Introduction
Nara Kotaza II ~ Shita Rirakkusu ~ Shita Asupaia
This day, was like any other. Kumo's air was cold, the sun hid behind the clouds, and whatever light is produced was blocked by the buildings that tower above the streets of the village. Birds chirped as they sat upon the many wires which hung above the often snowy rooftops of various structures, and the city was calm while many of it's resident's slept. One such resident, Shita Rirakkusu, also slept soundly in his bed. His katana sat beside his bed, resting on top of his clothing, and on top of it his hat. All was silent in his home, until the sound of footsteps rang through his halls. Yoppa, his father, was already drunk and mumbling some nonsense about getting his kids to do what they need to. It did wake the shinobi up, of course, but it didn't really bother him. It wasn't uncommon for his father to do all kinds of strange things when he drinks in the morning. None of his family were normal when they drank, in fact. But what did bother him, was the man barging into his room and dragging him into their living room by his head.
Listen up you bastard, you and your sister have been sitting around for far too long." He said, "Its about time you do what I told you a year ago and JOIN THE DAMN CLAN." It came as no surprise that this was his problem today. Even Ri knew that it had been a long time since he and his sister last tried to make contact with the Nara, and he even noticed how irritated Yoppa was every morning he saw their faces. It was obvious why he was irritated, their walls were far too thin for his parents to do what they wanted without some kind of interruption or embarrassment. Not that he could blame them for not wanting others to hear, he'd done it enough to know it's something that should be kept between the parties involved. "I want you to go grab your sister NOW, or you'll both need to find a new place to live on your own. There wasn't any way to argue with this man.. Once he makes up his mind, there's no changing it. And if there was anything that the boy could say he feared in life, it was his father. But he wouldn't say that, of course. There was no need for questions or confirmation, the boy immediately turned toward his sister's room and barged in much like their father did to him.
"What the hell are you doing!? Get ou-" Before his irritated little sister could continue, she was lifted out of her bed and thrown over he brother's shoulders.
"Shut up, let's go." He didn't want to deal with this bull shit any longer than he had to, so even if his little sister asked, even begged to get dressed before they both went out into the village half naked, he would ignore her and continue walking. Ri's outfit consisted of his boxers, while his sister only had pajama bottoms and a bra. Neither of them could be considered decent enough to go into public, but this needed to be done before Yoppa killed them both. And there was no doubt in his mind, that they would end up dead. Bastard was always too drunk to listen to reason... Any and all people that walked the streets at this time did nothing but stare at the two as they made their way toward the Nara Compound. Asu was kicking and screaming, much like she did the first time they went through all of this, and both of them being indecent didn't help Ri's case if anyone decided to accuse him of rape or sexual harassment. Thankfully, however, no one interfered because of the boy's glare. He was absolutely ready to kill anyone who decided to try and get in his way, but he would hold back of course. That would be too much of a hassle to deal with, he would probably just knock them out and beat on them a little. Just a little though, only enough for them to learn their lesson. Probably.
After about a half hour of a kunoichi kicking his back and people staring while they walked through the Susukino District, the two arrived at their destination and it was time to get this shit over with. The boy dropped his sister on the ground -- which had to hurt since she dropped about seven feet -- approached the large door which lead into the compound, and pounded on it.
"Let us in, we need to talk with whoever's in charge!" The shinobi felt no need to be subtle about all of this, but even when he was more forceful than last time, the two received no reply. "What the hell do these people do all day? Is there really not one person here to let us in?" Almost as if Shinbatsu himself heard his complaint, a messenger was sent to answer his question.
"I hope you two know you can enter whenever you like." A kind sounding voice sounded behind the two siblings. The boy quickly turned to see who it belonged to, and was met with a face that fit perfectly with the voice it was paired with. Ri couldn't help but take a moment to admire her beauty before he shook his head. He opened his mouth to reply, but his sister was quicker to get to it.
"Is that so? Guess my idiot brother wouldn't have figured that one out, let's go." She said, shooting an irritated glance at the boy while she approached the doors.
"Please, wait, I'll take you to our leader myself." The woman insisted.
"You're apart of the clan then?"
"Of course! We'll go inside, get you two bathed and clothed, then we'll meet with my grandmother." The two nodded, and both looked equally dumbfounded. The last time they came to this place, they got no reply, and now things were going so smoothly! They both fell in behind the woman as she opened the doors to the compound and motioned for them to follow. "My name is Nara Kotaza II, welcome to our home. What are your names?"
"Shita Rirakkusu." The boy replied as he looked around at the beauty of the compound. It was filled with trees and well kept buildings. The doors to each one had what could only be the clan's symbol painted on it, and there was no lack of shade should it be needed. Not that it would be in their village.
"Shita Asupaia." The girl replied not long after Ri, she too was taking in the sights.
"Well, pleasure to meet you both. These two will take you to where you'll have your bath and provide you with clean clothes, then we can get started." She motioned for two people, one man and one woman, to take the two to where they needed to be, and the siblings went without question.
Rirakkusu's Bath
Shita Rirakkusu ~ Nara Yoku
"This way please." The servant called Ri as they walked through the complex. They had already entered one of the buildings, and from what the man said before, they were almost at the bathing area. Before they went inside, the boy could already see steam rising from some part of the home, so it wasn't a surprise that it wouldn't take long for them to get there. "When we arrive, please just place what clothes you have on the bench inside. I will provide you with a fresh pair and a yukata for when you meet with our leaders." Ri nodded to this explanation. Eventually, the two reached the end of the hall and the servant turned to the door on the right. "I do believe that Master Yoku is still bathing, I will check." He knocked on the door twice, and only received a grunt from inside. "Alright, I hope you don't mind company. Please be careful though, master isn't one for... Socializing." After the warning was received, the boy nodded again and entered the room. The door was shut behind him, and he looked around the room. It wasn't much different from the hot springs in the forest, so he was quick to remove his boxers, throw on a towel, and walk through the second door. The bath was filled with steam, but he immediately felt the other person's bloodlust from across the water. He was met with two red eyes, piercing through the steam and glaring into his own. He now understood the warning, but he wouldn't let something like this bother him.
The boy walked over to the water and removed his towel as he slowly climbed in. As hot as it was, the water was a welcome feeling so early in the morning. After all, he'd missed his morning bath, and this was even nicer because of the space. Ri avoided looking over at the black haired boy across from him, and closed his eyes to further avoid making eye contact. But he just couldn't shake the feeling that the man's eyes were still glaring at him. Suddenly, he heard splashing in the water, and his heart skipped a beat as he looked at Yoku climbing out of the water. "Thank Shinbatsu..." He mumbled quietly as he watched the clansmen approach the exit. The boy stopped just as his hand touched the sliding door.
"If you intend to join us, know that I will not be your friend." These were the only words he said before leaving without giving Ri the chance to respond. Even though they weren't a threat, the words were equally unsettling. The boy sighed and threw his head back a little. It would be a little hard to relax after that.
About half an hour after entering the bath, Ri was already dressed and making his way to the door out.
"Enjoy your bath?" The servant asked as he turned to close the door.
"I guess you could say that." Ri replied as the two started walking toward the place they would meet.
Asupaia's Bath
Shita Asupaia ~ Nara Yukimi
Asu and the servant assigned to her both walked down the hall, much like her brother was doing at the same time. "I will enter the first room with you and take your clothes before you bathe, and by the time you're out a fresh set of clothes will be waiting for you." The girl had no response to this explanation, "Once you're done here, any and all clothes you have now will be returned to you, just let us know if anything got left behind."
"Very well." The girl sighed, she didn't like the fact that she had to leave her undergarments to some strangers, who knew what kind of perverted things they would do with them! Just the thought nearly made her vomit... It didn't take long for the two to reach the end of the hall, and Asu was quick to rid herself of her clothes so that the obviously perverse servant could leave her. She didn't have time to deal with all of this, she was a busy person and would rather get it all over with. As she had received no warning that there was another person in the bath, she didn't bother grabbing a towel and just went straight in. Just like she expected, it was empty. She entered the hot water slowly. Perfection... Tranquility... Bliss... Her current situation could now be described as many things, but she preferred those three words for now. The kunoichi had such a large bath all to herself, how could she not feel this is what she deserved for all of her hard work?
"Woo Hooooooooooo~" Almost like Shinbatsu heard her thoughts and decided she would have bad luck that day, a platinum haired demon dove into the water, ruining her peaceful moment.
"What are you doing!? I wasn't told I would have company!" Asu had already stood up from where she was, and her hands were balled into fists as she breathed heavily. Whatever just entered the bath had no clue what the word "subtlety" meant, clearly, and was obviously here to give her a hard time. A blonde-haired girl exited the water with a smile, hands on her hips as she laughed.
"Hey there! Mind if I join you?" She asked, looking over to the girl that was sure to be her friend soon. But as soon as she laid eyes upon her angry face, her attitude toward the situation quickly changed. "Oh my lord! What's wrong!? Did I hurt you? Scare you? Is there anything I can do to help you through this?" The woman approached Asu and began inspecting her body, making sure there were no cuts or bruises, while simultaneously invading her personal space.
"Please back away..." Asu grunted. She took a very deep breath, then exhaled slowly. It was now obvious to her that this girl meant no harm, even if that's all she caused when she entered the bath like that. "So.. What are you doing here?" Now that she had to deal with this wench, she might as well get some answers out of her.
"Oh! I heard we had visitors, and wanted to meet you before you went to see my grandmother!" The girl's mood flipped again immediately when Asu calmed down.
"I see... Well, my name is Shita Asupaia, what is yours?" It was clear that the kunoichi was irritated by just about everything right now, but the girl was a little too dense to realize that.
"I'm Nara Yukimi, pleasure to meet ya!" She exclaimed. "Now then, let's get to know each other!" A look of horror came across Asu's face as soon as "getting to know each other" was mentioned. That was the one thing she dreaded in life, even in school, it was her least favorite activity. Talking about herself in front of people... Just awful.
The time the two spent bathing, was also spent talking about all kinds of things. Their history, things they like, boys. But really, it was only Yukimi that gave real answers, Asu was simply trying her best to ignore everything that was said. When the two exited the bath, they got dressed and the blonde haired she-devil insisted on taking her new friend to the clan's leader.
The Meeting
Nara Kotaza I ~ Nara Mashuko ~ Shita Rirakkusu ~ Shita Asupaia
It was finally time for the siblings to speak to the clan's leader, and hopefully be allowed to join. That was the best result of all of the stuff they had done so far. Ri arrived much earlier than his sister, mostly due to the.. Annoyance that she had to deal with before coming here. But that was in the past, and now the two stood before a well crafted set of double doors which led to the clan's council room. The two looked at each other, and the brother nodded. He approached the doors and slowly pushed them open. The room behind these doors was dark, the only light coming from candles in each of it's corners. In the center of the room sat two figures, both facing the siblings, and both looking equally unimpressed.
"I'm guessing you two are the ones in charge here?" The boy questioned.
"No need to rush, kid, sit down." The older lady snapped, she clearly was in no mood to deal with rebellious children today. Both of them complied and sat down on the cushions on the opposite end of the table. The two figures sat and stared at them, the man sizing them up and the woman mumbling something about arrogant children under her breath. It took a few minutes for someone to break the silence, but when they did, the siblings didn't appreciate what was said. "My first impressions of you two... Miss, you're an arrogant little lady who thinks she's on top, am I right? Of course I am." She gave Asu no chance to reply to the comment, quickly looking to Ri to say her opinion of him. "And you... I can smell the alcohol on your breath from here, I'm guessing you haven't done much with your life? Probably not." She sighed.
"Could go a little easier on them, mother." The man stated, his voice was deep and burly. "Before she continues, I say we should all introduce ourselves. We are the hosts, so we'll go first. I am Nara Mashuko, son of the woman you see before you, Nara Kotaza I. Who are you two?" Kotaza was quick to sigh after her son announced their names without consultation.
"I'm Shita Asupaia, and this idiot next to me is my brother, Rirakkusu." Asu was the first to say anything, mostly because her brother was already pissed at the woman in front of him.
"Good, now that that's out of the way. The woman glared at Mashuko, "Why did you two come here?"
"Our old man, Yoppa, said he was apart of this clan a long time ago. Apparently something happened and he was told to leave the clan, but he wants us to join now. Says we're wasted potential." Ri didn't like needing to explain that, what if he was lying to them this whole time and he was never apart of the clan to begin with? Maybe the alcohol just got to his head after all of these years.
"Yoppa... The name rings a bell, but he probably wasn't apart of the main family." Kotaza explained.
"I remember him, but if he wasn't willing to tell you why he was forced out, it's none of my business telling you."
"Fine by me..." Ri sighed.
"So, you two want to join, huh?" It was clear to the siblings that the question was rhetorical, so the old woman got no reply. "I guess we could allow that.. Especially if you already know you have our clan's abilities..." The room was silent once again as she went deep into thought about what she should do. "Fine. We'll have... A trial period. Yeah, let's call it that. We'll move whatever belongings you two need here, and we'll see how things go. If I think you'll only end up hurting this clan and its people, or you do nothing to contribute, then you can just go crying back to daddy. Any objections Mashuko?"
"None, I'll begin making the arrangements now." The man stood up and quickly exited the room, his voice could be heard calling to his servants as the doors slowly shut behind him.
"You," Kotaza pointed to Ri, "I'll have you train under the man that just left for now, and you," Now she pointed to Asu, "You will train under my grand daughter, Kotaza II. You met her on your way in." She allowed the two of them a moment to think about what was just said, then she continued. "No Objections? Good. Now leave me, I will have one of my servants ask for your address and they'll take care of brining your things here. For now, familiarize yourself with the complex. Dinner is at five tonight, and you have to be there, understood?" The two nodded, and exited the room. One of the servants just outside of the room heard what was said by Kotaza, and was quick to get their address. After that, the siblings went their separate ways and spent the rest of their day exploring the complex. They were too accepting of strange things to have any questions now, so there wasn't much else to say. Each of them already had a person within the clan they had to worry about, however. Asu with her she-devil, and Ri with his red-eyed demon.
{topic created/left: B-Rank run time = 2 hours}