:| Enjoy I guess lol.
Riku?s eyes opened and closed slowly, refusing to open wide enough for him to see anything beyond his own eyelashes. He couldn?t feel Soul Eater at his side, but he could feel that he wasn?t standing on the ground, this was something else. It was softer than the ground, more... flexible... squishy?
Riku could just barely discern a figure standing farther in front of him on the... whatever this was, who was turning slightly, looking towards Riku, and then turned away back
forward, ?Awake??
Alarms in Riku?s head set off as he heard the voice, rolling over to the side to allow himself to stand up once the roll was finished. As he stood, he quickly unsheathed Soul Eater, standing with it diagonally in front of him. As soon as he stood, however, he suddenly felt like he couldn?t move. Riku looked towards the man... or boy perhaps. Now that Riku was standing up, he realized that the person was actually shorter than him, just scarcely shorter, but smaller none the less. Riku could see one side of his face as the boy turned his head again to look at Riku, he couldn?t have been any older than Riku himself was.
?Good afternoon to you too,? the figure said, ?Perhaps you?d like to thank the guy who saved you back there??
Riku, deliberately ignoring the comment, looked down to his legs. Up to his knees... it was covered in... clay? His vision slowly moved around whatever he was standing on, it was all clay...
Riku looked back up towards his foe... or perhaps ally, ?What is this??
?If by this you mean my clay bird. It?s, well, a bird... made of clay,? the boy answered simply, a degree of sarcasm spilling from his words.
Riku looked back, suddenly beginning to remember the entire battle, ?On the mountain... what happened?? He questioned, grabbing his head as he suddenly felt a massive throbbing.
?Oh, yeah, it was an experiment... you might say. I was trying to make a new type of clay jutsu. But my clay... it tends to be... explosive,? he answered nonchalantly, as if it happens often. As if right on cue, he continued, ?Happens pretty often, but not many big explosions like that.?
Riku, his vision still fixed back to towards where the mountain was, and he suddenly noticed plumes of dark smoke and ash rising into the clouds, and as if something hit him, he had another question, ?Wait, you were in the mountain?? Riku asked incredulously.
The young man turned now completely now, seeing that this barrage of questions was never going to end, revealing a small scar across his nose, ?Man, you sure are a curious one. Well, if you must know, I have a bit of a... hideout in the mountain. All the way in the bottom. Cost me at least twenty explosives to make without blowing up the mountain, and a few earth jutsu to make sure it wouldn?t come collapsing down in my sleep or something, but it was a decent place to stay. Though now it?s probably buried in rubble,? he explained, as his gaze seemed to drift from Riku to over Riku?s shoulders, looking towards the mountain with a bit of dismay.
Riku, before answering, took in a moment to digest the boy?s appearance. He was blond,
and his hair was maybe an inch or two shorter than Riku?s, going down to stop right where his neck connected with the rest of his body, and going only a bit over his dark brown
eyes, as to have but a few thin strands of hair in the way of his eyes. He had a mischievous look about him, like he didn?t seem evil... but just dangerous none the less.
Not exactly psychotic, but close enough. He had the kind of look that you?d expect from a
guy going around blowing up mountains, though an intellectual version of it rather than a straight out psychotic one.
Riku allowed himself to exit the examination phase, shaking his head for a moment and then fixing his now steady gaze back on the boy, ?The Cloud Village is close enough, why don?t you stay there??
The teenager, as Riku had guessed, snorted, ?Kumogakure. They aren?t exactly fond of me there. A little bit too much to handle for the poor guards. By the way, I didn?t catch your name.?
Riku sat down, suddenly feeling more comfortable in his presence now that he seemed more like an ally than an enemy, as the other boy did the same, they both sat casually, each with one foot on the bird, their knee bent, and the other one stretched out fully, ?Riku, you??
?Deirous,? he answered simply, looking back to Riku, ?My turn to ask a question; who were
those guys you were fighting??
Riku looked up, ?Oh, you saw them? Kirabi, though that was a... mistake, and some Akatsuki guy, didn?t quite get his name.?
Deirous?s eyebrow rose for a moment, but he did well to hide his surprise, quickly retracting his calm features, as if the name held no significance to him, ?Why?? he asked, then he thought again, not wishing to get too involved, ?Never mind. None of my business.?
Riku looked at him for a moment, having a feeling that he was hiding something, but figuring that if Deirous could hold his tongue from business that wasn?t his, then so could he.
Deirous continued on his own accord, seeming to answer a question that hadn?t been asked, ?Pfft, so I bet you?ve done a bit of travelling? I saw you a while back, with that guy... eh... Shinru right??
?Yeah,? Riku replied simply.
?Pfft, wish I could do some traveling like you. Get the heck out of here, at least for a while.?
?So why don?t you? Doesn?t seem like you exactly have a home, or anyone that?d miss you out here, no offense,? Riku pointedly remarked, remembering how he had said that Kumogakure wasn?t exactly welcoming.
?Kumogakure?s more welcoming then most, if I go to other places to even stay near, then
I?d be at a... higher risk,? Deirous explained.
Again, Riku held his tongue from asking for any details, deciding to change the subject.
?Wait... where?s the hawk... bird... clay thing going??
?Kumogakure of course.?
?They?ll let you in??
Deirous shrugged, ?Dunno, but I doubt that the E man would throw you out, I mean, you?re practically dead. If it wasn?t for the fact that I wasn?t at the bottom of the mountain, you would be.?
Riku looked down, and as soon as Deirous said that, he suddenly winced as he felt all of the bruises and cuts on him, and there were many. They just about covered his body, ?Yeah, you?re probably right. They can?t turn me away if I?m like this.?
Deirous grinned, then turned, seeming to sense that they were near the village, ?Speak of the devil.?
Deirous?s bird quickly redirected itself, going into a steep swoop downwards, and finally landing on the ground, moving its legs frantically to stop itself short. Deirous jumped off of the bird and before walking away, remembered to help Riku come down. Riku came down, and suddenly every bone in his body ached. He hadn?t realized this until now, but the restraint of Deirous holding him in place with the clay while Riku had been standing was most likely to help him, almost like a crutch without having holding it. But now, standing on his own strength, he could feel all of the tolls the explosion took on him.
Deirous hastily bent low as he saw Riku beginning to fall, allowing Riku?s arm to lie lazily on Deirous?s neck as he dragged his feet along as his human-prop moved.
One of the guards in front of the gate nudged the other with his elbow, making a casual, almost disappointed gesture towards the two children, seeming to mainly indicate Deirous. The other guard looked towards them, and stepped up in front of the middle of the gate.
The guard let out a prolonged sigh, then began, ?Any reason why you?re here again??
Deirous moved the shoulder that Riku was leaning on, who at this point seemed half-asleep, or perhaps half-conscious described his state better, in an attempt to point him out to the guard, ?As you can see, he?s a bit banged up.?
The guard narrowed his eyes, ?Yeah, I wonder why,? he said, with unmistakable sarcasm in his tone.
?Hey, it wasn?t me. Well... kind of,? Deirous replied, taking on an innocent voice.
?Yeah yeah, I?m sure it wasn?t. You just happened to find him didn?t you?? the guard said, bending forward with his arms stretched out, suggesting that Deirous should pass Riku to him.
Deciding to comply, Deirous handed over Riku slowly, and walked further into the city, his hands in his pockets as he went.
The guard turned quickly, as soon as Riku was in his arms, ?Where are you going!? You?re
not allowed in the city!?
Deirous looked back and without looking towards the guard, took one hand out of his pocket and waved it dismissingly, ?Come on now, have I ever cared about what I?m allowed to do??
~
Riku woke up the next day, though it was beginning to come closer to night. He woke up slowly, suddenly feeling much better than before, though his arms, particularly the one that had been originally burned, were wrapped up tight. He looked at that arm, the arm that had been burned merely weeks before Shinru and he had parted ways. What was happening?
He was deprived of any remaining time to ponder about that arm, as the Raikage walked in, practically loosing the door off of its hinges as he did, he came in yelling in a deep, booming voice, ?How could the boy still be sleeping!? I?ll tell ya, this wimp would have never survived when Akatsuki was?? he stopped himself short, noticing Riku sitting up,
propped on one of his elbows, ?Oh, you?re awake.?
Riku looked at him, ?Yeah, I am,? he said, slightly offended by the Raikage?s comment. He then, looking over A?s burly shoulder, noticed that the Raikage was accompanied by four other people, all of which had grim faces, ?Who?re they??
The Raikage turned, looking towards the four behind him, ?Oh, choose one of them. These are the only people strong enough to actually be of any help to you. Anyone else would probably get in your way. Meet Darui, Omoi, Samui, and Karui.?
Riku looked to each of them. They were a bit too far away to really get a good look at their faces, but he could tell that all of them seemed almost uninterested, like they?d rather not come, but knew that if they didn?t, the Raikage would likely smash all of their heads together. He immediately decided that if their hearts weren?t in it, then neither should they be, besides, this wasn?t just a battle partner, he figured if he?d have to travel with someone, they might as well be at least a bit friendly. Suddenly, he knew who he was going to pick.
?Raikage... are you familiar with Deirous??
Deirous
Riku?s eyes opened and closed slowly, refusing to open wide enough for him to see anything beyond his own eyelashes. He couldn?t feel Soul Eater at his side, but he could feel that he wasn?t standing on the ground, this was something else. It was softer than the ground, more... flexible... squishy?
Riku could just barely discern a figure standing farther in front of him on the... whatever this was, who was turning slightly, looking towards Riku, and then turned away back
forward, ?Awake??
Alarms in Riku?s head set off as he heard the voice, rolling over to the side to allow himself to stand up once the roll was finished. As he stood, he quickly unsheathed Soul Eater, standing with it diagonally in front of him. As soon as he stood, however, he suddenly felt like he couldn?t move. Riku looked towards the man... or boy perhaps. Now that Riku was standing up, he realized that the person was actually shorter than him, just scarcely shorter, but smaller none the less. Riku could see one side of his face as the boy turned his head again to look at Riku, he couldn?t have been any older than Riku himself was.
?Good afternoon to you too,? the figure said, ?Perhaps you?d like to thank the guy who saved you back there??
Riku, deliberately ignoring the comment, looked down to his legs. Up to his knees... it was covered in... clay? His vision slowly moved around whatever he was standing on, it was all clay...
Riku looked back up towards his foe... or perhaps ally, ?What is this??
?If by this you mean my clay bird. It?s, well, a bird... made of clay,? the boy answered simply, a degree of sarcasm spilling from his words.
Riku looked back, suddenly beginning to remember the entire battle, ?On the mountain... what happened?? He questioned, grabbing his head as he suddenly felt a massive throbbing.
?Oh, yeah, it was an experiment... you might say. I was trying to make a new type of clay jutsu. But my clay... it tends to be... explosive,? he answered nonchalantly, as if it happens often. As if right on cue, he continued, ?Happens pretty often, but not many big explosions like that.?
Riku, his vision still fixed back to towards where the mountain was, and he suddenly noticed plumes of dark smoke and ash rising into the clouds, and as if something hit him, he had another question, ?Wait, you were in the mountain?? Riku asked incredulously.
The young man turned now completely now, seeing that this barrage of questions was never going to end, revealing a small scar across his nose, ?Man, you sure are a curious one. Well, if you must know, I have a bit of a... hideout in the mountain. All the way in the bottom. Cost me at least twenty explosives to make without blowing up the mountain, and a few earth jutsu to make sure it wouldn?t come collapsing down in my sleep or something, but it was a decent place to stay. Though now it?s probably buried in rubble,? he explained, as his gaze seemed to drift from Riku to over Riku?s shoulders, looking towards the mountain with a bit of dismay.
Riku, before answering, took in a moment to digest the boy?s appearance. He was blond,
and his hair was maybe an inch or two shorter than Riku?s, going down to stop right where his neck connected with the rest of his body, and going only a bit over his dark brown
eyes, as to have but a few thin strands of hair in the way of his eyes. He had a mischievous look about him, like he didn?t seem evil... but just dangerous none the less.
Not exactly psychotic, but close enough. He had the kind of look that you?d expect from a
guy going around blowing up mountains, though an intellectual version of it rather than a straight out psychotic one.
Riku allowed himself to exit the examination phase, shaking his head for a moment and then fixing his now steady gaze back on the boy, ?The Cloud Village is close enough, why don?t you stay there??
The teenager, as Riku had guessed, snorted, ?Kumogakure. They aren?t exactly fond of me there. A little bit too much to handle for the poor guards. By the way, I didn?t catch your name.?
Riku sat down, suddenly feeling more comfortable in his presence now that he seemed more like an ally than an enemy, as the other boy did the same, they both sat casually, each with one foot on the bird, their knee bent, and the other one stretched out fully, ?Riku, you??
?Deirous,? he answered simply, looking back to Riku, ?My turn to ask a question; who were
those guys you were fighting??
Riku looked up, ?Oh, you saw them? Kirabi, though that was a... mistake, and some Akatsuki guy, didn?t quite get his name.?
Deirous?s eyebrow rose for a moment, but he did well to hide his surprise, quickly retracting his calm features, as if the name held no significance to him, ?Why?? he asked, then he thought again, not wishing to get too involved, ?Never mind. None of my business.?
Riku looked at him for a moment, having a feeling that he was hiding something, but figuring that if Deirous could hold his tongue from business that wasn?t his, then so could he.
Deirous continued on his own accord, seeming to answer a question that hadn?t been asked, ?Pfft, so I bet you?ve done a bit of travelling? I saw you a while back, with that guy... eh... Shinru right??
?Yeah,? Riku replied simply.
?Pfft, wish I could do some traveling like you. Get the heck out of here, at least for a while.?
?So why don?t you? Doesn?t seem like you exactly have a home, or anyone that?d miss you out here, no offense,? Riku pointedly remarked, remembering how he had said that Kumogakure wasn?t exactly welcoming.
?Kumogakure?s more welcoming then most, if I go to other places to even stay near, then
I?d be at a... higher risk,? Deirous explained.
Again, Riku held his tongue from asking for any details, deciding to change the subject.
?Wait... where?s the hawk... bird... clay thing going??
?Kumogakure of course.?
?They?ll let you in??
Deirous shrugged, ?Dunno, but I doubt that the E man would throw you out, I mean, you?re practically dead. If it wasn?t for the fact that I wasn?t at the bottom of the mountain, you would be.?
Riku looked down, and as soon as Deirous said that, he suddenly winced as he felt all of the bruises and cuts on him, and there were many. They just about covered his body, ?Yeah, you?re probably right. They can?t turn me away if I?m like this.?
Deirous grinned, then turned, seeming to sense that they were near the village, ?Speak of the devil.?
Deirous?s bird quickly redirected itself, going into a steep swoop downwards, and finally landing on the ground, moving its legs frantically to stop itself short. Deirous jumped off of the bird and before walking away, remembered to help Riku come down. Riku came down, and suddenly every bone in his body ached. He hadn?t realized this until now, but the restraint of Deirous holding him in place with the clay while Riku had been standing was most likely to help him, almost like a crutch without having holding it. But now, standing on his own strength, he could feel all of the tolls the explosion took on him.
Deirous hastily bent low as he saw Riku beginning to fall, allowing Riku?s arm to lie lazily on Deirous?s neck as he dragged his feet along as his human-prop moved.
One of the guards in front of the gate nudged the other with his elbow, making a casual, almost disappointed gesture towards the two children, seeming to mainly indicate Deirous. The other guard looked towards them, and stepped up in front of the middle of the gate.
The guard let out a prolonged sigh, then began, ?Any reason why you?re here again??
Deirous moved the shoulder that Riku was leaning on, who at this point seemed half-asleep, or perhaps half-conscious described his state better, in an attempt to point him out to the guard, ?As you can see, he?s a bit banged up.?
The guard narrowed his eyes, ?Yeah, I wonder why,? he said, with unmistakable sarcasm in his tone.
?Hey, it wasn?t me. Well... kind of,? Deirous replied, taking on an innocent voice.
?Yeah yeah, I?m sure it wasn?t. You just happened to find him didn?t you?? the guard said, bending forward with his arms stretched out, suggesting that Deirous should pass Riku to him.
Deciding to comply, Deirous handed over Riku slowly, and walked further into the city, his hands in his pockets as he went.
The guard turned quickly, as soon as Riku was in his arms, ?Where are you going!? You?re
not allowed in the city!?
Deirous looked back and without looking towards the guard, took one hand out of his pocket and waved it dismissingly, ?Come on now, have I ever cared about what I?m allowed to do??
~
Riku woke up the next day, though it was beginning to come closer to night. He woke up slowly, suddenly feeling much better than before, though his arms, particularly the one that had been originally burned, were wrapped up tight. He looked at that arm, the arm that had been burned merely weeks before Shinru and he had parted ways. What was happening?
He was deprived of any remaining time to ponder about that arm, as the Raikage walked in, practically loosing the door off of its hinges as he did, he came in yelling in a deep, booming voice, ?How could the boy still be sleeping!? I?ll tell ya, this wimp would have never survived when Akatsuki was?? he stopped himself short, noticing Riku sitting up,
propped on one of his elbows, ?Oh, you?re awake.?
Riku looked at him, ?Yeah, I am,? he said, slightly offended by the Raikage?s comment. He then, looking over A?s burly shoulder, noticed that the Raikage was accompanied by four other people, all of which had grim faces, ?Who?re they??
The Raikage turned, looking towards the four behind him, ?Oh, choose one of them. These are the only people strong enough to actually be of any help to you. Anyone else would probably get in your way. Meet Darui, Omoi, Samui, and Karui.?
Riku looked to each of them. They were a bit too far away to really get a good look at their faces, but he could tell that all of them seemed almost uninterested, like they?d rather not come, but knew that if they didn?t, the Raikage would likely smash all of their heads together. He immediately decided that if their hearts weren?t in it, then neither should they be, besides, this wasn?t just a battle partner, he figured if he?d have to travel with someone, they might as well be at least a bit friendly. Suddenly, he knew who he was going to pick.
?Raikage... are you familiar with Deirous??
