[Social] Konoha Host Club

[Taiga]

There was a specific district in Konoha that sat at the bottom of a mountain river. It was the kind of place where the forests began to climb up the mountainsides, relatively close to the Hokage memorials. The area was rich and fertile- the grass and trees so green it was like nature itself had implanted itself in the heart of Konoha and retaken control of the domain of man. Due to the nature of the alkali and mineral rich water which more often than not was quite warm, it made the locale perfect for hot springs.

Taiga made his way through the gates of Hozen Hot Springs and dropped some ryo on the table before making his way towards one of the gender-neutral private rooms. The kind anyone could pay top dollar for to have all to themselves. His limbs hung like iron weight, and he was near the verge of collapsing. He had trained harder than ever yet before and the only thing he could think of now was letting the warm waters soothe his body. Forgetting to mark the room as in-use or even lock the door, he entered, disrobing and then stepping into the private bath. Steam filled the air completely, thick enough to obscure the senses. In the back of the large bath, he sank into the water leaving on his nose above the water.

Taiga had in recent years become far more majime. Despite being the offspring of Konoha's greatest bloodlines- the Senju and the Sarutobi, he had been a rather talentless, troubled child who had squeezed by in the academy and in missions by slight of hand and trickery more often than inherent skill. Then, things changed when after a long search, Taiga had been ruled the most compatible to become the host of the Earth Genma.

Many opposed the decision, including the now Hokage, but ultimately the council acted on their data and set in path the motions that changed the boy, forever. Within a year he had perfect mastery of the Genma- a rate of growth and compatibility no host had ever shown... and yet, his behaviour had still been horrible. Talks of removing the Genma from him despite his success had been a plenty- with many feeling that Taiga had been and always would be a broken boy.

Incapable of using the famed techniques of the Sarutobi and a Senju with no bloodline inheritance meant neither side of his family could ever truly call him an heir. Survivor guilt from the fall of Konoha and the lose of his uncle left him constantly putting himself in unnecessary risk, and worse, the boy had shown an inability to get along with any of his peers... Somehow however, in the midst of it all, the boy had formed a bond with Sukairaa.

Ironically, Sukairaa, the beast destined to break him, had saved him. In becoming a host, he had reason. Yet still, Taiga had a chip on his shoulder- one he had carried for 18 years. In his life, he had never been good enough. Even now, the power he had obtained... his strength... it was a result of his bonding with Sukairaa, not his own. Though Suakairaa often reminded him it was still his power, he could not accept it.

He wanted to become powerful without anyones help.

Taiga lulled back, on the verge of falling asleep in the bath.

[Kabu]

In recent days Masami had found herself doing quite a lot of highly intensive training, whether by herself or with others, and normally she may have been doing so even now, but for once she found herself with an urge to just take a day off and relax, by herself at that. It was surprising even to her, especially that she had come to such a conclusion on her own, but she knew from past experience that working herself too hard would just lead to problems later down the road and taking some time to chill out would work wonders.

To that end she was currently heading downtown, taking just a moment to appreciate the hokage memorial as she passed by before continuing on her way, already beginning to feel more relaxed as the city began to give way to the bounty of nature. Being surrounded by nature like this had always been very comforting, somehow being even more so in recent times, since the day that she had lost her partner and been forever transformed, both physically and perhaps mentally as well, though it had most definitely left a permanent scar on her heart. Not to mention all the other changes in her life that had taken place even since then... most notably being given the position of Jinchuuriki. She had grown used to her position and even accepted Aturasu as a friend since then but even now she had to wonder if she had really been the right choice. She had never been the sharpest... or strongest.

Feeling her mood begin to turn as her thoughts drifted towards everything that had been happening in recent years, she shook her head in an attempt to clear out any negative thoughts, then turned her attention towards the rapidly approaching hot springs, soon passing through the gates and entering the area itself.

Stopping for just a moment to stretch out, she dropped the money on the table and made her way into a private room, not realizing that she had just made a huge mistake even as she locked the door and stripped down, not bothering to wrap a towel around herself as she made her way towards the bath, sighing in relief as she submerged her body in the water, still blissfully unaware of the presence of another, both due to simply not paying attention and the steam blocking her senses.

"Ahhhh, this is just what I needed. No pain, no stress or worries about having to get stronger at absolutely any cost, just me and a hot spring. This is most definitely a nice thing." she spoke out loud, smiling wryly at the thought that she was really conversing with herself. Well, even that in itself was a nice thing once in a great while.

After all, it wasn't like there was anyone else present.

[Taiga]

What exactly was his path in life? Once, he had wanted to be able to call himself a Sarutobi proudly. He did so by learning the boxing style of his family... He had once sought to shown his peers that he was not a loser- that he too was a force to be reckoned with. He had accomplished that in Fur Country. But now, what was his purpose? To show the world he was strong without Sukairaa's assistance? He couldn't help but wonder if that really would make him feel any less empty in the end.

How long could he keep bouncing from temporary purpose to purpose?

Quieting his mind for a while, he succumbed to the bath. The warm mineral water had been doing wonders on his muscles and his soul. His body had begun to feel light, and the soothing effects of the bath had brought him to a state in-between conscious and unconscious. He let his body float more, his head rising up in the bath and out of the water.

It had only been roughly five minutes since Taiga had entered the bath, but the heat had already started to get to him- because for a brief moment when his head left the water, he could swear he had seen the outline of... someone. A rather curvy figure, who had entered the room. He blinked, his hands wiping at his eyes as he looked about.

Then he heard a voice. A woman's voice. A rather kind sounding voice. He shuddered, splashing about. He'd never seen a naked woman before- let alone one had never seen him. Cheeks a little red, he quickly tried to figure out what to do. It was a peculiar situation, one he would of loved to be in, but in reality he found it too awkward to enjoy, not to mention he just wanted to relax.

"Uh... it is pretty relaxing in here, and uh, I guess I didn't lock the door." he called out. He was sure there'd be a reaction... but it was better now then ever?

[Kabu]

"It certainly is, and not to worry, I made sure to take care of the door." Masami responded to the mysterious voice.Wait a second.. She had heard a voice? And it sounded like a young man, her cheeks going red at the realization. "I um..." she muttered quietly, not entirely sure of what she wanted to say now. "I'm sorry, I should have been paying more attention." she said with an embarrassed chuckle, though making no moves otherwise. While she was indeed very sorry about it and she was frankly embarrassed at the prospect of possibly being seen by a man, she had no real intention of leaving.

My my, you're being surprisingly carefree about this. Anyone else would have screamed and ran. Aturasu suddenly spoke from within her mind, surely smirking as he teased her.

Electing to ignore the beast's remarks for now, Masami kept her attention focused on the fact that she wasn't alone as she had originally thought. Really, while it had been a real shock, she didn't entirely mind now that the initial embarrassment had passed, but what did she do about it? Did she start a conversation? Well... there was definitely one thing that she could do.

"So um, I'm Inuzuka Masami. Despite the situation, It's nice to meet you." she said with a smile. "Let's just make the most of this shall we?"

[Taiga]

She made sure to shut the door? The hell? Taiga was unnerved by how comfortable this woman was... perhaps, he had accidentally ordered the wrong course or something? To make matters worse he had no idea what she even looked like. Taiga squirmed on easily, his hands instinctively covering his crotch despite neither being visible to each other. As the voice muttered on, it seemed however she had not known that he was in here either, so that was ruled out rather quickly.

Hmph.

"No, it's my fault. I should have been more careful to lock the door." he said in quick response. It was certainly an odd situation, though similar to the woman, he hadn't really any intention of leaving. Especially since leaving would mean having to leave the water in front of the other person. The steam wouldn't linger so much soon, since the water had finished warming and the heat was now a constant.

Taiga began to feel his stomach swirl a little. Generally you didn't sit in onsens for more than five minute intervals. Kinda baked you good. Coughing and clearing his throat a little, he put his hands behind his head. What exactly was he supposed to do in this situation.

It really is your fault, you're always making silly little mistakes runt. Sukairaa's voice said, cutting into his head. Maybe I'm the ultimate pervert and this is all according to plan. he said in a sarcastic ton.

"Sarutobi Taiga. I guess uh, yeah, let's make the most of it." he said, his cheeks turning more pink. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, he felt something... odd. A sensation he ahd never felt yet before, like a massive presence weighing down on him and everything else.

[Kabu]

Masami couldn't help but giggle at how nervous the boy sounded. Not that she could really blame him for it. She had been often told that while she was normally incredibly uptight, on the rare occasions where she was actually at ease she could be a bit too carefree, sometimes even coming across as a bit of a ditz. Though she couldn't say she was too certain of that herself... It was just the natural way to act during a time like this. It was, right? Yeah, definitely. Regardless, she had to admit to being more than a little curious as to his reaction once the steam cleared and they could actually see each other in full.

"You know, this is actually the first time I've ever been alone with a boy like this." she suddenly said, leaning back against the edge of the tub. "I rarely even do things like this alone. I usually come with my best friend so this is honestly a nice change of pace." She truly did feel that way, even despite what the current situation was actually like, the one sided awkwardness that hung in the air.

And yet.. even despite her own comfort, she felt like something was wrong, like there was a sort of pressure in the air around them. It was a bit of a discomforting sensation. But what could it have been? She had a few different thoughts as to what it could be but there couldn't be a spirit around.. Could there? No, it was highly unlikely.

She considered asking Aturasu but she could tell that the Genma himself was deep in thought, possibly about this same matter, and she didn't dare interrupt.

Really though, what could it be?

[Taiga]

The odd sensation had continued to grown- surely part of it was his own modesty and nerves at the situation, but something else lingered on his mind. Sukairaa had been overly quiet- not silent, but far less talkative than he would have expected in one such situation. He let out a sight, shifting once more in the water. How was she taking this so natural? Maybe she was into this kind of stuff- you know, walking into bath with guys in it and sharing them... or maybe she'd experienced it before? He took a deep breath. Well, all his "flirting" and "cool guy attitude" was on the line now. He'd have to man up.

"You know, this is actually the first time I've ever been alone with a boy like this." the girl suddenly said. Taiga relaxed a little more. She was like him- and his previous theories were wrong. What like this however meant, he wondered. "N-nice? Yeah. I guess the situation is a little funny. Bath time is definitely less boring now." Taiga whistled a bit to break the awkward silence he had been causing.

"So, Inuzuka. You must be a shinobi, then. You're family is as famous as mine. I once knew an Inuzuka girl, she was cute but I barked at her and well she kind beat me up... Rough spirits... those lot." he said chuckling. He remembered how much Ami's kicks to his stomach hurt. That's why you don't woof at dog girls from the roofs of buildings.

Before he could continue his odd story, Sukairaa suddenly, and abruptly spoke.

Taiga, let's go.

The hell?

[Kabu]

Masami let out a light laugh at Taiga's story. "Yeah, that'll happen. Some of us don't mind things like that but there are others that absolutely hate it. And yeah, I'm a shinobi. Currently Special Jounin." she responded, frowning as the tension in the air suddenly grew notably thicker, taking particular notice that it didn't seem to be coming from herself or Taiga.. at least not directly. It was a strange feeling, both familiar and yet very much not. Was she the only one that could feel it though? Well, it was a certainty that Aturasu could feel it, based off how uncharacteristically quiet he had become, but she was moreso wondering about her bath buddy.

"Hey.. sorry if this sounds a bit weird but do you notice anything strange? Like an unnaturally strong, otherworldly presence or a strange tension coming from seemingly nowhere?" she suddenly asked, some very unlikely suspicions starting to form in her mind. Unlikely as it was she just couldn't shake the feeling that she was possibly face to face with another Jinchuuriki.

At that moment, as if to confirm her suspicions, Aturasu seemed to have come to a realization, speaking to her. "Yes, I recognize this presence from a time long past."

"Does that mean?" she responded to him, shocked that her most unlikely of predictions seemed to have possibly been correct after all.

"It is a possibility that we cannot ignore."

"No way... What are the odds?" She muttered out loud to herself, staring over at Taiga. Really... what were the chances of a meeting like this just happening on its own?

More importantly... had the boy realized the situation? And what was to be done now? There were so many questions to be asked and things to be said but regardless... this day just seemed to be getting better and better.

[Taiga]

The hell?

I don't like the atmosphere here- all you had to do was lock the door and as always you messed it all up... the Genma trailed on, falling into it's usual character attacks on Taiga. By now, Taiga had learned it's own fears and insecurities were often the roots of Sukairaa's toxic behaviour. Taiga groaned. What, afraid of a little woman are we? he said teasingly, on for Sukairaa to let out a roar of anger.
You dense boy-

Taiga had completely gotten lost in his own mind bickering with Sukairaa, missing the the Inuzuka's laughs and confirmations of his questions- and the fact she was his superior in rank. The air was getting thicker, and it was not until she posed a precarious question that Taiga had snapped out of his own internal hell and back to reality. His eyes tightened. He had felt it was off, and worse, he could tell something was causing Sukairaa to act like a wounded pup with his tail between his legs.

Taiga stirred in the bath. He had never experienced this before, but the feeling was all too... similar. Similar to the day he had the genma sealed in him. That feeling of a presence baring down on you... an unforgiving might that cause the hairs on one's neck to stand on end. It did not take too long to piece things together- he had always known Sukairaa was kind of an outcast among his own.

I don't want to deal with that egotistical prick. Sukairaa cried out. Taiga let out an audible hmph. He paused. If the woman in the room was in fact a jinchuurii- the other one on the village... It would seem that Sukairaa had quite a disdain for the Genma she hosted.

This whole thing was pulling Taiga ever into the mystery.

"Would you describe this as a family reunion of sorts? I guess- let's go to that place, you know?"

He had always wanted to try something.

[Kabu]

Masami grinned at the more or less confirmation that after so very long she was finally meeting with the other Jinchuuriki from her own village, though she rose a brow as Taiga mentioned 'that place.' Was he referring to the mindscape? Thinking about it, it had been quite some time since she had last spoken face to face with the Genma, and even longer since she had been inside with another person, likely not since her sealing so very long ago.

Even at that, the thought of getting to experience such a thing with another Jinchuuriki was an inviting one. She could tell that Aturasu wanted to advise her against it but the best remained silent nonetheless, knowing he could not convince her otherwise.

"A family reunion indeed, though Aturasu doesn't seem particularly fond of your partner, and I imagine the feeling is mutual on the other end." she responded after moments of silence, gently smiling as she scooted closer and took the boy's hand in a firm shake, seeming to be oblivious to any discomfort her current state of undress may cause. [color]"I on the other hand, am absolutely delighted to meet with another Jinchuuriki. Though if we're going to continue this conversation in this manner it may be best to go to that place. So let's go."[/color]

[Taiga]

The fact that both he and the other young woman were completely naked and now visible to each other- well partially had completely slipped Taiga's mind as it raced through all the possibilities of what entering another persons mind space would be like. He was even more excited at the prospect of meeting "Aturasu"... Despite being a closet pervert and never even having known... a woman... the complete lack of attention to his current predicament confirmed only one thing: the Genma and the prospect of finally meeting and talking with the other Jinchuuriki and it's Phantom Beast of the village was for more alluring than any of the humanic urges a teenage boy could ever hold.

With hands shook and introductions done, he grinned.

"Well then, Inuzuka pretty lady, lets go hang out with our pals!" Taiga said as he leaned back against the wall of the bathe letting his body go limp and his mind clear. Before long he would be in the "mind space" that the Inuzuka had described. For him it was a giant Rock with chains through it and on either side, the Genma or him.

The chains however were now gone just like the slightly deteriorated seal on his stomach. Instead, a top the rock sat a giant ghastly visage, smoke pouring from its face. In front of the rock stood Taiga- full frontally nude just like he was in the flesh, but completely unaware or caring.

Aturasu... look he isn't really one of the bad ones but... but he's an asshole. He thinks hes the best... ignores ones like us Sukairaa lamented, opening up for Taiga for the brief moment they'd have before Masami entered her place too and the two would be able to converse- their realms crossing.

"Well Su, leave it to me alright. Never met anyone who didnt like me in the end have I?"

What about that Kiri guy- he still wants to gut you doesn't he?

Well, we just didn't get enough time together yet!

Taiga grinned stupidly.

[Kabu]

Masami had to admit she was rather excited about the prospect of getting to see another mindspace, especially that of another Jinchuuriki. She had met so many different hosts over the years and this was her first time doing anything remotely like this, though there had been that time when a number of Jinchuuriki had gotten together and had a pleasant chat while their beasts bickered amongst each other.

Bah, don't remind me of that. I hate family reunions.

In response to Aturasu's griping, Masami simply giggled before doing the same as Taiga had done just a moment ago, letting her body go limp and clearing her mind. It had admittedly been quite a long time since she had last been in her mind space but she very easily recognized her location as the outskirts of Konoha's forests, Aturasu leaning against a tree not far behind her, having been released from his tiny cage some time ago.

And across from her was Taiga standing in front of a giant rock... very fully in the nude, the sight causing her to blush. While she didn't quite care as much about her own nudity, honestly finding it quite liberating as some part of her always hated clothes, the fact that she hadn't quite expected the sight in front of her made it all the more embarrassing.

In an attempt to distract herself she instead turned her gaze towards the ghostly visage sitting behind the boy. So that was his Genma. "Wow... I've spoken to other hosts before but this is my first time seeing another Genma in the flesh."

[Taiga]

He hadn't really ever seen any sort of mindspace beyond his own- infact he had never really considered that other hosts that this too. It made sense though, didn't it? While he was very different and so was Suu they were all jinchuuriki, and one way or another, some douchebag used chakra to force a demon into a child and turn them into a weapon. Their experience was similar and likely the outcome the same. He pondered on that for a moment as he drifted off into his own mindspace. What were the other hosts like? What kind of folks were they? Before long however he was in his mindspace.

And so was Masami.

First time in the flesh, eh? Taiga had to laugh for more reasons than one given him and Masami were both naked. Oh- right they were naked. That was uh... he had somehow managed to completely ignore it till that comment came. Turning a little pink he tried to ignore that fact, especially trying not to stare at the rather attractive young woman in front of him. She was supple- grown. He hadn't really, despite all his bravado, ever seen anything like this...

Also how was she so cool about this all?

Dead puppies. Dead puppies... really dead puppies. he whispered to himself before taking a deep breath.

Sukairaa spoke first, surprisingly. "Well well, it's been a while brother-" he said with a low, growling laugh. Taiga looked up to Masami's genma. Unlike his mindspace hers was more... scenic. Natural. Atarasu leaned against a tree. A massive purple being that looked oddly thin, but oddly exotic. The sight was enough to make him forget completely the situation they were in.

"Oh, you're here Masami-chan! And, so you're Mr. Fusions, nice to meet ya!" he said, smiling out from his distance. "Is he as grumpy as Suu?" he said pointing to the phantom, who sat upon the rock still.