A Simple Family Outing (Open)

The sound of the waterfalls had become music to this young ninja's ears. What was once a constant annoyance had became a cacophony of serenity for him as he trained. Kazuraba went through the motions as they came, moving from the electrical impulses in his brain to the twitching of nerves and tendons as they moved in conjunction with each other, slow, smooth movements being made in a jolly co-operation within this young shinobi. His movements, at the moment at least, were gentle, his muscles awakening and being stretched out without any worry of burning excess energy or worrying about overstressing a muscle. The canopy of vines and grass that covered the area around him had been trodden and eased down by his methodical footstep over the area which he had marked, through one way or another, as his sanctuary of a training spot.

The chitters of animals going about their daily lives were prevalent all around him, yet it did not bother him in the least. They knew better than to encroach whilst a predator was having itself a time of stretching, lest they become prey. His breathing, calm and steady as he went through the movements acknowledged as "Tai-Chi's 24th form". He picked it up along the way from various people he had...shared martial knowledge with. Circular movements with both his hands and feet created ripples in the air, the young fighter ensuring that his body and mind were primed. Though, all of this was just to burn time. He had called one of his family members out to talk in a peaceful area. To catch up on some old times, since they had fallen out of contact with their...differing paths.

From atop of one of the buildings sat one of the best hunters of Takigakure and one of its only ninja that had....a less than interesting personality. Rikuzashi had been atop of this roof for sometime looking over his bow from a previous hunt that he had just came back on not to long ago to cure his boredom for a bit. One of the things he loved about Taki was the surrounding area was nothing but trees and fertile grounds giving him a good area to hunt in....with a little holding back however he was able to do a bit of it without majorly harming the ecosystem and equilibrium of the village. With his legs crossed he continued to fix up the bow in silence, slowly twisting each individual gear into place before smiling at his final works.

He had been invited by one of his very own clan mates to come and "hang" out with him, although the term was a very loose definition for him. He none the less accepted the invitation of his brother in arms due tot he fact that he hadn't seen him in some time since his last major meeting. With his current work done, the young clan head and weaponry master leaped over the top of the building before landing onto another one some odd five meters below him and soon took off into the distance.

The meeting place was outside of the village and in the Jungle, a place where he had been to test his mettle and aim so to speak so that he would never become dull...but to also make sure that his clan's doujutsu was getting the proper tuning. He had obtained the powerful Rouenta doujutsu during his first hunt and had been using it occasionally to take out objects from a distance, although now he was using it to unlock the next part of his clan's heritage. Within the time that he had continued to think over his plans, he had activated the doujutsu causing his eyes to take on a special cross like shape while the area around it became purple.

With this he was able to see up to 50 meters in front of him, the eyes catching sight of Kazuraba, although the boys had grew up together he still could not believe that his closest friend had been growing faster than him...which came to no surprise given his talents within the clan. Arriving silently on a tree branch ten meters above his clan mate he would lean down while resting a hand on his bow," So Kazuraba.....how have you been," the grey eyes looking down to him in curiosity.

His ears twitched, the air telling him something as it shifted and moved from the motion of an intruder. The feeling he got from the intruder, however, was not one of a stranger. It was familiar and familial. He did not break the motions he was doing, however. He had to finish the form. His chest rose and fell slowly as he continued the motions and movements, his body and mind at ease thanks to his little exercise. He took that final, slow breath, finishing where he started, the symbol of yin and yang carved into the ground with his feet. He slowly opened his eyes, those deep brown orbs staring upwards towards the voice.

"Ah! It is good to see you, my clansmen!" He said simply with a warm smile on his face. Even as a hunter, the warm flame that radiated off of him was comforting. He had a practiced experience with trying to blend in, being as warm and comforting as he possibly could. He took a seat on a stump that had long been there, even before him and maybe even before the village. He stretched a bit more and motioned for the clan leader to come down.

"How have you been, Brother? I hope everything has been well for you." He asked, that same inquisitive warmness in his voice.

So his clansmen had sensed him coming which wasn't too surprising, any member of the Rouenta clan could tell when another was around, but Mr. Kazuraba here had something different from the rest or so he assumed. Deactivating his doujutsu, the grey eyes would once again come into play as he smiled lightly and sat in the tree," it has been a while Kazuraba..how have you been since our last meeting," he continued to watch him make his movements without fail and the etching of the Ying/Yang symbol into the ground made it seem as if he had been training his body more so than anything else.

Jumping down without a sound to be made Rikuzashi would land a few meters in front of his clansmen while still holding onto his bow ," Things have been well...i have just returned from a great hunt the other day and other than that i have just been training in our secrets..how about you? What have you been up to in these few moments...i see you have been working on your taijutsu as usual," the small astute observation had him thinking that he needed to train himself so that he would not become rusty, but with so many taijutsu users in the world he would have to get them from a distance first before actually combating them.

He looked to his clansman/clan leader and gave a gentle bow of his head once more as he sat there on his stump, his skin not even flushed from exertion. The aura around him was calm, like a slow-flowing river or meadow with undisturbed animals. His brown eyes kept his clansmen in their sight, the young taijutsu user standing. He eyed the bow at the side of his clansmen, knowing to what devastating effect that weapon could be used to. "I have been well, my dear clansman. Doing Genin missions and such. Hunting out here in the jungle when I can to keep my senses sharp. And, y'know, being out here in my little sanctuary for training." He said with a smile on his face as he stood, stretching his shoulders and back once more, fists towards the sky as he let out a soft groan. A sigh of relief came from him as he finally got out the knot in his back that had been bugging him for quite a while.

He eyed up his clansman with a small smirk as he shook out his legs. "I have to. Just like your bow is your weapon of choice, my body is my blade and my shield." He said simply, doing a couple quick jabs from his resting position. "It might not be as conducive as it is with your bow, but my eyes are good enough to be used with my Taijutsu." He said with a wink, having not quite gotten used to using those hunters eyes of his. "And in these last couple moments? Well, I was practicing a soft style of Taijutsu. I have to keep my balance somehow. Have to be like the wind, smooth and swift, when need be. Or be like the earth, solid and sturdy, when need be." He said, sitting back on the stump. "Come. Sit. Lets chat."

With the small differences in how they fought, Rikuzashi thought about the small although minor tactics that the two fo them had used in order to fight or survive were by far a complete opposite tier, but the way they used their wits...were something different altogether. Both of his hands would slowly reach into his pockets and relax with a slow intention of relaxing, his senses always being alert in the case that someone would try to ever sneak up on him or even attempt to surprise him. Seeing that his brother had actually been training unlike most of the members that have become "domesticated" within the ninja system, it made him happy to actually have someone who at least stuck to their customs.

"The bow isn't my only weapon...it is just the one i adore the most. As a hunter i use anything i can throw or use to counter my opponents...but this bow here is something i would never part with, not even in death," the joke about their eyes however caused him to go blank faced before nodding and leaning against a nearby tree. He wasn't a true "people" person per se although he loved to help in the village when needed...wait or was it that he didn't have much to say to people. It was a weird request from his clansmen to ask to chat, but against his own morals he nodded and looked up," So what do you want to talk about?," not really having anything to say he would leave it up to him to initiate the conversation.

He sat there, thinking about him and his clansmen, how they differed and how they were similar. From what he could remember, that bow could wreak havoc on an amazing scale. And his ninjutsu talent was nothing to scoff at either. There were simliarities in their style due to their shared bloodlines, but they differed in how they went about it. That he knew. Kazuraba, whilst not being the most honorable of fighters, refused to go for the overt vitals if they were trying to capture a target alive. But...if it was a life or death situation, anything goes. Strikes to the groin, eyes, throat and nerve bundles were allowed with pinpoint and deadly accuracy and speed. He kept his ears and senses open to the wind, his eyes shifting around to see if anyone had followed his clansmen. Which, he highly doubted, but anyone could be stupid one time or another in their lifetime.

"That bow seems to be more of a partner than a weapon then, isn't that right, my brother-in-arms." He said simply. Countering, hm? His style did incorporate counters, but breaking down his opponent seemed like a more apt approach to fighting. Even the winds may lash and the earth may roar when it is time. He looked to the rather stand-offish clan leader and let out a soft chuckle. "How has your training been going? I hope you have not lost your fangs at all. I fear that a storm is brewing someplace, and I'd rather not be caught without fang or claw. That goes double for those who are my blood-brethren." He said, before going into lighter conversation. "Have you made any friends? Have you...fallen in love yet?" He smirked a bit, teasing at his clansmen a bit.

" My bow is not only my friend...its more along the lines of the things i have accomplished up until now. Besides Indra hasn't left my side since i have obtained it, so i would consider it apart of me at that," the confusing words had been true as he spoke them, although to some he would appear to be speaking nothing but gibberish. Riku loved the bow on his side like no other so he would never let it out of his sight for nothing and if it did disappear, he would certainly be raising hell until he found it. Speaking of weapons he looked to Kazuraba and pondered something," So how are your eyes doing lately, have you been training them as of late?," Riku had been using his eyes constantly to hunt so he was acclimated to them and his training with them had been not only fierce but rigorous at best.

On the question of his training he would smile and nod proudly," My training has been coming along greatly and my aim is even deadlier than ever, although i still need to improve my body so that i can even content with a brute like you," a small laugh would escape from him showing that he was indeed showing a bit of his own humanity in the conversation. On the question of friends he would nod," There is one in the village that i have become acquainted with, she is a jounin i believe and a really..unique character if i do say so myself. Along with these new ninja in the village from...where was it," he would pause for a moment to think before snapping his fingers," ah right, the visitors from Iwagakure, i have been....somewhat weary on why they are here," however on the question of has he fallen in love, his right hand would grip on his bow for a moment before blinking.

There would be an awkward silence before Riku had fully answered," No i do not have time for such a mundane thing such as love brother....i am a hunter and a hunter only, love has no place in my world sadly," if he was kidding himself he was doing it very poorly. It was at this moment that he pondered on whether or not he would even be capable of loving another human.

Kazuraba smirked a tad at his brethren, crossing his arms over his chest as his clansmen talked so fondly of that bow. Not that he had any right to rebut it or make fun of his clansman. His armguards had seen better days eons ago, yet he had not discarded them. They were to important for him, even if they were basically falling apart. He could share the same feelings that his kinsmen had with that bow. If anything were to happen to his armguards, such as they went missing without his knowing...then the world would have a monster that it was not ready for. He looked to his clansman and shook his head, a bit of a sigh coming from him. "I have not, my brother. My...circumstances as a Genin disallow me from having ample time to train my eyes. Besides, I need to train my body as my primary weapon before my secondary weapon is trained properly." He said, his eyes flashing for a moment to that cross-like shape before they were back to their normal color.

He huffed and puffed! He took quite a bit of offense to the notion that he was a brute. "Well excuse me, dear sir! Sorry if I seem to quite like honing my body into a weapon fit for the heavens! I apologize my forte just happened to be beating people to a bloody pulp in the most elegant way possible!" He said, looking at his brethren with a mock glare before he let out a low chuckle. "Though it's good that you are keeping up with your training and excelling. I've been feeling rather...stagnant lately. I thought, instead of practicing a hard style of martial art, practicing more soft styles would help my current state-of-affairs." He mused, looking at his clansmen with a huge smile. "Good! I would love to meet her then. Though some of the jounin around here are quite...unnerving, if I must say." He said simply, his head tilting a bit. "Iwagakure ninja? Hrm. I hope everything goes well. I do not want to have an incident here."

He noticed the apprehension when the topic of love came up and then put his hands up. "Do not take it so seriously, my brother. Though...I suggest you open up a bit more, if you want my input. If too much pressure is put on something without proper release...then it'll break, no matter how strong it is." He said simply. "Even the darkest darkness has a light that shines brilliantly to level it out."

Riku shook his head slowly as he looked to his brethern in a stern but slightly disappointed look," "Genin" is only a title to us brother, we are hunters first and foremost while being a "ninja" as they call it comes second. We must hone our own skills before honing the opportunities that have been granted to us by this ninjs system," although he did hold truth that his body needed to be ready for his eyes so that he could be a more efficient fighter. Riku's eyes would take the form of the red cross in both eyes as he observed their surroundings for a bit before deactivating them and looking back to his clansmen with a stoic expressison.

The expression alone from Kaz caused Riku to literally laugh loudly with a smiling face as he shook his head," Peace brother, i am only...how do you say...teasing you. I know well that you take pride in your training and your body's power so i do not mind it at all. It is good to have a variety of styles that enable you to get over on your opponents with minor effort, so i commend you on that," pausing for a moment as he thought of his jounin friend, he wondered how she was actually doing around the village. The last that he had seen of her she was drunk...or was it when he was just coming back? The days continued to blend together so he couldn't really remember.

" There will not be an incident here if we, the Rouenta, have a say in it. Things shall and will go smoothly or we will be forced to intervene on our...leader's whims," his hostility of the conversation on love had since then died down and he returned to his emotionless face as he sighed and sat on one of the roots of a nearby tree. Looking up towards the sky he shrugged and tried to think of a better way to speak," Open up? That's...easier said than done Kazuraba. We all cannot be as care-free and open as you when it comes to people. Although your advice will be most useful for the future. In any case who have you been smitten by," the grey hues returning to his brother as he waited for a response.