Team Cybele: The Hare and the Snake

[Princess Tracy]

"Houshi-kun, I'm sorry to trouble you with your injuries, but could you carry Shogo here? I patched you up well enough that your upper body strength should be unaffected. Yousuke, could you lend him that sword you picked up in the last mission?"

[zeone3000]

Houshi gives Kaede an incredulous look, "Did you say that to your team before you ran away from Konoha, hypocrite?" He turns back around for the door, "Because you sure seem pretty alive to me." He slams the door behind himself.

He sits down on porch, in the rain, his hanging head buried in his hands.

[ZeroNumerous]

Kaede

Kaede sighs, then heads outside. He doesn't bother to shield himself from the rain, as his fox mask covers his eyes and keeps the water away naturally. The leaf-nin just casually reaches into his belt pouch, pulls out a headband, and holds it up for Houshi to see. The headband bears a stylized leaf, but it has a thick gouge running across the metal plate. "I am still a leaf-nin, even if my allegiances lie with Soragakure. Why do you think I faked my death when faced with Sanagi? That village is my home, and I will not fight my countrymen. This village is Momo's home, and I won't fight her countrymen either."

Kaede replaces the headband, and nods. "I am a shinobi of Konohagakure until I die."

[Princess Tracy]

Amon squeezes the bridge of her nose as Houshi goes out of the way to offend Kaede - though she already knew that Kaede, not being the insecure teenage-type that Houshi was used to bullying, would not give him a rise. Still, she feels it necessary to remark, in case he somehow hit a nerve "Sorry about Houshi, he's been like this lately..." but Kaede's already gone. She turns towards Yousuke and the boy. "Well. Let's hope Kaede brings about a favourable conclusion to this angst."

[Bad Situation]

Yousuke sighs and closes his eyes, nodding curtly. "I have...had more than enough with Houshi's theatrics but it is not my place to reprimand him." If the large genin was going to pick a fight with anything that so much as looked his way, so be it. At least Kaede seemed reasonable enough. Barring of course, the sudden disappearances and misdirection. But then, Kaede was also a ninja so it was practically expected at this point in the man's career.

On the other hand, Houshi did seem rather distraught by the loss of his sword. Distracted, which could potentially put their young charge into further danger. Bending down to Shogo's height Yousuke offers, "Perhaps I should carry you for the remainder of the trip. Our other teammate...does not be in an agreeable mood at the moment."

[zeone3000]

Houshi sighs, "Seems like the easy way out. Having it both ways. Unfortunately, I don't get that choice according to you. My sword is more then just a tool, it's a part of me. It be like if you were that kid with his eyes missing." He shakes his head, "How can I be shinobi? Amon pointed that out quite adamantly, I can't sneak, I can't climb and sure as hell can't use any ninjutsu." He sighs once again, "Maybe I should put a line through my headband and run off to the Land of Iron. I'd do a lot better there..."

[ZeroNumerous]

Kaede

The older man just shrugs. "I left Konohagakure due to issues with certain person within it. Why would I fight all of Konoha because I don't like a few people in it?"

When Houshi goes on about how his sword is a part of him, Kaede just shakes his head. "No, it's not. If it was, then it'd be here and attached to your body, wouldn't it? My eyes are a tool, Houshi. Just like my limbs, my ninjutsu, and my genjutsu. Without any of them, I am still Kaede Uchiha. Without any of that stuff, I will still be a shinobi."

When Houshi brings up Amon's complaints, Kaede just shrugs. "Shinobi are not just assassins, nor do they exclusively use ninjutsu. In the Fire Country, there are the Grand Four shinobi who guard the Fire Daimyo. All of them are great individual fighters, sensors, and capable combatants. But none of them have any skill in assassination. They are still shinobi."

Kaede just shrugs when Houshi talks about leaving and running off to the Land of Iron. "If that's what you wanna do. I'd be happy to report in to Central that you died, and no one would pursue you. After all, we ran into the Rinnegan. It's perfectly understandable that we'd lose someone."

[zeone3000]

"Okay, fine, you got me there but why leave because of this one certain person? I mean, unless it was the Hokage or something?" He chuckles at the absurdity.

Houshi quirks a brow, "You would be blind and a quadriplegic. How...?" He frowns, "If you're gonna sit there and tell me that being a shinobi is a state of mind and not a title, like inner peace, I think we're done here."

He stands up then sits right back down, the next part really catches his attention, "...really? Huh... but... Wow, that's crazy." It really struck a cord in the genin.

Houshi hangs his head again, "Yeah, I bet. No one cares about another genin lost in the line of duty. Wait, then isn't close to unbelievable that we didn't?"

Houshi realized something during all of this. Kaede was treating him like an equal. He wasn't giving any advice, telling him what he should do or talking down to him. Just giving him options and view points. He also realized that's what Cybele had been doing all along, just not as well in his opinion.

He stands up, "When we get back... remind me to thank Cybele-sensei for treating us like adults. We have to make our own decisions and live with them now. No matter how good... or bad they maybe." He rubs the back of his head, "Man, it just feels like we haven't done anything right, ya know? Just once, I wanna get back from a mission and Sonia won't be able to say anything except Good Job."

[ZeroNumerous]

Kaede

"I'll tell you why I left, but not out here. Inside, maybe." The older ninja just grins at the younger boy. "Even if someone were to gouge out my eyes and cut off all my limbs... So long as I am able to bite and hear, then I will protect what is important to me to the bitter end. That is what it means to be a shinobi: To be willing to protect your precious things without regard for your own life, and no matter who or what threatens them."

When Houshi talks about how unbelievable it is that they didn't lose anyone, Kaede just shrugs. "You guys are pretty unbelievable. Most teams would have lost one or two people, but all of you came back alive. Some a little worse for wear, but alive all the same."

The jounin just chuckles when Houshi talks about Sonia. "Well, even if that woman could feel anything but bitterness... You won't have to worry about that. She was arrested for treason, ya know? I doubt she's gotten free in the last twenty-four hours, so we'll probably report to Taro or Kai."

[zeone3000]

Houshi scratches his head, "Well damn, I guess I am a shinobi then."

He moans, "Ehhh, I was pretty damn close. I definitely had a foot in the door. Good thing I have big feet."

Houshi pushes the door open, "Thank god! Just tell me they're nicer. Lie to me if you have to."

[ZeroNumerous]

Kaede

The older jounin shrugs when referring to Taro and Kai. "I wouldn't know about Kai, as I've never met her. Taro's a righteous ass, but he knows worth when he sees it." Kaede motions toward the door. "Ready to get going? We've gotta get going quickly, or else the patrols along the road will get worse."

[zeone3000]

Houshi nods, already stepping through, "Yes but I will be back to get it when I don't need it anymore."

[Princess Tracy]

"You know him a little better than me, right? I never see him outside of misisons but you were both at least there when the team was originally formed and..." Amon shrugs, veering out, giving up. "I guess it doesn't matter, though I thought you might have better luck getting through to him. He doesn't know how good he's got it - swords are important, sure, they can even have sentimental value. A lot of it. You're a Konpaku, you know this. But at a certain point... is a blade worth pursuing at the cost of that which it was forged to protect?" Amon may have unknowingly stumbled upon the fault of Youmu's path.

"Sorry we're ignoring you, kiddo," she greets Shogo, seeming generally warm. "Don't worry, although we argue we get our work done in the end. We've decided to help you since we found you so we will, and we'll do it well."

Amon pauses in grim thoughts. "If you don't mind my asking... the Garou don't normally remove the eyes according to every person I've talked to ths far. Do you have any idea why they would in your case? Sorry, such things would have to make you uncomfortable... Forget I asked."

---

Seeing Kaede and Houshi shuffling through the door, Amon lightly takes Shogo's hand. "Come, Shogo-kun, we appear to be ready." She's surprised to see Houshi looking a little calmer than he'd been recently. She nods towards him and Kaede, bowing her head in appreciation as they gather. "Kaede, you're an expert at evasion, why don't you lead the way to better avoid any patrols. I wouldn't mind doing it myself, but with the Rinnegan and god knows what out there, and with our passengers, we can't take the risks that come with relying on MY expertise." Amon will follow Kaede's lead if he gives it

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Sonada finishes making a simple lunch for the four sky-nin -- cold rice in soy sauce with fried shrimp, some scrambled egg, and steamed cucumber -- and boxes them up for them to travel with. Kaede shrugs when offered the pointman position, and takes it without further comment. He retrieves a sealed scroll from one of his belt pouches, then opens it and makes a handsign. The scroll explodes into a quartet of all weather cloaks, and the jounin hands each genin one before donning one himself. The slick khaki-colored cloaks provide total resistance to the rain, and are large enough to cover both Houshi and the boy resting on his back.

When the quartet of sky-nin step out into the early morning air they're greeted by the sight of hard driving rain. The early morning rain pummels the earth in waves, and the dirt path that the group had used to get to the town has turned to a river of mud that sucks at their shoes. Swirling pools of flowing mud conceals ankle-deep potholes under their surface, and Kaede guides the group away from the road. The four of them take a winding detour through the woods close to the road, and move slowly. The trip is extremely slow, as both the rain and the possibility of being seen force the group to stop on occasion. Fortunately there are no surprises along the way, and no sign of the Garou. Every snapped branch, rustle in the leaves, or shadow in the forest turns out to be an animal seeking shelter from the storm. Eventually the sky-nin arrive home in Soragakure, and luckily the Main Rail takes them above the rainclouds.

Kaede finally removes his fox mask when they're inside Soragakure, and looks up at the shining sun with a sigh. "Never thought I'd be glad not to see the rain." The older jounin motions toward Central. "Come on, we gotta report in." He guides the three genin and their passenger to the large center of Soragakure, and to whomever is on duty to accept reports with the absence of Sonia.

---

A young man -- likely no older than 16 -- stands in front of Central. He's wearing a flowing black longcoat with matching fingerless gloves. Several metal plates are strategically sewn into his outfit so he can block with his limbs without being cut. A black strap goes across his chest, and leads to a large one-handed sword hanging off his back. The pure black blade -- too straight to be a katana and too long to be a tachi -- glitters in the sunlight like silver. Underneath his longcoat he's wearing a solid black jumpsuit reminiscent of the ninja uniform available to Sora-nin, but he bears no visible village affiliation. The young man waves when the group approaches, and motions for them to come closer.

Once the group has come within speaking distance he bows stiffly and introduces himself. "Good morning. I am Shioya Joji, but everyone just calls me Jo. I am the third in line to command Sonia's Soldiers, and have been placed in charge of accepting reports." Kaede returns the young man's bow, then introduces the group.

"Jounin Uchiha Kaede returning with Team..." But Kaede's introduction is stopped by a sharp raise of the hand from Jo.

"Team 5, correct? It's fine. Please, begin your report." Kaede just looks to the genin, and motions for them to start. After all, it wasn't his mission and he wasn't present for the majority of it.

---

After the report, Jo nods. "I will forward this information to Taro-dono and Kai-dono. You can pick up your reward at the Resource Requisition Desk. Your next mission will come tomorrow morning at nine A.M. sharp. You are dismissed." With that Jo bows, and turns to head into Central. Kaede looks down at the three genin, then shrugs.

"Tomorrow at nine A.M.? Tough break. Well, I've got to get home. Momo's probably worried to death, because I didn't say anything about this mission. You kids are free for the rest of the day, so good luck."

Spoiler

Show

Team Cybele gets a day of training, and can pick up their reward for the last four missions which totals out to a +7 Wealth modifier for the next item they purchase.

[Princess Tracy]

"Blech, noooooo, it's getting in my leeeeeeg!" Amon squeals almost involuntarily as they track through the mud to leave Sonada far - sure enough her naked prosphetic limb was already caked in grime, and strained to move as the mush clogged her joints. And of course, the exceptional weirdness of the sensation just draws a disgusted look from Amon like she'd stumbled on a colony of zombie nudists until they're well into the woods and the rain rinses her out a bit. Her prosphetics proportions made wearing shoes a little difficult since it was a little different sized than her remaining foot, though she vowed at that moment to find some sort of cobbler to fix her up a few right-sided boots.

Her display of discomfort is vaguely comical - a fresh reminder that despite her seniority over the group and whatever training she had as a kunoichi, and whatever mental scars she bore, she was still subject to those little moments of goofiness

---

Amon is largely quiet unless talked to throughout the trip, appreciating the stealth they must employ to escape the patrol of the Garou. She does make time to feed herself though, as they go, and will even softly feed Shogo if he lets her, like a true maid

When they get to Soragakure, she gives a long, relieved sigh, patting Kaede on the shoulder. "Ah, thank the sages, I was afraid we'd get jumped somehow the whole way back."

...

Despite having no idea who this boy is, he seemed to check out with Kaede well enough, so Amon just salutes and proceeds to deliver her report on her cue. "We were hired by Sonada to retrieve his grand daughter, Ueki Tsume, from the Garou after they kidnapped her in a recent attack. We were seperated for the duration of the mission from Uchiha-san, as he was assaulted by another village ninja in the confusion after a Garou ambush. After reporting into Sonada, he revealed that there had been another assault on the village in which many more children were abducted. Short on hands, we made a temporary allegiance with a konoha team of tracking experts including one Mako Hyuuga, and with their help successfully defeated a campsite full of Garou. We have retrieved a prisoner they had abused, Shogo here, and used poison to take one of the Garou alive for further investigation. We regrouped with Uchiha-san in the Sonada residence and spent the night, the entire team too exhausted and Takeda-san out cold from major damages in the battle, before setting out first thing in the morning to return here with the news"

"Our investigation of the Garou - from physical alteration of the irises cross referenced with known lore, led us to some startling conclusions. All the Garou we encountered that day had been children, obviously, but they had in fact been the boys and girls captured from the village just that day; they had uncanny skill as ninja - the dozen and a half we fought at once more than giving us a run for our money - and certainly beyond what could be expected of some civilian children after an afternoon; that and their unwavering dedication to the Garou and the clan's determination to steal bloodlines through their sorcery led to one conclusion. The Garou have stolen the power of the Rinnegan. They saw no qualm with using the Rinnegan and torture to indoctrinate children into their ranks and its imparting of prowess means they might well create themselves an army with nothing more than a bit of dedication. I shouldn't need to state the importance with which I urge that the Rinnegan user be eliminated for the safety of all the villages, but of course, I leave the course of action to the village hierarchy. We fell back out of fear we did not have the security in our current position, and too little information to act against the Garou proper; I for one would not refuse a follow-up mission to further this goal against the Garou's accumulation."

"As for our mission objectives; Ueki Tsume was indicated from the first Garou we encountered to be in their ranks already, meaning she either fell in our fight or is likely beyond any salvation due to her indoctrination. However, the contingent objective confirmed by Sonada himself of driving off the Garou seems to have been completed; the Garou were seeking a particular bloodline, the Red Eyes. Yesterday they packed up their camp and departed, and the force the left, the immediate threat to that rural village, has been destroyed. Uchiha-san has been using some form of clone technique to track the movements of the Garou in the meantime. We have done what we could with our contract alone and made steps towards moving against the Garou threat, in short."

Amon bows as she finishes her report.

[Princess Tracy]

Amon bites her tongue until she's certain Jo is out of earshot, at which point she shoots up. "**** me, a DAY!? I can't train, brush up on my surgery tuition AND make a sword for Houshi in one day! God, maybe Suneko's still pulling strings to get us killed." She stamps her foot angrily in a rather foolish display for a bit, pacing and mumbling to herself, rubbing her temples as she thinks. "Okay... okay, if I do that..."

She clears her throat, proceeding as if this was all part of her plan to begin with. "Well then. We'll have to make the most of it, won't we? Kaede, I have some things I would talk to you of but I guess it... You know what, here." She produces another of her business cards. There's something written messily on the side of it - something Amon didn't actually intend to hand to Kaede, something that's barely readable through her already lazy handwriting and the fact it was scrawled in the dark...

Spoiler

Show

if Kaede pays close attention, he finds the scribbles read 'Kaoru, Mibu, Red Eyes' along with some gibberish that Amon almost subconsciously scrawled to explore her own train of thought as it occurred.

Besides that, there's the address of her office under the sky rail on the reverse which she DOES indicate to. "Could you meet me there in, say, 10 hours? That should be enough time to set the girl's fears to rest and for me to take care of my own errands. Even if you're too preoccupied to train me or anything there's something... important, something I might need your help to investigate. Though I guess you could always send Cybele if she isn't busy, though she'll probably judge me a little more harshly if I waste her time." She smiles a little at the thought of winding Cybele up, trying to kid even herself, though there is an underlying seriousness to her request that she's a little hesitant to press nonetheless.

Helping Shogo to his feet, she lightly grasps Shogo's hand to guide him, indicating Yousuke to come with them. "Let's get you home, okay little guy? I never did get your full name, Shogo-kun. Where do you live?"

"Sorry Houshi, I might not have the time to make you a proper blade in time for the next mission. Though with the money from our missions, I'm sure you can afford something nice for yourself anyway. I'll find some other way to make up for my lapse in memory, okay?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Kaede

When Amon tries to get Shogo off Kaede's back she discovers that he's fallen asleep. Kaede doesn't let her disturb the kid in order to let him sleep.

The ex-leaf-nin motions toward the kid. "What about him?" The black-clad mercenary just nods, and holds out his arms.

"I'll take the boy to the hospital. We'll interrogate him concerning his kidnapping later." Kaede looks a little apprehensive, but turns Shogo over upon Jo's insistence that the boy will be fine. The eye-less child seems to be asleep after the long trip, and does not stir. Once Kaede's handed the child over, Jo immediately heads to the hospital.

---

When Jo's finally left, Kaede turns to the group. He takes Amon's card without question, but does bring up a concern. "I'm afraid I won't have a lot of time today, but I'll do my best. No promises though." With that said, Kaede turns and leaves unless stopped.

[zeone3000]

Houshi rolls his eyes at Amon's discomfort, "You do know I can carry you too right?" It didn't bother him any, still he's definitely going to need a shower when he got back.

---

Well, he's better then Sonia, Houshi thought. Still, he was surprisingly young and used a sword. Houshi came to conclusion that he must be one of those genius types.

---

Houshi shakes his head, "Don't worry about it. I can't expect you, all of people, to remember things like that in the state you were in yesterday. Just another notch in thebelt of my continuing failures."

He lands hops away, to the big and tall store, to get a new shirt. His old one had a giant hole in it after all. He removes the bandages mid hop, I'll wait to tell them about the scar. No telling how mom would react.

[ZeroNumerous]

Houshi

The big and tall shop just opened as Houshi arrives. The clerk handily addresses the young man's need for a new shirt. "If not for you I'd have gone out of business a long time ago", the clerk remarks with a chuckle, "so stay alive out there, okay?"

[Bad Situation]

Yousuke bows respectfully at Jouji. Thankfully the third in command seemed infinitely more reasonable than Sonia had ever been. Small mercies he supposed. As they prepare to leave he briefly entertains the thought of seeing Camille but shakes his head at the thought. "Alice is right. She will come to me when she is ready to talk about it." They had parted on an unfortunate note but it wouldn't be right to force the issue. Thankfully that left the remainder of his day to time with his grandfather who probably planning stupid for his birthday. Again.

Reminded of stupid plans, Yousuke turns to Amon and remembers the headband tied just below his shoulder.

"Yamana-san, wait." Unraveling the knot slowly and deliberately, he holds it up for the girl to see. "I think you have forgotten something that belongs to you."

[Princess Tracy]

Amon is likewise apprehensive at the implication of 'interrogation' though lets Kaede do the talking, hoping the boy is fine.

"Kaede, are there any others..." She veers out. "Never mind, I'll see you later." she lets him go.

She clears her throat, turning to Yousuke and Houshi. "You two... I -" before she can even voice what she'd been practicing in her her head all morning, Houshi's off, landhopping away, leaving Amon to stand looking a bit stupid next to Yousuke. She sighs, wondering how to rework her speech before realising it was stupid to not just work off her instincts. Bucking up, she turns back to Yousuke, trying to look mature as she prepares to talk before he interrupts, though not in a way that goes unappreciated.

As Yousuke holds out the headband, Amon reaches out for it slowly before recoiling as if it had bit her. Her next words are not at all what she'd intended to say, but what she needed to say. "Yousuke-kun... I'm sorry for yesterday. I was overwhelmed - I thought I'd gotten a handle on my issues, but everything just seemed to bring everything awful in me to the forefront. If I'd had even a little worse grip of myself, I'd have gotten us all killed even though you were all depending on me. You saw me at my worst, so... even though it feels like something's changed in me for the better, I would understand if you didn't trust me enough to keep me on your team." She looks to the ground, humiliated

[Princess Tracy]

"I gave you my headband because you said if I couldn't handle being a ninja I should just quit, I decided to leave it to you... If I can't be useful to my teammates, i see no point in staying a ninja. So... do you stand by what you said back when I fought Mako?"

[zeone3000]

Housh nervously chuckles back, he points to his scar, "Trust me, I'm trying but it isn't easy some days." He decides to stock up while he's there, thanks the clerk and heads off to get a new fullblade. He wondered if they could do it in a day.

[Bad Situation]

Yousuke stares at Amon curiously, quirking his eyebrow as she recoils from the headband. Was she seriously doubting herself this far into her career? What did she want him to say? Did she want him to congratulate her for doing her job? That she was an amazing kunoichi who deserved his respect despite all evidence to the contrary? Just thinking about telling a lie that bold-faced made him want to roll his eyes.

Honesty, he decided, was the answer. "...I do. More than anything you have shown me just how ill suited you are for this life. Your have the wrong ideas about shinobi life. Ideas that will get you killed if you are not strong enough to back them up." At this point, Yousuke stands his full height and stares directly down into Amon's eyes and glares. "Mercy and forgiveness are the gift of the strong. You are vengeful and petty to unhealthy degrees and thus you are weak. If every shinobi shouldered grudges for the death of each and every one of their fallen the world would have been turned to ash long ago."

Yousuke lets the statement sink in for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, "To that end, it is my professional opinion that you give up now. Before your attempts to play at being a ninja gets you or our comrades killed."

"However," he says, closing his eyes in preparation, "if you would like my personal opinion...I think you show promise. In spite of your cowardice and unwillingness to help you managed to come through for the team when we needed you most. And as annoying as it is the dedication to you to display toward your allies is admirable. The future is bright but only if you endeavor to stay the path."

"The decision however, is ever yours. A swordsm--ninja does not place his destiny in the hands of others. Not lightly. So if you are not a ninja then you may take my refusal to answer as a sign that you should give up. But if you have any sort of pride you will answer for yourself."

"So I will not tie it back for you. A ninja will secure her future as proudly as she does her headband." With that, Yousuke lets the headband drop and turns away, "I do not care for your reply. The only one you must seek to answer is yourself."

True to his word, Yousuke jumps away from Amon and toward his home without any regard to her response. He would know where her intentions lay by tomorrow.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yousuke

Yousuke arrives home without any complications, but discovers his grandfather isn't home. If Yousuke checks the old man's room, then he discovers the door closed and the lights off. If Yousuke searches the room, then he discovers a poorly written note on the coffee table. It's barely legible, but it does read that Youki had damaged his new hand and went back to Yousuke's "pretty young friend" to get it fixed. If Yousuke searches the rest of the house then he finds several broken bits of wood in the training dojo, and the weapon racks nearby have been disturbed recently.

[Bad Situation]

Finally within the comforts of his own home, Yousuke kicks off his sandals and stomps into the kitchen. Finding the note in the kitchen, Yousuke holds up the scrap to the light and squints at its message. As it turned out, life on the road as a nomadic warrior did not do much to improve one's handwriting. Looking at the kitchen entrance suspiciously, he decides that 'cooking' or whatever it was that Youki called cooking, was also a skill that he neglected to improve on the road. Or perhaps it was just a girl thing. After all, his grandmother had purportedly been a skilled chef in spite of her marriage into the clan. Though, he was being completely honest, he could scarcely remember the last meal his mother had helped to prepare...

Shrugging his shoulders at the though, Yousuke enters the dojo and begins cleaning up the mess. For a man who constantly chided his grandson for leaving the dojo in poor repair, Youki sure did leave a mess on a regular basis. His scowl softens however, when he remembers his grandfather's new hand. "I suppose grandfather is still getting used to a one-handed style. I should be less harsh on him.

Bundling up the broken bits of wood, he enters the kitchen to discard the remains and searches the refrigerator for any edible morsels of food. He had been hoping to train with his grandfather before his next mission began but if Youki had business then he could hardly blame him for his absence. Though, if the lech was simply using his hand as an excuse to meet with Alice... "My grandmother have mercy on his soul..."

---
Finished with his business in the kitchen, Yousuke enters the dojo in search of a suitable training weapon. If his grandfather was training to wield his blade with one-hand, so would he.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yousuke

Immediately after Yousuke finishes throwing away the pieces of Youki's arm his attention is drawn to the door by a slam against it. A few seconds later, something hammers the door once again, followed immediately by another heavy thud. Another second passes, then door bursts into splinters as a heavy black combat boot slams into it with intense force. A familiar woman wearing a green blouse and skirt combo, black shorts, and a black-and-white ribbon steps through the ruined doorway. She glares around the room, and the familiar coldness of Yousuke's mother flows into the building behind her. She casually readjusts the ribbon at her throat, then focuses ice blue eyes on the young sky-nin. She doesn't say anything, but the look on her face says everything: My son is still this weak?

The woman scoffs, then heads over to the dinner table without comment. Her twin swords clatter and sway as she moves, but luckily neither blade is drawn. The woman doesn't move to fix the broken door, nor does she remove her boots in the house. She also ignores Yousuke as she neither requests entry nor says hello. Youmu sits down at the table, closes her eyes, and finally speaks.

"Didn't the old man make breakfast? Well, I suppose you need to learn how to cook eventually. Get to it." There's no "how do you do?", no "how have you been?", and most certainly no "good morning son." Youmu goes straight to selfish demands and orders. Given the way Youki had raised Yousuke it's extremely unlikely she had been raised this way.

[Bad Situation]

Yousuke stands frozen at the sight of his mother. Shocked senseless, all he can think to do is stare. How could the woman before him be his mother? The few memories he had of Youmu were nothing like this. His mother had been gentle and patient with him, polite at even the worst of times. This woman...was none of those things. Could the memories of his have been an illusion? Was the last memory of his mother so faulty that he had imagined her kindness in place of her crudeness.

No. Youki would never have stood for it. In spite of the man's numerous faults he had been a good father and would have raised his only daughter properly. What exactly happened during her decade of absence? And how had it brought on such a tremendous change?

He watches her intently as she sits down, tracking in dirt from the outside and sits impolitely at the table. Finally his patience has enough and his indignation gives way to words. "...old man?" he says quietly. Stomping over to his mother, Yousuke slams down on the dining table with his fists, keeping his eyes directed firmly toward the wood. "Do you know what grandfather had been through because of you!?" Memories of the fateful night and his helplessness resurface and he bangs against the table once more.

Was this the price one payed for following the Path of the Sword?

[ZeroNumerous]

Yousuke

Youmu slams her hands onto the table as well, and stands up to glare at Yousuke. She barely equaled the young boy's height, and weighed less than him. But her muscles tense as her vicious nature flows out from her thin frame and small body. "Me!? That old ******* settled here of his own accord. If he had trouble, then it was because he was too busy getting ready to keel over that he forgot to train!" Youmu's anger grips her tightly, and Yousuke can see the muscles in her hand flex and relax as she considers slapping the young boy. "I don't owe him anything anymore. His problems are his problems."

[Princess Tracy]

"The grudge isn't born of the fallen. It's born of my weakness," is all Amon says in objection to Yousuke's analysis, though does look uncomfortable, shivering at his criticism even when she felt she'd earned it. When he finishes, dropping the headband, she opens her mouth to say something but is cut off as Yousuke just runs off, leaving her where she stands to say out loud "I wasn't always this way, vengeful, but I..." as he goes. Crouching, she does retrieve the headband, too lost in thought to pay the band itself much thought. She speaks for a bit like he was still there. "You're so cold... You don't have any intention of being my friend, do you?" She feels childish already as she finds a bench to sit on, leaving her band in her bag as she absently clean out her leg after their walk had left it grimy. Pulling out Shanghai, she pantomimes a conversation with herself. "Yeah, I know, ninja this and ninja that... self-motivation..." She looks to the sky at one point, wondering aloud. "It's hard to feel motivated when I lack a target..."

As she mutters to the doll, a realization occurs to her about her redemption. "The anger... it seems to be smaller since I saved you, Yousuke-kun. And when Kaede seemed like he was dead... when you broke me down... when i saved Houshi. Is it wrong that the guilt feels a little less potent?" She looks into Shanghai's eyes, ignoring the creepiness of the doll as she hugs it close. "Omki... would you forgive me a sense of victory? Even though I can't ever fix Kaoru, even though, I ran... ran when you needed me the most, got so scared I didn't even think about staying... can you forgive me for feeling like I've made progress?" Despite her usual shame, there's something... off about it. "No... I haven't found redemption yet, have I? I haven't done enough for what I cost everyone..."

She leans back, closing her eyes as she still grips Shanghai like an old lover. "I don't know what happened, I swear, Omki... I just blacked out and all of a sudden I was running... Such a coward... you said it best that you couldn't forgive me." Her eyelids loosen but don't open as she thinks back. "What I wouldn't give to run my fingers through your sizzling red hair again, to smell you after you trained so hard, to see you smile, to hear you say..." She stops again, gulping as she feels it all too well - that attitude is part of that shame. "I wonder every now and then... if you hadn't left me for him just before it happened... would you hate me as much as you do now?"

Amon opens her eyes to find the doll in he arms. There's an odd, exhausted smile on her face. "God, I need a girlfriend," or really, anyone that would be willing to listen to her. Bottling it all up for the better part of two years had only made her that much worse. Cybele, Houshi, Yousuke... they won't ever be my friends. Why AM I in this business anymore? I's not like I'd be able to live up to what was lost, to Kaoru's strength or Omki's determination. If I wasn't here, another, more capable genin would take my role, someone they could actually rely on... Yet as much as she consciously tries to convince herself of all that, the image of Yousuke as he breathes once again, recovering from his wounds on the forest floor, flow into her mind. A certain knowledge of ineffable usefulness - she'd saved Houshi, she'd saved Yousuke. Nothing would change that.

After a rather long time, she deposits Shanghai, trying to think how to best busy herself like everyone else seemed to be. She wanted to see Aiko, but then class would be in session already. Assuming her parents even let her back in to school. "Maybe Alice can at least brush up some things with me." She decides to spend some time training with and perhaps sharing tea with Alice to pass the time.

---

Amon heads to Alice's hideout and attempts to gain entry.