Mid day sun (open)

The desert sun was hot over head, what else was new.  One lone cloud floated across the sky, a sheep that had lost its flock.  The sky was blue, deep and reflective like water.  If one didn’t know better they could get lost thinking this an ocean and the sky sand instead of the other way around.  A breeze blew across, sending corrosive crystal across the ground about a foot high.  This was something that typically would be disconcerting, but at present it had no meaning to Icarus.  He was a good three feet above the ground, safely nuzzled in the safety of a hammock.  The fabric kept him safe from the low breeze and sand ever shifting, while he stretched out a book covering his face.  He had been reading on the concepts of a new mechanism that was being manufactured in the village of sand.  If he had a chance he wanted to try and replicate later in his workshop, though he doubted he had the necessary parts.  Would have to jerry rig it, just like he did everything else.  Half the items inside his apartment was held together with more tape and careful tinkering than the original material.  That material he had cannibalized to make other objects, sometimes ridiculously so.  Having simply been better to leave it alone, but still where was the fun in that?

Presently though, there was no mission, no tinkering, no reading despite the book, no stress, just him and his fine lady the hammock.  The sun beamed down and kissed his skin, offering him warmth better than any blanket.  He knew he would eventually burn, but for the time it felt good to just let the sun beat down.  Above him in the tree where his hammock was tied Rio sat comfortably napping.  It had stolen his discarded shirt and made it into a nest of sorts to cushion the branch.  Spoiled bird, he thought.  Though from his present lounging in luxury he supposed he didn’t have much of a leg to stand on.  The day before had been exhausting, some lowly ranked mission passing out water to groups of people in the desert.  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help, it was just he didn’t have the motivation for such missions.  Surely there were civilians that could get the job done, why waste shinobi forces on it?  That wasn’t his place to judge though; he simply did it and moved on.  Besides he had meandered about afterwards and found a pretty face, so not a total day lost.

The nin was beginning to get old for a genin, and while he didn’t often think of it, it was still starting to nag him in his mind.  Everyday he thought he would go further, but he simply hadn’t found that motivating force that could lift him out of the dregs of……whatever this was.  Another breeze caused the hammock to sway.  Well maybe he would think on it tomorrow.  He could smell the water nearby.  He had found this oasis some time ago, well off the beaten path.  He didn’t often get visitors, but still it wasn’t unheard of.  Not like the place was a grand secret.  So even as a moment of motivation might have gripped him, he decided to let it pass.  

Icarus continued in this way for some time, swaying in the wind.  His shoes were off, his shirt was in the tree.  Nothing more than a simple gray tank top as he had no work to do today.  He wore a pair of black shorts to complete his ensemble of relaxation.

In a peaceful scene, someone like the young brunette would cause a major disturbance with his existence. The nature of his kind was to have fun, normally in a disruptive way. That brought irony for the bloodline that ran through his veins, not that he ever met one anyways. Formality tends to get old quickly, and for what gain? While he was polite for the most part, it did not really gain him too many things. That's why charisma was a factor. And he somehow obtained it through pranks, but only on those who were adults. Shopkeepers seemed to not mind a bit of a radio playing some weird music in the background. Some people called it "Trap", but it sounded nothing more like mumbles. But he noticed that not too many openings were left for him. Even with his newfound speed with his Chakra Blades accelerating his body, such minimal things were nothing compared to increased security. Seems like they want to Haruki-Proof the scene. And while he could strike through them like bowling pins with a Chidori, there was probably a reason for the blockades. At the end of the day, they all needed to sleep, and that would be when the Akari struck.

His clothing was casual, for the most part at least. Brown hair that pressed against his forehead, the wind pushing the blades against his skin due to air resistance. The scalp was covered by a green hoodie, despite him living in a desert. It was a light hoodie, nothing that added too much heat, and he normally felt naked whenever he had it off of him. Then there was his face, a small half-smile and light brown eyes that would shine in the light, but even more so than the average human. There was a common thread between him and his family members after all. The previously mentioned green hoodie was zipped up with a silver zipper, but the zipper made it three-fourths of the way up since there was no reason to conceal his face. Below the waist was a thin pair of white shorts that went down towards the center of his kneecaps, a little too large for him, but they were held by a black belt. Finally, his shoes. White Roller Blades. Because white shoes would definitely mix with sand. Better than sandals perhaps, but at least sandals did not have to worry much about dirt. Those with shoes most likely did... But in his defense, there were black wheels that were holding them above the ground. However, the sand was always getting mixed in with the sand, and he had to constantly clean them. Perhaps he should buy more, but the first pair were expensive enough as is.

What he decided to do for the day was go to the village with two Shadow Clones, all of them skating for fun. One of them would end up looking towards a comfy looking hammock. With his short height, he did not notice that there was a being on it already. So the Shadow clone would make it towards the hammock before then calling out to the other two, the real Haruki and another shadow clone. Guy! Check it out! I found a hammock! Come on! The clone would exclaim with cupped hands to amplify the volume that his voice emitted before then taking a leap onto the hammock, still not knowing that there was someone on it. His body would spin around in the process before then noticing the man that was below him, and he was about to land on the poor guy. Wha!? The clone would exclaim in confusion, still not figuring out what had happened. But now he had flailing arms of panic, but to no avail, since he was not a bird. Hopefully, the man had enough reflexes to catch the clone before impact. Or if it fails... Hopefully, he would not be too pissed.

The impact was not fatal, but it as pretty damaging, enough to cause the Shadow clone to disappear after being landed on from the hammock spinning. An unfortunate fate for it to end with, but it could have been the real Haruki, who probably would have done the same thing. The poor guy on it... While seemingly familiar, that did not matter at the current matter. Placing his palms in his pockets, he would then open his mouth. The Shadow Clone by his side has some other ideas. So much sand! Hold on, I'll take care of it! While the clone had good intentions, it would then begin to weave handsigns. And the only ones that Haruki remembered ever learning were based on attacks. The hands were quick, much quicker than he thought. Then again, he was used to seeing it in front of him, rather than to the side. The real Haruki's light brown eyes shot upwards. AH! BAD CLONE! BAD CLONE! The real Akari would exclaim as the Shadow Clones palm would fill with lightning. The real Haruki would place the opposing clone into the Temporary Paralysis Jutsu, holding it still until the Chidori would die down. After the lightning would stop crackling, the real Haruki would stop the technique and pull the Shadow Clone out, no longer letting it stay up as he would then meet the other character from a safer distance, and without clones being stupid.

Wait... Yoga? Right! Yup! I remember it now! It was a long while ago though. Ever found your "Center of Being"? I gave up a looooong time ago! The Akari would explain, as if he did not just send this guy tumbling against the sand. In a wait, that was somewhat true, it was not Haruki himself who did it. And that will be his excuse if he were to ever be accused of it. He would smile with all of his whites flashing, his eyes closed as a small giggle would emit from his lips. It was just in his nature to have fun. And being childish, even for his age, was something that came to him naturally.

Haruki was not able to understand things such as love and lust, far too childish to even get close to those things. Then again, it seemed like only a few hours ago before he obtained a kiss from a redhead as well. Perhaps it was a Suna tradition. Hey! What's that supposed to mean? It was a stupid sort of way to react, but with his pitch and tone, it probably had as much effect as a bucket of water did at a desert. The next thing that needed to be addressed was the hammock. It was a ruin, and the rope, probably expensive. With that said, Haru did have the money. But it was not technically his fault. It was the fault of the Shadow Clones. The morals of the shinobi, however, would probably not let him get away with that. And besides, it was about time they caught up again, most likely so he could hear more about the redhead, though probably while asking stupid questions in the process. He would flash another white toothy grin from before, ready to offer assistance for the rope that had been damned for hell. How much do you think the ropes are? I think I could cover the damage for it, provided it's not too much of a price. Some people needed to remember that this was just simply a kid they were talking to. Heck, they would think a couple Ryo means a lot to the world, just because they swept up their room. However, chores are most likely like slave labor to a child, since they have not been disciplined. Haruki however has gone on A rank missions before, so maybe he did know a little bit.

"Hey look! People." Ryu's clone would say to him as he was busy building his sand castle. Sure he could use chakra sensory to sense one of them his chakra strength was pretty incredible, but where was the fun in finding people that way? Standing up the young boy would dust the sand off of his pants and then throw some into his pocket, coating the sweet unwrapped candies inside. (Yes, he will still eat these later.) 

The clone looked into his own pocket wondering if he had the candies as well. Pulling out one the clone's smile grew as he placed the candy into his mouth only to poof away in doing so. That shadow candy isn't bad. The boy would move with the taste of the food in the back of his head. It was time to reveal himself to the village as a ninja with the rank of special genin. A rank awarded to the elite genin of the village... Well that isn't what the papers said just what went through the boy's mind as Suki, Koroshi's assistant read the paper. There were a bunch of confusing big words and for some reason even with a shadow clone he still couldn't read it. Wasn't the saying two heads can read big words if they each take part of the word?

Basically, all it granted was permission to do missions other genin could not. It must have meant the Kazekage had faith in his ability though, otherwise he wouldn't have been given the privilege. Within feet of the other ninja Ryu would stop and look at the two ninja more closely. "Hello, awfully hot out isn't it?"

“errrrr it means we became food friends…” He would say to Haruki, thrown off a little bit by the child. Icarus sometimes forgot that he was a bit older than most and pretty much all genin. A side effect of not really trying to become a chunin or applying himself to hard towards advancement. Sometimes it was nice, sometimes annoying, and sometimes just plain awkward like it was right now. Looking at the smiling face though he just left it at that and waved off the offer. “No need, no need. I’ll replace them. I probably have some spare supplies at home. No big deal.” He would say starting to gather up the frayed mess.

He would make a slight chirping sound as he stuffed them into a worn bag resting against the tree. At his sound a shirt fell from the tree and landed in his hand. He responded with a positive sounding whistle. Rip merely ruffled his feathers and closed his eyes again. “Lazy thing…” he would mutter underneath his breath. Just then a third person had arrived. His proclamation of the heat acting as a hello. It was always hot, so there was no other way for Icarus to really interpret such a statement. “Hello…..Well we have moved into quite the crowd rather quickly.” He would say. “Icarus, nice to meet you both.” He’d say with an off handed salute. Man, this was starting to be a bit of a drag. Taking a nap in the sun was a distant dream. He settled for using the shirt to brush off the remaining sand granules covering his body.

“What brings you both out here?” Is what he would ask both of them. Though as he did a feint amount of shouting and commotion could be heard. It’s source towards the village. It would cause Rio to peak up his head, and Icarus to look towards the village…….”Well what do you think that’s all about?”