Blood Moon Rising (Xi and Kajitori)

[Luan Xi]

Xi inhaled the sweet, flowered air around her as she finished Shiva’s ritual, ending the hymn. She bowed to the statue, walked out into the parlor of her house, and sat in one of the richly decorated chairs. The sun was slipping into the western horizon, her gemmed eyes observing the quiet ending of the day.

Glancing at the double- doors of her house, she sighed, Its been a quiet day. Normally, the academy brought at least a few Shinobi for healing, especially when an injured limb got infected, but this time, it was extremely quite. Perhaps they’ve finally learned their lesson She mused. Bored, she walked back into the kitchen and began putting on a pot of tea. Pulling out the ceramic pot, she began delving into her mind for amusing ideas.

“I guess I’ll have to throw a party to get people to come and visit me.” she to herself, then shook her head. Most of her friends were either dead, old or monks, and therefore would not be interested in the frivolous content of her extravaganzas, especially the dead ones. She lingered on the long list of the deceased friends of 113 years of existence, and felt a heaviness weigh her heart down. So many were gone, except her. She turned on the water and filled the pot, Sometimes, immortality is lonely.

She placed the pot on the burner, and left it to boil, then returned to her seat in the parlor, picking up a book to read. The house she now lived in was large, with many rooms and levels, as she was inspired by the western mansions. It was an odd house for Sunagakure, but it was sturdy, made of stone and wood, and would withstand the dry and harsh conditions of the desert.

The book she had picked up was just a simple novel she had been meaning to read anyway, and her meandering mind was immediately engrossed in the story. An few minutes passed by in silence. Xi suddenly threw the book down, anguish tore at her face as a memory ripped at her heart. The face of her bandit lover flicked across her vision. After 95 years of trying to forget her eternal sin, it still haunted her. The passage she read from the book reminded her of him, and she couldn’t take it anymore. Her small spouts of insanity were few, and only occured every ten years, but when they happened, they gave her a terrible veiw of the world around her despite her optimistic nature.

Her house was huge, and empty, just like her life. How many years had she prayed to Shiva to fill this emptiness? Was there anyone or anything in this world for her? The echo of her small cry reverberated throughout the entire house. She listened to it. The outburst sounded hollow…wasted…it scared her, I have to get out of here.

Xi walked towards the door, grabbing a jacket and reached for the doorknob.

[Kajitori]

Kajitori tightened the large sheet around himself as the wind attacked him with burning sand from the desert floor. It wasn't fair that he had gotten lost and ended up in a sandstorm, and it wasn't his fault that he couldn't find refuge until it passed over.

He had been traveling since dawn, and having lost his map to a horde of common bandits while he was sleeping (he despised the fact that he let them get away with it), wandered into the desert on the outskirts of Sunagakure only to be caught in one of the famous sandstorms that ravaged the land on a weekly basis. Ugh. He had horrid luck.

He had heard the stories about travelers that had been caught in the weather, and they all ended the same way: the traveler never returned. He mentally shivered while ducking his head from a gale that sent him a few feet backwards. If only he had an earth release jutsu, then he could...

Kajitori could almost slap himself from stupidity. DUH. He was a goddamn wind release user!

Kajitori formed the necessary hand seals, then called out, "Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!" The storm in front of him was cut in half, neutralizing its devastation as Kajitori followed up with one of his favorite and self-created techniques. He focused the chakra again, but this time to his feet. "Fūton: Renppū!"

Although the soft sand didn't help him in his escape, Kajitori was still able to cross through the storm with the help of his combined jutsu. He loved being a wind user.

Finally the hidden village came into view, though the sun had begun to set. Knowing that the village was allied well with Konohagakure gave Kajitori a heads-up that he was also wanted in this village, so he kept the tan cloak on until he had passed through the stone gate before tossing it aside for some bum to use as a blanket.

[Luan Xi]

Xi hurried towards the gate, her mind set on leaving this blasted, sandy, destructive region for good, if not that then may be 20 years or so. She had a habit of comming back to a region after swearing she didnt want to. She sidestepped a person as she tried to remember a temple that she wanted to see again. Hmmm may be the Temple of Konohagakure would welcome me in their doors for a while. She had protected that temple before, but that was over 50 years ago. The head monk was probably dead by now, and no one would remember her. Another name to add to the list of the deceased.
She passed many stalls as she delved into the recesses of her mind for comfort, and spotted the gate, "At Last!" she breathed. Xi looked off to the side. A simple house presented itself to her eyes, which, involuntarily, welled up with tears. No one lived in it, but she seemed to be the only person in this whole viliage who did remember the people who used to live there. It used to be her parent's home, her home. Then that bloody Scratch had to change everything. She stopped her hurried steps, and paused at the door frame, running her hands along the smooth, sun-baked stone.

Her mind immediately brought back the memories of that day. The day when this house had been ransacked. Xi found herself quietly reenacting the simple movements of that moment, from touching the table where she found the kidnapper's note, to kneeling on the ground next to where her father's body lay. How did it come to this? she thought. She was 17 years old back then, how did she manage to live this long after all of the horrors of her past. It was..epic...mindblowing..what was she running from? She stood up and covered her mouth to silence a sob.
Mother, Father, i'm so sorry. I shouldn't cry. I shouldn't have let that book disturb me so- xi found herself speaking aloud now, the emotion she had bottled up for 95 years pouring out of every struggled syllable " I remember everything you told me, about how proud you are of me, and everything i do for Shiva, But i just wish you were here again..to tell me that you're proud of all these years i've wasted. I want to tell you both that I love you one more time. I'm only human, even though i'm...gifted. I've forgotten how much i miss being with all of you. Please..just realease me of this torment!"
What the hell was she thinking, coming to this place! you stupid idiot, spill it all out why don't cha? you're not a flippin' girl anymore. You're 113 for Shiva's sake! Go home, get a glass of Sake and go to bed! This is normal for you. Every decade you have a bit of a mental breakdown, its no big deal! Until Shiva gives you a job, You. Stay. Put. Are we clear?
She nodded her head and wiped her tears off with the corner of her jacket. She sometimes loved it when the stubborn side of her mind chewed her out. it was the only thing that prevented her from becoming a total nut case.

Now composed, she stepped back outside, only to stop and stare. A man had just stepped through the gate, and tossed his tan cloak onto the ground. Her curiostity piqued, she examined the newcomer. Blood red hair, dark clothing, nice figure. Her blue topaz eyes took in every aspect of his appearence from a distance. Dust colored his face. He must have been caught in one of their famous sandstorms. poor guy, he looks famished..and tired. The evil part of her mind started planting the idea of inviting him to her house, but the rational part of her brain kicked in. The good looking stranger would most likely think she was a prostitute, or some thing of that nature and decline, leaving her completely embarrased. Besides, he looked dangerous around the edges, what if he was a wanted criminal? She scoffed, that didnt bother her before, its not like the villiage city had any say in what she could or couldn't do in her house. Then again, it wouldn't set right with her if she did give lodging to a possibly dangerous person. still, it wouldn't hurt to ask...
Xi silently cursed her compassionate side and started walking towards the man, her shoulders back and her head held up high. Once she was in range, she managed a smile dispite her ravaged emotions and spoke up, "Well hey there, Enjoying the sandstorm?" she paused. Maybe that wasnt the right thing to say. she shook it off. "You look like hell, Do you need a place to stay? I've got plenty of food at my place if you're interested."

[Kajitori]

"Hmm... First things first," Kajitori muttered to himself, wrapping one arm around his waist and resting the crease of his elbow on the hand, then making a gun-like shape with his free fingers and placing the length of his forefinger on his upper lip. I need something to eat... His stomach tugged and growled lightly at him, forcing his cheeks to flush ever so slightly, and he glared at the damned, noisy organ. Couldn't it shut up for once? Seriously. He had never been to Sunagakure before, so he was looking forward to exploring the city and avoiding the ANBU that would more likely than not be chasing his ass through the stone city.

Just as he was about to wander off and start looking for a food stand to chow down at, a couple of giggling natives caught his attention, and a smile lit up his face. They weren't the best-looking that he had met, but they were better than nothing. And there was two. That was a steal.

He turned toward the young women and took a step, but was stopped by a clear voice that sounded like it belonged to a beautiful woman... he wasn't about to settle for quantity over quality. He locked eyes with the girls and held up a finger that signaled that he would be just a moment - but, of course, he had no intention of going to them now - and did a 180 to face a staggeringly gorgeous woman.

f*ck. Yeah.

A twisted smirk plastered itself onto his lips and his eyebrows jumped and stuck in place as his emerald eyes examined the new goal of his night. "The sandstorm was no big deal, but, Honey, you're blowing me away."

Then she invited him over. God, she was begging, and she didn't even realize it. But, then again, he was almost positive that she didn't know he was a B-rank nuke-nin. Most didn't. And, well, it got him what he wanted and more. And in this case, shelter for the night and food, which she then mentioned, was enough for him to jump into action.

Kajitori sighed lightly and allowed his head to drop as his eyes closed. He ran a gloved finger through his wind-swept bangs, pressing the shorter hair against his long mane and shaking his head slightly. "Well, I don't want to impose," he breathed, putting a touch more emphasis on the last word before glancing back up at her without moving his head. Before, the whole not-wanting-to-intrude act worked perfectly, and he was almost positive that it would work for him again.

[Luan Xi]

"but, Honey, you're blowing me away?" Ha, we'll see how this one, blows over, hot stuff.
Xi couldnt help but smirk. This guy was quick, cheesy, and man she liked it. One of her greatest weaknesses was scoundrels like this, and no matter who it was, they all lead to one result. trouble. She raised and eyebrow at the intensity of his emerald eyes as he threw the not-wanting-to-intrude act on her. She had seen it before..but she wasnt listening to her experiance right now, just her instinct. For some reason, she didnt want to return to that mansion of hers and spend the night alone again. The emotional side of her couldnt stand the silence anymore. What in the hell has gotten into you, Xi? the rational mind growled angrily. The green eyes seemed to try and read her expressions and she, involuntarily, blushed.

Her grin spread wide out of pure amusement at the dissapointed looks of the two villiage-girls-nextdoor off to the side. 80 years of wandering and flirting with danger had given her a few advantages over the other members of her sex, unfair ones she admitted but advantages nonetheless. One of which was saying exactly what she thought, and always saying it with confidence. As if she knew everything about her interest already. The man across the way would soon realize that she was not the naive girl he was hoping she was, and now she was going to throw a trick at this hot- headed, Red-head,

"Oh, comon now, something tells me you're not the modest type, and right now, as a healer, i insist!" She flicked her long, black hair behind her shoulder and gave him the ever seductive-beckoning-finger trick, in which her lids halfway covered her blue eyes and she curled her long fingers over her palm and motioned for him to follow with one little index finger. "Besides, most of the inns here are full of rowdy bountyhunters and such. Rough crowd if you ask me." The knowing smirk that spread across her face might have given her away somewhat, but she couldn't keep a poker-face around this newcomer. She only suspected that he was a rouge, she didnt know for sure.

She, not wanting to bore into those gorgeous emerald eyes any longer-for fear of loosing herself in their glow- quickly turned around and waited for him to come to her, "Waiting on you, Hot stuff."

[Kajitori]

When the woman cocked an eyebrow, Kajitori thought it was game over. sh*t, the voice in his mind echoed. And she's the best catch I've had all week... But when blood welled under the skin of her pallid cheeks to form a blush, he knew that he had caught her in his trap, and there was no way that the kunoichi was getting out. Unless she was a Tracker, that is. Then he's probably put up a good fight, show off his flashy moves, and run for the hills and safety of... where ever was safe for a nuke-nin. Definitely not Konoha, that was for sure. After all, he had burned part of the village to cinders, and that's where he got his missing status from. And then the incident where he had decided to pay a visit to his long-lost home, found that beauty of a man, then had to run from his lover after being manhandled. Which was seriously not alright in Kajitori's book.

A wide smile caught the phoenix's attention, and rather than turning around like a dumb-ass to see what she was looking at like any inexperienced womanizer would have done, he used his grandfather's old trick of reflective surfaces; however, there were no surfaces except a few dusty windows that he couldn't see very clearly out of and...

Thank the gods that she had hot eyes.

Kajitori stared deeply into the icy blue eyes of the shinobi in front of him, but just as he was about to begin looking for what she was watching, she blinked and flipped her hair, which in turn moved her eyes. Though frustrated, Kajitori kept his cool as to not be ruffled by such a small problem. He could ask about it later if the time arose, so it shouldn't bother him.

Playing along, Kajitori ruffled his long red hair with a gloved hand and sighed as he rested the other hand on his hip. "You had me at 'bountyhunters.' " Of course he was slightly intimidated by more than one of the goody-goody-two-shoe-bandit-hunters, but he would never show it, especially since he was going to be spending the night with this little bombshell.

When he glanced back down at her as she began slinking away, Kajitori once again fell into routine as if she was leading him on, and he gave a few quick steps until he was in pace. He wrapped an arm delicately around her hips and gave a sly smile and wink. "Name's Kajitori, the Bloody Phoenix and nuke-nin of Konoha. What's yours?"

[Luan Xi]

A sharp shiver raced down Xi's spine as she felt his fingers just barely graze her lower back, and his arm wrap around her hips, a small gasp filling her lungs. How long had it been since anyone had casually done that? maybe a hundered years? ugh, boy i have to relearn a couple of things...like keeping my senses in check. Trying to keep up appearences, Xi gave a nervous smile and threaded her arm around his waist, her logical mind ranting desperately in her head.
Then he gave her his name.

Oh Sh*t

She had read acouple of wanted posters, but hadn't thought much about them, until now. Now she had done it, but it was too late to turn back. She was past the point of no return, and, internally, she reminded herself that it wasnt like she was at any risk here. Death was an elusive aspect of life to her. Immortality has some benifits Besides, Her name was a myth, a legend monks told to villiagers to keep bandits away from the temples. Maybe Hers would give him a warning to watch what he did during his stay in her mansion. She flashed her white teeth, "Me? mines a little more Elaborate. Luan Xi, The Black Lion of Shiva, The Sanctuary, and Immortal of Sunagakure." She winked at him, "But you can call me Xi."
She turned into an alley-way(a shortcut to her home where they could easily see the Grand turret where-like some vampire- she slept) and pointed to her home, "Thats my place, pretty nice dont ya think? Now, before we get there, tell me what you'd like to eat tonight."

[Kajitori]

When the woman jumped either from excitement or surprise (Kajitori couldn't tell, and that made him a little angry), a impish smirk tugged at the edge of the man's lips. He wasn't at all hurt that he wasn't going to be a part of a threesome tonight, 'cause he had all he needed... well, in his arm. Not to mention that she seemed interested in him. And it was going as smoothly as if she wasn't putting up a front, even though he could feel that she was trying to outdo him when she gave her own name. Just like the others. And, just like the others, he knew that he would prove himself the more powerful of the duo.

"I like that," Kajitori said, his voice proud at her achievement. "But just 'Xi'? But that name is so long compared to mine..." He paused in a mock thinking, holding his chin with and upturned face and stroking his jawline with a thumb as he watched the darkened clouds hovering over the luminous moon. "Then I guess you could call me Kaji, then."

His grip on her body tightened, pulling her closer as they walked through the sandy alleyway and towards the house. When she pointed out the mansion, Kajitori mentally laughed. So this girl was rich or something and she enjoyed flaunting her money by buying giant houses? Well, at least he struck gold this time. "Looks quaint," the man mocked, raising an eyebrow at the size of the building. "I think you may need to take up a few more acres to get the house to be about normal-sized."

When the subject of food arose, Kajitori pursed his lips and glanced back down at Xi before he stopped walking. After a moment of silence for dramatic effect, Kajitori quickly bent his knees and slipped his free hand under Xi's legs, literally sweeping her off her feet and adjusting himself so that he was carrying her bridal-style. With another seductive smile and wink, he answered, "You."

[Luan Xi]

Xi smiled at his evaluation of her house, and thought that maybe she didnt have to flaunt her money so dramaticly. Then again, Sunagakure was lucky that she didnt build a castle to rival the Kazekage's residence. That would be a little too much." Fine then, Kaji it is."

Then after she mentioned food, he stopped. What? She wasnt that bad of a cook, and she was sortof in a Curry Chicken mood which she won a blue ribbon for. So he couldnt complain about that one.
Suddenly she was lifted off the ground. Off the ground! O.F.F! OFF THE GROUND. Her heart skipped about five beats as she realized that she was being held bridal-style in Kaji's arms. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, and her breathing became rapid pants. This was not the way i planned it! This is going WAY too fast!I dont even know if I'm as good as I was at 18!I'm Freaking Screwed...Litterally!

She stared at him, her eyes probably the size of saucers the way she felt right now, Scared, excited, wanting,.... Flipping scared. Xi gave a nervous laugh and noticed that he was still dusty from his trek across the desert, "uhh, okay? b-but you're not exactly in top condition are you?" She ran a thumb across his cheekbone, leaving a white streak, and showed the dirt from his face on her thumb. She was trembling now, blood seemmingly burning her from the inside out, everything else she said coming out in a jittery way, "S-soo, h-hows bout this? W-we go in and, um, you g-get a bath and eat S-s-something, then W-we'll Sssee, ok-kk-ay?"
She slowly let her feet touch the ground again and stepped away, leading him by the hand up the stairs of her house. She fumbled with her keys and repeatedly tried to stick the damn thing into keyhole. She flinched as another thought crossed her mind that bore resemblance to what she was trying to do. Not Freaking Cool

She finnaly managed to turn the key in the lock and threw the door open roughly. Trying to lessen the heat in her body, she took off her jacket, revealing her bare shoulders and tattoos, and hung the durn thing on the rack. In the kitchen, a harsh whistling echoed. "Oh Sh*t! I left the burner running! I guess tea would be a good idea now." Xi ran towards the kitchen, "Make Yourself At Home!"

[Kajitori]

Kajitori heard from his grandfather that if a woman has her eyes wide open and you stare deeply enough into them, then one could see the depths of the woman's soul. With this bubbling to the surface of his mind, Kajitori locked eyes with the mistress in his arms and kept his features soft so that he wouldn't frighten her away, but once again, she pulled a distraction just as he was about to delve into the teachings of his mentor.

Shit, Kajitori scolded himself. The mood and timing were both right... I just should have kissed her to shut her up. I bet she wanted for me to. She even had her arms around my neck. Shit! I really screwed that up... But, thankfully, his teachings also strengthened him enough so that none of the emotions played on his face as they raced through his head, and the smile stayed unfaltering on his lips and even widened at the stuttering and sound of hesitation in her voice. So he had finally cracked the stubborn shell, had he? Well... all's well that ends well, he supposed.

He allowed her to fall easily from his arms, and without missing a beat, followed her to the door where she fumbled with her keys (which vaguely reminded him of his favorite exercise) and finally was able to unlock the door. He was thankful to whomever was out there that she held his hand; as childish as it was, it meant that she was still interested in him.

He laughed lightly as Xi ran to fix her burner and was left to wander about the house, which he did promptly. He knew that he wasn't staying for more than the night, so he merely removed the heavy tapestry-like overgarment and folded it well enough so that it fit snugly on one of the side tables in the nearest room; he supposed that it was the ballroom or whatever. It was big enough to be.

He meandered through, memorizing every square inch with his innate photographic memory and finally found a bathroom with a shower. He removed his gloves and set them aside to splash cool water on his face, which helped both to remove the grime from the sandstorm and wake him up from the light daze he had fallen into from weariness.

[Luan Xi]

Xi sighed as closed the door behind her. That was close, i almost lost it there for a second She immediately began buising herself with making tea, carefully removing the blaring pot from the stove, Her mind virtually blank as she crushed a variety of herbs, tea-leaves, and spices in her morter and pestle. The process was a quick fix for now, so she also pulled out a pan to begin making Curry Chicken. He would eat, wether he liked it or not.
As she fired up another burner and pulled out a wok-pan. She then pulled out all the necessary componets of the spicey food, and poured the prepared tea into the Ceramic pot. As she relished in tthe comfort of smelling the mingling spices, she remembered the first time she cooked this for Shiva. it wasnt very good then, but he was a very understanding deity. As she thought about it, he was like a father to her, mostly adored her, and was pleased with everything she did,....except.
The idea shocked her for a second , Oh My God, He is not gonna like this! Hes probably looking at me right now, reading my thoughts about what i was thinking about doing, What i want to do, what i'm probably going to- Oh Sh*t! she suddenly began freaking out as she imagined the God's face when he found out about this, Hes gonna kill Me! Me? Going with a Freaking Nuke-Nin, I repeat, NUKE- NIN! Oh F*ck!!!!! She absentmindedly continued the process of Cutting the chicken into bite-sized peices, and thought Im going to be a bite sized piece soon!
She needed a cup of tea, now! She fished the ceramic cup out of the cabniet and placed her hand on the pot. Suddenly, she squealed as the Ceramic dish completely burnt her hand mercilessly. The cup dropped to the floor and shattered. Xi clutched her wrist as the palm throbbed, blistered, and turned into a feirce red You stupid child! This is no time to be injured! You have a guest, and you have to suck up to Shiva later! fix this, before Kaji hears that squeal! Thinking quickly, she took a clean knife and sliced it open, letting her blood cover every inch of the hand. Slowly, the blood began to fizzle, her hand stinging bitterly, as the crimson liquid began the healing process.

[Kajitori]

Kajitori wiped the water from his face, revealing his pale skin. He thoroughly examined his long mane in disgust as he found quite a few split ends. Without hesitation, he summoned his chakra to meld with the air around him and slice the ends off one by one until every single thread of hair was clean-cut. Then he eyed the overall look of his hair in the mirror to find that... he really did need a shower. But rather than getting in and wasting his precious time, Kajitori cupped his hands under the faucet and dampened his hair, then reached into his bag and shuffled around within it until he found his brush. He carefully fixed his mane, making sure that not one strand was out of place, then glanced at his bangs. They had been gelled back before so that they wouldn't get in the way while he was out in the storm, and his widow's peek was making his hair look like an utter mess again. He sighed, then rinsed his bangs until every drop of the gel was gone, then he brushed them straight so that they hung in his face.

Once again, he silently called the wind and dried the moisture from his hair so that it was, well, dry. Proud of himself, Kajitori smiled and ran a hand through his hair, then put his gloves back on to go back in the kitchen when he heard Xi's squeal and the breaking of what sounded like something very fragile and expensive.

.... Wait, squeal? Eh. She was a girl, after all.

Kajitori half-jogged over to Xi and, noting the broken dish, kneeled down beside her to see a large cut. His first thought was that she may have slipped and fell, then cut herself on accident... but then he saw the knife in her other hand.

Confused, Kajitori raised an eyebrow again as his emerald eyes darted between Xi's hand, the knife, then finally rested on Xi's face. "And... what happened here?"

[Luan Xi]

Xi tossed the kitchen tool into the sink quickly, trying to hide her method of healing herself, but with her guest in the room, it was kinda stupid to do. She mumbled a few curses as the blood fissled and popped, the burns disovling away, her face twisted into a pained expression. paying no attention to Kajitori, She turned on the faucet and ran her hand under the cold tap, revealing a flawless palm, "nothing to worry about," she said rather cooly. "Dinner's almost ready, so go ahead into the dinning room and i'll be there in a sec. I hope you like Curry." She half pushed him out of the kitchen and prayed for a miracle.

About thirty minutes later, She came into the dinning room with a generous helping for Kajitori and a tray of tea and Sake. "Sorry bout that little incident, i didnt really want you to see that detail about me, but stuff happens.' She placed the savory dish on the table and sat at the head of the table. Her hands immediately cradled her head in a sort of ashamed fashion, "I hope I didnt spoil your appitite. its really one of my best dishes."

[Kajitori]

What was there Kajitori didn't know about this girl?

Well... that was a pretty stupid question. He had just picked her up off the streets and coaxed her into letting him stay at her house with merely a few sly words. All he knew about the other was her name and her house. She was just like any other toy he had tossed to the side. So why was seeing her cutting herself sending a burning-cold chill down his spine? It was a gut-wrenching feeling to see someone in the shinobi world causing herself such pain... but he didn't know everything about everyone, no matter how much he wished he did.

But when she ran the water over her hand... there were no cuts? There was definitely something unique about this girl, but he wasn't curious enough to find out just how unique she was. All he wanted was a few hours of pleasure, a roof over his head, and food in his stomach. And just as he took in a deep breath to sigh, he smelled the familiar scent of curry wafting through the kitchen.

It definitely was a familiar smell. His grandfather and he had both practically lived off of the cheap, easy-to-cook soup while they were out "training" the younger on how to become a lecher. While these memories flooded through his mind, he found himself obeying the woman while in eyes glassed over in thought. He missed his grandfather, he really did. But he also knew from his days with the old man that once you've done something, you can't think about why it happened. It did happen, and there's nothing one can do to change it.

Before he knew it, the curry had been placed in front of Kajitori on the table, and he listened intently to Xi's words. After she finished speaking, a tiny grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. "You? Spoil my appetite? Sorry, Honey, but I haven't eaten in about three days. There's nothing louder than the stomach of a nuke-nin." As if to punctuate his words, Kajitori's stomach growled, and he began to eat the meal that had been prepared for him.

[Luan Xi]

Xi peeked through her fingers as he spoke to her, her curiosity rising. The corner of her mouth pulled slightly at his rumbling stomach, and she stifled a laugh as he plowed through his food. It was justified enough. Her cooking wasn’t that bad. About 50 years of practice has its benefits, and seeing someone enjoy eating something she made was one of them. “Nuke-nin or not, walking in on a woman with a knife in one hand and the other hand a bloody mess must be a little unsettling.” she shook her head, “Around here, things are not what they seem. For instance, my blood…well, it has healing properties, which was what I was doing with the knife. I completely burned my hand and I cut it to heal it. Make sense?”

Soon, she took her hands away from her face, locked her fingers, and rested her cheek in the cradle, still watching him. Its been a long time since I’ve watched anyone do this. The last time was when… she gave a light shudder at the memory –was when Scratch was sick. And then when mom was trying a new dish I came up with. In that split second of thought, Xi felt a tear fall from her eye. She quickly turned her head away from Kajitori and wiped the salt drop away, reaching for the Sake and a glass. Once it had safely reached the space in front of her, she half filled the little cup, then paused. Without thinking, she filled it the remainder of the way and silently passed the drink to her red-headed guest. Men like Sake just as much as women she thought. Xi then retrieved another glass, filling it halfway.
“So…, Kaji,’ She managed a smile “You have family in Hi no Kuni?” Xi cautiously asked, sipping on her drink. It was just a conversation starter, but may be he would be willing to humor her interest in him. ‘Course,… He was nuke-nin. It wasn’t like he wanted anything more from her than a place to take shelter from the law. And all she wanted from him was to make her feel alive again, just for one night. More than anything else, she wanted someone to talk to.