Sweeping Duties : Serra

[Serra]

Serra was invited to live with Kyuji, who had showed her unwavering benevolence and hospitality. Even as a guest, she was still provided with work to do, only simple tasks though - such as sweeping.

She started sweeping around the entrance of the dojo, until the nearby flowers had caught her attention. She reminisced how her mother used to make flower crowns with her, and brushed her hair. Serra gently placed the broom on the grass, and started to pick flowers from the ground. She threaded them together to make into a crown. She decided that she would gift this flower crown to the first, lucky person who passed by.

She had missed her beloved mother dearly, and had no clue regarding her whereabouts. Her father was nowhere to be found either. She took a wooden stick, from a broken branch, and started to poke the rocks that lied on the sand.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Riyota shifted his way into the entrance of the Toraono dojo, on his way home to rest like most days. He had been annoyed by an aching in his shoulder blade after a brief spar with a fellow shinobi. He assumed he must've pulled something but it certainly felt like more than that. As he walked through he noticed a young girl sweeping up and admiring flowers. An unfamiliar face around the dojo, not that Riyota knew everyone there. This girl just happened to stand out for whatever reason.

Deciding he could both sate his curiosity and find out the source of his shoulder pain in one go he approached the girl. "Hey there, excuse me. Miss?" He greeted her politely, it would be difficult to say how the young woman would react to the pale, one-armed, scraggily brown haired man, but hopefully they could have a pleasant conversation.

"Hi, I'm Riyota." He introduced himself. "Or Ri, if you're feeling lazy." He smiled. "Sorry, to bother you, but could you do me a favour? My shoulder's killing me. Can you see what's wrong with it?" He asked, if she responded with the affirmative he would turn around and crouch down. Sticking out of his shoulder would be the handle of a kunai knife. "If there's nothing there I probably just pulled it." He informed her.

 

[Serra]

Serra started humming to herself, a song that her mother often sang to her as an infant. She lied the stick on the floor, beside the intricate drawings in the sand she had used the stick to draw. She patted her hands, and stood up to admire her masterpiece from afar. She patted herself on the head to reward herself, as that was what her mother used to do whenever she drew something. Serra's peaceful daydreaming was interrupted by gentle footsteps, and she instinctively rotated her head towards the direction which produced the noise. She was relieved when she saw that the aura which the man had give off showed no signs of malice.

The man slowly made it to where she was standing, and asked for her attention by politely greeting her. Serra was much shorter than the tall man, who must of been at least 5 years older than her. She looked up to scan the man's appearance- he had alabaster white skin much like hers, messy brown hair, and only one arm. I wonder what's his story of losing his arm? "Hello, is there something I can help you with?" She smiled at the stranger.

The stranger introduced himself, his name was Riyota, and joked that he would be okay with just "Ri" if she was lazy, to which she giggled. The man had asked her for a favour, if she could see what was wrong with his shoulder, as it was causing him torment. He also followed quickly that he probably just pulled it and if that there was perhaps nothing at all. He didn't know how wrong he was, as Serra could clearly see the handle of a kunai knife sticking out from his wounded shoulder. "Of course! Im sorry, but this may hurt a little bit!" She warned Riyota before swiftly removing the dagger punctured in his shoulder. She quickly reached into her satchel and brought out a herb mix she had freshly made this morning. Her mother had taught her how to make the herb mix to treat wounds. She stopped the bleeding of the shoulder first, by pressing a cloth against it, before gently applying the fluid onto the stranger's shoulder, and finished with bandaging the treated wound.

"All done!" Serra walked around the stranger to see him face to face again. "Oh! One more thing, I almost forgot!" Serra picked up the flower crown she had made earlier today from the floor, and tiptoed to place the flower crown on top of the head of the crouching Riyota. "Do you feel better now?" She beamed happily at the stranger.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Riyota merely grunted at the sensation of the knife being removed, as it slid against the sensitive flesh covered in his blood. "Thanks" He turned to look at her and realised she was going to fetch medical supplies to dress and bandage the wound. "Oh please, no need!" He spoke softly, raising his arm and waving away her offer. "That's very kind of you, but better save those for someone who needs them." He smiled, turning around and revealing the completely healed wound through the tear in his clothing.

He did however, accept the crafted crown being placed upon his head. "I sure do feel better now." He laughed. "Did you make this?"

"Have you been around here before? I don't exactly no every face but you seem new." He asked her, inquiring about her presence within the dojo. "Are you a new servant?" He asked her, a potentially offensive question until he indicated to the broom she had been using. "Because if not it sucks that someone's got you sweeping." He chuckled.

 

[Serra]

Serra stared in awe, as the wounds of the stranger miraculously healed within a short span of time. She quickly came to her senses: If he wasn't protected by angels, he must of signed a contract with some malicious spirits. Her mother had often warned her the peril of interacting the dark beings, and she walked a few steps backwards. Serra quickly shook her head, dissapointed at her own actions. She shouldn't of judged someone so easily, it was her personal philosophy. To love, and respect.

"I did make it! I said I was going to gift it to the first person that passes by, and that lucky person happens to be you!" She giggled when the stranger stated he felt better. Even though the stranger looked a little weird, with a flower crown on top of his muscular build.

"Unfortunately, no. I am new here, I came to search for my father!" She nodded her head when he asked her another question. "No, I am not a servant. Auntie just makes everyone do work in the dojo, even if you are a visitor. It won't suck as much if you helped!" Serra smiled at the stranger.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Riyota beamed happily, humouring the young girl for the most part and partially remembering his eleven year old self, he had been quite similar to her in some ways. At the very least he had always greeted everyone happily.

He smirked when she informed him that she wasn't a servant, and simply explained that her Aunt put everyone to work. "Your Aunt sounds strict, putting a young girl to work sweeping, for shame!" He mocked 'Sounds like something Kyuji would do, honestly.' He thought to himself, still ignorant of the developments his old sensei had gone through.

The girl proceeded to none-too-subtly request Riyota assist her with her arbitrary chore. "You're right, I'm sure it would be much faster." He responded with a raised eyebrow. "But so booooring, seriously, have you looked at the size of this place?" He extended his arm to add effect to his claim as he indicated to the large space they were in. "Even with the two of us we'd be sweeping for a few days." Sure, he may have exaggerated a tad, but hopefully his claims would be enough to convince the girl that there were better things to be doing than chores.

"C'mon." He pointed his head in a direction further into the dojo. "Has anyone shown you around properly yet." He asked, indicating for her to follow.

 

[Serra]

Serra smiled when she saw the older man smile. She always loved to see others in joy. She giggled and nodded agreeing when he mentioned how her auntie was strict, and that it was exactly something she would of done. Auntie Kyuji wasn't a bad person, just a little bit strict especially towards younger disciples.

Serra raised an eyebrow when the older male said that it would be extremely boring and that they would be here all day if they swept. It was indeed tedious, and there were a lot of other activies Serra would of preferred be doing instead of sweeping. Serra had only met this person for a few minutes, but they seemed to be very funny. She had always wished for an older brother that was humorous, he would of been the perfect candidate.

"No, I've only been to some places!l Serra replied genuinely when asked if she had been shown around. Serra had second thoughts about ditching her sweeping duties to go for a mini tour, however it was indeed a waste of time. Besides, Aunt Kyuji would not come back to the dojo in a while, and nobody would notice. She followed towards the direction the person indicated.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

"Glad to hear it!" He smiled, "I can at least show you the rest of the dojo!" He waved his hand, beckoning her to follow him as he continued on through the expansive dojo.

"You mentioned you were looking for you Father? Do you know who he is? Maybe I could point you in the right direction. If only Riyota knew how important of a question he had asked, if the girl was able to answer it. He was about to find out some scary and indeed shocking revelations about his life and just how intertwined the fates of he and Serra were soon to become.

As they walked he would begin pointing out various landmarks about the dojo. Describing brief histories of various statues that stood, big and small, around the dojo.

"-So the Toraono part is basically the whole thing..." He gestured with his arm as he spoke. "...Then you got smaller sections for some of the other clans. Byakko is over there I believe." He pointed in the general direction. "I don't really go there much, I hear it's nice though." He smiled reassuringly.

"Now over here..." He announced as they walked closer. "Is the Miroku section, this is where I live, but I think we're getting a permanent clan house soon. So that may change. If you need to find me until then though, chances are I'll be here." He informed her. Looking at the certainly more ominous part of the dojo.

Just as he moved to continue the tour Serra would feel a large force potentially knock her off her feet. Walking past she would see a hulking, muscular, beast of a man. Covered in scars and missing many teeth. Accompanied by two other, smaller but still tough looking men behind him. "Out of my way, Girl!" He spat, stomping forward.

Riyota would reach out a hand to tap the man on the back, causing him to turn around. "Excuse me! I believe you owe this young woman an apology!" Riyota indicated to Serra, his fists starting to clench.

 

[Serra]

Serra's eyes lit up when the stranger offered to show her the rest of the dojo. Even though Serra had been living here for weeks, she's only been to a few selected places, and never had the chance to visit the unknown. Riyota waved his hand, beckoning for her to follow, she gladly complied with her adventurous spirit.

Serra smiled when Riyota offered to help her find her father, he was the first person besides Aunt Kyuji to show her such splendid benevolence. Serra suddenly remembered the look of sadness on Aunt Kyuji's face when she mentioned her father's name, and hesitated slightly in whether she should tell Riyota or not. She decided to take a gamble, as she desperately needed to find her father. "My mother told me the name of my father is, Miroku Akkuma." She clenched her fists, and carefully studied the expression of Riyota. If he responded positively, she'll smile. If he responds negatively she would ask why the name of her father was such a taboo.

Serra nodded her head, each time Riyota pointed towards various landmarks of the dojo. He briefly described the history and importance of each statue that stood around the dojo.

Serra's eyes followed as Riyota pointed towards the general direction of the Byakko clan, she smiled as that was where she currently lived.

Her eyes widened as he mentioned the word "Miroku". Could it be possible that her father lived here? She also noticed that Riyota said that he also lived here, does that mean she is related to him, and how? Why didn't Kyuji take her to live here?

As they were about to turn around, a strong force knocked her off her feet, and she fell to the floor. She winced in pain and whimpered quietly, she tried to hold back her tears, as she wanted to be strong. As Riyota helped her up, she would sure the appearance of the culprit who knocked her away. It was a hulking, muscular, beast of a man. Covered in scars and missing many teeth. The man was ccompanied by two other, smaller but still tough looking men behind him. "Out of my way, Girl!" He spat, stomping forward.

Her eyes flicked towards Riyota as he tapped the big man on the shoulder. She worried as Riyota was much more slender compared to the build of the monstrous man. Riyota indicated towards Serra and asked the man to apologize.

"It's okay Riyota, I am used to it" she gently tugged on his sleeve, unaware of Riyota's abilities. She was afraid that he would be hurt because of her, just like her mother. She didn't want to see anyone else sacrifice for her.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

[Gonna backtrack a bit since Serra actually mentioned Akkuma's name.]

It took a great deal of focus for Riyota to not stop in his tracks right then and there, he managed to keep walking but stumbled a bit. His face went a whiter shade of pale and his eyes looked over the young girl again. "Miroku...Akkuma, are you sure? Are you sure it didn't just sound similar?" If the girl was not misinformed then that meant that she, by all intents and purposes, was his sister. The Shinobi was struggling to wrap his head around the whole thing. When she asked what was wrong he just shook his head and dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Oh nothing, there's nothing wrong. Just quite a shock to hear you're the child of Lord Akkuma, as far as I knew he didn't have any children." Riyota wasn't ready to reveal himself to her, he didn't know how she'd react. Would she be happy? Disappointed? Upset? Angry? He just didn't know.

[Progressing back to where we were]

"Piss off kid, before I break your ugly mug on the ground." The large man threatened, raising a fist. "Alright then, come on then big man, hit me, hard as you can. Free shot!" Riyota taunted, letting his guard down completely. He turned his head and shot a wink at Serra. "Alright then, you asked for it!" the man yelled, bringing his fist down to carry out his threat.

With lightning fast movement Riyota ducked out of the way of the strike and grabbed the man's arm, forcing him to open his palm. As he did so Riyota twisted his arm around and grabbed him by the index finger, gripping tightly. The large man was in such a position that even through intense struggle he couldn't break out of the lock.

"Now I could shatter your entire arm, but I don't want to look like a brute in front of the nice young woman, do you?" He asked the man, whom proceeded to shake his head. "So..." "I'm sorry m'am, so sorry, that was incredibly rude of me I hope you can forgive me!" The man blurted out an apology, his face red with agony and embarrassment, his friends not daring to help him.

Riyota looked to Serra, calmly. "Good enough? Because I can still break his arm if you want." The shinobi offered flatly.

 

[Serra]

"I've never been so sure of something in my life, I promise, Riyota." Serra stared into Riyota's eyes intensely, she would never forget the name of her father. After all, all the stories she had been told by her mother growing up, there was no way she could of forgotten the name of the person who she always wanted to meet. Serra was always curious as a child, especially when it comes to her father, she had always wanted to know what he was like, and why her mother fell in love with such a character. Serra started to frown, and her expression changed drastically from cheerful to gloomy in a split second, she did not know why everyone was so shocked when she revealed the name of the man who she adored as a father, even though she had yet to meet him. "I know that Akkuma is a some what common name though?" Serra suggested, attempting to lighten the atmosphere. Serra sighed, when she was told that the Miroku Akkuma, Riyota knew did not have any children, she was secretly hoping for some fellow siblings, after all she had lacked companionship for a long duration of time.

[Progressing back to where we were]

Serra winced as the man shouted at Riyota, telling him to piss off or he would hurt him, even raising his fist threatingly. Instead of listening to Serra's advice of backing down, Riyota confronted the man and challenged him, he swiftly dodged the swing of the man, and twisted his arm, locking him in position. Riyota asked the man to apologize, to which the man swiftly complied, for fear Riyota would harm him further. The face of the man flushed of agony and embarrassed.

"Good enough? Because I can still break his arm if you want." Riyota offered flatly.

"That is, I think we can let him go!" Serra smiled at the man who was rude, and whispered quick thank you to Riyota. Riyota released his grip and the trio fled from the scenery immediately, fearfully. "Well, remind me to not get on your bad side!" Serra giggled and playfully smacked her older friend on the shoulder.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

"Pfft, I don't have a bad side. I'm lovely." He joked, feeling a close camaraderie to the young girl. It was still hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that if she was correct about being Akkuma's child. Then he was her brother, and more than that she was Akkuma's blood relative. The young Shinobi didn't know what that meant for him. Legacy was more important to Akkuma than anything, would he toss his adopted son to the wayside in favour of his true offspring. Riyota didn't want to go back to the ruined shack he used to call his home.

Furthermore all the plans he and Azusa had concocted could potentially be ruined by Serra's arrival. He shot a quick glance at her. Did he have any right to take her Father away after she had worked so hard to find him?

Millions of questions were surging through Riyota's head at this time. He needed to discuss things with Azusa, oversee all the things Serra's arrival would change, and adapt, as he always did. Taking a breath he returned to conversation, trying to keep the situation light-hearted. "I take it you haven't been here long but, have you met any of the other kids? Made any friends?" He asked her.

 

[Serra]

"Right..." Serra beamed at the stranger, although she was still a little intimidated by the raw strength of the older man. Although he was strong, she still felt safe with Riyota, she could not quite grasp the feeling, but she had only experienced this sensation when she was with her mother...the feeling of - family.

Serra raised an eyebrow, noticing that Riyota had been glancing at her. Do I have something on my face? That would be extremely embarrassing, especially on the first meeting. Serra thought about the question Riyota had asked, she didn't know how to answer exactly. Would her fellow teammates be considered her friends? Or are they simply comrades of a mission. Being isolated from mankind had caused Serra to be rather anxious when around other people, and she had a difficult time making friends, due to her fear. After all, her mother had dedicated her remaining life of protecting her in isolation in a deep cave.

"Uhm...well...I don't know about friends...But I do have some comrades I made from doing missions? Do you think they count?" Serra tilted her head, waiting for Riyota's response.