Idiosyncrasies (Yaju)

The thing, could it have been the Raikage, was on the move, only leaving rippling light in its wake and confusing Akihana as she tried to follow. Light trails were well and good but the mere fact that there was a trail meant the prey had gone and left it, leaving her nothing more substantial than tracks to follow. From time to time, Akihana swept her gaze towards Arata's hiding place, making sure he was safe before continuing on her hunt for the dark haired teen.

It seemed as though the creature was playing with her, leaving her trails and more trails, but Akihana was happy to play along if it meant she would come away with a better understanding of tracking. Casting her mind to Arata once more, the blonde made sure the light patterns around her son were consistent with his height and weight, and then she sensed it.

More rippling light patterns behind her child.

"Arata," she called out, dropping her search for the Raikage immediately to direct chakra to her feet, sprinting towards his hiding place with her eyes glowing golden. There was something with her boy, something she couldn't yet identify but that was big enough to do him harm.

"Arata, don't worry, mommy's coming," the medic called out, leaping over several rock formations and making a mad dash to her son.

Only to find him reaching out and patting what looked like a wolf.

"Honey, get away from that," she screeched, hands glowing with chakra in case the wolf decided to make a meal of them.

"Mommy, you cheated," her son pouted, his annoyance replaced immediately by a smile. "Besides, he won't hurt us."

And with that, Arata reached forwards to hug the wolf's shaggy head. "See, he's a friend," the little boy pointed out, stroking the beast behind the ears.

He wasn't expecting the boy to actually turn around and pat him on the head," Well...this was very much unexpected...," for a moment he would just allow the boy to pet him before snapping up and looking around, the presence of Akihana being known to him, however he would simply sit there and continue to allow the boy to pet him.

After a while once Aki had arrived, he tilted his head and sighed which only came out as a very low growl," That was rude of her," of course he was used to, while in this form, being called a "that" or "thing" so he would let it slide for now.

After a minute of the petting and Arata scratching behind his ears, his leg would start to thump and finally he would speak," Ahhh...yeah that's good...well...this is awkward," of course his voice came out the same as when he was in his human form...only a bit more roughish. Looking up towards the two he would try to think of a good way to explain their Kage could turn into a wolf at will," Well looks like you found the both of us...but Arata is right, that is cheating," a brief laugh would escape from his as he sat down on all fours and transforming back, standing up shortly after.

Dusting off the few specks of dust on him he would smile and rub the boy's head," Your son here has some courage in him to do something like that although if he could tell i was being friendly then he has a good head on his shoulders, just...don't do that with the actual wolves in the mountains unless you're with me. They tend to get fiesty if you pet them without permission," of course as the pack leader, he could just tell them to roll over like domesticated animals.

Despite her son's conviction that the creature was of a friendly nature, Akihana was not letting her guard down, not when Arata's life was at stake. But she did loosen her hold on the chakra slightly when the wolf began thumping the ground in pleasure, and then it began speaking in the Raikage's voice.

" Ahhh...yeah that's good...well...this is awkward,"

The kunoichi let out a soft "oh", dropping ehr now limp hand sto ehr side as relief flooded through ehr body, makinge rh sink down on her knees in front fot he boy and wolf.

"See mommy, I told you," Arata grinned proudly as the wolf turned into the leader of cloud, an impressive feat which Akihana would have appreciated more if she hadn't been weak with relief that Arata was okay. Doing her best not to seem shaken, the young woman held out her hands for Arata, who came to her willingly and gave her a hug. "Don't be scared, mommy, everything's okay."

"I'm not scared," she lied, examining his face and wondering how on earth the boy had found the courage to approach what looked like a wild animal. "I just wan to tickle you," she added, making him laugh and jump away from her.

" Your son here has some courage in him to do something like that although if he could tell i was being friendly then he has a good head on his shoulders"

"I don't know," Akihana shook her head. "Arata has never been timid, I'm sure you can tell. But sometimes I worry his bravery will get him hurt. Maybe that's something you can work on with him?" she suggested. He had offered to give the boy private lessons after all. "Just enough so that he deosn't walk into danger every step he takes. And save me a few heart attacks every week."

"Mommy, can we eat now? Please, I'm hungry. And we have cake. We can share the cake with Raikage-sama or he can have your piece, you don't even eat cake."

Smiling at her son, the kunoichi agreed, getting up to her feet and reaching to pile her hair into a messy pony tail, the polish stain quite forgotten in light of recent events. "Yes we can, why don't you set the picnic blanket with Raikage-sama and I'll get the food out," she suggested. "Go choose a nice shady spot."

There he stood watching the mother and young son interact after a brief scare on his part, in which he would rub the back of his head in guilt," Yeah...you shouldn't really worry about the wolves in these parts, they won't attack actual villagers that live here, but if you were simple visitors? Well that may be a different story, being a pack leader has its advantages," of course he wouldn't allow such an attack on the villagers, not without his say anyway.

Looking down to the small boy he would chuckle before nodding," I see...well its something i can definitely help him with, although with such a brave spirit it shows that he would go the extra mile for his teammates right Arata?," giving him a thumbs up he would return to speaking to Akihana," Leave it to me, i don't want this little one getting too hurt before he can become better than I," the small notion caused him to laugh a bit, but he wasn't going to make fun of the kid...the dream was big, but not out of reach.

Seeing as the boy wanted to eat he would nod and begin to help him set up the blanket and things under a nice shady tree," So how did you know i wasn't some ordinary wolf Arata? Most people cannot even tell the difference between myself and a wolf when i am in that form...or do you think you can befriend wild animals," of course as he asked this he would be sitting down under the tree.

The medic nin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when the Raikage admitted that the wolves weren't a danger to the villagers. She could only hope the wolves could tell that she and Arata were genuine Kumo citizens and not just a tasty snack wondering by. The fact about being leader of the pact the kunoichi didn't understand but chalked it down to one of the powerful jutsu the young man likely had in his arsenal. Plus, that comment about being raised by wolves... Perhaps he hadn't been joking, she wondered.

" I see...well its something i can definitely help him with, although with such a brave spirit it shows that he would go the extra mile for his teammates right Arata?,"

The boy glowed with pride at the praise, already deciding that he wanted to be that kind of a ninja in the future, the brave one who sacrificed everything for his team. For a moment, the blonde let herself think of the boy's father, before mentally reprimanding herself for the mistake. She thought she had known him, which just went to show how stupid she had been at sixteen. She knew nothing about Arata's father, nothing except that he was not a brave man, never had been judging by his actions all those years ago.

" Leave it to me, i don't want this little one getting too hurt before he can become better than I,"

"Not even then," Akihana muttered seriously before letting her face relax into a smile. the wolfish teen had high hopes for her Arata and while she was proud of her son too, she also knew with certainty that no matter how old Arats grew, she would never want him hurt. The expectation was unreal but she was a mother, it was her thing, to make believe that she could protect her child forever. Or at least until he learned to protect himself.

"See, she never lets me have any fun" the little boy grumbled as the two boys headed off to lay the picnic blanket as instructed. Akihahan smiled as the way she could picture Arata's eyes rolling. The boy was often fond of saying that his mother took every cool jutsu and turned it boring, making Akihana laugh much to his surprise.

"I swear, Sir. She learned this cool thing where she can make electricity merge with her fire chakra, and what does she use if for? To make me grilled cheese? I mean, anyone can make grilled cheese, but hers are made with jutsu. I thought she'd do something mega cool like burn down a building but she just uses her techniques to iron clothes and clean the house and one time she used her jutsu to heat up bath water for me because we were all out of hot water," Arata chattered on as they found a spot and worked on the blanket, letting the Raikagae known that his mom could be really weird sometimes. She was an okay mom but he wouldn't complain if she learned to turn into a wolf like the Raikage could. Wolves were awesome.

" So how did you know i wasn't some ordinary wolf Arata?"

The younger boy shrugged, considering the question. "I don't know, I just get animals sometimes. It's like I can see what they're thinking. And your wolf form doesn't think like an animal, it thinks like, well, you," Wrinkling his nose, the five year old tried to focus more.

"Your wolf form is awesome, can you teach me?" he finally blurted it, flushing scarlet just after his question. "I promise I'll take good care of the secret, and I won't tell anyone except mommy because I have to tell her. It's the rule, mommy says I have to tell her when I do something even if that something is bad."

A small chuckle would escape from his lips as he ruffled the boys hair and shook his head," She does it to protect you Arata, all mothers are like that believe it or not. I wish my mom was a little bit though when i was a kid, but then again i wouldn't be where i was now if i had a life like yours. So don't take it as her being mean or taking your fun away because once you get to where i am, the mistakes kinda do add up but those you are around will make it better," it was a solid piece of advice that he would hope the young boy would hold on to in the future.

Although as the boy went on about his mother using her elements to do pretty much basic house work, he almost busted out into a laughter that would have shooken the mountains around them," Never once in my life have i thought about doing things like that...i mean i have used Earth Nature to simply dig into the mountains and Water Nature to make some small lakes inside of the mountains, but NEVER have i thought to make grilled cheese with lightning and fire...i tell you, your mom is something else. I'd say your mom has been training her body to better accomodate the two elemental natures or of course become more familiar with them. Not everyone can be as destructive with their gifts as everyone else, but what it boils down to is how you use said gifts," in a sense it all sounded completely weird to him, but he was more interersted in what the woman would use these said gifts to do.

Yaju was sort of...offended that the boy said his animal form didn't think like an animal in which he scoffed and reverted back to the wolf form and stared at the boy," I'll have you know that i am one of the only remaining members of this village that has not only became the alpha of the wolves of Kumo, but has also been raised by them. How dare some little boy-," he couldn't hold back the laugh as he changed back and laughed looking to the young boy and shaking his head," You surprise me at every turn Arata, but if i needed to i could be very...well animalistic. Its all in how i was raised," when the boy inquired if the young Raikage could teach him how to do it, he pondered on it for a moment and shrugged.


He could teach the boy the basics and go from there or just say no....eh he would just show the boy how and be done with it," Alright...i'll teach you the technique, BUT on one condition," he wagged his finger as he looked around," Don't teach anyone else right?," if the boy agreed he would begin to show him or rather talk him through the process (cuz typing all that is just....boring) which after a while when his mother returned he would nod," So you got all of that? Just make sure you don't get stuck in that form....i've terrorized enough people as it is, but getting stuck in my wolf form is no fun," after a brief laugh with the boy he would await the pinic in which he would continue to enjoy his time with his villagers.

[Sorry for the long wait...have been more or less adjusting to new meds and stuff.]

When the Raikage told him how his mom did everything to protect him, Arata nodded seriously. He was young but not young enough to not have noticed that his mom did everything on her own. He didn't go to the academy but he knew other kids, and other kids had a mom and a dad but Arata did not. He had once thanked his mom was doing all the stuff a dad should be doing and she had just hugged him and said he shouldn't worry abotu that, that his job was just to be a kid.

When the dark haired teen laughed at his mom's antics around the house, Arata couldn't help joining in. He already liked the Raikage a lot. He was fun, and super cool and they even laughed at the same jokes. Arata knew he couldn't be the only one to find his mom's weird housekeeping funny, but at least it gave him a good story to tell. After all, how many other kids had moms who made grilled cheese with fire and electricity?

When his new friend agreed to show him the wolf trick, Arata could barely breathe, laughing along with the wolf who said he could be animalistic. Arata supposed if he didn't know the Raikage he would be scared. But now he knew the older man and knew that he would never hurt him or his mommy. The little boy watched carefully, asking appropriate questions where needed until he was sure he had the trick down. He wouldn't try it now, he would try it when he was at home alone, as a surprise for his mom. Maybe he could even impress the kids at the academy for being so advanced?

"Hey, were you too roughhousing while I was gone," Akihana interrupted the two, taking in a laughing Arata and a Raikage who looked like he had just turned back from his wolf form. "Remember, fighters get no cake," she warned before her lips blossomed into a full smile.

"Just kidding," she relented, putting down the containers of food in front of the two boys and passing around the cake dish. When she had left her home this morning with her son, the blonde had never imagined she would be ending the day engrossed in a picnic with the leader of Cloud but that was life she supposed.

Full of surprises at every turn.

(Exit)

TWC - 3806

Claiming 19 stat points
Claiming 1k for third Element Light
Claiming 2k for Golden Eye Level 1
806 to be used for something else later

[Ending wc is 2858 so claiming +14 AP and words for something later]

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