Ignorance and Progress

	It was decided that, after the experience she had on the ice path, that she had found the perfect way to work on her seals... It was clear what she needed to do. Find some way to prove to her elders that she was doing physical work to master her clan's Taijutsu, while getting far enough away from her family to work on her ever-improving hand-seal abilities. She may hurt herself in the long run for branching out, but for now it felt like a great way to follow Kiyoshi's advice. After all, for now, she isn't dead.
	Thus, the young Kaguya girl under the guise of endurance training, went back to the frozen wastes to shovel ice into sealed containers that could keep the ice for a long time. Then, she balanced both containers upon a rod, similar to what individuals carrying water from wells to their house would do. She would spend the majority of the day, running down to the docks, a long way, as quickly as she could... The reason for the ice, while vague at the moment, may become clear soon. After a rather long and exhausting run, the young girl has made it down to the docks... The island that the village rests upon is not small, so the task was great... Now she approaches, smelling the sea-air...

 	There is always something happening at the docks even during the winter! Ayumu should know, seeing as how much of his business required a great deal of traveling from one place to the next. And yet, the foreigner still found himself lounging on one of the posts holding the boardwalk up, discontent outwardly and inwardly. Once more, the clan had deemed it necessary for him to travel alone to complete some innane task, only to pack him on the wrong ship!
	It is as Ayumu awaited the arrival of another ship that his senses pick up a curiosity of a sorts. While no stranger to deligence, the scattered sensory organs hidden along parts of Tsutsuji's path followed the girl. Given the choice between boredom and a glint of hope, Ayumu naturally chooses the more entertaining one!
	"Enjoying your youth I take it, young one?" He asks from behind her.
	Wasn't that space just empty moments ago...?

	It was at this moment that the girl had found a spot along the shore to stop. The clearly over-exerted Kaguya was breathing so heavily as she approached her destination, that the voice sounded like a ghost. "W-what!?" She was positive she was not being tailed, but her family's technique was so well ingrained her in her mind that she was easily able to re-direct the motion of her steps to make a quick turn. "W-who is there!?" She asks as she is caught running backwards a few feet. Her exhaustion, however, had caught up wtih her... And thus she fell backwards, landing on her back, and spilling the contents of the urns she had. The urns were rather tall, about half of her height, and likely heavy with ice. One of the urns was sealed well enough that it remained full, but the other burst open, ice spilling onto the sand. "C-chikusho!" she cursed, as she rapidly tried to refill the urn... reguardless of if the ghost even had a presence in front of her. It was only when the urn was refilled, did she look around to see if the owner of the voice was around...


	Ayumu starts as well, though his shock paled in comparison to the girl. Even so, it is a moment long enough to prevent any action on his part involving preventing an accident. As soon as the initial shock fades, the man simply cannot help himself. A cheshire smile blooms upon his visage. Fortunately, Tsutsuji was too busy at the time to notice. Maybe...
	"Mah-ee... You have my most sincerest of apologies youngling." Ayumu says nonchalantly as he strolled closer to the girl. For her sake more than his, he made the effort to crouch down to her grounded level and offered a sheepish grin. "Truly. Had this one intent been to cause an accident, surely a death wish of some sort would have to be wished for... all things considered that is, neh?"
Ayumu

	That was a little unsettling, to have someone catch her off guard. She does let out a sharp gasp of fear as she crawls back away from the sudden intruder, getting back up as quickly as she can. She ends up falling back again before actually scrambling to her feet successfully. "H-how did you get past my perception?" The Kaguya asks, eyes wide. She scrambles forward, to grab the ropes that suspended the urns of ice. The difference between her pale skin, and Ayumu's tan skin was just enough for Tsutsuji to be taken off guard enough to perhaps think you are an enemy shinobi of some sort. The Heavy urns are propped upright, as she takes a careful gaze upon him. "... Gomen, I do not know who you are, but..." She uncaps each of the urns, in preparation... "You're clearly not from my village, so it is okay to train around you." She doesn't see a head-band or anything. She'd chat longer, but she is on a strict schedule of sorts...

	Ayumu lofts a brow, then cants his head to the side. "I wouldn't know. Can't exactly see where I go most of the time." He says, emphasising his point by opening his eyes wide enough for Tsutsuji to take a better look. It isn't enough to sow in sense of calm, or so her retreat conveys to him. But then, why should that be any surprise for one so well traveled as he?
	Ayumu stays in place, casually 'watching' Tsutsuji work the urns into place. "Ah, so my hunch was right. My odds are improving. Sort of." He says offhandidly, caring not in the moment if his words only confused the girl. "Be that as it may, you are correct that I hail not from here, or the near. Names... hmm... I suppose Ayumu will suffice for this encounter. Traveling Merchant Extraordinare, according to some at least... What of you--" He pauses, nose twitching. "Hmm... Shinobi?"

	Tsutsuji's hand wanders up to her forehead protector. "Hai." She flicks the metal with her finger to make the appropriate sound. "Shinobi." Her hands move to her sleeves, pulling the ribbons that keep them up. "I do not have money, other than for essentials... I am sorry, merchant." He was clearly blind, that much was for certain. As her sleeves fall off her arms, bearing her well toned arms, she finally gets to the point. Suddenly, Ayumu would hear the crunching of ice, as the young shinobi literally dunked both of her arms deep into each of the urns, keeping them there. She was purposely freezing her arms... Deadening her hands... "I am Tsu." She keeps her last name out of the mix, and even refuses to say her name completely. What if he was a hired spy for her family?

	A subtle nod is all that he offers in response to the declaration. Although he senses more than just that, Tstsuji isn't the only one that wished to keep somethings secret for the time being.
	"Sorry?" He parrots quietly, and though he meant to add more soon after, the sound of crunching ice gives the red-haired wonder pause. "... It is nice to meet you Tsu. Please, forgive this lowly one for saying this, but you are wrong in assuming physical currency is all that matters to a good merchant. Which is something I dare to claim being, seeing as my interest extends to the good story, the decent news, and all manner of odd things.... That said, perhaps a trade can be offered still?" All of this he says while gesturing idly with his hands. Nothing remotely resembling a hand seal, though a few idle gestures come close.

	Those that come close don't worry the Kaguya. "A trade?" She asks. "A trade..." She mumbles more softly, in thought. Then, she bites her lip as she shudders. She keeps her arms inside those frozen urns for as long as possible, before she finally pulls them out. Her hands barely functioning, nerves deadened by the cold, her shaking hands begin to form seals... Not in any particular order... she is simply practicing. Her arms are red where the cold touched, a sign of the body desperately trying to return warmth to them. She is creating a disadvantage to train her hand-seals with... "If this is a mission request, you need to take it to the Mizukage's administration building. I am not authorized to perform missions without his permission..." She could beat around the bush all day, might as well get to the point, ne?

	Worry begins to creep into Ayumu's visage. Not from silence or hesitation on her part, but from readings picked up from the girl. He reigned it in as soon as she spoke up, but it remained just beneath the surface. "Heh... hahahah... Mission request you say? Hardly a thing one such as the is interested in inflicting upon you or others... Well, not any time soon, in any case." Ayumu admits openly. "That aside, why would you believe such is my intent? Surely you have bartered with merchants before, or... perhaps even seen your parents do so. Right?" He asks.

	The girl's body temperature has clearly dropped, yet, as soon as the hand-seals began to get easier, the sound of ice crunching was heard again as she settled her arms inside once again. "... My parents?" The young girl asks, her head once more dropping to the ground. "My mother is imprisoned by my clan... My father? I... I may never know who my father is." The Kaguya girl's facial expression drops considerably. "... Mother never spoke of him. My clan never spoke of him. It is as if my father never existed at all. He may not be alive, right now." She pauses... "In other words, no." It was a harshly sharp no, too. Her arms are pulled out of the ice again, and the hand seals are formed once more. "..." She felt empty, talking about her non-existent parents. Almost literally, non-existant.

	  "...."

	Ayumu inclines his head just far enough to mask his eyes behind blonde bangs completely. He knew like any reasonable folk that there wasn't really anything anyone can say -- can offer as a silver lining to such a tale. Nevertheless...
	"Mah-ee... Wander the world all you want, but the tales never truly change." Ayumu says softly, eyes still hidden. "Still-..." He turns away, rubbing the back of his neck idly. "A tale is a tale, payment is payment. But what would be adequate he wonders? Perhaps... news of that man?" Ayumu asks, lifting his head just enough so that sea-green eyes could meet Tsutsuji's brighter green ones. "No matter what it be, or... something else. Whatever you ask, this one shall see it through." He says plainly.

	Her arms plunge once more into the urns. "He could be a simply villager. In that case, I really would be lowborn scum." She hisses. "My father could have been some great ninja, from another village. A Ninja of great reknown, head of a clan that shadows even my own..." The Kaguya logics, "At that point, I would be a half-traitor... And my mother would be more than a slave, she would be executed for treason and my fate... unknown..." Her arms come out of the urns as she once more forms seals. There was a small tear coming from her eyes. "The urge to know is stronger than you could ever imagine. If you could grant a wish for me to see my father, so many questions could be answered. In the end, it wouldn't change who I am or what I want to become. My ambitions wouldn't change. More than not, my position would sink lower than it is. Ignorance is it's own sort of bliss, ne? Sometimes it is better to not know, Ayumu-san. There is only the path forward for me, and looking backwards is simply a source of pain..." The hand-seals stop, her hands reaching their limits. Frost-bite was likely setting in at this rate. "This technique isn't working as well as I thought..."

	"In that we differ, though...." Ayumu trails off from there, unable or unwilling to continue the train of thought. "Tsu-san... What else would you ask of this one then? I dare not accept nothing if it can be help. My... blood would not sit well with it." Ayumu frowns and furrows his brow. "But before that.... Might I suggest seeking another alternative to this... training regime, of yours. One less likely to cost you your arms, for instance. Not that it would be impossible to fight that way. Just a tad bit of an inconvience."

	At the very least, Tsutsuji has kept the same stare she had, despite the tear. "You've already partially answered your question, by pointing out my error in training methods." Her hands drop to the side, as she curls them up. "Yet, unless you yourself was a shinobi, you could not help me. I need... I need to progress more than I need to know the past."

	Still no wish for freedom of her mother. No vengeance. Just a girl wanting nothing more than to advance. Ayumu felt that some shock should've been there in his heart, and yet none could be found within. Tsutsuji was a Kirigakure shinobi to the soul. The beginings of a smile began to form, only to quickly be held in check.
	"In that case, I shall offer this as well. One need not walk the same path in its entirety to understand or offer a helpful perspective. Nor need one go to such extremes for progress... Though I'd understand if some other pressure might be playing a hand here." Ayumu offers before rising back to his full height and tapping his chin thoughtfully. "... If your intent is as this one suspect, I'd suggest making a game of things. I know, not the clearest of answers, but my time has just about run out for today. In another however then... perhaps. Simply ask your local merchants, or perhaps even your Kage for me. One-..." Ayumu flashes a smile, then spins on his hell and starts walking off. "Or the other might direct you in the right direction... Ja ne~"

	The creepy merchant left the Kaguya standing still. His words irked and confused her to no end. He got it right. There was another pressure working against her ambitions. Her 'extended' family. She stood there, watching the man leave, and when she was gone she shattered the urns, dispatching them with the movements of her family's taijutsu. The icey-water spilling onto the sand, as she leaves no complete trace of what she was doing. "Strange people. Everywhere." She grunts.