Cool winds blew across the marketplace, countering the warmth of the Sun's rays. Aromas flew through the air with every breeze and seemingly everything that could've been remotely delicious smelling found its way into Kaito's nostrils. Each smell tickled its way into his nose and reflexively caused his stomach to growl enough to make it audible over the winds, but was well-hidden under the bustling bazaar that surrounded him. Such an atmosphere even elicited a smile from the normally grouchy genin. But how could he walk around and not admire the children playing around the stalls, the vendors seeming to be happier with one another than they normally are, or even the fact that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky? Of course, in the back of his mind, he figured that there would be something to ruin such an inviting ambiance.
Still, he tried to enjoy everything for what it was for the time being as he normally did most peaceful things. So after a while of simply roaming around, he found himself a nice little stand and ordered an iced beverage. Instead of glaring and snarling at the vendor as he normally did, he refrained from his hostilities and actually smiled, even leaving a small tip. He dispensed of the small little toothpick umbrella that came with the drink and took a little sip, gradually feeling more refreshed with each gulp. Eventually he found himself in a nice, cool spot with just enough shade to simply sit and enjoy the day.
He let out a relaxed sigh, thinking, "Maybe today won't be so bad after all..."
Cool Drink on a Warm Day
Cool Drink on a Warm Day
The sun creeped through the window above Arashi's bed, its warm tendrils rousing him from an engaging dream. In it, he'd been the captain of a ship that was sailing to the end of the world...He'd stopped at an island to gather food and water, and had met a beautiful and exotic woman. He'd fought a bizarre turtle-like beast in the icy waves of the north. He'd led a rowdy cabin full of pirates in a heartwarming rendition of "99 bottles of sake on the wall"...And then he woke up, feeling a bit disoriented.
Where had it all gone? It seemed so vivid at the time, but real life always had to get in the way. Ah, well...he'd have his own adventures someday. But there were a few things he needed to take care of first.
Sitting up, the boy's face contorted into something unrecognizable - such was the epic power of the yawn he emitted. It surprised even him, who was known in his academy for obnoxious expressions of tiredness and boredom.
Plucking the sleep glue from his lashes, Arashi suddenly considered the time, and his emerald green eyes flew to hands of his nightstand clock.
Almost noon?! Oh, crap, I stayed up too late reading manga again. The day is practically over. I'd better get into gear. Arashi thought to himself, a bit concerned that he wouldn't have enough daylight left to make the best of his day.
Picking the sleep boogers from his eyes and kicking off the cool sheets that covered his legs, the blond got to his feet and began his morning preparations.
"Brushin mah teef, brushin mah teef,
oh man it feels so good to be brushin mah teef..."
Standing before his full length mirror, Arashi prepared himself for his day off, getting cleaned up and dressed and adjusting his hitai-ate so that it rested comfortably upon his forehead.
Looking around to see if he'd forgotten to equip anything, Arashi took in a terrible sight...His room was a complete mess. Dirty clothes were strewn haphazardly across the backs of chairs, half-eaten bowls of rice littered the sink, the bed was still unmade...
Oh well, screw it. He'd deal with all of that when the sun went down.
Grabbing his keychain from the hook by the door, and then locking it behind him, Arashi breezed through the hallway and hopped over the ledge, freefalling a good fifteen feet from the second story to the ground and landing silently in a crouch, molding chakra at the soles of his feet to absorb the shock of the impact. A nifty little trick, and useful for a Genin on the go.
He'd been blessed with good luck; the apartment he'd been assigned to was right near the marketplace! Spinning his keychain around a slender finger, Arashi power-walked down the block, making his way to a little stand that served cold drinks.
"Oi, oi. Lemme get a lemonade." Arashi slapped some coins on the counter and gave a thumbs up and a dopey grin to the man who delivered his beverage.
Slurping loudly on his drink, Arashi finally noticed just how nice the day was; the skies were clear and blue, the sun was warm without being blinding, and there was a delicious breeze. Mentally smacking himself upside the head for wasting a few hours already, Arashi vowed to himself to make up for it. But first, he wanted to relax and take everything in.
He came to a seating area situated around the thick trunk of a towering tree, which provided ample shade to the one and only other person who resided there. By the looks of it, he was a Genin too, and Arashi grinned and walked over.
"Hey, how many missions have you been on?" Arashi asked curiously as he came to a stop next to the other boy, looking on with curiosity and a friendly smile.
Where had it all gone? It seemed so vivid at the time, but real life always had to get in the way. Ah, well...he'd have his own adventures someday. But there were a few things he needed to take care of first.
Sitting up, the boy's face contorted into something unrecognizable - such was the epic power of the yawn he emitted. It surprised even him, who was known in his academy for obnoxious expressions of tiredness and boredom.
Plucking the sleep glue from his lashes, Arashi suddenly considered the time, and his emerald green eyes flew to hands of his nightstand clock.
Almost noon?! Oh, crap, I stayed up too late reading manga again. The day is practically over. I'd better get into gear. Arashi thought to himself, a bit concerned that he wouldn't have enough daylight left to make the best of his day.
Picking the sleep boogers from his eyes and kicking off the cool sheets that covered his legs, the blond got to his feet and began his morning preparations.
"Brushin mah teef, brushin mah teef,
oh man it feels so good to be brushin mah teef..."
Standing before his full length mirror, Arashi prepared himself for his day off, getting cleaned up and dressed and adjusting his hitai-ate so that it rested comfortably upon his forehead.
Looking around to see if he'd forgotten to equip anything, Arashi took in a terrible sight...His room was a complete mess. Dirty clothes were strewn haphazardly across the backs of chairs, half-eaten bowls of rice littered the sink, the bed was still unmade...
Oh well, screw it. He'd deal with all of that when the sun went down.
Grabbing his keychain from the hook by the door, and then locking it behind him, Arashi breezed through the hallway and hopped over the ledge, freefalling a good fifteen feet from the second story to the ground and landing silently in a crouch, molding chakra at the soles of his feet to absorb the shock of the impact. A nifty little trick, and useful for a Genin on the go.
He'd been blessed with good luck; the apartment he'd been assigned to was right near the marketplace! Spinning his keychain around a slender finger, Arashi power-walked down the block, making his way to a little stand that served cold drinks.
"Oi, oi. Lemme get a lemonade." Arashi slapped some coins on the counter and gave a thumbs up and a dopey grin to the man who delivered his beverage.
Slurping loudly on his drink, Arashi finally noticed just how nice the day was; the skies were clear and blue, the sun was warm without being blinding, and there was a delicious breeze. Mentally smacking himself upside the head for wasting a few hours already, Arashi vowed to himself to make up for it. But first, he wanted to relax and take everything in.
He came to a seating area situated around the thick trunk of a towering tree, which provided ample shade to the one and only other person who resided there. By the looks of it, he was a Genin too, and Arashi grinned and walked over.
"Hey, how many missions have you been on?" Arashi asked curiously as he came to a stop next to the other boy, looking on with curiosity and a friendly smile.
[Genin • Konohagakure • Arashi Raikou]
[Genin • Kirigakure • Yukio Minami]
Cool Drink on a Warm Day
Kaito closed his eyes in order to better take in everything that was going on, and was going to try and pinpoint certain conversations and sounds until one specific voice flooded his eardrums. Lifting a single lid up, his blurred vision could only make out another genin around his height. Reluctantly, he opened the other one up and rubbed his eyes in order to rid the blurriness from them. It didn't really help, but eventually everything was back in order and he finally saw the very blunt boy who stood in front of him. It took a few moments to recover from the initial shock of the unexpected encounter before he recollected what the question was.
"None," he responded in monotone. Normally he would've said more but he figured that causing a fight on such a beautiful day would spoil the whole day for him. Glancing up and down, surveying the other boy, Kaito concluded that he wasn't the type to go away after a simplistic answer, or even a full conversation.
He let off another sigh, this one heavy and labored. "I've just recently been assigned to a team. And we've just been recently added a different genin to replace a different one. Does that answer work?" he elaborated, trying not to sound like a complete jerk. Taking another sip of his beverage, he optimistically hoped that what he was currently seeing was a simple mirage that would go away after he hydrated himself, knowing full well that it was highly unlikely that it would work.
"None," he responded in monotone. Normally he would've said more but he figured that causing a fight on such a beautiful day would spoil the whole day for him. Glancing up and down, surveying the other boy, Kaito concluded that he wasn't the type to go away after a simplistic answer, or even a full conversation.
He let off another sigh, this one heavy and labored. "I've just recently been assigned to a team. And we've just been recently added a different genin to replace a different one. Does that answer work?" he elaborated, trying not to sound like a complete jerk. Taking another sip of his beverage, he optimistically hoped that what he was currently seeing was a simple mirage that would go away after he hydrated himself, knowing full well that it was highly unlikely that it would work.
[Genin • Konohagakure • Nakamura, Kaito • Missions: S:0 A:0 B:0 C:0 D:0]
Cool Drink on a Warm Day
Arashi seemed oblivious to the sour mood of his companion. Instead of taking the hint and finding himself a place off to the side, the Genin merely chuckled and sat down on the other end of the bench.
"So you haven't gone on a mission yet? Don't feel to bad brotherman, I haven't either. I should be meeting my new team tomorrow, though. I really hope they're cool, 'cuz I'd hate for some scrub to cramp my style, know what I mean?"
Pulling his legs up and crossing them, Arashi took a long draw from his cup, squinting his eyes and puckering his face.
"Blech, that's sweet. My teeth are going to fall out and then blow up." Setting the cup down, Arashi turned to Kaito again, and absentmindedly scratched the scar on his cheek. There was a moment of silence then, and a cool breeze rustled the leaves in the tree above. In the distance, raucous laughter could be heard, probably from one of the bars. It seemed that they weren't the only ones enjoying themselves.
Arashi cleared his throat and spoke to break the silence.
"Say, do you think they'll let us Genin leave the village anytime soon? I mean don't get me wrong, Konoha is awesome and all, but, I don't know, I think it would be great to see what's beyond the forest, don't you?" It seemed to be a personal subject for him, because the volume in his voice dropped a few notches as he said this, and a hint of embarrassment was evident in his tone, as if he was used to people thinking that the desire to leave the village was stupid, or worse, that it was the sign of a traitor.
"So you haven't gone on a mission yet? Don't feel to bad brotherman, I haven't either. I should be meeting my new team tomorrow, though. I really hope they're cool, 'cuz I'd hate for some scrub to cramp my style, know what I mean?"
Pulling his legs up and crossing them, Arashi took a long draw from his cup, squinting his eyes and puckering his face.
"Blech, that's sweet. My teeth are going to fall out and then blow up." Setting the cup down, Arashi turned to Kaito again, and absentmindedly scratched the scar on his cheek. There was a moment of silence then, and a cool breeze rustled the leaves in the tree above. In the distance, raucous laughter could be heard, probably from one of the bars. It seemed that they weren't the only ones enjoying themselves.
Arashi cleared his throat and spoke to break the silence.
"Say, do you think they'll let us Genin leave the village anytime soon? I mean don't get me wrong, Konoha is awesome and all, but, I don't know, I think it would be great to see what's beyond the forest, don't you?" It seemed to be a personal subject for him, because the volume in his voice dropped a few notches as he said this, and a hint of embarrassment was evident in his tone, as if he was used to people thinking that the desire to leave the village was stupid, or worse, that it was the sign of a traitor.
[Genin • Konohagakure • Arashi Raikou]
[Genin • Kirigakure • Yukio Minami]
Cool Drink on a Warm Day
Trying his best to give a ferocious leer, Kaito could only summon the energy to look at the boy who had yet to introduce himself. He ended up giving a zombie-like look, almost like he was going to fall asleep at any moment. It was as if the other boy was draining the energy from right out of his body, which would be ludicrous if it weren't actually possible. Still, he managed to hear everything perfectly fine, but never got a word in edgewise. As soon as Kaito had mentally prepared an answer, the talkative boy seemed to spew a different question, or statement, or something to prevent him from actually speaking. All the words he tried to say ended up sound like idiotic stutters, but it wasn't like he was going to fight it.
By the time the other genin managed to stop talking, Kaito had almost given up on the conversation, barely recognizing that it was actually his turn to speak. He shook his head quickly in order to remember what the last question was, wondering how he always managed to meet the most ridiculous people.
"I don't know really. I heard that there was going to be something with all the villages in some country, but I never really thought about it. I've never had any reason to leave this place. All I need is a body of water and I can find a home in that," he said, resting his head upon his hand and looked to the sky wistfully. It was interesting. He had never actually thought about leaving the village, even with the whole ordeal with his father. He wanted to get away for sure, but leaving the village was a whole different step. But before he delved too far into that thought, he asked a question of his own.
"Why do you ask?"
By the time the other genin managed to stop talking, Kaito had almost given up on the conversation, barely recognizing that it was actually his turn to speak. He shook his head quickly in order to remember what the last question was, wondering how he always managed to meet the most ridiculous people.
"I don't know really. I heard that there was going to be something with all the villages in some country, but I never really thought about it. I've never had any reason to leave this place. All I need is a body of water and I can find a home in that," he said, resting his head upon his hand and looked to the sky wistfully. It was interesting. He had never actually thought about leaving the village, even with the whole ordeal with his father. He wanted to get away for sure, but leaving the village was a whole different step. But before he delved too far into that thought, he asked a question of his own.
"Why do you ask?"
[Genin • Konohagakure • Nakamura, Kaito • Missions: S:0 A:0 B:0 C:0 D:0]
Cool Drink on a Warm Day
Arashi sensed that the other teen was in a bad mood, but it didn't really occur to him that he was being a nuisance; some people just weren't too friendly. It didn't really discourage him, though; if anything, Arashi wanted to cheer him up, and of course, the best way to do that was by being himself and letting his awesomeness and hilarity influence the people around him.
It seemed this guy wasn't completely uninterested, though, as he gave a very interesting reply to Arashi's question.
"A meeting in another country? That sounds so fun! I wonder if they'll have tournaments and stuff? Or is it like, a friendly get together? Cuz, that could be cool, too, but it would be way more exciting to see people from different villages battle each other. Then again I guess it's kind of a risk to show people from other villages what you can do, even if it's just for fun...Hmm...Oh, what do you mean, that thing you said about water? Do you want to live by the sea? Or do you just like...K...Doton? No, what was it..."
Snapping his fingers in an attempt to inspire his memory, Arashi mumbled a few syllables.
"Oh yeah, Suiton. Are you a suiton user? Because those are really rare here, you know." Arashi raised his eyebrows in a "That's cool" kind of expression, trying to pay the guy a compliment. It seemed that the other Genin had been deep in thought, though, so he didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he caught up with his own train of thought and remembered to respond to his conversational partner's question, instead.
"Oh yeah, to answer your question, it's just kind of a goal of mine to explore the world. I'm really restless so I hate being stuck inside these walls all day. I'd never betray Konoha, not in a million years, I'm just looking forward to having the trust I need to check out what's out there."
Arashi looked down at his feet, finding it a bit weird to share that dream of his with a complete stranger. But then, maybe the fact that it was an anonymous encounter made it easier for him. It always hurt when he expressed his interest in traveling, only to be ridiculed; his brothers did it all the time, and his parents, while not as crude, were still a bit skeptical. If this kid thought it was stupid, it wouldn't be a huge deal. It would have been nice if he understood, though.
[Genin • Konohagakure • Arashi Raikou]
[Genin • Kirigakure • Yukio Minami]
Cool Drink on a Warm Day
The questions kept flowing like a rampant river, constant and never-ending. Kaito learned early that he wasn't going to try and interrupt the other boy's train of thought, so he listened closely to the words and tried to internalize them. By some stroke of luck, the young genin was in a pleasantly good mood today, and some insufferably optimistic genin wasn't going to ruin his day at all. In fact, despite the whole chipper attitude and annoyingly constant speaking, there didn't seem to be any sort of stupidity exuding from the other boy. Even the naivety of the boy was refreshing, asking if there would be any type of tournaments held in the festival Kaito only heard vaguely about. At that mention, he chuckled half-heartedly, knowing full well that if there was going to be anything of that sort, that his father would participate.
It took a few moments of silence before he once again took the cue to speak. His mind wandered over the series of questions, as he attempted to answer them in the order of which they were asked, ignoring any question that could've even been interpreted as rhetorical out of his part of the conversation.
"Living by the sea might be a little bit of a stretch. Perhaps by a series of streams, or even a river would do. Just a place where I could sit and watch the water flow without being disturbed. A place where I could just sit and never have to be disturbed unless it was completely necessary. What a place that would be," he responded airily, lifting his chin towards the sky and gazed at a single patch of gray fluff that passed by in a wisp. His envy wasn't towards the cloud itself, but the method of movement it possessed. It seemed effortless to just float along where the wind took the weightless cloud. Some restraint was used in order to pull back his attention to the next question, one that he could take pride in answering.
"Yes, I hope to specialize in Suiton, but more so, genjutsu. Sure I'll use Suiton ninjutsu when needed, but my true specialty lies in illusions, which are based around water anyways," he answered, his face brimming with confidence and pride. These were things that separated him from others, and most importantly his father. But why in the world was he sharing this information with some strange genin? For all he knew, the boy sitting next to him could've been some enemy spy sent to kill him and infiltrate the village. Yet somehow his social barriers dropped as the other boy explained his own dream to Kaito, one that wasn't completely outlandish like most. All he wanted to do was travel the world, was that such a bad thing?
Feeling either a burst of adrenaline or a funny aftereffect of his drink, Kaito initiated the next part of the conversation. Although it felt awfully strange, it was almost deemed necessary in his head to do so. "So then, if you could go anywhere in the world, anywhere at all, where would it be?" For the first time in what felt like a long time, Kaito looked warmly at someone, giving off a genuine smile instead of the one he normally had to force.
It took a few moments of silence before he once again took the cue to speak. His mind wandered over the series of questions, as he attempted to answer them in the order of which they were asked, ignoring any question that could've even been interpreted as rhetorical out of his part of the conversation.
"Living by the sea might be a little bit of a stretch. Perhaps by a series of streams, or even a river would do. Just a place where I could sit and watch the water flow without being disturbed. A place where I could just sit and never have to be disturbed unless it was completely necessary. What a place that would be," he responded airily, lifting his chin towards the sky and gazed at a single patch of gray fluff that passed by in a wisp. His envy wasn't towards the cloud itself, but the method of movement it possessed. It seemed effortless to just float along where the wind took the weightless cloud. Some restraint was used in order to pull back his attention to the next question, one that he could take pride in answering.
"Yes, I hope to specialize in Suiton, but more so, genjutsu. Sure I'll use Suiton ninjutsu when needed, but my true specialty lies in illusions, which are based around water anyways," he answered, his face brimming with confidence and pride. These were things that separated him from others, and most importantly his father. But why in the world was he sharing this information with some strange genin? For all he knew, the boy sitting next to him could've been some enemy spy sent to kill him and infiltrate the village. Yet somehow his social barriers dropped as the other boy explained his own dream to Kaito, one that wasn't completely outlandish like most. All he wanted to do was travel the world, was that such a bad thing?
Feeling either a burst of adrenaline or a funny aftereffect of his drink, Kaito initiated the next part of the conversation. Although it felt awfully strange, it was almost deemed necessary in his head to do so. "So then, if you could go anywhere in the world, anywhere at all, where would it be?" For the first time in what felt like a long time, Kaito looked warmly at someone, giving off a genuine smile instead of the one he normally had to force.
[Genin • Konohagakure • Nakamura, Kaito • Missions: S:0 A:0 B:0 C:0 D:0]
Cool Drink on a Warm Day
Arashi nodded, a serene smile on his face, as he listened to Kaito speak of living by the water. That sounded pretty nice to him. Although he liked to constantly be in motion, he imagined that if he was to ever settle down in one place for the rest of his life, it would be best to do so where there was running water to give him a sense of movement.
Listening a bit absentmindedly as Kaito spoke about his use of Suiton and Genjutsu, Arashi's eyebrow raised in surprise. "Illusions are based on water? Wow, I didn't know that..." Shifting in his seat to get a more comfortable position, Arashi pondered how that could be. Perhaps it had something to do with the reflection? He couldn't think beyond that explanation, so he didn't try to.
Kaito's next question caused Arashi to frown in concentration.
"You know...I never thought about it like that...I just can't sit still for too long or I go crazy...I just like the idea of going from place to place. It's hard to choose just one cool place above all others, but it would be pretty awesome to go to the end of the world." Arashi gave a secret smile, folding his arms over his chest and nodding, not really taking into consideration the fact there really isn't an end to the planet.
Listening a bit absentmindedly as Kaito spoke about his use of Suiton and Genjutsu, Arashi's eyebrow raised in surprise. "Illusions are based on water? Wow, I didn't know that..." Shifting in his seat to get a more comfortable position, Arashi pondered how that could be. Perhaps it had something to do with the reflection? He couldn't think beyond that explanation, so he didn't try to.
Kaito's next question caused Arashi to frown in concentration.
"You know...I never thought about it like that...I just can't sit still for too long or I go crazy...I just like the idea of going from place to place. It's hard to choose just one cool place above all others, but it would be pretty awesome to go to the end of the world." Arashi gave a secret smile, folding his arms over his chest and nodding, not really taking into consideration the fact there really isn't an end to the planet.
[Genin • Konohagakure • Arashi Raikou]
[Genin • Kirigakure • Yukio Minami]
Cool Drink on a Warm Day
Instinctively, Kaito's ears perked up at the word 'illusion', and realized the poor choice in words he had said, but waited for the other boy to finish his thoughts. It was interesting to him, the fact that he was actually sitting here and having a conversation with someone he didn't really know and didn't feel like pummeling something or causing something to think they're a chicken. Such a strange feeling this was, carrying a conversation. Normally Kaito was too busy insulting someone for them to ask questions and for him to answer back.
"The end of the world, huh? That would be pretty interesting," he replied, wondering where he would go if he actually had the choice to do so. He took another sip to dampen his throat before answering his own question. "I've always wondered what it was like in all the other shinobi villages, how they are similar, different, all that stuff."
Leaving his answer at that, Kaito looked into the sky again, finally seeing some cloudy wisps flow through the sky. He sighed softly, barely keeping his eyes open despite the fact that there was someone right next to him who would probably mind if he fell asleep. He didn't really care. A nice day like this almost beckoned him to take a quick little nap under the shade.
"The end of the world, huh? That would be pretty interesting," he replied, wondering where he would go if he actually had the choice to do so. He took another sip to dampen his throat before answering his own question. "I've always wondered what it was like in all the other shinobi villages, how they are similar, different, all that stuff."
Leaving his answer at that, Kaito looked into the sky again, finally seeing some cloudy wisps flow through the sky. He sighed softly, barely keeping his eyes open despite the fact that there was someone right next to him who would probably mind if he fell asleep. He didn't really care. A nice day like this almost beckoned him to take a quick little nap under the shade.
[Genin • Konohagakure • Nakamura, Kaito • Missions: S:0 A:0 B:0 C:0 D:0]
Cool Drink on a Warm Day
Arashi slurped loudly at his drink, leaning back to stare up at the same blue sky. For the first time in a while he was quiet for more than a couple of seconds, giving himself time to think about his future and what he really wanted. It really was a nice place, this hidden leaf village; he'd hate to live anywhere else. So what was it that made him want to run, and run, and keep on running? What was it that made him feel the need for constant movement? Exactly what was he running from? These kinds of thoughts hurt his head, but it seemed like a good a time as any to think them.
It seemed his new friend was feeling a bit introspective as well, and so the two shared a comfortable silence, punctuating the still periodically by drinking from their cups, Arashi occasionally grunting as he adjusted his position every so often, unable to sit still for anything, even though this was the most comfortable he'd been in a while.
It seemed his new friend was feeling a bit introspective as well, and so the two shared a comfortable silence, punctuating the still periodically by drinking from their cups, Arashi occasionally grunting as he adjusted his position every so often, unable to sit still for anything, even though this was the most comfortable he'd been in a while.
[Genin • Konohagakure • Arashi Raikou]
[Genin • Kirigakure • Yukio Minami]