Nostalgia: Two brothers reunited.

[Kumori]

You would think family stays in close contact to each other, be it in good times or in bad times, but in this ninja world that we live in, keeping contact is the least of your worries when you’re trying to stay alive.

About a year ago was the first time Kumori ever left village. For a while now he had been pondering on the idea of becoming an ANBU. Even though he didn’t quite want to be one of those masked warriors you see running around every time something bad happens, he had little to no choice considering the fact the other options were just as boring. At least now he would have a secret identity of sorts, and that amused the recent academy graduate. He entered the academy as a nobody, and left it as a nobody who was slightly better than the other nobody’s who graduated with him; and then decided to remain a nobody by putting on a blank mask.

He hated the mask.​

And so he stepped out of the safety of the village walls that had nurtured him for as long as he could remember. If the walls existed to keep the beasts and the bad out, does that meant that as he crossed the line that defined inside from outside, he had become a beast himself? His mind was running wild with such non-sense, trying to make sense of his new-found duty in the outside; but as silly as the whole situation was, the thought of shining a light on what was before a mystery excited the boy.
Excited…Crossing that line marked the start of his new life as an ANBU in Training.

He hated the mask.​

And now he was back. He stepped through the village gates and took off the plain white ANBU mask… only to put on another. This one… he hated even more. Two days passed since his arrival, and people were giving him the weird eye on the street. Children pointed at him and asked their mothers about the silly person standing before them.

Two days he had been evading the fact that he had family, or a brother at least; one that he loved very much. But Kumori was afraid of showing his face. It was his secret, one only known to one more person - the other ANBU that accompanied him that day. Two days he had been hiding, under a bridge, at the forest, at the academy, in a cave, on a roof, all in order to –not- meet his brother… even after they hadn’t seen each other in a year. But, unfortunately for him, his brother was appointed the Tsuchikage after Kumori had left, and eventually people caught up to him and made him pay him a visit.

Now Kumori stood in front of a large door with a steel plate at the top that read “Tsuchikage’s Office”. He knocked and waited.
[spoilername="NOTES"]

• He left the village about 1 year ago for his intro to ANBU, and stayed longer for extra training.
• Kumori just recently turned 16. (The day before he returned, which was 3 days ago from today.)
• I'm posting as if Ryu sent someone to find Kumori after his arrival. (Since he's afraid of what Ryu would think.)
• Kumori is currently wearing a black hooded jacket (not making use of the hood), and a wide-necked plain white t-shirt underneath (not the formal one in the picture).
• He wears his headband around his neck.

[/spoilername]

MFT

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

The towering man made the desk look almost small by comparison, and the proper robes of office had yet been tailored to fit him properly so he still wore his usual black clothing patterned with the dark grey whorls that broke up his outline while in shadows, his left hand bore a shining metal pen while he flipped through notes and went over the census information of the village when there was a knock at his office door. "Enter." He wouldn't look up until his visitor actually opened the door and entered, he had to manage both the Main and ANBU branches of the village until he found people that properly filled the Sennin position of either. Which meant he needed to get papers for funding as well as schedule classes and exams for those who were ready to be advanced in their career.

Currently, he needed to set up a meeting with every active member of the two branches so as to figure up the rankings among them as well as get an idea of the forces he was working with around the village. While he would rather avoid putting too much stress on the students he would have to wind up asking them to take up duties of Genin early so they might perhaps help provide support to the higher ranking members while they were acting on missions or the like.

Not only that but he had to manage his cousin Ren, his daughter Shizuko, and now he'd heard that his younger brother Kumori had finally returned to the village as well. He hadn't seen the boy in almost a year but it felt like forever with how much sudden activity and his recent appointment as Tsuchikage. If he remembered properly, his younger brother would be ready to take one of the Rites to become a recognized member of their clan; it would be up to the young man to pick his challenge, but honestly Ryu hoped that his brother chose to challenge him so he could see just how much his brother had grown. He'd felt bad that he hadn't the time to train his sibling, terrible actually, hopefully the boy would forgive him.

[MFT]

 

[Kumori]

It had been a long year, and this very moment would mark its conclusion. Kumori stepped into the Tsuchikage’s office, his head lowered, not respectfully, but in shame, and fixating his eyes on the floor. He tried to focus on the details in the separate tiles (or wood), the way furniture left marks as it was moved, or when a little bit of coffee was spilled and the brown liquid reached into every gap and imperfection. Anything would work at this point; he just wanted to distract himself from the situation.

What was he supposed to say?

“Congratulations on your rank.” – He said, almost whispering.

The boy was currently wearing a black hooded jacket and a wide-necked plain white t-shirt underneath. The plain colors of his shirt and jacket only served to direct even more attention to the violet locks that decorated his black hair, as well as the new mask he wore. He had changed a lot that year. He had a few more scars, each telling a tale of battle, the biggest one he covered with a black bandit mask, decorated with a violet brush-painted smile that went from ear to ear.

He missed his family, and he couldn’t wait for his initiation ceremony so that he could be officially brought into the clan… but he didn’t want to show it. It was a sign of strength, in his mind… or so he thought.

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

Watching as Kumori stepped in, the man felt the heavy weight on him lift slightly, as though a part of the burden he bore had been dropped away. He didn't approve of his younger brother's demeanor, but he wouldn't let that show; Ryu stood and came around the desk and stepped up before the young man, reaching out and clasping his right hand down on Kumori's shoulder. "Welcome home." It had been a long, busy year and he hadn't seen the boy in quite some time. With many matters now being laid to rest and the direction of the Village now in his hands, Ryu was worried he wouldn't get enough time for his family. Well, in truth the entire village now needed to be looked at as his family. Ryu needed to succeed, needed to prove that the trust in him had been well placed. "Thought you'd be glad to see me. Much has passed, and from what I've read in the reports, you requested to join ANBU." His gentle grip was taken from Kumori's shoulder as Ryu turned and walked back to his desk, placing himself in the seat behind it once more with his elbows on the edge and his hands folded over one another, the stone fleshed limb carefully rested over and cupping his right hand. The contrast was stark and perhaps more than a little disturbing to someone who hadn't seen the limb before. Granted while he had done a good job of keeping the monstrous limb under wraps, quite literally, now that he was Tsuchikage he felt that the veiled apperance would lead to suspicion and possible investigation.

His eyes remained locked on his brother, studying him carefully, while he figured up what to say. Talking really never had been a strong point and it made things just a little more difficult at times like these.

 

[Kumori]

Apart from spilling nonsense and witty comments every minute, Kumori had never been good at keeping a conversation going. His brother was happy to see him, and it showed at he approached him and placed his hand at Kumori’s shoulder. Much had changed in the year he’d been out… he couldn’t have chosen a worse time to disappear. It was hard to say which of them had changed the most. Ryu’s arm stuck out in the room, even more so than Kumori’s clothes and covered mouth, the stone-skinned limb looked rather gruesome and had more of a prosthetic than of an arm. Kumori wasn’t about to ask about it though… everybody had that one thing they didn’t want to talk about, and he was quite sure that was his brothers’.

“I am happy to see you...” – he sighed and finally looked up.

“ANBU was the natural choice… what else was there? A fire-fighter? A medic? Some would say wearing the mask is quite liberating…”

There was doubt in his words, it was clear that he did not quite enjoy the job. In all truth, ANBU was the only choice that fitted. The boy was clearly not a medic, as he could barely stand the sight of blood, and he thought of himself as too grandiose to be nothing but an average town shinobi. At least with the mask, he was given the choice to take it off; he could be anyone he wanted and then back to himself… Kumori was sure that would prove useful in the future. Soon enough he would learn a secret that would make everything worth his while.

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

He listened and nodded slowly, his brows furrowing together slightly. "You misunderstand. I don't judge your path, that isn't my place." Well, maybe it was but he wasn't going to micromanage his people if they knew what they were doing. Problem was, he was in charge of the ANBU branch for now, which meant he had to start getting a measure of what they did since he'd been in the Main branch for quite some time. "Main branch gives support to the other two branches by covering the duties they aren't always able to manage. Not the point here, however. I wished to know what your intentions were, not only for your Rite now that you are of age and to see if your determination to be ANBU was real." He leaned back with a sigh, chewing on the inside of his lip and looking thoughtful. "A good 'official' reason to catch up with family while working, hmn?" The man, for all his appearances, was decently smart and could pull strings around if need be, even more so now that he was Tsuchikage. A good leader, in Ryu's mind however, could lead their people without such methods; sure they don't always need to know the inner workings of what was going on, sometimes ignorance was most certainly bliss, but to make a village dance like a puppet on strings wasn't what Ryu was aiming to do.

He gestured at a chair to the side of the desk, a motion for Kumori to sit if he wished. "As of right now, you're the next oldest active member, next is our cousin Ren followed by Shizuko, my daughter. Currently, you're the one after me to be Lineage holder should anything happen to me; though I haven't always managed to be there for you and I am ashamed of such, I do wish to know what your goals are now." He wanted his family to prosper, not because he was the Tsuchikage, but because he was a Kazehi before he was ever put into the office. These days, his focus had been put towards the village growth and maintenance and it was a pleasantly difficult struggle to manage; but all the same he didn't wish to grow disconnected from his family. With Kumori back in the village, Shizuko would have an uncle to train with during the times Ryu was unavailable, and Ren as well. It meant that his brother would have to take up mantle as the interim leader of the family if Ryu died, but he had to be sure that his younger brother could, let alone be willing, to take up that burden.

 

[Kumori]

Kumori had been thinking about the family rite for a while. Being recognized as a full-fleshed member of the clan was his dream, or at least the first step to catching up to his brother, who, as it is, was too far ahead already. Kumori wanted to decrease the size of the shadow Ryu was leaving behind. He wanted the Kazehi name to be recognized not only for one particular person, but many. It was evident that the boy was happy that he mentioned the rite by the way his eyes widened at the comment, although he wasn’t looking forward to talking about being an ANBU. The whole ANBU deal was a love-hate relationship, but of course, he wouldn’t say that out-loud.

“ANBU huh? How can a man prove his determination, I wonder…” –He paused for a second. “As for the rite, I’m going to challenge you… I’ve been training for a whole year, and while I may not win, I’ve grown enough to prove myself…” – Kumori’s dark violet eyes met with Ryu’s.

Kumori proceeded to sit down on the chair Ryu had pointed at. In a few minutes he would run out of things to say, he wasn’t one for long conversations, but even then – just sitting in silence in the presence of family would be enough to recharge all the energy he’d been using during the course of the year. He cherished the idea of company, even if he didn’t show it.

“I haven’t seen Ren in a long time… I wonder if she remembers me. I have a niece now? A lot has changed this year… it feels so distant.”

The conversation had changed from “catching up” to something rather gloomy. A melancholic scent floating around the room as they brought up the past; it didn’t matter how good the memories were, the nostalgia of bringing back memories always hurt.

“Don’t mention it... I don’t blame you for anything that happened, it was just meant to be, like everything else is.” – Kumori tilted his head to the right, and seemed to phase out for a second as if he was seeing the horizon in that closed room. “I want our family to grow… to prosper…” – He paused for a moment. “It’s funny huh? How the flap of the butterfly distorts the flow of wind... How utter chaos can define a life.”

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

While he listened to Kumori speak, the towering man picked up his metal pen once more and began slowly reading through the small stack of papers in front of him, turning the pages slowly and infrequently making marks next to lines before resuming. "I see. I'll happily accept your choice. As well, before you ask, I haven't married or anything. I adopted her. She's a few years away from taking a Rite but ahe's quite exceptional at learning and applying lessons." He did try to take time in the morning every day to train Shizuko in one thing or another, if not martial then teaching her manners and dedication to a routine. It wasn't impossible, but juggling being a father and Tsuchikage was trying to say the least. "Ren will likely not stop bothering you once she knows you're arround. Should be amusing to watch." At least, it would amuse Ryu. He set aside his paperwork and looked at the door of the office, letting a heavy sigh slip out his nostrils. "Indeed. Time flows all the stranger when one is away, fleet some and an eternity for others." He peered at Kumori sidelong for a moment, chewing the inside of his bottom lip before double checking the papers he'd been going through.

"I'll give you a day, since you've just returned, to get some of your affairs in order. I'll arrange housing for you, I've already been looking into setting up a clan home on the Upper land. That will take some time yet, but it will give you more space than in the barracks." He picked through the stacks around him, removing a couple more forms that he glanced over while opening a drawer in the desk that was full of folders and dividers with various labels. He plucked out a blank form titled 'BUNK / ROOM REQUEST', which he quickly filled out all the spots labeled 'approval' with his signiture and the Tsuchikage seal. "There. This will get you placed quicker. I'll be sure the Proving Grounds are cleared for us by tomorrow afternoon as well." Normally all of this would have been much slower due to having to go through various others, now all that was requires was a polite request or a few signitures. That fact disturbed him with how much one could abuse such 'power'. Ryu turned and handed Kumori the form, all of it just asking basic information from name to occupation, which was rather obvious, but had a spot for selecting a single or shared space to bunk in. "It's not home...but I'll make sure to get the Clan home in order much quicker, if it's any consolation." Shizuko lived with him, and Ren still lived with her parents, but once everything was settled with the House, the Kazehi clan would finally have a centralized compound for the first time. While it wasn't an exceptional welcome home, one could say the reception could have been much, much worse.

[MFT]

 

[Kumori]

He had not been there for long, yet he has starting to run out of words. It was so hard to talk to other people, more so when you had been away for so long. Some would claim that it is important to watch your words in the presence of the Tsuchikage, noted as the most powerful man in the village, though with all the stuff going on in the dark, that fact had become debatable. Kumori is a man that prefers silence, he’d rather watch from the sidelines instead of being part of the action. For him, power was found not in strong arms, but in wise words; and a man that knows what to say, gives more reasons to be feared than that which had nothing to show but strength alone. Because of this, Kumori fell in love with the “art” of learning, be it information found in books, or whispers. The scent of opportunity maddened the boy. There was so much to try and steal from the Tsuchikage, but before his addiction, Ryu was his brother.

Maybe another time.

“I would love to meet her.” – Kumori’s gaze softened at the idea of his niece. He had always wanted a little sister. I guess she counts. “It is about time you find yourself a woman, don’t you think?” – He looked at his brother with soft eyes, almost laughing at him, but choosing to remain silent. “

Kumori remained silent and watched as Ryu began to fill all the papers necessary for his room at the barracks. He remembered when he first moved in, driven by the goal of becoming an able-bodied shinobi. It all happened so long ago, and now he was returning to that place. Memories began rushing into his mind. He remembered the first fights, where he was almost beaten to death and forced to stay at the hospital. He remembered the beautiful face and smile of the girl he fell in love with. He remembered his graduation, and how he stood at the top of his class. His academy days had been so ordinary… maybe now that he was back, something could change?

“Thanks.” – He said as Ryu handed him the papers. He proceeded to fill them out with his name and basic information (Kumori, AiT, Single).

“A clan complex huh?” – He smiled, the outline barely seen through the dark cloth that covered his mouth. “Yes… That would be nice.” – He paused for a second.

“I don’t have many ‘affairs’ to settle. I’m still waiting for an answer concerning another ANBU mission that I’m supposed to be doing soon… Not that I want to leave again. This one shouldn’t take anywhere near as long.” – the truth was, he didn’t care about his career as an ANBU that much. Everything was happening so slow. It took days for the high ups to approve missions, days to assign tasks. Kumori only wondered who was running the whole show, and if they even had an ANBU Sennin.

“We fight tomorrow then.” – the boy could barely even wait.


MFT

 

[Kazehi Ryu]

He looked at his brother and his stoic gaze melted into one full of rue and amusement. "Oh? I suppose so. Though I might be out of luck finding a woman interested in a boring old man such as myself." He didn't mean much of it, but he sighed and stood, clapping his younger sibling on the back with his right hand. He didn't know how to express to Kumori how good it was to have the young man back around, sure Shizuko was lively and brought energy to the household, but there was something profound about having more family around to share the good memories. Not to mention, but Ryu wantes to show his brother that he was proud, show Kumori that he was happy, despite appearances.

He turned and looked out the window and rolled his shoulder, getting a few pops and cracks in response. He felt fired up, excited, for tomorrow. He almost felt like a kid again, full of enegy and life (the fact that most of it went towards training is irrelevant)! "Alright. I'll see what can be done. Get your room, take the rest of the day for yourself and I'll let you know later what time we'll meet tomorrow!" He was excited enough that his energy was nearly overflowing! He looked at his younger brother and did something he hadn't done in a long time. He smiled.

It melted years off his features, despite the lines at the corner of his eyes. A full blown, toothy smile. That was what he would use to communicate. "Welcome Home, little brother." Sure, he may have said it before but he meant it as a closer, less formal greeting than he did when Kumori walked in. There was a lot of time for them to catch up on, and Ryu wanted to make the best of it, not as Tsuchikage, but as Kazehi Ryu, a father, a brother, and a man who cared deeply about his family.

(Feels like I just cranked up the shounen dial to over 9000 witb this post but...eh)