Blizzard in the Market? Why Yes, Yes It Is. (Open.)

It had been a quiet day. Warm, pleasant even. Typical for the time of year, or so Gen had been told. He was used to short summers spent working on the large garden that supplied all the vegetables and what fruit they didn't forage for; hunting for the meat they would dry and the hides they would tan. That was a lifetime ago; far gone and a hazy dream.

The day would have remained as such until Gen wandered past. Oh, he was calm enough at the time; he was merely taking a walk; one of the few times he was allowed outside of the suite of rooms he was allowed. It was nothing fancy; and he was almost certain it was underground; likely in the ANBU barracks or somewhere nearby. He was a puppet weapon after all, it wouldn't do to lose track of such a valuable possession. If he cared to pay attention; he would have seen a flash of a shadow just at the extreme edge of his vision; his ANBU handler for the day. Ready to stop him if he went feral or something; or if some idiot caused him to snap. Not difficult, given how sensitive he was over certain subjects.

He'd just been walking down the street, glancing into the windows of the shops; maybe even stopping to spend the small allotment of ryo he'd been allowed to spend that day. He was supposed to replenish whatever weapons he needed; and whatever was left was his to spend. Given he carried little on the way of things that needed replenishing; his physical blades where well maintained as he rarely had anything to do but service them; just a few kunai and a replacement explosion tag; he was left with enough to actually enjoy himself a bit.

Hell, he even had a soft smile on his face; the tension normally around his eyes had melted some, making him look... well, almost human; if not for the icy blue of his eyes and the snow white of his hair; not to mention the long rabbit ears atop his head. Sui was riding there as well, nestled safely in his hair where she wouldn't fall, and was insulated from the warm sun by his hair. He had just been holding a conversation with her, talking about a robe he'd seen on display in a window; his voice barely audible and the conversation going something to the effect of:

"It's a very nice color."

"....."

"Well yes, the fabric does look a bit thick, but it doesn't hurt to have something warm."

"....."

"I don't think it would be too itchy."

"....."

"I do not scratch myself with my feet, Sui. That was always you."

"....."

"Well, someone's in a rude mood today."

He was bothering no one, and had the owner of the shop not come outside, he would have eventually moved on; the robe was a tad to expensive for him that day; but it was something he could look forward to buying the next time he was allowed outside. Unfortunately for everyone present; the owner was not someone familiar with the rules that governed how to handle Gen. He made the one mistake that you never make. Ever.

He asked whom Gen was speaking too.

Gen was polite at first; he always was. He responded calmly, not bothered at the early moment. He was speaking to his sister, Sui.

"But sir... there's no one there."

"She is right here, sitting on my head."

"Er, that's just a ball of snow."

"..."

And then the temperature dropped like a stone. The one thing you NEVER did in Gen's presence was call Sui a ball of snow. In his hand, a glaze of white ice appeared, growing and shaping into a blade made of ice so thin it was almost crystal-clear, only visible because of the glacial blue tint and the haze of fog wafting from the super-chilled blade. Gen's eyes had hardened to match; shining like stormy waters filled with razor sharp glaciers. His anger was ignited; the voices in his mind where calling for blood. The blood of the shop owner, the blood of everyone and everything within eyesight. The windows on the shops went cloudy, ringed with growing layers of ice; frost on the leaves of the plants; puddles of water in the allies freezing over quickly.

The rabbit was angry; and if someone didn't snap him out of it soon; there would be blood running down the streets of Kirigakure for days to come.

{Enter}


Sylvanas had been at the ANBU Headquarters all day, taking training sessions from the undercover operatives of the organization. It was unusual, this talent of hers. She was a gifted, young individual who had a graceful stir in her soul, something that said she was different but at the same time unique. She did not consider herself a genius however, as vanity and arrogance lead to ignorance and death. She does whatever she can to please her Sensei, Reynado, and her country, Kirigakure. She has even volunteered as one of the headsman of an organization she has been trying to start, one she could run efficiently and effectively. It would be used for gathering information, spying, private Mizukage contracts and bodyguard contracts, and they would be responsible for hunting down any shinobi who may be unfortunate enough to abandon their country. These shinobi would furthermore be known as Hunter-Ninja. They would receive the same treatment as the ANBU Black Ops, on a skill level up to par, and even greater. Only the most elite shinobi would be allowed entry to this exclusive affair.

Her eyes fell upon a man, a rather unique looking one. His clothing showed that of a monk, so Sylvanas assumed he would have been highly disciplined and quick to anger. Her assumption only proved correct once she saw him begin to snap upon the fool before him. Sylvanas pitied the fool, momentarily. But her eyes were scanning Gen, she was gathering intelligence about him through his appearance. His aura showed that of a snowy day in a tundra, or a village leaving in peace, where light snows fall from the sky every day. Sylvanas assumes this meant he possesses Water Release, and most likely some kind of Ice Release, which also meant he would have had Wind Release as well. This was a dangerous one, highly skilled and highly pissed off. If Sylvanas didn't move fast, shit was going to pop off quicker than you can yell yolo.

Sylvanas used her superior speed, stopping a short sprint about twelve feet from Gen, looking at him. The humid wind blew across her skin, brushing her clothing delicately in the continued sway. Her white hair flowed down from her shortly cut bangs, which shadowed just above the browline, reflecting her bright baby blue eyes that actually seemed to have a light glow to them. After framing her face, her sidebangs carry down and stop just above her breasts, while the back of her hair is in a tied, taut ponytail, which fluffily flourishes to just above her buttock. She was a Jounin, classified as an S-Rank Shinobi, so she wore a Kirigakure Military Official Badge upon her small, but present neck collar, tan in color. This was furthered by her Flak Jacket, padded leather outer kevlar, able to absorb the intial blow of maybe one or two kunai, while cotton and wool-tipped insulators lay on the inside, allowing the body to feel and rest comfortably at a swimming 98.7 degrees farenheit. This allows for ease of movement, defense, and it represents her village. This was the standard female Jounin uniform given to those of this position.

The shirt stopped just above her upper thigh, belted by a blue colored cotton headband, the Kirigakure Insignia engraved onto it, as well as another next to it on the right. The Kanji, Ookami, or Wolf, is what is bore next to it. This stems back to Sylvanas and her analytical, technical attacking strategies, where she literally tears her opponents to shreds, or they die from exposure to her Water Techniques, and Conjugation Method Attack Patterns. She was highly skilled in Stealth Maneuvers, and was considered a Master of Silent Killing, her skill being second to none. In addition to this, she was also known to be extremely proficient with the Hidden Mist Technique, so much in fact, it is rumored she has created her own special technique that manipulates Water at its cellular level, turns it into Mist, and literally freezes the enemy to death. Her shorts stopped just above her knee, a tight band around her thigh, a bandage underneath it, whilst a satchel lay upon it, also blue in color. Sylvanas also wore a beautiful ornate necklace. Not large, but not small in size either. The perfect size for a girl. Her legs were slender and nicely toned, complimented by her tanned white skin. Her feet were comprised of footpads with rubber-tipped cotton insulation on the underside, which allows her to be extremely quiet, but providing protection from Lightning attacks.

She looked at Gen, scorning his behavior. Once a seemingly icy blade was shown, she stepped in. "You, Jounin," She said, noting his Jounin status from the notes she keeps on the village populace. "You seem like a reasonable man, and an honorable, disciplined one at that. Do you think it is reasonable to completely slaughter a shopkeep because he said something? Words matter not.. Only action shows the type of man you are. You are better than this, and to avoid getting court-marshaled, I'd highly advise stepping down, Sir." Sylvanas took a breath. "I assure you, I mean no disrespect, and I have no wishes to fight you. I am just asking you to consider the possible result of your actions." She'd glance at the shopkeep, then back at Gen. She looked at him, hoping to get a response. She was thirteen, but she spoke like a mature adult. She said this not to disrespect him, but to warn him of possible consequences and the foolishness of his actions, hoping he would come around and realize this as well. She wasn't quite sure how he would react, but she assumed it might be a little difficult to get him to calm down completely, which is why she spoke so blunty before. Sylvanas hoped her words of choice weren't blunt enough to get him fired up into a puff of smoke.

Blood....

Blood....

Bloooood....

A chorus of madness in his mind; blocking out the sliver of sanity he maintained on any given day. Everything was the trapper; everyone was the enemy. He'd protect Sui this time; just like all the others. Not until the world was red with warm blood would she be safe. Not until he'd killed everything would the voices let him have peace again.

He'd take being locked away for another 6 months just to find some peace.

His blade was locked at the shopkeeper's throat; a bead of blood forming where the tip had split his flesh just a hair deep; the voice of the female had reached him just enough to cause pause. It was no sign of anything; merely a quirk of his rage; he never killed female's without orders; and for a split second he'd believed it was Sui's voice breaking through the fog; telling him to stop and that she was okay. Alas, it was not. It was... some stranger; a child? Maybe a child, maybe an adult; maybe a beast. He didn't fully know.

"You seem like a reasonable man, and an honorable, disciplined one at that. Do you think it is reasonable to completely slaughter a shopkeep because he said something? Words matter not.. Only action shows the type of man you are. You are better than this, and to avoid getting court-marshaled, I'd highly advise stepping down, Sir." Sylvanas took a breath. "I assure you, I mean no disrespect, and I have no wishes to fight you. I am just asking you to consider the possible result of your actions.""

Jounin....? What was that? It sounded like a title; something that he'd never hea-... oh, right. That thing they gave him right before they sent him away for 6 months of hell; right before he was locked away for nearly a year. No sunlight... no Sui... he'd nearly killed himself; that was the only reason he'd been given the 'walks', as his handlers put it.

"I am a weapon. Nothing more. My only existence is to kill."

The shopkeeper was starting to choke from more than just fear now; he'd be blubbering something about mercy, and had long since pissed himself in abject terror. Now, it was pain that was making him sputter; a thin sheen of ice was spreading from the blade, the sheer cold of it enough to freeze flesh and bone.

"No one can question my sister and live."

Or at least until the shadow that had been following at a distance decided to step in. A seagull masked ANBU, his handler for the day; one of the few within the ANBU that the Mizukage trusted enough to handle his puppet weapon. The ANBU appeared standing beside Gen, hand on the ice blade and wrapped in fire so hot that it caused the blade to shatter; saving the shopkeeper and causing Gen to pause. "Down, Rabbit."

A simple phrase, a simple trigger. Hidden by his robes; a seal over his heart; one that shuts his chakra network down and sealed his physical strength to little more than a civilian's. The seal would hold until released by his main handler once he was returned to the cell he was kept in. Gen's arm dropped; and with it the temperature normalized; the frost that had spread from his body disappearing and leaving just wet bricks, glass, and grasses behind. "You have 20 minutes left."

Gen's eyes had returned to the solid blocks of glacial ice they normally where; an effect of the seal was to empty his mind to a state of near nothingness; enough to allow him to function, but not enough to 'think'. He would wander around and whatnot until fetched for his return to his cage. The shopkeeper would get bribed to be silent, and no one would be any the wiser of the village's little weapon.

"Oh course... 20 minutes..."

Sylvanas looked at the man, ice began melting from every direction his weapon of destruction had been. But, the fact that he revealed his natural talents made Sylvanas realize just how clearly interpreted her assumption about his fighting style was. Judging by the fact that he had to be escorted around by an ANBU Black Operative, most likely a powerful one at that; it simply meant that this man was who he was in rank because of nothing more than sheer prowess. Sylvanas felt the same as he did, the lethality of your mind and the blood of fallen staining your hands. Although Sylvanas differed in the quality in which she did not enjoy bathing in the blood of her enemies, whereas Gen here, well, he probably drank it afterward.

She peered at the man, his ANBU noting some kind of time limit in which the odd looking shinobi was given. Free time? Sylvanas thought. Hmm.. This man is no prisoner, but he certainly isn't mentally stable enough to be an officer.. Though his aura is ominous, and deathly.. She was trying to think of rational explanations as to who this man was, and why he needed an escort. I remember hearing a story about a boy who, during his time in the Academy, hospitalized a bully and nearly obliterated a city block.. He had rabbit ears, and matches this mans description.. If this is the same man.. Then.. It hit her like a ton of bricks. This shinobi must be Gen of the Kazabana clan, and that ANBU Guard is not simply an escort. He is actually an elite bodyguard, most likely one of the higher ranking shinobi Captain's in the Mizukage's private military. She had heard stories of this man and his power.

She'd stare at him, unsure of what to say. Bowing her head, she formally introduced herself to the man. "I am Sylvanas Kazesousha, also known as Ookami, the Wolf of the Hidden Mist. It is a pleasure to meet a man of your caliber." She'd smile, also noting the ANBU, scanning his body, and finally finding a signature as to who he was. "I have heard rumor of your capabilities, and it is nothing short of an honor to stand in your presence, a vessel whom stands so closely to our Mizukage with unwavering loyalty. You are who I hope to become one day." She was excited, but she didn't show it through her emotional facade. It was highly important for a shinobi to show no weaknesses, and among these weaknesses, were emotions. Strengthening, weakening and deadly at the same time.

Gen merely stared; a look of almost confusion on his face now that the seal was settling in. He wouldn't remember anything he'd done for a while yet; so the scent of abject terror in the air was enough to have his reduced brainpower overloading. Or maybe it was just an effect of the seal; he would never know, so long as it was placed on him. Words, those did draw his attention this time. Praise? Or something similar; enough to pull a hint of a blush,a hint of a smile back to his pale face. He really was childlike in many ways; he never learned how to take complements and such, so he was easily embarrassed by them.

"I... am what I am, nothing more. The Mizukage... saved me... from.... I don't remember.... but it was something terrible. I don't want to remember..."

That was partially the seal speaking; he literally couldn't remember anything while it was active; beyond his name and his purpose. The rest... he really didn't want to remember anything about that day; even if he was forced to every waking moment.

"You are... like me...? A weapon.... yes?"

Sylvanas would have looked at him, his pale face startling in a smirk, and his cheeks becoming an enlightened rosy hue, which was highly surprising to her. She hadn't expected someone of such power to act so.... Child-like. He was blushing, and that was very clear to Sylvanas, and although she did not know how to handle the situation, she did her best to analyze his response. He had taken a liking to the words of admiration as far as she could tell. But, at the same time, she could see that even he was unsure about how to approach the situation. She flashed a smile and let out a light giggle to help in lightening the mood. "What you are is gifted.. And that is a beautiful thing in itself."" And this was true, as Sylvanas knew exactly what it meant to be gifted.

However, she had an entire demeanor shift when he had asked her the next question. He asked her if she was like him, in the sense that he was a weapon. She pondered upon it for a moment, skipping a few rocks in her head. Finally coming to a logical explanation as to her feelings about the question, she took a deep breath. "Honestly, I believe any shinobi must be a weapon, because we are used as such.. Regardless of how one should feel, we are tools of war. Expendable, dust in the wind.." She'd look away for a moment. "I am only thirteen years old, but I have seen the world in a different light than most who share my birth era. I feel as though knowing you are nothing more than a weapon of war when you sign up to join the Academy. This is a solid fact, statement and testament, a life-altering change of course. Only through perseverance, dedication and blood can you gain the satisfaction of your village." She'd look back at him, her pale, almost glowing white eyes peering into his soul. ".. In short, yes.. I am like you." She'd laugh, adjusting the mask which hangs from her side.

The male's head tilted slightly to the right; her words filtered into his mind with the speed of molasses in January. Because of this, he was slow to reply; long moments stretching into time infinite as he processed her reply. When he was done, a hint of life returned to his eyes; his focus returning to her.

"I was taken... My life... was not this one... A forest... a home... Lost... I was saved... and became this..."

The tips of his ears began to droop forward somewhat, a sign of sadness in the boy that didn't reach his face. His expression was overall empty; beyond the subtle hints of awkward. "Choice... was never mine... but a purpose was given... that is enough..."

His display of sorrow indeed was sad, and Sylvanas was unsure of how to respond. But, she had just returned from a mission, and was asked to visit the Mizukage's office. It was actually what she was out to do when she came across the man before her. But she couldn't just leave him like this. She looked at him with pity. "Then perhaps that is your reason to be alive.. Maybe you aren't here to make choices, but merely enforce them. And, yes.. I can believe that is enough." She scratched her arm.

She'd smile big at him, unsure of what else to do as she scratched the back of her head in an awkward gesture. "Hey, I've gotta get to the Mizukage's office.. Maybe I will see you around? It was more than a pleasure and honor meeting you. She'd giggle at him, waving. Activating the body flicker, she quickly exited the area.

{EXIT}

Gen stood there for a long time, head still tilted as he worked over what was said. He was there quietly until his guard returned; early at that, knowing he wouldn't go anywhere anyway, and it was just better to take him back to his 'cage.'

Maybe he would meet her again the next time he was allowed outside. He didn't know, nor was he able to think about it just yet. Oh well.

He was gone in a flash, the ANBU taking him along for the ride via a special technique only known to him and his comrades.

-Exit-