[Graded]A Goal is a Dream with a Deadline

[Punslinger]

Iori trotted down the street, watching with a studied eye as the scenery changed from her only mildly affluent neighborhood to the decadent mansions, walls, and paved streets of the neighborhood where her cousin Sakki lived. As usual, his parents were going on a trip and needed someone to watch their orphan son. Since leaving him with yet another tutor got tedious and Iori's mother Sasuga very much enjoyed having the house to herself to "entertain guests", everyone (Including Iori) agreed that having Iori watch over Sakki was a good idea on occasion.

The streets were more or less uncrowded except for the occasional palanquin, which Iori stared at as rudely for as long as possible. The teen made it a ritual to dress as homely as possible when she visited Sakki, just so she could make the rich folk uncomfortable. By her estimation, it was good for their sensibilities to be offended on occasion, and she was just the one to do it. Reaching the wall that surrounded Sakki's mansion, (after all, he seemed to be the only one who used it) Iori hopped over deftly, landing comfortably on the grassy ground, and made her way up to the main building.

"Sakki, where are you?"

[Ace Trainer]

As Iori made her way into the abode Sakki had come ever so used to, he was spending time playing. Yep. As always. He wore his normal attire, baggy, baggy, baggy. What else? The room he was in was filled with nothing but blocks. You know the little multi-colored blocks with the letters and numbers on them.

"Aaaiiiiii. Iori-chaaaaan. I'm in here!", he responded to her shouts. He was laying on his back, only his legs exposed as he worked on the internal structure of the block tower he was building. Due to the high cieling of the room he was in, the tower naturally grew rather high itself. And was quite wide as well. Having several surrounding towers, and a "moat" made entirely of blue 'Q' blocks facing upwards.

"Iori-chaaan. Do you see any red U's laying around? I think there is a blue K on the same blocks.", he told her. He seemed very serious about his project.

[Punslinger]

Iori sighed as she entered the high vaulted room, surveying the handiwork of her reclusive ward. Were she a liess patient person, the fact that Sakki felt compelled to use honorifics would annoy her. After all, she'd know him since he was in diapers; one would think they'd be past that at this point. Looking at the pieces strewn across the floor, the girl found the appropriate one, tossing it onto the artist's stomach as she sat down in the floor to get a different perspective on the massive structure. She didn't bother wondering how he'd managed to stack his work so high, nor how long he'd been at it, since he was usually buried under some ridiculous project or another, each more obscure and elaborate than the next.

"Here. Had dinner yet?"

[Ace Trainer]

As she tossed him the block, he placed it inside the castle, and smiled ear-to-ear at his work. "I'm allllllll done Iori-chan!", he exclaimed. Then the question of dinner clicked in his mind, leaping into the air from his laying down position. Of course, being as he was inside the castle, his jumps cause the entire thing to collapse. Several blocks hitting him on his head.

He looked around, disaster seemed to be plastered across his face. He looked as if he was about to cry, until he looked up at Iori. "Oh, yeah. Dinner. Noooope! But don't we have something to do? Me and you? You said something, I think I was supposed to teach yooooou!", he said as he made his way across the rubble.

[Punslinger]

Iori sighed again. She'd made the mistake of mentioning to her nearly genjutsu-obsessed cousin that she needed to work on her Kai over the phone, and now he would doubtless be relentless in his attempt to "help" his cousin. Likely, he was just eager for an excuse to show of his skills and generally be an annoyance.

"Yes, but we've got all weekend to work on that. I'm here to take care of you, and it's getting late, so let's eat."

Aside from her more practical reasons for wanting to have dinner, Iori secretly loved the massive kitchen and pantry that the mansion boasted. Cooking was one of the few pleasures the teen took from life, and this kitchen was the perfect place to do just that.

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki was clearly upset by her refusal to let him help, "Aii, Iori-chaaan. Genjutsu is always something you should work onnnn. They're the most dangerous type of jutsu!", he exclaimed as he made his way down the hall. As they reached the stairs he sat on the banister sliding all the way down it, an excited Weeeeeeee, escaping his lips as he rode down it. Such a child.

It was all because his parents spoiled him. He got everything he wanted, so why did he need to grow up? Being a child was far more exciting than being a ninja anyways, "You know where the kitchen is Iori-chan. Commmm' ooooonnnnnnnnnn!", he whined trying to get her to move faster. Yes, he wanted to teach her. But eating was just as fun.

[Punslinger]

Iori stood at the top of the stairs watching with a dry smile as her cousin slid down the banister, something she’d done only a few years before at her own home, and just about anywhere else she could find an excuse to. Still, a person can do a lot of growing up in the space of a few years, whether they wanted to or not. Still not one to be outdone, Iori decided to skip the stairs entirely, taking a leap that landed her at the bottom of the sweeping steps just as Sakki reached bottom. Giving him a wry glance, she led the way into the kitchen.

To say that her uncle’s kitchen was a sight to behold would be an understatement. Hoping her cousin wouldn’t mention anything about the beaming smile on her face, Iori gracefully made her way around the kitchen, throwing assorted odds and ends from the pantry and refrigerator into a pot of water on the stove that came to a miraculously quick boil while a knife seemed to hover in midair, cutting up celery and watercress on a board before Iori scooped them into the pot as well. Soon, the aroma of spices and broth wafted through the kitchen while the would-be chef stirred the pot, tasting every now and again and adding soy sauce or salt. Taking a brief reprieve from this task to face her cousin, Iori pointed to the cabinet behind him.

“Slide me a few bowls, will you? So, what have you been up to today?”

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki giggled at his cousin as he sat on the counter watching her. He had never really understood how his parents had become such a fantastic success in the business world and Iori's family had remained an average family. He sometimes wished Iori had lived with him. Even though she was older, Iori was the closest thing to a peer Sakki had in his house. And he liked having her around. But that was a pointless thought, his parents were convinced that his teachers, his toys, and the staff was all Sakki needed to be happy.

As she asked him to pass her the bowls, he reached for them lazily, tossing them both to her, realizing if she didn't react they'd hit her, or slam into the ground.

Alwell, too late now.

"Ooohhh. Nothing. Just been working on my castle that I just brooooooooooooke.", he complained. He didn't seem that distraught about it though. "I was a boring day. All the working-people-mens-and-ladies had a big meeting about me cause I was using my jutsu in the living room. And I guess they weren't happy about it coz they told me to build something with my blocks. And yeah, so I ended up doing that...", he told her.

Reaching into the drawer under him he pulled out a muffin wrapped in a package. Unwrapping it quietly to avoid alerting Iori of his feasting, he stuffed it into his mouth. A muffled, "What about Iori-chaaaan?", could be heard, presumably coming from Sakki who was covering his mouth to avoid launching crumbs everywhere.

[Punslinger]

Having been around her kid cousin for most of his natural life, Iori was no stranger to his haphazard style of completing tasks that didn't involve toys, and the bowls were both caught deftly before being put on the counter and filled, although not without a stern look that promised dire repercussions if it happened again in the near future. One of the bowls found itself being pushed back down the counter by one of the kitchen knives while Iori pulled apart her chopsticks with her other hand and mouth before starting to eat. Between mouthfuls, she looked over at Sakki.

"You're looking at it. I took the day off after some training earlier this week. I think this weekend will be the last physical training I do for a little while; I've been working on some techniques for my magnetism, and I think I'm really going to get somewhere if I just keep at it. How's the dashi?" she asked, motioning to the dish.

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki began clapping immediately after he little show had finished, resulting in crumbs flying from his excited mouth. "You're so good Iori-chaaaan!", he exclaimed, finally jumping off the counter as she began talking. Not bothering with the chop sticks, he put his face full against the bowl while she was talking, and when she finished, a loud, SLURRRPPP, exited the bowl. It was a little disgusting, but made it clear he liked it.

He pulled back with something stuck to his forehead, but a large grin on his face. "Iori-chan is soooo good at cooking!", shouted Sakki, reaching for the drawer that he had gotten the muffin from previously.

Sakki was a strange little boy, he began switching between the muffin and the dashi, biting the muffin and when he was just about done, taking a huge slurp out of the dashi. When he was reaching the bottom of the bowl, he bit its edge, lifting it up into the air, and letting the last of the sloup slip between his teeth gulping it down.


"Make more Iori-chaaan! Pleaaaaaaaasssssssssseeeeeeeeee!", he said batting his eyes pathetically.

[Punslinger]

Iori couldn’t resist a smile at her impetuous cousin as she walked over and refilled his bowl. His behavior was something she would by no means tolerate in anyone else, but there was a sincerity to the boy’s absurdity that she couldn’t help but encourage, at least a little. It was innocence, after all. Not that the kid didn’t need a good beating. She paused, the chopsticks halfway to her mouth as a thought occurred.

“What do you want to be when you grow up, Sakki? You don’t seem like a kid who plans on being a ninja for the rest of his life.”

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki smiled at Iori sweetly as she gave him another bowl, and then starting to eat it as she was looking at him. When she finally asked the question, he took the bowl from in front of his mouth, and held it in front of him motionless. He looked very serious with his thoughts as he contemplated this question.

He looked around the room for a quick minute and then nodded. "Raikage.", he said before returning the bowl to his mouth. Between his slurps he reiterated. "I wanna be Raikage. Raikage sounds fun. Yeah. I'll go around and bark orders at everyone. Bark bark", he woofed, in an attempt to imitate a dog. "Then Iori-chan will have to listen to everything I say!", he said. Having placed the bowl on the counter at this point, he began giggling and clapping, proud of his idea.

"Will Iori-chan stay a ninja forever?"

[Punslinger]

Iori’s eyes glittered with something between maliciousness and amusement as she twirled the kitchen knife between her fingers dangerously.

“If you wanna keep that tongue of yours, I’d be more careful who I gave orders to.”

She was smiling however, as she went back to finishing her bowl, giving a thoughtful look to Sakki’s question. Her eyes wandered down to the knife on the counter and she picked it back up with her free hand, once again spinning it through her fingers, this time slowly as she watched the light play along the blade.

“I guess I will. It’s one of the few things I’m good at. I don’t really know what I want to be, but if I ever figure out what it is, I wanna be damn good at fighting for it.” She set the knife down decisively, which startled her out of her reverie.

“Don’t ever tell your parents I said that.” She glared wide-eyed at the younger genin.

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki looked at her curiously. For an 11 year old, one could certainly say Sakki was intelligent. Even if he did act like a child 5 or so years younger than him, Sakki was certainly no such thing intelligence wise. He was naturally gifted in reading people, and Iori was no exception. What she had just was was slightly out of character, and she seemed a little startled by how she spoke.

"Aaiiiiiii. Iori-chaaaaaaaaaan. You're so strange sometimesssssssss.", he said, then, surprised by the sound of the enlongated s, held his tongue out and began hissing at his cousin. Sssss, sssss. I'm a snake Iori-chan. Ssss, ssssss."

After finishing this monentary amazement with the hissing sound, he leaned over, reaching through the drawers. Finding another muffin, he giggled. "So what now Iori-chan. What noooooooooooooow?"

[Punslinger]

Iori glared at the little boy playfully as she snatched the muffin from his hand, putting it back in its place.

“Well for starters, you’re going to get ready for bed. If you’re good, we’ll go on a hike tomorrow and you can chase squirrels or something.” She grinned at her sarcasm. Sakki was a smart kid, so he probably got the joke, but either way he liked being outdoors and would probably behave himself as long as there was something in it for him.

Iori grabbed the empty bowls and put them in the sink for later, assuming some servent didn’t beat her to it. She actually needed something to do around the immaculate household, and she preferred it be in the kitchen. Walking toward the giant staircase, Iori motioned for Sakki to follow.

“C’mon, first teeth, then bed.”

[Ace Trainer]

As she snatched the muffin from him, Sakki looked at her, his mouth gaping open. BUT! Iori-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. That's no faiiir. How come yoouuuu get to stay up and I dooooooooooooooooon't?" He continued to whine until the mention of going on a hike and chasing squirrels registered.

"Hike! Squirrel! Chi- what kind of sound does a squirrel make..?, he jumped down off the counter and sluggishly walked towards the stairs. "But Iori-chaaaaaaaan. Mama bought gross-gross toothpasteeeee. Can't I skip tonightttt?", he groaned. It was clear Sakki was stalling for time. Even if the time spent stalling was just time whining and arguing with Iori, he wanted to be up as long as possible.

It was logic. Just a childs logic.

[Punslinger]

Iori continued walking up the stairs, not looking back at her whiney charge. She knew what he was doing, and he knew that it wouldn’t work.

“I’m letting you skip your bath tonight. That should suffice.” She said sternly. “But it’s your call. You can either scrub your teeth or your back. Now which is it?”

Of course Iori had no intention of making her cousin take a bath. That would just be awkward. Truthfully, Iori rather enjoyed the bartering and bantering that went on at bedtime when she was watching her cousin. It was one of the few times that any fighting was done tongue-in-cheek, as opposed to fights with her mother, which seemed more like screaming matches to see who could get the other to cry first, or fighting to first blood with her brother. She loved him, but he could be ruthless at times.

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki walked into the bathroom slowly. Looking back and forth between the sink, and the tub. Sink. Tub. Sink. Tub. He seemed to contemplate it for a good 5 minutes before reaching for his tooth brush. With a look of contempt on his face, he began to slip the tooth paste on his tooth brush, and then suddenly, with a loud clang, the tooth brush was in the toilet and Sakki made a mad dash.

He wasn't that fast, but he was going full speed. He jumped through the halls, and finally grabbed a wall, made a mad turn, and dove under his bed. "You can't find me Iori-chaaaaaaaaaan!", he shouted cheerfully.

[Punslinger]

Iori sighed as she walked down the hall to Sakki’s room. He’d obviously been trying to get out of sight before she saw where he was heading, but by yelling after he’d arrived at his spot, he’d lost any chance he had of staying hidden. Sakki’s bed, while lavish, was also rather high off the ground. She smirked as several wires snaked out of her purse, feeling around under the frame and wrapping around the delinquent.

“C’mon out, I don’t feel like playing. And if you keep this up, no hike.” The scolded halfheartedly. It wasn’t like she wasn’t having fun.

SpoilerShow

Densen [Electric Line]
Unlike the technique for controlling wire commonly taught in the Academy, Iori has trained to the point that she is actually able to “feel” the wire’s she’s controlling, likely caused by the fact that she uses raiton chakra to control them rather than normal chakra, which not only creates a link to her nervous system, but makes her mastery over the technique almost prehensile. In addition, her ability to control the wires goes beyond physical contact. Once she has touched and magnetized a wire, she can control it fairly well from a distance of about thirty feet without touching it, though not nearly to the same degree of control.[/quote]

[Ace Trainer]

Sakki...well he wasn't happy. As Iori came into his room and found him almost immediately, he decided that he fun was ruined. "Iori-chaaaaaaaaan. You're so meaaan sometimes. You better take me hiking tomorrow!", he shouted as he climbed into the bed. Tugging the covers over his body, he was clearly trying to create a block between the two. Iori was forcing him to go to bed, he had no interest in talking to her any longer.

As he laid there with the covers wrapped around his body, however, he felt a little guilty, and peaked out to look at her. "Nighty night Iori-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!", he announced finally, before laying back down.

[Punslinger]

As the boy floundered in his bed, Iori opened her mouth to remind him that he hadn’t brushed his teeth or bathed, but instead sat at the foot of the bed, leaning against the intricately carved post. He could always brush and bathe in the morning.

His breath is going to be awful. the teen smirked. Sitting on the soft mattress, she realized just how sleepy she was, which made her hesitant to get up. Watching the bundle of blankets that has seconds ago been her cousin, she softly hummed a tune her mother has used to put her to sleep. It had only been a few years since she’d last heard it, but it seemed like much longer. Her mind wandered, and she thought about all the things she’d wanted to be as a child. Apparently, Sakki only had one. Maybe that’s what she’d done wrong. Either way, her heart went out to the little boy under the covers. At least she still had her mother to comfort her on the occasions she wasn’t drunk or angry. Sakki had a houseful of hired help and a room full of toys.

No one was around to see it, but the furrowed brow on the pretty face slowly faded as she made her silent promise to the boy, the only family she could still protect.

And I will protect you. For as long as I can preserve your innocence and keep this world off your shoulders, I’ll do it with every ounce of strength I can muster. If that means beating the Raikage himself into a pulp and tying him up with a bow for your birthday, then so be it.

Still softly humming, Iori stood and made her way to the door, closing it quietly behind her. She barely made it to one of the plush couches downstairs before falling asleep herself, her dreams full of voices and murmuring thunder. Outside, a light rain began to fall.