Open Darting to Destiny: Playing Mind Games (Req. Kiriyomi)

[Senju Akio]

Akio's enjoyment at what he expected would be a good scolding from Haniki for Shusuke's grim perspective was cut short as his new friend began to cry. The young Senju's eyebrows pinched upwards in a look of compassionate concern as he saw the pained look on Kiriyomi's face. Turning back towards Shusuke briefly, Akio glared with an expression of anger in response to how mean it was to ask a fresh and green ninja-to-be, much less one who'd just begun their shinobi training, to quit and find another profession. 'Mercilessness isn't always the answer to 'threats'... sometimes you gotta find peace.' The young boy thought, his mind filled with the wise words of his grandfather, Itsuki. With that thought, he returned his attention back to his Aburame classmate.

Akio placed a hand on the young Aburame's shoulder, looking him in the eye and hoping he'd divert his attention away from the antagonism Shusuke had been providing in spades. "Hey... Don't listen to him... My grandpa always taught me that everyone here in Konohagakure has their own ninja way. And if yours and Shusuke's aren't the same, then there's nothin' wrong with that. I, for one, think it's braver to try to fight for kindness than conflict." Akio said, his tone gentle and genuine, just like his grandfather's had been when he had consoled Akio when he was feeling very similarly to the way Kiriyomi did right now. "So let's prove him wrong. Show him that we can be great shinobi without being ruthless or cutthroat. I think that can be a path to peace and safety as much as killing intruders or 'threats' can be." Akio added, an infectious smile appearing on his bright face, hoping that his own positivity would spread to his newfound buddy.

 

[Mizushima Kita]

Haniki’s brows lift as the younger student suddenly collapses to the ground in tears, Akio glaring at Shusuke before comforting the other. Letting them finish, she steps forward before putting a gentle hand on Akio’s shoulder to motion them out of the way so she can stand before Kiriyomi.

Haniki bends down to his level and pauses. Her hand reaches for him, grabbing the front of his shirt and forcefully yanks him back up onto his feet with a firm grip. “If you’re going to cry, you’ll do so standing up with your head high. Emotions are valuable, but not if you let them shut you down.” She scolds before gives a sweet smile and letting him go.

 

[Kiriyomi]

Kiriyomi feels a hand on his shoulder, and hears Akio attempting to console him, which just causes him to cry even harder. He was grateful that the boy had stepped in to help him when he cried out for help, but the attention was too much for Kiri to handle at the moment. He just wants to sink into the earth and disappear. As he is thinking that, Akio's hand leaves his shoulder and he is yanked off the ground by the kind smiling girl who had addressed Shusuke moments before.

As she scolds Kiri and tells him to own his emotions, he sniffles and wipes his nose on his shoulder. Nodding, he looks her in the eye and gives her a watery smile. "You're right. Okasan is always telling me to embrace my feelings, because they are valid and I shouldn't be ashamed of them. So, I think I will do just that." He quickly makes a handseal and in a poof of smoke, a small flower drifts to the ground as Kiriyomi can be seen running off into the trees bordering the training grounds.

 

[Kimari Bōmu]

Keniwa had been minding his own business keeping to himself in the few weeks he has been at the academy. Having been home-schooled for a large majority of his life he hadn't understood all the commotion to such a large degree. He couldn't help but wonder 'Why is this weak looking student trying to distort such a valuable life lesson to one of my classmates.' a lesson he was well aware of years before he even knew what the academy was. He hadn't bothered with engaging with the ruckus keeping focus with his own training, not a glance, not even towards the powerful display which heavily damaged that training dummy. Not running in fear or flinching at the showing of hand seals, he continued to punch at the training dummy which stood before him, continuously honing his physical abilities. He knew where he stood, he wasn't the strongest, not by a long shot, making top 20 would be a miracle, however it's the same reason he's working so hard.

Being just a few metres away from the scene unfolding, he could overhear all the ideals and opinions thrown around and he definitely had to agree with one of them. 'How do they expect to survive the real world if they couldn't handle one of their own's intimidation inside of the academy?' He contemplated to himself. Figuring as a good opportunity to introduce himself possibly even at the chance of learning more information about the ones around him. He steps back from the training dummy, quickly moving towards the blond haired boy, putting his hand on their shoulder, softly gripping at his clothes' fabric. Before furrowing his eyebrows as his slowly shakes his head as he looks up at him, whilst creating a seemingly devilish grin, as he begins to interrogate the boy. "Why did you lie to him?"

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

As a new student arrived and began to call out the young Senju Shusuke would watch as the Aburame boy began to run away from the situation. What a disappointment. "Haniki-chan, I only told him the truth. If he wants to get mouthy and doesn't expect a shinobi to stand their own he isn't going to make it for very long in this world. Even you have been quite shocking before when pushed too far. Hell, you stood up to Lady 5th when we were first starting our journey. You didn't back down..." Shusuke looked towards the clouds for a moment. What would Shishiwakamaru do in this situation? He let out a sigh. He knew what his friend would do, but Shusuke was not about to apologize for his actions. "I mean Lady 5th did the same thing to me in one of my first classes, and Daiji-sensei even sent a squad of goons after us in one of our other classes and I was beaten into unconsciousness... Those were some of my earliest classes."

To be honest, this child's reaction pissed Shusuke off. He has spent his entire academy career getting the shit knocked out of him by Chuunin, Jounin, and even the Hokage, yet this student thought him cruel for demonstrating low level illusions?

 

[Mizushima Kita]

She sighs. "I'm not going to pretend I know what sparked all this. I stood up to the Hokage to protect my teammates with what little power I hold. You promote malice, Shusuke, talking about your "next kill". It's a matter of perspective." Haniki does her best to explain their difference in visage. "You focus a little too much on the offensive, but you're right in that this isn't some walk in the park and it'll take a lot for all of us to truly rise to the occassion."

 

[Senju Akio]

The whole scene seemed to become a blur to young Akio as before he knew it he was brushed aside by the kind-hearted kunoichi who had just approached, and in a flash of strength she had Kiriyomi back on his feet, only for him to dash off into the woods a few seconds later. The young Senju couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at that turn of events, caught more than a little off-guard. His attempt to console his new buddy hadn't really helped, but Akio definitely didn't have the social awareness to realize that the ant ninja was trying to escape all the focus being placed on him. However, his hesitation would soon be broken once more by his somewhat blunt Kyoujouran classmate.

"Why did you lie to him?" Keniwa said, grabbing Akio's sleeve. Those words surprised Akio even more. The thought didn't even cross the boy's mind that someone might view his honest and wholehearted statements as placation. Aggressively shoving the unknown boy's hand off his shoulder he let out a yell not unlike the one he had when originally confronting Shusuke. "I didn't lie! Not everybody thinks that way!" He exclaimed, glaring at the newcomer with a look of frustrated disbelief. It seemed his sentiments were mirrored as Haniki appeared to be sharing a similar perspective with Shusuke, though Akio was certainly too preoccupied to notice.

'I want to be a ninja to help people...' He thought. The true words echoed, trapped in the confines of the young Senju's now very flustered mind. He wanted to be a med-nin after all, and their jobs were far more centered around saving lives than taking them. With a huff and a defiant look on his face, Akio shoved his hands forward toward the Kyoujouran's chest, pushed himself away from Keniwa, and then dashed off into the woods after Kiriyomi, not looking back and running as quick as he could to catch up with the young Aburame. "Hey Kiri... You okay?" Akio asked as he finally reached his downhearted classmate. He had a genuine compassion in his tone, but it was clear that he was still fully unaware that his disconsolate new friend was likely running away from his attention as much as he was their other more severe-minded peers.

 

[Kiriyomi]

Ashamed at himself for running away, Kiriyomi let’s out a cry of frustration. Why couldn’t he just be normal, like the other students, and just let the attention of everyone fade away. Why did he have to panic, feeling overwhelmed by the smallest gesture? He knew that that boy, Akio, was just doing what he asked. He did cry out for help, after all. The kunoichi was kind to him as well, the scolding he received coming across less angry and more like a parent teaching their child a lesson. But that Yamanaka boy was terrifying, and Kiri couldn’t stand being near him for a second longer.

Not watching where he was going, Kiri’s foot catches a tree root and he sprawls onto the ground. Throwing his hands out to catch himself, he feels both hands and knees get scraped pretty badly. Just what I need, to go home with a tear streaked face, and now bloody hands and knees. My parents are going to freak out and wonder what happened. What am I going to tell them? His thoughts are interrupted as a hand appears in his vision, and Akio asks if he is alright. Struggling to his feet, Kiri turns to run again but stops. “Did… did you just call me Kiri?”

 

[Kimari Bōmu]

With Akio glaring at him Keniwa held a blunt yet defiant expression. Keniwa had slightly loosened his grip on Akio, he had not meant to come off as aggressive, his cheeks flushed a small red in the embarrassment of the situation. Keniwa having been pushed by Akio was somewhat confused and slightly irritated. 'Not everybody thinks that way? What was he trying to say by that? How could the art of protection and the severity of the danger of the ninja world be an opinion?' Keniwa couldn't help but hold a perplexed look on his face with an undertone of anger with his eyebrows still remaing furrowed. Wanting to learn more about his classmates he had learnt something about Akio. That he clearly was confident enough to hold such a weird untrue opinion in front of the rest of his classmates.

Kenawi had looked at his elder peers for some sort of inspiration or help for what to do. 'The first time I speak and it ended up like this..?' Perhaps he was just meant to live a school life of solitude and keeping to his own regime. However... it wasn't the life he wanted. Aside from his mom he had no one else to really speak to, he had tried to approach them with his dad's style. 'Confident and Strong..' He pondered. 'What if i tried to talk how mum would?' Keniwa didn't think he was wrong but at the same time he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. The impact of Akio pushing against Keniwa still echoed slightly throughout his chest. He watched as Akio chased after Kiriyomi in to the trees and after giving one last look at his older class mates. Taking a small gulp whilst looking slightly downwards, his eyes up he started to chase after Akio. In to the trees. This time with a different perspective.

[Edit : Topic Left moved to - https://ninpocho.com/threads/a-fallen-friend-or-foe-req-yasei.66484/ ]

 

[Yasei]

A loud "Woah!" Can be heard from above along the snapping of a branch as Yasei fell through down towards Kenawi followed by a series of cursing then a dull THUD followed by an "Oof" as he slammed into the ground. Yasei pushed himself up with a groan "I need to be more careful which branches I walk on next time" he muttered as he dusted himself off, The only real thing hurt on him was his pride but man did it sting. He glanced around to check he'd been seen, his eyes locking with Kenawis "You didn't see nothing!" He exclaimed wildly looking around to make sure he didn't embarrass himself to anyone else.

"oh uh you look familiar I think I've seen you before, Where was it… where was it… I think I've seen you in class, You are Kyoujouran, right? At least that's what the teacher always referred to you as!" He exclaimed clearly having got off topic at this point. "Oh uh I'm Yasei, wait no Hasegawa, sorry I don't have many friends and mom always calls me Yasei. Wait, do you want to be my friend? That would be cool! I'm always looking to make new friends ", his former embarrassment quickly forgotten as he rambled at Kenawi, his hands constantly messing around with his wrappings and his hair moving around with him as if we're alive. "Wait no if we're friends you call me Yasei, Hey do you want to spar later? I'm always looking for someone to spar with and Kiriyomi doesn't like sparring with me, He says it's because I 'fight dirty' whatever that means!"


[Edit: Topic Left]

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

"I'm not going to pretend I know what sparked all this. I stood up to the Hokage to protect my teammates with what little power I hold. You promote malice, Shusuke, talking about your "next kill". It's a matter of perspective. You focus a little too much on the offensive, but you're right in that this isn't some walk in the park and it'll take a lot for all of us to truly rise to the occasion."

"But I am not lying about it." He takes a second to pull out a mission request designated with his name on it. "There is a criminal I am to meet in three days that goes by the name Itsuki-Oyakata. I have already taken down some of his grunts who were terrorizing our village. I haven't even graduated and am already expected to do my duty no questions asked. If he can't handle the truths that many shinobi have to face then he needs to choose a different profession. Signing up to the Academy means giving up your childhood. We don't get the luxury of being kind and playful like other kids our age. We are tools being honed into weapons whether we want to be or not." He let out a sigh before looking away for a moment. A brief pause was followed by him starting to head towards the academy gates.

"I'll see you at graduation, I don't have time to be wasting here. We have an exam coming up."

[Topic Left unless stopped]

 

[Senju Akio]

Akio reached down to help his new friend up, noticing the newly opened scrapes on Kiriyomi's hand and grasping his wrist so he didn't rub in the gravel that still clung to the young Aburame's palm. "Oh man, you really took a spill huh?" He asked, his eyes filled with empathy and his lips still curled into his characteristic smile. Then, before Akio knew it, Kiri was sprinting away again. He'd started to continue after him, but was caught off-guard when his classmate suddenly stopped and turned to ask, "Did... did you just call me Kiri?" One of Akio's eyebrows raised purely out of instinct and a distinctly clueless look appeared on his face. "Y-yeah...?" He stuttered, a sign that he was feeling a bit unsure of himself. He couldn't tell if the Aburame student was angry or caught off-guard himself. "Is that okay?" It suddenly dawned on the young Senju that while he might've thought he was helping, Kiriyomi kept running away. "Sorry... Do ya... want me to go?" He asked, both confused and conflicted about how to react. The sunny young Senju wasn't exactly experienced when it came to social interactions, especially outside the members of his own clan. All Akio really wanted was for Kiriyomi to feel better and to know that he wasn't alone in thinking that there was more to their lives than death and violence. He wanted him to know that he was on his side.

Meanwhile, the academy staff-member who was to be Akio's keeper returned to find an empty chair where his young detainee once sat. "Oh no... By the Will of Fire, not again." He muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking around and finding the boy nowhere to be seen. It was clearly not the first time that this had happened to this poor proctor. As he dashed out into the open courtyard where the other students gathered, he came up to Haniki and to Shusuke as he began walking away. "You two! Have you seen the Senju boy? Sandy hair, red paint on his face? He skipped out on detention." He asked loudly, placing his hands on his hips and trying to be as assertive as he could muster.

 

[Mizushima Kita]

Haniki’s eyes scan the mission request with a bit of hesitancy. It was a sad reality for them all. She looked off towards the forested area where the younger students had run off to and sighed as Shusuke started to leave and bid his farewell.

Haniki skipped herself ahead to catch up to him and keep pace. “I’m sure we’ll all pass the exam with flying colors.” She says with a smile, looking forward to earning their headbands. Haniki would walk with him until their paths parted more dramatically, her ultimately heading towards the business district home, but not minding taking a longer way around.

[Topic Left]

 

[Kiriyomi]

Kiriyomi looks over the Senju boy, and takes a moment to actually observe him. There isn't anything threatening about his mannerisms, even when he stepped in to stop the fight. From the beginning, Akio had only been kind and gentle. This eased Kiri's mind a little, as did the fact that Kohara felt comfortable enough to approach the boy of his own volition. While Kohara was certainly more outgoing than Kiri, he was also a wonderful judge of character. Perhaps... this could be the beginning of Kiriyomi's first friendship? Of course, for that to happen, he would have to be brave and take a stand rather than run away. Again.

"Yea, that's okay. It just caught me off guard, nobody really calls me Kiri except for my grandfather. I'm sorry for running away so much, I'm not really used to interacting with other people. I'm an only child, and the rest of the children from my family are all older than I am and so I never really got the chance to interact with others before. It can be a little overwhelming, when I'm mostly used to the company of my ants and the other insects of the forest. You said your name was Akio, right? It's nice to meet you, officially."

Kiri will walk over towards Akio and hold out his hand for a handshake before realizing they are still bloody, then makes a fist instead. He offers a tentative smile, wiping away his tears with the back of his other hand. As if sensing his discomfort, Kiri's swarm begin trickling out from his sleeves and under his collar, lazily circling around his arms as if searching for a threat. He shakes his head and whispers to them, sending the insects crawling back into his shirt. Kiri didn't want to frighten or aggravate Akio. While he was nice so far, a perceived threat could tip the scales from a friendly encounter into one more like the one he had with Shusuke. Kiri had absolutely no desire to have a repeat of that kind any time soon.

 

[Senju Akio]

While he was certainly feeling self-conscious before, Akio's attitude quickly defaulted back to his normal sunny disposition as Kiriyomi's demeanor shifted. "Yeah! It's good to meet you too!" Akio replied, sticking out a hand, then a fist, then a hand again, then finally fist-bumping Kiriyomi with a slightly awkward chuckle. He was surprised to find that Kiri seemed to have a grandfather he was close to as well. "And I know the feelin'! I think we've got a lot in common! I'm an only child, and I pretty much never met anybody outside my clan either. And I've got a grandpa too!" He added, not realizing how blatantly obvious that last statement was. "Grampa Itsuki is pretty much my best friend. He takes me out to the forest and we sit with the animals, and grow plants and stuff, and he tells me stories! Maybe you can meet him sometime!" Realizing he was probably getting a little ahead of himself, he flashed a wide grin to cover his embarrassment and scratched the back of his sandy blonde hair.

It was then that Akio noticed the cloud of insects that made their way out of and back into Kiriyomi's clothing. While it would've been obvious to one that understood the Aburame clan techniques more intricately, the cheerful child seemed to be completely at ease despite their defensive swarming. "Neat! Are those carpenter ants?! I've seen those little guys hollow out whole trees out in the forest!" The young Senju gushed. He was absolutely captivated by all kinds of plants, animals, and even insects. Nature is one thing that Akio was unabashedly passionate about. "Unlike you and me, Kohara's got a big family, huh?" The young boy added with a toothy smile. Kiriyomi didn't know it, but this was the first friendship Akio had forged outside his clan too.

 

[Kiriyomi]

Kiri chuckles a bit as Akio flounders with his hands before settling on a fist bump, and smiles when he brings up his grandfather. "Does your grandfather play mahjong? Ojiisan loves to play, and is always looking to add more friends to his group. Though, I must warn you, he's very good at it. Don't let him trick you into thinking he's not."

Kiriyomi's eyes go wide and twinkle a little bit as Akio correctly identifies the species of his Kikai. Most people just assumed that they were black garden ants, and not carpenter ants. There was a huge difference between the two, and Kiri was quickly coming to realize that he and this other boy shared a love of nature. "Yea, they are! How did you know that? People usually get it wrong. And you're right, Kohara has a huge family. He was actually a runt, and I saved him from being bullied by the other ants. He and I quickly grew to be fast friends, and thankfully my Kikai don't mind his presence. Sorry about them, by the way. Any time I get nervous, they try to come out to protect me from whatever is around. I told them that you were safe, though, and not to worry." Kiri demonstrates by pulling up his shirt sleeve to reveal a small hole, through which a few ants crawled out of and down his arm and towards Akio. "They would like to check you out, just to make sure. Do you mind?"

 

[Senju Akio]

A pure smile sat on Akio's face as Kiri started talking about his grandfather. Ojiisan and Itsuki sounded like two wonderful role models to the cheerful boy's ears. "I dunno, but I'll ask him!" The sunny Senju replied as Kiri asked if his grandfather played mahjong as well. That bright expression that the boy held only grew as Kiri asked, "How did you know that?" Akio simply replied, "I love all kinds of plants and animals and bugs! They were my first friend aside from grandpa... Well, before meetin' you!" His eyes shut into curved lines as he flashed a friendly grin at Kiriyomi.

Akio listened intently, his interest piquing as Kiri explained how he and Kohara formed their close bond. 'Awww! Nobody can bully Kohara!' He thought, their story reminding him both of how his friendship with his grandfather was formed by his protection of Akio from the boy's cousins, as well as how he and Kiriyomi were forming their friendship today. The Aburame continued, asking, "They would like to check you out, just to make sure. Do you mind?" Akio's eyes widened, clear excitement on his face at the insect-lover's suggestion. "No way! I definitely don't mind! This is gonna be cool!" He said as he stood up tall and extended his arms, closing his eyes with his pearly whites bared in his characteristic happy grin as he awaited the swarm's approval.

 

[Kiriyomi]

A look of surprise crosses Kiri's face at how readily Akio offered himself up to be inspected by his Kikai Swarm. Most people thought that they were gross and wanted nothing to do with him. Yet this boy simply thought it would be cool and extended his arms with his eyes closed and a somewhat goofy grin on his face. Kiri smiled softly to himself, happy that he had decided to stop and talk to this boy rather than running away again. His parents would be ecstatic that he had found a friend so early on during his time at the academy. One that isn't like that crazy Yasei anyway. They weren't too fond of the feral child, always chasing Kiri around trying to "spar" with him.

"This might tickle a little bit, but please try to hold still. I don't want them to mistake any movement you make as an attack on me, I'm still learning how to keep them under control." Having said that, he walks forward and places his fists up against Akio's, and the ants stop their aimless wandering and file down Kiriyomi's arms and over onto the Senju boy. As they begin to scent him with their antennae, the swarm slowly works their way from Akio's hands up to his shoulders. Soon, it looks like the boy is wearing two writhing sleeves of carpenter ants, and Kiri begins to sweat a little bit. I didn't expect so many to come out... I hope Akio is alright with this. I don't want to freak him out and lose the only friend I've managed to make! Especially since his grandfather sounds really nice, and I want to meet him and play mahjong with Grandfather Itsuki and Ojiisan. Oh, what have I done? He's going to hate me, and then tell everyone at the academy that I'm a freak and nobody will want to be my friend anymore! I have to call the ants back now! At this inner turmoil, tears begin welling in Kiri's eyes again and spill over, dropping into the dirt at his feet.

 

[Senju Akio]

Akio cheerfully holds his hands out with his bright green eyes still closed and an expression of excitement on his face. "Alrighty! I'll stay still!" Akio replied, answering the Aburame's warning to not make any sudden moves that might set off their instinctual protectiveness towards their insect-loving companion. Feeling Kiriyomi's fists touch his, Akio's eyes flutter open to see a veritable swarm of kikai ants crawling out of Kiri's sleeves and working their way over his lithe, somewhat lanky arms. 'Kiri was right! It does tickle!' Akio thought, his body shuddering slightly as he held back the giggles. Had he not been so focused, he would've exploded into peals of childlike laughter. The young Senju was definitely a ticklish one.

Once Akio managed to get control of his contained chuckles, Kiri would be able to see that he was smiling ear to ear. "This is awesome Kiri! There's so many of 'em!!" Akio said, careful not to over-emote as he didn't worry the writhing swarm that now fully encompassed his arms. He was fixated on the little guys, taking note of the way their antennae worked around to sniff him and how they seemed to move in an odd organized chaos, some crawling over the others. If it had to do with nature, Akio was always engrossed, and this was one of the most intense displays of nature he'd seen since beginning his training as a shinobi.

It was at this point that Akio looked up to share his excitement with his newfound friend, only to find the young Aburame was tearing up. "What's wrong buddy? This is one of the coolest things I've seen since joinin' the Academy!" The sunny Senju said, still holding his body as still as he could muster. "They tellin' you they don't like my smell or somethin'?" He asked, the smile not fully fading, but a look of empathetic concern tempering what would've otherwise been a fully elated expression.

 

[Kiriyomi]

As Akio expresses his joy and excitement about the Kikai smelling him and talking about how cool he finds it, Kiri's tears spill even faster down his cheeks. How in the world had he managed to find someone that truly understood how interesting these creatures were, and was not disgusted by the thought of them crawling on them? At the Senju boy's question, Kiri looked up and smiled at him through his tears. "I've never met anyone like you before. I was just worried that you might think this was weird and would run away, because all of the other children that Okasan has tried to introduce me to before have always been freaked out by my abilities. It's not like I can help it or anything! It's just a specialty that my family has... And I promise I'm trying my best to learn how to keep them in check. That's why I warned you ahead of time, because if they sense a threat, they are likely to lash out whether I tell them to stop or not."

Kiriyomi calls the swarm back, watching as their seemingly random movements slowly come to a stop and they turn back towards him. Starting from the lowest point on Akio's arm, the ants all spiral off the boy's arm in single file. As they march away, each one taps Akio on the hand before moving back across to Kiri. This is their way of affirming that he is not a threat, they consider the boy a friend of Kiriyomi, and are willing to protect him in the future as well. Kiri's eyes widen as he comes to this realization, and tries to wipe his eyes on his shoulder so as not to disturb the ants trailing back up under his sleeves. "So, as for your smell, they will definitely remember it from here on out. As a matter of fact, they are promising to protect you because I told them you're my friend! I hope that's okay." His voice trails off at the end, realizing he was being a little forward.

MFT: 347