Fandom The Bright Side (redletalis x MasketCat)

[redletalis]

Name: Yamaguchi Rihito
Age: 22
Rank: ANBU Captain​

The mission had been forwarded from the Fire Country Daimiyo, and it requested the removal of an uppity minor lord who was attempting to stage a coup. There was an addendum about making a spectacle that would scare others off from trying to do the same. It took Rihito about a week to get there, and most of that time was spent on high-speed travel. When he reached his destination he spent a few hours simply watching and then when night came, Rihito made his way unseen into the castle of the local lord. Silently killing everyone he came across he arranged them theatrically as requested. It was easy work for him and not even the lord's guards stood a chance. The lord himself and his wife were dealt with swiftly and without trouble, but when Rihito entered the next room he froze up.

Children. There were children there. Two innocent children that couldn't be allowed to live.

Rihito made their deaths as quick and painless as he could and then left the castle and the area. The deed would be discovered in the morning and the news would reach the Daimiyo soon as well by carrier pigeon. Rihito had the dead lord's seal covered in the man's blood in his pouch, ready to be presented as proof of death.

He was barely out of the valley the town was situated in when the shivers became shakes and he nearly fell out of the tree. Landing harshly on the ground on all fours and desperately ripping the ANBU mask off before pulling down the cloth-mask underneath. A second later he threw up. For a moment Rihito feared poison or genjutsu, but then pushed the thought away. He hadn't gotten injured and the mask would have filtered air-borne poisons. And if this was a genjutsu then it was easily tested. Biting his lip until it bled Rihito leaned back against the trunk of the closest tree. There was no genjutsu. What instead came to the forefront of his mind were two small, sleeping children, and a desperate sob quickly choked off.

Perhaps it was time to visit his assigned touchstone when he reached Konoha.

The journey back to Konoha passed in a bit of a blur of green, brown and nightmares. He reached the gates after nightfall, and checked in at the desk on the wall rather than trying to go through the gates themselves. The ninja on duty up there didn't look up from what she was reading and simply let him sign in with a special piece of chakra-paper. People up here on guard duty were paid not to notice who came and went unless it was an enemy who failed the chakra-paper test.

Since even the Hokage had to sleep it was the Jounin Commander who had the night shift. Rihito barely showed up long enough for Shikaku to see him there and to drop off a preliminary report, before he left again. Now, his usual procedure would have been to head to his apartment and wallow in the darkness. He would probably throw up a couple of more times as well when the act truly sunk in. It was normal. He was used to it, and the thought of changing the routine when so little of his life was routine in any way, shape or form, scared him almost senseless.

But the thought of letting the darkness swallow him again was just as scary, if not even scarier. He knew what lay down that path. He had seen it happen to countless ANBU, had seen the results and the "killed in action" slips delivered to family if there was any family left that hadn't been chased off by then. Hell, he had felt how crushing the darkness could be on his own body. If he followed this path any further he was certain that he would be dead before the year was up.

He stopped on a rooftop and looked westwards, pinpointing the home of his assigned touchstone easily. For a moment he hesitated, but then he gave in.He had to admit it, he was desperate. This time around he did need someone to help him come down from the mission.

He stopped on the rooftop opposite the apartment he had memorised, and focused on the person inside. He needed a touchstone, but his touchstone would have to invite him in. Strict rules and regulations that had to be followed for the safety of the weaker touchstones. Understandable, but right now Rihito couldn't help but curse those rules. They gave him far too much time to crash into the darkness, or to chicken out of it and running away.

Picking up a small pebble, Rihito hesitated for one more moment before he threw it at the window of his touchstone's living room. He almost winced at the loud sound it made when it hit the glass. Right. He wasn't going to throw a second time, and if no one showed up in the next minute then he was free to go without guilt.

It didn't help that he wasn't even certain if he wanted someone to be at home, or not. It was all rather confusing.

 

[MaskedCat]

Name: Miyasato Shimei
Age: 20
Occupation: Café Owner
​

The day had proceeded just like any other day in the village. His café was not very well-known throughout the hidden village, but it did have its loyal regulars. Shimei had helped in the kitchen with the cook while his other two employees worked the front. It was a lazy day so they did not get that many customers besides the regulars who came in everyday for lunch. It always made him smile whenever he saw someone with a happy smile in his café since he liked helping people very much. He also had a love for cooking which is what led to him buying this small building and turning it into his dream café.

His café has only been open for three months now but he very much adored it. Shimei saved up to buy this place by working for one of the larger restaurants located in the village. It took him what felt like forever to be able to afford this place along with the renovations that would have to take place, but he finally did it and he couldn't have been happier. His boyfriend, Ieyoshi, even took him out to celebrate the same day he bought the future café and that was a very happy day for him. He wanted to give people reason to smile every single day even if tomorrow looked bleak.

That was also why he became a touchstone for an ANBU sometime ago. However, he hasn't actually been in contact with the ANBU he was assigned to quite a while ago. He was worried about the unknown ninja, but he never actively sought the other out. The ANBU will come to him when he wanted to and not before that. Shimei would just have to patiently wait for the ANBU to seek him out when he was ready to have a touchstone. Though he hoped that day would come swiftly for he was the slightest bit concerned about the ANBU's absence.

Currently, Shimei was alone in his small yet cozy house after coming home from the café after locking the doors. He had just finished eating dinner and was now washing the dirtied dishes. Ieyoshi visited him during his lunch break earlier and told him that he wouldn't be able to make it to their weekly dinner that night. Shimei was understanding of his boyfriend's absence and never held those times against him. There was always a sacrifice to be made no matter what anyone decided to do be it small or large.

Shimei had just finished washing the last dish when he heard something loud in the living room. He blinked, surprised, and put down the almost dried plate down to the side of the sink. He took a brief second to wipe the steam from the hot water off his glasses before making his way into the living room through the plain doorway arch. He glanced around the living room and saw that nothing looked unusual. He then turned his gaze onto the window and stepped towards it.

Shimei flipped the lock on the window and pushed it up. He poked his head out and curiously glanced around for the source of the loud sound. That was when he saw who could only be an ANBU nearby. He was very surprised to see an ANBU nearby and wondered if this was the ANBU who was assigned to him. Has the time finally come? He did not know if it was true or not, but there was one way he could find out if he was this ANBU's touchstone.

Shimei brought his hands up and swiftly made the special hand signs that he had repeated over and over again before going to bed. Each touchstone and ANBU pair had their own special hand signs in order to identify each other when needed. That was why Shimei studied his hand signs each and every night before bed to make sure that he could do them without fail. Ieyoshi had often told him that such actions was not needed, but he ignored the snorting remark from him and kept on practicing.

 

[redletalis]

It felt like ages and yet no time at all before a person appeared in the window and slid it open without care about who could lurk right above them, ready to snap or slice an unprotected neck. Warm light came from inside, lighting the rooftops around them and just barely missing Rihito's shadowed form. It was like they were from two completely different worlds, one representing the light of Konoha and the other representing the darkness of a shinobi village.

He returned the hand-signs, struggling to keep them smooth and at a speed that the other could actually see and understand in the darkness. It was difficult, his hands wanted to grab for weapons and throw, stab, slice, kill. The second that was done, Rihito was crouching on the windowsill from one heartbeat to another. He gripped the sill next to him so tightly that the claws at the end of his long gloves reacted, snapped out and bit into the wood. Rihito didn't care, he was focused on the young man in front of him.

He was a civilian according to his reactions, a year or two younger than Rihito, and open. His eyes were open, like windows to hirs soul. There was nothing in those eyes resembling the closed-off nature of an ANBU's eyes. This person was emotional and compared to ANBU he wore his heart on his sleeve, and he didn't seem likely to change anytime soon. The perfect person for a touchstone. Rihito carefully stepped into the room, digging poisonous claws out of the windowsill. But he didn't move further than that and his eyes, though hidden by the white mask with red swirls, never left the man's form.

He couldn't make himself move further into the small apartment, couldn't stop himself from analysing his every breath, his every twitch. Being here was almost as scary as facing the darkness. Rihito was barely hanging on, barely forcing himself to stay still with the window at his back. He feared that he would flee or attack or break if he tried to move now. But he needed to do something in order to calm down. That was the point of coming here, right? He had faced death many times, this shouldn't have been so scary.

What did he need in order to come ut of mission mode? Usually he was either totally fine and didn't need help, or he had worked himself into a coma from chakra depletion and woke up tired but normal in the hospital or amongst his team members - well, as normal as an ANBU ever got. But being forced to think like this, to focus on something other than the mission, was good. He felt a bit lighter, a bit more relaxed already, however it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough, and he could snap back into the darkness with a single wrong move.

He didn't want to be surrounded by death anymore. He needed to feel life around himself.

Rihito slowly, hesitantly, haltingly lifted one black-clad arm and reached out for the man. The claws hidden in his long gloves were deadly and poisonous, and he needed all his control to keep them from reacting to his chakra and snapping out. Rihito didn't want to kill him, he didn't want to be known as an uncontrollable touchstone-killer, he just... he just wanted...

Watching the civilian carefully Rihito placed his hand gently over his heart. The beat was strong, regular, it was working perfectly. Pure and powerful, strong and steady, pulsing beautifully. It was moving through his skin and into Rihito, slowly drawing all his focus to it.

It was warmth. It was comfort. It was life.

 

[MaskedCat]

Shimei brightened when the ANBU made the hand signs that identified him as his assigned ANBU. It appeared that the time has indeed come. Though he had to wonder just what made the ANBU come and visit him. Perhaps the other just came back from a mission? That was understandable since the ANBU did deal with certain missions that the normal ninja of the village did not. There was a reason why the ANBU had touchstones, after all. He just hoped that he'd be able to help his assigned ANBU.

He blinked in surprise when the ANBU was suddenly on his windowsill. He knew that ninjas moved faster than civilians did, but it still caught him by surprise every single time. Ieyoshi always took advantage of that to sometimes scare him. It also didn't help that sometimes he could be completely unobservant of his surroundings. That was something his boyfriend always pointed out whenever Shimei had trouble finding something only to realize that it was in a very obvious place.

He took a few steps away from the window in order to allow the ANBU more space to come in. He knew that most people in the village were scared of the ANBU and probably would be quite nervous to have one in their home, but Shimei was not like most people. He even ignored the fact that the ANBU's claws had dug into the wood around the windowsill since it was not important at the moment. He could always have it replaced at a later date or have Ieyoshi try to fix it first. Right now, the only important thing on his mind was the ANBU in front of him.

Shimei just quietly stood there, staring at the ANBU. He did not wish to alarm the other by making any movements since he was told that ANBU can be very tense when first meeting their touchstone. He also did not wish to say anything in fear of breaking the critical moment. It was best to let the ANBU make the first move to allow him to control the situation. There was a reason why civilians were touchstones and that was because they were weaker than the ANBU. The fact that he was weaker should put the ANBU's mind at some sort of ease since he wouldn't have to fear Shimei attacking or anything like that. Besides, the ANBU can always overpower him if it was necessary.

He curiously watched as the ANBU extended an arm towards him. He could feel the light weight of the other's hand press against his chest and was puzzled about it. Was the ANBU feeling for his heartbeat? He understood that death is part of being a ninja and it must be a big part of being an ANBU. Perhaps feeling his heartbeat comforted the other. He hoped that somewhat helped the other calm the other down.

This was his first time being a touchstone and he very much wanted to be of some help to this ANBU. He may of took some training courses in order to be a touchstone, but this is the real thing. Shimei very much wanted to be a good touchstone for this ANBU since no one desired a life centered around only death and missions. He wanted to help bring in a spark of life in this ANBU's day so he'd try his hardest to do his best.

Seeing that the ANBU made first contact and all, Shimei believed that it was safe to greet the other. "Hello," he softly said with a small smile. "Welcome to my house."

 

[redletalis]

Rihito's muscles tensed automatically, claws digging lightly into the skin right above his hear as the civilian spoke up. His brain still ran through the half-a-dozen moves the civilian could make in their current situation, and all of those were lethal and well within even a trained civilian's range of skills. If he factored in the possibility of the young man being an ANBU-level implant or spy in the village, then the count of lethal skills at this range went up to fifteen. He should know, his brain was rushing through them one by one.

But the clock ticked on. One minute, five minutes, ten minutes passed without anything happening. Warmth from his body, from the sheer softness of his skin seeped into Rihito as the minutes ticked by, rushing up from where they touched and along his arm and then settled somewhere in the region of his heart. Rihito started relaxing again. The claws on his gloves luckily hadn't broken any skin so the civilian was safe, and he allowed the steady drum of the heartbeat to enter his body and run through him again, slowly synchronising his own heartbeat with the other's.

It was calming, it was life and it anchored it at the very edge of the cold darkness, but it wasn't quite enough to bring him completely back. If he left now then he would most likely simply snap back into mission-mode and everything would be wasted. He needed just a bit more... perhaps... maybe...

Rihito slowly, carefully reached out with his other hand and put it on his shoulder and silently urged the young man to turn around. Stepping up behind him, Rihito wrapped his arms around him, grabbing his wrists in a firm hold with one hand, while lifting the other to rest over his beating heart again.

Rihito hesitated for a moment before he leaned his chin on the other's shoulder, right next to the exposed neck. A slender neck. He could easily get his hands around it and snap it. Another five ways to kill him came into mind, and his eyes clenched shut in an effort to keep those thoughts in check. The edge of the ANBU mask bit into the civilian's skin, cold and hard, and Rihito was wary of any movement from his touchstone, ready to pull back and to deal with the rest of his calming down on his own.

He pulled him as close as he could, hoping that the warmth from him would seep into all of Rihito. That he wouldn't panic and that holding a normal, living, breathing being in his arms - someone who wasn't screaming in terror or in anger or fear or pain - would allow him to fully transition back into a normal human being. Or at least bring him further back from the ever-present edge.

It was terrifying to think what could happen to this young man because of him if this didn't work.

 

[MaskedCat]

Shimei could feel and see the exact moment when the ANBU tensed up. Something bad really must've happened to the other if even the softness of his voice made him so alert. That just meant that talking was not an option unless the ANBU spoke first which seemed to be unlikely. He had heard during his time taking those courses that some ANBU preferred to not speak unless it was absolutely necessary. This ANBU might also be like that so Shimei decided not to expect any talking to happen during this first meeting.

He was aware of his clock hanging on the wall close by ticking as the second hand slowly moved. That sound was the only one flooding the living room and he almost wished that it was a silent clock. But the ticking clock did not seem to upset the ANBU so he supposed that it was at least good for something. Now he could tell Ieyoshi that his gift was actually doing something besides telling time. Shimei could see the ANBU slowly relax after a good amount of minutes ticked by and felt happy to see that happen. He did not know if he could help the ANBU much, but he hoped that his presence at least comforted the ANBU somewhat.

Shimei blinked in puzzlement when the ANBU slowly rested a hand on his shoulder. He was a bit confused, but he quietly turned around like the other wanted him to. He was certainly surprised to feel strong arms wrap around him since he had not expected the ANBU to step so close to him. He glanced down when he felt a firm hand wrap around his wrists before the ANBU's other hand settled on his chest once more.

His surprise only increased when he felt the edge of the ANBU's mask rest on his shoulder, biting into skin. Though Shimei still made no move or sound since contact must be what comforted the ANBU instead of soothing words. He very much wanted to be of help to the ANBU so he allowed the close contact to happen. He was glad that Ieyoshi was not here because his boyfriend was quick to become jealous of others if he wasn't given all of Shimei's attention. It made him feel tired at times, but he always remembered the good times he shared with Ieyoshi and swallowed back any protests he might've had.

He kind of wanted to hum a little lullaby his mother used to sing to him when he was a child. He was easily scared as a child and always jumped at shadows. That lullaby always soothed him and he greatly enjoyed his mother's soft singing voice. But he held back the urge and instead stood in soothing silence. Shimei let the ANBU feel what he hoped was his comforting heartbeat to help calm him down from being so tense.

 

[redletalis]

Occasionally the other ANBU had talked about how their touchstones made them feel. How easily they made them relax, how they helped them transition from ANBU killing machine to normal human being again after long and difficult missions. Names were never shared, of course, and the topic of touchstones was one ANBU respected and held almost holy in a world where nothing else was. Amongst the ANBU the power of a touchstone was almost mythical, the same way the ANBU were to most other normal shinobi and civilians.

Rihito hadn't really believed it too much until now. Perhaps it was the way the civilian acted, or his sheer lack of chakra, or even the comfortable and relaxing mood that the silence cast over everything, or even a combination of all three and more. The more relaxed he was, the more Rihito was able to trust and that meant that he was able to relax. He slowly let the sound of dilence wash over him, penetrating the thoughts that were swirling in his brain, defeating the sound of screams and metal sliding through flesh with a simple, warm quietude. Together with the civilian's warmth it helped to keep Rihito grounded.

He stayed right where he was for long minutes, soaking up the heat of a pliant, soft body and the warmth that he gave off. The scent of his shampoo, the detergent of the clothes, the remaining smells from dinner seeped into him, all together aiding in his relaxation. Slowly Rihito started to pull away and then he let the civilian go completely, stepping back until he was just out of arm's reach.

The darkness stayed away even when now, and though he couldn't feel the other's heartbeat anymore the rhythm of it was already ingrained in his brain. All he had to do was think of it, of this particular person in his arms, and he would start to calm down no matter where he went. Rihito hesitated for a moment before he withdrew a small notepad from one of the many pouches he carried. The paper was blank and there was a tiny pencil inserted in the spiral at the top. The pad was well worn, there were hardly any papers left in it and he made a mental note to get a new one even as he pulled out one of the papers and replaced the notepad in its pouch.

A few moments of quick folding and refolding the paper and soon there was a delicate origami flower sitting in Rihito's gloved palm. He reached out, palm up and open and fingers and deadly claws straight and away from the civilian should he choose to accept the tiny gift. It wasn't a big way of showing his thanks, but at the moment it was all he could do.

"Thank you." He said quietly, voice changed by the little device of his ANBU mask.

 

[MaskedCat]

Most people might've been uncomfortable with the long silence that stretched out along with the fact that an ANBU was holding them, but Shimei was happy with the whole situation. He always felt better when his mother hugged him in the past because he was upset or scared over something. He had learned a lot from his mother and took many lessons to heart. That was why he was perfectly calm with what the ANBU was doing. The other clearly needed this and Shimei would gladly provide the type of physical contact that the ANBU desired.

Minutes ticked by before the ANBU finally released Shimei from his grasp. He slowly turned around to face the ANBU and was pleased to see that the other wasn't as tense as before. It seemed like the long minutes they spent together in silence company really helped the other. He was glad that everything had turned out so well since he was a bit nervous if he was going to be of any help to an ANBU. His boyfriend disliked the fact that he became a touchstone so Shimei couldn't talk to Ieyoshi about his nervousness. He just had to deal with it and hope that he'd do the right things when he first met his assigned ANBU and it appeared that he had nothing to worry about.

He curiously watched as the ANBU took out a notepad, tore off a page, and started to fold it in puzzling ways. His eyes lit up when the ANBU presented an origami flower to him once it was complete. He was a bit surprised at the ANBU's voice that thanked him before offering the other a soft smile. "I'm glad I was able to help," Shimei slowly reached out and gently took the offered origami flower from the ANBU. "And thank you for this lovely gift." The ANBU did not have to give him anything and the fact that he did touched his beating heart.

He was especially delighted by the fact that it was a flower. Shimei adored flowers and knew quite a lot about the language of flowers. It was something his mother introduced him to when he was a toddler and he had loved it ever since. Ieyoshi knew about his love for flowers and had given him a bouquet of azaleas when they first started to date years ago. Shimei had been pleasantly surprised since azaleas symbolized first love, fragility, and passion. Though the origami flower he held was not supposed to resemble any specific flower so he could not decipher what it stood for.

 

[redletalis]

What a strange thing to be smiled at - and it was a real smile, not a baring of teeth in a threatening manner - just because of a simple origami flower. It was an odd feeling and Rihito lowered his arm without thinking much about it. His eyes were glued to the civilian's face, taking in every feature. He wanted to remember this face in detail when he was out on missions, and the way the young man so fearlessly bowed to him and was so soft around him was fascinating. Such things weren't allowed in ANBU.

"You are very open." He said. It was a statement of fact, but not a fact that Rihito resented. He was so used to secrets within secrets and lies and deflections and illusions, that seeing this civilian and the way he was so truthful about everything was refreshing in its own light. Oh, he could probably lie and cheat and steal and kill like any other human being on earth if the need arose, but it was still nowhere near the level ninja acquired, let alone the level that ANBU operated at.

"That a civilian dares to do this..." Rihito reached out to gently run the pads of his fingers over the shirt right above the young man's heart, careful about his gloves and claws. The heart was beating strong and sure still, there was no fluttering of panic or fear in the steady rhythm. "What is your name?"

Rihito would have waited there forever, like a statue of stone, until the civilian decided to gift him with his name. Unfortunately that wasn't to be. He snapped to attention and turned around to look at the window instead of his little touchstone. He cocked his head for a moment as if listening to something and then in the next heartbeat he was crouched on the windowsill once more, ready to jump out into the darkness.

For a moment he hesitated, then turned just enough so that he could see the other and gave him a small awkward wave before he jumped out. On the rooftop opposite his home, the one he had been standing on earlier, he briefly met up with a fellow ANBU-Captain - Badger - who flashed some ANBU hand-signs at him. The two of them disappeared within the blink of an eye to deal with a situation that had risen on the borders of Konoha's immediate forests.

Rihito felt almost completely rested despite not having actually slept a single minute. Touchstones were really amazing creatures, and he only hoped that he could become worthy of his.

 

[MaskedCat]

Shimei blinked at what the ANBU said next. Other people always commented on how he wore his emotions on his sleeves so it did not surprise him to hear the ANBU say the same thing. Ieyoshi loved to tease him about how he was a horrible liar due to that even if that was only partially true. Shimei could keep secrets quite good, but not when he was a small child. He was a bit oblivious and did not understand why people had to have secrets which Ieyoshi found out about before they started dating. The other man never hesitated to bring up that small fact when they got into a playful conversation.

He briefly glanced down when he felt the other's hand rest on his chest again before looking up. It appeared that the ANBU was rather fond of feeling his heartbeat which he considered to be good. He himself sometimes liked to rest his head on Ieyoshi's chest and listen for his heartbeat whenever the other came back from a mission. He knew that being a ninja was dangerous no matter the rank so Shimei was always grateful when Ieyoshi came back to him still in one piece.

"Oh, my name-" Shimei cut his introduction off when the ANBU's attention went away from him and towards his still open window. He blinked in puzzlement since he did not know what had caught the ANBU's attention. He did not have the senses of a ninja so he did not know what had captured the ANBU's attention. Judging by how the other did not look tense clued Shimei in on it not being a threat. The ANBU was probably being called in for a mission or something along those lines.

Shimei watched in more surprise as the ANBU was suddenly at his windowsill again. His lips quirked upward into another smile when the skilled ninja gave him a hesitant wave in goodbye. He did not get the chance to mirror the other for his windowsill was suddenly empty. He quietly walked over to his window and peered outside just in time to watch two figures disappear from the woof the ANBU was perched on earlier.

"...Do come visit me again," he quietly said to the empty roof. Shimei then shut the window and flipped the lock on before backing away. He headed for the coffee table and delicately placed the origami flower on the middle of the glass table. He gently brushed the tip of his index finger against the paper one last time before heading for his bedroom. He had finished all of his chores so he had enough time to read a bit before heading for bed. Perhaps he might even indulge himself with a small midnight treat later.