[Beach Party] Prodigal Children

[Ace Trainer]

Kotaru had been on Shio's mind. With all the excitement and festivities going on, his promotion to chuunin, the mission he was assigned, and everything else, it seemed odd to be thinking about the bossy little boy Shio had met at the induction of this hub-bub. Yet, when he had finished his chuunin exam and embarked on his journey to return to the Land of Fountain, the grumpy looking kid sat on the forefront of Shio's mind. The 'beach party' as many civilians and shinobi alike had dubbed the festival, was going full steam ahead. Around him there was a buzz of excitement as he meandered through the area, hands in his pockets. His sloppy hair hung over his forehead, swept just away from his glasses.

The energy Kotaru put off was different. Despite his youth, Shio felt as if Kotaru was far more experienced than him. The gap between them was not purely skill, no, it was almost certainly experience. He frowned thinking about it. In the distance he could hear the clanging of metal weapons against each other, almost certainly in some show of strength and power for the civilians to bet on. When large groups of shinobi gathered, there almost always ended up being a tournament of some type, especially among the Mist. Showing off strength was what they did.

He wondered if Kotaru would participate in something like that. He seemed to grumpy for that, and almost certainly uninterested in showing off. Shio was unconcerned about getting experience, he felt more than prepared to go out into the world and fulfill his duties as a shinobi, and as The Voice, but something about Kotaru made him uneasy. Shio's discipline was derived from his people, a prerequisite of his status and position. Kotaru's discipline seemed to come from something...different. He wondered if he would end up dreary like that...he frowned again at the thought. Shio had interacted with many shinobi that had dispositions similar to Kotaru, the snide smiles, the attitude, the cynicism that seemed to be derived from a general disdain for life. All things Shio had, without true cause, assigned to Kotaru for no reason beyond their brief interactions and the presence Kotaru had. But Kotaru was different because he was young, older than Shio, but young none the less. It brought Shio pause to everything because he wondered if he was looking at where his path would bring him. Was a presence like this acceptable for The Voice?

He frowned even more.

Continuing to walk, he looked around. His frown shifted upwards as he watched the people all laughing, smiling, and enjoying the festivities that he had help coordinate. It was a nice day, the sun was bright, the scent of sea was never too far away, and the breeze stopped it from being too hot, a welcomed addition given Shio's unfamiliarity with heat. It would be a good day, almost certainly.

[Kao]

After the initial meeting with Chiane and Shio in the Land of Fountains, Kotaru had returned to his village and found himself in high demand. Rarely a day went by without a notice from one person or another who called for his presence, though his services were often limited to tedious talks with the Akari clan elders or with village officials regarding the situation in the Catacombs beneath the village and the movements of Jousai, Iwagakure's newest organization that he and his teammates had founded. The trio rarely saw one another nowadays despite the formation of the org; each of them had different duties and responsibilities now that they were on the verge of being named bannin, and the stronger each of them became the more their paths seemed to diverge, if only temporarily.

Kotaru found himself alone again. The boy was used to solitude, perhaps more than most children his age in Iwagakure. It gave him time to train, time to think and time to scheme. He thought nothing of Kirigakure or of the two shinobi he had met, and their names and faces only crossed his mind when it was time for him to return to the Land of Fountains. Even when he thought of the older woman with the metal arm and the small, silent child with the fascinating pen, he thought only of what they thought of him and Amaya and what they reported to the village. The meeting had been considered a success, but he wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that there were two powerful people in Kirigakure who knew him by face and name.

The jounin didn't take well to notoriety. It began with his clan, violent cannibals that he had avoided for his entire life. For years he had been invisible to them and he had allowed them to overlook him. But one incident in the clan's Arena had shattered the facade he had carefully maintained, and everyone around him learned of his true strength. He had grown from genin to jounin in just shy of a year and was on the precipice of being promoted to bannin. Kotaru had proven himself exceptional. A prodigy.

He hated that word.

It minimized how hard he had worked, the amount of sweat and blood he had put into his training, and the times he had nearly died in pursuit of power and strength. The word made the target on his back seem justified; after all, how could any Akari resist craving the shiin of a prodigy? It was all he could think about as he meandered through the festivities, avoiding the larger crowds as he made his way to the beaches. At least the ocean water was cool as it lapped against his ankles, and for a moment he allowed himself to forget about what was waiting for him at home and focus on the relaxing scenery.

[Ace Trainer]

Shio was hardly a cynic. He was a boy, after all, and he enjoyed his life. The 9 year old was still a goof ball when the situation permitted. But he had become very conscious of the situations permitting such a lacksidasical approach to life were becoming more and more fleeting. As he continued to wonder, his eyes shifted through the crowds, enjoying the excitement. Small children, adults, shinobi, and more, all enjoying their time. He liked it. It warmed his heart, perhaps these were one of those moments that he would get to goof around.

And then his eyes fell on Kotaru, and all that stopped. He became conscious of the concerns he had just pushed into the back of his mind. Shio wasn't technically a missionary for his village anymore, at least not in a coordination effort. So it didn't seem entirely necessary for him to engage Kotaru. But at the same time it felt almost inappropriate to ignore the boy who the villages had more-or-less designated as equals, at least in an officiating capacity. They had discussed a cooperative chuunin exam, and in spite of that the village had chosen to promote Shio outside of them.

He elected to approach Kotaru, his steps light yet purposeful. Nodding towards Kotaru from a distance presuming their eyes met, Shio finally go a few feet away from him and bowed politely. The pen slid out of his sleeve mid bow, and as he returned upright his pen swished through the air quickly:

Its good to see you again

He offered. Best to be polite. He inspected the boy before writing again,

Has the event been going well for you?

Small talk was not Shio's forte

[Kao]

Kotaru wasn't one to be unaware of his surroundings. Even as he tried to clear his head he remained aware of those wandering around him, and every so often his gaze would flicker toward the people nearby. No one paid him much attention - until he finally locked eyes with a familiar child. The jounin broke eye contact first, and when he turned his head back toward the water he gave out a long, slightly aggravated sigh.

His duties as ambassador or whatever the village wanted to call it was over. Kotaru was still expected to keep an eye on things due to his rank, but the boy considered himself on vacation, and for him a vacation meant not needing to worry so much about all of his damned responsibilities. It seemed that would be impossible as Shio began his approach. He took a moment to consider that this was still an event with diplomatic overtones, so it'd be best if he maintained good behavior. That the volatile jounin would attempt to be polite, but how long he would be able to maintain such a disposition was up in the air.

"Oi, Shio," he acknowledged tersely, eyes on the fading squiggles that floated between them. "Well no one has pissed me off or died yet, so I guess it's going alright." At that moment the rowdy crowd in the distance gave a collective cry, and Kotaru unknowingly tensed. For a moment there was strained silence, but at the noise quieted he slowly began to relax again. Finally he added, "And you? The joint chuunin exam was approved. I'm guessing you're participating?"

[Ace Trainer]

Shio heard the same sounds Kotaru did, but his reaction was markedly different, or rather, non-existent. It seemed there was a weight of responsibility on Kotaru's shoulders that Shio was simply unaware of. His words mimicked that, and Shio nodded understandingly, his eyes constantly drifting over Kotaru and inspecting him. How curious. The mention of the chuunin exams was made and Shio couldn't help but smile at his new title, and his accomplishment. The pen fell to his fingers again, and he shifted it through the air, the letters bright, literally shaking in a way that conveyed Shio's excitement.

Actually, my exam is complete. I now hold the title of Chuunin.

He took a small bow that seemed to be thanking his non-existent supporters.He then frowned for a moment, Kotaru still outranked him.

I imagine our journeys back to our villages, as brief as they were, were all full of movement and motion. Anything occur for you?

To be honest, Shio was curious about Iwagakure too. It raised Kotaru, after all. And Shio had had so little experience with the other villages, honestly, very little experience with his own village too. He was so curious about the happenings around him, and how things were different for him in comparison to the other villages. He had become far more cognizant of his alleged destiny since his meeting with his people. Being outside of Kirigakure again, so close to the realization of the first step of his fate, seemed to be far more important to more than just the village now. He looked at Kotaru patiently.

[Kao]

"Oh?" How unexpected. Shio had been very obviously irritated during their preliminary meeting when Kotaru had brought up his rank, but he hadn't expected the younger boy to rank up before the events of the beach party. Now that he thought about it, he would have looked forward to see Shio in action. He knew nothing about the boy besides his name and who he bled for; his skills were a complete mystery. "Good. It makes sense for a village to recognize someone they consider important with the appropriate rank. Seems like Kiri is finally giving you the titles you're owed, assuming your presence at that meeting actually meant something in the first place."

For once, Kotaru's intention wasn't an underhanded jab. He'd had his own experience with members of the village hesitating to recognize him due to his age, and the boy figured Shio likely dealt with the same issues in the Mist. The excessively complicated rules and customs surrounding promotions of the village elite was exasperating, but rules were rules and they weren't inherently broken. Still, it was tiresome and pushed him toward embracing this little "vacation."

The Akari groaned at Shio's question. "Too much has happened, actually," he began as he crossed his arms. "Clan drama. Government drama. The council's half de-" He hummed to stop himself. Maybe that information wasn't supposed to be shared yet. "The council's summoned me and my teammates a few times to talk about us becoming bannin. Supposedly it's a big deal because of our age and our status as a team. It's supposed to be confirmed when I get back but there's people who think we're too young and haven't proved ourselves enough, so it's up in the air."

[Ace Trainer]

Shio's face betrayed his pride and excitement over his promotion, and with almost certainty, being acknowledged by Kotaru. It seemed that Shio's interest in Kotaru for whatever it was about him that piqued it, also ignited some sort of childish desire in Shio to be recognized by Kotaru as an equal. Shio wouldn't have said it, but in their meeting Shio had felt somewhat confident that of the people there, Shio and Kotaru were the stronger ones, even if they hadn't been directly acknowledged as such. He was getting cocky about it, too. He knew he was strong and he knew that people knew it, but as more and more light was being shined on him, his modesty was falling at the wayside in favor of pride in his accomplishments.

He cocked a brow at Kotaru's sudden humming, what he had said had not fallen on deaf ears and Shio could make the connection to what he likely meant without hearing the whole sentence. Perhaps something of interest to mention. Or perhaps something better kept to himself. His eyes widened at the mention of Kotaru being named a bannin, however.

Bannin, wow!

He scribbled.

It dawned on him in this moment they were simply standing in the middle of an common Motioning, Shio began to walk towards an overhang that was situated on the cliffside they were walking on. Overlooking the larger beach area below, there was plenty of activity coming from below them, and this seemed to be where the clanging and cheering from earlier had been coming from.

You disagree? About your age? Status doesn't intimidate you?

It was an odd question, but given Shio's recent realizations, it was a sensible one. What would Kotaru contribute?

[Kao]

Kotaru gave a rare, genuine smile when the younger boy reacted to his news. It was refreshing to see actual excitement from someone about the Akari becoming a bannin, rather than barely concealed concern and trepidation. Perhaps it was because of Shio's age; he was a kid seeing another kid move up in the world, but at least there was someone else near his age who appreciated what was happening.

He followed Shio to the overhang, stopping briefly to take in the scene below. The beach activities didn't interest him much, neither did people watching. The jounin quickly lost interest in what he saw and turned his attention back to Shio in time to see his words hanging in the air before they faded.

"Of course I disagree. They're just a bunch of old bastards who aren't ready to be pushed out yet. They see us as kids - me and my two teammates - but we nearly died trying to protect the village. That and the fact that we could stomp just about any jounin in the village should be enough." He folded his arms across his chest and kicked at a loose rock near his feet. Kotaru purposefully didn't think much about his status since coming to Fountains, but now the thoughts forced their way into his head.

"The only downside to status is all the attention. I'm not used to being constantly looked at and...scrutinized. It gets on my fucking nerves. Plus there's the work. Meetings, ceremonies, paperwork. It's mostly bullshit so far but it's still overwhelming already." He looked toward Shio, trying to gauge what the younger shinobi thought about it all. "I assume it's the same way in Kiri? You're a genin - chuunin - but obviously they expect a lot out of you since they sent you to the preliminary meeting."

[Ace Trainer]

Shio listened to Kotaru with intent, his eyes following Kotaru's every move and seemingly hanging on his lips as he spoke. What he mentioned was...interesting, but unsurprising. From what he understood about the villages, culturally Kirigakure and Iwagakure were the most similar, hence their alliance. So it was no surprise to him that they shared their social obsession with powerful shinobi. Though he was in the dark on the Akari and their more...brutal methods. He wasn't surprised Kotaru didn't like it, either. He had found in his experiences that many shinobi that were given large amounts of attention tended to shy away from it. Even in Kirigakure.

As Kotaru spoke, Shio nodded in agreement, perhaps more out of politeness than a reflection of his similar experiences. This became even more clear when Shio's pen began moving through the air, slow but assured.

I'm....different.

It was interesting how his pen could still convey the nuances of speech like pauses.

I belong to a religious group that has a fair amount of pull within our family, the Kawazaiwa, and consequently within the village. Because of my standing within the group, I am relatively unknown within the village still. They don't let many people see me, and I spend a lot of time training on our compound which is typically inaccessible to outsiders.

He frowned, pausing for a second before deciding to continue.

They keep me low key.

He smiled at this,

But that isn't to say my responsibilities don't exist. They just do in a different facet...

He chose not to expand at this point. Perhaps telling this boy from another village he was alleged to be the incarnation of the universe itself was a bad idea.

[Kao]

At the mention of a religious group Kotaru wrinkled his nose. Perhaps it was because of their history with Suna, a village known for its faith and zealous followers, but religion wasn't exactly popular in Iwagakure and there were certainly many people who looked down on organized religion. Kotaru himself didn't care much for it one way or the other, but before now he hadn't thought much of the fact that outside of his homeland it was much more common and accepted.

"What kind of responsibilities?" he asked offhandedly, unable to imagine that Shio would be in charge of anything more complicated than sweeping a temple or leading a prayer. There was a pause after his question, and his eyes found Shio's pen. It was still a novel thing to him, the pen, and whenever the Kiri shinobi used it Kotaru wondered how it worked. The gears in his head turned, and his eyes widened when a thought crossed his mind. "Is the pen from your uh, religious group? Do you all use it?"

It would make sense in a way, the boy thought. He had never seen or heard of anything like the pen Shio used, and if the group Shio belonged to was truly such a secretive people then it wasn't unthinkable that they had created such a tool without its existence being well known. "The pen's cool and all but it'd be more interesting if it did things besides write in the air. Unless it does and you just haven't mentioned it. None of us exactly talked about our techniques and abilities the first time we met." Like Shio, though perhaps to a lesser extent, Kotaru was curious about the young shinobi. He was even younger than Kotaru, and although he was only recently promoted to chuunin it seemed Kirigakure was confident in his abilities. Still, it was odd that a 'relatively unknown' child would be held in such high esteem by the village. There had to be something Shio wasn't telling him, and by that point Kotaru was interested enough to try to find out what it was.

[Ace Trainer]

This was standard, in Shio's experience. Even in Kirigakure, his people were relatively unknown so when people learned about him, and his people, and his status, they tended towards doing something similar to an interrogation. Wanting all sorts of information from him about all sorts of things. The first question was one he would have to shrug off. He didn't want to outright says, 'I'm considered the embodiment and voice of the universe itself and considered a holyman that will chance the shape of the earth and the fate of humanity.', that was a big much for casual conversations.

The next question was one that would let him be an easy segue away from his original question though.

'Religious responsibilities. Missionary work as many call it. I'm the only one with the pen though. It was made specifically for me as I've taken a vow of silence. Many of my people do but my vow is considered of great importance..."

The way Shio wrote was clearly showing some resistance in being entirely forthright in what he was telling Kota. BUt he also saw a lot of benefit in forging a relationship with his Iwagakure counterpart.

'They say my voice shakes mountains, calms seas, brings sleep to passionate hearts and fury to the minds of men. Hyperbolic, probably. But I'm not often permitted to speak outside of combat because of it. Much of my abilities are centered around that. What about you?'

Wasn't entirely dishonest, but also not entirely honest. Enough information to be sincere in wanting to have a relationship of some manner with Kota.