Unexpected (Kazuhiro)

She hadn’t cried yet, Akihana refused to cry.

The night of her return, she had been told of what had happened to her son, or rather what Arata had done to the young lady his brother had been courting. She had been told the young lady in question was safe, recovering at the palace infirmary. She had been told that the younger Prince had not been announced in any bingo books out of courtesy to his mother, the soon to be Regent of Haven. She had been told she would experience shock, grief, she was told there would be tears and it was best to let them out.

And yet the blonde refused to cry. Crying meant giving in, it meant accepting that her son had done what everyone said he had done. And while Akihana would make her own inquiries tomorrow, tonight she refused to listen to hard evidence. Tonight she was a mother with boundless faith in her child, faith that her baby boy would never do any of the things he was accused of.

So she had heard them out, had nodded, had bid them a good night and left the room. What she hadn’t done was cry. And she wouldn’t cry now as she stood in his empty bedroom, the dark walls, the open window, the clean sheets all bearing witness to his absence. Arata never kept the window open, he was too watchful of threats. He never left his living space clean, believing that to be his mother’s job or the servant’s job. No, this room was as devoid of her son as her own home in Kumogakure had been.

And yet the blonde was still here, hoping against hope that everyone else was wrong and that Arata would pop out from under the bed or behind the royal purple curtains, explaining how this as all just some prank. How he had never left, how this was all a joke to welcome her home and she would sink to her knees and then cry. Gently scolding him for his poor taste while hugging him closely to her because despite the prank, he was here and he was with her. He hadn’t committed a criminal act and simply left.

She would cry upon setting eyes on him and holding him close, but not a single tear until that time. No, she would simply wait in the dead of the night, she owed Arata that much. She owed It to him to give him the benefit of the doubt.

It had been a minute since the boy and his fox had arrived within the walls of Hoshi, his eyes taking in each small marvel that the village had to give. The soft exclamations of "oohs" and "ahhs" made him feel better about being here but the people? Nooo that did not. With each person that tried so much as to get close to him, he shirked away choosing to retreat to the darkness before they could say anything to him.

As a result he had relied on Koan to find their way around and in a village of many scents and signatures? He managed to find the one they needed. Quickly through the alley's they skittered and crawled until they arrived on the outmark of the palace. Such a grand and regal place reminded him of Lady Inari's own home and for a moment he wanted to rush in, but patience was a key. The two had waited until the sun was slowly coming to its bedtime before making their plan spring into effect. As they watched a few of the guards change shifts, the boy and the fox would expertly plant themselves on the walls, climbing up with precision and grace before dropping onto the other end.

Once they had arrived it only took Koan a few moments to lock onto both Arata's faint scent and the scent of the one they were here for. Pointing his head toward the opposite side, Kazuhiro waited until the coast was clear before clinging to the wall and moving up it before looking into the window. The sun was just below the horizon as he pushed the window open and slid in, his childlike body hitting the ground as he closed the window back and looked around.

It looked more like a male's room than a females room as he walked around it for a moment before stopping at the closet and blinking. He wanted to see what had been in it, but due to the constant shifting of feet, he was pushed in by the fox and shut in just in case. The two sat there for what felt like hours, the young boy falling asleep only to awaken to the sound of footsteps coming into the room.

The boy sat for a moment as the young fox slowly sniffed the air until he had knew exactly who it was. There was a single scratch..Then another. Before long she would see the closet burst open and from it a familiar face...and one should would not know. The fox would turn human and glomp Akihana in a fit of happiness, its face burrowed in her chest as he spoke," You're finally back!! You don't know how long...we have been looking for you." The boy stood back for a moment and watched, his eyes scanning the female from her hair to her feet as he blinked," Is this her? His mother?," the boy said it almost in a fact like manner that the fox had to almost look at him weirdly for a moment.

For a moment, it truly felt like her wish was coming true. As the closet door began to move, the beating of Akihana's heart increased too. Arata was here! Against all odds her little boy was here and he wasn't what everyone said he'd become. However what came out of the closet was a very familiar fox who turned into an even more familiar human being.

"Koan!" the kunoichi just had the time to say before the breath was knocked out of her as the fox pounced, hugging her close. The blonde returned his embrace, reaching to fluff his hair out of habit more than anything else. "Oh aren't you a sight for sore eyes? Where have you been all these years? Yaju said he entasked the foxes to look after..."

The medic felt silent, her golden eyes finally landing on the boy who had emerged behind the mischievous fox. And just from the set of his face and the calculated look he was giving her, Akihana knew this could only be one man's progeny. The child that had tumbled out of the closet may not have been her own, but he may as well have been.

"Hello," the young woman greeted him softly, taking small steps towards the child and upon reaching him, kneeling down to her knees to match his height. "I'm Akihana. Your father was my best friend," With the admission, the kunoichi would make no move to hug the child yet in case he was frightened or overwhelmed, she would simply wait for him to respond.

Koan of course was elated to be around someone he still considered a friend even before they had last seen each other. He waited for a moment to enjoy what had been reality yet again before speaking," We've been busy tending to other things as well as preparing a few things for the future-," he had paused for a moment. Her next words had caught him offguard as he stood up and titled his head puzzled.

"You've spoken to Yaju-dono?! When! Where! What did he," he stopped himself for a moment. How could she have spoken to him when he had been gone for so long? Koan himself stood there contemplating on her words while Kazuhiro? He stood silent looking at the woman for a moment's time.


..This was his father's friend. Arata's mother right in front of him and he saw pieces of the boy in here but something else as well. A few random sniffs of the air came from him as he nodded and crossed his arms," I am Kazuhiro. You are the golden haired lady my siblings had spoken so fondly of...And his mother. Why does he hate you so much? ," The words flowed from his mouth effortlessly as his red eyes stared into hers looking for the answer.

After a while he looked around the room and continued to stare at key things before nodding," this will make a fine residence for me until my elder brother returns. I shall remain here until then," even though that's not how it works he was set on staying in it until a time in which Arata had came home.

The fox's confusion was expected, after all, his master had been dead for well over two years. And it wouldn't help anyone at all for Akihana to explain to the summon in front of the child that she conjured up memories of Yaju in hard times, memories that seemed almost like ghosts but that always told the truth because the one who willed them into existence could never tell a lie.

She had secretly known all along that Kumori had escaped, the memories suppressed via shock and trauma in the wake of Kumo='s destruction. She had known Yaju's son had survived, she had even pieced together who the former Raikage would trust to care for his child. And yet it had taken Yaju's ghost, - his memory to be precise - for it to make sense. The haori she had found while cleaning was not proof that a spirit had spoken to her, it was proof that she had needed Yaju so much in that moment that she had conjured up his ghost.

But the child would never understand that. Not now anyway. Signalling to Koan to wait until later, she turned her attention to the boy styling himself as Kazuhiro.

"How are all your siblings?' seh asked, a small smile on her face as she tried to put the child at ease. "I hope they and Lady Inari are well." A small bow of her head in respect for the matriarch fox that led he race. It was only as he asked why someone hated her that the smile slipped from her features.

"Oh dear, who hates me? Not one of the foxes I hope since they're almost like my family. Do you know Lilia used to babysit your brother right alongside her own cubs?" Akihana stopped however when Kazuhiro declared this would be his room until his brother returned. Golden eyebrows shot up in surprise as a look of pure hope flashed in her butterscotch eyes. "You know of your brother? Do you know where he is? I've been waiting and worrying about him. Is he alright?"

For a moment he looked at her trying to figure out something. Certain things caused her to deter away from a particular subject, not that it bothered him but...Why it had happened was what made him curious. Of course he would go along with it until he knew for sure what she meant by it.

When she asked about his siblings he sat among the cool ground and began to speak quicky get fluently," they are all well off I suppose. Kouen had a few kits and his wife is...A jerk at times but okay. Koan is officially the youngest Fox to acquire nine tails...Uhm...Lady Inari is nice still. Has a bunch of reminiscing moment's of my father but is well none the less," as for the others it was the same day in and day out though he wondered how they were doing at the moment.

When she asked who hated her however his head did a fully tilt as he turned to look at Koan who had still said nothing about their meeting with Arata. Taking a deep breath he began to speak about the meeting," Arata. He hates..No loathes you because he thinks you are the reason his home is gone...And my father is no more. He wanted me to at first go with his to lands unknown, but I had my destination." The boy paused for a moment wondering just how...Blunt all of this had sounded.

" I also wanted to see what about you he hated so much..How you can smile even after knowing he was gone....Or is it something else troubling you? Either way that does not matter to me for I will go after him after him after I am prepared," his words fell silent as Koan him a rather shocked look. 

The boy had no problem with telling it how it was, more so since he took after lady Inari somehow figuratively. As quick as he spoke he quickly changed the tune of what he had been saying," Given that I think it's best to give him time. He will come looking for me or I for him. Either way it is inevitable, but anyway...He's going to come back because he has a promise to keep," for a moment he gave a rather confident grin showing off a look that was trademarked by his father- those wolf like teeth.

It was nice to hear about the foxes once more, it felt like someone recounting a tale of long lost family members. After her own broken contract with Lilia, summoning netiquettes required her to no longer interact with them of her own accord but if their new master found it acceptable, they could speak for as long as they wished. And Kazuhiro was their new master though the child may not have fully grasped the concept yet. He spoke of the foxes as if they were his siblings instead of summons.

The smile that would have comforted the kunoichi at the thought never came however as the young ninja started speaking of Arata. Akihana's pale face went several paler shades of white and grey as the boy told of his encounter with Arata as factually as could be possible. The words coming from him... There was a tightening feeling around her heart that despite her years of medical experience could not be identified any better than sheer grief. The light from her seem to din further as Kazuhiro continued, easily quoting the her son, and truthfully enough.

Looking at Koan desperately to verify the story, all Akihana saw was a silent fox. Koan would have known to add soemthing if it was good news. As it was, Arata really had gone... He really did blame her for what had happened to his sensei... Her son truly hated her...

"G-go after?" the young woman managed to breathe out, unsure what Kazuhiro meant. "So you know where he went?" Perhaps they needed to send a search party? Drag him back kicking and screaming if they had to. It didn't matter that he despised her as long as he was home and safe. He could hate her for the rest of his life if it meant she could see him now and then, make sure no harm came to boy.

The boy would not react well to his new father at all. Nor would this boy, she imagined. But few people outside of Kumogalure were ready to accept her union with the current Raikage, at least the way things stood now. Akhana's head spun, processing the information as best she could.

All the while in her heart of hearts refusing to comprehend why Arata had done what he did. Slowly, she raised her eyes to the child's once more. "Arata believes I k-killed your father. Do you, Kazuhiro?" Suddenly the answer was the most important thing in the world, the only thing reassuring her that she was not the reason Yaju wasn't here with his son.

She sounded so surprised when he mentioned going after Arata, the single promise he made to the child...much like himself before coming to Hoshi," Yes go after him. Not now however for I am not at a strength that can challenge his ideals. When I am ready however? Me and him shall fight and he will be coming back home with me, however? I do hope that you will allow him this chance to grow on his own and figure out just what he wants in this life. He has a legacy left by my father just the same as me...and we both must face it one way or another," as for where he went? He actually had no clue, but he did know in time the two would cross paths.

The most important...No one of many important questions had been asked causing the boy to find a chair and pull it toward Akihana, his eyes peering into hers for a moment as he began to search for something. Normally a child would find guilt in the one that was supposedly the one who killed his father, but him? He was looking for something else. At the moment he slowly reclined into the chair and scratched his head rather oddly before looking at Koan who had no words for this.

"Do I blame you? Does the moon blame the sun for giving us warmth? I know that you tried to offer yourself to prevent something that happened anyway so on a morality base? Yes I blame you. You should have went down with my father in protecting his home but....If my father is like how the foxes spoke of then he would have sent you away anyways. I do not know why he chose this, or even if I will ever know but I do not blame you. I do however blame you...For not knocking some sense into my brother," it was weird how that came out. At one point it could have been an intimidating gesture mixed with a joke. On the other? He could have been serious about what he said and was testing her somehow. No one really knew just how Kazuhiro took this, but it took it in a way that no normal kid would.

In his prophecy of one day facing Arata, all Akihana heard was the lack of a current location meaning Kazuhiro did not in fact know where his brother was. The realization made the kunoichi's heart sink anew. These boys were so caught up in legacies and confrontations, in showing strength and resilience. All Akihana really wanted was her children by her side. She had never cared for conventional strength, choosing to give her love equally to everyone and yet it hadn't been enough. Her unconditional love for Arata simply hadn't been enough...

The medic barely heard the rest but did snap out of her thoughts as he pulled up a chair and sat facing her, contemplating her question so seriously, it belied his young age. He spoke like someone who had been at the battle, who knew what had transpired, but even as he somewhat exonerated her from blame, all Akihana felt was the burden of the young heir's forgiveness. This was her punishment, to never be free of what had happened two years ago.

The young woman merely shook her head as he mentioned knocking some sense into Arata. If the foxes had told Kazuhiro anything about ehr, it would be that she never knocked anything into anyone. Was it really surprising Arata had taken the path he had. Not fort he first time, the mdic wondered if Arata would be different if there was a faher in his life.

"Well, I suppose we had better make living arrangements for you," she finally spoke, nodding towards Koan as well to indicate the fox was more than welcome to stay too. "This room will probably be sealed soon but if you don't mind, you can move into a room closer to my own quarters. Just in case I..." Just in case she woke up in a cold sweat and needed to check on both Kazuhiro and Arashi to ensure they were at least both there and hadn't left her. "Just in case."

A moment later, she rose to her feet, offering her hand to the boy. "What color would you like your room to be? We can have it painted and decorated in your favorite style. Tomorrow I shall speak to the Queen Regent about you staying here and if people start calling you prince, you mustn't be surprised and answer politely. The customs here a bit different than The Valley of Kumogakure but they'll be respected nonetheless."

The small child simply looked at Akihana for a moment as he turned to wonder one simple thing- what about her did his father enjoy. It was accurate to say that he knew next to nothing about his father save for a few things which meant that anything was up to interpretation on his part. What he did know however was that he was no coward and he stood for what he believed in.

With that being stated he stood up in the chair and patted the golden haired maiden's head before speaking,” I cannot hate you got my father's death. What I can hate you for, if it happens, is failing your promise to him when it comes to me. I simply cannot tolerate those that do not keep their word. So for as long as you live will you keep your promise to my father,” his request was...Odd in the least.

The boy knew more than he lead on but the foxes had taught him things that no normal child would know. He thought well above his own age and that was both good or bad depending on how you saw it. His Fox brother however? Looked at him with a smile as he sat slowly onto Arata's bed simply watching the two talk.

There was something the small Fox had been forgetting and as he stood back up pulling out a small scroll,” I've been forgetting this but I think its time for you to finally to accept this,” the fox had slowly unrolled the fox showing only two signatures, one that had been lightly written out and the other? Was their sage and his father. Setting the scroll down into the ground along with a small knife,” it is finally time for you to join your father as our summoner...And in the future if it happens our sage,” the boy looked at the name of his father only to slowly say it aloud,” Yaju….Hayate,” saying the name felt weird but... Normal.

He boy took the knife to his thumb only pricking it as he signed his name in blood forever placing himself as the next holder of this race. Once the pact was done, Koan rolled the scroll up and placed it into the child's hands,” As your father before you was our scroll bearer so now shall you little brother...Do us proud okay,” the foxes smile was genuine and real as he bowed to his brother...And now master.

Kazuhiro didn't know how to feel about this actually but he held the scroll in his hand for a moment in contemplation before looking at Akihana and nodded,” Forest like colors. So brown, green and blue please. Also...What is this prince thing you are speaking of?,” His head tilted in curiosity as he wondered just what that meant.