A Hollow Home [Private]

[Shinrei]

Small, bandaged hands closed the ornate front door with a loud click that resonated through the large entryway, the deadbolt following shortly after,a wince of pain shooting up from the force required to lodge the aging lock into place. Shinrei cradled the pained hand, a tinge of red staining the otherwise fresh bandage that wrapped up her hand and around the entirety of both exposed forearms. She resisted the urge to put the stinging finger in her mouth, both because she was not a baby and because of the antiseptic ointment that had the foulest taste she could imagine.

After a few moments, she lifted her back up her shoulder, slid off the shinobi grade training boots that she was required to wear and haphazardly let them fall beside the empty rack of shoes. It wasn't truly empty, but it was wide enough for a family three times their size, and aside her and her brother, who seemed to have made it home from the academy before she had, there only was a single disused pair from her mother, though the heels that she typically wore were unsurprisingly missing. Letting go a resigned sigh, she stepped into the main lobby of their home. It was a modestly prosperous home, at least once upon a time. Discarded bottles, haphazardly thrown clothes and empty containers of food dotted scattered surfaces across its entirety. Where once may have been an expensive vase made from a far-off land, now rested a trio of empty beer bottles from a nearby brewery.

It was a familiar sight, and normally she would have begun to pick up the pieces, she simply did not have the energy today. Instead, she shambled her way further into the house, dropping the satchel of weapons and scrolls in the middle of the hallway with little care or ceremony, their weight causing a rattling thud to echo through the bare wooden hall. She passed faded rectangles, their hangings long discarded, dotted the wall as she made her way down towards her own room at its end. She glanced in the open rooms that she passed. half expecting to see the telltale shifting of for from a twitching ear or a dangling tail, but his absence continued by the time she made it to her closed room, a torso sized scroll resting upon it with her name elegantly across.

"Finally..." she muttered to herself as she slid the door open, eager to collapse on her bed and sleep.

 

[Kyo]

Sister has come home
Found in a forbidden place
Hide or face her wrath​

Nervous ears twitched with the loud closing of the large front door causing curious eyes to leap from their journey across the pages and towards the ajar door of the bedroom.

Home? Already? She usually wanders around awhile before coming home. Crap.

His tail swished as he made it to his feet in an instant and peeked out into the main hallway. She was still struggling with the deadbolt and that afforded him a few extra moments to formulate a plan. He could bolt into the hallway and home to make it into another room unseen or unheard before she finished with the lock and turned around... No. He wasn't that fast or quiet yet and she would easily spot him. Hiding was the next option. He smoothed out his plain gray boy's tunic - primarily to wipe his sweating palms - and took in the room. The closet was too full of clothing and knick-nacks. None of the furniture offered enough coverage or shadow to avoid detection. And there was no hiding under a bed that laid upon the floor itself. With only one option left and the sound of plodding feet making their way down the hall he felt his eyes trail...

...Up.

He shoved the diary he had been leafing through haphazardly back underneath the pillow it had been hiding under and snatched one of his sister's training kunai off her bedside table. He'd seen her and the other kids in the Academy do this a thousand times before. How hard could it really be? Taking a deep breath and twirling the Kunai in his hand he ran swiftly towards the wall before leaping, letting his weight settle just long enough to adjust and a second leap back off the wall towards the ceiling beam. The Kunai found purchase in the wood as he tried to pull himself up closer to the beam but he had grossly misjudged his height - or lack thereof - and his own upperbody strength and he found himself slipping quickly...

...He lands with a rather heavy **THUD** right onto her bed half as she opens the door to her room and does his best to look nonchalant about it.

"H...hello sister. Welcome home. Today was an uneventful day and nothing is wrong."

The kunai slips from from beam - its purchase not nearly as deep as he had suspected - and lands point down inches from his hand as he slightly flinches, before offering her the best innocent smile he can muster.

"...and how was your day?"

 

[Shinrei]

The contents of her diary were fairly standard for a girl at her age and per position. A mixture of doodles, daydreams and vents. The current diary read back about a year and was nearing the end of its potential use. Notably the shift of how she writes about Kyo seems to shift more positively in recent months, even if her complaints are more frequent. In addition, there is the expected missing period during her history, afterwards there are occasional entries commenting about bad dreams and ill feelings at odd times, those feelings seeming to make her feel more agitated at the academy during combat training, even when just watching the other students fight.

----

The sound of a body hitting the bed came just before she caught sight of the intruder, the door swinging slowly open as she stared at him with a blank expression. Her face was bruised with a few bandages covering nicks and cuts and patches of red could be seen soaking through spots of her bandages as she stood motionless, listening and staring at him for a handful of heartbeats. Then the weapon fell from the ceiling stabbing down into her bed beside the demon spawn that nonchalantly laid there, looking as if he had little care in the world.

A few months back, before they had entered the academy she might have reacted differently, but today she simply didn't have the energy to throw him out by his tail. Instead, she just looked defeated, today feeling like just one of the worst days that had happened in a while. "Maybe for you... what in the world are you doing in here, you little demonspawn?" It was a term she used not with malice, though right now it certainly held some measure of disdain for her soon to be deceased brother. "You better have a good answer before I drag you out of here by your tail." Her eyes looked hollow and while she had not actually lived up to that threat yet, her tone hinted that today might be the day that she breaks that streak.

 

[Kyo]

Guilty, Innocent
She plays Judge and Jury both
Careful words chosen​

He pulls his tail to his chest with a horrified look. "What? Come on. Not the tail." Scampering back up onto his feet he smooths out his tunic again - a nervous habit - and picks up the stray Kunai. "Can I borrow one of your Kunai? I don't think mine are weighted right and I wanted to compare." The kunai idly flips between his fingers as he offers her a polite smile. His tail sways back and forth idly as he keeps a calm demeanor before...

"Wait a second... You're hurt!" Dropping the kunai back onto the floor with a thunk he's at her side in an instant, eyes start to cloud as he feels his mind returning to dark memories causing his voice to crack. "What.... what happened?"

---

He can still see that day, clear as if it was happening before him now. The crimson rivers tracing through valleys of torn fabric across her broken form. Heat and hatred radiating from the eyes of the monster... no, Kyo, don't embellish... the man that loomed over her. The man spoke but the words might as well had been the screeching of cicadas for all he understood. A gnarled hand reached for her and all Kyo could feel was not fear or panic but... an unfamiliar feeling he couldn't recall feeling before. Desperate shaking hands reached out to stop the man, putting his tiny frame between his broken sister and the looming threat.. "STAY AWAY..."

---
"...FROM MY SISTER!" Blinking into the empty hallway, he lowers his arms unsteadily as he tries to return to the present. The threat isn't here - it remained in the past. Shaking, he turns back towards his sister, ears twitching with nervous and uncomfortable energy. "It... sorry... it wasn't... y'know... He's gone... right?" Kyo breathes deeply trying to center himself. "Are you okay? That doesn't look like the usual training bang-ups you have..." His ears drop sadly as he bites his lower lip in concern, wanting to do something to help but afraid anywhere he touches or anything he tries will just further complicate the injuries. Mentally he notes he should ask his instructors to help him focus on medical ninjutsu if she was going to keep being this reckless.

 

[Shinrei]

Had she the mental energy to be more suspicious, his strange attempt at an excuse followed by a surge of concern might have triggered some alarms of suspicion, but she barely had the energy to make idle threats, much less actually do any deduction of his motives. Shinrei opened her mouth to give him a half-answer, but then he seemed to act strange, a few moments of silence passed before he suddenly cried out.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"

Her eyes widened a in surprise with a surge of realization fueling some life back into her as she let out a sigh and shook her head. The bandaged, bloodied and bruised aspiring kunoichi reached out slowly with her arms and carefully pulled him to a hug, her voice taking a calming tone, still exhausted but more motherly than she often spoke with him. "Shh, I am okay." She spoke softly and softly held him, her arms stinging and aching too much to let her do anything more fervent. "We are here alone, it is okay." She brushed her hand lightly on the arm of his tunic in a soothing motion. Shinrei only stood a few dozen hairs taller than he, so it wasn't as comforting as her mother might have been... on a good day... but it would have to do .

A short while passed while she let them stand there, the moment of energy that had fueled her own concern quickly draining away as she let him go and shifted slowly past him to collapse slowly on the bed, wincing from a stab of pain in her ribs. "This isn't anything to be concerned about. I am having to do more intensive frontline training this week due to a lack of chakra control." It was punishment of sorts, designed to scare students into dedicating more time into the boring work of controlling their chakra, but it had its practical applications as well, everything in the academy did. Those who could not fight at a distance would get beaten and battered more often, and so it only made sense that they learn to deal with cuts, burns, bruises and breaks as part of the curriculum. The program was a source of shame for students, and the intensive physical beatings that came with it were rarely talked about outside the walls of the academy, by neither faculty nor student.

Had she known he was home already, or thought about it, she would have already cleaned herself up and tried better to hide her injuries. She knew he still had issues from the incident, which she found amusing and endearing, given that she was the one who was put into the hospital by the end of it. That aside, while she didn't know what exactly did happen, she did know that he was the reason she made it back, even if she didn't know the details; details, she believed, were irrelevant. "Can you handle dinner tonight? I don't know what time she will be back." Shinrei took a slow breath, pausing from a momentary stab of pain, before she looked up from her seat on the edge of the bed to him with a smile.

 

[Kyo]

The fox becomes chef
Unskilled in all but basics
Sandwiches tonight​

The hug pulled him further from the haze and back into reality with a warmth he was not expecting and hesitant to let go of when she finally broke the embrace. Concern still cast a shadow that dulled the usual curious and playful light in his eyes but if he had any further questions, he kept them to himself. He didn't verbally respond to her request for dinner as he stood there for a beat longer than was probably comfortable before nodding and making his way out of the room to let her rest and clean up.

It still surprised him this home felt much like his original small shack he grew up in. There was no doubt this home was far better built and much larger than the old hovel of his early childhood, but some things had not changed. Empty spaces that served no purpose. A lack of life or warmth through its halls. Eyes shot to the side as he passed their mothers room at the slightly ajar door and for a moment wondered if she was home... he wished she was. She might not always be the most present or warm woman, but she acknowledged his presence and existence and that was more than his past mother. And despite the woman's shortcomings she did care about her children: he knew if asked she would help tend to Shinrei's wounds without much commentary or complaint and that would have made him, at least, feel better.

Entering the kitchen, he shoved a box that rattled with now empty bottles against the counter to use as a stool before further climbing up onto the counter. Whose idea was it to build these things so damn tall? Empty. Empty. Bottle of what he assumed was some kind of sauce, likely expired. Maybe mother would remember to go shopping when she came back from... wherever she was. Last cabinet... Bread. A little stale but no mold and still edible. Half a jar of peanut butter. No jelly. Well, there's a start. Tucking the loaf of bread under his arm and grabbing the jar he hops back off the counter and shuffles over to the table and places his looted treasures upon it. Something red with a slight shine to it catches his eye near the table's center. Apples. Still good, though?

He presses against the table and its uneven legs cause it to tilt enough to slide the basket towards him and he snatches one of the vermilion orbs into his hand and after a second to muster his courage takes a bite. Crisp, juicy and thus surprisingly fresh. Score. A bit of rummaging around in the drawer for a clean knife and a bit later he stood proudly admiring his gourmet spread of a peanut butter sandwich and apple slices. Leaving what would be his plate in a moment on the table he scooped up the plate for his sister and headed back down the hall towards his sister's room. He stands at the door - now pulled close - and clears his throat.

"Room service!"

 

[Shinrei]

As soon as he left the room she collapsed backwards onto the bed, tempted to let sleep take her then and there. She often overtrained, pushed herself too far in one form or another, till hoping the be the great shinobi her mother saw she could be. It had not happened yet, but she was a late bloomer. Regardless, she was no stranger to pain but today's... lessons, as the instructor had called it went much beyond a simple lesson and beyond the typical aches and pains of overwork. If not for her bandages and her clothes then she was sure one of her wounds would stain her bed, and it was not likely they could afford replacement sheets, at least for now. Once Kyo and she were full shinobi it would be different.

Her mind wandered to the future. She could see her standing proud at the door, a sack of ash thrown over her back from a string of high value missions. The inside of their home shining bright and cheery, decorated and tidy. Her mother embracing her and lavishing praise for how well she had done to bring honor to their family. The dream was suddenly broken with the call of Kyo's voice. A moment of resentment came to her, a feeling that was not as common these days for her brother, but it was not all that long ago that it was a silent secret that she bore towards him. She had learned how much of a mistake that was, but it was not a feeling easily discarded.

Sitting up with gentle care, the look of disdain left her face as she offered him a tired smile, her eyes still hazy from the moment of sleep just a few seconds prior. "You can come in," she replied, an annoyance from earlier that was much fresher in her mind, but not enough to taint her smile as he made his way in. She inspected the contents of the plate, trying hard to not show her disappointment. It was likely all they had. She could have made something much better, but he was a kid, and a boy no less, what did he know about cooking? "Thanks Kyo." She paused a moment and looked at him, "where's yours?"

 

[Kyo]

Can't all be clever
Some poems just fill the space
Illusion of depth​

He annoyance at being disturbed - even for food - wasn't lost on him and her disappointment was about as hidden as an Academy student on their first day of stealth training. He didn't let on and simply gave her the food. "Mine's still in the kitchen. I'll grab it momentarily - I still need to make some tea. Pretty sure we still have that." Giving a polite bow - born mostly of habit but also with some genuine respect - he ducks back out of the room. The smile on his face fades as heads down the hallway. Shadows do more than flood into the barely lit home as they seem to slip into his mind as well. She was disappointed. He knew he could have done better with more options, and he felt a bitterness rising up from within. The bitterness was immediately met with guilt. Their mother took him in when she didn't have to and gave him far, far more than his birth family ever had but... still the sting of feeling overlooked and uncared for reared its head. A simple sandwich and a side of fruit would have been enough to sustain him and he would have been grateful for it but the woman could have had the damn decency to keep the house stocked with better foods for her actual daughter... right?

The kettle was right where he left it last. Of course, it is. Mother dearest had a drink she much preferred and Shinrei was rarely in the kitchen herself given how often she was either pushing herself to train or whatever else it was she got up to. Carefully he turned on the stove and set the kettle on to get the water boiling before setting out the cups for the tea on the bare table. It would take a while for the water to boil but...

Wait. Bare table?

His eyes shot back towards the table towards where the bread, peanut butter and apples should be only to find them all missing. It was only then that he felt something graze along the back of his ear before it was met with the harsh flick of a finger.

"And dead. What if I was an enemy kiddo?"

Spinning around he looked up to see the smirking face of his adoptive mother, helping herself to what he presumed was the sandwich he had made for himself. She finished off the last bite before placing a hand firmly on his head and squatting down to meet him eye to eye.

"School is getting lax these days. Not even a scrape on you." She frowned thoughtfully before tossling his hair - an act he was loathe to admit he genuinely enjoyed - and standing up with a stretch and loud yawn. "Where's your sister? She back yet? Need you kids to run some errands for me. Mama needs a nap."

He nodded sheepishly before pointing back towards the hall. "She is but she needs rest too and I still need to eat and..." If his words registered beyond the initial confirmation of his sister being home she didn't react to them. She stepped past him quickly and made her way towards Shinrei's room...

Kyo sighed, closing his eyes and used his usual tactic to re-center his mind and cope...

Mother has come home
Turbulence creates a storm
Peaceful hours perish​

 

[Shinrei]

As soon as he left, she collapsed back once again, the plate resting on the bed beside her. Letting a moment of rest drift into sleep, even as she fought to keep her eyes open. Dreams came softly, though not the peaceful sort of only a few minutes prior. She stood along in a sea of pitch black, floating aimlessly as she seemed to drift on her back on a sea of pure blackness that stretches as far in the distance as the inky sky did. Through the stillness there was a strange urge that compelled her to move, compelled her to stand and run to search for something, though in this endless void there was nothing to even seek. Nothing until a ripple across the black sea bumped faintly into her. Then another, just as subtle and soft but somehow closer.

The waves came rhythmically, slow and steady, with a faint tinge of color momentarily causing the darkness to subside, if only barely. The faintest of reds that seemed to pulse in sequence with the waves. That urge to seek, to find, to hunt for its source came stronger as too did the beating of the color and sensation. She could feel it even if she couldn't see anything here, close enough to reach out and-

Her eyes shot open just a split second before a finger harshly flicked her nose. Standing above her, the figure's finger returning from its momentary flick, stood her mother. Though not beside the bed or on it, but instead dangling from the beam that stretched across the ceiling of her room, her long hair dangling carelessly on the bed next to Shinrei's head. She looked amused, if a bit surprised, but that shifted away quickly as she spoke, a flat scolding tone that bit deeper than even the academy's instructor's biting words did, "dead." With a casual kick off the beam, the woman flipped through the air and landed silently next to the girl's bed. "I taught you better than to let your guard down."

Shinrei grimaced as she forced herself to sit up, a stab of pain in her side extracting a flinch. "We're at home, mom." Her response was defensive, more so that she meant it to sound, but she was still shaking off that weird sensation from just moments ago, as well as a newly stinging nose.

"Yeah, and you gotta learn to sleep with one eye open kiddo. Enemy's not going to wait until you're had your morning meal to strike." Her mother crossed her arms and examined the young woman over. "Looks like you had a time of it. What happened?" She didn't sound very concerned, though she was curious. It wasn't that her mother didn't care about the injuries, but it was commonplace at the academy, so why fret over it?

Shinrei averted her eyes and replied in a quieter tone, "frontline remediation." It was the nice way of describing the training for those who were nearly failing out of the academy, which with the newer 'relaxed' curriculum of the past few years was more of an insult to the family's dwindling honor than it once would have been.

Her mother clicked her tongue and sighed, "get up, you're going out for errands. Take your brother with you. I'm going to take a nap." She sounded stressed, like the disappointments for the day just kept rolling on, with this being only the latest. "List is on the door. When you're done, I will find some exercises to help try to drag you back out of remediation, even if it kills you." With a quick pivot, her mother turned and stepped out of the room and back towards her own bedroom.

Shinrei sighed with shame, the encounter went as well as was expected. She doubted there would be any exercise once she got back. In all likelihood her mother would be passed out for the night, drunk or already back out drinking before her and Kyo returned. That face brought another wave of disappointment, but at least her body wouldn't give out before more classes tomorrow. The last thing she needed was to be so beaten up, exhausted and drained that she failed out of the academy just because she couldn't drag her butt to classes anymore.

The food sat forgotten on the bed as she forced herself to a stand, pushing down the pain as she stumbled out of her room and down the hallway towards the kitchen. "Kyo." She called, presuming he was in the kitchen, but not entirely sure. "We gotta head out and do... something." Shopping she hoped, she was hungry, maybe some food would help to give her the energy to recuperate. That did always seem to help. She stepped to the threshold of the kitchen and peered in, trying, but failing to hide the exhausted look in her eyes. Today was not a great day and it was not getting any better.