Late Nights (Shimiko, Flashback)

It was late, and Valen was moderately tired.

He had just gotten done with a mission with a man named 'Mort' and it had gone rather well. If it had lasted late into the night. It had been a simple protection mission in a club and Valen and Mort had alternated between working the crowd and guarding the door to ensure the patrons were safe and enjoying their night. As such the tall blonde man was still in the same clothing he'd worn to the mission which was a white dress shirt, and black slacks with nice shoes. His Kumogakure headband was proudly displayed upon his arm, identifying him as a shinobi of the village. All in all the mission had been quite fun for him but now it was over and he was doing some late night shopping. He bought the meals he'd cook before heading home every day so that the ingredients were as fresh as possible as that meant some odd shopping hours for him.

Luckily there was a wonderful market that was open at all hours of the day with fresh produce, well cut meats and other such ingredients. It was an inside store with bright lights coming down from the ceiling to make sure every was illuminated. Valen was moving down the aisle with his cart, already having a nice cut of steak wrapped up in brown paper, and a bag of pasta along with some shredded mozarella cheese that he'd bake onto the pasta as one side dish. He was heading toward the produce to pick up a vegetable of some kind, maybe broccoli, maybe some carrots he'd cut up and steam, he hadn't decided yet. He was moving at a sedate pace, not in any particular hurry since shinobi made their own hours for the most part so not in any particular rush at that moment to get home and sleep so he could 'prepare for work'. His eyes were still more or less alert, if he was relaxed and their turquoise hue would take in his surroundings casually but effectively. About the only thing they couldn't see would be around the corners and through the aisles, however he was more or less aware of his surroundings.

He was actually muttering under his breath, thinking aloud for the most part as he moved down the aisle where he'd turn to head down toward the produce section. "I need to step up my training. I've got three elements working for me and I need to to see what I can do with that." He would say as he considered what he'd be working on doing in terms of his personal power. Having three of the 5 basic elements so early in a career was a rarity and his instructors had called him a prodigy. He wasn't so sure of that, he just wanted to do well and provide for his family. However if he had some talent in Fire, Earth, and Wind, he'd use it to his fullest advantage. "I wonder if there's a way to combine them." He'd say as he came the end of the aisle and moved to turn.

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When Shimiko moved into her penthouse most would expect her to leave the shopping to her private army of servants. Alas, this was not the case. If there was one thing she had learned from the parents that she hated so much, it was that if you wanted to cook a good meal, you needed to shop for the ingredients yourself. Sometimes this wasn't possible, but Shimiko did her best to make sure that she could make the necessary trips to the local grocer. This occasionally meant shopping in the dead of night by herself. She leaned on her cart as she slowly pushed it forwards. A piece of paper was in her hand with a list of ingredients. She planned to make a savory Bat Stew but in order for it to come out perfectly, she'd need to get everything just right. The supermarket was always on the chilly side and so she wore a white hoodie with blue borders, a black mini jacket, blood red leggings, and some boots. While Shimiko was look rather pretty, if anyone were to look in her cart, they'd be rather horrified at its contents. There was a bag containing petrified bat carcasses, mole rats, and assorted bushmeat, a jar of pig blood, eyeballs of a newt, and a can of owl nipples. There was also an assortment of rare spices and herbs many of which had difficult to pronounce names. Peppers so hot they left blisters on your tongue for weeks, sugar so bitter they'd make your eyes water, and of course, wheat that had been grown out of a corpse. It was clear that Shimiko had been shopping in the "Chinoike Clan" section of the market.

Normally Shimiko would be careful to pick up those things last. She didn't want anyone she knew catching her with such a shocking load. However, because it was so late at night she didn't really think she'd run into anyone of consequence. Additionally, her standing was so great that no one would be stupid enough to give her a cross look regarding her ancestral cuisine. The final ingredients for her stew were more on the normal side and so she pushed her cart down the aisle to pick up the last few items. She had been considering her stew so intensely that she didn't even turn look up when she rounded the corner

Bang!

Shimiko's metal cart collided with that of another's. She looked up from her list and a blush crept up her face. The opposing cart belonged to a beautiful man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was dressed to the 9's as well. Shimiko always had a thing for honey haired gentleman with a devil maycare atttiude. Unfortunately, her choice in men sometimes led to disaster. Most notably, her first boyfriend Sakata who had stolen her heart and tore it to pieces. Since then, Shimiko had been very cautious about who she let into her life. She had married her Clan Leader Vik Chinoike purely for political reasons and while there was mutual respect and admiration in the relationship, there was no real passion. Vik had his mistresses and she had her Twins. They were glorified teammates and nothing more. Of course, Shimiko felt rather lonely because of this but work kept her busy enough to forget her woes. Until rare moments like these, were she stumbled across someone that she found physically attractive. Shimiko caught herself staring and immediately shut it down.

She was the Defender of the most violent religion in the world, she had been acting Raikage, Captain of the Kumogakure ANBU, and Runner-Up in the First Shinobi World Tournament. Why on Earth would she be intimidated by a stranger?

"Sorry!" she said with a confident smile. She took her usual cheerful demeanor while reaching out a hand to touch one of her voluminous pigtails. "I wasn't looking where I was going I..." Shimiko stopped and remembered what her cart consisted of. She immediately turned beet red when she saw that his contained totally normal ingredients. In fact, judging by what he had selected, they were things that she herself liked to eat. Meanwhile, her own cargo was that of a culinary psychopath.

"Oh I uh" If his good looks weren't enough then the embarrassment of her diet was sure to do it. "......?" Shimiko was totally tongue tied. It was late, she was embarrassed, and there was now a hot guy in front of her.

Fuck!

Of course, this was the way of things wasn't it? Here he was, thinking way too hard on his training and even going so far as to mutter aloud and because of his thoughtlessness he didn't listen for another cart coming at the end of the aisle. Now he had gone so far as to run his cart into someone else's. Seeing who it was however would cause him a momentary pause. The hue of his eyes would shift as the light struck at a different angle and the hue would become that of the deepest sapphire. No one in the world could mistaken this woman for anyone other than Shimiko Chinoike. He had never seen her up close before and he took a moment to politely admire her before noticing the contents of her cart. His eyebrow would quirk up in acknowledgement before looking back to the startling attractive woman. He would come around from his cart before offering his hand politely. One never made a lady reach for them, it was rude. Should she take it he would bow over her hand and brush his lips across the back of it before letting go and straightening once more.

"No my lady, the fault is mine. It is the responsibility of the one coming out of the aisle to ensure that they are not about to hit someone. Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Valen Takahashi, genin. I must say I had not expected to run into someone of your renown this evening. I am quite honored to meet you, Lady Shimiko." He would say, his tone and manner polite and friendly, if relaxed. He was meeting probably the most famous woman in Kumogakure, but freezing up or acting like a drooling fanboy wasn't in his nature. She was a person with wants and desires to and he would reason that someone as well known as her would probably prefer to be treated as a normal person for a change.

Her carts contents would bring an understanding smile to his features. One could not shop for food in this village without seeing the contents of Chinoike Clan section at some point. It also wasn't like Lady Shimiko's family name wasn't Chinoike. Those who judged any for what they were raised on were petty. He didn't know how to cook any of their ancestral cuisine as he'd never had occasion to learn. However some of the ingredients in her cart were certainly interesting and some were things he couldn't easily identify. "You late night shop too I see? Are you just returned from a mission as well then?" He would ask curiously, an eyebrow raised in emphasis of said curiosity. Of course many of her missions were probably top secret, however knowing she had just returned from one wouldn't be any too bad was it? He didn't know honestly, but at worst the worst she could say was that she couldn't tell him. His voice wouldn't have any judgement in it, nothing disgusted by any means.

It would be rude to judge people based on their food preferences, which in many cases were instilled into them when they were young by parents who would often say 'If you don't eat what's in front of you, then you won't eat.' Skipping meals for children were big deals when they were young enough so one often grew accustomed and even to like food that others might not enjoy. His eyes would by now be locked back onto hers, blue as clear as sapphire meeting eyes of hues of green and blue. As he gave her his full attention, his curious eye no longer seeing within her cart he would begin to think.

'Someone as powerful as Shimiko, might be an awful big help when it comes to getting stronger myself..I wonder if she would be willing to help me?' He would think, it wouldn't be an unreasonable request. Although it was obviously far too early to do such a thing. Timing was everything and asking someone as prestigious as Shimiko to help train you when you bumped into her in the middle of a grocer's late at night was not the proper time for such a thing.

Shimiko was stunned by his appearance but what he did next made her swoon. He walked around to her and he held out his hand. For a moment the Chinoike was confused but when she saw how he dressed and how he moved she realized he was old school. She held her hand out (the one not containing the marriage ring) and bit her lip to hold back the worst of the blush as he kissed the back of her hand like a proper gentleman. Shimiko could hardly believe this fairy tale moment was real. She subconsciously put up her guard, unwilling to be caught unawares in some kind of trap.

The man introduced himself as Valen Takahshi. The next words he used to describe himself was as a "genin." The stardust, gold, magic, and rainbows of the moment died instantly with that five letter word. Oh. She should have known. There was indeed no such thing as a perfect man. Most of the attraction that Shimiko felt towards the man died right then and there. She felt her nervousness evaporate and the butterflies in her stomach slowly wilt and die. This Valen was so hot he could melt everything in the store, but Shimiko could probably beat him with both hands tied behind her back. There was no way they could have any future together. Besides that, she was married to an actual Jounin. Of course, he was weaker than her as well but the margin wasn't as wide as it was between her and a genin. Shimiko tried not to let her disappointment show as he took responsibility for the collision. She had noticed that he had noticed the contents of her cart and she found herself scratching the back of her head. She was unsure whether she should address it or let it be.

He expressed surprise at running into her at this hour. "Hahaha, Nice to meet you Valen and please just call me Shimiko, only Clan Elders call me Lady Shimiko." she laughed nervously before responding. "Not exactly a mission...just paper work lots and lots of paperwork for now." It wasn't exactly paperwork but she couldn't up and tell him exactly what the ANBU Captain was doing in the bowels of the Kumo Defense Coordination Center. That information was classified. "I wanted to surprise my family with a big meal tomorrow and I try to always pick out the ingredients myself" she said with a smile. Not wanting to dwell on the subject of her Bat Stew she quickly added. "But I don't need to tell you that" she said pointing to his cart. "A man who can cook is a rare thing these days" she joked.

The blonde haired genin would nod his head in understanding of her reasons for the late night. Paperwork was probably hell by itself. Still, he doubted it was something that simple. When a high ranking shinobi tells you they were up late doing 'paperwork' it was probably code for 'I can't really tell you.' Or even 'I won't really tell you.' Depending on if they liked you enough or not. Still, his low ranking himself meant he probably couldn't know even if she was willing and that was alright with him. He'd earn the rights to such information in his own time, of that he was positive. "Shimiko it is then." He would say giving her a small smile, nothing more than a quite flash of white teeth before he continued speaking. "I am certainly in a position to understand that yes. I'm the cook for my family after my mother taught me and we all learned that I'm better at it than she is." He would say, the last part ending with a small laugh.

"A man who cannot cook is a man who is ill prepared for the world in my eyes." He would say, a simple shrug to add emphasis. "If you're going to eat, which we all must, why settle for food that isn't the best you can make?" He would ask, mostly rhetorically. "Tonight however I'm just cooking for myself, it's much too late for my parents and siblings to be awake. My mission ran late, which is understandable I suppose since it was playing 'bouncer' in one of the night clubs. It was actually quite interesting seeing everyone dance." He would say, his smile becoming a bit of a grimace before he continued. "I'm not one for dancing quite like that though. I prefer a waltz, a perhaps a tango." He would say, his eyes brightening as he spoke. "But enough of that, if I may ask you a question. You look no older than myself at the very latest, how hard did you work to get to where you are now? I'm wanting to progress as quickly as possible to provide for my family and any advice from one as prodigious as yourself would be a great help in such an endeavor." He would say, his question and motivations simple and clear.

Thus far she seemed like a nice woman, and incredibly attractive, although he doubted she would be interested in him in any way due to his starting rank. Perhaps that could change in the future but he wasn't going to be making any goals involving trying to court this woman yet. Such a thing would be ridiculous seeing as he barely knew her thus far. Still, if it happened, it happened. One could never tell how quickly one might gain strength and prestige. There was always chance the opportunity would arise that allow one to become well known, like a mission gone bad, or god forbid, a war.

Shimiko was delighted to know that her suspicions were correct. Valen was the primary cook for his family just the same as she was for her's. The gentleman went as far as to say that every man should be a good cook and Shimiko found herself nodding in agreement returning his small smile with one of her own. She leaned against her cart as they continued to chat.

"I know right? Food prepared by your own hands aaaaalways tastes better"

Valen mentioned that he was just cooking for himself at the moment. He had been up late on a mission as a bouncer at the local nightclub. Everything about him was so attractive except for that part. The idea of getting naked for a shinobi that worked as a glorified bouncer was enough to make Shimiko run her head through a wall. No one was perfect it seemed. He then talked about dancing and Shimiko froze. Just when she thought she had beaten back her embarrassment, it came rushing in like a flood. She was bad at dancing. Like really bad. Shimiko's grace and speed in combat was unrivaled but asking her to move in time with a beat was utterly impossible. Shimiko was so terrible that the Lady Superior of her Church had forbidden her from dancing at holiday events.

The woman said and I quote:

"Shimiko when you dance it displeases our Lord, it offends my eyes, and it lowers the morale of our brothers and sisters in faith. In the name of Jashin, I forbid you from dancing in my presence or at any Jashinist function"

Shimiko was crushed but she knew better than to disobey. She had tried to dance with her Twins once and even they had given her a look of horror and pity. Shimiko had never seen them so disgusted at her and the moment had left a stain on her soul. Shimiko was so engrossed in the Vietnam-like flashback of people hating on her dance moves, that she hardly heard what Valen had to say next. It then occurred to her that he was asking her a question. She shook her head as if coming to her senses and immediately tensed up when she realized that she hadn't been listening.

"I'm sorry what was that?"

Assuming he repeated his question, she'd respond:

"Hmm...well, I started my career at 14 and I turned 20 not to long ago....so assuming you have the genetics, the best teachers in the world, the grace of Lord Jashin, and a lot of hard work and determination about six years"

She said this in a matter-of-factly sort of tone. She'd have been annoyed if he wasn't so cute. It was the most frequently asked question she received from other shinobi and it was the one she liked the least. Shimiko wasn't sure what to think about her own progress and so when she got interrogated on it, she became rather annoyed. Less at the questioner and more at herself for never having a good answer. She settled on the idea that it was a multitude of factors working in her favor, some in and some out of her control. She hadn't lied to him but she couldn't really tell him how to make it through his own journey. Her's had been painfully slow to start out with. She was a ferocious fighter but she was never uber-talented. A lot of her skill came down to just loving death and murder so much that she was willing to train for hours on end to get good at it. However, that wasn't a very good answer even in a profession as dark as their's. Valen seemed like a great guy though and she decided he deserved better than her stock answer. Even if it was delivered about as nicely as she could muster, it was ultimately rather dismissive and unhelpful. She gave it a second shot.

"Look Valen...the fact that you're fighting to provide for your family is a good start. Everyone needs something to fight for. For me it wasn't just my family, it was my God...my Church...and my older brother's memory" Valen would of course know that Shimiko's older brother was the Second Raikage of Kumo. "I had a lot to live up to. A lot to protect. I also had a lot of haters who didn't think I could do it." Her own mother being chief among them. "Granted, I had a lot going for me and that really helped...how much? I can't really say" She sighed. The idea that she wouldn't be as strong if not for Mora, Nariko, and her Clan's heritage bothered her. Shimiko looked Valen in the eye and decided to say something she had never said before when answering that question.

"No one gets this strong alone but its a mistake to rely solely on others. One of my worst enemies could draw on the power of a literal Demon to help her fight her battles but even without it she was more than formidable" It hurt to admit Nozomi's skill but she had to be honest on that front. She didn't give her enemy's name (being that candid was hard enough) but if Val was a smart cookie he'd be able to figure it out.

"There are two stages to your development as a ninja: Pre-Limit and Post-Limit. My best advice is to train your body to its natural limit. Get a sensei to help you out. Once you hit that maximum limit then and only then should you start looking for more. Rare Techniques, Entities, Bloodlines, Artifacts...the details on a lot of this stuff is classified but if you push yourself hard enough....then maybe one day we can talk about it...obviously in a more private setting" she added in a lower tone. The tenor of the conversation made her bite her bottom lip in excitement.

Shimiko found discussions about power, death, secrecy, and violence to be stimulating. Unfortunately, Valen wasn't ready for discourse on that level so she left him with a slightly better version of the advice she gave most genin.

Valen would smile at her declaration and nod emphatically. "Indeed it does, something about preparing it yourself. I think it has something to do with the satisfaction of making something with your own hands." He would say. He would step back to his own cart and lean on it as well, never breaking eye contact as he spoke. Although it would seem she was lost in thought over something and in confirmation she would ask him to repeat it. He'd flash her a small grin in order to let her know it was fine before repeating his question again. "How hard did you work to get to where you are now? I'm wanting to progress as quickly as possible to provide for my family and any advice from one as prodigious as yourself would be a great help in such an endeavor." He would ask once more, an apologetic smile on his features as he knew she probably got this question a lot.

Her ton was matter of fact, but that was expected and he would nod his head once or twice, listening intently, maintaining perfect eye contact the entire time as she spoke. "I'll have to beg your forgiveness for a couple of things Shimiko, one for asking a question I'm sure you've head dozen's of times already. The other, because I intend to use you as my goal marker. You say it took you six years? That tells me that that is probably incredible, and I'm going to work to beat it." He would say, subtly giving her a compliment as he also stated he'd try to reach her level in over all less time than it took her to reach it.

It was said in braggadocio, nor was a it said all that much of a challenge. It was simply a statement of intent, and nothing more. He was effectively naming her his role model for strength within the village. He would listen the entire time as she continued about what she had to fight for and he would nod his head in understanding. Her advice, to get a sensei was good, but he wasn't sure if any were available. This would probably cause a rather large set back, but he wouldn't let it discourage him. He would consider her words and for a moment would find himself blinking in surprise as she bit her bottom lip in excitement at the turn the conversation had taken.

He wouldn't think too hard on her claiming that one of her worst enemies could draw upon the power of one of the nine great demons. At the end of the day Shimiko's enemies were her enemies and if they weren't already dead then they would way too far out of his league for him to even consider wondering about them. Still, the utter lack of a potential sensei made him bite his own lip in thought, his eyes looking mildly distant as he considered his words.

Finally he'd speak, his words coming out calm, and friendly, as they had been all along. "Well, I'm unsure if there are any potential sensei's that aren't spoken for. However I won't let that dissuade me, I'll work until one is available and is willing to take me on as their student." He would say, not even considering asking his fellow blonde to waste more of her time on him. Frankly, he was too weak for her notice at this time. "However it would appear I owe you something, you told me your motivations for becoming stronger. You're family, you're god, you're church and the memory of your older brother. I can't let you tell me something like that without sharing my motivations too. It would be far too rude." He would say, pausing to gather his thoughts to phrase things properly. "I'm one of three siblings in my family, and I'm the only shinobi now. My father is retired, my mother and sister are civilian shop clerks, and my brother, Kaien, was crippled in the line of duty. That makes it my responsibility to provide for my family, all of them. My mother and sister don't make enough themselves. So I have to try to provide the difference. That's why I took that mission playing bouncer at that night club. To be honest, I'd rather have used the time trying to get stronger, not playing wannabe guard dog for some greedy club owners tip jar." He would say, beginning his motivations with the story of why he needed to work any mission he could get his hands on.

"My family is proud, my father especially, of Kaien, his injuries were caused by an exploding tag. He threw himself onto it in order to protect the rest of his team. He survived, somehow. However he lost both legs and an arm in the process. I'm proud of him too, he's my older brother, and I have to live up to his example of self sacrifice for ones comrades. My family isn't famous, it isn't well known, but we are proud of our heritage and proud of our home, Kumogakure. Our words, our motto, is 'In War, Victory. In Peace, Vigilance, In Death, Sacrifice.' I intend to live up to those words, no matter what it takes to do so." He would finish, calmly ending what he felt was an evening of the scales. Once he realized how much he'd said however he would feel his face heating up, the blush wasn't particularly deep, but anyone with eyes would be able to clearly see it if they looked. "I'm sorry Shimiko, I didn't mean to ramble." He would say, an apologetic smile on his features.

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