Family matters [private]

[Yamaryuu Sora]

Yukiko had Received a note from Hikari telling her to come for their weekly meeting.
She had not dared to hope that it actually would turn out to reality, the last time she had seen Hikari, was at the meeting were Yukiko got confirmed what she had researched, She was a Santaru, first and foremost a Suzaku, but a Santaru too. Hikari had confirmed that the link in her research the last few weeks were indeed true.
and they had made an agreement where Hikari would teach her new cousin, Yukiko, how to handle the Santaru powers, and a bit about what it was to live in the city, and how to act... Yukiko could learn how to behave, how to utilize the Santaru blood...
[spoilername="The Note"]"To my young cousin, Yukiko.

I'd like to invite you to my home for a training session today. You should arrive some time before noon, as I'd like to start after lunch."[/spoilername]

She thought all this while getting ready.
"Wonder what I should ware" she thought out loud to her self, as she was the only one in her room. a room provided for her buy the inn keeper, on behalf of Keiji her cousin of the Suzaku Clan. as far as they knew, her an Keiji was the only Suzaku's left. although she did not know about her parents, they might be living somewhere, in hiding, not knowing that the Suzaku name was fairly safe these days.
Maybe at some point Yukiko would go out an search for them.

But for now she was to go to Hikari. she ended up wearing the Pink new tank top, that the owner of the inn bought her some time ago, her favourite Pants, tight and black with pockets all over. her steel combat boots, that looked really worn from all the training she had ben doing the last few years. concourse she could not leave her signature jacket, altho it only barely held together, she had learned herself to patch it up, but it was visible that it was extremely old and "well" used. and because of the stitching in the sleeves did not hold up anymore she had been forced to take them off, until she got the time to stitch them back on. so for now she had a Blackish leather jacket with no sleeves and a canvas hoodie.
the only thing that she had to regret, was that her new gloves were not finished yet, but she looked forward to showing Hikari them when they were finished, so for now these pink rubber gloves would have to do, altho they did scream - I don't belong in this outfit.. at least the pink tank top would patch that a bit.

Se then looked at the clock

"OH F**K I'm late!" because she had to hurry she used the window instead of running downstairs, she had this wall running Down to an art now. she then took the shortcut across the roofs 30 minutes later she was standing in front of Hikari's house, her breathing like a Bellows on full power, from the high speed running.
As she knocked the door, she wondered if Kariku was there today too.
Her hair had become too long to

[MFT: 541 Words]

 

[Yukari]

Hikari smirked at the frantic knocking. "And there she is." She said, walking to the door. She opened it, pushing back the bear cub with her foot, because he was straining to see who was there. By now he was almost as tall as she was. Growing boy and whatnot. "Hello, Yukiko chan." She said.

"Hello Yukiko." Kariku said, slipping around Hikari's leg and standing on his back legs so he could compare their heights. He was nearly her height, and on an especially fluffy day might have matched it. As he noted this, he fluffed up his fur and stood there, face to face with the girl. "Why are you breathing so heavy?"

The bear stretched and leaned toward her to try and smell her. How close depended on how close she'd let him get. If she did nothing, he'd snuffle her clothes and then her ear. If she shoved him away, or otherwise declined the impromptu greeting/sniffing, he'd huff and toddle off.

"Come this way, Yukiko. Bunch first, and then we can plan our day. I need to see how far you've progressed before I can teach you bloodline techniques." She said with a smile. Hikari often thought of food before business, and in a home-like setting, considered it rude to talk business before offering a meal.

"I figure you can probably do the storm call if you can do the touch shocking." She continued, picking a grape out of a bowl as she served a modest meal.

 

[Yamaryuu Sora]

"Hello, Yukiko chan."
"One sec. Oneesan" she managed to say between her heavy breathing. standing with her hands on her knees, looking up through her messy hair.
"Hello Yukiko." Kariku said Revealing his presence to Yukiko that had not seen her from her lowered position.
she managed to get her breathing somewhat Down, at least enough to strand up straight. "Hi, I'm sorry I was a bit late"
"Why are you breathing so heavy?" Kariku continued.
"Haha because I ran all the way.. kinda got lost on time" the last part she said while looking guiltily at Hikari
as Kariku snuffle around she patted him, altho when he did it at the ear, it tickled too much for her to let him continue,
"Haha Kariku not the ear!" Yukiko said while scratching him behind his ear..
"you've grown quite a bit!" she said putting her arm around his "shoulders" standing beside him in front of Hikari
"were almost same height, isn't that right Oneesan?" she said while looking at Hikari.

As Hikari invited Yukiko in, her breathing had returned to normal
"Come this way, Yukiko. Bunch first, and then we can plan our day. I need to see how far you've progressed before I can teach you bloodline techniques."

"Sure, that sounds awesome, I did not really have time for eating on the way here anyway"
"I figure you can probably do the storm call if you can do the touch shocking."
"I actually don't really know, I find it easy to learn the Lightning Jutsus I've been taught, so I might be,
altho I can do this" Yukiko said,
and with a short burst she made all her hair back into place, buy manipulating the small chains woven into the hair,
only the Loose hair around her face did not react, in any other way than becoming a bit static, that faded fast though.
"I've also taught myself to set my seal in rotation, so as I don't need to create momentum instantaneous, when training"
she did that while pointing at her seal, fastened at her right hip, with her hair twirled around it like a whip.
As the meal was served, she ate without much grace, but that would be expected from someone whom usually ate by herself or away from others.
like if Struck by a second notion, she suddenly changed the way she ate, like she realised she was not alone,
it was still obvious that she had never learned proper etiquette, but at least she did not spill the food everywhere
"sorry"

 

[Yukari]

Hikari smiled, "Is that so? Well, that's alright, Imouto chan, I was once very often late or on the edge of on time and ran places quite a lot." She smiled.

As Kariku began snuffling the girl seemed to laugh. refusing the ear sniff, but putting an arm around him and standing with him, looking at Hikari. "We're almost the same height, isn't that right Oneesan?" She asked.

"Yes, and you're both growing like weeds. "She laughed. then invited the girl to brunch.

"Sure, that sounds awesome," She said. As they spoke, Hikari ate a bight of the food. Yukiko demonstrated her ability and Hikari raised a brow.

"Hmm." She said, "Let's see if I can-" She tried to emulate the burst, but her hair simply seemed to store it. There was no visible effect, except that one hair, near her bangs coiled up and fell forward, into her face. Hikari grunted, and brushed it aside. "I'm interested in how your seal works. Perhaps you could explain it after we eat?"

She began eating, no grace in her. Hikari ate like a bear, as was evident from the fact that Kariku was eating beside her, in almost exactly the same way. The only difference was in the fact that Hikari occasionally wiped her mouth. She watched Yukiko go from a similar eating style, to a prim and proper one. When she looked up to apologize, she would find Hikari in the midst of a small mess, and Kariku with food in his fur. Hikari would smile, and shrug as she chewed, "Food is not a dance. Eat heartily, I do." She nodded and then continued to do so. "In the company of non family members, you may wish to censor yourself, but with me, you can eat as you like." She said, wiping her mouth.

"So, you don't know if you can call a storm? Let's go outside and try." She smirked. "If it gets out of control, I'll fix it. Don't worry. Let loose." She said, leading the girl into her yard which was, a mixture of bear den and dojo. "Would you like me to show you?" She would say, only if Yukiko hesitated.

[MFT 250+]

 

[Yamaryuu Sora]

As Yukiko said "sorry", she looked up and realised, maybe this was not the forum to apologise about eating habits.
Hikari said with her mouth stuffed: "Food is not a dance. Eat heartily, I do.
In the company of non family members, you may wish to censor yourself, but with me, you can eat as you like."
it Struck Yukiko how much she already felt at home in the presence of Hikari, and by that comment from Hikari,
the last shred of doubt and insecurity in her presence dissipated. and she resumed to eat as she had always done.
except whenever there were guests at the Dancing Wolf, or whenever Keiji looked like he had a rough day.

as they finished up the eating, and cleaned up the mess (Yukiko found a piece stuck in her pocket while doing so).
Hikari said: "So, you don't know if you can call a storm? Let's go outside and try." and with a smirk she added :
"If it gets out of control, I'll fix it. Don't worry. Let loose." while they walked into Hikari's yard which to Yukiko's eyes,
most looked like the home of Kariku, but here and there, she found similarities from her own training ground a the back of the Dancing Wolf.
"Would you like me to show you?" Hikari said
"If it could help me understand it better sure why not"
As Hikari started calling the storm, Yukiko felt around her the vibrations in the air, the electricity coming to life, and she could feel the hairs on her arms standing tall.
Hikari's eyes started to glow, something Yukiko only recently had realised her eyes also did when she used her innate power.
The storm brew and Yukiko felt awe at the power she was about to learn.
'I really hope this will make Keiji proud' she thought while taking in every feel every sight and every sound, making sure to get everything in.
As it became Yukiko's turn to try the storm, she remembered Hikari's first advice:
"Your emotions they're your strength and weakness. If you can control them all the time..."
'then Yukiko remembered every time she had her big outbursts, was because she was afraid.
She walked to the spot Hikari had perviously been, for a moment closing her eyes, concentrating, what was she most afraid of...
to be inadequate, to let Keiji Down, and to her surprise, to let Hikari Down too, she started to play through scenarios in her head,
not willing her power out as she did with her hair, but letting it flow as it willed. she felt a tingling all the way from the soles of her feet,
all the small hairs on her body raising, just as before, just to discharge like they had never been static,
Yukiko opened her eyes and looked up at what could most be described as judgmentday,
she had finally called a storm, and no small one at that, lightning began to strike, and she felt a twitch at some unnamed muscle somewhere at the back of her mind.
And the area she looked at got Struck by several lightning bolts, another twitch but this time Yukiko was looking up, at the sky,
watching as 3 lightning bolts charged right at her forehead, at the exact moment the lightning hit her, she felt like something else had snapped in place,
and emanating from her came a shock wave blasting at all directions.
Yukiko opened her eyes seeing the ground just around her blasted and the grass further away from her blown in a perfect circle around her,
and she could not remedially see Hikari or Kariku anywhere, fear stuck her, where were they, how did she stop this Again, only adding fuel to the storm.
'maybe They're gone , maybe Keiji will hate me for this.' the storm only grew bigger, and lightning Struck every where around her,
as yet another blasting wave triggered by her fear surged from her spot, she fell on her knees.
"Keiji Would you fear me now?" she said to her self in fear that the Words might be true.

[MFT: 250+ Words]

 

[Yukari]

"With me..." She said, "I have to remove the blocks I've put up to keep from shocking people and things inadvertently." She instructed. "The coldness, the distance." She closed her eyes, and felt her skin begin to prickle. Her hair began to swirl with wind that came with the swelling of the weather. "Can you feel it?" She breathed as the electricity in the air, coursing from her body outward. She could feel everything within about fifteen feet, and a moment later, it began to rain. Fat droplets of cold water began to weigh her long mane of curls down. Hikari opened her eyes, and knew they were glowing. A moment passed and she took a breath. That last breath was her way of signaling to her body that she was blocking herself off again. It was like slipping her hand inside a glove, easy, but confining.

"Your turn little one." She smiled, and stepped back as the girl began to Let it Go.

Yukiko was clearly letting it go. She almost looked like she was panicking, breathing in the electricity, Hikari was reminded again of the day she had lost control and caused that storm. She watched the sky, eyes tracing the shapes of the clouds, she thought they looked rather more violent than they had when it had been her. She opened her mouth to speak but then stepped back again, somewhat behind her, watching the way the girl breathed. Hikari took the proverbial gloves off again but didn't act. She simply felt. In a way that was what this was about. Feeling. That was when she realized that Yukiko really was panicking. She stepped up behind her and said, "You're doing fine, Imouto." She said, "There is nothing here that will be broken by your storm. Nothing that can't be fixed. Keiji is not as far as I am aware, inclined to hate, he never hated me." She said, bolstering the girl's storm with hers. The clouds became more bulky. From miles away they could be seen, a towering, bold storm that knew the highest reaches of the skies, and blocked out, for them, much of the light. "Do you feel it, Yukiko chan?" She asked, "The energy?"

Hikari's long bold mane was now slick and heavy with water. It hung past her knees, in loose curls, her clothes were wet, but they were not heavy. She had expected the water, and worn an appropriate cloth which dealt well with water. She stepped away from the girl, and into her line of sight. "Watch me," She said, "I'm going to do something cool." She put her hand up and the heavy rain sort of bent around her, or rather moved away from her. Her hair moved again, clearly being blown about. "Wind, Yukiko. Do as I do. Focus on the energy. Channel it. You are it's conductor, and it is your instrument. The wind is your breath and the rain is your blood, child. make it move! Make it sing! Don't worry about the consequences, there is damage to the dummy when the swordsman practices, just so, there is damage to the trees when the Santaru storms!"

 

[Keiji]

On his way walking from the Torre Celeste from his visit to the Raikage in the corner of his eye he spotted a darkened spot in the clouds. He turned to face it properly and felt an eerie prickly sensation. The distance alone was far and off, but it seemed to from around the Seki District. He could hardly remember whom he knew that resided there, and if anything, most certainly Santaru..

"Woah.." He said it out loud to himself.. "Why.. Does that cloud make me feel.. Kind of.. Off?" He conferred to himself in his mind. He shivered his whole body trying to shake off the feeling but it didn't seem to disappear, it stayed right there as long as the cloud would stay, the lightnings as they struck gave a chill in his arms and the rain seemed to cool and give a cold sensation down the back of his spine. The clouds and the weather abnormality seemed to affect him somehow, was he involved? Was he mentioned? Was it cause by something he did at some point? He kept questioning it in his mind.
In frustration he activated his Byakugan and the clouds seemed to emit a strange Chakra combination, the colorization were a mixture of two separate signatures.. What's weird was that both seemed eerily familiar. But he just couldn't place it. He nodded in affirmation to his decision that he would question the Santaru that he would meet in the future, perhaps a new Santaru was approaching adolescence? That in and of itself would be of interest for any Harvester. A slight grin appeared on his lips as he remembered his duty towards the village and deactivated his Byakugan again.

The small dog by his feet looked up with a worried face, unsure if she should interfere with the mindset or simply accept it blindly.

[Thread Entered with permission]
[Thread Left again with permission]

 

[Yamaryuu Sora]

[col]"You're doing fine, Imouto."Hikari said, "There is nothing here that will be broken by your storm. Nothing that can't be fixed. Keiji is not as far as I am aware, inclined to hate, he never hated me." Hikari's Words reached her in her despair, she looked up at Hikari, looking back at her.
Yukiko's eyes were blurred, for a second all she could se was a towering redhaired shadow that with her Words reached to guide her up Again.
"Do you feel it, Yukiko chan?" She asked, "The energy?"
The now intensified rain cleared her vision and Hikari went out of her periphery vision and the towering Shadow turned back to the now soaked Hikari, "Watch me," She said, "I'm going to do something cool."
Yukiko stood back up to Watch Hikari's manipulation of the Water, in front of her she clearly saw the difference in practise, Hikari expelled the Water from herself, and the downpour bend around her, spiralling like a tornado without the heavy Winds. and then the weather intensified, Yukiko would as she had done uncountable times, and surely would continue to do so, remind herself how precious her jacket was, only her hair had turned into a heavy burden, her pants were made for heavy use and this amount of Water did not affect them much.|"Wind, Yukiko. Do as I do. Focus on the energy. Channel it. You are it's conductor, and it is your instrument. The wind is your breath and the rain is your blood, child. make it move! Make it sing! Don't worry about the consequences, there is damage to the dummy when the swordsman practices, just so, there is damage to the trees when the Santaru storms!"
Bolstered by the Words of her Oneesan, sensei and soo much more. she threw herself out in it.

this time trying to control the flow, enhancing it, she used some of the tricks she had taught herself, and Applied it in new ways, feeling the rain, feeling the Wind curling around the Water droplets, the droplets hitting her hands and face, the Wind carrying the sound to her ears, and the chill that moved with it around her hands as the spread them out, hear hair released itself, she felt every muscle and suddenly she had it.. the Wind started twirling, getting her hair that until then just slowly had raised itself, now twirling slowly, around her, creating a spiral, Electric energy started streaming from Yukiko, and the Water pouring Down twirled with the hair, faster faster.
unlike Oneesan, Yukiko had not yet learned to control with grace, for her it was violent and power full.
and the lack of control, made Yukiko activate more than she meant to, the pulse from before, came with smaller and smaller intervals, this was a Santaru that had been charging up for something around 11-12 years, and the power now got funnelled through this final outlet,
the sky above got denser, the rain was now a cloudburst, and in if you were not in Kumogakure, you would have the distance to see the cloud in its fullest[/col]

[col]the Electric blast was almost 2-3 times a second intervals, but the intensely slowly degraded, until it only barely made it past the spiral of hair and Water.
suddenly the pulse stopped, and now visible stood Yukiko now with Water twirling around her hands, and small Electric charges running across the ground, originating from her feet, and once in a while a bigger charge expelled from the seal that was twirling around in the spiral of hair.|"ONEESAN... oneesan.. I think I got it now.."
the hair fell to the ground and now the rain was the only thing twirling around Yukiko, except for the occasional charge expelling to the ground and nearest water pits.
the rain turned colder, and suddenly it began to hail..
"look what i did" Yukiko said with joy
the hail turned back into rain, and Yukiko felt exhausted, she had let out more power than ever before, and in a really short amount of time.
"oneesan, I'm tired" she managed to say as she could see the ground getting closer, not able to prevent the fall as her legs gave out.[/col]

 

[Yukari]

Hikari watched Yukiko try and try. She had more difficulty than Hikari had. The older woman had unconsciously learned to do the trick she had just taught her Imouto. It seemed to be so much harder for Yukiko. Hikari repeated her reassurances, and watched as the girl did what she had, but in a slightly different way. "Good girl." She said, as Yukiko shouted to her. "Good job Yukiko!" Hikari shouted over the growing din of the storm. "You're doing so well little one!" She looked up at the skies and noted the towering clouds, so laden with rain.

"ONEESAN... oneesan.. I think I got it now.." Yukiko shouted as hail began to pelt them. Hikari raised a hand above her eyes and smiled, "look what i did" Yukiko said with joy.

"I see little one! You have done-"

""oneesan, I'm tired" the girl said faintly as she fell. Hikari went to her immediately.

"I know Imouto, but we must do one more thing. This is for our people. We must calm the storm above. I will show you how. You can try another time." Hikari looked up and put her hand out, in line with her line of sight. She drew the static in the air which had come from both of them, back into herself. The clouds softened, but continued to release their burden. Hikari called a wind to break apart the heavy clouds, so that they would not storm of their own will, and then stood up. If the girl stood up with her, Hikari would lead her gently back inside, where they could both change into something warm, and get a hot cup of tea or something. If she did not, Hikari would kneel and check on her, "It's alright, sweetheart." She'd say, picking the youth up in her arms. Hikari was a big woman, strong and brawny. She had no trouble lifting the little one up and carrying her in. For a moment she hesitated, before setting her on the couch, and trotting to the kitchen to heat up some tea. She then continued up the single staircase and into an old closet, where she kept what clothing her training hadn't ruined, which might fit the girl. She selected something warm and green. Green had always been Hikari's favorite color. She grabbed a tunic and trousers, and some shoes, and then instructed Kariku to grab a blanket.

When she got back downstairs, Hikari would attempt to wake her cousin, and offer her a place to change her clothing. "Yukiko chan." She'd say softly, "You'll catch your death if you stay in that. I wouldn't be a very responsible Oneesan if I let you get sick after training would I? Here, change into this. It should fit you. We'll dry and clean your other clothes, no problem." She'd smile, and wait for the girl to respond.

[MFT 250+]

 

[Yamaryuu Sora]

In the blur of the daze Yukiko watched as Hikari calmed the storm and dispersed the clouds,
Yukiko faded away for a bit. and the next she saw was the living room in Hikari's house.
somehow she had been transported inside the house.
above she could hear Hikari and kariku strode about. she only noticed it before she dozed off Again,
and then Hikari waked her up. Yukiko was a bit groggy.
"Yukiko chan." Hikari said softly, "You'll catch your death if you stay in that.
I wouldn't be a very responsible Oneesan if I let you get sick after training would I? Here,
change into this. It should fit you. We'll dry and clean your other clothes, no problem.
Hikari had found a set of clothes for Yukiko, a set that Yukiko quickly changed into. Green..
not really her colour, but it wasn't that bad, at least it was dry, While she did
she made sure to never really leave her jacket out of sight, nostalgia and comfort weighted more than anything for Yukiko... still
"no Oneesan, that would not be very responsible, but at least I know now that I have to find something fitting for rain the next time."
Yukiko said with a tired smile. she welcomed the hot tea that had been put forward and the blanket that Kariku had brought.
" I think i know a bit of how it is now, just need to erhm... limit it a bit "
She said while slowly getting the heat back from the tea and the blanket.
"maybe Santarus just have different stuff they are great at,
like me and this magnetism and static, what were you best at in the beginning?"

[MFT: 250+]

 

[Yukari]

Hikari smiled at the girl as she gave her the clothes. "Want me to hang out anything so it dries by the time you go home?" She asked, going to The kitchen. She nodded as Yukiko agreed with her about changing.

"Yeah, I should have warned you." Hikari chuckled, "Santarus and rain." She chuckled, coming to sit down with the girl.

" I think i know a bit of how it is now, just need to erhm... limit it a bit "

"Losing control isn't always a bad thing though. You know where your limits are now." She said. "And you're right, there are different things we're all good at. For me, Taijutsu has always been easy. I have been working physically for years, longer than my bloodline has been active. I'm good with magnetism too, but storm and taijutsu are what I am best at. I used taijutsu and lightning to protect the Raikage in battle." She said with a hint of pride.

Kariku was at this time, climbing onto the couch to be part of things. "I''m really good at... um... playing, and finding things." he said with a nod.

"That you are. You're also good at eating and building things." She said encouragingly.

After that she looked over Kariku to Yukiko, "How are you feeling now? Would you like to spend the night? We can call Keiji and let him know if you'd like. And you can go through my old things and see what you might like to have. Lots of clothes and baubles, and contraptions I've collected. I don't use most of them anymore. Got too big." She said, "But about my size." She smiled. "I may have been a bit bigger than you in the shoulders, but... A lot of your clothes seem too big." She said, "I'd like you to have something that fits well." She said, removing her shoes. "I came from a good family. We were wealthy in comparison with a lot of other people. I got new clothes whenever I wanted." She paused, "And I know... you don't really have too many family members." She said carefully, "But now that you have me... Well... if you need things... or even just want things... That's what an Oneesan is for." She said awkwardly.

[MFT 250+]

 

[Yamaryuu Sora]

"Want me to hang out anything so it dries by the time you go home?" Hikari said as Yukiko go changed into the green outfit,
"yes that would be great, just not my jacket"

"Losing control isn't always a bad thing though. You know where your limits are now." She said. "And you're right, there are different things we're all good at. For me, Taijutsu has always been easy. I have been working physically for years, longer than my bloodline has been active. I'm good with magnetism too, but storm and taijutsu are what I am best at. I used taijutsu and lightning to protect the Raikage in battle." Hikari said.

"that sounds kinda epic, Wonder If I will experience stuff like that, do please tell more about that experience" Yukiko said while making sure the jacket was not dripping on the floor, and using her other clothes to quickly dry off the soak from the jacket.

"That you are. You're also good at eating and building things." Hikari said to Kariku

" Kariku you must show me some of that the next time I'm here! "

"How are you feeling now? Would you like to spend the night? We can call Keiji and let him know if you'd like. And you can go through my old things and see what you might like to have. Lots of clothes and baubles, and contraptions I've collected. I don't use most of them anymore. Got too big." Hikari said, "But about my size." She smiled. "I may have been a bit bigger than you in the shoulders, but... A lot of your clothes seem too big. I'd like you to have something that fits well." Hikari said, removing her shoes. "I came from a good family. We were wealthy in comparison with a lot of other people. I got new clothes whenever I wanted." She paused, "And I know... you don't really have too many family members. But now that you have me... Well... if you need things... or even just want things... That's what an Oneesan is for."

Yukiko Felt the carefulness of the Words. and wondered for a bit.
"More clothes would be appreciated, most of my clothes are too big yes, most because I know them and don't really know what use it is to get new or smaller pieces, you cant use them that much when your my age, I grow too fast and end up having to throw it away... " she paused for a moment.. " A... And they all mean something to me, some I got from Keiji and some i scavenged myself when I was not here.. and the few items I got from my Family I would never part from... " she looked Down at her jacket on the table beside her, " this jacket is one of them. It's supposed to have been from my father, and should have been one of the signets for me returning to the Family" a small tear emerged but it quickly got wiped away " this signet ring is also one of those" Yukiko pulled the ring from beneath her blouse, a small but sturdy chain was pulled forward with the worn signet ring dangling from the bottom." after she had showed the ring, she quickly tucked it back Down. for a moment she stood looking Down a bit. finally she raised her head with a small smile rising on her lips, "this one was something I got in a present from Keiji! " she used her magnetism and raised the seal to lay in her hand. " Its supposed to always let Keiji know where I'm at, and for some reason it Works really well with the way I fight, when people get too close"
...
"its wonderful to have a Family that looks after you. " [If Hikari allowed it] Yukiko then gave Hikari a hug saying into the wild and unruly hair of Hikari " thank you Oneesan"
[if she did not allow it, and anyway] Yukiko would then return to the chair. " what's for dinner then?" she said with a smile

[MFT: 250 +]

 

[Yukari]

Yukiko confirmed that she wanted Hikari t hang out her stuff, so she went about doing just that. "Not your jacket? Ok." She said, wondering why.

"Oh... that experience was..." She paused, "Well, it's difficult to talk about. It was..." She sat down with the girl. "It's a long story... Well... I've mentioned Santaru Rin and Takaki Masao, haven't I? Rin was my father's aunt, although they were not far apart in age. Her husband, Masao, was a great leader of the Main Branch of our village. Masao was captured in connection with the murder of a king, and Rin, fearing she'd never see him again, Killed herself... but Masao came home. I helped to work out a treaty with the country that had captured him, and some others helped him escape their death prison. He was not the same after he came home to find her dead. He was weary and lonely. At the time of his grief, I was the Ambassador of the village." She told Yukiko, "This is a story... it's about our family, in a way. And it's important to me."
[spoilername="Holy Backstory Batman"]"Anyway, I knew his connection with my aunt, but it wasn't til later, when I began to respect him as my superior, and care for him as a relative and not just my boss, that I realized the depth of the pain Rin's death had caused him. He never sought help. It was all he could do to seek revenge on the people who had caused her death. The people he had fought so long. The King slayers. I tried to reach out to him, bringing to his attention that I was his niece, and that he did have family, more than just her whom he had lost. I would be glad to help him in any way I could, even offering my home, if his seemed too empty." Hikari sighed.

"He and I worked together to end a war. Our Kage got the credit for the work, but it was Masao and myself. We brought three sides together, Hoshigakure, the People's republic, and our Shogun, in a neutral place... But the Kingslayers were waiting. They disrupted our communications, and then detonated a bomb... It's not a surprise. There were leaders from four nations, and then, on top of them, there were a lot of shinobi. Of course we were a target. Masao... Told us, to stay together. Always have someone with you. The bastard broke his own rule and got captured. By the kingslayers." She took a drink of her tea, hands shaking a bit, "Afterwards, they attacked. Killed a bunch of people. Shin was able to have his contract, Deta, get some of the dignitaries to safety, but one of them... One I especially liked, gave his life to save the leader of one of the nations his was opposed to. I was both proud of him, and deeply saddened." She took another drink, almost wishing for something stronger, she had gotten on well with the Sennin of Hoshigakure. She had liked him. His death hit her in the gut like a hard kick, but she was not a person, not someone who could grieve for the death of a person she had liked. She was someone who had had to fight. And she did.[/spoilername]

"The slayers had taken the form of my aunt, uncle and one of the dignitaries. I didn't know then, but the dignitari, who I had shared a quiet moment of friendship with, had always been one of them... had always been lying. And we had to fight for our lives. The actual battle was a blur. I remember the one who looked like Masao going after Shin, and I... I couldn't hurt him, but I got his attention away from the Kage, and onto me. I took a lot of hits. Someone healed me, and then she died. We fought harder, and I hit the bastard pretending to be my aunt, to keep him from killing someone else. Most of us only survived by the skin of our teeth... but then Masao came out. The real one. He'd escaped his binds, and he killed his double, but not before the one pretending to be his dead wife escaped.... By this time, we had destroyed a major landmark, and I... had to explain to the people, why. By the time I got back, Masao was gone. And then we found out he had died. He had gone off alone again... and gotten himself killed." She sat her cup down and palmed the table. "The bastard went alone... when we could have helped. It wasn't..." Hikari stood up and apologized, "It's... I'm sorry. I don't- it's hard to talk about this. He meant a lot to me." She said, breathing irregularly, "The conference was a success, though... the war is over. The kingslayers are dead. It hardly feels like a victory, and yet it was. There are people alive today because of what I did, who would have died, if I had not."

"Yukiko, you will most certainly face a situation in which you may have to lay down your life for the village. It's in your blood, and in your job description. You are here today being trained by a village, to do just that."

After she spoke, she remained quiet for a moment. "We are powerful, only insofar as we can work together. It's dangerous to go alone; if we are alone, we are weak. A Shinobi or kunoichi alone, is vulnerable. The village stands for something good. We are something good. We are a family and together we are strong."


She spoke the words she said to Kariku and, then she patted his head. "You saw the yard. He built his own little treehouse. He also made some of the dummies."

"Yeah, and I made a fort with the pillows, but Hikari made me take it down."

"After a week." She reminded him.

"Yeah."

"More clothes would be appreciated, most of my clothes are too big yes, most because I know them and don't really know what use it is to get new or smaller pieces, you cant use them that much when your my age, I grow too fast and end up having to throw it away... " she paused for a moment.. " A... And they all mean something to me, some I got from Keiji and some i scavenged myself when I was not here.. and the few items I got from my Family I would never part from... " she looked Down at her jacket on the table beside her, " this jacket is one of them. It's supposed to have been from my father, and should have been one of the signets for me returning to the Family" a small tear emerged but it quickly got wiped away. Hikari saw, but pretended she did not, except that she pulled a roll of disposable towels from beneath her counter, set them down, and began wiping a small puddle of water. this signet ring is also one of those" Yukiko pulled the ring from beneath her blouse, a small but sturdy chain was pulled forward with the worn signet ring dangling from the bottom." after she had showed the ring, she quickly tucked it back Down. for a moment she stood looking Down a bit. finally she raised her head with a small smile rising on her lips, "this one was something I got in a present from Keiji! " she used her magnetism and raised the seal to lay in her hand. " Its supposed to always let Keiji know where I'm at, and for some reason it Works really well with the way I fight, when people get too close"


"I'm glad you have that." She said. "I sometimes wish I had... something meaningful... from my parents. They are alive, but very hard to be around. Perhaps I should value them more." She said quietly. She then smiled, "You and Keiji are very close." She observed. "He is a good friend to me. It's nice to see someone caring for him."

"its wonderful to have a Family that looks after you. " The girl got up and hugged her. Hikari, years ago, would have frozen in place at the touch of another person, but not here, not with family. She wrapped her arms around the young girl and hugged her back,

"Yes it is." She said.

" thank you Oneesan"

"You're welcome, Imouto."

Yukiko returned to the chair, and asked, "What's for dinner then?"

"Uh..." Hikari said, "I dunno. I'll have to admit, I'm not a great cook. What sounds good to you?"

 

[Yamaryuu Sora]

Yukiko listened to the story from Hikaris past, it was experience past on and she let it all in.

"Yukiko, you will most certainly face a situation in which you may have to lay ........ We are a family and together we are strong." Hikari sad

"And I've grown to love it here, the people, the Places and the experiences" Yukiko said

Kariku and Hikari talked about his Buildings.

"nice, I would love to see you Work one day Kariku" she replied to the talk.

"Uh..." Hikari said, "I dunno. I'll have to admit, I'm not a great cook. What sounds good to you?" Hikari said

"hmmm.... " Yukiko's face wrinkled up as she tried to think of something good. In reality, she did not know what the different types of food was named, At the Dancing Wolf where she lived the food was served, and with her training hours, she did not always get some at the same time as the other guests, and therefore she never really knew what it was.. only that it was food, and it was left for her to eat, when she was done training.
"whaaat about those watery dishes.. with strings in em.. ?... they smell awesome and tastes even better" she finally said.
hoping it was not something special or extremely expensive, that would not be prudent of her to ask for..
"maybe we can find someone that can teach us to make them.. if you cant?" she said while her eyes lit up for new experiences.. altho Hikari would learn that she only knew the stove was hot, so no touchy.. and the pans sometimes were too..
"we should also plan out what the we should do next time right? I might also soon get the Genin exam done, and I have to figure out what to do after that.... maybe I can use my sneaky skills.. I don't know.... do you have any Ideas?"

[MFT 250+ Words counted out the quotes]

 

[Yukari]

"And I've grown to love it here, the people, the Places and the experiences" Yukiko said thoughtfully.

Hikari nodded. "It's hard not to." She smiled.

After a moment of Hikari speaking with Kariku, Yukiko said, "Nice, I would love to see you Work one day Kariku"

"Can I show you RighT NOW?" Kairku asked, getting excited.

"Maybe another time, Kariku." Hikari smiled, "Yukiko chan is recovering from some very hard training. You wouldn't want her to get sick, of course."

"Yeah... True." He said, looking down. "Next time? That way I can make everything better! And You can see how Good I am!" He said putting his paws together and looking over his shoulder at the yard.

Hikari just chuckled.

Food was the next topic for the pair of them. "watery with strings...? Uh... a noodle soup? I can do that... You can help me!" Hikari got up and turned around. "Water." She said, as she went to get a pot. "I'm gonna cheat and use a water ninjutsu rather than get water from elsewhere." She chuckled as she did so.

"You wanna look into the refrigerator and get some vegetables and meat?" She asked, "Red meat is probably beef. Dunno if you like that." She said as she turned on her stove, and began adding salts and seasonings. "Mom always said Soups are easy. Add enough stuff boil it, and at least you'll have something." She said.

"Eh? Yeah. Maybe you can show me some of your ;sneaky skills. After that, I can introduce you to Shima Haruka, our spymaster." She said, reaching out to ruffle the girl's hair a little bit. "Sound good?" She asked, chopping up whatever Yukiko had pulled out of the fridge.

 

[Yamaryuu Sora]

"Ah yes.. Noodle Soup... " Yukikos memory was triggered, she had seen them around town.. and the name first connected now..

"Water. I'm gonna cheat and use a water ninjutsu rather than get water from elsewhere."
Yukiko understood.. "I would probably too.. " she said smiling as she said it.

As instructed Yukiko opened the refrigerator, "hmm.. red meat... hmm hmmm..." she said to her self... as she picked out several pieces... 'Wonder how much is needed' she thought.. settling with something she thought that she herself could at least eat... and then double that for a portion for Hikari.. and then triple..when she thought.. maybe Kariku would want some too..
she came back with her hands filled..
"can this be used?... " she said while putting it on the table.. looking at what Hikari did with the food... "smells nice!"

"Eh? Yeah. Maybe you can show me some of your ;sneaky skills. After that, I can introduce you to Shima Haruka, our spymaster..... Sound good?" Hikari Said while ruffleing Yukikos hair..
"Wow Oneesan.. that would be great.. " She said with a smile.. helping to chop up the meat and vegetables.. copying the way Hikari did.. altho not with the skill of one WHO had tried it before.. but as someone trying it for the first time..

 

[Yukari]

Hikari smirked at Yukiko's "Ah yes.. Noodle Soup... " and then sent her get the meat. "Can this be used?"

tWhen Yukiko came out with both hands full of meat, she laughed, "Can this be used...? The girl asked, laying it on the table.

"Yep, That's fine. Remember you'll be filling up on the liquid and the noodles too." She said, then handed her cousin a cutting board. "Let's see your knife skills. Chop it up into strips, then dump it into the pot."

"Eh? Yeah. Maybe you can show me some of your ;sneaky skills. After that, I can introduce you to Shima Haruka, our spymaster..... Sound good?" Hikari Said while ruffleing Yukikos hair..

"Wow Oneesan.. that would be great.. " she said as she started chopping.

"You're a good kid, ya know that, Imouto." She smiled. "Hold onto that. The world is going to try and make you hard. It's good to be hard sometimes, but then... it makes you forget. Lives don't matter as much- yours or others. We Shinobi have a tendency to devalue people, and look at them as tools. Which we are. Tools, that is... but we're so much more than that. You would not throw away a fine sword, and you should not ever throw away yourself or your comrades. Even civilians are important. Without them, we would not be who we are. We would be bakers and merchants instead. What I'm trying to say is... when you look at people the way some shinobi do, you forget that they are valuable. I never want that for you, Yukiko. Remember your kindness, and it will repay you."

She chuckled to herself. "When I was just a girl, probably... eight or nine, I met a man in the library who smelled, and was very unkind to the eye..." she said, remembering Gekido, "He was very used to being treated poorly. He had at one time betrayed the village, though he had been pardoned, people never looked at him the same. I didn't know any of this at the time, though. All I knew was that he was strong, and an adult, and he had a very big very strong looking dog. I liked dogs. I liked that I thought he could teach me something, so I went to him, and I treated him respectfully. Someone told me later that he'd eaten a person once. The man. People were afraid of him because of that and because he had gone missing.. He told me that if I ever needed help, to call on him and he would come. I've since done that and he provided me with useful information. His dog liked me... Judo didn't like many people, so that was a treat. He asked me to hold onto my kindness, because he thought that the academy might beat it out of me. So I remembered that... and that's what I'm trying to tell you now. Don't let the life you are pledged to, rob you of your goodness. Too many people have already done that."

She looked over at the girl to see how she was taking the advice.

[MFT 250+]