There's no place like home (Open)

[Senju Akihiro]

I was still reeling from the events that forced me to leave the only home I ever knew, the disappearance of my brother, and my father's quick departure from the Earth country. To be completely honest, I wasn't even completely sure what happened in my home village that forced us to leave. My focus was always to simply to tend to the sick and the injured. I left the politics, intrigue, and war to my father and brother. When my father and Ryuu grabbed me and led me through that underground labyrinth, I followed without question. Suddenly though, I had so many questions, and no one was around who could answer them.

Ryuu parted ways with us as soon as we reached the boarder of the Fire Country. That was clearly his plan all along. My brother was many things, but a fool was not one of them. Every action Ryuu ever made was planned out meticulously long before he ever followed through with it. It caught me by surprise, but it seemed as if father expected him to leave. Father did make halfhearted attempt to stop him but I think he knew in his heart that Ryuu was going to do whatever he wanted to with or without his permission. I on the other hand, always did as I was told. "What has that gotten me?" I mumbled under my breath. I followed my father, only to have him send me inside this village without him. Perhaps he went after Ryuu. Maybe he went back home to fight and die without me. I had no idea, and while my ignorance slowly ate at me, I knew that I had to trust in father's wisdom and play the role I was told to.

To describe what I was feeling as culture shock, didn't quite seem to convey how alien this village seemed to me. To get away from that feeling, I decided to do what I always did and simply help others. As I walked into the village's version of Leaf's Medical Center, I was again reminded that I was not at home. Things were so... different. I looked around confused by much of what I saw and clearly out of place.

MFT

 

[Ryu Hime]

There were a couple kids with a single adult within the waiting room of the Nature's Clinic. From the looks of the kids they were in a fight and likely on the losing side. They had cuts, scrapes and bruises all over their bodies. One even had a black eye. The adult looked to be some sort of gypsy. She held a guitar a played a healing melody. With that the cuts and scrapes stop bleeding and begin to mend on their own. She casts a vital wave through her instrument, thus restoring their health. In no time they were as good as new.

Now that they were healed they run out of the clinic to play and that is when the gypsy woman notices the man standing by the entrance. Despite the fact a blindfold covered her eyes she seemed to be looking straight at the man. “Welcome to the Nature’s Clinic. I’m one of the shamans in training. If your injuries are not too server I can tend to you.” However listening to the sounds of his body, the man seems to be in pretty good shape. As one could probably guess she is of the Hashigaki bloodline.

 

[Senju Akihiro]

As I looked around, I noticed a few people who seemed to be patients waiting around. My natural instinct was to jump right in and help, but I held myself back, not wanting to overstep. While I had been welcomed to the village, I still felt like a bit of an outsider. None of their injuries seemed life threatening anyway, so I felt better about hanging back. Soon, a young woman entered and seemed to heal everyone through her music. As if that was not odd enough, I noticed that her eyes were both completely covered. Even odder, she seemed to move around with no impairment, at all. I had heard of such a bloodline, but I had never met someone with her apparent abilities. I also did not know that they could use their music to heal others.

I watched intently as she healed the patients. My mind was still processing what I had just seen when I was startled by the woman’s voice. I was lost in thought and did not see her approach right away. My eyes quickly darted towards her. She introduced herself as a shaman in training and offered to tend to my wounds. I took a breath to gather my wits, before responding. “Thank you, but I’m in relatively good health. I’m actually just looking around. I’m a Med-Nin and I recently arrived from the Fire country so I’m trying to get acclimated to the Earth country still. You said that you are training to be a shaman, could you tell me what that is exactly?” I hoped that my question did not offend her, but I was truly ignorant of what she was talking about.

MFT

 

[Ryu Hime]

Kitsune could not help but smile for that was the same question she asked when she first came to the clinic. “How is the village of Konoha? It has been ages since my family’s caravan been in the country of fire. You’ll be happy to know allot of people in the village are immigrates of fire.” Kitsune was a part of a gypsy clan who tend to be nomadic for the most part. Kitsune takes a seat and offer the man to sit next to her. “Stone is a bit of a religious village. Both anbu and medical branch are split into two parts. Guardians and Shaman are those who are blessed by the five gods. Then we have regular anbu and med-nins like any other shinobi village, but they are not quite as popular. I chose to be a shaman because they practice traditions in healing that I am use to.”

 

[Senju Akihiro]

After I asked my question, the woman smiled and that put me more at ease. Her smile was followed by a question about Konoha that I didn’t really know how to answer. “To tell you the truth, most of my time was spent in the Medical Center or the clan campgrounds, so I never really paid much attention to anything else. That being said, the situation there forced my family to leave, but I’m probably not the best source for more information than that.” I soon took some solace in learning that there were many people from my homeland there. “Perhaps, I might even find some folks that I knew,” I thought. I placed my attention back on the woman as she explained the religious nature of the village and the divisions in their branches. “Shamans, Guardians, and five gods huh? I guess I have a lot to learn.” As I spoke, I realized that I had not introduced myself. With a polite bow I said, “Please forgive my rudeness. I am Akihiro, son of Tadao, and born into the Senju clan of Konoha. My I ask you for your name?”

 

[Ryu Hime]

“My name is Kitsune and I am of the gypsy clan Shikame.” Kitsune takes a deep breath and as she lets it go she taps into his dreams. By touching the inner recesses of his heart she can feel his true nature. This man truly was a healer of great caliber. Kitsune begins to give of an aura of healing as she spoke, “I can sense you have a kind and gentle soul well suited for a man of your position. If you ever decide to join the shamans we would gladly welcome you among our ranks.” As many others have found out, Kitsune had a mystical power to know thing about people she should not be able to know by any normal means. “Now is there anything else you wish to know?” she asks with a smile.

 

[Senju Akihiro]

"Well met, Kitsune. Thank you for your time and your invitation. At the moment, I'm just trying to get my bearings but perhaps we can speak more about the shamans and your beliefs another time. I'm sure that I have pulled you away from your work here for long enough, and I do not wish to take you away from your duties." I tried to ignore the compliment simply because I never knew how to react to such things and it made me a bit uncomfortable. My face probably displayed my discomfort despite my best efforts to mask it. With another polite bow, I made my way to the door and said, "Thank you again for your time and kindness."

[TLUS]

 

[Ryu Hime]

Kitsune hopes he does become a shaman for she was sure he would be a good one. With him now gone was time for her to do some of her daily chores, which included cleaning up the waiting room. Kitsune walks off to fetch a mop and bucket then begins to clean.
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