A Reward for Tenacity [Open]

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

[I'm retro-actively using this as Nozomi's default appearance. The previous faceclaim is to be ignored and replaced with this]

Nozomi took a quick shower to wash away the sweat and dirt off of her body after the brief excursion with Momotaro. She stood under the shower and closed her eyes, letting the water from the shower-head land upon her face. With a flicker of the lights, the electricity turned off in her apartment, leaving a glowing woman in the shower. She radiated more than enough light to light up the bathroom. A little groan crossed her face while she rinsed the soap from her hair and body, turning the water off. It was easy for her to find her way around the darkened apartment due to being a walking lamp in the darkness. She dried herself off and made her way to the bedroom. She stopped by the full-sized vanity in her room and looked at herself. A glaring light from her body reflected off of the mirror's surface. A look of displeasure crossed her face for a brief moment. She didn't feel human any more. A small price to pay for a second chance at life.

Before getting dressed, she walked over to her night-stand with the electric bill laying out. It said her bill was paid on-time so the fact that the electricity was cut was quite bothersome. She took this time to get dressed and even put on a little bit of make-up. Not too much make-up to be a mask upon her face, but just a little bit to make her presentable. She was a natural beauty, but it didn't mean she couldn't use a little bit of help. Just the same amount she used prior to this engagement. After getting dressed and was ready to go, she equipped her bag-of-holding, her Starbringer Sword, and Spear of Destiny. She walked out of the apartment and went to lock the door to the apartment before seeing a shadow out of the corner of her only remaining 'good eye'. She turned her head to look at the shadow for a moment. A figure at the end of the long hall, a silhouette of someone stood at the top of the stairs leading to this floor.

"We found you, Kanagawa Kozue. You WILL suffer for your wrong-doings. Expect us," said a horrid voice echoing throughout the hall. The sound was more than enough to piece into her skull, causing head-pains forcing her to turn her attention away from the figure. Once the pain subsided, the shadowy figure was no longer there and the lights to the apartment returned. She returned to locking her door with a shaken hand. "They knew my real name. Who the hell was that? Why do they know my real name?" she asked herself. An unfamiliar feeling could be felt. Fear. She hadn't felt this emotion in many, many years. The power of the sun returned these emotions back to her and she didn't like this in the slightest. She tried to lock the door only to drop the keys on the ground.

Kneeling to pick up the keys, she placed a hand upon her forehead. "Who are they and what do they want from me? I've atoned for my sins when I was younger so why are they coming after me?" she asked before grabbing the keys, quickly locking the door and rushed down the hall towards the stairs. At this time, she had her Spear of Destiny equipped, clutching it firmly while she walked through the now-lit hallway. Her neighbors that saw this gave her an awkward look as she quickly descended the stairs and poured out of the apartment building. She felt the sun upon her face which gave her comfort. The sun was mere moments from entering twilight. She was still quite paranoid on whether or not these people were going to come after her while she was treating Momotaro to dinner. No, they wouldn't be stupid enough to strike with a large concentration of shinobi around -- would they? Placing the spear back over her back, she made her way towards the school once more.

This was where she told Momotaro to meet her before leaving to get something to eat. She knew of a good place in the Susukino District. She appeared quite, early which caused her to be alone for a brief moment, causing the paranoia from earlier to swell. She tried her damnedest to keep the feeling of paranoia and encroaching fear under-wraps; to not worry her new student.

[topic entered]
[Mainly expecting Momotaro and Airi to enter, but anyone else is free to enter after the group reached the restaurant]

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Momotaro walked from his home to the place where he was supposed to meet his new teacher with a big smile on his face, wearing his best Kimono the boy greeted everyone he ran into with a joyus expression. Thinking about how this day started, with him doing a good deed and being rewarded massively for it. Which only served to enhance his world view and belief in something like karma, and that made him worried since he still waits for the bad thing that will happen to him since he stole his mother’s sword without her knowledge or consent for that matter. But he shook his head as he saw Nozomi from a distance, he should not worry about that now, nor about the decision he has to make regarding the sword at this moment. And focus on enjoying his day today, simple as that.

“Sensei!!”

He yelled, from a distance waving his hand at the pink haired lady. The boy then rushed to her side and looked up to her.

“hey Nozomi, I hope I was not late. What kind of restaurant do you have in mind for us today.”

[topic entered]

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Nozomi jumped a bit at the voice of her student: Momotaro. She looked around in a paranoid manner for a bit before setting her gaze upon the child. Her attitude quickly changed to a more jovial one. "Peach boy! And not a moment late either," she said, pushing her hips out to one side and pointed at her wrist. "Would have made you done some extra training if you had kept me waiting too long," she stated with a sly grin upon her face. This wasn't, at all, sexual in nature nor was that an innuendo. She meant what she said about the extra training. She cleared her throat and started to walk in the direction of the Susukino District.

"I was going to go to Kumo Fried Chicken, but I decided on a much better place. One with a lot of shinobi around. Ever eaten a bibimbap bowl?" she asked. "They put rice and a bunch of other stuff into a hot stone bowl and put in an egg that'll cook in the bowl," she said as she started to walk towards the Susukino District. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed the same dark figure standing next to a tree. A voice crept into her skull, a voice that only she could hear. "Cowering into a populated crowd, are we Kozue? Hiding behind a child like you did those many years ago? That's fine, we know where you sleep. Expect us," Nozomi stopped and turned to look towards where she saw the figure out of the corner of her eye to see the figure having vanished from view.

The figure was visible to Momotaro but appeared to be a black cloud standing around before dissipating. There was a noticeable cold-sweat appearing on Nozomi's brow, almost paralyzed in fear. Due to hearing the voice very clearly in her head, she knew that Momotaro wasn't able to hear the voice. Gripping her left hand into a tight fist, she turned to look towards Momotaro. "It's nothing, don't worry about it," she stated before continuing towards the restaurant. She didn't say a single word between here and the restaurant.

Meanwhile in the Susukino District...
Nozomi and Momotaro appeared in front of a rather humble-looking building with a single symbol upon it. Neither of them could read it due to being a foreign language. The smell of cooked rice and meats and the sound of sizzling could be heard from the outside. The smells whet her appetite, causing her mouth to water. "Hope you're ready for some good food," she said opening up the door with the sound of a bell tingling. The door hit a bell that was suspended from the ceiling, causing it to swing freely high above their heads. The smells and sounds only intensified as the two walked in. This was a self-seating place so Nozomi just directed the two towards a table meant for four.

The restaurant had a homey feel to it, emulating the feeling of eating at home. Each table looked like a house's table set upon the ground, forcing people to kick off their shoes and sit upon the ground. There was a straw tatami mat beneath the table with forks, spoons, and chopsticks placed upon a single white napkin. Nozomi kicked off her boots before stepping onto the tatami mats, placing her boots with the other shoes belonging to the other patrons of the restaurant. She also removed all of her weapons, placing them on one side of the table before stretching her arms out and laying back. This was comfortable.

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Momotaro smiled when he was called “peach boy” it was a funny nickname that he enjoyed greatly, the boy then rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled nervously. Maybe it was his age, or the fact that he saw Kanagawa as his teacher, but he did not notice anything sexual about her pose.

“ha, I am sorry Sensei. I am came here as fast as I could, maybe I need training to get faster.”

The boy said with a sly and happy tone, chuckling. It was honestly an exciting for the boy to have someone older be his teacher, he could barely contain his excitement. The boy then paid attention when Kanagawa cleared her throat, and quickly followed her. His pacing was not fast, making him be a little behind her as he looked up to her. And when she was talking about the thought process of deciding what restaurant they should go to, the boy had a funny realization. He had never been to a restaurant before, it was an odd thing but he always ate food from his home.

“you know what, I have heard about Kumo fried chicken before but I never been there. In fact I do not think I ever been to a restaurant before today, this is going to be an interesting experience. I love rice, alright let us go there.”

The boy said as he raised his hand, he was a bit too excited for a simple meal in a restaurant. But soon after, something bizarre happened. A weird shadow figure appeared out of nowhere, it was creepy so the boy turned to see what Kanagawa thinks and to his surprise his teacher seemed shook by this figure even though it did not say anything. When she told him to not worry about it, Momo nodded even though he felt like that will be hard but he had to respect her whishes.

The duo then continued on their way to the restaurant, and soon found themselves in front the place. It was humble looking which Momo appreciated, but once they entered the place the smell of the place took Momotaro by surprise. It was a beautiful smell and had he been alone he may have spend more time mesmerized by the smell, but his teacher lead him to a table where he should sit and wait for the food, despite it only being Momotaro and Nozomi, the two took a table for four.

“I am ready” the boy said as his stomach growled “I am a little hungry” he said, as he smiled a bit embarrassed by the noise his stomach made.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Airi…was lonely…as she tapped her fingers against the table…

She had went on a C-rank rank mission, her first team based one and they had been successful. For most of them it was their first C-rank minus Airi who had only recently completed her first C-rank a week prior. The mission itself was nothing out of the ordinary…which she was thankful for. Airi never understood why everyone was so combat oriented. She loved the thankful faces of those she did E-rank missions for and even the D-rank ones had people who were lovely. Now thought the C-ranks she was started to maybe deal with people who were less grateful.

Airi sighed thinking about who two teammates…everyone wanted to go fight people. Everyone was all about might makes right…she felt her tapping getting more agitated. Airi knew eventually she would have to actually take down a living thinking human being but as she poked her face into her cup of tea she tried to push the more morbid thoughts away. She was trying to have some dignity but as the clock moved forward…

She had recently found her more girly side ever since Yamamoto-san and Rinko had really been pushing her… do to that she was opting for a pink and red top with some frills and her shinobi black pants. It worked out well since tight fitted clothing was more popular now so she could make it look a bit more casual. Plus she hated skirts and dresses so this allowed her a more natural relaxed cute in her opinion. The next big girly step for her was to get her ears pierced but for some reason she just couldn’t bring herself to go. She hated being adorned. The smell of food slowly enraptured her yet again cause her to come back to reality.

Back to where she was she was in some foreign restaurant and as of this point it had been one hour and ten minutes since the supposed meeting time was reached. Needless to say even Airi was a little irritated. She was not ditched a lot she could count the number of times on her hand…still. It felt bad…

Airi…wanted to bring Rinko and Setsu here sometime. It had a very homey feel much like the place Osuteno brought her to. As she sat she was more focused on the door mainly due to watching for her compatriots. She got a little excited for a moment as she noticed two people enter who she thought maybe was them…though as she watched she realized it was not. Airi wondered if her vision was just getting worse or if being hopeful was putting a lens on things.

As she watched the two she really just wondered…wait…

As the lady removed her assorted weapons one specifically caught her eyes. It was a large spear…an amazing spear…a holy spear. As she looked at it she could feel the energy…a similar energy to her own well…now she looked a little depressed. Her holy sword had transitioned somehow into a Holy Parasol. In comparison this lady’s weapon even looked the part of divine. Airi felt fate tugging at her heart…this was the first holy weapon she had seen other than her own. This lady was older than her by…well at least a few years if not more. She was experienced she knew what she was doing and most importantly…if Airi could just prove herself…maybe she could learn from her. It was silly and stupid but…Airi felt drawn to do this…unlike with anyone before.

Airi placed a little money on the table for the three cups of tea she drank and then walked with confidence…then she walked back to grab her purse and then walked with slightly less confidence again towards their table. She thought that she could hear a happy mood which meant maybe they were coming off of something good. This was perfect I’ll just walk up and ask to meet her after the food and try and demonstrate how amazing I could be with her tutelage. Simple. She even felt like the great Kami’s were supporting her.

As she made her way forward apparently there had been the smallest, tiniest amount of nonexistent water on the floor. Since Airi had not prepared herself to fall she did not use chakra to cling to floor…

“He—oh—pftd…!” Ahh yes…of course it would never go as planned would it. She felt like she had splatted extra hard on the floor. She knew her hand may have grazed something, it wasn’t hurt but whether it was a person or the table she had no idea. She reached up to hold her forehand briefly…it would heal…really quickly. Nothing to worry about…breathe.

As she shifted to a sitting position she looked up towards the two. She had no idea if she messed up the table or what really happened. “I-I-I I am so sorry!” As she tried to stand up she felt herself fall forward again but this time just her head made it into the table and she felt herself bite her tongue. This high pitched inner scream would only be able to be heard to those within ten feet of her roughly.

As she allowed her tongue out she could barely make out an apology.“sowwy…sowwy” She wanted to die…there was no coming back from this. With her resolve gone she felt weak in the knees. As he head slowly got up her tongue repaired itself well enough to speak normally and she just sighed, “Sorry, I should have just walked out when my team did not show up. Please enjoy your meal.” If the gods really wanted her to train under this lady they would not have just shown her the floor. Airi at least knew how to take a hint. With that Airi bowed to them once more, making sure she did not break anything or need to give them any compensation.

OOC:

Spoiler

Clumsiness Ability Activated
This time it worked against her : 3

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Nozomi smiled and nodded to Momotaro. Her skin (literally) brightened the restaurant with her heavenly glow. It was more of a curse than a blessing. "This place serves a lot of food. A little table for 2 isn't going to be able to hold all the food. But yeah, you'll enjo--" she said as she was cut-off by the sound of someone going ker-splat upon the ground. She turned her head over towards the source of the sound and winced upon seeing the little pre-teen girl flat on her rear upon the ground. A part of her wanted to nudge Momotaro to be the strong man to help the cute girl up onto her feet. The clumsy girl apologized for whatever mess she made; which she made quite the mess of their table. The napkins with utensils were mostly knocked off of the table, the soy-sauce spilled onto the table, and a few other things flew off. A lot of inconsequential things; nothing to worry about. She picked up the soy-sauce and placed it upright for a moment and wiped down the table. She began to rebuild the table back to how it was.

She continued to clumsily fumble around before she took a deep breath in, placed a hand upon the klutz's head, and said a few silent words; as if they were a prayer. Her body lit up like a lamp before her hand started to radiate a soft green light. The clumsy girl's pain started to melt away, making her just as good as new. It was obvious the young girl was embarrassed, causing her to grab a hold of her sleeve and visibly roll her eyes. "You've already come this far. Have a seat," she said in a calm voice. The light she emitted started to slowly die down to it's usual brightness. "Something catch your eye?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. If the girl takes the seat offered, she extended a gloved hand over towards the fumbling girl. A close inspection would show that every part of her body seemed to be covered in clothing. Everything except from the neck-up. Every inch of her body glowed, so she wore special (and uncomfortably thick) fabric that blocks out all light.

There was a strange energy coming off of Airi. Something familiar. "Let me guess, you made a contract with a fuzzy little creature too to save your life?" she asked. She still didn't understand subtlety well. People overhearing may think her story was a gross exaggeration or a tall-tale, but for Nozomi it was the truth. That's just how she came into her powers. "But where are my manners? My name is," she said before placing her left hand upon her chest. "Kanagawa Nozomi," she said. She then turned towards Momotaro and held a hand out towards him. This was his time to make his own introduction.

 

[Azai Momotaro]

The boy listened to his teacher, his mind wandering trying to think what his very first order will be. Maybe he will go for some raw meat, or maybe some soup. Perhaps he will try something he never tried before, this was all so exciting for peach boy. When Nozomi stopped herself the boy noticed someone approach them, a young girl. The poor thing could not even get to say her introductions before slipping up and slamming to the ground, but on her way down her hand kind of grazed Momotar’s knee. The boy visibly winced as watching the girl slam down was painful, the boy got ready to get up and try to help her up but she got up on her own. “you better watch out, the floor may have been wet or some-“ and Momotaro did not even get to finish his sentence and the girl managed to fumble into something that looked even worse.

That’s it Momotaro was sure that this is not normal, the girl is under some Genjutsu and he needed to break it. The boy charged his index finger and middle finger of his right hand with Chakra, taking a deep breath the boy was ready to release the girl from the Genjutsu that is making her super clumsy and get ready to fight the person who casted such evil technique on a young person. Sticking his left leg out of the chair the boy was about to get up, but then Nozomi got up first and placed her hand on the girl’s head. That Momo stop and discharge the chakra from his fingers, it was at that moment that he realized that his theory was a bit too far fetched, can you imagine how weird it would have been if Momo just got up and pocked the girl in the cheeks…………man it was a good thing Nozomi was here to indirectly stop that from happening.

When the girl said she will be leaving, Momo got heat up. He assumed the girl said that cause she is embarrassed, if so then he absolutely so no need to be, it was a simple slip up, well not simple but still nothing too big. Shaking his head adamantly the boy looked straight at the strange.

“what are you talking about, just like sensei said you came all the way here. And besides food is way better when there are more people sitting at a table, so don’t go now.”

The boy then looked at Nozomi when she talked about the story involving the small fuzzy creature, which reminded him of a question he wanted to ask about contract summon he saw his father had one and he wanted to know how to do that. But that will be saved for a later date, now he needs to focus on talking this girl out of leaving so suddenly after arriving.

“oh right Azai Momotaro, pleasure to meet ya!” the boy said confidently pointing his thumb towards himself, with a big grin on his face.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Airi felt a hand placed upon her head and as her eyes opened a soft green light seemed to be coming down onto her. She felt…like this was a holy healing technique? She could be wrong but it felt very similar to her own. Airi felt her heart inwardly skip a beat as if this confirmed everything. She really was someone like me! Airi never had met anyone like her and she had so many questions. The lovely lady mentioned that she should come and have a seat with them and suddenly felt the light of the Kami back into her wings. Maybe this was just to show how good a person she was? She messed up their table and she not only cleaned it but accepted Airi for her failures. Truly an excellent role model. Even the boy around her age was adamant that she should stay and eat with them. She wondered what their relationship was…she did not imagine it romantic so maybe student. She found herself wondering if she would even apprentice more than one…Airi decided not to press her luck. Just be happy you are speaking to her, she thought to herself.

The lady proceeded to ask her if something caught her eye and she could not help but state as well, “Well uhh, yes you did. I wanted to speak with you.” Airi accepted her hand and stepped closer. She needed to decide where to sit and she felt herself grow concerned. If she sat next to the lady whom she held high respect for it might come off as brazen…as such she smiled towards the boy and attempted to slide in next to him. This way she would be facing the lady. She did place her small purse in-between her and the boy, not so much as a buffer but she did not want it hanging out away from her vision to be stolen.

She was then asked if she offered her life to a small creature to which a rather large question mark came up over her head. “Oh…I uhh no I really do not think so…” She scratched at her cheek unsure of weather that was the right thing to say. The lady, whom now she knew as Kanagawa Nozomi, introduced herself. She did it in such a matter of fact and powerful way that Airi only wished she had the confidence to declare herself. Call it infatuation but Airi really did already look up to this lady.

The boy then continued with introductions and said that his name was Azai Momotaro. He seemed like a happy sort and as such she returned his smile thankful to have someone around her age to break the ice. She did feel like she was a slight intruder…they were having a meal together maybe discussing something…she could feel her nerves kicking up and she started to twirl some of her hair around her index finger. “I…umm, well thank you first for inviting me. It was really nice of the both of you. Kanagawa-san, and Azai-san thank you.” She bowed her head again the amount of formality coming out of her was too much for such a casual establishment but this was always where she defaulted.

“What caught my eye was your spear Kanagawa-san. I think we have some similarities…” Airi reached into her purse and pulled out a small scroll. Releasing it Airi held a simple black parasol with gold trim. It was Airi’s holy weapon. “Seisei, well I sort of happened upon it. Ever since though I have found my chakra and abilities have changed. I had wondered since you seemed to be my senior if you understood the abilities I am gaining…though I admit your spear is so impressive in comparison.” She had no idea why her blade had suddenly changed but maybe Kanagawa-san would know.

She leaned the parasol against the table and when the waitress came up Airi blushed a bit not really knowing what to say, “Oh…umm I would like some machi if possible and umm…” She had an hour and half to pick something to eat and now her mind was blank. “I’ll also have whatever Azai-san has.” She figured they both must have eaten here before. Plus she wanted to keep him included in conversation.

After the waitress left Airi said, “I am a newer Genin only passed my exam around two months ago. I have completed twenty-two D-rank missions and one C-rank mission.” She wondered why she felt a need to list off her accomplishments…

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

"To see me?" she asked as she placed a hand upon her chest. This made things even more tense, considering the smokey figure that was hunting her down not too long ago. She smiled towards the cute girl and nodded her head. She maintained a positive facade in the event that those that were hunting her and this child were completely unrelated. No need to spoil a potential friendship over her own paranoia. Airi slid into the seat next to Momotaro and placed her hands, clasped, upon the table and simply observed her. For what did she owe the pleasure (or displeasure) of this child's presence. Still being on edge from earlier made new meetings quite the strain on her already confused emotional state. She looked straight into Airi's eyes. Upon closer inspection, Airi would notice a single purple eye and a single golden eye. The golden eye, however, appeared to be a fake glass eye that only moved because of the muscles around the eye still being strong enough to do so. Medical jutsu were amazing for something as miraculous as that.

She knew her strange question would cause confusion, but it was best to eliminate that possibility. At least this girl didn't die prior only to sign a 5 year long contract with this being. Who knows, the creature might even take her soul after the end of the 5 years. It was an idea that crossed her mind on multiple occasions. She started to think of deep thoughts. What was the weight of a soul? What was the price of a soul? What was the use for a soul after you die? Things that nobody could really answer and one she didn't have a chance to experience. Her eyes caught notice of the nervous tick of her's. Twirling her hair around her index finger. Was she nervous to be here? Interesting.

Her eyes turned from the child to the massive spear and then back to the child. A scroll summoned a parasol with gold trimming. She raised an inquisitive brow, leaning forward to look over the 'weapon' presented to her. She had seen and heard of strange and unorthodox weaponry, but an umbrella? The only time she heard of umbrellas being used in combat were to hide from arrows and to throw needles out a large area. She had never imagined an umbrella being used as a melee weapon (at least she assumed it was a melee weapon of some sort). Similar abilities but widely varied weaponry and probably widely varied methods of obtaining this power. At least this girl didn't have to die to obtain her weapon nor her power. However, she knew for a fact that that umbrella isn't bound to her soul like how Nozomi's soul was bound to that damn spear. She couldn't go too far without it before feeling a massive amount of pain.

"Yeah, I know a bit of the power you have. Mine derives from the power of the sun though," she said as she moved her hands to point at her face, the only part of her body that was glowing with heavenly radiance. Giving off heavenly light was the only thing she gained from the power of the sun. That kind of destructive power isn't something she wished to display; not here anyway. "It's meant to be used for good. Just beware. You can be easily corrupted. Don't let anything corrupt you. There's no turning back if that happens," she said. It was a warning given to her by that fluffy white creature that bequeathed this power unto her.

The children ended up ordering their food before Nozomi ordered hers. "Get me an order of yaki-mandu, an order of gimbap, and bibimbap," she stated. She also stated she wanted some water and some green tea to drink with her order. Can't eat all that without something cool and refreshing to wash it down with. She whistled in amazement at Airi's mission record. That was a lot of missions. She had been on nearly the same amount of missions; granted the missions she did were a tad bit more dangerous and there was always, ALWAYS at least one person to die. The casualty was either her own teammates or the mark she had to assassinate. Either way, there was always at least 1 death.

"That's an impressive mission record, um... What's your name?" she asked. The girl had yet to address who she was. It was kind of strange to not introduce one's self even after the other part introduced themselves. She reached over and flicked Momotaro upon the forehead. "She seems quite accomplished. How many did you accomplish, Peach-Boy?" she said with a bit of a chuckle. "About 50 jobs in total. I'll leave the nature of the jobs to your imagination," she stated. It might not be wise to tell that she kills people for a living.

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Azai Momotaro watched as his teacher healed the girl with a healing Jutsu, the boy was so very impressed with how easy that technique looked like for Kanagawa. The gap was real big between him and his teacher, however the boy saw this not as something to worry about but as something to be excited about. The thought of one day surpassing his mentor and being an even greater shinobi than her, that fueled his motivation even more. Then the girl made her intentions clear, she saw something in Kanagawa maybe it was the aura that surrounded the older woman. Momotaro was surprised, before this day he did not know who Kanagawa was so he wondered how famous she is.

The boy was confused looking at Kanagawa trying to see what is really special about her enough to have this strange girl wanting to see her, he noticed the aura but he did not know how that factors in this situation. When the girl wanted to sit next to him, he moved to the wall and give the girl a place to sit at. Leaning on the wall the boy was watching the conversation with anticipation, wondering what this girl had to say to Kanagawa. “do not mention this its no big deal, eating with more people is more fun anyways. “ he said with a light chuckle, he then got a bit quite when the girl summoned something from a scroll, and she brought an umbrella ? it looked fancy and beautiful but was that her weapon, Azai’s curiosity was through the roof he wanted to grab it and examine, but that would have been way too rude so he kept it to himself. “oh well then I guess the both of us are going to have a bowl of Sukiyaki each, is that okay with you?”

It was at that moment that the boy finally connected the dots, it was moments before the girl said it herself. Kanagawa and the stranger had similar powers, it was then that the boy looked at the girl’s “weapon” and back at the spear, they did feel similar. “oh I see now, your weapons both have some sort of similar feel to it now that you say it. So you say you want her to tell you more about the powers you have ? I guess that makes sense, I have a weapon myself but its not similar to any of yours, besides I got from my family.” The boy said before stopping himself, he almost said some stuff he should have not said, at least not until he makes his decision.

And it was at this moment when Kanagawa talked about being corrupted, she did not know it but that was one of Momo’s fears, something that may happen to him in his path to gain great strength. The boy’s nervousness was clear on his face as his scratched the side of his head and stared at the scroll he had at his corner of the table, unlike Kanagawa he could not hide it what so ever. It won’t be until the other two started talking about their records out of nowhere, he was then asked a question he was kind of embarrassed about. Momotaro crossed his arms trying to sound dignified.

“I did twenty C rank mission, but the only reason I did not finish a hundred mission was probably because I was too busy training and perfecting my fighting style. Yeah that’s totally it.” It was a shameless bluff, hew was clearly too embarrassed to be outperformed by everyone in the table, yet his pride will not make him admit defeat.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Azai-san was really chipper and nice. She felt like his optimism and overall positive attitude was the main reason she was not panicking inwardly right now. Despite herself she felt like she was at an interview to prove she was really great and she felt like her face was a little flushed. Kanagawa-san looked at Airi, and by that it was not a cursory glance…she felt this gaze of the Kami themselves…this lady was so advanced and had such a strong presence that Airi knew she was a pro. She had met quite a few people who also gave off this type of aura but hers was one of the more piercing gazes. Airi looked and noticed that she had two different colored eyes, she had studied bloodlines only a bit but she knew something like that was usually a rare trait right? She had never met another with that duality in them. Kanagawa was truly a diamond among sand. Even her hair made her stand out…she must be next in line for Sennin or something in Airi’s eyes.

Both Asai-san and Kanagawa-san were both very interested in her holy “weapon”. Airi got even more embarrassed as they looked at it with curiosity. Airi waved her hands a bit and said, “I-I can either give a demonstration…or maybe show you how I use it. Typically I use it either as a fencer’s rapier or a spear but then use the switch out-going part as a shield to deflect and parry attacks.” It was quite literally a spear with a shield on it…it just was eloquent and not as efficient as the clearly more powerful spear across the table. “Also after the meal I mean feel free to hold it and swing it, the webbing is made out of some metallic cloth so it will not break easily!” This had just been through her own testing more so than anything else. No weapon crafter was able to explain her parasol to her. It was a divine weapon…plain and simple. No matter what research she did though she had never heard of a holy umbrella before. It bothered but it must just be changed or edited to be a manlier weapon in history…right?

She mentioned that her powers came from the power of the sun? Airi showed clear confusion… “Amaterasu? Not…Raiden?” If her powers were not Raiden…then why? She felt for the first time since coming to Cloud a lack of faith. She could feel a pang in her chest…what did this mean? If these powers…who? How did I? Why? She felt a small bit of panic in her chest. She felt a need to seek answers. She had been so confident that Kanagawa-san would have them but…she was different. Their abilities felt similar but…they got there through different means. Did the kami all bestow similar abilities? To what end or why? Is that just how it worked? To be honest Airi had never heard of Raiden using a Parasol…has she just been wrong all along?

She came back from her tirade when Kanagawa-san spoke about how she needed to be very careful to never get corrupted. Airi’s face grew very concerned when she mentioned that. Was…was…what I did with Yamamoto-san…wrong? She felt like she had grown and developed but maybe…maybe this was a mistake a step backwards…? She felt a hallow point after the transformation ended and…well she understood her negative emotions more. She had even been really mean to that one guy with the singer. She placed a hand over her mouth, her mind racing and puzzling… did Yamamoto know? Had that been the plan the whole time? No…she did not think he was bad. Maybe he did not know? She needed to believe in him and ignore this doubt. If she started to doubt him…she would be a hypocrite and a liar…Yamamoto needed her? Right? Was she just self-projecting onto him what she secretly wanted?

She looked up and blushed slightly, “Ohh…ahh sorry I was deep in thought. I just feel like we came about it in such a different way…sorry. Too deep in thought this is a happy occasion.” Wait why was it a happy occasion? Meeting people yes meeting people! Besides they were both here for some reason right?

The boy told the waiter that both of them were getting Sukiyaki…she questioned that…suki…suki…it sounded familiar but she could not quite place it. Her family did work in a restaurant business…maybe it was just named differently…but then why would she recognize the name? She felt herself pondering things until she heard the whistle and was then asked her name…She blinked in confusion for a second. My name…did I not already say it? She felt herself go full blush for a moment. “Oh…my I am so sorry. My name is Irie Airi Gennin of around two months now!” Wait I know for a fact I already said that. She reached out to her utensils and started to organize them and put them on the napkin. She even moved her water…too many nervous habits.

Kanagawa-san mentioned she had completed fifty jobs…that must mean since her promotion. She was clearly high up…wow fifty A or S-rank missions…Airi could not even begin to believe in ever doing that many and…and…surviving…her eyes almost sparkled as she looked at Kanagawa, the clear amazement at her accomplishments.

She watched as she flicked Asai-san in the forehead and her went onto explain that he had went on twenty C-rank missions but he had been perfecting his blade he probably could have done more. Airi gave a soft smile. Both of them were amazing…once again another Genin who just blew her out of the water. If only she could be…

"She's lying." Pressure… “Someday, when you're lying in the dirt, you'll wish you had taken my advice." Surreal…“I'm not sure which is more deficient; your morality or intelligence, but neither must have been tested in your exam, I'm sure." Frustration… “I might be safe in including cowardice among those deficiencies?” Regret… “Might I not also include a poor grasp of strategy to that list? How about insubordination?” failure… "And since we've established that you're clearly not fit to be a Genin” lacking… Airi took in a deep breath…her pale yellow chakra only lightly leaked from her eyes for a brief moment. As she let out her breath she needed to not be jealous…envious…or wanting. She should be happy they could support Kumo in such a profound and powerful way. Airi rubbed her eyes a bit… “Ughh…my eye is itching…”

As she blinked a few times and rubbed it a bit more she looked to the two of them and smiled. “You both are so amazing. I hope I can meet the expectations set out before me. I thought my C-rank was hard but you have done twenty. I would not be surprised if they sent you on a B-rank soon. Congratulations! Plus you even have a lot of training in your craft. I can see why Kanagawa-san is training you, so much potential!” She reached out and took a long sip of water.

“I’ll be sure to pray for your success in the future and that you both remain safe and happy.” Pray to whom…she now wondered. Not now Airi. Do not lower the mood. “So is general success why you are here today or a specific reason or maybe just relaxing after a hard day?” She wanted to learn more about them. It felt like she could even learn a lot from Asai-san. She really needed to not underestimate those who were her age. Especially when she was barely anything shinobi like.

[1275 marked]

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Using an umbrella like a rapier? This caused Nozomi to rub her chin a bit, imagining using an umbrella with an offensive mindset. All she can think of is opening and closing the umbrella with a sharp point at the end. Something came up in her head and she leaned in. "Ever consider shooting things out of the tip of your umbrella? That'd be neat," she said with an excited tone of voice. Even if her personality changed dramatically upon receiving the 'solar power', her love of weapons didn't wane. It did, however, shift from fire-arms to more conventional weaponry. She was curious to see how the weapon would look like in action. The offer to swing it around was lovely, but she shouldn't be seen, vulnerable, around these children while being stalked by an unknown predator. "Maybe some other time. I'll even let the two of you swing around my spear," she stated with a nod. The spear was very, very heavy. It was a surprise that she was able to wield it properly, herself. Then again, she did carry a 20 pound rifle with her at all times before she decided to break it out of rage and anger.

Nozomi tilted her head at the mention of Amaterasu. She wasn't familiar with this god. She knew of Raiden because that was the state's religion but the mention of Amaterasu threw her off. The only Amaterasu she knew of was the black flames. "Well, it's not Blaze Release. Uh. It's actually not a god, in general. I don't know," she mentioned with a bit of a shrug from her shoulders. She didn't know if her power was bound to any divinity or if it was even actually holy in nature. It might appear and feel holy, but it came from a much darker place than that. "Who knows. Maybe even the Jashin Cult could be responsible for my power," she said with a shrug.

Momotaro finally put two-and-two together with the similarity of their weapons. "Your weapon has a similar power too, Peach Boy," she commented. It was very similar but it was also very, very different. "But there's something a bit..." she said with a pause, turning her head to look towards Momotaro's weapon. "Different with your blade," she finished. She couldn't put her finger on the difference between his blade's power and the weapons wielded by the two powered by the divine.

It was funny how Nozomi warned the two about being corrupted; Airi in particular. Nozomi was probably the most prone to corruption; unwillingly and unconsciously. She would have to eat her words later on when her impending fall would happen. She had only 5 years left to live, give or a take a few, due to being given a slight extension of her already ended life. This might be a test from that fluffy monster that gave her her power or it was just an inevitability for it's own pleasure and enjoyment. That idea still lingered in the back of her head days after taking the deal from that cursed creature.

"20? You must have been quite busy, Peach Boy. We need to get your numbers up, yeah?" she said with a big grin on her face, reaching over the table and playfully shoving him on the shoulder. It was finally then that the new girl introduced herself. "Irie Airi, huh? That's a pretty name. But you both seem quite seasoned for such a young age. I'm surprised you all have the time and drive to do all of that work," she said before letting out a little laugh. She was constantly working when she was their age, trying to make up for the atrocities that she had done when she was very young. The amount of innocent people she killed, the amount of money and goods she had taken, and the other children she indoctrinated into the horrible world she was in. All of their lives and their blood was still on her hands. No. Those war-crimes weren't counted in her tally of jobs.

"Oh, it's not really the number that counts, Peach-Boy. It's, of course, the experience and quality of the mission that counts more than how many you've done," she said reaching over and ruffling his hair once more. She retrieved her hand once the waitress came by with drinks, placing them on the table. She turned to look towards Airi as her yellow chakra leaked out of her eye. She looked around for a brief moment before fleeing. Nozomi tilted her head upon seeing this and reached out to Airi, saying a small incantation before her hand started to glow green. She, once again, began to illuminate the restaurant with her holy light. She didn't feel anything getting better from the jutsu, causing her to withdraw. Strange. It's not something wrong medically, so what was it? Very interesting. Very interesting indeed.

Nozomi took her drink and took a sip of it as Airi started saying her words. These sounded like words of parting. Weird to pair this with a question about why they are here. "Well, Peach-Boy became my student today. He did something very heroic so I decided to test his mettle. Decided that he wasn't 'all words' so I decided to reward him with food. That reminds me," she said taking another sip of her drink and placed the damp glass upon the table. "Do you have a mentor, Airi-chan?"

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Momotaro, was happy that somehow he will get what he wanted. To try and swing other people’s weapons around. Ever since he got his sword, the boy developed a fascination with weapons in all shapes and forms. And to make thing a hundred times he was even offered to wield Nozomi’s spear and try that out, it would have been appropriate to offer the other two the same with his weapon, but he was hesitant not sure what negative repercussions that will cause, so he avoid talking about his sword.

“oh awesome, I was hoping to do that. Was worried that it might be rude of me to ask for that, I wonder how it will weigh and feel compare to the sword I am used to. This will be a fun experiment after we get our food. And you think so Nozomi san ? I bet its different its just a normal sword haha.” The boy said as he nervously laughed, trying to derail the conversation from his sword.

The boy said with a jovial smile, trying his hardest to not think about the ultimatum he was given and how its fast approaching. Luckily not focusing on that subject proved to be easier than he had originally thought it would be, as the subject of the deities being worshipped around came up, truth be told Momo had nothing of importance to say regarding them, he does not deny their existence but he does not pray to them. The reason he chose to keep that information to himself was to avoid offending the devoted followers of the gods, so he just nodded trying to absorb as much information as he can.

Momotaro placed his elbow on the table as he supported his head on his hand, looking around. When he turned to look at Airi he saw something weird, the girl was acting strangely. Almost as if her mind was on a different place entirely, he was very confused by her behavior he began to wonder if something was bothering her. “is everything alright ?” he asked gently, removing his elbow from the table and turning towards the girl, still giving her as much space from him in order for her to be comfortable. “oh that’s okay, as long as you are doing alright. And yeah it is a happy occasion, I don’t often get to meet shinobi my age around here.” He said with a light chuckle before turning to face Nozomi once again.

Momo then chuckled nervously, when Kanagawa praised him. “yeah I am doing good for myself aren’t I ?” can this topic change any quicker ? thankfully yes, as the girl finally introduced herself, her name was Irie Airi. “I agree Irie is a really beautiful name, I like it.” The boy was mainly thinking about what it actually means versus how it sounds. “yeah you seem to not be too shabby yourself.” The boy said with a smug smile, he was trying to being friendly and maybe help the girl be more comfortable around them.

He nodded when Nozomi talked about that mission numbers don’t count, it was true and the boy wanted to respond to it. But suddenly, Irie was not feeling well as her eye began to twitch and aura began leaking from it. The boy was shocked, disregarding his earlier behavior the boy slid a bit closer to the girl without crossing the bag, he reached his hand and grabbed Irie’s shoulder that was closer to him. “hey are you alright ? is something actually wrong Irie-san ?” the boy asked as he got worried about the girl, wondering if she may have gotten an injury that she was not aware of, luckily Kanagawa was there with them in case something does end up happening. He then slowly let go as she seemed to have regained focus, and slid back to the wall. “thanks, you are not bad yourself. But I do not deserve such praise, I did train my Kenjutsu but I am still leagues behind this other kid our age I met, his name was Yuu he was the one who taught me how to use that Jutsu I showed you earlier Nozomi san. Anyways what I want is to catch up to him and thank him for doing what he did by being his equal, and well about Nozomi san teaching me, she actually just started honestly.” The boy said with a chuckle.

“oh that’s nice of you, I will be wishing for your success as well fellow Gennin. Maybe we could even see which one of us could reach Chunnin first.” He said in a playful tone before listening to Nozomi again. The boy blushed and rubbed the back of his head. “Sensei please, you are way too kind I was not heroic, I was just doing what was natural.” Momo said as his voice was clearly nervous, he was not used to this recognition.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Airi was asked if she ever considered shooting things out of the umbrella. Airi thought back to her academy days of shooting or throwing kunai and just shook her head. She really had not considered such things. The fact that she was using a parasol at all as a weapon was weird enough for her. She had no idea why Kanagawa-san wanted her to shoot things out of it. Maybe she had seen a well-practiced shinobi do it before to great effect? As she felt before…she would probably pass on it unless she tried it and really thought she could get the hang out it. Kanagawa did seem really excited…she at least needed to try it to humor her. Kanagawa-san even mentioned that that they would be allowed to swing her spear around…Airi looked at the large spear and just felt overwhelmed…’there is no way I can pick that up and not hurt myself’. She imagined if she expended enough chakra she could but in the end she just…knew it was not likely.

Kanagawa-san continued to mention that it was not a God…this only further confirmed Airi’s innate fears. She really was not being helped by the divine…it caused a dull ache in her heart…She then mentioned something about a Jashin cult and she wanted to ask but…well she figured it might not be her business. If she really wanted to know something she would do some investigating herself. She felt that was the right thing to do plus all this talk about divinity and deities…well she felt like Azai-san could not get into that conversation. This meeting she was invading was for them to enjoy themselves…

Kangawa-san was very good at speaking with people she kept speaking to Asai-san and allowed him his part. Airi needed to learn from her the art of speaking…plus as she looked to Asai-san she noticed how happy he seemed to be. Asai-san mentioned that he really did not meet many shinobi his age. Airi looked at him and she felt like she was slowly piecing things together. He…wanted a friend…Airi admitted she had been lonely until she met both Rinko and Setsu…people she really needed to visit soon. Asai-san…if he was lonely…well Airi was not the best but she could try her best to be there with him. Plus maybe they would be sent on missions together. You usually paired mostly with those of your rank…it made sense if the mission called for it.

Airi giggled to herself happy to see such a happy mentor relationship. She hoped Kanagawa lowered the difficulty of her missions so they could stay like this for some more time. Airi admitted to be a little envious…but the overwhelming sense of happiness made her smile for real. Like a big sister to a younger brother…she blushed a little bit…thinking about how nice these scenes were.

As Airi rubbed her eyes she noticed both of them gave her their full attention. First it was Asai-san who reached out a touched her shoulder. She blushed a little and looked at him. His voice only giving out concern for her. Kanagawa-san then used another healing technique on her Airi could feel the warmth of the jutsu but she really did not think it helped in anyway. Asai-san removed his hand…and Kanagaawa was looking at her as if trying to solve a puzzle.

Airi looked a little nervous…as they continued their conversation she learned that Asai-san did something heroic and now Kanagawa was going to mentor him, thus sealing the deal with a meal. Asai was being praised left and right…he looked embarrassed because it felt right to him, like it was nothing special. “Asai…” She paused for a moment. He mentioned how he did not know many his age…she twisted the bottom of her hair again and then said, “Momo…Taro…kun” She glanced away and continued, “I will accept your challenge though I still think you will become Chunnin before me. S-So keep up your hard heroic work.”

Airi would never get to Chuunin…she already knew this. But if a Rival…would do him good. Then she found it worthwhile to give him this. Her goal was to pass and reach Mempo…maybe with his help she could improve herself to get there. Kanagawa-san then asked Airi a question…did she have a mentor? Airi felt like a icicle shanked right into that heartache. Airi looked at her nervously and said, “N-No Kanagawa-san. There have been…a few seniors…who I have met a few times and have…learned from…but no official mentor. I have been self-taught almost everything I know and what I could pick up through free material at the library and watching people in the Vespasian Coliseum.” She took a sip of her drink and the put her hands on the table she started to scratch as her nails a bit. Sure he skills had been tested but she had been here for about two years with no direct mentor. She was always low in the class and even now she felt just barely able…

“I am happy to have passed…these two years have been some of the hardest but best time of my life.” She wanted to keep things on a happy note. “I am confident that as long as I do my best I will have no regrets.”

"She's lying."

Nervous habits…self-loathing…she lacked confidence. This was not their problem though. She shifted a bit and said, “Momotaro…-kun. If you want to train occasionally together maybe we could teach each other a few things. I know that I learned a few bladed techniques and even then having someone closer to your level would probably do us well. I’ve never sparred before with someone equal…so I think it could be beneficial.”

Was this all she could really provide to them? She needed more…what could she give? As the food came up she was thankful for the break in conversation. She was surprised at what she got but as the smells hit the table she could not help but say, “Wow...you really have good taste if it smells this amazing!” She waited to thank them for the food before picking up anything. It was polite to wait and eat together.

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

"Just don't hold it for too long alright?" she said with a bit of a nervous laugh. A piece of her soul was in that weapon and she couldn't completely surrender it, nor be away from it for too long. Every now-and-then she would turn to make sure her weapon was right where she left it; at the front door. Being away from it for too long will cause strange and unknown damage to her body and probably to her spirit. Certainly wasn't something she wanted to endure. "35 pounds and it's extremely top-heavy," she quickly spit out. Yes, she quickly stated the weight of the weapon and how it'd handle. It was one of the first things she did upon returning to Kumogakure with the weapon; though creating a stand to weigh such an oddly balanced weapon was quite a bit of work on it's own.

Nozomi spaced her index finger and thumb apart slightly to indicate that it was just a little different from wielding a sword. It was primarily a piercing weapon, but had the capabilities of slashing if necessary. It was created of a strange metal that hummed and glowed, as if touched by a heavenly choir. In regards to Airi's response about having a mentor. She raised a brow as she took a sip of her water. "Well, if you ever feel the need to have a mentor, to learn something from someone else, you'll know where to find me. I'm not hard to spot at night," she said as a jab at herself and her 'glowing' appearance.

There was a little two-way between her new apprentice and the cheery lass, even resulting in her twirling the tips of her hair while speaking to him. A foxy grin crept across her face as she got an idea. Keeping the idea to herself, she stood up from the table. "I'm going to go use the bathroom for a bit before the food arrives. I'll be right back," she said before sneaking in a quick wink to Momotaro. The two seem to be getting a bit friendly with one another. At least they didn't absolutely hate each other at first glance. With that, she walked over and slipped her shoes back on, grabbing her weapon and walked through the restaurant to go use the bathroom.

Upon entering the bathroom, she turned to close the door to see the same black wispy figure in the bathroom's vanity. Nozomi turned and locked the door, letting the weapon down to use as a block on the door. She turned to look back into the vanity. She actually had to go use the bathroom and it didn't help that this mysterious shadow was there, watching. "Who are you and what do you want from me?" she asked. A voice appeared in her head. "You will pay for your crimes, Kanagawa Kozue," the wispy shadow said in a hissy voice.

"I get that, but what crimes? Who do you belong to?" she asked before the wispy shadow vanished, leaving behind an emblem burnt into the mirror. This caused Nozomi to bite her thumb. A Jashinist Cult was going after her? But why? She never had a run-in with nor assassinated someone of the Jashinist Cult. What business would they have with her? This caused her to think for a moment before there was a knock on the door. A voice cried out if there was anyone in there. "Bathroom's busy. Gimme a few," she said as she returned to look at the Jashinist symbol burnt into the mirror. Blood started to pour out of the marking, causing her to recoil a bit.

She looked around and took some toilet paper and started to wipe up the blood only for more to spill out. She tossed the bloodied toilet paper in the toilet, flushed it and shouted out. "It's a 2 flusher. Sorry!" she stated with an audible groan and a 'nevermind' from the person waiting outside. She turned to look back at the mirror only for the marking to disappear. Confused and a little scared, she gathered herself and used the bathroom.

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Momotaro was happy when Irie turned out fine after the thing with her eye happened, for a brief moment he wondered if he had seen her on the academy before, but he determined that he must have seen someone that looked like her. After he took her hand off her shoulder and leaned back on the wall on the other end of the chair, he watched as he thought that his mentor would be a better person to deal with what might be troubling the young girl. Luckily it did not seem to be something dire, or urgent so the girl can still enjoy food with them. When the girl called him by his name, the boy moved a way from the wall and leaned a bit closer to her to listen to what she has to say. Her pause confused him for a second, but she then called him by his first name which put a smile on his face. The girl then accepted his challenge, even though she seemed unsure of herself, the boy chuckled.

“well I am sure am not aiming to slow down anytime soon, I aim to reach the highest peak there is, but that won’t be any fun if I do not have anyone to compete with, don’t you agree Airi-chan ?” Momotaro said, he was far from the best he was not even a prodigy for his age compared to some others, but he had confidence he believed in himself so much and had no doubt that he will be able to do whatever he puts his mind to.

The boy then was shocked to hear that Airi had no mentors along the way, she must have been really talented or at least that’s what Momo thought. “wow you are cool Airi for being self taught, up till now everything I know was thanks to my mother and father. Though 3 months ago they told me that I need to prove myself, they told me to train myself and comeback to show them the fruits of my training two years later. It was going to be really hard, had I not met Kanagawa-san.” The boy said before hearing mentions of the library, he thought to himself that he needed to go visit that place soon and learn about who the Nanjirou are, in order to make his future decision.

The boy then looked at Airi as the girl offered to train with him from time to time, he really liked the idea and it was evident at the excited look he gave the girl. “Yes!! That would be great, we could help push each other to grow stronger and even gain experience. I can help show you some of my swordsmanship and you can show me your ninjutsu, cause truth be told I can not use Ninjutsu that well haha.” The boy said laughing a bit, rubbing the back of his head. Momo then turned towards the older woman who seemed to have going away for a little bit. “Alright we will wait for you Kanagawa-san.”

When the food came closer and Airi commented on how delicious it smells, the boy could not help but chuckle once more. “yeah I actually never came here before, I think I have very amazing luck lately.” The boy said with a smile, he then tapped the table with his index finger, he should wait for his teacher after all she is the one who invited him here. “so Airi-chan, do you know what do you want to do when you grow up ? I have been thinking about that lately, and it feels weird when I think about it I never have one clear answer.” The boy said his voice a bit serious now, as he slowly turned towards Airi looking straight at her, waiting for her answer.

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Nozomi seemed to be in thought for a moment after she mentioned that she did not have a mentor. Upon mentioning Momo’s first name he seemed to ease up to her. He even pulled away from the wall. She wondered if maybe her over formality made things awkward. Either way they were now sitting for the most part like everything was normal, just a bunch of friends or perhaps students with their teacher. When he mentioned that he aimed to climb the highest peak she was surprised by his determination. Airi never had a dream of being the best or being the most powerful. Her days were usually filled with keep up with her peers. She found it admirable…to have completed twenty c-rank missions…Momo-san must be amazing, she thought to herself. She couldn’t help but sheepishly nod in agreement. She had never strived to be the best…maybe it would be good for her to try as well?

Airi jolted to an upright position when Momo began to speak about the fact that she had no mentors. He used the word cool which was nothing like how she would have described it. She had to work all alone to learn what other people were handed. As she looked over at Momo-san he was sort of what she was fighting against while in the academy. His parents were both swordsman. They taught him everything in a nice comfortable environment and then only three months after being told to train on his own Kanagawa-san saw him for his good qualities and potential. Envious could not begin to describe what she felt but…serenity came to her. She felt her emotions pass over that hallow point and drifted away. She was happy he was not in her position. In fact he had the capacity to go into realms she never even considered. She hoped she could support him as he rose to greatness. If he wanted to train with her and get strong, who was she to say no? She wanted a partner as well.

Kanagawa-san then spoke out saying that if Airi ever wanted to learn anything she could always come and find her. Airi…felt herself go stiff for a moment. “R-R-Really…?” Kanagawa-san hadn’t seen anything of her…she barely even knew the girl? Why would she suddenly offer to give her advice? Maybe she just met a completion requirement? Airi’s thoughts spun trying to think about the way this extremely talented lady decided Airi could come and learn from her. “I-I-I-I…w-w-would love to…” Airi just bowed her head, unsure of what else she could really say to that…She had to bite her lip while her head was down to keep from letting tears fill her eyes.

Momo’s sudden joy brought Airi’s head up…unless he was a world class actor, he actually wanted to train with her as well. She could not believe it. Overjoyed she smiled happily and nodded to Momo as well. “I am only moderate at Ninjutsu but I’ll show you what I know!” Kanagawa then left the two of them to go use the restroom.

As they sat in silence for a bit Airi’s mind started to wonder…this sort of reminds me of that Eros date I had with Setsu-san. Setsu and she had hung out a few times after their date but their relationship seemed to peak at the date really they were more friends than anything else. Not that it was a problem…though she sort of wondered if he was just focused on other things. She wondered if he was nervous or just not really interested…

After the food arrived and they were waiting Momo got really serious. He looked cool as he sat there, when he finished speaking he looked at her like she mattered and she felt nervous. He really wanted her opinion on the matter. Airi thought about herself what her goals were and what she wanted…she held her hands together in front of her and started to slide and click her nails together. “I…was drafted into the shinobi academy. They offered my family money to have me become a shinobi since I was chakra sensitive. No one else in my family was…they would have most likely been a little forceful if I had not said yes so I figured why not take the money to help out my family. I mean they have five other kids to manage…” She smiled as if she was still happy though there was a small amount of pain in her voice.

“When I came here, I came alone because the amount of money to move my family would have just…disrupted their lives. So I got a small apartment, took on a few part times and started working as hard as I could to hit Genin and get paid for missions.” That really had been her first most potent goal. She then thought about Osuteno…”When I first got divine powers…I thought I would be a monster slayer and save smaller villages…” That was at least until she met Yamamoto Maru. “Then I met someone most would call a monster and he supported me…that friendship made me realize light and darkness are not black and white…so I gave up wanting to be a monster slaying Paladin Shinobi.” She shifted her hands to stretch and crack her knuckles and then brushed her hair out of her face. She turned to him with a slight grin and blinked her eyes. She giggled seeing his expression and said, “Now I just want to protect everyone…and let them grow into their best them…” She felt silly saying that and then said, “At some point…before the shinobi life takes me…I hope I can get married and have children…That’s also really important.”

Those were her dreams. As she smiled softly and picked up her tea she said, “Kanagawa-san believes in your ability and merit. I for one think you striving for the highest peak of your craft is very admirable…and you do not seem as unclear as you may think you are. It’s hard to be the best you and I hope to be one of the people who see you achieve whatever matters most to you.” As she sipped her tea slowly she glanced over to him. Hoping that whatever she said was what he wanted.

 

[Kanagawa Nozomi]

Nozomi splashed water upon her face and looked in the mirror. She left the water running in the basin while she did this. "What the hell is going on?" she asked before cupping her hands into the water and noticed her palms filling up with blood. This caused her to recoil, splashing blood everywhere. She looked at her hands after her back collided with the wall of the bathroom. Her hands were covered in blood and the basin of the sink started to flood with the viscous red fluid. She tried to turn off the water valve only for the valve to break, causing the blood to start flowing onto the ground of the bathroom. She shook her head in disbelief. "No. No no no. This isn't real," she said, letting fear take grip upon her. She heard giggling echoing throughout the bathroom, causing her to start panicking and go for the doorknob. As she grabbed for the doorknob, it welded itself shut. This rendered the door useless.

"You have a lot of blood on your hands, Kozue. All those innocent people, Kozue. We want to bring that back out of you. You were so beautiful back then. The mindless killing and sacrificing of innocent blood. The enraptured look on your face was enough to make our mouths water. Join us, Kozue. We will give you eternal life; not the measly 5 years you have left. Just take--" the voice said before Nozomi shouted out, interrupting the voice.

"My name is Nozomi! My name isn't Kozue anymore! I left that life behind me!" she shouted out.

"Are you sure about that? You kill people because you are told to kill people. You don't know if they are guilty or innocent. You kill people because they offer you a large sum of money. What makes that any different?"

"They're bad people! They deserve to die!"

"But you're a bad person, Kozue. That means you should die," the voice said as it started to get more and more distorted.

"I don't want to die! I'm afraid of dying! That's the only reason I took that contract!" she shouted out, reaching out towards the mirror, now slick with blood. She swiped at it to clear the blood off of it, only for more and more blood to start pouring down the vertical surface. She swiped the blood away once more before seeing herself in the mirror, but the reflection told a different story. She had white and black seals covering her face and completely naked body, covered entirely in blood.

"We will grant you immortality!!!!" the voice said before Nozomi blinked and stared at the mirror only to see her normal reflection. There wasn't blood anywhere in the bathroom. A knock could be heard. "Seriously~~ Hurry up! It's hurting!" said a small voice. Nozomi turned on the sink only for it to pour out water. "A genjutsu, using a mirror? Assholes," she said quietly before splashing her face, trying to wash away the stress that she just undergone. She wiped her face dry and opened the door only for a small child to rush in before Nozomi was able to leave with her weapon in tow. This was awkward. She closed the door behind her and walked out of the bathroom.

Before leaving the hallway, to where she would be visible by the other two, she took a moment to take a deep breath and compose herself. She couldn't let this bother her, at least not outwardly. She composed herself and put on a smile before walking down the corridor and returning to her seat, after placing her weapon and shoes where they belonged. The sound and smell of the food was delicious to her ears. It might have felt like it took a whole hour, but she was actually just gone for about 3 minutes. "Ooooh! The food is here," she said before smiling towards the two children that were at the table.

"So there's a mission coming up soon. I'm gonna be leading it. The two of you should join it," she stated before digging into her food.

[OOC: You all didn't hear any of the yelling and screaming -- that was all a genjutsu]

 

[Azai Momotaro]

Momo chuckled at Airi’s reaction, he was so glad that he met that other people around his age who are willing to play along with his enthusiasm. “well that works for me, in return I will teach you how easy it is to handle a sword. It will be the best” the boy said as he emoted hard enough to wave his hand around, he felt that today could not have been any better.

He then he heard Airi’s story, and from the get go he felt a sensation of frustration and anger. But he remembered hearing stories about kids being forced into the academy against their will, but he never met someone who was one. It was disgusting and vile but he could not do anything about it, he was not in a position of power. So the story of Airi pushed him towards the idea of becoming the next Raikage and hope to change that about his home village. Momotaro then continued to listen, Airi living on her own was inspiring, the boy thought about leaving his home and live on his own for a while now and the fact that Airi is doing that, made him think he can also do that.

After the girl finished her story and told him her dreams, Momo felt something strange. She was so sure of what to do and yet he could not even make a decision to use the powers of his bloodline, that made him look at the table for a couple of seconds, with a somber look trying to comprehend everything he heard. He then turned to face the girl with a bright some might say obnoxious smile, but in fact it was genuine sense of happiness for the girl who seemed to know what she wants.

“I see, you are indeed a strong girl Airi-chan. I need to keep up with you or else I will fall on the wayside, I want to say I am sorry for what you been through, but I am not sure you want to hear that from me as a complete stranger.” He then chuckled a bit. “with people like you around, I am sure that the village will be very safe and sound, makes me more confident in going to do missions outside of the village if you will be here to protect it.” The boy then tapped his finger on the table, looking away. He needed a moment to think about what he is about to say next. “I do not know you for very long, but I know that you will make some man the luckiest husband in the world and be the world’s best Mom” he said as he turned to her with a smile.

“oh thanks, I know I want to be the best at what I do but the thing is that whats next ? if I become the strongest person ever, what will I do next ? I think you have a better dream than me, I just want to become the Raikage someday.” He said as he crossed his arms, thinking about what he should actually do with his life. Then Nozomi came back, the boy looked up to his teacher. He decided that he should show the two other people on the table Hyakkimaru and make his decision, it was time for Momo to take action.

“Welcome back Sensei.” He said before starting to eat, looking at the corner of his eyes to see if Airi is also eating, he then stopped and looked at his sensei. “mission ? what kind of mission ?”

 

[Yamamoto Airi]

Momo-kun’s enthusiasm was charming. He really was thrilled to have a training partner. She herself…could agree to that. She needed real work against real people to actually know if she was being efficient or not…dummies were only that. As her career as a shinobi progressed, their real goal was to be able to compete against other shinobi. She knew in the coming months this would be what was really tested. She knew she was at the limit of what she could do without shinobi combat. Looking over at Momo she wondered…would he be able to pull the trigger and kill someone? She failed once…she could not afford to do it again. The Anbu were too strict, the only reason she was not removed now was because her mission was still technically successful. Elimination would be her next clear cut mission she was certain.

As Airi finished speaking about herself there was only a short pause. Airi had never told her story before, not that it was embarrassing. If she had to be honest it sounded really lame on repeat. It was not as bad as it seemed to come off…yet Momo looked over to her with, well she could almost guess it was a forced smile but she still felt something from it. He told her she was strong…something she still did not believe. He mentioned falling behind and she could not even begin to imagine that. Someone who was basically already a Chunin with his twenty plus C-rank mission completions. He even went so far as to apologize to her which she could only smile a bit awkwardly. She was right that she did not want to hear him say that but only because she did not feel like she suffered enough for someone to feel bad for her.

How would he…he must have just been trying to be nice. He told her that she would be an excellent partner. She looked away just thinking how impossible it was for him to make a decision like that. She still couldn’t help but enjoy being told that though, especially by someone her age. There was a real difference when Momo complimented her and when Maru-san did.

As he commented with a lack of resolve on what he wanted Airi threw in her two cents. “There is always someone stronger, that is a never ending dream and well if you are worried about goals that should not end…maybe set your sights on the goal of what you are going to do when you are Raikage not just settle for getting there.”

Airi felt Nozomi brush past her and sit down. Airi was about to start eating…”Thank you for the food.” When Nozomi dropped that she was going to be going on a mission and they should come along. Airi…had only been on a small amount of group missions. Considering her training a lot of it was solo missions. Airi could already feel herself getting nervous. Why was she treating her so included?

Momo asked what kind of mission it was and Airi thought to herself. If a powerful person like Nozomi was going but they were still allowing Genin ranked shinobi to go then…”Probably a mission in the upper C-rank considering it is group based and sending a Jounin with multiple Gennin” It was sort of obvious to at least ascertain that. “Plus if they are issuing it to you in advance I wonder if they are allowing you to form a squad as you see fit…” It made sense for things that required certain skills, though the bigger issue she had here was herself. Why would Kanagawa-san…Airi paused for a moment…no if Airi came forward and told her that they had similar powers Kanagawa-san already knew what Airi was capable of. “If you think I would be useful…I will try my best. I am more of a shield and support than a weapon. Use me as efficiently as you can.” Airi of course would not say no to this. It would benefit her to gain the knowledge and experience Kanagawa-san could demonstrate to her.

As of that she started to eat her meal…she noticed Momo-kun was watching her eat and it caused her to blush slightly.