Kingdom by the Sea

When she had said she had a small house he had taken it for what it sounded like. As he stood in front of the eyesore on the sand he glared over at her, she should have mention it was more of a shanty than a house. She glowered over at him and with a small huff looked away indignantly. "I know it doesn't look like much but it's really not that bad." With a sigh he redirected his eyes at the door, after all, he had stayed in much worse places than this. Tsukiyo bounded up the small set of steps and opened up the door like a palace, she wore a wide grin and her eyes were closed with delight. "Now, for the grand tour!" He followed slowly, even if his instincts were telling him he'd be better off in an alley. Once he stepped inside however, he realized it wasn't as bad as he had initially thought. It looked smaller on the outside and if it hadn't been for all the junk she had piled up in various corners, it might have actually been a comfortable place to stay. "So remember the rules, don't touch my things. Don't steal anything," she cast him an all knowing look and sourly he looked away. "And don't bother me when I'm working." She walked past him and opened up a small door, revealing a comfortable room with a bed that looked two sizes too small for even him. "This will work I assume?"

"Yeah, that'll work." He scuffled past her and threw himself on the bed. It creaked loudly and she grinned madly as he sighed in exasperation.

"You get used to it, all the furniture does that." She slipped a loose piece of coiled hair behind her ear and examined Yukio with softer eyes. He glanced up and quirked a brow, before he could response she shook her head and turned away. "You're not in real trouble are you?" His eyes slipped to the floor and she nodded in response. "Keep up the brother act and you'll be fine. Don't worry, everyone's got secrets around here." Dreamily, she drifted away from him and wandered away out of sight. Once her footsteps were out of range he stood back up and meandered over to the doorway, peering over he concluded she must have hid herself away in her own room. Carefully as to avoid the creaking floor boards, he crept into the kitchen and turned on the faucet till the water ran hot. As he plucked his fingers from his gloves he glanced around the room. She had a lot of books and scrolls lying open faced on the floor, dead flowers and brushes too. The house had a distinct smell, like burning paper and sickness, it was almost unnerving as those distinct smells brought back unpleasant thoughts. As he tore his mind away he scrubbed vigoriously at his gloves until the water ran clear and they smelled pleasantly like the milky soap that she had next to the sink. He wrung them out and placed them on the counter, hoping they would dry soon. Yukio stuck his damp hands into his pockets and stepped into the living room, sparing a glance back to make sure she wasn't around, he wandered over mischieviously to a tall blade that hung by a broken bookshelf.

It was a long katana that was black with blue etchings. And as where it looked worn it was definitely in good shape. A small smirk took way on his lips and he gingerly removed his hand from the linen. Just one peek... his fingertips were but a second away from the handle when the sound of her voice wavered in from the back of the house. Sharply, he turned around just in time to meet her dark eyes. "Did you hear me?" He coughed into his hand and shook his head quickly. His suspicious behaviour was overlooked and she asked again if he was hungry.

"Now that you mention it," he held his hand to his stomach as it ached. He was starving, it wasn't until then did he realize he hadn't eaten in nearly two days. She nodded happily and swept up into her cupboards mindlessly. As she worked in the kitchen, Yukio sat on the couch and looked out the window deep in thought, still afraid to let his hands wander freely, he kept them tightly fisted in his pockets. Tsukiyo's prying voice soon invaded his mind though and he was torn away from the soothing sounds of waves.

"How did you know Sakibi-san wanted me to see her sister earlier?" With irriation hot on his brain, he looked away and frowned. Couldn't anything be done in silence?

"We all have secrets don't we? I'm not telling you anything." Her eyes looked at the floor and then back at him, determination scrawled across her face.

"It's some kind of technique isn't it? A Kekkei Genkai?" With shock he snapped his head back at her, stuttering on his words he clawed desperatly at an answer.

"What the hell would you know!?" He finally managed to spit out, with a sullen attitude back on his brow he slunk deep into the cushions of the couch. "Keep talking, you can guess all you like, I'm still not telling you." Tsukiyo smirked at herself and slapped a spoonful of food on a plate before pushing it in his direction on the counter.

"Whatever kid, here's your lunch." She watched coyly on as he waltzed over like a shy cat and gingerly took the plate from the counter. It wasn't the best but he was so ravenous, the minute the food touched his lips he found himself shovelling it into his mouth. "You'll choke eating like that." Tsukiyo chewed her food slowly, eyes never straying from the young boy's face. He was handsome, the way his pale hair framed his face. He had bright eyes, ones that normally would have looked dull had he not had some life shoved back down into his throat. She smiled to herself, betting that he looked much better without a scowl marring his pale lips. She couldn't help but worry though, what a kid his age could have gotten in so deep he was stowing away with her. It was obvious, she defintely wouldn't have been his first choice. "Yukio?" His blue eyes sprang up and he swallowed, allowing a small 'hm' to escape before he continued to eat. "Can you atleast tell me where you're from?"

He swallowed the last of his food and he pushed the plate ahead of him. With his hands shoved firmly into his pockets again, he sighed and closed his eyes. "Is there a reason you care?" Tsukiyo's eyebrows knitted together and she looked away, putting her own food down.

"Not in particular no, but I'd like to feel like I wasn't living with a total stranger." She huffed and crossed her arms, the least he could do was tell her that. Yukio leaned his head back and cockily smiled at the girl's indignant pout. He sat himself back on the couch.

"If I tell you where I'm from will you answer a question about yourself?" She hesitated for a moment but in return she nodded and set herself up eagarly to hear. Yukio shut his eyes and let the memories come forth. he tried hard to not think about his home. All he had abandoned, had feared. It was all too painful, but she wasn't asking for a story. "There's a small village, on the border between the land of fire and stone. It's called the village of smoke, not a lot of shinobi, but there are a few treasured clans there that were once used as a military force. Now, they settle more on espionage than that." His eyes fell and he bit back a shiver. That damned village.

"Where you a shinobi?" Yukio flashed his eyes towards her and with a tight frown snapped albeitingly.

"I would never follow trash like that!" Tsukiyo's eyes widened and she looked away uncomfortably, obviously, this was a tender subject. Yukio's eyes briefly looked regretful and he quietly muttered a sorry. She didn't know better. As if to change the subject, he sat back up and smiled a little broader. Easing back into the relazed state of the house. "Where are you from?" Her biting black eyes snapped back up and slightly, her eyebrows tilted up sadly. She waved a hand in front of her face and grinned.

"Oh, just some small tea village. I don't even think it exists anymore, I've been traveling for a while now. I don't really have a home, really." She leaned back up and brushed her hair back with one hand. Nervously, she smiled sweetly. "I'm feeling pretty faint, would you mind if I take a quick nap? I'll be working all tonight." Yukio shrugged her off and she slunk off uneasily. Yukio sighed and bit back a complaint. She was weird, and hiding something. With a grin he assured himself, he'd find out.

*****
They were surrounded by endless trees and wild flora, everything a ripe, lush shade of green. As it shivered in the icy breeze, Kisame took a deep breath and inhaled the clean, crisp air. "You seem colder than usual." His pitch black eyes slithered towards his partner, and he met the sullen man's face with a sharp grin. "Itachi, is there something you're not telling me?" The said Uchiha kept his eyes in front of him, hardly acknowledging the presence of his companion save for a small glimpse to the side from under the straw hat.

"It's nothing." He finally replied, Kisame nodded satisfyingly. Each step they took echoed off of the silent forest walls. They were, for miles, the only people occupying this forest. Aside from the occasional snap of fabric on the breeze, they hadn't made much noise since they started. Which wasn't an unusual occurence, Itachi hardly spoke to anyone. And if he did, it wasn't often a good thing. Kisame was worn, he wouldn't admit it though. He had just returned from a tiring mission when Itachi came to him and told him they were leaving again. He hadn't been too pleased as there were two other groups not doing anything in particular then. But now that he was out, he realized this was more of a break than being back at the base.

"What is our objective again?" He asked gruffly, watching as two birds flew violently around each other. Itachi raised his head and looked over at Kisame, he hadn't been very clear on the mission when he first told him about it. It was difficult to trick Kisame, he was almost as attentative as Itachi was.

"We're looking for a girl with a specific ability, we are to bring her back unharmed." Itachi tacked on sternly. Madara hadn't actually said that, but if Itachi was in charge of this mission, not a finger would touch her. Unless she chose to fight back, then he might have no choice. "She's supposedly occupying a small shipping village far out west." Kisame nodded knowingly, still, it wasn't a lot of information.

"You don't know anything about her? What she looks like, what her ability is, hell, how old she even is?"

"She's around eighteen and she's able to drain the life force out of people with a special genjutsu." Kisame grunted and strode forward on.

"Sounds boring." He didn't ask anymore questions. Itachi seemed confident, which meant Kisame needed not to worry about how the mission would go. He didn't have a doubt in his head that Itachi would find this girl and bring her back like they had been told. That's what he liked about working with Itachi. He never failed to do what he was told. Unlike some of the others. They were unpredictable and rash, in his opinion, they might have wanted to learn a thing or two from the Uchiha. Even if most of them didn't like him. The small tinkle of bells rang out and Itachi suddenly stopped. He tilted his head behind him and from under his cloak, his fingers gripped the end of a kunai.

"There are three of thiefs, waiting to ambush." His scarlet eyes darted from the left to the right from under his hat. "There are more coming." Kisame's hand slithered to the hilt of his blade and he grinned.

"About time something exciting came along." He let out a loud, chilling laugh and stepped behind Itachi. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

*****

Yukio sat on his bed with his arms behind his head, his legs were crossed at the ankle and his eyes were fixated on the ceiling. Tsukiyo was busying herself around the house, incense had been lit and was making his head spin, but it took the smell of sickness away. She hadn't spoken to him yet but he didn't mind, he liked her better with her mouth shut anyway. The sun was beginning to set now, dousing the house in a soft light that painted everything in shadows. As far as he knew, she was preparing for work. Like Tobikuma had told him, helping the sick and the old. By killing them. He had wanted to ask but instead he decided he would sneak a peek instead. She probably wouldn't have told him anyway. There was a slow, soft knock on the front door and he turned his attention to the living room. Tsukiyo bustled towards the door, dressed in a simple black, kimono style dress. She hastily opened the door and bowed deeply. An old woman stepped through the threshold, shaking nervously. Beside her a woman, presumably her daughter, stepped in looking even paler.

"Tsukiyo-san," the younger woman bowed and took Tsukiyo by the hand. "Are you sure it will be painless?" Softly, Tsukiyo laid her slender hand on top of the others and smiled sweetly.

"She'll feel better than she has in years, and she won't even know what's going on." She nodded hastily, pulled away and hugged her frail mother softly. Whispering tender words into her ear, she pulled away with small tear streaks on her cheeks. Yukio looked away uncomfortably and fixated his eyes back on the ceiling. Goodbyes never failed to make him nasueous. When last words had been shared, the daughter left the house in a hurry. Tsukiyo said some small words and walked out of view. But only briefly, as she appeared in his doorway a second later. Her long brown hair was swept up into a bun, eyes dangerously dark she eyed him reproachfully. "You can't come out while I'm working, understood?" He nodded tiringly, not sparing her a glance. With that being said, she pulled the door shut roughly and left him again to his own thoughts.

It was oddly quiet and soon his curiousity was peaking quite dangerously. Gently, he slithered off the bed and made to the door, placing his ear firmly against the peeling wood. Nothing. His hand groped around for the doorknob and slowly, he turned it. The door whined and he winced, slowly his speed until the tinies sliver of the living room leaked in. From what he could see, the old woman was sprawled out on the floor and Tsukiyo was still bent over her, wobbling back and forth.

Her eyes were shut and she didn't notice as the door fell all the way open. The smell of burning cherrywood burned his eyes and he waved a hand in front of his face before he stepped into the threshold. Something was off. Tsukiyo was in a dreamlike state, shutting the world out. The woman on the floor wore a small smile on her wrinkled face and every now and then her fingers would twitch. Aside from the tension in the air it all seemed terribly boring. Until Tsukiyo's neck snapped back and she opened her mouth slightly at the ceiling. He stilled, watching as her eyes rolled back and a slight shake overwhelmed her body. The woman on the floor went instantly limp and a small panic bloomed in his chest, was this what was supposed to be happening? Tsukiyo sucked in a shivering breath and slowly her neck fell back down to normal height. Her eyes snapped at Yukio and instantly, he felt his body tense up with fear.

The normally warm dark of her eyes had now turned a flaming scarlet. They were full of power and anger and the look on her face was enough to startle him back into the room. He slammed the door shut and held his back to it. Her eyes, that was by no means normal. Each breath came out ragged and sharp, and he finally understood why she wanted him to stay out of the ceremony. Because she was a complete monster. His eyes grew wide, the whole situation finally crashing down on him. She could kill him, easily. If he didn't get away he was surely going to get punished for not following her direct orders. And with the eyes of a demon he didn't dare want to take any chances. Frantically, his eyes searched the room. There was a small window above his bed, large enough to squeeze through if he was desperate enough. He cast his bright blue eyes back at the door and cringed. He was beyond desperate. He was running for his life now.

Never had he seen such hateful eyes as he had then, burning bright with regret and pain. And with her temper, he wouldn't put it past her to lose it and go wild. He jumped on the creaking bed and worked his fingers on the old style latch. When the window flew open towards the chilled night air, he placed both hands on the window sill to hoist himself up. But he lost all hope when his bedroom door slammed open. "What the hell did I tell you!?" Yukio yelled loudly and tried hard to wiggle through, but she grabbed a firm hold on his ankle and pulled until he lost balance and fumbled to his bed. He looked up with sharp eyes but didn't say anything as she glowered down at him. Her eyes had returned to their normal charcoal hue. "You idiot. You could have gotten pulled into the genjutsu if you weren't careful!" She stormed backwards and held a hand to her forehead. "And I wouldn't have been able to stop." Her shoulder slumped against the doorframe and she closed her eyes. The dizzy spells were coming now and she wouldn't be able to stand much longer. When the energy finished flooding her body, she'd fall into a slight comatose and would have no hope in getting back into her room by herself.

"Y-you're eyes, they were red! What the hell happened out there?" After recovery from the shock of her small outburst, he stood up off the bed and pointed an accusing finger out towards the living room. "Was that some kind of Kekkei Genkei?!" His face lit up, slightly excited that she wasn't planning on murdering him and that he had come a little bit closer to figuring the girl out. But he was left wordless when she slid down the doorway and slumped to the ground, eyes dazed over in a heavy dreamlike state that had even him staring. "Tsukiyo...?" She tilted her head back up at him and placed a finger to her mouth, telling him to keep quiet.

And she closed her eyes to the room for good this time.

While she slept, Yukio sat on his bed and tried to make the best of his time. He was trapped in his room, with Tsukiyo against the door and the old lady's dead body in the living room, he didn't have many places to go. He sucked on his fingertip, deep into thought when finally the girl stirred in her sleep. She sat up and blinked, eyes wide and confused as she met Yukio's bright blue eyes. Her hand loftily drifted to her neck and with the slight daze worn off, her eyebrow ticked in anger. "You couldn't even move me?" Yukio shrugged and pulled his finger out of his mouth.

"You creeped me out," he said nonchalantly, as if that explained everything. She tossed her eyes upwards and moved her stiff body to best of it's ability. When she had stretched out back to normal she tossed the boy and sly grin and cocked her head to the side. He didn't like that look on her face and edgily, he felt back up against the wall. "You're doing it again."

"Since your up brat, you can help me move the body. It's just another piece of clutter sitting out there." Instantly, his hands were up in refusal.

"Not going to happen. That's your mess, not my problem." She cast him a dry look and muttered something about her house, instantly he knew where she was headed. "If I help you...will you answer my questions?" The bed creaked as he shimmied to the side, kicking his legs out eagerly. He rested his chin on his palm and grinned up at her quite mischieviously. "Tit for tat?" Despite his efforts, she turned away and snorted in response.

"Forget it, I'll do it myself." She left him blinking at the empty doorframe as she meanadered into the hall way. Often times, with the bodies, she placed them outside on a small alter she had built two years ago. It gave the family a place to pray before they took the remains back with them. It was a small gesture, but it never went unnoticed. Unfortunately, this was the part she always hated. Before starting, she decided to change clothes. The ritual outfit she wore was stiff and made of material that wasn't kind to her sensitive skin. Eagerly, she pulled herself out of it and slipped into her common day work clothes. For ease of fighting or in her case, drinking. It never really made a difference, not anymore. She left the room, ignoring Yukio's lazy yawning as she passed his doorway and stepped over to the cold body on the floor.

She never really saw what they did as they died, those last fleeting moments of death, they had to really say something about a person. But she supposed she didn't mind too much, if was morbid enough to be consuming their life energy, she didn't need to impose much more than that. Tsukiyo bent down and gently smoothed back the woman's fraying hair. Her hands gently folded to the back of the neck and knee and with as much strength as she could muster, she hoisted the dead woman up in her arms. It wasn't as honorable as one would want, but they couldn't ever say it wasn't intimate. The feel of a corpse in your arms is unlike any other. You can hold a person, feel the soft echoes of their breath leaving their chest, the dead are all too different. They are cold and heavy, like a metal shell that once contained a soul, they aren't anything now but an empty package.

And people wondered why she drank.

She struggled out the back door and onto the walkway towards the alter. The papery feel of the dead woman's skin brushed up against her shirt and she repressed a shiver. When she reached the alter, Tsukiyo softly laid the bodied out and carefully rearranged the body like one would into a casket. "She looks like she's sleeping." Her bright eyes brushed backwards and met Yukio, but his eyes weren't focused on her. "How do you do it?" He stepped closer and gently ran a gloved finger over her skin, wincing slightly before drawing back almost frightened. When his eyes met hers she found herself stumbling on words. It wasn't like she had never been asked but this was different.

He wasn't afraid of her like most people were. He was interested for reasons of his own and like her, she knew he had a dirty bag of secrets just willing to spill out. Tsukiyo turned back around and rested her eyes on the old woman who just thirty minutes before had been trembling with the last remanents of life. She sighed and brushed stray pieces of hair away from her damp forehead. Yukio had already seen her sharingan, and were as he hadn't a clue what it was, other people would if he told.

She was left with no other choice but to trust him.

"I'll make the tea, and then we'll talk."