Unfortunate Beginnings [Open/Osuteno]

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

Shita Ritsuro​

Shita Rirakkusu​

Today had been everything but typical. Ritsuro - the strange love child of Ri Sr and his wife - had always been able to at least assume how his day would go, but when it started with his father waking him, cooking breakfast, and saying they’d be going on an adventure? Something was up… His old man had never been so kind, not in the nine years of life Ritsuro had to experience him anyways, so now the only thing he could assume, is that something was up.

“I’m taking you to where I was born, kid!” Rirakkusu seemed pretty ecstatic about being able to say that, the only issue is that he’d never actually talked about where he was born.

“Yeah I don’t really want to..” The only thing Ritsuro knew about his father’s past, was something about a.. Usu.. Ossu… Usetendo? That had to be it, mid-night mumbling was always so difficult to understand. What he knew for sure though, is that he didn’t want to meet this “Usetendo” if its someone his father would mumble about in his sleep.

“Well you don’t have a choice, so put your damn shoes on before I smack you.” There he is… That’s the man he knew, uncaring and snappy. It was always his way, the option of the “highway” wasn’t even available, because - despite having an odd way of showing it - the man wanted Ritsuro, too.

If there was one thing you could always bet on, it’s that Shita Rirakkusu never planned ahead. The man was so irresponsible, so haphazard, that it was difficult for anyone to really predict what he would do next, even for his own son… To say that Ri Sr had plans of his own, bringing Ritsuro to the village that his father had grown up in, would be far from accurate. The man’s “plan,” was in fact to redeem his name and once again be a shinobi, but as the imposing gates of Kumogakure grew closer…. The boy wasn’t sure what had to go through his father’s mind, but as they came to be next in line? His father - who of course had their passports and identification - had disappeared.

“Next!” The oddly clothed man called to Ritsuro, but despite having a mini heart attack, the boy wasn’t really that nervous. Approaching the guard, the boy sighed.

“So… It seems my good for nothing father abandoned me, and he had everything I imagine I needed for you to let me in. I’m not the least bit certain what I should do in this situation.. Hopefully you do?” Anger was the only way to describe how Ritsu was feeling at the moment, he didn’t have any way to prove who he was but… “Wait! Give me a second…” Rummaging through his pockets, the boy pulled out a crumpled and partially torn piece of paper that his father had him hold on to. ‘Why does he always have me carry his reminders… I should’ve been the one to hold on to the important documents, bastard.’ Unwrapping the wad, the boy read “Find Osu-chan” aloud, and couldn’t help but facepalm.

MFT - WC: 524

 

[Osuteno]

Osu was a very, very uncommon name. Rather there was only one fairly well known person who did have the name, Chigokai Osuteno, the Sesshou (second in command) of the Medical Branch.

And so Osu was called to the gates to see if he could identify the young child who was apparently told to find him. Honestly Osu had no idea who would be looking for him at the gates and he was a bit busy running a branch so it took a bit of time to inform him of the issue and to get him to the gates. No one had given him the name of the kid yet but when Osu did finally arrive his eye instinctively twitched slightly and he had an odd sense of worry. Not so much that he sensed danger, but rather that this young man going to give him a considerable amount of work to do.

Osu felt something rather familiar about the young man but decided he should still ask to make sure because his initial suspicion almost seemed ridiculous. “Are you… Who are your parents? Why did you come here?” The purple haired individual asked with a serious expression.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

Ritsuro had been instructed to wait while they retrieved this "Osu-chan," and the boy had surprisingly never felt more awkward. He felt like a lost child waiting for his parents, stares being cast from every passerby - at least that's how it felt, and technically he was a lost child.. Although abandoned child would be a more accurate explanation at the moment. The guard attempted to keep him entertained, but none of the toys and treats they had available interested him. Instead he chose his flask, taking the occasional swig whenever the guard became occupied with other travelers.

"How big is this village that it would take so long for this guy to get here?" The child was becoming impatient, everything in his life either came when expected or when he chose it to come, and this was one of the first times he'd ever had to actually wait for something.

"How about you be patient kid? You're lucky we didn't just kick you to the curb." Somehow the boy felt privileged after that remark, especially when he realized the guard was probably right... They had no reason to even try to help him out. So wait he did...

It felt like a bit before the guard took notice of something in the crowd, and the boy noticed what he imagined was it as well. A purple Orb, bobbing back and forth, was approaching them. Was this the Osu-chan that was mentioned in the note? When he arrived, the boy returned his serious glance and feeling of worry. If this was any friend of his father's, there was no way he was responsible enough to properly care for him. At least not without an ample amount of pain every now and then. When the man finally spoke, it took a moment for Ri to break out of his trance and answer.

"O-oh right, well my father is probably as irresponsible as they come, if you know him then you might know who that is. If not? Shita Rirakkusu, and my mother.. Well as far as I know she's never been to this village, so she's not important really." Two and two became connected, the boy realized that this... This could very well be the man that his father would mumble about in his sleep. "Wait... Are you Usetendo? Wow, my father really does not know how to spell." Ritsuro held up the crumpled piece of paper for Osu to see, hoping to make fun of Ri Sr a bit.

 

[Osuteno]

“Someone actually had a child with Ri…” Osu mumbled a bit louder than intended. Well it was shocking. But the child really did resemble Ri. Osu took the note and sighed as he examined the hand writing.

“Let me guess, not too long after you got here you looked away for mere seconds and Ri managed to wander off somewhere, possibly drinking, and very likely soon to be lost… I can’t believe he is a parent… I… don’t misunderstand your father is a good friend of mine, but… well the fact a woman would have a child with him and that he is a parent is a bit… shocking. I just can’t… I can really see the resemblance though.

But I must correct you, my name is Osuteno, though most simply call me Osu. This is all rather surprising to be honest, I haven’t seen or heard from your father in years.”

At this thought though Osu wasn’t sure what to do. Knowing Ri… if he hasn’t changed that is… he could be rolling around in a ditch somewhere for all Osu knew. “If it was almost anyone else I would say we should wait but… Ri isn’t exactly famous for being timely. We might as well head into the village since he could be days… or months… actually didn’t he say he would come see me soon before disappearing for a decade?”

Osu suddenly had a bad feeling about this, “...Did Ri have any family here in the village? Did he mention having anywhere to stay?” Osu had guesses for both answers and started to suspect that Ri was once more taking advantage of his responsible nature!

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

"Trust me, I'm surprised too." Ritsuro could tell that Osu's mumbled wasn't intended to be heard, but frustration made the boy care very little about manners.

"Yeah you hit the nail on the head, old bastard has some really bad habits.." The boy whined, taking a quick swig from his flask. "But yeah, I hate how much I resemble that deadbeat. Definitely better than the other option though, I've heard yellow skin doesn't exactly look the healthiest." Not that the boy could really be considered healthy, what with the thousands of worms he plays host to.

"Osuteno... Yeah that definitely doesn't sound like what he mumbled in his sleep." At this point the child was basically trying to humiliate his father, what better way was there to blow off steam in his current situation? It was clear to the boy that this Osuteno character was rather flustered, after all he'd just been delivered a child from a self proclaimed "old friend" and expected to take care of him.

"You're asking the wrong person, this is the first time I've even heard of Kumogakure. Honestly I'm new to all of this... The only thing I knew - that was potentially related to this - was the training the man put me through. If you could call it that. So, sorry, but I guess he expected you to be the one that takes care of me while he goes off and... Does whatever he does on his own? Hoe around and be sad?" Ri didn't realize that his manner of speaking might seem... Outlandish, for a child his age. But did he care? Not really.