A Long-Awaited New Years [Open]

[Santaru Sayomi]

Time would take it's toll, dancing upon the threads of life over all others, even the elders of the Santaru Clan, though they seemed undeterred by its passing, in terms of looks or persistence when it came to bringing up the young Sayomi who had inherited the Raikou. She had been separated with her mentor gone and a new Medical Sennin in her place and years had passed. And yet, Sayomi truly was unphased for though this would be apart of her life where growth would most certainly affect her, she remained unchanged in every aspect. Save one. No longer did the brunette kunoichi stutter so much in her speech for she spoke very little after much torturous mental hardships as a result of the elders. They knew that no matter how great their power, they could not defeat time nor old age, but she needed to be controlled for and by the future generations and thus she learned to speak very little, though her mind was not easily broken. She still was very shy and the absence of people only made that grow but she no longer had the same drive to succeed as she did years before.

Instead, she was content to read above all else. For reading was enjoyable and she gained much knowledge. And during this time, the Raikou no longer raged. He no longer spoke of treachery nor revenge, he no longer cursed his imprisoned state nor the girl's blood for keeping her imprisoned. Were it not for the presence that he created still, she might have believed that the Raikou no longer existed or else had gone from its host. Still, she knew the divine beast was there. It could not be, for it would have provided peace in some form, but the young storm-bringer was forever on edge.

Peace, however, was something she sought. The lines upon pages, printed in fresh ink both fresh and dated, provided that peace in ways unbound by other people. Lives could be lived out and explored from the comfort of the estate library and knowledge obtained. Even no longer making the way to the medical wards, she had devoured countless tomes of medical knowledge to the point of nearly being able to restate them word for word on demand, if necessary. And it was through this, she learned about the gods of this world.

Naturally, being a fervent lover of her home country, Raiden held the greatest in her heart. And it was the New Year, it was customary to pay respect to shrines of the gods. Of course, the compound of Santaru held many shrines for personal use, but Sayomi wished to visit the proper one. No longer were they outright restricting her movements, believing they contained the girl's mental desire for rebellion, so alone she dressed herself in her finest clothing available to her, a beautiful pink Furisode decorated in flowers with a gold and green obi, and set off for the rare appearance. It was doubtful that anyone would recognize her and due to her lack of training, her physical nature had grown even weaker, though the wealth of chakra continued to expand exponentially. A stroll to a large shrine proved to be a lively affair as many people moved back and forth, giving greeting and blessing for the new year, all strangers, and so she kept her head down and continued forward to the temple.

[Please don't startle the Zapkitty.]

Wearing:

 

[Honnou]

… First his prosthetic arm. Its solid steel shine reflected easily the vibrant colors of the lanterns placed around the temple.

… And then his right eye, no longer made of his own flesh. One of his Byakugan had been taken as a sort of ‘payment’ during his first encounter with the rising rebellion of very recent events, those who desired vengeance against the Cloud as well as the Tenouzans for a grim past now brought to light in front of the masses. With that revelation, trust in shinobi had been injured… anyone who bore the Headband would immediately notice the change in the air when around citizens of Kumogakure. How long this would go, though… debatable. But Hon wasn’t wearing his Headband. Not today.

Not when visiting a shrine on New Year’s. Instead, he dressed far more for the occasion than usual and wore a white nagagi clad under a white haori with a grey hakama to boot. On his stroll, it was difficult to spot his sandals, and even more difficult was it to see the metallic contents of his mechanical left arm under the sleeve. Like this, most – if not all – of the traits that decorated him as a shinobi were hidden. He was just a visitor…

So basically an ANBU under even more cover. It felt completely natural to him by now.

“…” A bolt, a current of electricity appeared to pierce his head for the slightest of moments… but not in the apparent space. It was a visualization of sorts, to note his psyche of a nearby source of power far too extraordinary and… familiar. He’d felt this pressured before, but he had no clue why and when.

Perhaps just a formidable shinobi, likewise trying to keep a low profile among the visitors. So was Hon… but a yellowish creature had darted off ahead of him when his guard was lowered. A yellow fox who sensed an attraction of sorts, as if someone desired to see her. Ayaka had begun sprinting around a certain, short girl wearing a pink, flower-marked furisode with all the excitement stored in her. “Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi! Wanna play, wanna play! You wanna play?! We can play fetch, we can play catch, we can pull pranks, we can eat sweets, anything will do! Also, you smell like a fox, are you actually a fox? I’m a fox, too! I’m a pretty fox, but you look cute as well! A cute, little fox, aren’t you?”

Ayaka was on foxnip with that sort of excitement, and Hon didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that a talking summon was bothering this strange girl. Therefore, in a panic, he strolled towards them both and made Ayaka stand still with just his very stern presence. She ought to have controlled herself some more – just because she helped take down a great enemy, her heart was about to burst with arrogance at times.

“… Sorry about her, she’s… just very excited for the New Year,” he excused himself, not recognizing the young lady in the first place. His red, singular strand of hair… and his crystal-blue, left eye… those might’ve been remarkable traits of a certain shinobi, not too easy to forget.

 

[Santaru Sayomi]

The natural state of affairs was to avoid the natural state of affairs when it came to everyone else. Something deeply wrong must have possessed the girl who was once flunked out of not only a chuunin exam, but the main branch itself (at least, that's was her own interpretations of those events in her own mind) to leave her home. Her home was safe, secure, it protected her from the outside. It protected the outside from her, but she couldn't help but feel this was a natural state that she had to engage in to move forward. She had accepted that the Raiju was not likely leaving her body any time soon and though it had been subdued for the time being, it still remained an animal companion of Raiden, the chief deity of Kumo and the progenitor of the Santaru clan (or so she had been told). Raiju or not, she owed him a great deal of devotion and respect.

Most people seemed to ignore her, the young kunoichi being on the smaller side, looking not much older than a new graduate of the academy, people paid her no mind. She hadn't been seen in public for years and...even then, it didn't really matter since the brunette girl never stood out to begin with. And yet, something unexpected happened which caused her quite the fright, almost jumping out of her skin. A fox appeared. Foxes were, by themselves, quite lovely and she normally adored them...at a distance until she became comfortable or they did. This one was a bit too overwhelming, however, and far too energetic for a girl who had been all-but locked up for many years as her breath started to become unsteady as her wavering gaze, darting back and forth at people who's attention was now drawn to the pair, started to become cloudy.

Perhaps what the little yellow fox was not expecting was a blast of ice to strike the earth between the young fox and now the man who seemed to claim ownership of the, what would later be admitted to being adorable, fox. Though it was clearly just a warning shot, the origin was immediately clear. A beautiful coat of snow white which almost looked to have a bluish hue in the light and six curled tails could be seen from the almost regal, deliberate walk of Sayomi's own summon who went with her at almost all times. Yume was nearly Sayomi's only friend (though at times it felt more one-sided), but Yume's own existence nearly commanded attention as she walked out of the shadows. "You two should know your place! How dare you approach? Do you not even know whom you speak to so casually? This is the Storm Princess of Kumogakure! You are not even worthy to look at her, let alone speak!"

It was a forceful tone, but it belayed the young fox's only young age, for she had become contracted with Sayomi not long after she had become of age to do so, being a special and rare ice fox she was considered something of a "princess" of her own kind as well. The young mednin's cheeks burned pink in embarrassment before Yume turned an accusatory paw towards her as well, "And you should not bother with such riff raff! This is why I told you why should not leave the compound or at least have all here cleared out before our visit!" In response, the Santaru girl bit down on her lip, trembling in shame, trying her best to keep her emotions from welling up and just nodded in response, her purple gaze ever on the ground, specifically at the paws of the white fox, strands of brown falling in front of her face as well as she mumbled off an apology.

 

[Honnou]

… Ayaka, for the love of God. “Hey, Ayaka, would you not bother her? Sayomi’s clearly uncomfortable, and you’re not exactly the most accommodative-“

“What are you ooooooooooon aboooooooouuuuuuuut~? I’m just being a friendly, little fox – who doesn’t love m-“

And with no warning, a blast of ice was shot between the two, right on the bricked floor. The space between them was frozen solid from an Ice Release Jutsu, and Hon spotted its trajectory in advance, so he didn’t move… but he probably should’ve. It did freeze a bit of his sandals – he just didn’t expect anyone associated with Sayomi to outright take a warning shot at the Hyūga and Ayaka. Soon enough, it was revealed that Sayomi’s own companion was quite a protective one, easily proclaiming Sayomi’s sovereignty over the two as if… as if… but…

Okay, there were some weird things going on with that fox. Were all foxes like that?

Even Sayomi looked beyond help at this rate, ashamed of what was beyond her power. Hon didn’t like that one bit, and he also didn’t like being called unworthy. That was just some arrogant shit flung his way that he didn’t want to deal with, so he might as well make things clear.

“… Long time no see, senpai.”

Yup, just like that – he recalled correctly that, at one point, Sayomi was like… half an inch taller than him, older than him, and taught him a bit about Gravity and Magnetic Ninjutsu that one time. Conclusion – she was his senpai… problem was, she hadn’t grown any taller since then. He was clearly taller than her now – how on earth? Did she have a growth stop? Didn’t she drink enough milk? Like, something was up with her…

“I’m glad you found such a protective friend, but… you ought to teach her to talk a little nicer to people. Now, I get not getting along with Ayaka-“

“Wh- HEY!”

“-but attitude goes a long way, foxie. Besides, me and Sayomi go wayyyyyyyyy back – I was, like, 11 when we first met… which, uh… y-you alright, Sayomi? I wouldn’t say I tower you now, but the implication’s there, and it’s been… damn, years.”

 

[Santaru Sayomi]

The world was certainly just as strange and uncomfortable as it had ever been in the past, certainly it was something she was not a fan of in the slightest. However, before she had been locked away after the incident in which the former Raikage (or so she had been told that he had been replaced upon the disappearance of himself and his wife, Sayomi's own former mentor) became involved, the little Santaru had lost all contact with the outside world outside of what she overheard in the manor and what her fox friends would pick up. More importantly, she lost much of the already limited ability to interact with people. Thus Yume often served as her protector as well as translator.

Perhaps she was a bit too overprotective at times, but that did seem to keep people away. Most people, at least, outside of this adorable, if not overly excited new fox. Also loud. Very loud. But more disturbingly was the large man who stood in front of her now, acting rather overly familiar. Even worse, he knew her name. As he tried to scold his own fox companion, he used her name. And even referred to her as "senpai". No one, not even the younger students in her academy days had ever referred to her as such. She was a late bloomer, at least power wise...though having the divine beast trapped inside her helped that, so she rarely garnered any sort of respect, certainly not enough to warrant such a title.

If she hadn't displayed how uncomfortable she was before, her fidgeting and downcast, frightened appearance due to this stranger's sudden appearance and knowledge. If it were just the fox, Yume would be annoyed, but Kichirou was similar in personality, so Sayomi could most likely handle it...but strangers with knowledge of things they shouldn't know was terrifying. One such nearly kidnapped her and the other...was responsible for making her lose her temper. The young storm-caller thus attempted her best to keep all emotions in check here...at least she didn't cry just yet.

Yume, however, had lost her patience at being scolded and being called "foxie" as if a child or, worse, a commoner. "EXCUSE ME?! Commoners like you..." she started before transforming, turning into a much larger fox, several feet taller where her head was nearly even with Sayomi's, a radiant sheen on her icy blueish-white fur and tails increased to a legendary nine, her voice no longer adorable, but now elegant and refined, even as she stared the pair down. "should know your place...." stated the fox in a beautifully menacing tone, ready to fire another ice attack before stopping.

The brunette kunoichi mumbled something under her breath and the reason why Yume was her escort became perfectly clear. Yume's eyes sparkled with amusement and she started to laugh in her deceptively elegant voice which soon reverted to the adorable as she transformed back to her previous, original stature. "I doubt you even heard it, but the Storm Princess doesn't even know who you are. She's rather frightened by you, even, if you couldn't tell. Besides, what friend would not even stop to say hello after all this time? Hmph! Clearly some lowlife, no status trying to use the Santaru name," turning her backside and fluffing up her multiple tails at the pair indignantly. "You should know that my lady's power over the nature is uncontested in the world, that is why she is being groomed to lead the clan. The heaven's themselves answer her call, so know just how outclassed here."

 

[Honnou]

Oh what, she didn’t like the nickname. Not at all – she even grew in size as a way to intimidate him… but all she did was grow up to Sayomi’s height. Besides, her cold demeanor and cold prowess reminded Hon of a certain, previous worthy opponent who also had a knack for freezing down the first thing that annoyed them.

Sayomi didn’t utter a word at him, but instead whispered something to Yume, causing the fox to relax more and even laugh like a high lady at the Saito and his fox companion. This honestly just made Hon’s head tilt, his face lessen in detail, until he looked like a doodle of a man trying to understand the situation. “… Huh…?” he hummed, a bit let down that Sayomi had forgotten all about him. That Yume foxie sure loved smearing disrespect all over him, too, thinking her and Sayomi as royalties in comparison to a ‘commoner’ such as Hon… lowlife? Okay, that was some bullshit-

… They did play tug of war with metallic objects back then. Maybe that’d help refresh her memory.

Hon sighed at Yume’s comments, then pulled up a random key – once he infused it with his chakra, the key obtained a magnetic field of its own and floated upwards from his palm. “You still got some self-esteem issues to work with, Sayomi… you’re far cooler than you think, y’know?” Deciding to outright ignore Yume might’ve been a bad idea, but that white fox was getting on his nerves. Let her ‘ho ho ho’ at him all she wanted, he genuinely appreciated his friendship with Sayomi, no matter what she said. Yume had no damn idea what Hon had been through.

“… Oh, wait, is it my eyes? Sorry, I hadn’t awakened my blue Byakugan back then,” he assumed, now that his left eye was a crystal-blue, and his right eye was still the pale, standard Saito color, “I didn’t get to thank you for the tips you gave me. Lightning Release has never been easier for me.”

It was weird treating her as a senpai older than him, even though he now towered her.

 

[Santaru Sayomi]

Her mind tried to think of why this person would even think they would know one another. It certainly did not add up. Time truly didn't seem to click in the dark corridors of the safe halls of the Santaru compound. Everything seemed endless, unmoving, unaging...it fit her to a tee. It kept her calm, sedated, in control of her own world where nothing changed. Even the others that she was allowed to see did not change. Even though she wished to pay proper respects this New Years, she was well aware there was a risk when going outside the safety of her walls, even with Yume by her side. Naturally, she had spoken with many people years ago when she was "proper" before her mentor had vanished, but this man certainly did not seem to be one of them. The only adults she knew spoke softly, politely, this one was far too brash and his fox companion infinitely more so.

However, he seemed just as confused about her lack of recognition as she was about his recognition of the young recluse. In fact, he was....insulting her? Complimenting her? It was hard to decipher which comment was meant to be taken as the predominant statement. Yume, however, certainly wasn't having any of it as once more she positioned herself in between the two, her beautiful bluish-white fur bristling. "How dare you continue to address her by her first name?! Such insolence! Insisting you know the next Lady Santaru in such a manner! Not to mention continually belittling her! I will not overlook such transgressions because of your lowly status! Furthermore, it should be exceedingly obvious that even a fool such as you should know you do not approach someone without a proper introduction!" she stated with a deep, underlying growl in her throat as she barked an order. "Now LEAVE!" An icy aura emanated from the small fox, menacing in spite of her diminutive stature.

It was not entirely clear whether or not Sayomi was uncomfortable over how Yume was reacting or being in a situation with a stranger addressing her like so. The past few years, more than politely, all others had begun to speak to her with utmost respect that it almost became like second nature to her. In this situation, all she could do was stare off to the side, her eyes fixated upon the ground as she rubbed one of her arms with her hand. Not speaking, but shivering as if she were cold, locks of hair falling upon her face, obscuring it from the outside.

 

[Honnou]

… Oh goodness gracious, by Raiden’s eyebrows, she really didn’t remember him. In such a scenario, where a stranger walked up to a person and acted all familiar… yeah, explained the fox’ responses. So hostile and vigilant- wait, why was she bringing up his social status again? By the heavens, Hon really had to feel undervalued at a time like this, huh?

How would things have looked like back then… if he actually became a local hero of some sorts, and not an ANBU who kept all of his achievements hush hush?

Anyway… uh, maybe it was his entire change? He was taller now, so… if he reverted back to his younger self, would she recognize him? It was worth a shot – Sayomi, no offense, did seem a bit simple-minded, so she’d definitely recognize the young Hyuuga who barely reached her chin.

*POOF*

“… Do you remember me now?” he asked patiently, now over a foot shorter, spiky black hair, that wild single bang over his forehead coated in red, and in his old shinobi outfit from before his days in the ANBU. It was pretty much a last resort, but he’d dug deep into his memory to find this appearance, then performed the simple Transformation Jutsu to don his work.

“… Was I that short? Wait, no shot I was that short – man, I’ve been blessed…” he sighed in relief, now having to rise his gaze a bit to actually meet Sayomi’s eyes, “I’m not gonna lie, Senpai, it hurts being forgotten by your own tutor… I don’t think my heart can take it anymore… nah, I’m just ki-“

“BYUWAUAHAHAHAHAHWHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAH! YOU WERE SUCH A DWARF, EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHL OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH EEEEEEEE-“

“SHUT! UP!”

 

[Santaru Sayomi]

The situation was very odd and getting odder by the second as, despite the warning and, indeed, several threats by the small fox who could appear imposing should she wish, even demonstrating that a few moments earlier, the older man did not seem to have any inclination to backing down. Even worse, he seemed filled with the desire to press the situation which started to upset the young brunette as storm clouds started to form above the pair, despite Yume's best actions to shoo the man away.

That is, until he did something unthinkable. Of course, he refused to give his name despite being shunned for not introducing himself, but he did performed the transformation jutsu. It took a moment for the smoke to clear and then another for Sayomi to process just what she was seeing. It had been literal years before she had seen people from her days when she was active as a ninja, but one of the few people she did remember was Hon. Her eyes grew, just slightly, in acknowledgement and surprise before shaking her head in disbelief. The white fox of six-tails moved towards her ward in confusion, head-tilted as she hopped into her arms and listened to her words, turning towards Hon and the small fox.

Just as she was about to speak, the other fox let out a blood curdling screech...or laugh. Something of the sort which caused Sayomi to cower and cover her ears, dropping Yume to the ground, though she landed rather gracefully, if not annoyed. She opened her mouth and shot forth and icy blast which froze the ground near the fox. "Such uncouth behavior! Cease your shrill screeching!" she instructed the yammering fox before nuzzling her head against Sayomi's hand to reassure her for a second, turning once again to the young Hon. "You're claiming to be this...Hon, the Lady Santaru says? She remembers the person you're impersonating, but even with age, you look nothing like the boy who stands before us. Assuming we were to believe you, why have you approached my Lady? Let alone let this....I'm ashamed to even call her a fox, though she is quite well suited for you, around her. If you know Lady Santaru, you should be well aware she is ill-suited handling to such behavior! And you...you refused to once give your name! It's no wonder you remain such low status! Such abhorrent manners! Apologize at once and state your business!"

 

[Honnou]

… Huh, the weather was starting to pick up. I mean, it was usually cloudy up in the mountains, but rapid changes in the atmosphere were seldom insignificant events. However, based on Sayomi’s body language – her widening eyes, her surprised grimace, and her talking to her companion with a lowered voice – he could tell that she did recognize his face. Yume, just as before, didn’t look any bit entertained by his little surprise, though.

In fact, Ayaka’s outburst nearly got her entombed in ice as the yellow fox leapt back from the ice blast that coated the ground in deadly frost. “Atatatatatata- that was close…” the troublemaker cackled, a polar opposite kitsune to that of Yume herself. It was no wonder that they already got on each other’s throats like that. “Can you blame me, though? I mean, look at him! You wouldn’t think he’d grow up to become a Jōnin – not without needing canes to stand on…”

Annoying, bitchy kitsune – why the hell was she his contract? Couldn’t… why her? If he knew her nature, he wouldn’t have signed that damn contract in the first place… if anything, a fox like Yume would’ve been much more helpful, but alas – here we were.

“Yes, that’s me,” he reaffirmed, “Hyūga Honnou. Saito Honnou. Hon. The motif is there.” Even when he made that clear, apparently his… appearance was off? To have grown up so much made them skeptical of his claim, but… wait, she was in no position to make that claim – the two of them hadn’t changed since back then! “I mean, Sayomi looks exactly the same as all those years ago, so I wouldn’t say it’s farfetched…”

…

“I’m nothing like her.”
“Oh, don’t be such an ass, Hon~! We’re like bonfire and marshmallows-“
“Hush.”

Yume, overall, was astonished by his actions for one damn reason or another – stating that Sayomi wasn’t really in the best condition to take these mild jests, and calling it mild was an overstatement. And what was it with him and low status? Was he that discreet with his achievements?

Well, he was an ANBU… certainly, if she heard of his deeds, she wouldn’t have been such a stuck-up hime-sama. Urgh… but either way, the white fox clearly meant the best for Sayomi. “I apologize deeply. It’s been years since I last saw Sayomi-senpai, and I grew much more than I asked for… which begs the question – what… like, is everything alright, senpai? You said before that she was being trained to lead the clan, and the Santaru are unquestionably mighty, so forgive me if I come off as worried. Or maybe I worry for naught – Sayomi’s stronger than even she thinks.”