Blood In The Sand

Tsukiyomi had made a rather fast recovery. Su had gotten her room, but she didn't know that it was embroidered in all black. Tsukiyomi spent most of her time embroidering Su's clothing, making black, lacey patterns. Not that Su noticed that, either. The Genin were doing their best to keep Tsukiyomi hidden from the Jonin, but there was only so much they could do, especially with Tsukiyomi wanting to get up and make food for Rena or work for money. "Tsukiyomi… these feel different." Tsukiyomi looked up from her current project. She had been carving masks with her delicate hands, knowing that the oncoming Vitality Festival was that night. Her hair splayed around the room, having grown quite a bit since her last time awake. It was draped over a chair, half of it going the other way and twisting around a lamp while she used her self puppetry to craft multiple outfits and masks at the same time.

"Really?" She tilted her head to the side, looking at Su blankly. "Different how?"

"Just… texture-wise." Su's fingers rubbed against her clothes. They looked as if they'd been crafted by someone with a keen eye for fashion, rather than battle-gear. Tsukiyomi had been bored, but that didn't mean she barred the functionality. She had replaced the damaged metal plates and added more, but kept the lightweight factor to Su's armor. She pulled more threads through the clothes she was crafting.

"Hm. That's strange." Tsukiyomi shrugged it off, not interested in continuing the conversation. She preferred the quiet. It was strange that Su talked more than she did. She had no reason to speak unless it was so ordained or required by Rena. Still, she had taken in the sights of the Hidden Leaf when she snuck out the night before, learning that they, indeed, were having a festival of Vitality. She knew that her Master would be interested, therefore, she took to creating the garb for the festival herself with slight modifications. Then, she got a bit out of hand and made one for everyone on the team. Then, she started on the masks and ended up losing time and making enough to sell to the Hidden Leaf in its entirety.

There had been a few moments where Su had kind of just lingered as if she was waiting for something. She spent the greater part of her afternoon having fallen over for some reason and lying in Tsukiyomi's lap. It was no big deal, as she just continued working with her hair, although she'd probably report it to Rena later in case she was sick. Tsu didn't exactly know what fatigue or sleep was, as her being artificial simply meant she did not need either. When she was 'off', she was 'dead'. There were no dreams. No anything. So, she assumed Su had somewhat died and just kept coming back to life now and again. She'd stored it in her memory banks, hoping to learn more about her Master. Unfortunately, all the information she could gain was that humans sometimes died randomly at points during the day without any warning.

As Rena burst through the door, Su shot up, rigid and unsure of what was going on. She yanked her arms forward, catching Rena in her threads and suspending her mid-air. "Agh! I didn't come here to be attacked!" She struggled and bounced around in the webbing Su had made, trying to desperately escape but lacking the fortitude to.

"Self Puppetry Jutsu; Blade of Hair." A mass of locks raised from the floor and hardened into the form of a blade, cutting Rena down and causing her to thump her head on the ground. She squirmed around the floor as Tsukiyomi tried to precisely cut off the webbing as Su let it go, leaving Rena the space to scramble out.

"Thanks, Tsu! I swear you saved my life!" Rena collapsed to her hands and knees, nearly in tears as she peeled Su's webbing out of her hair.

"...Apologies." Su glanced away from Rena. She was still worried that her brother might come back for her… It didn't help that Rena made such loud movements like that.

"It's fine! Hey, what's all of this?" She was already on the next subject… Su supposed that if it was Rena she'd offended, she wouldn't have much trouble with an apology because it seemed like she really could forgive anything in the blink of an eye.

Tsukiyomi raised her head, staring at her Master. "Lady Rena. I took the initiative of seeking further entertainment for you, as I failed you in the Chuunin Exams and required you to receive a replacement. For the time I have wasted, I wanted to find something that you would find pleasant as a means of gaining your forgiveness. I found the Vitality Festival, where you shall dance with the man the gods intended for you."

"You really didn't have to, Tsu, but wow! Did you make all of these just to try and get my attention?" She picked up one of Tsukiyomi's finished products. The fabric was soft and she couldn't see a single seam. Rena's smile brought a sort of fluttering lightness to Tsukiyomi's heart; through their connection, she could feel that her Master was pleased. Her features softened as she stood from her place, her hair dragging behind her as she offered Rena the mask she had been making with her very own hands. "What's this?"

"I spent a great deal of time on it. Your mask for the festival had to be beyond perfect." As Tsukiyomi offered the mask to Rena, she took in the sight of it. It was beautifully carved with jade ornaments making up what would seem like earrings to anyone onlooking. There were flecks of gold plaint splayed across the mask as if someone had melted gold and lightly flicked it over. The red making up the lines on the Kitsune's face stood out more because of the gold, making her tiny splatters the perfect accent for said mask. "It took me a few tries… but I'm confident with my work on this one. There will not be another mask like it at the festival."

"Alright! Thanks for such a cool gift, Tsukiyomi! I'm gonna dance so hard at that festival I drop!"

"You have Chuunin Exams in the morning. No, you won't." Tsukiyomi's glare caused Rena to shrink back before giving her an unsteady smile and nodding, agreeing with her as Tsukiyomi helped her into her garb. It was similar to a rain cloak, with a rather large hood.

"Are you sure everyone at the festival will be wearing these?"

"Lesser quality unless they buy from me, but yes. I did my research." Tsukiyomi attached the mask to the clips inside the hood, making sure it was steady before she drew back, taking in her work. One couldn't tell it was Rena, save for her mask… and even then, only Tsukiyomi knew her true identity. And Su, that is. Tsukiyomi's head perked up as she heard a commotion from the hallway. "It's not ready yet. Su, give Gaara this mask, Kankuro that mask and Ikari this one over here. Temari can have this one or this one. Don't mess it up!" Before Su could say anything about seeing nothing but darkness, Tsukiyomi slid open the window and jumped out of it. She heard the door open and heard five sets of footsteps.

"Are you alone in here, Su? I swear I heard voices." Both Ikari and Gaara were glaring, deeply, at Kankuro. He might think he was so slick, but Ikari had seen that stolen kiss- just as Gaara had. Su shook her head, her hands running over the table to the masks.

"No… I wasn't… Rena and Tsukiyomi had to leave suddenly. They're getting ready for the festival."

"There's a festival going on?" Ikari asked, tilting his head to the right as he looked around the room, going through the clothes Tsukiyomi had made. "What's it about? Why'd she leave so fast?"

"Tsukiyomi said Rena's mask wasn't complete. Umm… she made masks and outfits for you as well."

"There's no point in going." Ikari sat down on the bed, sighing. He had been trying to get some alone time with Rena for a while now, but Sansa or Kankuro were always hanging around whenever he tried. That blonde girl or whatever was an obstacle too now? "What is the festival about, anyway?"

"I don't know. Tsukiyomi called it the Vitality Festival; she did all of this to please Rena. She said that it was a festival where there was a dance… and that she'd dance with her destined person… someone the gods made for her or something?"

The tension in the room quickly changed. "Which one is mine?" Ikari hopped up, perusing the masks as Kankuro rushed to find his own.

"I… uhhh…" In her panic, unable to process how to tell them that she didn't know, she pointed in a direction in front of her. "That one."

"Move out of the way, Kankuro." Ikari pushed Kankuro aside as he picked up the mask. "Are… you sure it's this one?"

"Yeah.."

"Fine, whatever. It'll work." Su heard the rustling of fabric as he retrieved his coat. "Hope I don't see either of you in the crowd." With that, he was gone. Su could no longer feel his chakra nearby when she reached out, either.

She could hear more movement from the fifth pair of feet, someone who hadn't spoken up yet. The sounds were trampled by Kankuro stomping around, grabbing fabric. "Which is mine, Su? Huh? Quick! I can't let Ikari beat me to setting up!"

"T-That one.." She stuttered. She wasn't confident in where she was pointing.

"There's… nothing there…" It was clear she had a reason to not feel confident. "Are you trying to play a prank on me or something? Now's not the time!"

"Sorry, it wasn't my intention!" Su almost yelped. Why would Tsukiyomi leave her here with people as loud as Kankuro? "It's that one!" She pointed in the direction of what she hoped was another mask.

"This…? What's Tsukiyomi thinking…?" He chuckled under his breath. "Doesn't matter. That's not important. Even if this mask doesn't reveal who I am… it'll be super easy to find Rena!"

The fifth pair of footsteps finally spoke up. "Jeez, Kankuro…" It was Temari. She sounded tired. "Have fun. I'm going to rest before the exams." She walked out of the door and Kankuro wooshed away, leaving only Su and Gaara, which made her intensely uncomfortable. She kind of just slightly edged away from him until she felt herself reach the end of the bed. She heard his footsteps once, then twice, as he examined the room.

They were both caught in an endless vacuum of silence. Su didn't really want to be in the same room as him… his nature, it was easy to see. Especially because she couldn't. The smell coming from him, the sounds he made… all of it was rather unnerving to her. She'd heard about Rena's engagement to Kankuro- that kind of thing was enough to put a smile on her face. He had a kind voice and never really treated her any differently from the others, but he was surely a pleasant match for her.

Still, the presence in the room never left. As he walked to the left, then the side, then the right, she squirmed; his voice was like nails on a chalkboard. "...Which one is mine?" She tilted her head, not really wanting to reply to him. "...Was there not one made for me?"

"It's… I don't know which one it is…"

"I know. You're blind." Su grimaced; while it would be an insult from anyone else, had Gaara really been the only one that noticed? Surely she thought literally anyone else would have observed that first. She could hear both him and the other person walking around, only for him to stop and the other person to keep walking. "I'll take this one." He began to walk away, only for Su to call out.

"Umm.. does the other person want a mask, too?"

Gaara stopped, turning to her, doing nothing but his usual blink. "There's nobody else here."

Su's hands bunched up the fabric she held, her face going pale as Gaara left the room. It was back… the steps suddenly became many and Gaara's were lost in a thousand people walking in the room. She slammed her hands over her ears, trying to drown out the sounds, but it was impossible… they were in her head, after all.

Just as the sun began to set, the festival truly kicked off. There was music, food, dancing, everywhere. Rena was so overwhelmed by it all that she was absolutely beyond lost. Someone had called out about there being fireworks at midnight, as well. Children ran through the streets, playing with paper kunai and shuriken, pretending to be shinobi. Even if she wasn't being accompanied by someone, that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy herself.

Still, she caught wind of a familiar… outfit, at least. Rushing up to him, she tugged on his sleeve. "Lord Kazekage!~ Isn't it amazing?" Rasa jumped, turning around and facing her, confusion apparent on his face.

"Ah… yes, yes it is."

"You're so stiff, Kazekage! Come on, lighten up a bit!" She tugged on his sleeve some more, but he pulled it away. He was being as cold as he always was to her.. Or always had been. She knew she wasn't exactly anything important in the Kazekage's eyes, but she wanted his approval for Gaara. It was important, after all.

"How… are you enjoying your time back in the Hidden Sand?" Rasa asked, looking her over. Her eyes lit up and she stared at him, eyes sparkling, causing him to edge away a little bit. He was slightly off-put by her behavior. He'd never quite seen her as bright-eyed as this, but observation in another environment was good enough… for now.

"I love it!" Rena hopped up and down. "I'm so happy… so happy." He watched as tears pricked up in the corners of her eyes. "I don't think I knew what true happiness was before my childhood was taken away from me, really. So I'm… really happy."

Rasa blinked, before fiddling with his hands behind his back. He didn't really know how to approach her like this. It didn't help that he was wearing the face of a dead man. In truth, behind the mask, he was Orochimaru. Observing his test subject was interesting enough, but he only ever knew her trying to bite or attack him whenever the opportunity presented itself. Now, however, he had the face of someone she respected and therefore he was treated differently. It wasn't like he hadn't used techniques like this before to get what he wanted, but seeing her of all people fall for it… perhaps she had truly forgotten what he made her see in the first place.

He remembered a dark room, made entirely of dirt save for the walls in the front, which possessed a stone door. Every now and again, he would return to her cell, only to find that she had burrowed deeper into it, collapsing from exhaustion as she failed to escape yet again. She would fail, time and time again, yet she never stopped digging. He couldn't fathom what was going through her head. Even when he told her he was going to open her up and examine her insides, she still just defiantly refused to speak to him.

And here she was, her blood finally awakened, her mood different. He had tried every method available to him to trigger some sort of awakening, but whatever the trigger had been must have either been too far from his reach or something pertaining to her past he could not access. Her cell was meant to suffocate her, torture her and break her spirit until she just gave up and awakened, but... It got nowhere. Even when he took out her kidney… he was shocked to find out it simply regenerated a new one.

That was how he knew she was part of the Hikari, how although her blood lay dormant it still could fix her damaged body. Any piece he tried taking out of her or from her, her blood would fix and replace. He had taken to using her red blood as a healing solution, but getting it to work with other people was much more difficult than making it work with the host. However, if she was complacent with healing another… Orochimaru, as Rasa, narrowed his eyes. It would do well for him to wait until she delved deeper into her past to take her back and use her properly.

"Rasa!" She waved to him. He wanted to grimace, but instead, he waved back. In the end, he couldn't pose as the Kazekage forever. Still, it was good to see her progression up close. As he turned away, he spoke to her again. "Enjoy the festival, Rena. Be sure to stay out of trouble."

"I can't promise that!" Rena waved to him as he walked away yet again, but she felt as if something was off. He just continued walking away rather than scolding her as he would have, as he did before. She assumed he was just out of it because of something or other, or maybe that he just had so much work to do he really couldn't think about anything other than his files.

On the other side of town, Tsukiyomi had gone out of her way to set up a gorgeous picnic, surrounded by flowers and origami paper spiders. She knew that Su didn't like loud noises, so the festival was something to keep her away from rather than indulge in. That was the reason Tsu set all of this up. She even had developed costumes and masks for her and Su- the same standard garb for the festival, in all black. Tsukiyomi, though, unlike the others, wore a red oni mask. She didn't spend as much time on her own, simply buying one. For Su, however, she'd created a mask out of her webbing. She didn't really know what else to carve that could stand out from the crowd.

As Su awkwardly stepped to the side, she stared into black nothingness. It was all she could see, but despite the brilliant display of colors Tsukiyomi had prepared, Su still wasn't looking at them. She could almost feel disappointment, but as always, it was muted.

You weren't made to feel.

But Suno felt.

But you were made by me.

But she didn't want to be.

How can you defy your creator, Tsukiyomi?

Her hands squeezed the picnic basket as she looked directly at the falling cherry blossoms. Petals lightly floated above the koi pond, accenting the water perfectly. The dim glow of moonlight set the perfect mood. "Su… do you not like colours?"

Su turned to the direction of Tsukiyomi's voice. She paused, momentarily, thinking over the question before giving her own reply. "I suppose my favourite colour is black, I guess... And my least favourite colour at the same time." It was both all she saw and all she was visually trapped in. There was no option to like or dislike anything else. Perhaps, at times, she resented her lack of sight; but never fully, because of the way she was brought up in childhood. She always corrected herself.

"They call black a shade." Tsukiyomi replied, her hands gently caressing one of the petals in the water she leaned over, kneeling on the bank. The koi didn't even regard her, although when Su stepped forward, they scattered away. The bird she had made friends with was still perched on her shoulder. "Same with white. But, everything else in between is a colour, yet all colours return to their original shades. Too dark and it becomes black. Too light and it's white. It's a delicate mixture and balance of all things that make them what they are."

"Huh. I can't really see colour." Su stepped over to her, aware of the small tremors in the water. Fish, right? Her mother had taught her about those a long time ago. She wondered what they looked like… but to focus on that meant putting herself in a bad mood. She had to remain on top of her emotions. If she thought any more about the past… she'd… "I'm blind."

Tsukiyomi looked up at her, then back down. "A lot of the time, people say words I can't understand or don't know. Or… maybe, I could put them into a sentence, but I don't know what they actually mean. It's similar to the colours. Each colour is brilliant and vibrant and everyone is made up of different colours, but I'm just… black." Su listened to Tsukiyomi. All this talk about seeing or not seeing, understanding or not understanding,.. The one thing she could understand, however, was feeling like she was nothing other than black. She heard the sound of dripping water as Tsukiyomi pulled her hand out of the water, holding it out for the bird to perch on. "When something doesn't feel threatened, it overlooks you. When you don't truly stand out besides being black, people don't expect anything from you. So… I became black. I only wear black. Perhaps, someday, my skin will be charred black and my hair will fade into a darker colour. I feel so black, that I think I am becoming the colour itself."

Su's hand was on Tsukiyomi's shoulder as they heard the sound of music wafting over the breeze. Tsukiyomi turned to look at her, her blue eyes unfeeling. "I don't understand. I don't see the difference between humans like you and humans like Rena or Kankuro. There are a few whose voices seem sweet and those whose voices seem grating… but the biggest difference I truly see is between myself and everyone else."

Su could empathize. Being blind has never been easy. The people that picked on her, made her feel different from the rest, the hard time they gave her growing up… She knew what that difference was like. Even if they were different, they were very similar, in a way, but Su felt like there was this gigantic wall between her and Tsukiyomi. The way she spoke, did things, worked tirelessly like she had nothing else to do and just sat there and did, said nothing when Rena wasn't around… it didn't feel normal. Her words, at times, seemed hollow and devoid of sincerity. But, in all the time she had shared a room with Tsukiyomi after her recovery, she learned that this was probably the most sincere she'd ever been.

Su offered her hand to Tsukiyomi. "Want to… dance?" It could do no harm to offer. As Tsu took Su's hand, she was pulled up by the young kunoichi. The dance was a bit mechanical at first as Su tried to teach Tsu the steps, but it seemed like it was hard to get her to loosen up. "Try to… relax your shoulders, you know?" It took a few more tries before Tsukiyomi followed Su's instructions. Before they knew it, they were dancing at a faster, more coordinated pace than before. Su spun Tsu around and she could feel Tsu almost topple over, losing her balance, but making a quick comeback. Tsu attempted to copy Su, but she messed up in being the eyes for the two and Su ended up toppling over the edge of the koi pond. With a big splash, she was soaked.

Tsukiyomi stared over the edge, watching the koi flopping on Su before stepping into the water. The edges of the dress she wore were soaked, but it didn't seem like she cared as she offered her hand to Su. "Would you like to dance?"

Su looked up at her and smiled lightly, taking Tsu's hand. They continued dancing in the water as they waited for Suno, going around and around in circles, small bouts of laughter heard throughout the night.