[attr="class","textieno"]She was on the other side of it now... it had been 8 years since Kyoufu had been taken to that dark facility, living in cages and experimented on like a living cadaver. 8 years, but her sense of perception was so skewed she would have believed anyone had they told her it was one year versus thirty. And she was weaker now. Not only had her knowledge of ninjutsu begun to wane over time, but her body had become malnourished and frail during her captivity. Tengfei was helping her to regain that strength. [break][break]
In any case, for the first time since she'd arrived back into the Mist Village, Kyoufu was now back in her home village, able to explore it with the freedom that any living being should have. It had been arranged that an ally of hers was to be her escort... and she was not regrettable of that fact, knowing full well that she was a high risk target given her lack of strength combined with her unique chakra and physiology.[break][break]
She stood outside of Tengfei's home in wait for whomever it was that was supposed to be coming to join her. Part of her was excited to see whatever she would come across today, but a large part of her was also frightened to the uncertainty of how her day may unfold.
[attr="class","bolo-body] It was just like Fei-zǒng to pull their resident Hyūga out of training for a damn fetch quest. He felt like he was on the verge of the next level. His taijutsu felt sharper, and he could swear that he was on the verge of really understanding what Raiton was all about. [break][break] Yet here he was, running an errand he felt his chūnin-senpai was more than capable of doing. Okay, perhaps that wasn't a fair assessment of his situation. Tsukiya begrudgingly understood that this a little more important than the usual errand. It was heavily suggested that he show their new platoon member around. It was the right thing to do as her senpai, they had said. There were some light references to the word "pay cut" thrown around in the last conversation he had with his betters, which, of course, had Tsukiya sweating. [break][break] "I got the memo, damn it!" the Hyūga grumbled as he made his way to the designated meeting place. [break][break] Kiri was bustling in the afternoon. Tsukiya didn't tire of the sounds of his Hidden Village. The light footsteps of shinobi, the conversations that the fishermen had with each other, the pirates who cussed at each other while they huddled in alleys playing dice, Tsukiya enjoyed it all. It was a welcome reprieve from the missions he often undertook with his team. [break][break] It didn't take him long to arrive at his destination. The walk helped improve the young Hyūga's sour mood. He supposed it would be nice to meet his new genin teammate. His eyes met Kyoufu's green eyes. A faint memory plucked quietly deep in his mind. Blink, blink. [break][break] "I think I know you. . . ?"
Her skills as a shinobi were no longer honed in any particular way, enough so that it did take her by surprise when the Hyuga genin spoke to her, tearing her away from staring out into the distance. She turned to face him, and certainly enough she recognized him too. Tsukiya Hyuga, she'd recognize those eyes anywhere. White Eyes, white hair. It was a bit strange actually, how they could be so much older and yet he look the exact same to her. [break][break]
"Tsukiya," she whispered his name, her expression holding flat, save for a smile limited to one corner of her lips.[break][break]
She found herself at a loss of words, immediately wondering if he'd known anything about her disappearance. What did he think about it? Would that make him treat her differently?[break][break]
"It's like we're back at the academy, huh?" she teased. That playful attitude she had kept years ago had diminished greatly, but she desired little more than to have fun now that she finally had the freedom to.[break][break]
[attr="class","bolo-body] Tsukiya’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t even hear what she had said after she spoke his name. He gaped at the Senju with a dumbfounded look on his face. [break][break] “K…Kyo-chan?!” [break][break] Back when the Hyūga boy was a child, Kyoufu Senju was one his best friends. He had met her even before they were students in the academy. Many of the loyal Konoha refugees kept in touch with their old countrymen and it wasn’t uncommon that they set little playdates for their kids when they weren’t training. A shinobi had to be good with social interaction after all. It was easier to blend in that way. [break][break] He was a lazy kid who didn’t really put much effort into being a better shinobi. The only time he really showed any promise was whenever he was training with his mother. The fear of an even heavier beatdown kept his laziness in check better than any reward ever could. [break][break] Kyoufu was different though. She was almost his exact opposite in a way. The Senju dove headfirst into anything. Asking questions was but an afterthought for her. She was brave, and didn’t hesitate in her training. Tsukiya, later in his career as a genin, would note that a lot of his current personality was reflective off the people that played a significant influence in his life growing up. Yunyao-taichou and Kyo-chan being on the forefront of that list. [break][break] I must look like an idiot to her right now, he thought to himself. No, he definitely did. He shook his head to compose himself. So much for a stupid fetch quest. [break][break] ”I m-mean Senju-san,” he said, more composed this time, ”it’s nice to see you again. I… uhm—it’s been awhile; hasn’t it?” [break][break]
It might have seemed like a while to him, but to her it felt like just yesterday that she'd seen him. Sure, there had been a lot of time in between their last meeting and this one, but he seemed like the same person. He had the same face. And furthermore, it wasn't as if Kyoufu had met any new people between their last meeting and now; not even her captors. After 8 years in isolation left her without any new life experiences, or at least not the kind that you wanted... not the kind that would have been helpful to her development though. [break][break]
She would never admit it, but Kyoufu didn't feel much different than she had when she was 9 years old and first placed into captivity. The world had changed around her and her body had physically grown... but she knew that with her newly regained freedom she would need to take steps to mature. [break][break]
"You do look ummm..." she paused to think of the right word to use. "More like an adult. Muscles and stuff."[break][break]
She raised her left hand to grab his right triceps and gave it a little bit of a squeeze. She rested her hand there for more than a few seconds before giving him a pat on the shoulder.[break][break]
"I'm glad you're here," she said. "You must be jounin by now, huh? Super strong I bet. You always were the smart one."
[attr="class","bolo-body] You must be jounin by now, huh? [break][break] Shit. Maybe he should have been? He should've made chūnin at the very least. He slacked way too much when he first made it out of the academy. It bothered him tremeandously now that he took his job seriously. Ugh. Stupid angsty teenaged years. [break][break] "No, not quite Senju-san," the Hyūga said, scratching the back of his head, "still a genin." [break][break] He chuckled light heartedly before trailing into silence. It was mostly for Kyoufu's own comfort. Inwardly, the young Hyūga couldn't help but cringe. He didn't care much for his own rank, per say. He just needed to be stronger. His rank was just a reminder that he needed to be better. Shinobi died quite often in this world. Tsukiya refused to be another statistic, just as much as he refused to be just another Hyūga kid lost in the Konohagakure diaspora. Fate was not kind to the weak. [break][break] "Not that there's anything wrong with standing outside Fei-zǒng's place," he began after a lull, "But is there something you wanted to do today? Fei-zǒng told me I could pick out a D-rank for us to do if you got bored, so there's that as well. . ."
well, perhaps to say anyone their age should be jounin was ambitious. Still, she was a bit surprised that he hadn't advanced a little bit higher, but she was proud to see that he was still here and remembered her. The first thing she thought when she learned that her parents had died was that she wouldn't have anything to return to in Kirigakure no Sato. Tsukiya's pleasant company acted was a demonstration in contrast.[break][break]
"Well, before we do anything, you really don't have to call me that," Kyoufu said. Things had been quite informal for the two last they saw each other. "We're still friends, right? You can call me by my name. Don't be too formal."[break][break]
However, she was certain that Tsukiya must have felt differently. For him, he'd probably met plenty of people in the last eight years to where she'd become an afterthought until now. She wondered how many friends he had now. Probably way more than she could ever imagine having. [break][break]
"Anyway, I'm not sure... I've never even been on a mission before, really? What if we end up having to fight or something?" she asked him. Way back in the day, she never would have thought twice about going into a fight, but now after having been powerless for so many years something had certainly changed within her. [break][break]
[attr="class","bolo-body] "You can call me by my name. Don't be too formal." [break][break] Tsukiya chuckled. That was a familiar conversation. It definitely did feel like he was right back at the academy at that moment. [break][break] "Kyoufu-san it is then!" [break][break] He couldn't just go back to calling her Kyo-chan, that'd be odd. They weren't seven years old anymore. Besides, he felt like he had a little bit more dignity than that. ... just a little. Truth be told, he was sorely tempted to do so. [break][break] His eyes sharpened for a split-second. Kyoufu Senju afraid of a fight? Gears were turning in the young Hyūga's head. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother to word out the silent question. [break][break] "On a D-Rank, Kyoufu-san?" he said, doubt clearly etched on his face, "Pretty sure we'll be doing laundry for some old lady or something like that. Although, I understand. Folding clothes can be quite intimidating for some people." [break][break] He had a shit-eating smirk on his face; an expression that the Senju would find annoyingly recognizable.
Laundry? Well that didn't sound like much of a shinobi mission. Perhaps it would serve to at least get her some money to her name, so it might not have been a bad way to start, but she also felt like she should be doing things to actually earn her qualification as a genin... right? [break][break]
She wondered how long she could take him with this formality of Kyoufu-san. Sure, she was older now and that was the more "professional/adult" way to speak to each other, but to her it felt forced... maybe because she hadn't yet had the chance to grow into it or earn it through life experience. She'd heard once from her therapist, Yamanaka-sensei, that people who came out of jail tended to act the same age as when they were incarcerated. Hopefully that wouldn't be the same case for her. She did feel a lot different now, at least emotionally.[break][break]
"Do you think such a mission would be a good use of our time?" she asked him with uncertainty.
[attr="class","bolo-body] "Of course not," Tsukiya scoffed, "they're a waste of time. But those kinds of missions keep the economy running, Kyoufu-san." [break][break] Truth be told, he wasn't fond of doing D-Rank missions at all. They didn't pay as much as his other job did, nor did he feel like he benefited from them as much as taijutsu or ninjutsu training. [break][break] "Like I said Kyoufu-san, I'm down for whatever you wanna do today!" [break][break] There was something that nagged him though. She was so different now. He wondered what the hell had happened to the Senju after all this time to make her act the way she did. Perhaps he would learn over the course of the day?
So, Tsukiya cared about economics. That was pretty interesting. If Kyoufu were to be honest, she would have to say she never thoght about those kinds of things. In all honestly, she only just barely knew what the word economics even meant. It was a word she may have heard her parents use once or twice in the distant past, but it wasn't something that they discussed with her. Whatever the case, it sounded like it was pretty important for either Tsukiya or the village she she wouldn't completely discount it.[break][break]
Kyoufu paused, suddenly crumbling under the pressure of now being responsible for the entire rest of their day. She'd only just regained her individuality, and now she was responsible for another person's too and someone she respected at that. It was a lot to think about. What if she chose something he didn't want to do and then he didn't want to spend time with her again? And at that, it had been nearly a decade since she'd been able to hang out with a peer. What if she didn't do it right?[break][break]
"I don't know... what do you want to do?" she returned the question. "I'll do whatever you want to do."[break][break]
She knew her answer was bland, but it was also true. Simply put, she was that bland. However, she also assumed that with all of his time and experience he must have picked up on some fun and appropriate things for people their age to do. She was smart enough to know that suggesting they hang out at their old playground and pretend to be ninjas was no longer age-appropriate.[break][break]
[attr="class","bolo-body] Tsukiya watched his old friend with a look of confusion. She had definitely changed from the Kyoufu Senju he knew. In their youths, she always made the plans and Tsukiya just followed. Whatever misadventure they had gotten into was entirely on Kyoufu's shoulders. Now that the tables were turned, Tsukiya couldn't help but feel that it was karma smiling at him for being such a lazy dog when he was younger. [break][break] "What do people our age do anyway?" [break][break] For fun, she meant? Tsukiya wasn't sure how to answer that without coming off as a complete asshole. [break][break] "Uhhhh. . ." he began, a slight tinge of red on his cheeks, "lots of things? What I mean to say is uh. . ." [break][break] The Hyūga's confusion was doubled. He supposed he had never been asked that specific question before. Besides, whatever it was he—or anyone he closely associated with him—wanted to do, they just kinda did it. Shinobi had that kind of luxury. Old enough to kill, old enough to drink. [break][break] Shaking his head, he slamed a fist into an open palm, trying to forcefully push out the confusion in his mind. [break][break] "I got it!" he said, beaming at her, "What about I show you where everyone hangs out?"
"Sure," she answered his question quite abruptly. In all honesty she hadn't been anywhere recently so it would be a venture to see any place where other teenagers were hanging out. Simply put, she wasn't sure how well she would fit in with other people, however she also didn't care too much if she fit in well or not. This was more of a social experiment which would have no impact on her shinobi skills.[break][break]
"I guess it would be pretty interesting to see where all the other people are," and by that she meant more than just people in their age group. Given the amount of time that had passed, she wondered how all of the other people from their academy years were doing. Had they all managed to survive and live this far? They'd had nearly 6 years to be shinobi now, and whatever their rank, the shinobi lifestyle could be dangerous.[break][break]
Kyoufu turned away, gazing at the ground for a couple seconds as though she saw something written in the soil; she didn't.[break][break]
"By the way, how's your mom?" she decided to ask. "Still well?"
[attr="class","bolo-body] He nodded, and turned on his heel, ready to guide Kyoufu to the seedy district that housed the Kisaeng House. He wondered what the Senju would make of it all? Was she even aware that she was now involved with Kirigakure's underworld? She seemed a tad bit too innocent for that. He was sure that whatever reaction she was going to have was going to be entertaining. It wasn't like the young Hyūga would let anyone harm the Senju anyway. [break][break] "How's your mom? Still well?" [break][break] All his thoughts came to a screeching halt. Of course she didn't know. He hadn't been in contact with Kyoufu Senju for eight years. His childish complaints about his training was all she probably knew about his feelings on Hashina Hyūga. He supposed that she did put up quite a reasonable front in front of the other children back then. The retired shinobi population probably knew the older Hyūga better. You didn't work in T&I based on your cheery disposition after all. It was only later on in Tsukiya's life that he internalized what it all meant. He knew that she couldn't even fathom how deep his resentment ran. [break][break] "She's fine." came the terse reply, turning his head slightly to meet her gaze. [break][break] And if she bothered to look, she would find cold bitterness within them. [break][break] "Come on, we're wasting daylight Kyoufu-san." he replied, his tone suddenly as bright as it once was. [break][break] He didn't bother waiting for a reply as he started to walk deeper into the Village Hidden in the Mist.
Fine wasn't much of an answer from Kyoufu's perspective. She could only imagine how differently she would feel at this very moment had her parents still been alive... how she would love and respect them to levels she never had in the past. But unfortunately they had perished during their attempt to save her. She would never have the chance to see them again. The blonde wanted to reach out to shake her Hyuga comrade by the shoulders only to tell him that he should cherish what he has.[break][break]
However, before she could say such a thing he brightened and walked away, leading her to scurry after him... wherever it was that he was taking her.[break][break]
"Sorry, I don't mean to waste your time," she spoke as she made her way to his side. Of course, she also didn't know where it was that they were going so she would walk only slightly behind him. She had certainly changed quite a bit from the past and even Kyoufu realized that in many ways she was more timid than she had been previously. She could kick herself for not being able to regain that charisma she held previously.[break][break]
A few more seconds passed and Kyoufu suddenly realized that she had nothing to say... she wondered if she should be trying to say something to keep Tsukiya entertained, but nothing came to mind... leaving her feeling more pressure than she wanted.
