Kuromaru Kage's Old Home (Read First Post)

[Koneko Kuromira]

Hime accepted the cup with a soft thanks, offering an apologetic smile as well. "I am kind of thirsty . . ." She took a sip, holding the cup with both hands. When she lowered it, she shifted from one foot to the other and chewed on her lower lip. "I know. Everyone says that, but . . ." She shook her head. "I don't know. Every time I think about it, I just get -- nervous, scared, and -- just -- uncertain of it all. I don't think I can do it."

 

[XxBlack_FlashxX]

Ｏｎｅxxｄａｙxxｍｙxxｆａｎｇｓxxｗｉｌｌxxｂｅx x
Ｌｏｎｇｅｒxxａｎｄxxｓｈａｒｐｅｒxxｔｈａｎxxａｎｙｏｎｅx’xｓx x
THE STRONGER YOU ARE,
AND THE LONGER YOUR FANGS ARE,
YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE
THAT YOU ARE ALREADY TRAPPED IN MY CAGE...

☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

▎▎xxVelox Verbera Sokuryokuxx▎▎xxKumogakurexx▎▎xxSanninxx▎▎xxByakuganxx▎▎xxInuzukaxx▎▎

"With that type of attitude you'd never be able to," he joked with a slight laugh. "It is your choice in the end." He walked over to a wall and leaned up onto it. "So I'm guessing you must have at least started some type of training, or am I wrong?"

葵ーThe Blue Fang of the Eastー騎馬

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[Koneko Kuromira]

Hime smiled sheepishly at the man's slight tease. "Yeah, I know. The way I see it, where's the good in making an attempt, freezing up, failing, and costing lives when I can spend my time doing something else useful? I haven't found that something else yet, but I'm sure I will . . . eventually." She trailed off with a shrug, attempting to appear somewhat nonchalant about the whole thing. The young girl averted her gaze from her host, focusing on one of the flickering candles. "Just the basics," she admitted in answer to his last question. "I never graduated from the academy, though."

The statement was true enough. She had never officially graduated -- or even attended! -- the Academy of Amegakure no Sato. Any basic knowledge of the shinobi arts came strictly from her mother -- or, rather, her mother's clones. Hime's shoulders and eyes drooped slightly. Her mother did not even have time to train her own daughter in person. The girl understood why -- to some extent -- but she still could not help but feel a pang of hurt, jealousy, and resentment for that fact. Nayley barely paid attention to her daughter and then went on about her being an embarrassment and disappointment when she chose not to become a kunoichi. How was that in any way fair?

 

[XxBlack_FlashxX]

Ｏｎｅxxｄａｙxxｍｙxxｆａｎｇｓxxｗｉｌｌxxｂｅx x
Ｌｏｎｇｅｒxxａｎｄxxｓｈａｒｐｅｒxxｔｈａｎxxａｎｙｏｎｅx’xｓx x
THE STRONGER YOU ARE,
AND THE LONGER YOUR FANGS ARE,
YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE
THAT YOU ARE ALREADY TRAPPED IN MY CAGE...

☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

▎▎xxVelox Verbera Sokuryokuxx▎▎xxKumogakurexx▎▎xxSanninxx▎▎xxByakuganxx▎▎xxInuzukaxx▎▎

"Well that was an unwise decision. You should have at least graduated before running off." He had came to the conclusion that the girl was a missing-nin of sorts, even though she chose not to become a ninja. From what he had been hearing it sounded like the girl just up and left her village, which made him think of where she could be from. "If you don't mind my asking, exactly what village did you 'run' from?" he asked her. The man decided that after a couple of more minutes of talking he'd allow the girl to rest within the guest room. She seemed more than tired, exhausted even, but she did not show it much.

葵ーThe Blue Fang of the Eastー騎馬

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[Koneko Kuromira]

The runaway princess was extremely grateful for her cloak at that moment, as a momentary panicked expression flickered across her face -- hidden in shadow. What was she supposed to tell him? If she admitted where she was from, he might take her back! She swallowed thickly, shifting slightly and wincing as another aching spasm jolted up her leg. "I -- I don't mean to be rude, sir, but I-I'd rather not say."

 

[XxBlack_FlashxX]

Ｏｎｅxxｄａｙxxｍｙxxｆａｎｇｓxxｗｉｌｌxxｂｅx x
Ｌｏｎｇｅｒxxａｎｄxxｓｈａｒｐｅｒxxｔｈａｎxxａｎｙｏｎｅx’xｓx x
THE STRONGER YOU ARE,
AND THE LONGER YOUR FANGS ARE,
YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE
THAT YOU ARE ALREADY TRAPPED IN MY CAGE...

☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

▎▎xxVelox Verbera Sokuryokuxx▎▎xxKumogakurexx▎▎xxSanninxx▎▎xxByakuganxx▎▎xxInuzukaxx▎▎

The man chuckled a bit. "It's alright. You don't have to tell me. I was just curious, that's all." He stood up straight from the wall he was leaning on. His left hand rose up and touch a door, sliding it open as soon as it did. "This is the guest room. Feel free to spend however long you want in here." He then pointed across the dojo to another door. "And that over there is the bathing room if you'd like to freshen up." The man turned around to start heading to his room but stopped. He spun back around on his heel and held out his right hand. "The name's Velox V. Sokuryoku. It's a pleasure to meet you miss...well I never caught your name," he let out a small laugh at the end.

葵ーThe Blue Fang of the Eastー騎馬

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[Koneko Kuromira]

She breathed a soft sigh of relief and offered him a grateful smile as she limped carefully to peek into the room he indicated. Quaint and simple -- not as nice as her room back home but much better than sleeping out in the wilderness. There was no way she was going to complain at all, especially since he was allowing her use of the bathing room as well. The girl did not want to think about the last time she had a decent bath. She turned back toward him, eyes darting almost apprehensively from his face to his hand and back. After taking a breath to steady herself, she reached up and pulled down her hood, freeing her auburn hair and blinking up at him through coal black eyes. The young girl then carefully took his hand. "Hime. I'm Hime. It's a pleasure to meet you Sokuryoku-san. I don't think I can ever thank you enough for your hospitality."

When she released his hand, Hime folded hers behind her back. "I'll try not to burden you for too long. Once my feet have recovered, I'll be out of your hair, though I'm not really sure where to go from here." She paused and bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "I'm looking for someone, you see, but I'm not sure where to find him. He's -- ah -- my uncle. His name is Shahnz . . . you wouldn't happen to know him, would you?" She glanced up at him almost hopefully. Though the man in question was not actually her uncle, they did share a bloodline, which made them kin in her eyes -- and he had seemed so nice, so maybe he would be able to help her hide from her mother -- find some other purpose in life. She could not go wandering aimlessly forever, after all . . .

 

[XxBlack_FlashxX]

Ｏｎｅxxｄａｙxxｍｙxxｆａｎｇｓxxｗｉｌｌxxｂｅx x
Ｌｏｎｇｅｒxxａｎｄxxｓｈａｒｐｅｒxxｔｈａｎxxａｎｙｏｎｅx’xｓx x
THE STRONGER YOU ARE,
AND THE LONGER YOUR FANGS ARE,
YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE
THAT YOU ARE ALREADY TRAPPED IN MY CAGE...

☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

▎▎xxVelox Verbera Sokuryokuxx▎▎xxKumogakurexx▎▎xxSanninxx▎▎xxByakuganxx▎▎xxInuzukaxx▎▎

Velox honestly didn't care much for the thanks he got from people he was helping out. He was helping them and that was all there was to it. The man didn't even need a simple thank you in return. When the name Shahnz was mentioned the shinobi's hand flew up to his chest and grasped a ring that dangled from his neck upon a chain. "You mean Shane, no?" he asked her almost urgently. "He's...uh...to put it short...my husband..." The man had not seen Shane for years, however. It had been so long since he had last seen him. "I don't know where he is, but tell you this, as soon as your feet feel better we'll go out in search of him, alright?" To see Shane once more would mean everything to Velox. Shane was the only person he truly loved...

葵ーThe Blue Fang of the Eastー騎馬

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[Koneko Kuromira]

For several moments, all Hime could do was stare. Velox was Shahnz's husband? Out of all the people she ran into, she had to run into this man? An expression of awe and wonder slowly overtook her face and then, with a bright smile, she bounced forward and hugged Velox tightly around the middle -- almost seeming to forget the pain in her feet for a moment. "Oh thank you thank you thank you!" She looked up at him briefly, eyes wide, as she drew a breath of realization. "That makes you my uncle, too!" Her grin widened and hug tightened as she buried her face in Velox's chest. "I've always wanted a big family but all I ever had was Mother and now I have too uncles and they're the best uncles ever!"

 

[XxBlack_FlashxX]

Ｏｎｅxxｄａｙxxｍｙxxｆａｎｇｓxxｗｉｌｌxxｂｅx x
Ｌｏｎｇｅｒxxａｎｄxxｓｈａｒｐｅｒxxｔｈａｎxxａｎｙｏｎｅx’xｓx x
THE STRONGER YOU ARE,
AND THE LONGER YOUR FANGS ARE,
YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE
THAT YOU ARE ALREADY TRAPPED IN MY CAGE...

☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

▎▎xxVelox Verbera Sokuryokuxx▎▎xxKumogakurexx▎▎xxSanninxx▎▎xxByakuganxx▎▎xxInuzukaxx▎▎

At first he was shocked by her actions but then a warm smile crept across his face. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. The height difference between the two made the hug sort of awkward in a way for Velox stood a good six feet, five inches. "So, Niece," he said with a soft laugh. It was sort of funny calling someone he just met his niece but it did not bother him. "Before you hit the sack would you mind telling me where you ran from? I promise I won't tell anyone. I'm just curious, that's all." For a man who came from a clan based around dogs and wolves he was more curious than a cat.

葵ーThe Blue Fang of the Eastー騎馬

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[Koneko Kuromira]

Hime slipped back with a weak, almost sheepish smile. "Amegakure no Sato," she admitted, fingers dropping to play with the outside hem of her heavy cloak. "Mother is the Amekage and she expected so much from me but I -- I'm not ready for that sort of thing. Maybe one day, but now . . . now I just can't -- and when I told her that she -- she said I was an-an embarrassment and-and that I'd be punished for it and-and--" Her voice broke into a sob and she threw her arms back around his middle with a cry, "She hates me!"

 

[XxBlack_FlashxX]

Ｏｎｅxxｄａｙxxｍｙxxｆａｎｇｓxxｗｉｌｌxxｂｅx x
Ｌｏｎｇｅｒxxａｎｄxxｓｈａｒｐｅｒxxｔｈａｎxxａｎｙｏｎｅx’xｓx x
THE STRONGER YOU ARE,
AND THE LONGER YOUR FANGS ARE,
YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE
THAT YOU ARE ALREADY TRAPPED IN MY CAGE...

☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

▎▎xxVelox Verbera Sokuryokuxx▎▎xxKumogakurexx▎▎xxSanninxx▎▎xxByakuganxx▎▎xxInuzukaxx▎▎

Velox listened to her carefully. When he found her crying he could do nothing more than hold her tight. After a short silence he spoke up. "That's impossible. Your mother can't hate you. She was just probably upset, that's all. Everything's going to be alright, I promise," he said as he tighten his grip on her a bit further. In a way Velox was almost jealous. He had had a mother once. An entire family for that matter. He lost his mother and father at a young age and his younger brother was apparently assassinated due to previous warring. This didn't stop him from comforting the small girl. He knew how it felt to be without a family. To feel that your mother must hate you and you had no more than an uncle, which you did not know his whereabouts, must've been tough. Especially tough for someone who seemed so...fragile, in a way.

葵ーThe Blue Fang of the Eastー騎馬

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[Koneko Kuromira]

The young girl sniffled and nodded against his chest, wiping her eyes off. "O-okay, but -- but don't send me back. Please don't send me back to her." She lifted her gaze to him pleadingly. "Please, Uncle Velox . . . I don't want to go back to Ame. I-I want to find Uncle Shahnz. He-he said he would help me . . ."

 

[XxBlack_FlashxX]

Ｏｎｅxxｄａｙxxｍｙxxｆａｎｇｓxxｗｉｌｌxxｂｅx x
Ｌｏｎｇｅｒxxａｎｄxxｓｈａｒｐｅｒxxｔｈａｎxxａｎｙｏｎｅx’xｓx x
THE STRONGER YOU ARE,
AND THE LONGER YOUR FANGS ARE,
YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE
THAT YOU ARE ALREADY TRAPPED IN MY CAGE...

☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

▎▎xxVelox Verbera Sokuryokuxx▎▎xxKumogakurexx▎▎xxSanninxx▎▎xxByakuganxx▎▎xxInuzukaxx▎▎

"I already told you we'll find him. I'm not one to go back on my word," he said with a small smile. His hand moved up to Hime's face and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. So go rest, okay?" The man was not lying on both parts. They would go out in search of Shane but he knew for sure Shane would be far, far away from their current location. It was only for the best for Hime to get some sleep.

葵ーThe Blue Fang of the Eastー騎馬

▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁

 

[Koneko Kuromira]

Hime smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir. I -- I think I'm going to get a bath first, though. I feel a bit . . . gross." She shifted her weight and winced slightly. "And the warm water will probably help my muscles relax . . . or something like that." She gave a faint laugh, moving in the direction of the wash room. When she reached the door, she paused and looked back. "Oh, and Uncle Velox? My real name is Noriko. Noriko Dragconic Uchiha, though everyone usually calls me Nori." She flashed him one last, bright smile before ducking into the room to wash.

To say the bath was heavenly would be a massive understatement. The heat soaked into her skin, urging her to relax even further and soothing her aching limbs. Such heat was always a comfort to the young girl, though she supposed that was due to her dragon side -- or her affinity for fire -- or both, even. She almost drifted to sleep then and there, but she forced herself out of the tub and into a clean change of clothes before that point. The weariness hit her like a sledgehammer, then, weighing down her eyes and bringing forth a jaw-popping yawn. 'Hime' shuffled sleepily to her designated room, dropped her stuff by the door, and all but collapsed onto the bed -- asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.