Log; Completed

[bodyflickerboy.livejournal.com]

When; May 20 (day after the high school curse)
Rating; PG
Characters; Uchiha Shisui bodyflickerboy and Cipher un_icarus
Summary; Shisui and Cipher get to know each other a little better.
Log;

Shisui stretched, flexing his fingers. Encryption was...interesting. It really was. There wasn't much call for it at...well, anyway. It was new. Knowing how to hack a bit was pretty cool, too. He'd get better at it. He always did.

"So, Cipher," he began, tugging at his rumpled clothing. Damn, need more. What he'd died in, a suit, and what he'd filched when he'd arrived wasn't going to cut it. "Thanks for the lesson, honestly. It was pretty cool." He grinned. "'Specially the hacking tricks."

---

Pretty cool?

"I- guess," Cipher replied, typing a few lines more of code into the laptop he'd brought along and saving it quickly. "It's useful. And- it depends on the situation, but sometimes..." he trailed off, looking aside. "A lot of people hide things they don't want others to see. That sort of thing- 's not entirely useless."

Leaning back, he flicked the power off, shutting the laptop and securing it. "You're welcome, anyway," he replied, a curious look in his eyes as he watched Shisui tug at his clothing. "It's- not like I said anything much anyway."

---

Shisui shrugged, noting Cipher's sudden drop in chattiness, but not making much of it. "Whatever. I still learned what I wanted to know, and that's all I care about."

He paused for a moment--should he be asking help from a virtual stranger?--but sighed. He wanted some more clothes, dammit. He was pretty sure if it came to it he'd win in a fight. Not that that seemed likely, but you never did know. It's always the quiet ones, he thought bitterly. "Look, Cipher? You wouldn't happen to know where I can get some new clothes, would you?

---

"Clothes?" The Reaper looked up, slightly surprised. Not like- well, it hadn't been an unreasonable question, and everyone needed something to wear. "...I guess there are some shops in the Square," he said, a hint of a grin on his lips. "There's really a lot of things on sale there, so-"

He paused, looking away for a moment as if thinking of a point. "Maybe you- you should probably ask someone from your world, though," he suggested, slightly softer. "I'm not really sure if I can help there. 's not like I really went looking, anyway."

---

Shisui smiled again, but instead of the easy grin of before, this time there was something hard about it, something sad, a little angry. "My world?" he mused, thinking over who'd he'd met so far--Suigetsu, suspicious. Sasuke, grown up strange. Uzumaki, WTF, no more need be said. Itachi...

"Dunno how many of them are here," he said with elaborate casualness. "I've only met a few. And I'm not sure how to find most of them anyway."

---

"Network," Cipher answered, pushing himself off the floor. "Put a message up, ask someone out... Whatever works. Either way someone'd see it."

He hadn't missed the slight tightening of Shisui's tone, the deliberate throwaway lines he was speaking. Still, it wasn't like it was in his place to comment- unless... "If- I don't mind going out anyway if you want to," the Reaper offered, glancing aside. "I know where some of the shops are, if you don't mind."

---

Shisui brightened at the suggestion. He didn't want to spend the rest of the day alone, dwelling on what had happened in the world of the living while he'd died. And he really didn't feel like contacting all the people in this place from his world. Whatever he was ready for, it wasn't that.

"Yeah...yeah, I'd rather do that." He stood up, automatically checking to make sure his weapons were in place at his thigh and at the small of his back. "You probably know way more about the City then I do, anyway."

---

Shrugging, Cipher headed over to the door and waited for Shisui to check- whatever he was checking. It wasn't as if the Reaper needed to worry about weapons himself; he could always summon his scythe if need be, even though he far preferred avoiding trouble to begin with. Still, Shisui was... different. And whatever worked for him was fine, in any case.

"I don't know much," he answered, when Shisui was done. "...I guess more than you, yeah- but I don't know anything more than what's in the guides that they show all the new people. You- you've seen those, right?"

---

"A couple," Shisui replied. His agile mind instantly flipped through whatever he remembered--bits and pieces, zipping over it all until he arrived at the mental file labeled 'Economy.'

"I know that hair is accepted as currency," he said at last, "as well as pocket lint." He thoughtfully dug in his pockets and looked at the white puffs on his fingers. "Hn. Have a bit. I suppose worse comes to worst I can use a kunai to cut a few strands." He raked his hand through his choppy hair, pulling it back out of his eyes, though most of it ended up back where it was. "Oh well. Not like you'd be able to tell the difference."

---

Cipher shrugged. "There are only two, anyway," he pointed out. "So... mm, I guess then you probably know as much as me." Tucking his laptop under his arm, he nudged the door to the small apartment open. "Service... is also accepted as pay, so if you don't have anything else just offer to work. The stuff you do 's usually pretty menial."

Stepping outside, he nodded over at Shisui. "I- well, let's go, then."


---
---
---


"Mmm...lessee...shirts, shorts, jacket, spare shoes...looks like I might be able to find everything I need, right here."

Shisui was feeling better--seeing more of the City was good, and so was just...getting outside. Doing something, instead of dwelling and brooding on the past which he seemed prone to doing these days. Even if the shopkeeper kept glowering at them from a corner, holding a pair of scissors in a pudgy hand, presumably to force payment if necessary.

---

Cipher had relaxed slightly once they were in the shop and Shisui had wandered off to find clothes to get. For himself, he hadn't been especially bothered- he'd already got everything he needed, anyway, and besides there was little around this area that he found himself interested in.

Glancing over at the shopkeeper and then back at the ninja, he smiled a little. "Y'know, you should probably pay the guy if you're going to walk out with that," he said, pointing at the clothes Shisui was carrying.

---

"Pfff, I know I know," Shisui said, poking his head out to the side of the mound. He sighed and slipped over to the shopkeeper. "How much?"

The man gazed at him. The scissors snipped a few times, covetously. "Hair."

"...how much hair."

The shopkeeper's eyes raked Shisui's head for a moment. "All."

"...can't I just do you a favor or something instead?"

The man sighed mournfully. "Hair. One strand. Per piece."

Shisui dumped the clothing on the counter, pulling out a kunai and carefully cutting off strands of hair as the man watched, stuffing the pile into bags. "Fourteen...fifteen...sixteen...there. That enough?"

The shopkeeper counted, then swept the dark brown strands into a hidden container. "Enough." He looked disappointed at having less hair to add to his collection then he'd wanted.

"Awesome." Shisui grabbed the bags and trotted over to Cipher. "Done."

---

Watching with a faint grin on his face as Shisui paid for the clothes- with hair, no less- Cipher waited fro him to close the deal. Truthfully, he didn't have any idea what the shopkeepers around this place wanted with all the strange things they paid with, but it wasn't any of his business to ask...

"Good for you," he shrugged, as the ninja came over. "You- ah... need anything else, then?" It felt strange to be like this, walking outside with another person. Although he was less than comfortable in the Cathedral, the least he could admit was that most of the time he was left to himself. The rest of it was something else altogether.

But he'd offered to go out, and he always kept his offers.

---

Shisui considered this. Well, he did need some furniture for his apartment, since at the moment he just had a desk and chair in fairly good condition that he'd scavenged out of an alleyway, plus a blanket. But...he already had bagfuls of clothing, and looking for furniture would probably necessitate more haircutting and/or lint-giving, and...well...he just didn't want to be indoors again for a while. Plus, how would he carry it all home? There was only so much one ninja could do.

"Nnn...no," he said at last. "Clothes should be enough for now. Unless you need something?"

---

"Oran-" pausing mid-word, Cipher shook his head. "No, I don't need anything else." Considering the state he was in, that at least was true. Food was not an issue, clothes he had, living accommodations were mostly taken care off and he had a computer at his use. There was little that the Reaper could see himself actually wanting at this point in time.

Glancing over at the bags of clothing that Shisui was carrying, Cipher bit back a smile. "That's... a lot to carry," he said. Sixteen pieces, hadn't it been? "You can get it back on your own, right?"

---

"Mmm...yeah, probably," Shisui said. "But y'know, help is always appreciated."

---

"Help, huh?" Cipher glanced aside for a second. It- people didn't normally ask him for things like that, but he should have known it'd come up sooner or later. "I guess," he said, "if you want."

It wasn't so much that he was uncomfortable with actually helping Shisui out, but more from the awkwardness of the situation that he hesitated. Had he actually mentioned to Shisui what he was? The Reaper couldn't remember very well just then, but he had a feeling that he'd neglected to talk about it.

Still, it didn't really matter- at least, he hoped.

"Ah- do you want to pass me one of those, then?" he suggested, indicating the bags.

---

Shisui looked down at his bags, weighing them all before finally picking out one of the lighter ones, which he dumped in Cipher's hands. "Here. Thanks."

He paused, wanting to say more, but ended up staying quiet...there was something slightly awkward about espousing thanks for everything Cipher'd done for Shisui over the past few days, especially when Shisui himself was unsure of what exactly he wanted to thank Cipher for. If they'd been friends, it had been during the curse, and Shisui automatically distrusted anything that created such fucking bad headaches by screwing with his mind. What happened during curses...wasn't genuine, not when you were affected. So instead, he hummed under his breath a snatch of song he half-remembered from being popular when he'd been alive. "Hmm...dumdumhmmm...hmmm.."

---

Taking the bag from Shisui, Cipher slung it over his shoulder and started heading out to the exit of the door. He glanced back when he reached the exit, waiting a moment for the ninja. It was strange, this familiarity- he could remember knowing the teenager, introducing himself, and yet the person who had done all that...

It hadn't been him, not exactly. Perhaps long ago, but the Reaper that was shouldering a bag of clothes was not the same person who'd been sleeping in the computer labs a few days ago. Something had happened, even though he didn't- couldn't remember.

But that didn't matter, not any more.

Listening to Shisui hum a tune, the Reaper felt a touch of something-"Let's go," he said, turning to the door and pushing it open. "'s probably a good thing your place isn't far off."

---

Laughing, Shisui followed Cipher out. "Mmm, yeah. All the shops within walking distance~ I suppose I'm espeically appreciating that right now."

---

"...Guess it could be worse," Cipher murmured in reply. There was little he could think of to say- conversation had never quite been something he liked to take part in, unless it was over the computer. Then- ah, but that was something else altogether.

He was quiet for the rest of the walk back to Shisui's apartment. When they reached the door, though, he hesitated for a moment. Then- "Here," the Reaper said, holding out the bag. "Your clothes."

---

Shisui took the bag from Cipher. "Thanks."

He promptly dropped them all--his apartment had a lock, but no key, so in order to actually get in he had to pick it every single time. Digging in his back pouch, Shisui pulled out a slim case and untied it, rolling the soft leather on his palm, revealing slim metal implements neatly slotted in a row. He knelt in front of the door, carefully selecting his intruments. "Hold on a minute."

---

"...Are you picking the lock on your own door?" Cipher asked, somewhat incredulously. "Th- that's ridiculous."

Ridiculous or not, though, it certainly appeared to be the case. Leaning over slightly, the Reaper watched curiously as Shisui fiddled about with the lock on the door. He'd never learned how to do something like that, really, since as a Reaper there had always been alternatives available to him when he'd wanted to get past locks.

The only thing Cipher had actually broken into were websites, but he supposed those didn't really count.

---

"Yeah, well, the door's gotta lock but no key," Shisui retorted defensively. "So until I get it replaced or whatever...I break into my own apartment."

He concentrated for a moment more before grinning when he heard a quiet click. He carefully replaced his lockpicks, stuffed them back into his back pouch and turned the knob, his door silently swinging open. "And there we go." Bending down, he scooped up all his bags and shouldered his way inside to dump them just inside the door. "You coming or not?"

---

"Don't lock it, then," Cipher said. "It's- weird, like this." He gestured vaguely to the door as it swung open. "Or get it fixed."

He remained standing outside as Shisui threw the bags inside the apartment. "I... probably not." Looking aside, he frowned slightly. "There's something I think I should be doing." Rosiel's business.

"...Sorry."

---

Shisui felt a little disappointed, but waved it away--Cipher had a life, which did not always involve Shisui, and that was how it went. "Oh? Okay." He shrugged. "Thanks for helping me out today. See you around?"

---

A quick shrug of his shoulders- "Probably," Cipher replied, looking away. "It- yeah, probably." He turned away slightly, before pausing.

"It... was alright, walking with you," the Reaper said, quietly, raising a hand in a slight wave. "Thanks."

---

Shisui waved back before closing his door. "Bye."