Smoke Rings in the Dark (Reader x Various)

Water Lily

The sun was reaching mid-day in the small village, the first Sunday market day bustling with life. Children ran between the stalls bartering for sweets and sneaking pieces of fruit. Peasants begged at the end of the rows, scrapping for anything they could. Silks and furs hung from the makeshift roofs while the scent of drying and fresh herbs lingered in the summer air. Bartering and dickering as merchants and purchasers called out to one another. The market was busy, but that didn't stop the young man from spotting the beautiful woman in the distance.

Somehow her laugh had drifted to his ears so he turned his head to see where the sound had come from. A h/c, only able to see her side profile, dressed with a white shirt and a navy blue vest, similar to that of an ANBU. That was all he could see due to the crowd moving around her. Her hair was in a bun and two chopsticks, looking as though they were metal, stuck into it. Her smile was wide as she handed the merchant money and took the small bag of food from him. She began to walk away, in the opposite direction, and the man found himself following her.

He stumbled over a few children and almost lost sight of her. She had ducked into an alleyway and his curiosity grew even more. Peeking into the alley he saw the woman crouched before three children, ranging from about six to twelve years old. She handed them the bag and the youngest a girl, hugged the woman. The oldest, a boy, stood tall and eyed the man as he entered the alley. The woman was still crouched but looked behind her.

She stood slowly, turning and pushing the girl back to the other two, "I paid for the food," she was immediate defensive, "I'm just making sure these children eat." Her voice was stern, but there was a softness to it.

The man raised his hands, showing he meant no harm, "I just wanted to make sure you were alright," when he finally took the time to look at her, he understood why she scoffed.

A Kiri hitai-ate was around her neck. Her shirt stopped about an inch before her navy pants, Kiri Shinobi often wearing blues. The pants ended just below her knee but he could see a slit from her upper thigh to her knees. A splash of color, a tattoo he guessed, was barely visible on her left leg. A hip pouch on her right seemed to house her only possible weapons. Her feet shifted and he cleared his throat as he realized he was staring.

"I was just leaving," she straightened as she spoke but he moved to block her path.

Her e/c eyes grew cold as she analyzed his appearance now. His skin was tanned, hair black and face held stubble but not a full beard. His eyes were dark but she wasn't sure if they were a dark brown or as black as his hair. He was tall, much taller than her, and his body was muscular. Olive pants and a green shirt, but that wasn't what concerned her. The waist cloth with the kanji for fire blazing on its was around his waist. He was a guardian of this land and its Daimyo.

The male closed his eyes as he shook his head, "You don't have to leave," he said as he opened them, the female now skeptical, "I wanted to thank you," he pointed behind her, "for helping them."

She threw a glance over her shoulder to the children and jerked her head for them to leave and they did as they were told. "No one else seems to want to help them," she finally looked to the tanned male, "I try to stop by twice a month." It wasn't much, but she couldn't offer much more.

"I'm surprised someone from Kiri-"

"Has a heart?" She threw at him as she crossed her arms and cocked a hip.

He sighed, "Not exactly what I was going to say," he scratched his neck, "I was going to say wanted to help. And," he continued, "was welcome here."

She was growing nervous but she tried to hide that fact. He was right, most Kiri nin weren't welcome in the Land of Fire. She was traipsing through foreign territory without permission, but she had been for months now. Where did he come from all of the sudden? Why is he bothering with her?