The Willow Tree

"Psh, of course I am." He smiled softly as he took her to his house.
(Posted in the kitchen)

Walking past the willow tree, Izumi could feel the light breeze of the night as it hit against her face. A smile, just a crack, were formed upon the outer corners of her lips. Izumi had never witnessed such a breath taking moment. As a child, she was kept inside the orphanage with no freedom to escape the outer world, untill her Sensei from the Underground took her under his wings. Growing up, Izumi had always lived Underground, no source of light from the sun, no green grass, just darkness, opposite of the Earth. Izimu stopped in front of the willow tree and watched as it's vines flowed with the wind.

Izumi closed her eyes to take in the moment and as another breeze blew across the area, she picked up a scent. "Hmmm." She simply said, her eyes still closed, she took a deep breath and exhaled, re-oppened her eyes and moved her head to the direction of the scent, she saw the image, another being, her gaze locked at the being who was on the willow tree. Strange how he seemed to act like a beast in the night, either way Izumi stayed alert, cautious in case of any mishaps.

Izumi stepped back, her smile from moments before now gone, her gaze towards him narrowed, she was in utter shock. How did this man know her name? She had never met him before. Izumi looked at him, her eyes locked on his as if she was searching something within just his gaze. "How do you know my name?" She asked demandingly, she did not like it when people called her by her name when she hasn't even gotten to know someone, let alone meet them for the very fist time. She inserted her hands into her pink-red kimono, her gaze still directly at him, showing no emotions of sincerity.

Izumi just stared at him untill he took out a rose, a black rose, she then blinked a couple of times, smelt the aroma of the black rose. Where had she seen this before? Izumi thought briefly and as quick as lighting a flashback of her younger days having lived Underground flashed before her. The flashback took place in a mid-summer day when she was walking in the forest with her Sensei. Being knew to the place, Izumi had never seen a black rose and her Sensei explained to her what it symbolized. Izumi took the black rose and here smile came back into view. It had been years since she'd seen one before. "No,forgive me, I do not like it when people call me by my name if I have not even met them. I am Izumi, as you have said. Sorry for my mistake."

"Silly being, I have taken care of black roses in my days, it grew near the village in which I leaved, the forest." Izumi nodded and held the black rose in her hand, ignoring the prickings of the thorns. She too looked up at the heavens, clouds of black slowly coming towards it's way. "Why is there black clouds tonight?" Izumi asked.

Looking back at Izumi he starts to smile again and with warm tone asks
"I will answer your question if you will answer mine...you call be "being" even though you know my name...why is that?"

"Because I do not know you well enough to call you by your titled name." She simply replied to his question. Izumi was a different person, different than most of the females in the area, she had her different views, different tastes, and of all things different tradition. She had grown up in the Undergrounds, between Earth itself, and Hell. She was not accustomed to sunlight, nor the feeling of the breeze as it swept upon her face. Izumi looked to the man and nodded. "That is my answer."

Laughing out loud for a moment his gaze softend and he said "And much smarter than most in the whole world. fair answer...so i shall return it as my word. The clouds are just tempest being enhanced by a demon"
returning his gaze back at the clouds that were now almost on top of them
"We should move to a stone or metal building as fast as we can this will be very bad for people to be out in"

"Hmmm, is that so? Well I may not have ever incountered this before, bit I have gone through difficult trials than this." She replied as she pointed to the willow tree, figuring it's branches were wide enough that it could shelter five people. "The willow tree will do, no need in freaking out trying to find a shelter else where." She had added as she walked under the willow tree, still holding the black rose in her hand. As she reached it's bark, Izumi sat down on the ground and watched the area around her. "Coming?" She asked the being as he was still standing out in the open.

Looking at Izumi "Sorry, i just get so much energy when storms roll through the area im in..." walking over towards the willow Akuma sat down about 5 ft away from Izumi with his back to the tree he sighed and closed his eyes and brushed his hair out of his face and sat still as stone.

"Ah, I see...why is that exactly?" She asked as she stared at the black rose, Izumi could smell the aroma, and feel it's power coursing threw her veins, although she rejected the healing power it gave off. She leaned against the bark of the tree and sighed now looking at the view in front of her as rain began to fall. "Hmm, water falling from the sky..."

"The power of a storm can destroy whole cites...but at the same time can bring life to a starving people through the rain...the power is so natural so pure...i dont know i guess i just almost feed off of it" After finishing his small speach he opened his eyes now Black and started to draw on the ground.

Izumi listened as he spoke, she was a good listener of course, thanks to being the chiefs daughter she had to obey and listen to the problems of her people, and as for Akuma and the rest of the beings in the Earth, it was no different. "I see, well I have never actually witnessed a storm therefore I would honestly not know."

looking over at Izumi, Akuma stands up and with a gental tone "come and walk in the rain with me...and feel the energy of nature flow in you" he then strides out into the pouring rain and closes his eyes and looks towards the sky and once more stands as still as stone with the snow pale skin glowing in the light

Izumi looks towards him and watches as he walks into the rain, she had never felt the rain touch upon her flesh, no had she ever seen it rain before, so she was willing to take part and join him, but there was a problem, one problem. "Umm, I can not." She said "I can't get this kimono wet, it's made of silk." She added as she frowned her energy of happiness slowly disolving away.

Izumi watched him as he stood around in the open space, the rain falling down from the dark clouded sky, she noticed a few moments later he had walked back under the willow tree, and had taken his coat of for her to use, but Izumi rejected. "No thank you." She said as she stood up and looked at him. She coughed and looked past him not making eye contact. "Would you be embarassed if I were to take my kimono off?" She asked without any hesitations, she said it point blank. She didn't want to take any chances in getting her kimono wet, plus she had her under garments to cover herself.

"Well need by no means necessery, I will no longer have to." Izumi replied as she stood there under the willow tree staring at the beautiful scenery, train fell endlessly from the sky as it hit the soil of Earth. Wind blowing swiftly with the mixture of light thunder, and staying perfectly still you could hear the rain. Izumi had found another liking, rain. She smiled and walked back to the bark of the tree to sit back down, just watching and taking in the moment.

She turned her gaze to him and shook her head, she noticed his eyes changed a lot for some reason, but she did not bother to ask why, she figured it had to do something with the race he was in, from his scent, she could pin-point that he was a Vampire, she didn't have to ask. "No, I have none." She simply said as she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the rain, it was soothing and if she could have it her way, she would rest right there, under the willow tree, listening to the rain as it hit among the area.