkness reigned again. The thought brought a far away look to her eyes and she quickly took another gulp from the flask as she sought to drown out the darkness that always crept in with the twilight and threatened to consume her. With another cough she would turn her attention back to Tamwyn, his words piercing her thoughts and bringing her mind back to the cave they sat in.

He spoke of wanting to explain further why he had jumped in front of the Wind Demon’s sword, why he’d taken the full force of their landing. She could appreciate that he wasn’t willing to give her platitudes, but it was still nerve wracking to hear him begin his story. His wish was for her to understand him, and so she would listen attentively, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees with his flask still clutched in her hand. Seeing him shudder with, hopefully, cold she would move along the ground trying to make sure he had a direct line to the warmth of the fire without her body blocking it. As he told of his origins a look of horror and sympathy would form on her face as she listened to the tragedy that had been his upbringing. She felt her heart ache for him as he told of being an orphan, with his parents most likely murdered in a sacrifice to the evil god Jashin. His struggle as he fought to prove his worth to a world that didn’t want him.

Her heart went out to the man, she couldn’t imagine what any of that felt like. While she would have given anything to have her family ripped from her, she knew that this was not the case with most. She wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to explain, that she wasn’t sitting there expecting his life story. But with the deep breath he took before he began she suspected that it was less about her needing to hear it and more about him needing to tell it. So she sat quietly and listened, taking a moment to comment quietly as he spoke of Team Seraphim and the Raikage. “I’m so sorry Tamwyn, that must be hard.” She didn’t know what else to say, she didn’t know if there was anything she could say that would be helpful or even comforting. Assuming he needed or wanted either.