A River in the Sand. [NK; Open]

It had been a few weeks since the boy had been saved from Near-death. Near was left to die in the rivers of konoha, but he had no memory of who did it. As he sat on a rock and began to think about that day. He had been lost in thought. His memory would be dark and he would only remember that one traumatic event from his path. His father and mother had died and he was sent to a foster home. But it was a blur after so. Near would look down at the clothing he was wearing, it had been the clothing given to him by the locals. It was soft and perfect for the weather of the village, but around him was his cloak which protected his secrets. His scars and his tattoo's. This brown shirt would begin to annoy him as the temperatures would grow. Near took off his cloak and his shirt and would relax on the huge rock. This left plenty of room for others to sit on the rock as well. He would hold his zanpaktou close to his body as this had been one of the mysterious he had searched for in this village. His third week in the village was soon to be eventful.

Footsteps could be faintly heard, someone was walking toward the rock, but maybe not 'to' it. A boy, maybe late teens or very early twenties was taking a stroll. He looked up to the sky and smirked slyly to himself, "This is gonna be a long day..". As he passed the rock, he took no notice of the boy, as he was lost in thought, "I need to learn more.. Maybe I need a tutor.." he thought to himself. He yawned and stopped a few feet away from the rock, leaning against a wall. The boy had medium length black hair, most of it in a ponytail. He wore a sort of red patterned kimono and black fingered gloves. He wore regular shinobi boots, his slim legs could barely be seen from behind the kimono. "It's times like this where I wish I had parents to tell me what to do. 'Get to work' they would say, or 'go do your training!'. Ah, what am I thinking? It would be a huge drag..." his thoughts clouded his mind as the shadows of the clouds cover him.

Near had closed his eyes as he laid on the rock. The sun would hit his pale skin and he would sigh as it felt good to him. He had lived deep underground for years and had little to no memory of the sun when he was younger. suddenly he would hear someone approach, but he would not care for them. Till he heard the words coming from his mouth. 'He's thinking outloud.... hes.. sounds so sad..' near thought to himself as he would open one eye. His eyes were black at this point. "I think you're thinking outl...." Near Began to say as his left eye would see this god of beauty. He was speechless for a second. "You don't need anyone telling you what to do... you just need to find your own path and it'll be clear on what you need to do." Near said as he raised up. He would open his right eye. His eyes would notice how dirty his katana had been and he would begin to clean it.

Shou didn't look over, but nodded slowly, "I suppose. Thanks for the advice I suppose." He closed his eyes for a moment before peeking over. "I'm Shou, Shou Taira." He noticed the katana with grime and dirt coated against it's surface, "You should really keep your sword polished. Rust can break a sword." Shou smirked and shrugged to himself, "It's a nice blade though." Shou didn't know what to say to be honest. He had trouble meeting new people. He put his arms behind his head and tried to relax.

Near would look over at the boy as he would introduce himself. Near would not know whether the man had be trust worthy enough for his real name so he would take a long pause. During this the man would continue to talk, he would comment on how dirty near's weapon had been. Hearing this would cause his pride to become irritated. "You tell that lazy bum I don't need his advice! !!!" Pride would yell in Near's head. Near would sigh as his head would hang. "Thank you, I received it from my master not to long ago." Near said as he would pull out a newspaper. On it was the story of the boy found in the river, Near. Near would stand up and pass the paper to the man. "Here..... that guy there is me.. My enemies call me Near.. this village renamed me and called me Resonate River. I guess it's cause they found me floating in a river." Near would laugh a little. The name seemed a little mean after all he was half-dead.

Shou raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Well, it's a fine blade. I bet it can cut through flesh like a butterknife through butter~ I can imagine how much blood spatters on it." Shou would take the newspaper and scan over it, "How old is this issue? And why were you found in a river? So many questions I could ask, but are any of them safe?" He hands it back, "Safe to say, you turned out okay. I guess." He stretches, "So.. What do you do around here anyway? I can't hang out with most of the Inuzuka; they don't like me." He scratches his head and chuckles, "I like cats anyway, so it's a bit weird.." He unties his hair and lets it flow before tying it back up, "I hate when my hair gets tangled.. Maybe I should cut it.."

Near listened to the man as he reacted to the newspaper. It had been about two to three weeks since the paper came out but truth be told he had been found a month prior to the newspaper coming out. He would sigh, "I....." Near would pause. Turning around he would sit on the rock. A flash would occur and a knife would appear to near. His blood would spill and he would fall into the river. "It was a few weeks back. But it took them forever to tell anyone about me.... but they found me half dead. I should have bleed out... but I didn't.. Im not afraid to answer your questions... I just... have no memory of anything before it happened." Near said as he wold sheath his now clean katana. "It's boring around here. I have no one so I just wander around... like you." Near would look up at the guy again. it had been something about him. As Shou untied his hair Near would fall. He was amazing, beautiful, astonishing. "Whoa..." He would say lightly. Quickly looking away he would slightly regret how foolish he was to utter that word. "N..no don't cut it... it's something you should be proud of.."

Shou smiled and shook his head, "I'm sure it's not important to remember so far back. It only matters who you are now. Right?" He runs his fingers through his hair, "I don't know, maybe it's getting too long.. What do you think?" He measured his hair with his hand, "Maybe.. This much.." he slides his fingers up his hair length, at least 12 inches of hair length would be cut. "So your name is Near? That's an odd name~" He jested, "But it's okay I suppose. So what do you do here in the village?" He moves over a bit, looking at him, "You okay? You should really keep balance."

Near would smirk as he heard the words come from shou's mouth. The past was not important. This man had been apart of the few that thought the sins of the father were not the sins of the son. "But... youre the only person who thinks that the past does not matter, but what if i remember my true self, and its something evil?" Near said as he'd sigh. The man spoke of his hair once more. This would cause Near to burst. "Don't cut it!!! Its beautiful." Near blurted out. He would quickly cover his mouth and cough. "sorry.." He said lightly. He would groan and he would lay back on the rock. An idiotic move, but it was needed, right? "Letting your feelings fly huh?" A being in his mind would say. Near would become quiet. "Im fine..."

Shou left his hair alone and let it fall back into his shoulder, looking at the other, "Nothing wrong with evil. Sometimes it's necessary. The world needs chaos to balance it out with peace." He continues, "And besides, you don't exactly have your sword at my neck, so I think you're okay." Shou sat down on the ground against the wall, "Anyway, no. I don't think what happens in the past matters. Unless it's something that you can learn from~" He would look down at his hair, "Really? I figured cutting it would make it look better.. Y'know, level it with the rest of my hair. Then again, if I cut my hair, I don't know how it'd look on my other half." He would sit up and look at him, "You sure you're fine? That was quite a fall.."

"Are you the Chaos... or are you the peace? The yin or the yang?" Near would ask him as he would turn his head towards the man. He had never felt this, especially not in another man. His fall had been exactly how he felt at this moment. 'Something about him.. makes me want to take him and run away. Something about him makes me feel like i have never been alone.' Near would remember his times with Father and the others. They were young, and they had their own scars to deal with. Near had been able to see these scars as clear as day. Those scars scared him away, but there had been mystery to this boy, more to him that Near wanted to know about. "Tell me something... I've never considered myself as Good or Evil. Especially after my accident. But in this world... If Good can't live without Evil, And Evil can't live without Good, who's job is it to balance the two out?"

Shou put his finger on his bottom lip and narrowed his eyes, "Hmmn.. Good question.. I personally think that they cancel each other out; at times, one may be more than the other,but the two cannot exist without the other. You can't push a sumo wrestler out of a ring that's caged~" He smirked and stood up, turning his head to the other, "And me? I'm neither good nor bad. I like to think that I do good sometimes, but I can't say that I'm a saint; I've been up to no good, especially when I was younger. Mischief, pranks, I've put a kid in the infirmary when I was a boy, all that kind of stuff. No one is perfect, and we all have darkness and light. It's up to us to feel both of them in stride, and take it all it has to offer. It's how we grow as people, and learn from our mistakes. Point is, don't consider yourself anything. Just be you. Do what feels right, and I'm sure you can't go wrong." Shou then looked up as it looks as it's about to rain, "Well.. I better get back to my pathetic shack~ It was nice to meet you, Near. Have a good one, eh?" He bowed, his ponytail hanging loosely before he turns to walk away.

Near watched him as he talked. His lips would utter the same words Father would say. This would make him smile. Closing his eyes he remembered his times with father. It was Dark in that village but that did not matter, it would build on his immunity to his fears as a child and his leadership of the little group called the Taoreta. Suddenly his train of thought was broken when the man spoke of the rain. "n..."Near would begin to speak but would stop himself. He would fight with his desire and remember he had to do what felt right. Near would jolt up and begin to walk toward the man. Grabbing him and spinning him around, his hand now touching his long hair, and leaning him back slightly. "So Much like me.... You are Neutral. But why is it hard to believe such a gorgeous guy like you could be so.... dangerous. When you seem so harmless." Near said as he looked into the man's eyes. He was lost in the universe that they had provided him. An Amazing Universe of love.

Shou was taken back by the sudden action, looking a bit surprised himself. He listened to the words and gave a short, kind smile, "Thanks, I guess? I don't think I'm all that good looking.. And it's nice that you consider me dangerous. I don't like to come off as dangerous though. I like to think i'm in the grey, rather the black or the white." He was about to speak again before a drop of something hit his head. He looked up as the sound of thunder roars through the atmosphere, rain beginning to pelt the ground, "I've always loved the rain. It helped me sleep, or gave me comfort. Especially with a warm bowl of ramen and warm tea while sitting by the open window~ It's wonderful.." Shou was spacing out, but then the rain picked up, snapping him out of it, "Whoops.. So.. Did you need something?" He tilted his head, his eyes peering straight into Near's.

Near would continue to look into his eyes. As he spoke his beautiful voice would sing to him like a lullaby. Near couldn't help but smile, as it got wider as the man spoke of how he loved the rain. "I love the thunder.... It calls out to me with its booming sounds. But when it rains..... it does something to me. I can't control myself.." Near would say as he became wet and cold.      "Ive been stuck in the hospital for a month now... And i know it would be weird for me to ask you this. But you've been one of the few people to actually speak to me since ive been let out. So..... Do you think you could offer me a place to stay for the night? You wouldn't want me to get sick, would you?" Near would say as he would let Shou go. Backing away about three feet and rubbing the back of his head. He was slightly embarrassed as he truly had no idea why he acted this way toward this man.

Shou smirked and nodded his head. This guy was a good listener. But something about him seemed a bit sad? "The thunder is nice too.. It sometimes makes me feel like I'm going to get struck, but then I realize that it's not lightening and I calm down. I tend to forget sometimes.." he scratches his head too. He perks up as the other boy asks him to stay, "I don't see why not~ I'll call the ramen delivery ninja and order up some bowls; we can enjoy the thunder and rain together, yea?" He gave a thumbs up and turned the other way, "C'mon. It's not a big place, as it's a shack. But it has the basics; and it's leak-proof, so I never have to worry about my home flooding~" He chuckled softly as the rain rolls down his cheeks, "Don't you have a home of your own? Parents?" He didn't want to pry, but they were simple questions. No harm in that, right? "Not that I don't want your company, honestly, eating is more enjoyable if you're eating with someone else. Not sure why."

Near would chuckle at Shou's fear of being struck by thunder. "Thunder and Lightning are a strong pair , ya' know.. Lightning is the quiet enemy, and Thunder is the Loud one. Everyone thinks its the same, But their just partners in crime. At least thats how i think of it...." Near would begin to pick up his things as he would listen to Shou's suggestion for the rest of the Night. "Sounds like a great plan, shou." Near would say as he smiled at the man. Turning around to pick up his shirt and cloak he would begin to hear it again. Two voices in his head. 'The boy is smooth.. He should take pride in that..' The darker voice would say. 'He's sweet too, should he not take pride in that?' The second boy said, this one seeming softer and having a voice of justice. Near would groan lightly. The two now had their backs turned to each other. Shaking his head he would quickly follow Shou. "Well im not from here... Im from a village that children were taught to be known as... Hell.. The village hidden deep underground." Near said as he referred to the children's story, A thousand steps to the Underground. It was a story that was banned by the villagers after the full insight was found. The first 100 steps were ripped from the story, The story of the Missing ninja, Father. "I Remember Only the face of my mother, and the death of my father, but they taught me this story. A Hundred steps and he would enter the depths: A lone ninja sent away. 200 steps before he slept: His mind would mature and his body would wilt. 300 steps and he would reach the webb: Built of chaos and hung to dry by peace.... That's all they knew... But i found out the last part... A thousand steps and he would never misstep: A world balanced through Hate and Love A world Buried underground........ The rest is fuzzy like every other memory i lost." Near said as he felt the rain hit his bare body ignoring Shou's comment about eating with another being enjoyable.

As they made their way to Shou's residence, he listened to his story of his home. Shou looked over his shoulder and tilted his head, "Well... That sounds like an interesting story.. What was it like living underground?" They suddenly turned into the alleyway leading into the less wealthy area of the village. It wasn't too bad, but most of the buildings were shacks or homes built in the side of a sandy mountain. It seems that Shou didn't live like most people, but it was better than being homeless, right? "So.. This is the district in which I live... Not much to look at, but it's a good neighborhood. Friendly people too." As they continue, Shou felt as though he could speak more of himself, "I was born here in the village. My father was a member of the Inuzuka and my mother was one of the Kurama clan. I'm not sure why there aren't many Kurama left, but I was born with the ability to manifest my genjutsu into realistic, physical attacks. Apparently, mom's clan had a natural affinity for genjutsu." As he speaks, they approach a sturdy looking wooden shack. Despite the rain pouring all over the shack, it shows no sign of leaking or damage. "Well.. Here it is.. Come on, let's not get any more wet." As Shou opens the door, he allows Near to enter.

Near continued behind him, he would sigh after he finished his story. "It was.... Dark." Near said as he remembered the darkness and the only spec of light was the artificial sun. "The Sun was dimmer there.... It was closer.. It was something you could reach for and maybe you could touch it." Near followed the boy through the alleyway and into a less fabulous area of the village. Near would look in slight awe at the man-made buildings embedded in the side of the huge sandy mountain. Near listened to shou speak. A Though would come to his mind. 'How friendly?' he asked himself. 'This boy could be of some use one day. Don't you think, Near?' A voice would say in the distance of his mind. Near would ignore this comment. They would finally reach the shack. Looking at the large piece of wood he would smile. "It looks lovely...... like you." He'd laugh a little and walking into the shack hoping Shou would be following closely behind him. He would grab for his back and pull him close. A smile would appear on his face, but he would be too afraid to do anymore.

Shou disregarded what Near says and walks in behind him, "Well.. Here it is. Not much to look at, but it's cozy." He closes the door and picks up a small note by the door and a small brush, obviously writing a note. Shou sends out a letter on a small bird, flying out the door as Shou cracks it open and closes it again. "Ramen should be here soon. Make yourself at home." He stretches and sits down by a window, rain tapping against the glass. "Mind telling me more about yourself? Do you like to spar?" Shou turns and smiles, "I like to spar!" He slowly slips his wet kimono off, the right side of his body bearing tattoos of a floral pattern. His arms seem bandaged, but doesn't look injured. Maybe it was for asthetics? He used his kimono to dry off his hair and looked to Near with a grin, his chest glistening with moisture. He tosses the kimono top to Near, "Here, dry your hair off."

Near would listen to the man as he released the bird. Near watched the man's every move. Every single careful movement. He would smile slightly and look down. putting his hand over his chest he'd hear his soft words. A man that liked to spar, so he wanted to be strong, or he had something to prove that only power could do? But the question directed to him would still flow through his mind. What did near like? As he would part his lips and look up he'd begin to speak. "I like.... b...." He would begin to stutter and suddenly stop. Shou had taken his kimono off and began to dry himself off. His body glistened like a handsome man slowly leaving the water and the sun's rays causing his body to glow. Near would gasp, it had been amazing. "Beauty.." He would finally say as he tried to look away. He would grab for his kimono as he offered it. Using it to dry off his short hair he would then try to fix it. "But its hard to remember what i did like... hard to remember most things about myself... maybe i... maybe i like the human bodies and how they're made up.. Or maybe I like the chaos and disorder of the world? Maybe the seven sins... People say i resemble Pride on my good days.." Near said as he would sit on the ground. Looking up at the man he would bask in his beauty and masculinity.

Shou, seemingly listening without any form of disgust or uncertainty, quickly slips off his wet hakama, his boxers forming out his hips and crotch area. He turns around to grab a new, dry hakama, as he does so, it almost seems like he's mooning Near; his round, plump rear under the silky cloth of the boxers almost teasing Near. He turns back around and slips on a new one, walking to the window to sit down. "Sins, huh? I think that's pretty cool. I'm kind of a chaotic guy myself. Mischief and what not." He tilts his head at Near, "If you'd like, you can change into some of my clothes for the night and hang up your current ones while they dry. Should be fine by tomorrow." He leans back against the window, the patter of water soothing his mind. "Nothing wrong with forgetting too. Just means you can learn again, right?" He smiles a friendly, toothy grin. "Nothin's better than learning~"

Near could no longer speak as he watched shou. His face would turn red and his mouth would slightly drop. Something occurred to himself. Something private that occurred once every few years. "....I...." He would begin to say something but it would hardly slip from his mouth. He didn't know how to react so he would quickly turn away from Shou. 'Amazing.. his body... every part of it is like it was chiseled by the gods.' Even though Near was looking away his shadows could now help but watch as well. His Right eye becoming null as it turned white, Near would close it. This allowed for him to see things through the shadows. 'Amazing.' He thought as Shou would bend over. "we should get into a little mischief.." Near would utter. Near would shake his head slightly as he heard shou. His clothes were dripping. "I guess." He said as he would begin to undress. As he looked around for somewhere to sit his clothes, He would stand there in nothing but his underwear. "Whatever i've learned in my life... Probably didnt lead me down the right path. After all i was found in that river.. And even i can remember my blood flowing out of me and down that river. But that river made me..... i was reborn." He said as he woul close his eyes and remember that river... that blood... and the push that started it all.

Shou nodded to what Near had said, "I'm not sure I completely understand.." Just then, there was a knock at the door. Before any reaction could be made, Shou had already sprinted to the door and flung it open, "RAMEN!?" Shou was already panting in hunger. A kunoichi lady smiled and giggled, "Yes yes, here's the usual, Shou. And another for a.. Friend?" She tilts her head at him, almost too curious, "Not that it's any of my business~" She hands him two covered boxes, Shou taking them with haste. "Yea! You made sure to add some squid to mine, right?" She nodded and smiled warmly, giving him a thumbs up, "Of course! Well, I gotta make some more runs. Enjoy!" She bowed before hopping off into the distance. Shou closed the door and rushed over to Near, handing him his bowl and some chopsticks. "Enjoy! The best ramen in the village!"

Shou sat down beside Near and began to slurp the ramen from the bowl. He wasn't sure what Near liked, so he simply got him the original recipe of the ramen shop. Shou was a messy eater, as he loved to eat. A few drops even dripped onto his chest. "Oh man, this stuff is good!" He bit into the small fried tentacle and smacked his lips, "The squid packs a punch..!" He was obviously a happy eater as well. "Well, go ahead and try it~"

Near would watch as Shou would open the door and grab the bowls of ramen as he thought to himself. 'This woman must be a real trooper, after all shes delivering ramen in the rain.' He thought as he would slightly watch her. She would catch a glimpse of him and he would give a slight smile and wave. As Shou would quickly come back inside and hand him his bowl of ramen. "Thanks." He would say as he looked at it for a second. "Wow... looks nice... well at least its better then hospital food." He would say with a slight giggle. Breaking his chopsticks he would begin to eat the ramen. 'This taste like shit. how about some blood and guts huh? it'd be soooo much Better Near.' The voice in his head would say as he continued to eat it. He ignored the fact that Pride downed the ramen before letting the taste set in his mouth.

"I won't lie.. i think its amazing...." He said with a smile. He would finish the bowl and listen to the pitter pattering of the rain against the window. It was soothing, and soft. It made him want to fall asleep and never wake up. 'You shoulda died at that river if all we were gonna do is sit here and eat some damn ramen.' his inner voice would say. As he would lower his head. His expression would change slightly, a frown would appear and he would rub his temples. "I... um ... i Should probably get going shou. Its gonna get late and i think i should catch the Kage before he disappears, just to see if he has a place for me to stay, ya know." Near said as he stood up and put his hand out toward shou. He was looking for a shake, a shaking of hands some would say it was how men showed their strength to each other.