hat kind of rabbit does not know their way around a hole?"
Words said so long ago but would not fade anytime soon.
The tone, the sensation, and the elevated heartbeat was like a symphony in his ears even if a memory when he was reaching adulthood. Perhaps it was the summer heat that was in the air? The scent of the forest around him was like that day when his family members were in the woods, setting up camp, and the young ones that were his age were playing in the dirt. They had made sets of hand signs, some even one, before they would dive headfirst into the soil like it was a pool of water and flow through the Earth with perfect form.
His Auntie, on the other hand, lifting a gourd of something foul by scent kept spitting out more insults.
“When I was your age, I was able to swim in the dirt even when I was-“ She would pause for that momentary hiccup, “Like this!”
It was hard to imagine any day where his clan mother Ami was ever sober. It was almost as difficult to imagine as himself swimming among the soil like an ordinary Usagi. Hikari, however, was not an ordinary one! Even now, he had stopped in the woods that were said to be part of Fire Country at one point. The sensation was unlike any woodland, but that euphoric feeling of having the soil beneath his heeled feet was there along with the scent of nature where his family spent countless times. He would stand, leaving the Icha Icha Rabbit Tales series book tree side along a freshly unraveled scroll written with the braille indentations from his clan. With one more rub, he would observe the Usagi Clan’s arts that were dictated to him a hundred times over even before he graduated: “The art of Burrowing Like a Bunny!”
“The Usagi Clan are different,” he thought loud to himself, retracing his fingers over the cover of the book that he swept off the ground with one arch of his back. His Ofurisode colored kimono was a light shade of purple today that mixed with a creamy white. “Shinobi use techniques that use magnetic forces to sense things above the ground. The Usagi…do not need this.” He would stroke his fingers over the passage, “They have naturally good ears that are able to hear things even above Earth. Seismic movement and vibrations are our specialty…so it is advantageous that our ears help us navigate the terrain and see what is above!”
He would preach it with such esteem! As if he had such skill!
Letting out a mesmeric sigh, he could only imagine himself using such technique, yet he could only dream! With a clamp, he would slap the book close with pages and all, as the boy would look on with hazy eyes. The blue orbs forever misty but would carry a piercing and determined gaze as if light was within his blind vision. He would toss the book back by the unfolded scroll, recalling the chapters and how the clan had further used the technique across chapters: How his great auntie Umi would burrow herself from a Kirigakure Prison leaving only a fixed substitution wearing her only fabrics! How his mother was said to have ended a battle by emerging from the Earth itself with a hail of kicks and stones that were whipped about in a beautiful flurry after her pre-emptive strike!
The Usagi Clan’s entries in the riveting novel were amazing!
Still, he also recalled his drunken auntie’s words! They were the most important of all:
“Ya’ gotta start writing ya’ story now, kid! Now!”
He would agree! His hands would clasp together as he made a loud clap! His feet would square and his hands would lift as he would center them to his chest. With a smile on his face, he would bring them together and-
“…O-oh! W-wait!” He would blink in complete and utter shock, “I-I forgot! There are hand signs to this. R-right?”
He was so caught up on reading the scroll and stories that he forgot the molding chakra part. Typical, with a helpless sigh, he would almost seem completely defeated as he remembers, once again, it took a lot of learning and studying in order to complete the feats that his clan mothers had made! His hands reached to his head, stroking at his faux ears as if the cotton fabric would soothe him. He tried to think about what he was to do next as he knew that studying Doton would take more than a novel and a few instructions on a scroll.
"Nothing lasts forever [kanon ], But this is getting good now!" OOC: Do not drink & Jutsu Kids!
[attr=class,punkiwofwordcount]word counts are for twats
The comforting burning of sake down Kanon’s throat had long since become a constant companion in the oni’s travels. Wherever she went, she always took the time to sample the local goods. And why shouldn’t she? After all, thanks to this damned body of hers, it took an insane amount of alcohol to even get close to tipsy.[break][break]
But that just meant she could enjoy more of the drink without blacking out. Smiling to herself, Kanon would take a sip from the large gourd of sake she had put it in. It tasted good, sweeter than usual… as she recalled, her mother liked this brand a lot. A pause, Kanon stopping in her tracks as she stared at the gourd. She thought about her, her kindness, her warmth. To Kanon, who had never known any happiness before her, Chiyoko Amano was someone to admire and emulate. She was nothing but loyal and loving to her mother, and though her duties often occupied her more than Kanon would like, she knew that she held nothing but love for her.[break][break]
A pang of guilt made itself known as Kanon sighed, thinking on her ultimate actions and defection. It had been years since she’d seen her mother, having sent a scant handful of messages that she wasn’t sure had even reached her. Oh, how dearly she missed mother, but yet she could not stand to be in that place any longer, nor could she stand the thought of returning to it any time soon.[break][break]
Which made it all the more bewildering as to just why she was here in Fire Country, where any jounin she ran into could just snatch her up to return to Oto and likely execute her on some trumped up nonsense. A new Hokage was in Otogakure, but everyone there hated her, and she hated them, and she couldn’t see that state of affairs changing any time soon.[break][break]
Shaking her head, she would chug down the remaining sake. Was alcohol a good way to drown out her problems? Probably not, but she didn’t particularly care right now. Just being near this place was enough to bring about emotions she disliked, but she was here anyway on some fool’s errand born of some foolish sense of justice. The bloody Taiyou could eat shit and die for all she cared, but they weren’t going to do that on their own, which meant she’d have to send them on their way. Preferably in body bags.[break][break]
“Ugh.”[break][break]
Kanon’s detour through the woods had rapidly taken a turn for the worse, through no one’s fault other than her own, admittedly. Turning her attention towards the exterior in hopes of stopping her negative thoughts from spiralling out of control, the smells, the sights, the sounds of… someone talking? Kanon blinked, mind not quite catching up to what exactly it meant until she turned around and spotted a distinctly purple colour in the distance.[break][break]
Shit.[break][break]
Blaming her carelessness on the entire gourd of sake she had just downed, Kanon would step behind a tree, listening in on whatever it was they were saying. For the life of her, however, she couldn’t make out what it was they were talking about until she connected the dots. A member of the Usagi Clan all the way out here?... Of course, with the Taiyou Empire getting uppity again, Otogakure would call on all the support it needed to fight them off. That naturally meant ninja from all corners of the land, and fortunately for her, it didn’t seem like this one would try to arrest her.[break][break]
Curiosity took the better of her, and she would come out of hiding, making no further attempts to hide her presence as she approached the Usagi, not being able to help taking a glance at their features. Like she heard of them, delicate, feminine, and graceful, although this one seemed a touch ditzier. Of course, that had its own charm~.[break][break]
Smirking, Kanon would speak, tone sultry with an almost predatory undertone.[break][break]
“It seems fate has rewarded me for once.” She began, leaning forwards as if to take a better look at Hikari, “An adorable little morsel has practically walked into my arms, all alone. Tell me, what is a delicate bunny rabbit like you doing all the way out here, dearie?”[break][break]
She evidently took great pleasure in teasing, although nothing about her body language suggested aggressiveness. Still, a predator so confident in itself need not make a show of force…
He had to take the scroll in his grasp, reviewing it, and letting his fingers slide with anticipation. For someone like him, it was hands that were eager and moving as if they could not help but to get started with their task. The only thing he could do with those trembling fingers had run them across the same text over and over again! His eyes brightening with liveliness with every second that he anticipated trying this technique. What would he use it for? Perhaps it would be to escape a bandit who he beats in a gamble for his life? Maybe he will hide from a very angry husband and his charmed wife?
Whatever it took to get a chapter in that book!
He would toss the scroll aside, almost discarding it with how swiftly he would toss it, as he readied his form. His body was not squared as he decided to take a position with all the flare of his foremothers and would give his form a stretching hand over his head and the other on his hip. One foot was in front of the other as the ascended heel was lifted so slightly from the back and the other was stamped with a sassy twist. No one could deny that clan signature balance that allowed him to keep his form and also allow his hips and sides to stick out as if he was putting his body on display, and the silken kimono could only hide so many secrets about his form.
“Now then, time to perform-“ He would stop. “W-wait…what were the signs again?”
This was more difficult than he thought! He was so excited, running with anticipation, that he could barely keep his focus on even getting started to mold his chakra. That was the difficult part since it was not like he was a shinobi at heart! He was good on his feet and was able to pass the simplest requirements as all. More than ever, it was a reminder that this proved difficult as most Usagi found this to be a burdensome task! Utilizing chakra in the first place was taboo unless it had to do with their signature techniques, and Hikari even found their dances and movements quite difficult!
“I need to do this!” He would think, “I need to be good as-“
“It seems fate has rewarded me for once.”
Someone was here? Someone snuck upon him? Impossible!
If there was one thing Hikari could take pride in, he was good with knowing of his area and someone who was within it! To think someone had gotten so close and he had not noticed them in a matter of minutes before was mind boggling! It had rocked him to the core as he could feel his heart jump and his form would lose its balance for only a second as he found himself startled. The figure, speaking so casually, so calmly, and not to mention…sort of flirty? It would cause him to gaze at her, as if seeing completely through her with his blue hazy eyes and could interpret her form that was more than within ear shot of his hearing that became flooded with chakra for him to concentrate and identify her.
That form…those words…her casual approach…
“O-oh! O-one second!”
The boy would seem to snap out of his absent-minded gaze rather quickly. He would spin on his heel, running back to the tree in a quick jog, and then he would stand before the young woman. His hand would go through the pages, quickly tossing them, and fingers would stroke each of the pages rapidly as if searching for something. His eyes were focused once more and mouth agape in bewilderment as if the situation was dire. Only when he had finally stopped, his fingers would lay upon the page, shifting from left to right as if he found what he was looking for.
“Here it is! Ahem-“ He cleared his throat, placing a sweet smile upon his face as he readied himself to respond to the young woman, “Well Ma’am, waiting for someone like you, but better!~”
…he even said it with his signature giggle and smile that he practiced.
“O-oh…wait. That is not right.” He would start turning the pages again.
“Ahem! Well, waiting for you to give me your leash!” He would frown before turning pages.
“W-wait! Uh…maybe expecting you and a friend too? Hmm…”
He would fire off several phrases. By the time it over, the signals ranged from “full speed ahead” to “keep moving” and back again. All of it led to the same moment: a seemingly confused Usagi who had his vision drifting off and his fingers slowly scanning the pages a bit undecided. It was not until he would finally let out a sigh, shutting the book, and letting his blind eyes wander aimlessly as if they could actually see what was going wrong here.
“S-Sorry,” He would bow his head in a swift toss. His sorrowful and worried face was genuine unlike the last, “I-I am afraid I am not sure what to do at this moment. That was a type of ‘pick-up’ line, yes? My family teaches many things, b-but…not so sure it works out in practice for me.”
Once again, that looming cloud over his head rained on his optimistic parade! He failed at being a proper flirty bunny as well as a shinobi!
"Nothing lasts forever [kanon ], But this is getting good now!" OOC: Welcome to Flirting For Dummies!
[attr=class,punkiwofwordcount]word counts are for twats
The walk up to the distracted bunny rabbit was… telling of their personality, if nothing else. She was fairly certain that the Usagi were known for their sense of hearing, aside from all the other outlandish stories often spread about them, so this bunny must have been well and truly distracted with whatever it was they were doing. The way they focused as they tried their hardest to perform the techniques on the scroll they had just tossed aside before promptly forgetting the handsigns they were meant to perform made her smile… how adorable.[break][break]
And their response to her presence was equally as adorable. Kanon couldn’t help but giggle as the Usagi almost lost their balance in surprise, and she couldn’t help but feel a pang of pride for being able to sneak up on one… something told her this one wasn’t quite playing close attention, however. She could only wonder just what it was they’d do…[break][break]
But whatever she expected next, it wasn’t… that. She couldn’t help but blink and tilt her head ever so slightly in bewilderment as the bunny ran back to the tree and frantically looked through a book before going through a whole routine just to introduce himself. Except, it seemed the bunny had confused himself, looking through the book and making several greetings with conflicting messages until she was fairly certain he was this close to overloading his brain.[break][break]
By the end of it, Kanon would just stare for a couple of moments… then she giggled. Covering her mouth, she would take control of herself before looking back at him with a small grin.[break][break]
“If you’re looking for advice on how to pick up girls, I can tell you now that rushing away to pick up a book is not the way to go about things~.” She winked at him in a teasing fashion, although her tone wasn’t one of mockery. Rather, she simply seemed to be having a bit of fun.[break][break]
“But really, if you just rely on the words of whatever they might tell you to guide you through social interactions, you’ll always be at a loss at what to say. It’s not like you can quantify social interactions in such a manner.” She continued, this time more seriously, “That said, why not start with your name, dear? You may call me Kanon, by the way. After that, I’m quite curious to hear about what you were doing~.”
She could had been a rabbit herself had she not have such heavy steps and such an appearance. Then again, who was grandmother to turn away a potential? Her voice was certainly not as malevolent as he would expect with such an unusual structure and she was kind enough to give a life lesson to someone who should have known second nature how to present charm that his family trained in. She certainly knew much more than him, and that was without the book in his hand that he fumbled with.
"O-oh, W-well-" His eyes perked up at the notion of picking up such a lady. "N-no! That was not my intention at all. I-I was just taught that, for our family, charm and eloquence are the rabbits best ability. Many of the things in the this book according to my clan are the abilities to change hearts and minds in a battle before it comes to blows. Besides, I-I have not began writing my Rabbit Tale yet. I do not believe having such a chapter so early would be...like me."
Such a romantic encounter on the first page? Who would do-
Well, yeah, to be honest - that was how grandmother started not just her book, but the entire controversial Rabbit Tales series. Hikari would not forget it was the first, fully regretful, time he laid his fingers on the pages of a book to read it. It was only after the publications from his aunties and elders may have been more appropriate. Although most of it was the same, they insisted that there was some decency compared to their sweet old mother.
Still this chapter, this pace, was pleasant in his story! He would heed the woman's advice, taking the book in hand and letting his fingers gently slide away from the braille. No longer was he allowing himself to rely on the words of his family at that moment, though it was hard to consider such a thing as it might as well been his religion! Hesitance shown in his eyes to put the book down, but he would slowly with a bend of his legs and standing as he placed his hands to his lap. It felt as if a piece of clothing was removed without that book in hand.
"Good day, Ms. Kanon," His eyes would drop for a moment mid greeting. Something she said was off, but he would revisit it later. "My name is Usagi Hikari...and I guess I was trying to learn another family skill!" His voice that same enthuse as when he picked up that book! When it came to the family of rabbits, it was clear that he was proud of them. However, he knew he could not match up to them exactly. The blind orbs, foggy and hazy, would look to the corner of the tree knowing that the scroll was there.
"My family uses basic chakra molding to connect with the land. Learning to make holes is sort of a family life skill. I-I just...have not quite mastered it yet. B-but I will!" He would emphasize with great gusto! It was his nearly his birth rite to create holes after all!
"B-but please, do not mind that," He would go on, "You are shinobi, yes? I-It is just odd that I did not hear you. I-I know that this is not proper to say according to my family and their books but when you move, I could not help but to notice that-" He would twist his lips before inevitably spilling the words from his mouth.
"Y-you are...pretty heavy."
"Nothing lasts forever [kanon ], But this is getting good now!" OOC: he said she's a big girl.
