It's around noon and Keiko's taking a break from treewalking and getting better from her broken ribs near the pond when...:
Dropping down from the treeline surrounding the water's edge, Uriko looked over the pond. As he begun to step back, he lost his footing to the slippery ground. He landed on his but and slid all the way down to the water, making a loud splash. "Shit..." He winced as she spoke and then scratched his dirty head of hair.
Emerging from a nearby treeline on the western side of the pond, Keiko crouches down near the ledge and glances about the open area slowly. Eventually, she noticed the young man not far from where she emerged.
Unable to hold back her laughter, Keiko burst into a fit of giggles as she watched the man fall. Carefully moving down a safer area of the slope, she cautiously moved closer to him.
Uriko stood up, now soaked with water, his eyes staring at the source of the laughter. He moved his left hand up to his lips, fingers feeling at the thread that bound his mouth shut and checking his fingers for blood. Satisfied, he looked back toward the young girl and gave a slight smile. "Glad to amuse you... Miss...?"
After her giggling died down, Keiko smiled and extended a gloved hand out to Uriko to be shaken, "I'm Nishimura Keiko."
Uriko took her offered hand and shook it. "Miss Keiko. I am Uriko." Though thread was stitched through his lips, Uriko was quite capable of speech. And at this distance, his new friend would easily by able to see the thread stretching to its limit to let him talk.
Keiko gradually allowed her hand to fall back to her side, "So, what're you doing out this far?" For a moment, Keiko's gazed focused on the thread with in Uriko's stitched lips before she forced her attention elsewhere.
Though he noticed that her attention was briefly on his bizzare mouth, Uriko was very used to it. "I was exploring the area. These lands surely hold many secrets. In this age, knowledge is the best weapon." His words were spoken softly. The louder he spoke, the more pain the thread caused him. He scratched at his dirty hair once again and smiled a bit as he asked her, "And what are you doing here? If you don't mind my asking.".
Keiko helplessly found her attention being drawn back to Uriko's wierd mouth, "Forgive me for askin', but why's your mouth stitched together?" Her brows furrowing with regret at her own words, Keiko bit down into her lower lip.
Keiko quietly apologised, "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I usually don't ask questions like that." Offering a warm smile, she attempted to spark a conversation anew, "So, what village are you from seeing as you're a ninja as well?"
Uriko had greatly appreciated the change of subject. "I suppose I am a ninja of the Hidden Sand, but I claim no village... not truely." His eyes found his feet once again for a moment as he remembered his past. The anger almost took him but he snapped back up and gave Keiko a warming look. "And you? What village do you call home?".
Keiko folded her arms across her fish-netted chest, then hrmed thoughtfully as she titled her head to the side. "Konoha was where I was born, but I grew up here. So I'm from here.".
Uriko nodded. "Well. While I'm here - and seeing as I'm wet anyway - I'll be right back." He gave her a quick wave before jumping toward the deeper area of the pond. With a loud splash he was completely submerged. After a few seconds he resurfaced, holding a rather large silver fish. "Know how to make a fire?".
Keiko released a soft snicker and nodded at Uriko. Taking a step back, she motioned for him to throw the fish up, "I'll just perform a jutsu and you can throw it up so you don't get burned.".
Uriko gave her a curious look. "Oookay." He then tossed the wriggling silver fish straight up into the air and stepped back, just in case Keiko wasn't too learned in this skill.
Keiko swiftly performed a series of hand seals and opened her mouth. A small fireball spewed out and went hurtling directly at the wriggling fish, instantly frying it.
Uriko stepped forward and held his hands out, catching the hot fish. He pulled two kunais from his jacket, ignoring the burning food in his left hand, and quickly removed the tail, head and spine in what seemed to be one quick motion.
Keiko emitted a soft cheer as she caught the kunai in hand. "Thank you." Without a moment wasted, Keiko took a hefty bite out of the center of her piece of fish. "This is really good.".
After a long while, Keiko eventually finished her fish and bent down to wash the grease from her kunai. When she returned it him Uriko, she stared at his bizarre mouth for just a moment, "Have you ever wanted to take that off?".
Uriko took the kunai, then moved his left hand to his lips, feeling the hideous stitching with his fingers. Then his hands wandered over to the long scar going over his left eye and spanning across his whole face, top to bottom. He was quiet for a moment. " I need it to be there. It must be there." He then shoved the remaining chunk of fish through the thick black thread and into his mouth, wincing slightly.
Keiko frowned faintly as she observed Uriko. "But, why?".
Uriko seemed to stare off into space, his left hand now at the three bar-like scars going across his throat. " It keeps people from getting too close to me. It keeps me... isolated. It keeps us sane." He said all this softly, still staring off into the distance, as if he weren't talking to anyone but himself. His eyes sharpened a bit and he looked at Keiko now. "I have my reasons," he said with a smile.
Finding herself compelled to say something else, Keiko merely nodded in supposed understanding and bit her lower lip. Turning out to face the pond, she suddenly spun around and assumed an unrecognizable defensive stance, "We should spar.".
Uriko smiled and shook his head politely. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea." He gave a forced laugh, "I'd just make a fool of myself anyway.".
Her mind seeming to be made up, Keiko simply shook her head at Uriko. "I'm sure it's a good idea! What better way to get to know each other than sparring? It's out of good fun at that.".
Uriko chuckled nervously. "It wouldn't be as fun as you think. And you don't want t-... Just trust me. It's a bad idea." His eyes found the sky and he began to walk back out of the water, the soles of his feet glowing softly as he used his chakra to avoid from sliding back into the water.
Finally relenting, Keiko tilted her head to the side as she watched Uriko move out onto the pond. With a soft sigh, she hopped out onto the pond and ran after him, her chakra automatically holding herself up, "Hey, wait! Where ya going?".
"I'm getting tired. I think I should go find a place to sleep tonight," Uriko said. In truth, he was starting to want that spar more and more. He had just made a new friend but the voices in his head were picking at him to prove himself. He had to get away from her before they turned him violent. "I'm sorry. But we shall meet again. Please allow me to go... alone.".
Keiko pursed her mouth into a thin line. For a moment, she simply remained silent. Not sure if she had done something wrong and scared him off, Keiko eventually smiled and nodded. "It was nice meeting you, then. But, I'm extremely disappointed that you can't spar!".
Breathing a sigh of relief, Uriko smiled. "My apologies. Perhaps next time. It was very nice meeting you." He waved to Keiko before performing a series of hand seals... and then he was gone, a small brown log left behind where he was..