Starting Place[Private-PtE]

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Continuation from The Maw

Yuii lead Sunuke through the looming gates and into the valley beyond. Kumogakure sat in a bowl of tall mountains, protected on all sides from from the menace of the outside world. From where they stood, one could see the entirety of the village and and it's forest beyond. Yuii paused to drink it in, letting herself revisit the wonder she had felt at first sight of her home. Truly the people of Kumogakure had made a beautiful thing; a perfect gilded cage.

"This way, this way!" The Jounin could hardly contain her excitement. It seemed like a dream to have her friend there, and she feared she might wake up at any moment. The rapid turn of events made everything feel fuzzy and not quite real, but in a joyful way.

Yuii danced in one place, peering back and forth, then steered him off the main path and scrambled up a way stone that doubled as the perfect vantage point. She beckoned for him to follow then spread her arms wide. "Behold, Kumogakure no Sato in all its amazing glory! Over there is the Cronopollis. They say those giant stones sticking out of it are the bones of a giant creature that Raiden defeated. Oh! Over there is the Seki district, thats where all the big clan houses and the well off live. Pretty expensive. In the middle is Susukino. If you look really hard you can see the Dawnbringer's Plaza. Uh, I think that's named after some guy. We'll go there later, I mean, I guess you'll need stuff wont you?" She explained rapidly, breathlessly, with all the enthusiasm of a child. She glanced at Sunuke, grinning broadly, to make sure he was paying attention. Of course he would need things. Yuii was prepared for Haru's arrival but she had never planned or expected to have a guest in her little home. He would need a futon at least; she wouldn't let him rough it.

With a deep breath, she continued to regurgitate the information she knew about the village, regardless of how interested he seemed to be. There was just so much. "There is the library. It's really old, tons of book, great place for a nap. Colosseum is on the opposite side. I've never been there, but they like to have fights there I guess? The biggest one is the Torre Celeste, where the Raikage lives and all the main branch work gets done. Isn't it amazing? The stars are amazing from the top and there are a hundred rooms at least! We'll go and see it soon. That's where Kogami works and I had better keep my word or we'll both end up in a heap of trouble!" They would go and see the soon to be Raikage in the morning, during her usual meeting with the odd man. She would need to apologise for the assortment of lies she had told on Sunuke's behalf to keep the village from investigating into him further. She had excluded or altered her own information for the past eight years, making him out to be a very minor interest, and she suspected even Ayumu could not waive off her behaviour.

That was for tomorrow though, and Yuii would not burden her happy friend with the troubles she had created. He would fuss at least, and she wanted to make his first impression of Kumogakure a happy one as it had been for her.

"Come on, I live near the Torre Celeste. It's a pretty small place and you're not allowed to make fun of how empty it is." she said, pulling him back down from their perch before one of the gate guards made a fuss about them being there, "I only moved in a little while ago and I've never had to decorate my own place before! Also there isn't a bath but there are Onsen around. I'll take you by one tonight. I bet you could use one after all that climbing! How long did the journey take you, Su? That's an awful long way to have gone in one go!"

 

[Ko]

The village seemed to en encapsulated into the bowl of a mountain range, and somehow managed to fit everything so neatly (more or less), and full of people. He was entranced by the views that the village had around it. But it seemed he didn’t have much of a chance to take it all in as Yuii was already trying to drag him through the place.

”H-hey where are we going?” Sunuke asked without hesitation, feeling that he wasn’t going to get much chance to take it in slowly. Everything was going too fast and he wasn’t going to get much time to take it all in at a slower pace. These ninjas these day were just way too fast for their own good!

She climbed up a rock and made him climb up it as well as he opened her arms to the view. It was indeed a pretty decent view of everything that was around here. It wasn’t quite the view that the mountain that Leaf somehow had was in his opinion. But when you’re on top of a mountain range, going a little higher isn’t much different while going from the top of a mountain to the bottom is pretty majestic.

Sunuke listened carefully to his close friend, wondering what to make of it. She was very knowledgeable of the geography in the local area. He would take note of every single piece of information. Some bits of information would drop out of his brain every once in a while. Something about a dunebringers plaza? Cloud doesn’t even have any dunes!

He would try to make a point but she continued on about libraries and coliseums and all sorts of cultural stuff that Cloud seemed to have. He wasn’t very good at all the cultural mumbo jumbo besides his clan stuff. But remembering the past seemed like such a hassle to really do to him.

”The village sure has a lot of stuff to do, and I’m already feeling a little overwhelmed. Maybe it would be best to go do an introduction soon too, to this Kogami that is.” He scratched the back of his head and gave a soft smile, already feeling the culture shock of being in a new place. The missing nin had gone from running away through fields and hamlets to villages like this… So much had changed.

”A small place for a growing person is not a suitable place for the member of a large and old clan, Yu-yu,” he teased her a little. He had heard the Kagetsu clan was an older clan of Kumogakure. ”I’m sure we can find you a much bigger place for the future leader of all Kagetsus and their offspring, Yu-yu.”

He felt himself being pulled down off the perch, as she suggested an Onsen. Sunuke then remembered the stiffness in his shoulders from all the travelling he did. Lifting heavy objects and clearing roads of debris from some of the storms the Lightning country got. He feetsies were a little tired too after all that walking.

”Hot water of any kind sounds lovely. The journey from the village to here was about a day and a half travel. Part way through was when I sent the messenger bird. Looks like it all worked out pretty perfectly.” It was all thanks to plot timing no jutsu, the greatest custom jutsu.

”Lead the way to the Torre Celeste then, my tour guide.” He gave a playful nudge before following her. ”You’ll have to show me some of the places you like going. As much as visiting people may be… interesting, there must be some other things you like doing here!”

MFT- 613 words

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

She didn't argue with Sunuke about the size of her home. He was a guest, and a woefully ignorant of her clan's politics; she didn't need to bore him with that drama. Once she was comfortable in her sensei position, Yuii did plan to take on extra work to see about getting a nicer home though. Something with a proper bath and more room for growing Harune. Even better, she could get a place with three rooms so Sunuke could stay with her too.

Yuii stumbled forward and laughed, narrowly avoiding a small group of loitering teens as a result. They shot Yuii, and by extension Sunuke, glares filled with haughty angst. Perhaps it was Yuii's clearly displayed headband or the sword Sunuke carried, but they were content to scorn them silently.

"A bath first then," she chirped happily. It struck her that Sunuke had probably not been to a large city in a long time. He'd never spoken about travelling to any of the cities of Kumogakure and the reason for that was nothing she needed to wonder over. With his sword and slight accent he would have stuck out like a crooked nail waiting to be caught up by the hammer of the CPSS or another shinobi. Like knew like and as passive as Sunuke had always seemed to be it was plain her had a lot of potential; there was no hiding it from someone properly skilled to look for the signs. He would be the one red maple in the forest of pine trees. Best case he would be head hunted to join Kumogakure, worst case they thought he was a missing nin.

Yuii back peddled and linked arms with her friend, drawing him close to her side. The Jounin wasn't going to take any chances on him wandering off or getting kidnapped. Sunuke was a baby sparrow and he'd just walked into a den of hungry cats. The thin veil of Kumogakure's laws were all that kept him safe, and leave it to Sunuke to stumble into trouble. This wasn't his little village, they wouldn't just let him, or Yuii that matter, off with a wrist slap for causing trouble. Maybe once they spoke to Ayumu Yuii would feel better about letting Sunuke out of her sight. Maybe not.

"I'm really happy you came to see me," she purred, steering them off the main road and down a series of narrow alleyways. Kumogakure was old; built long before their modern technology that had been retroactively fitted to it's older stone and wood buildings. Cables cross crossed between buildings, broken up by the cheerful displays of drying laundry and the odd attempt at a g window garden. Plumbing had been laid in the last century at least; Kiyo had told her stories about the necropolis and the poorer areas of Cloud; apparently to stench had been significant. The point of the narrow roads was to obscure them though. Maybe there would be anbu, maybe there wouldn't but all but a well trained Hashigaki would be hard pressed to listen in on their conversation now. Not that Yuii worried overmuch about what she had to say being misinterpreted or brought to Ayumu, she just hoped she could be the one to tell the Raikage about Sunuke in person.

"I really, really missed you, Sunuke. I realised last week that I would have been visiting you if everything had stayed the same. My heart hurt and I thought, 'is this what people feel when they're homesick?' except that wasn't home I just..." she trailed off, not certain what she meant. There had been hundreds of people she saw over the course of each year but her routine had been firmly grounded. Seeing Sunuke had been one of the joys of fall and spring for instance, just as her brief time home in summer and winter had been preordained. She had gotten so used to it all over the decade that she wasn't coping well with being trapped in Kumogakure.

Yuii pressed her cheek to Sunuke's shoulder and sighed, searching for a change of subject, "How was your summer? Did they have a good harvest this year? And Ami must have had her baby by now? Oh and those puppies, did they find homes? I bet they did, they were just the cutest."

 

[Ko]

Sunuke followed slightly behind, watching Yuii carefully as they passed a bunch of teenagers. Despite their looks of scorn they just seemed just as grumpy as any other young pupil in any other village in the surrounding area. It seemed that learning to become a shinobi didn’t teach you much on manners, patience and above all else: How to actually be happy because you can shoot fireballs and normal kids can’t. People took this kind of power for granted these days.

He gave them a frown in return, before moving on. Open carry was common in every village but it didn’t make it popular. He instead moved a little bit closer to Yuii to make sure she was kept safe. Though he didn’t touch his sword it was very well prepared to strike targets if needed be.

She mentioned having a bath being the first plan of action. He was worn out in both body and mind, and a relaxing bath was beginning to sound like a great idea. He wasn’t sure how he smelled to others but Yuii didn’t seem to mind. His clothes could have probably used a wash too. He hadn’t really brought much in the way of gear and most of the items he had before hand he had discarded. Though he kept his essentials and mementos in a satchel.

”A bath sounds lovely, really,” he said as felt his arm being linked up as if he was some kind of toddler who needed some restrainer, or a dog with a leash. Not that he minded. ”I’m sure being in such a high and colder climate to the villages below you must have the hottest baths around. And being on a mountain top you must have really pure water!” He was excited to see what they had here.

The Nanjirou listened to her talk as she mentioned how happy she was that he arrived. He didn’t really know what to expect turning up out of the blue. In fact he had already prepared for her not showing up, or him finding out something had happened to her. But really he was overjoyed that he was able to see her once again.

”You know I’m really glad you were here. I admit I was worried that you would be traveling again and I would have just missed you. But I was lucky to see that Cloud had kept you leashed just for a little while.” He gave her a little nudge before smiling as he looked forward. ”The year wouldn’t have been the same without seeing you.”

He realised that she decided to move away from that conversation, and would humour her as she pressed her head onto his arm. He hadn’t thought of his home for a little while now so it took him a moment to answer.

”Summer was pretty uneventful. A couple of bar fights had to be broken up over Maya because she and her boyfriend split and she moved on quickly. Same old there. The harvest? I think it’s going well. The fields looked plentiful as I left, but you can’t tell until you uproot a lot of the vegetables.”

Sunuke chuckled at the thoughts of Ami, as well as the puppies. ”Ami’s baby must be coming up to 7 months now. He had a small bout of colic, and when he was born they thought he wasn’t going to make it. We’re lucky a mednin from Kumogakure actually was passing through at the time. I was meant to tell her thanks too… And the puppies found homes very quickly. When you live in the farmlands they all need dogs to help chase away the foxes and feral cats that might try and get the chickens. Others went to some very loving families and I think one or two stayed on with the owners.”

But he then looked down at her and decided to ask her some questions as they moved towards the bath that Yuii promised. ”What about you though? Where did you go last in your travels? What kind of teaching work are you doing now? I’m curious to see what you do here now. I want to experience the world that is Yu-yu!”

MFT 704 words

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

"A little while," she echoed wistfully, gnawing on a strand of hair. There would never be a 'normal' year again, and if he left her there would be no one left. It was selfish perhaps but she desperately wanted to strong arm him into staying in Kumogakure. Was it so selfish to want one constant person in her life?

Yuii's smile broadened at the news of the baby and more importantly the puppies. Maya was Maya, the drama surrounding that girl wouldn't end until she settled down but the dogs had been on Yuii's mind. She had been considering taking one of the sweet little mongrels if one had been left. It was a happy thing to know there was no say little creature left behind that should have been hers. Oniyuri and her other summons would not have enjoyed the addition though, so everything had worked out for the best. "I'm glad, they were so cute." she laughed, remembered how they had tumbled over each other, "I'm surprised you didn't take one. I know you wanted to!"

The conversation turned to her and Yuii paused a moment, trying to recall what of her life wasn't steeped in regulations. "I'm not really at liberty to say," she answered warmly, drawing her fingers across her half smiling lips as if sealing a zipper, "but everything is fine. Good things happen for me so it's just adjusting to living here full time again. I had a pretty interesting adventure in the library though!" That story was all her and the mysterious little waif Hikari so it would be safe to recount.

"There was this kid right? No, no. First there was a ghost and it was all like 'read to me,' and I really just wanted a nap because books are- ughh. It wasn't going to let me sleep though so I follow it to get the book it wants, Then, BAM! " breaking into her story as the aqua haired woman pulled him deeper into the twisted maze of alleys. A pair of children ducked through the street ahead of them and one middle aged man sat smoking his pipe in a rare ray of sunlight. On it's surface Kumogakure looked like any other village; full of lively people going about their daily tasks. Kumogakure's shinobi could not help but stand out amongst civilians but they did a passable job if you didn't look too closely. The large shadow of a body jumping from roof top to rooftop flicked over head, breaking the illusion.

With a sharp tug, she pulled him from the alley and back onto the main street. "From no where this girl smacks right into me. Tiny little brown haired mouse-ling with super sonic speed, that's what she was. We fall over, she's super stunned and I'm thinking, 'where did she come from?' I ask her what she's doing and she doesn't say a word, just bends over and starts touching my leg like some kind of ultra perv. I'm freaking out just a little, because what the hell right, but then she grabs a book and runs!"

Sunuke had chosen to arrive in the afternoon, and so they had to endure the full force of the afternoon crowd. The streets weren't packed, but one was forced to duck and weave through meandering shoppers and burdened workers. The blue haired woman set a pace bordering on a run, pulling Sunuke behind her in what seemed like a haphazard way until she casually stopped them both short of going head long into a cart of vegetables and danced them expertly around. All the while she continued to ramble on about the library.

"So I chase the kid because she was acting so strange and I'm worried. At first I think she's sick but I catch her and she doesn't have a fever. So what else could it be than possession or coercion right? Well I cornered her finally after we fell down this weird book return thing and I guess it was neither." She pushed him against a wall, narrowly avoiding a large rickshaw, "Turns out she was after some kind of girl-love book. Funny right? Strangest day. Oh and she bit me. Oh look, here we are! Baths!"

And so they were. The public baths in this area weren't much to look at; the building was just the same stone and wood construction as the other miss matched constructions and one could be forgiven for missing the too-small sign and and blue flagged entrance.

Inside was plain and functional with tiled floors and light panelled walls that could resist the steady stream of steam coming from the baths beyond. A tired looking middle aged man sat fanning himself at a desk and he eyed them as they entered. He seemed to know Yuii though as he half raised a hand in greeting and continued to work at keeping himself cool/

"You need me to wash your back?" Yuii giggled, turning him towards the entrance. "Or should I wait here?" There was the option of a co-ed area, Yuii shoved him towards the male tagged area with the assumption the answer would be 'no'.

 

[Ko]

Yuii seemed pleased with how the village that Sunuke had decided to make home was doing. With all the stories that were going on there was enough to keep her interested on what was going on out there in the real world. If he could keep up her interest in there, then maybe she would want to go travelling once more? He hopped so since the mountains surrounding the village felt more like a cage than they felt like protection. At least this was what he felt like in this case.

”Oh the library huh? What sort of interesting things could happen there? Not as exciting as the things that are being kept from me. I thought we were super bestie best friends!” Sunuke was a little perplexed that actual events went on in the library and not just some kind of hidden place for nerds and promiscuous couples to have some alone time. But instead he would just be playful and polite and listen to her story about the library.

In all her excitement she struggled to keep her story together. First there was a girl and then it was a ghost. He listened intently as she recounted her tale until she shouted “BAM.” Sunuke would jump while she dragged him out of one alleyway and into another labyrinth. He took a breath, or tried to as he was pulled onto the main street.

He felt weird that she was pulling him around the place and almost hiding him from people while telling her story. But he would continue listening.

”A girl ran into you while in the library? Why the heck was she running at sonic speed in the library? How could you even find the distance to build that kind of momentum? What kind of super soldiers are you making here, Yu-chan?” He gave her a playful nudge while they ducked and weaved through.

The story continued until they reached the baths. The story didn’t seem to make too much sense, and the shinobi felt awful for the poor ghost who didn’t get a chance to listen to Yuii tell a story. He hoped that Yuii was finally able to nap without interference of the ghost.

The smell of bath water without any trace of chlorine was refreshing for sure. He didn’t have to worry about burning his eyes dipping his face in the water unlike some of the poorer pools he had been to. It just seemed a little more relaxed here. Even the guards didn’t seem to care.

”This place seems really nice. And the more I think about it the more I do know I have all these knots from the travels. Though carrying this sword isn’t too much of a problem. Unlike most swordsmen I don’t even need to wield it!” He felt proud knowing that he didn’t leave any fingerprints or anything at any scenes because his sword did all the work for him.

He grinned at Yuii who was still taking him by the arm through the complex. Though the place was small it didn’t really bother him. The tiled floors proved that they were very close to the waters now.

She turned Sunuke to the entrance and began to push him. She asked if he needed her to wash his back and his face began to light up like a Christmas tree. What was she doing? Trying to tease him with the suggestion of a bath together.

”E-eh? Yu-chan do you not want to rest too? I-I mean I can wash my own back b-because I’m a grown up ninja now unlike when we were younger. B-but I guess we’re older now, huh? Can’t just wash each others backs as easily… B-but it doesn’t mean I want to stop listening to your stories while we bathe.”

”I wouldn’t mind spending more time together. I want to know what happened to the ghost you seemed to just forget about. Did you just leave without him? I bet he would have just carried on harassing you!” He turned around and looked at the options.

”So the co-ed would make it easier to talk. I don’t know if the male and female have a wall that we could converse from. So unless you want some privacy I don’t mind if you actually have a co-ed so I can hear some more things about what’s keeping you in the village. This place IS rather small after all.”

MFT-743 words

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii burst out in a peel of laughter that echoed off the walls of the bathhouse. The attendant cleared his throat, rising his eyebrows pointedly from behind his fan. She just couldn't help it, the picture of actually scrubbing his back like some kind of overly attached sister was hilarious. There was no way she would actually do that,

"Oh, Raiden bless you're funny. Grown up ninja. Pfft haha-" It was a nice idea though. It wasn't a particularly cold day but Yuii would enjoy the hot water. These baths were all in-door so that the air inside could be kept a reasonable temperature even in the winter. That was why she was a regular here; Yuii simply couldn't stand being too cold. "It IS a bath house not a hot-spring. You come here to get clean, not drink Sake and sing songs. I'll come keep you company though, since you insist. Knowing you you'd get into trouble without me." So she conceded, back tracking to pay the now well amused bath guardian for two.

Yuii then gave him another shove towards the changing area and snickered, "You have to get changed by yourself though. I'll meet you out there. And DO NOT forget your modesty towel this time! Keep it PG-13 buddy! This isn't the pond from back home where everyone has seen everyone's bits and pieces. People here can be sensitive!" It was mid day and the co-ed sides were rarely used by anyone by canoodling couples and families. The second was what she was worried about. The last thing she needed was a mother chasing Sunuke out yelling that he was a pervert. Double standards of course; children often ran around fully naked. That was probably why she was worried; Sunuke practically was a child in some ways.

She made her way to her own change room and shed her clothes quickly. She didn't forget her cover either, though it all felt a bit silly. The 'change' rooms themselves had an area to scrub off, and she gave herself a quick wash before making her way out. The idea of having her back washed like a kid wasn't horrible- she'd never actually had that experience to date, but Yuii wasn't certain Sunuke was quite the right... candidate in adulthood.

As was tradition and expectation; she would take a bit longer to get out to the bath. Luckily it was just them the tub- which could easily fit a few dozen people without rubbing elbows, was empty."Have you ever been to a big library Sunuke? Imagine if you really, really loved to read then one day, poof, you couldn't open a book anymore? Well you would find someone who could right? Maybe read over their shoulder? Well that's what the library spirits do." she would pick up her story again once settled into the water, her eyes very, very, modestly set on the ceiling.

 

[Ko]

Cheeks ran red with blush as the girl in front of him started to laugh her head off. The sound bouncing off the walls, ringing in his ears and rattling the eardrums with such force that his face became flustered and embarrassed. Embarrassment wasn't a feeling the Nanjirou was all that used to, but it seemed to be so very common when it came to being with the Cloud Ninja right here.

"I-I know it is just a bath house!" He replied with haste, before realising he could have hurt the people who worked here. "N-not that your work here is any less THAN a hot springs or anything! I just- I..." He was flustered and embarrassed and not the cool headed shinobi he was meant to be. He was a goofball and he knew it quite well.

He felt the girl giving him a shove on his back as he had tried to save himself from this shame he felt rising up from him. He remembered the one time where he had just so happened to forget the towel in the baths when he was younger... he wished she would have forgotten that.

"It was ONE time" he reminded her in a hushed, but still kind of loud voice to her. Certainly he would know where they were and he had learned from the last time. He had never returned to that village since...

Getting changed and making sure he brought extra towels, Sunuke had made his way out into the bath, and sat down. His cheeks still flushed with red even after all these minutes. His eyes looking away in embarrassment from everyone else in the baths. He wasn't ashamed of his... figure or anything. He was just ashamed of seeing other people.

His eyes avoided looking at Yuii, instead looking down at the water even as she entered. He would instead focus on washing himself off of any body odour and dirt that had held onto him since he left the village he was previously in. Though she asked him about libraries and other things he hadn't been familiar with in a long time.

"If I were a spirit I wouldn't waste my time bothering to read. I would be looking for a way to find peace, and if not peace then to quench whatever desires I had in the afterlife. That poor spirit didn't even get to read the book since you got so caught up with some kind of human ninja cannonball!"

He smiled soft and chuckled, continuing to wash his arms while still looking away. Maybe this was a bad idea after all, since being just friends made this a little more uncomfortable than he first expected it to be.

"Oh! Did I tell you about the time the little village got attacked by some kind of plague of toads? It was led by some Ninja with a giant toad beside him." He thought long and hard for a moment before continuing.

"I think... the ninja was trying to take over the village or something. I had never seen a toad so huge! I'm sure it would have been able to jump over the mountain walls of your village, Yuii. That was no doubt. And it gave the enemy some kind of giant staff to knock down all the buildings in the village. Until BAM!" He made a splash with the water.

"My sword and that staff made impact. I didn't realise that you could disarm someone of a weapon that big but it did! He quickly ran away after that. I haven't seen him around since luckily. I guess he realised that this country would be harder to take control of with just some lousy giant toad."

He grinned at Yuii, before jumping and looking down again all flustered.

"Of course... it's nice to be safe in a village like this for once. I don't have to worry too much about looking behind for enemy shinobi or giant creatures. I heard that Sand always has problems with these giant worms. Sounds a bit silly if you ask me."

He continued to wash himself, making sure to get his back as well, just like he said he would.

"So how is your clan doing? You've not really mentioned them at all. I thought they were the pride of Kumogakure!"

MFT 735 words

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii took up a place against the wall of the bath and happily kept her eyes occupied on tracing the tile patterns. She had been his bits and pieces before, but that didn't mean she wanted to get an eyeful right then. Not that Sunuke was unattractive, but she was fifteen years too old to be sneaking peeks of boys in the bath and thought of Sunuke too much as a brother to be interested.

"They're still there, and I can't spend my life satisfying the needs of the dead," Yuii answered, resting her chin on her folded hands. The ghost had joined the entourage of the strange bookworm Hikari and was likely very content there. Eventually, if it was important the ghost would find her again. "I don't carry one around like you do." she reminded him mirthfully, "so I can disappoint one or two."

A pair of girls entered the baths then, and Yuii decided to drop the talk of ghosts. Sunuke seemed understanding and switched topics. She never liked talking about ghosts around people who couldn't see them; it always lead to uncomfortable questions or requests that went beyond the scope of her power.

The girls, a pair of blonds, took up residence on the other side of the water. They whispered quietly together, stole glances at Sunuke and giggled. One blew him a kiss, which drew more giggles from her friend. Both seemed a little young to Yuii to be making eyes at her friend, but that might have been the protective side of her raising it's hackles.

Toads? When had there been toads? Why hadn't anyone told her! "I hadn't heard!" Yuii gasped, immediately worried for Sunuke's little village. Toads, missing nin? what would have prompted someone to attack such a little community? "Everyone must be alright?" she asked quickly, squirming with worry. They had to be, Sunuke would have told her if anyone was hurt before now! Surely he hadn't kept this a secret from her, surely it was a recent event.

"Toads! So gross." One of the blonds said, making it obvious they were being listened to. Yuii had to agree though she shot the girls a glare to silently remind them to shut their mouths.

Yuii continued to listen not look. She jumped a little at his loud onomatopoeia and smack against the water. She heard the girls squeal and couldn't help but cringe. She should have been rewarding his story with more reaction, how dare they. At least they weren't interjecting anymore. Yuii hated rudeness; even if she herself always overstepped boundaries.

"I'm glad you were there Sunuke, imagine what could have happened! I hope they'll be okay while you're gone." She wanted to ask if he was intending to go back, but that would be giving too much away in present company. Yuii was wary of everyone right now; at least until she could bring Sunuke to Ayumu. After she settled the legality of his presence; temporary or not, she could then speak freely again.

As Sunuke asked about the clan, the girls had other things in mind. Yuii wasn't making moves, or even looking, so they were going to be bold. "Ne, ne, Mr. Hero can I wash your back for you?" One of the girls called out, an infraction Yuii found acceptable because the story had ended. The other girl pushed her friend to the side playfully and reached from Sunuke's cloth, "No, no let me!" Yuii burst out laughing, imagining how embarrassed Sunuke was.

"Oh. Them? I don't know. I haven't gone to see them in awhile." She muttered, burying her face in her arm to muffle her giggles. The clan wanted to see her, but she was avoiding them like a plague ridden cow. She didn't want to hear the list of all the ways they were disappointed in her.

 

[Ko]

"I don't really understand the dead too much... do they want to be here or not? I don't really tend to ask them that I just let Sunuke fight for me." He realised he probably told her about the fact he was named after the past kage who had died a while ago.

"It's a little confusing to me to try and explain to people that while I am Sunuke, the ghost who fights for me is also called Sunuke. It is certainly something hard to tell people that I'm not talking in the third person, so I've given up explaining how I can control the sword without even touching it." He had left it in the changing rooms but Sunuke was still holding it, walking around in circles and frightening male patrons from entering the pool.

Speaking of patrons: Sunuke noticed that a pair of blonde haired ladies entered the pool and immediately took interest in him and Yuii. Maybe Yuii was someone who was really popular here, and maybe that was why she was still in Cloud. She's a celebrity! This didn't stop him from telling his story that seemed to keep Yuii interested and yet concerned.

"E-eh? I'm sure the village will be fine. If not then I'm sure a mission will crop up here in the village... that IS how you help people right? Missions? I admit I'm not too familiar..." aA half truth. He had been on the run for nearing a decade now, or even longer. He couldn't quite exactly pinpoint where.

As he tried to listen to Yuii, the two "guests" of theirs tried to reach in and cause more disruptions to their car, even reaching to grab at the towel Sunuke had on him. He remembered flashbacks of what happened last time and took a side step in the bath.

"E-e-eh n-no no it's okay. Really! I'll be fine ladies. I-I'm sure it would be inconvenient a-anyways." His fire country twang would seep through a little during times where he was nervous. He had not always been great at covering over that accent when in dire situations.

At that point the manager ran in to the bathhouse, white faced and afraid of what was happening.

"Haunted sword! A g-ghost has taken possession of a sword and is patrolling the bathhouse! Oh I knew why they had sold this place to me cheap!" The manager panicked more and ran out of the bathhouse, along with others.

The Nanjirou would turn and look at the young spirit seer, before pointing to himself in confusion. Looked like the fact his ghost was always by his sword had caused a problem for the patrons in the bath house.

"Oops?" Sunuke said questioningly, before sighing softly. "I think this bath is probably at it's due course anyway Yu-chan. Then again this means no one can tell us when we have to leave." He beamed a smile before thinking if that was actually the right answer she wanted to hear or not.

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii listened with growing mirth as Sunuke stuttered and tried to extract himself from the hands of the women. She risked a peek and was rewarded by to see her friend practically chased across the bath to avoid being 'washed' by the two women. At least he had the good sense to avoid them as they didn't want an incident like 'last time'. There wasn't enough beer in Kumogakure to drink away the trauma of seeing her friend forcibly 'washed'. Then his sword would get worked up and somebody would get stabbed, but not in a fun way.

Her ghost-blade wielding friend must have been thinking the same. He was nervous enough to betray his origins which meant he was also nervous enough to alert -someone- currently not in possession. Right on cue, the bath owner burst in shouting about ghosts and swords. The blondes exchanged a panicked gasp and followed the old man in evacuating the building through the untouched woman's change room. "Damn it," Yuii sighed playfully while slipping out of the water and fetching her towel, "Can't we have one bath without you whipping your sword out Su-chan? I've got this."

Muttering under her breath, she padded quickly over to the male change room and slammed the bamboo sliding door open. An elder, balding, pudgy man in nothing by his underpants crouched behind a bunch blubbering to himself. He screamed like a terrified child, then, realising she was not the ghost pointed further into the building. "It tried to cut my bits off!" he wailed. Yuii rolled her eyes and jutted her thumb back towards the bath, "Go the other way." she ordered.

Channelling the voice she usually used on unruly students, Yuii yelled into the presumably empty hot springs. "Sunuke, stand down and get in that sword before I MAKE you. Don't make me repeat myself." Just to show she was serious, she called her own ghostly blade into existence. "Seriously, how scared were you of a couple of grabby women? Or were you more worried about having to see that old man's balls?" She called back at Sunuke the living, "You'll never grow up."

 

[Ko]

Yuii was somewhere between relieved that the grabby women were gone, and annoyed that the ancestral spirit of Sunuke’s sword was interfering with the patrons in the area. It wouldn’t be too long until probably some police or other kinds of ninja would arrive to inspect the sword that was apparently being “controlled all by itself.” They probably weren’t going to be thrilled to find it was just because the sword was connected to Sunuke and it didn’t really like when his owner was being bothered.

”You know I don’t ask him to do this you know?” Sunuke remarked, frowning slightly as he looked away while Yuii got out and moved towards the male changing room. Sunuke would follow behind slowly, towel wrapped around his waist and below. He frowned slightly, hiding the fact he kind of found the whole thing funny.

The sword would stand to a point when Yuii yelled at it. It was as if the sword itself was standing to point and looking directly at the woman in front of it. In actuality the spirit inside the blade was staring at Yuii. He had felt uneasy while being away from his owner, and indeed friend. The spirit of Sunuke trapped inside Sunuke’s sword felt that being the wielder of Sunuke’s sword that housed Sunuke himself meant that he had to protect Sunuke and Sunuke’s sword with his life.

”I-I wasn’t afraid! I’ve only just got into your village and people are already trying to take me away from who I really came to see!” Sunuke frowned, almost into a pout. ”Would you have rather me had the attention of those two ladies? Maybe I could catch up to them…”

The ghost would frown, before seeing that from behind her his owner was okay. He would shake his head before bowing to Yuii and dissipating into the sword, crashing to the ground with a large clang. He would be back another time, but for now he would rest up.

”See? He’s fine now. But I suspect that the owner is probably going to call about a haunted sword so errr… race you to the exit?!” Sunuke would push past, grabbing his sword and rushing off to get dressed into his robes. Sure they were probably a little dirty but he couldn’t afford new ones with the money he had on him right at this moment. He would have to find work or do some street skills to pay upkeep of his possessions and probably to help Yuii around the place.

Once he would get changed he would hide his sword on the inside of his robe, before making his way to the entrance. Maybe he was first there, or second when it came to getting out of the baths. But he was pretty sure that by having the head start he would beat his friend.
MFT 478 Words

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

No longer needed, the ethereal blade dropped from her hand, clinked once against the ground then shattered into tiny mirrors of light that vanished as they fell. Yuii exhaled, satisfied that the blade would cause no more issue, and swung around to confront its troublesome owner instead.

Of course Yuii didn't want him chasing after the blondes! They hadn't seen each other in months and Yuii selfishly desired to monopolise his time. Who knew what the future held or how long Sunuke would be allowed to stay? She was lonely when they were apart, but it would feel far worse knowing he was off entertaining some floozies instead of being with her. Who knew when he finally left how long it would be until they saw each other again once he left? If he left. "He reacts to you," she stated unaccusingly and pouting while stepping aside so he could pass and retrieve his blade. She hoped the spirit understood it had stepped over a line; his reckless protecting could get them all into a lot of trouble. "This isn't Kamirai. You have to be careful, Su-chan. I don't want anything to happen to you." Poor Yuii was starting to sound like her aunt again, always nagging, but she couldn't help it.

Regardless of its reasoning for his rampaging, the sword seemed to be alright now and would continue to be as long as it stayed in Sunuke's care. Yuii would need to remember to avoid taking him to places where they would need to be separated at least until Sunuke was comfortable in Kumogakure. If he became upset and the sword accidentally hurt someone she could never forgive herself.

"You're right," she gasped, wondering how long they had until someone of authority showed up to investigate. They would need to show papers, there would be a tedious explanation and someone might try to kick Sunuke out. Yuii wouldn't stand for it! It wasn't about racing or being first, she needed to get them out of there quickly!

The blue haired woman rushed back to her own changing room and dressed in record time. She met Sunuke out front seconds behind while still struggling the buttons of her shirt together, which were off by one, and carrying her shoes. She gave him a cheshire-like grin and hooked his elbow to balance herself while she pulled on her footwear. "I lost, so I'll treat you to some Yaki Soba, or Ramen? Noodles always taste the best after a bath." Yuii offered in a sing-song voice. The cheap side of her complained about the extra cost of eating out, but this was a special occasion. They could have the half-eaten shortcake in her fridge for dessert once they got home too. The idea of having someone to share it with was extremely appealing. Everything tasted better with friends.

Yuii would drag him to the nearest restaurant regardless of Sunuke's answer. She wanted noodles, so they would have them, and there would be no arguing allowed! They would narrowly miss a pair of shinobi called to investigate the hot springs haunting, thankfully, and Yuii would be certain to avoid it from that day onwards. Afterwards, She would drag him shopping for food and an extra futon- because she'd never expected to have a guest, then finally bring him home.

And they lived happily ever after.

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