Requiem for a Dreamer

[Tenrai Indou]

It was a rainy day, of course it wasn't they were below ground, and it very nearly never rained outside in the sweltering desert heat, but in Indou's mind it was in fact raining. It was the only setting that made sense for what the past few days had brought him through emotionally.

He stood dressed in a completely new outfit it was something he had picked out himself when he went to select the clothes for the man who was laying flat on the marble slab. The man seemed familiar and yet very alien all at the same time, the general features were known to him. The length of his arms, the ones that used to hold him through the nights when he would cough his throat raw fighting off his childhood illness, his chest, where he had fallen asleep countless times, his back which even when slouched with exhaustion exuded a strength that even a kage could only ever hope to ever find, all of these things were known to him more familiar than the back of his own hand.

"Father..." Indou whispered silently from the back of the room.

He finally forced himself to lift his heavy legs and move forward, it wasn't something that was possible to do with his own strength but with what this day has transferred over to him the hopes and dreams of his father. He was the man of his household and a proud descendant of a revered clan but more importantly than any of that he was a son of two beyond great parents who had raised him with love despite how much of a burden he was on them and now it was his turn to be there for his mother.

As he moved forward he saw some of his relatives there, some nodded at him proud of what he was aiming to become, some yet and still were stuck in their own depression, something that was true for those who were not family as well his father had been very well liked in their community a hard worker and not only a good but fair man. But this was not the main concern for Indou at this particular moment the only thing on his mind was the pair of remarkably small shoulders that were shuddering only ever so slightly.

"mother..." he said finding his place next to her and wrapped his arm around the woman who had not spoken for three days, since when he found out that his father had died from heart failure. The service wasn't memorable, they were not a very rich family but his father had been respectfully buried and Indou had escorted her home. All of these things he had done with dignity but now after seeing to his mother and his aunt promising to watch over her he left to walk around the town for a bit on his own and try to clear his head and deal with the turbulent emotions that were welling up inside of him.

 

[Honma Kotone]

"Heavy heart?" The bushy, red and orange, haired Uchiha clunked his heels against the cobbled steps of Suna's underground roadworks. His blue eyes following the artificial lights that floated above, the blackened, earthy sky that seemed more homely than the true sky above ground. "I can tell," Kasa appeared from the darkness, his clunking boots signalling his presence, a gentle smile printed across his face. After meeting with Itami, the Uchiha felt somewhat odd about people now, "I have inclines towards these sort of things... probably because I cause those heavy feelings."

Why was he feeling such vain emotions?

"Why are you strolling around at this time?" He said with a slotted expression as he munched on a packet of sugary sweets. His fingers coiling around each individual bulb of boiled candy; the duration of the rustle, of the brown bag, signaled how little he had left. The Unohara handed the brown bag over to the boy, gripping onto the base of the bag, and elevating a single eyebrow.

Yes, this felt awkward for Kasa too. "Do you want one?"

 

[Tenrai Indou]

Indou jumped slightly caught unaware by the presence behind him. He turned his head so that he could peer at the newcomer from the corner of his eye not to be rude but more so to hide the fact that not only had he been caught completely unaware but that he had been just starting to cry. As he absorbed the features of the elder shinobi whose boots, now that he was focused on something more than his own internal struggles, were loud though rhythmic so he did not find them annoying if anything it became a slight focal point. Everything about the stranger was loud his feet, and especially his hair, even his personality seemed somewhat large though not over bearing, perhaps stranger wasn't the best word for it, he had seen the man before though there were no real formal introductions and it was only from a distance but he was walking around the part of town where the Uchiha descendants often congregated if for nothing more than to keep their sense of kinship.

"Ah..." Indou said dumbly growing immediately shy in front of such a large and strange person though his mind was asking a certain question that would repeatedly come to the forefront of his mind. How could he not know why I am sad? My father just died and even if he doesn't live here per se this is where most of the Uchiha descendants live.... No father did not talk about his and mothers heritage much with others. Maybe it was out of shame that they could not awaken their blood right? Why haven't I met more of my kin? No no i have been sick and shut in not very many came to visit. Indou realized that he was being rude by not talking to his new guest especially so since the he was trying to be friendly.

"Ah..." he repeated stupidly again "I.. h-haven't had it"

"C-candy I mean, I have never had candy" he said gaining a bit more confidence in his sentences "is it any good?"

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

Out of the many things this man has researched one of the most thorough he had been with these investigations was that of the history of his own people. The bloodline of the Uchiha stemmed back far into the history of the world. A great and powerful name associated with some of the most powerful barbarians of the era. Fierce warriors who only knew battle and were strained during the ages of peace which followed the wars. One of the largest groups of Uchiha met with an ill fate at the hands of their own community. While the files detailing it may be considered confidential the story has evolved into a mythos that has been carried on through the generations. Even if many of the Uchiha would scatter through the world they were all tied back together by this mythology and history. Bruinetto often wondered when the history ended and the mythology began. In the type of world they live in, it would be easy for the misinformed and uneducated to look at the shinobi of old as something more than human. The only part of it that he cared about however was how it tied all of them together. How they were connected was what brought him here.

While the local news wasn't the most enlightening or intriguing it brought about the name of a man. The Jenosaido had dealings with this man long ago where one of their own was given away so that special care may be provided. The man who they entrusted was now dead. There was no other involvement with the clan but surely pure interest on the part of Bruinetto. This being a funeral he would do enough to look like the part of a funeral attendee: Black jacket, white button-up shirt, red tie, black pants which matched the jacket, black dress shoes, cufflinks with the symbol of the Jenosaido on his wrists, a chain connected to a pocket watch situated in his left pocket, a pair of dress shoes, and sunglasses to tie it all together. In this apparel Bruinetto would rather easily blend into a crowd, however it didn't seem like that big of a crowd came here in the first place. His reasoning for being here wasn't his connection to the man that died but for the one entrusted to them by the Jenosaido. The boy showed signs of grief, depression, and being distraught. It wasn't here that he was going to address the boy. Now was not the time, nor the place.

Later on in the day after the funeral what could have been considered stalking Bruinetto would have called it "tracking" It was his means to get closer to this person. Obviously these two had never met before, and he most likely had no knowledge of his existence. There was more to this boys family than maybe he even realized. While in the Jenosaido the term "relatives" was used loosely as most of them didn't inherit anything from one another. Only a small factor of the clan internally had blood relations. As the boy walked around the town it seemed he drew the attention of another. Not interfering with this random social interaction he kept to himself for now. His ears were open listening for the sounds of carried voices in the winds as he relaxed sitting at a bench as he would look up to the stars. Trying not to let his thoughts get carried away, as that could distract him rather easily. The small talk would commence for now, just what would develop between these two?

 

[Honma Kotone]

Kindness felt a like a virus that would cause a sickening side-effects, one such example would be sympathy. Such an emotion was the disgusting feature of being a human being. "You've never had candy before?" He said with an awkward smile, still holding the brown bag in his palm. "Go on, try one. My favorite one is the 'strawberry bomb', it's like a hard boiled sweet with a fizzy center." Kasa said as he peeked into the bag and tried to spot the delicious sensation. After a few fiddling moments, he held a small orbed sweet and popped it into his moist cavern (his mouth). What an absurd feeling... sympathy for a sad, lonely boy.

"Why are you out at this time of night? Where are your parents, boy?" The Unohara re-elevated his eyebrow, which added to his suspicious expression. Perhaps Kasa was asking these questions because the years were taking a toll on the 31 year old. And maybe he asked because he was all too curious to see if he had any parents left; he did experiment on orphaned children after all.

The Unohara would forcibly give the boy his bag of candy; whether he wanted it or not. Damn this sympathy. "You shouldn't be out here, especially without someone watching over you." He sighed, "My name is Unohara Kasa and I'm the Medical Chief of Sunagakure." The red, orange bushy haired shinobi extended his hand for a formal greeting - again, wearing an expression that oozed awkward. Generally whenever he found a young child alone, he would strike and abduct them. Although after meeting with Itami his heart had seemed to mellow, soften and open up somewhat. Although this infection was a nuisances to Kasa as it gave him the cursed gift of pity and sympathy. "I'll take you home if you have a place to go to."

 

[Tenrai Indou]

"S-strawberry bomb has a fizzy center" he said pulling an identical candy piece from the bag and inspecting it. But what is the point of it? is it like a vitamin? i've had vitamins before they helped me recover from my illness perhaps its something frivolous? he thought rolling the sweet in his fingers eying it. Finally he decided to just eat it whats the worst that could happen anyways?

"My mother is at home grieving" he said with the sweet pushed to one side in his mouth "my father's funeral was today i'm out getting some air" then he shifted the candy from his cheek onto his tongue and his eyes widened a bit and his mouth flirted with smiling, candy was good! "mmmm" he grunted the joy still on his face "thank you this is very good" he said momentarily forgetting his troubles to revel in the new sensation happening in his oral cavity.

"I just came out to clear my head, i'll go back soon he said still rolling the ball of sugar around in his mouth joyfully. Then he hit the fizzy center and he literally gasped "BOMB!" he said loudly and stupidly with a huge grin on his face as the sweet crackled and popped in his mouth then fizzed away to nothing but a faint after taste reminding him of its greatness.

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

[OOC: Sorry for the wait but I am back home and no longer burdened by my working duties!]

The older gentleman who emerged was showing what sounded like genuine concern towards the child who was roaming around the streets at night. Although through the first series of words in the wrong context it could almost be taken like that of a predators. There was no reason to jump to that kind of conclusion, especially after he revealed who he was. Bruinetto remembered the name but this was the first time he had ever been around the medical chief of Sunagakure. It made sense for a man like him to be concerned with the well being of a citizen of the village, even more so for the welfare of a child. From this he could presume that all was safe and that there was no need for alarm.

Hearing the sounds of joy and happiness from consuming the candy made him snicker. Fancying himself as having a sweet tooth he could relate to the reaction of the boy but in a way envied him for trying candy for the first time. After having something for the first time generally everything after that never measures up to par. Through time perhaps you may find that one moment that surpasses the first but those moments are few and far between. In all actuality one may only end up finding that first time as setting the bar too high where nothing else would compare. That solely could be through the fact that you look at that time through the air of nostalgia.

Getting up from the bench he placed his hands into his pockets as he slowly proceeded towards the two. It was then that he would make his presence known, unless they had already picked him out. "Good evening. It's definitely a nice night for a stroll. I always look forward to the night as it turns out to be much less overbearing than that of the glaring sun that assaults us during the day."

 

[Honma Kotone]

"Ugh, no problem." Kasa said somewhat grudgingly as the boy had taken one of his favorite sweets; he didn't actually expect that. His eyes widened slightly, but almost immediately retracted back down to a normal size. Unohara didn't really know what else to say to the young boy, but did show signs of concern for him. Which was odd because there were very vague, lingering, thoughts of snatching the child for experimentation - however, he already had enough persons to suffice for a good few years. "You shouldn't be out this late, walking around or not." Whether the boy would like it, or not, Kasa crammed the bag of sweets into his hand and smiled.

"Don't get too much, I'm not a dentist so I can't help you out with tooth decay." Unohara folded his arms and braced himself against the awkward, artificially churned breeze that pressed against his face. The desserts icy breeze would be funneled down into the underground city, which was most unfortunate as the dessert always felt like a hormonal teenager: changing itself so drastically during day and night times.

However, the two were not alone as a perched man approached the two with a friendly greeting. "Evening." He said calmly with a plainly expressed face, "Do you travel up to the surface a lot then? I find the damp, unappealing skyline of the underground pretty... exhausting."

 

[Tenrai Indou]

Indou felt the weight of the bag pressed into his palm, he usually didn't accept things from strangers, not because he didn't trust them but because he had never really met anyone outside of his immediate family and a few others who would come by every so often basically he didn't ever speak to anyone who was a stranger but here this man was and outside of simply being village mates they had nothing bonding them together... except for this small bag of candy, something that may be considered insignifcant but it truly did weigh heavily in the boys mind.

T-thank you really

He bowed his head slightly in respect to the older man and stayed in that position while he was chastised before raising back up. Tooth decay? Oh! l-l-like the proverb t-t-to much of a g-g-good thing is bad! he said beaming then the smile faded slightly as his mind shifted into analyzing the last part of what he was toldi wonder if that means that he could fix other things just not tooth decay as that is not his specialty or if he just said that without thinking... then his concentration was broken, someone else had appeared and for some reason he looked somewhat familiar though outside of a common hair follicle coloration Indou could not think of anything that would link him and the newcomer.

H-h-hello s-s-strawberry bomb? he would ask popping a candy of a different flavor into his mouth then unwillingly he grunted lightly as the flavors caught him by surprise again.

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

"I have traveled up to the surface several times. More so in order to gather data for my studies. I have attempted to document some of the strange anomalies in the desert weather. While it just seems to be unpredictable and unstable, I would like to think that there is a little more refinement to it. Learning more about these patterns perhaps one day we may be able to determine what causes these storms and how to predict them. It certainly would make traveling through the desert less of a harrowing experience like it is now. The characteristics of some of those sand grains are quite dangerous as I am sure you are aware of. Even breathing them in can be dangerous considering they are so fine and fly through the air freely. The abrasiveness of those grains can cause some extensive damage to the internal body. At least that is what I would presume. I haven't looked through any of the medical data here in the village to verify that hypothesis just yet. Oh the perils of a fluttering scientific mind." He casually laughed at the thought of his own personal quirks when it came to his research before looking over towards the boy.

"Seems likes you have a slight affinity for sweets. My sister always tells me that my sweet tooth is going to be the end of my smile one of these days. I always keep some candy in my workshop. To get the brain going when I start to feel lethargic." He paused for a brief moment but then his eyes opened up wide as if he forgot something. "Oh pardon me, but the name is Bruinetto, Jenosaido Bruinetto. I easily can get carried away when I talk with something that interests me that I forget about common social formalities from time to time." He gave off half a smile as he gave a bow out of respect to Sunagakures medical chief.

 

[Honma Kotone]

Kasa would actually chuckle at the boy's reaction to the strawberry bomb center. Did he really give the sweet core a greeting? How odd, but yet delightfully cute. The bushy haired Unohara would nod his head and reply: "Don't thank me for a bunch of sweets. Although, I'm sorry for now getting you into the trend of eating sweets carelessly!" Dammit, these emotions are ridiculously irritating. However, Kasa's attention would be completely derailed from the young boy to the talkative stranger.

Kasa's genuine, actual reaction to the talkative strange named Jenosaido Bruinetto was this:

"He talks, so much..." Kasa exclaimed mentally with a bead of sweat dripping from his brow. What was this reaction? Oh God, perhaps it had something to do with the candy; he had never even tried purchasing sweets from that specific shop before. What if the old, dirty man didn't wash his hands properly?! What if he's infected Kasa with some kind of bacterial disease all because he was too lazy!

No!

"S-sorry! I suddenly felt a little under the weather," He quickly tried to recover composure by continuing the conversation, "Your studies must certainly be interesting. Are you a medical ninja, Bruinetto-san?"

Must. Keep. Composure.

Do. Not. Throw. Up.

 

[Tenrai Indou]

They are all weird... no I am the wierd one, this whole village is filled with such large personalities

Indou felt completely overpowered he didn't think that Bruinetto senpai was talking too much but it was just such a large social interaction and especially when trying to follow not only words but facial features and body language from two people he wasn't exactly sure who he was supposed to respond to and which part of the conversation that he was supposed to have keyed in on the most but he picked the candy that was something that had linked all three of them together Kasa sama had given him the candy, he enjoyed the candy and apparently so did Bruinetto senpai.

W..w why would candy be the end of a smile?

he said truly puzzled as he popped another strawberry bomb in his mouth

t... they make me s-s-smile

he would counter showing his pearly whites

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

When proposed with the question on him being a medical ninja he quickly shook his head no. "Actually I am undecided so I have ended up on the main branch for now. I would actually like to see if I could dabble a little into both and work as a liaison between the two. For me it came down to what would provide a better environment for my research. It's why I became a shinobi in the first place. It's rather hard to get the capital needed for supplies and equipment otherwise." It could be said that Bruinetto only became a shinobi for these benefits as opposed too wanting to protect the village or give back to his home. Perhaps that was selfish of him but he didn't deem it as such. He was just doing what was necessary so that he may continue on with his work.

It seemed that the young man was perplexed at the though of candy being able to ruin his smile. Knowing that the boy was younger he didn't want to make the explanation too complicated. "Well anything with sugar will tend to remain partially on your teeth. If you don't remove there are germs that will eat the sugar and release acids which can eat away at your teeth. This can create an opening in your teeth which can overtime damage a tooth. I am sure you have heard of cavities before." The boy was young and more than likely was not versed on the best ways to care for his health. When you are a child that really isnt your primary concern and usually one your parents take responsibility for.

 

[Honma Kotone]

"Well, they might end up ruining your teeth, Indou-san." He would smile at the young boy, whilst rubbing his teeth frequently to feel the smoothness. He really didn't like the thought of having no teeth, and he knew that dental care wasn't ever covered by any form of insurance he had. However, he did have the money to pay such such dental mishaps; but parting with the cash was a matter far too different. "Even if they make you smile," He reached over and napped a strawberry bomb, popping the sweet into his mouth, "You should always moderate your intake! Too much sweets might make you feel unwell!"

Kasa then turned his attention to the other gentleman, Bruinetto. "You want to work with the medical branch?" He tilted his smile to the side, and nibbled at his lip momentarily. Kasa then reached into his pocket and retrieved a small, fashionable, business card with his name, contact details and where his office was in the hospital. Or rather, where the reception was for his office. "Contact me if you want to further that ideal... we may be of some mutual benefit towards each other, and our little friend here." He said patting Indou on his head, head before giving the stranger the contact card with a smile.

"Bruinetto, Indou-san, do you both know each other?" He questioned, finding it odd for three people to suddenly commute into each other on a frosty-aired night.

[ooc: Sorry for the post, got a little distracted and didn't want to leave you guys waiting!]

 

[Tenrai Indou]

Indou's eyes enlarged at the new information about the delicious sweets that were in his hands they then flew very quickly to his teeth checking to make sure that they had not rotted away in the duration of the conversation he had heard before that too much of a good thing could be bad but it had never had any real meaning to him until this very moment when he had found something that was completely mind blowing to him and now he had to limit his use of it, not really a strong point for an adolescent but he would try his best.

With his hand still in his mouth he would notice that the conversation had changed and they were speaking of the familiarity between the three of them.

umm i don't think so... but i don't know much of anyone outside of my mother and father because when i was younger i was bedridden with a very serious illness so i was stuck in my house all the way up until the last two or so years

he then turned to bruinetto

do you know me?

 

[Honma Kotone]

[Topic left due to inactivity]

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

[OOC: Sorry for the delay. Have been swamped with work over the recently holiday]

Seems that his talk with the medical chief of Sunagakure has gotten him a new contact. In this world social networking was by far one of the greatest tools one may utilize. Sometimes it wasn't always your own talent and drive that took you somewhere, yet it was who you knew. "I have thought of working a long with the medical branch. Perhaps you could have some of the information I could use in order to break my indecisiveness on the matter" He said that with a smile. Grabbing onto the contact card he placed it into his left pocket.

Shortly after that though he was questioned by both about if and how he knew Indou. There really was no beating around the bush and he wasn't planning on hiding anything. Secrecy was not needed in such a case afterall. "I do know the boy, albeit indirectly. Seems that his family has ties with the Jenosaido Clan, more specifically the Fujikaru sect of the clan. With a recent death in the family I wanted to reach out to them. To offer any sort of help and guidance in their troubled times."

 

[Tenrai Indou]

(holidays midterms and all that special stuff sorry for the delay)

Indou's eyebrow cocked slightly as he looked towards the one called Bruinetto. u-um i'm sure y-y-you must be mistaken n-n-n-no one would claim someone s-such as me he said shakingn his head slowly even if he was to be claimed by a clan he had no accolades, his parents were not particularly powerful in their bloodline abilties, and more importantly for the majority of his life he had been an invalid completely incapable of doing so much as moving from his bedroom to the living room without help from either his mother or his father now being claimed by the Jenosaido or Fujikaru was something that was almost just too much for the boy to take in especially when it was placed on top of the already massive weight that had been shifted onto his shoulders when his father died.

w-w-what exactly is a Jenosaido... o-or a Fujikaru for that matter

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

"It is all a little complex, but I can give you a short version that will be easy to understand." Lowering his posture down he would meet the kid on equal level with his eyes. This was to show the boy he was talking to him on the same level, and not down to him. "The Jenosaido is a clan that originated long ago here in the village. However before they existed there were two other clans before it. The Seishou, and the Fujikaru. The Seishou were a group of talented individuals with extremely powerful chakra. Their rivals however, were the Fujikaru. The two fought against each other many times throughout history. It seems that at some point the two banded together against a mutual threat that endangered all of Suna. After setting aside their difference they made a pact, and the Jenosaido was formed. The two houses of the clan are still separate but we support one another. You share family ties to the Fujikaru, as do I." There was a lot more to the history but that was enough of it to answer the boys question.

It seems that the medical chief had left them and it was only them now. "The clan would look out for you, as well as your mother. The financial backing from the Fujikaru will mean you two can live beyond your normal standard of living if you so please. In the mean time, we will help you harness the power that lays dormant in your blood. Unlike the Seishou, the Fujikaru were not born with just a special chakra. It's our blood that makes us special." Although it made them special it also made them appear dangerous to others. Apparently through history there had been more than one attempted genocide against many bloodlines.

 

[Tenrai Indou]

Indou looked shocked as the man made all of his proclamations of course he knew the secret of his own blood but here was someone telling him that they were from the same lineage but he wasn't specific on if there was just one bloodline or not.

but... the Fuji...karu? are they a-all of the s-same heritage? so... you are l-like me?

he asked and even though it wasn't direct Indou could not really remember ever meeting with another person who descended down from the bloodline of Uchiha's before and if this was to be his first meeting then it was truly a monumental one, but also it would be frustrating if the clan could have claimed him at anytime and they knew of his existence then why did they never seek him out? why did he live alone with his father and mother why for the past three years when it was assured that he was going to actually recover did no one come and introduce themselves.

All of these questions spiraled in the boys head to the point of him not actually being sure that he wanted to be claimed by this group.

Why now? If you came earlier maybe... maybe... father

he said his voice trembling as he stared at the ground.