Of drugs and clams. (Chigetsu)

It was a quaint and all too normal day within Kirigakure. Merchants hawking their wares, civilians running back and forth, children excitedly pulling on the limbs of their parents and of course, Shinobi shopping for the most essential of supplies. One such store that catered to these Shinobi, and anyone else in need of medical supplies that is, was a newly established business known as the “Fujikawa chemist.” according to the sign that decorated its store front.

In truth, were it not for the sign there would be little to indicate what exactly this store was supposed to be. It had only opened a week ago and was a remarkably unassuming looking building for it was mostly the natural colour of the materials (stone and wood that is) used to construct it except for the sign, which had been painted a deep crimson with white lettering. To say nothing else, the colour combination of the sign at least helped an otherwise very plain and unassuming building stand out.

However, the interior of the store was a different matter. It was packed. Three rows of shelves and two propped against the lateral walls. Oddly enough, despite how the front of the store had no storage space it was still covered by blinds, blocking out a great deal of light. Luckily, the store was well lit by lamps hanging from the ceiling. The lighting of the store was not what customers came for but what they did come for would be found upon the shelves, which stored every product offered.

These shelves were meticulous organised by category and alphabetical order. All the medicines along one pair of shelves, all the drugs along another pair, all the poisons along a third with assorted regents and compounds stored along the fourth shelf. A majority of these products, pretty much all of them excluding the medicines, were kept under lock and key behind a solid metal grate. They were dangerous after all and it simply would not be wise for them to be stolen.

This veritable bukkake of drugs, chemicals and medical supplies were watched over by a woman leaning on the counter. Her crimson hair cascaded over her shoulders and she was quite frankly bored, idly smoking a crimson and black Kiseru. The pipe’s central body was pitch black wood, with the mouthpiece and bowl crafted from deep blood red metal. It may have been a bad habit but at least it filled the store with a wooden aroma that helped drown out the chemical smell.

Things have been tough lately for Chigetsu Hozuki.

That awkward mission to the Land of Iron was a terrible mistake for a lot of reasons. He had only taken the offer for going since it was with Hana Kaguya, the former Mizukage and his girlfriend - Or well, she was the reigning Mizukage once again. He didn’t know how to feel anymore. She had abandoned him in the Land of Iron after returning the sword that she had stolen from them, running off with that Akihiro guy… He hadn’t had the chance to ask her about that yet, and honestly he was afraid to. They had taken off with the boat and left Chi stranded, with Akihiro being sent back to take him back to Kirigakure up like he was some kid being picked up from the daycare. It was an utterly humiliating experience. Then there was him teleporting back into her office, splattering all over the place, and then barely being given a second thought… It was like he was unnecessary.

Even with time to think about this all… Nothing really could assuage his feelings. Patrolling down the market district in Kirigakure and spending money on things he didn’t need was supposed to cheer him up, but consumerism really just made him feel empty. He barely liked being in public in the first place, and going around spending money like this made him feel guilty. He had tons of it, of course. But anything he bought would just stay unused and untouched in his home, collecting dust. And he had already bought and ate enough candy for one day.

Without much thought a new store would be chosen, barged into without looking all too much at any of the exterior details. The exterior had been plain anyway, relatively unassuming and with a sign he didn’t bother to read. It was only on the inside that he began to pay attention, the dramatic shift in scenery bringing him out of his thoughts and back into the real world. Rows and rows of shelves covered in metal grates, all containing what he assumed were medicine and who knew what else. There were plenty of pharmacies in Kirigakure so he shouldn’t have been surprised, but… Usually pharmacies didn’t look like this.

Now that he was already in there was no turning back. He took a few steps in, brushing a bit of his pink hair out of his face as he began to look at the shelves… Only to double take as he ended up seeing who was behind the counter. His eyes widened, dramatically staring like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment, but he would tear himself away quickly trying to not make it obvious that he had been staring. Quickly he shuffled behind one of the shelves, trying to obscure himself from the gaze of the red haired woman as he attempted to plan what to do next.

Fujikawa’s ears perked up, the bell of her door ringing out to announce a new customer had entered. She immediately snapped her gaze up, to look towards the door but unfortunately, she did not see who it had been. Her eyes had seen a pink trail of hair, tied up in an extremely long pigtail. Pink hair and a long pigtail. Fujikawa’s lips pulled wide in a malicious grin, accompanied by a soft puff upon her pipe. She stepped out from behind her counter, heels tapping against the varnished wooden floor of her store.

Eventually, she came upon her target: the diminutive form of Chigetsu as had been expected. The chemist approached from behind and pressed her hand against the shelf Chigetsu had been looking at. She locked him, or at least attempted to, against the shelf via the age-old art of the kabedon. Her grin was as wide and knowingly smug as it could possibly be, an amused glint present in her eyes. Her gaze briefly snapped away from Chigetsu, looking at the products he had been focusing on.

“Hooooh? Looking at my medical concoctions, are we? My my. If you’re having issues spicing up your love life, I can easily make something that will give you the wildest night of your life. Perhaps you would like a demonstration?” Her voice had transitioned into a soft purr, matching her feline grin as she took a gentle puff upon her Kiseru, exhaling so the smoke would float away from Chigetsu. It was bad form for a medical ninja to expose a potential patient, especially one with a personal connection to the Mizukage, to something as bad for your lungs as smoking.

“Or perhaps you simply need a little pick me up for some medical condition? Well, speak~ Let the great genius chemist Fujikawa assist you with all your medical needs.” Yet still she had kept perhaps a little too close to Chigetsu, her body bent forward to put her at eye level with him. It would have been easier for her to steal a kiss if she wanted but then again, it was equally easy for Chigetsu to slip free from the Kabedon. After all, Fujikawa had only pressed her left arm against the cabinet.

He heard every footstep. Every click of her heels against the wooden floor. Closer and closer and closer- Chigetsu’s eyes turned to the door. He pondered for a moment if he could make a seamless escape. It was likely that he could if he moved especially fast- And then she was upon him. The diminutive form of Chigetsu would be caught, frozen like a mouse in front of a snake as Fujikawa came upon his hiding place. Already he had been frozen, but that layer of ice would be covered again by one of concrete as she pressed her hand against the shelf he had been looking at. He would be locked in place, frozen by his own anxiety. His eyes were wide, exposing an incredible amount of purple and black as his pupils expanded like a deer caught in the headlights.

“L-Love life?!” Those were the first words that came from his mouth, squeaked out in an impressive high pitch. “What!?”

His face turned red. Was she aware of what his relationship was with Hana? Or… What had happened in the Mizukage’s office, had she thought it was something… something dirty? His mind raced. A thousand different possibilities came to mind. Chigetsu slid down slightly, shrinking against the shelves as if he were trying to hide from her gaze.

Then she came close- Too close. He would avert his eyes down, staring at the ground as he continuously pushed back against the shelf and shrunk down. Even at eye level he wouldn’t look in her eyes.

“I-I was just… I was just looking, I was just looking…-” He couldn’t get a full sentence out, sputtering and stuttering.

“Hmmm hmmm...now that I have gotten a good look at your face, it is rather soft. I do prefer softer looking people than rough faced muscle heads. Don’t you agree?~” She gently attempted to wrap her free hand around the smaller boy’s face, tilting it around to get a good long look at its features before forcibly seeking to make him look her in the eyes. Once she was satisfied, Fujikawa would release it and take a few steps back from her customer, her predatory grin remaining as strong as ever.

“Oh? Are you not romantically invested in the Kage? I had assumed given your entrance into her office you were. Well then, welcome to the Fujikawa pharmacy. I am the owner and proprietor~ How may I assist you on this day?” The chemist changed tack, her understandably uncomfortable expression transitioning into a far more neutral and hopefully relaxing smile. As much as she would have enjoyed continuing to tease the pink one before her, he was still a customer and teasing one’s customer base was a sure-fire way to lose that base.

“Relax. Take a few deep breaths through your mouth, don’t mind the scent.” She leaned back, taking a short, slow and careful puff from her smoking pipe. It was an old woman’s vice smoking and while she was far from old, at least not yet, it did appeal to her as a means by which to emphasize her own maturity and independence. She supposed she could also always develop a jutsu to heal the lung damage it was inevitably causing.

One thing after another- Each wave would crash down on Chigetsu’s mind as she spoke. He didn’t know how to think, breathe, or respond when she was saying all this stuff, one after another. The softness of his face, his relationship with the Mizukage, the pharmacy- It felt like his mind was receiving too much to handle too fast, and quickly he became overwhelmed in silence. Especially with that predatory grin that Fujiwaka wore and the way that she touched and tilted his face- He could only stay sputtering, unable to get a word out, or even breathe. Now that they were maintaining eye contact he was absolutely paralyzed, nearly melting into a puddle at the scenario. Only when she took a few steps away would he be able to clear his head a bit and begin to think again. He did as she said, taking a few deep breaths through his mouth in order to calm his mind. Especially he would take note of that mention of not breathing through his nose- Likely due to the scent. Who knew what sort of open chemicals could be sitting around here.

“Pharmacy, I…. I didn’t know it was a pharmacy, I was just looking around for … For anything. Nothing in particular. I was just…”

His eyes focused. What had she been saying earlier? Something about something that would spice up his love life…? A wild night…? Ignoring what she said about the demonstration, Chigetsu couldn’t help but be curious.

“Uh… I am. I am dating the Mizukage… She’s… You probably knew that already… I think a few people knew. You said something about… Something that would help my love life? Like a love potion…?”

He seemed to misunderstand exactly what she was saying, adopting a much more innocent approach towards it all rather than the innuendo laced connotations Fujikawa was using.

“Oh? So my earlier assumption was correct? Hmmm. I am not privy to the details of the Mizukage's personal affairs but...fufu. Juicy gossip is a rather tempting thing would you not say? Alas, while I can create creations capable of augmenting one’s physical performance in the carnal arts, the emotional side of it is a different matter.” She sighed to herself, expression twisting into one of concern. Was this young little thing really struggling with their love life to the extent they wanted drugs?

In truth, it was not simply a deficit of knowledge that forced Fujikawa’s hand on this. With sufficient practice and experiment it was entirely possible that yes, she could make a love potion but that was a boundary she wished not to cross; especially as she wished to stay in the Mizukage’s good graces for the time being. Providing a love potion to drug her was not the ideal way to do that.

“However, I may be able to offer something just as helpful. A consultancy. Free of charge. So come come, tell me about your issues~” At her heart Fujikawa was a medical ninja in addition to being a chemist. As such, she had an obligation to offer healing and support to those who desired to pay for it. Luckily, providing love life advice was something she was willing to offer free of charge. Having the lover of the Mizukage on good terms with yourself was a rather tempting business opportunity.

She leaned backwards, resting against the counter behind her, a soft and professionally calm expression decorating her features as she took a slow solitary puff from her pipe.

"Tea? I am no fan of it but I hear it helps relax the mind." Keeping one's patients calm and relaxed was one of the first lessons she had taught herself. Patients were always far easier to communicate with when they were not panicking or otherwise flipping out.

With his wits returning to him a sudden meekness returned to the young male’s demeanor. Previously he had been caught in a moment of overwhelming anxiety and shock, and as a result his mind hadn’t been able to properly process the events at hand. Now that he was thinking that anxiety would return, although it would be a conscious, aware anxiety rather than one born from instinct and pressure. Talking about his relationship with Hana and even asking questions about it like this to someone who he barely knew and didn’t know if he could trust… They were shinobi. This was an exceptionally stupid thing to say, asking for a ‘love potion’ or something, when all his words could always be used against him. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He already knew that Fujikawa had met with Hana once before, so there was a chance it would happen again too…

Paranoia spread throughout him, and in his nervousness he would take a step backwards, his eyes turning down towards the ground. This had been an extraordinary bad idea, and because he hadn’t been thinking he had already done something stupid in only the first few seconds of walking in here.

“I… I’m sorry, I can’t. I shouldn’t… It’s too personal, I really shouldn’t be talking about private information like that… Please, forgot you heard me say anything here. Please.”

He offered an apologetic smile to the redheaded woman as he backed up towards the door, slowly increasing the distance between the two of them.

“I promise I’ll come back and buy something from your shop when I’m in a better headspace, but right now isn’t really good for me. I’m sorry again…” Slowly he would back through the door from where he came in, excusing himself as he exited back into the streets.

[Exit]