(N)ull [Solo/Training]

Hoshi was in a rare form as the starts shimmered over the village, giving validity to its namesake. Most nights the lights from the village hidden in stars would ironically hide those very stars from its villagers, but for one night a year the lights would be dimmed throughout most of the city. For security reasons the palace was immune from the light ban, but it would only add to the building's majestic appeal. Of course the hospital was also immune and the city square and market were granted limited light during this time at the request from the Queensguard.

Tonight was the annual Havenly Light stargazing festival and Satomi was excited, for once he wouldn't have to travel deep into the Tachibana forest in order to witness the glittery beauty of Haven's skies. Unfortunately it was also a time when his father's restaurant would be even busier than normal, meaning that the young boy would have to attend the festivities alone. It would take a bit of wind out of his sails, but being a mature boy that he was, Satomi understood. At least that's what he would tell himself as he shuffled through the village center, kicking a pebble along with him. The genin's usual attire had found itself replaced,  instead the small lithe boy was looking rather feminine in his predominantly white kimono adorned with a pattern of scarlet feathers that seemed to wind around the boy before disappearing into pile collected around the hem of the garment. It was accentuated by a ornamental obi, the sash's colors the reverse of the child's main attire, a red with a simple white zigzag pattern. His feet were fortunately protected by the thick soles of his sandals as he nudged the pebble his was kicking along with the front of it.

Satomi huffed as he blew at the fallen golden tendrils of hair dangling in his face, without his shinobi headband his untamed mane was allowed to run wild. Finally getting his hair to stay in place the small child suddenly found himself on his butt as a boulder of a man bowled right through him, the man too busy laughing with his companions to even take notice as the small group continued to walk on by.

“Hmph! At least he could have apologized.” The boy's blonde fell from behind his ears to mask a frustrated frown as he picked himself off the ground and brushed himself off. For a moment he thought about giving the large gentleman and his friend a pierce of his mind, but would ultimately decide against it if only to refuse to allow it to ruin his night. Instead Satomi would attempt to tame his hair again before mucking about the village center kiosks and vendors, trying his best to find something fun. It didn't take long for his nose to take him to a baker who had set up a temporary booth to peddle his delicious wares, the genin couldn't help himself from purchasing the largest slice of strawberry shortcake he'd ever seen. The sweet dessert wasn't destined to survive long after it had met Satomi, the boy practically inhaling it. His face would be covered in whip cream and crumbs by the time he finished, not because he was a messy eater, but because he was apparently invisible and people continued to bump and knock him around as he tried to weave through the bustling foot traffic. He could feel his frustration growing with each bump, not one person seeming to even notice or apologize for running into him.

Satomi decided he needed somewhere less crowded before heading off to the Water Gardens. It was still early for the main event and he could perhaps get some space while everyone else was busy enjoying themselves in at the village center. He was mostly right anyway, though there were still more people than he expected there to be. Fortunately it appeared to be others who had the same idea as he did and mostly wanted a quiet place to enjoy the night sky. Unfortunately he wasn't sure what to do with himself as he straightened out his kimono before having a seat on an empty bench to take in the gorgeous stars out over Hoshi. He would find himself lost in their twinkle as his mind drifted out of the confines of the village walls and out into the world at large. He had learned so much of the world outside the gates, yet he was still forbidden from leaving Hoshigakure as a genin. He could feel his body drift away with his mind, his immediate surrounding disappearing with it. In that moment all he could feel was his heartbeat and his shimmering chakra, at least it was until he was snapped back to reality by the roar of laughter from the family gathered nearby. His soft gaze fell on the family as he watched a mother and father tease and play with their two young children, a small smile curled on the edges of his lips as the family of four seemed to enjoy the star-filled night. He was quite happy for them, even if his own father couldn't be there at the festival with him. Or... well, Satomi didn't have a mother—at least not any more. The information surrounding his mother's death were still largely unknown to the young boy, his mother having passed on before he was old enough to truly remember. All his best memories have been of his father, but even still, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss and jealousy whenever he witnessed a whole family. There was never a malicious thought in his mind about it, but even if he was genuinely happy to see another family happy, he couldn't help stay those negative feelings.

Tonight wouldn't be any different either as he could feel the sorrow well in his chest, forced to turn away as he felt his eyes grow misty. The eight year old would take a shaky breath as happy images of his mother and father flashed in his head, even those were just memories of the photographs his father would show him whenever he would open up about the boy's mother. Every time his father talked about his mother it was always about life as a family and how wonderful she was as a person, always shying away from talking about her life as a kunoichi. Satomi only even knew about his mother being a ninja during the argument that he had with his father when he wanted to enroll in the academy himself.

Satomi winched as his heart wrenched and his stomach churned, he didn't like these feelings at all—they were a strong contrast to the bright and cheery attitude he liked to carry. His emotions continued to swell until they threatened to overwhelm him and finally forced him to silently excuse himself from the gardens. He didn't know where he was going to go, be he knew he needed to do something to clear his mind. In his escape he would find himself at the training grounds, walking alone in the dark as he contended with his aching heart.

“Why won't he talk to me about her!?” Hurt and alone, Satomi's chakra flared as he flexed his fingers. “Why is so much about her a secret, she's my mother I have the right to know too!” His hands began to tremble as his chakra surged violently inside him as he barked at the moon, his eyes displaying a confused flux of pain and anger. The pained young child took another shaky breath, inhaling slowly and holding it for a few seconds before allowing it back out. It was a start at least as his body calmed slightly, but he needed something more to distract him.

Looking around the training grounds he sighed as he allowed his hands to run over his kimono, he couldn't do any extensive training, but at the very least he could continue to work on his chakra control.  It would be easier said than done however as his heightened emotional state had his chakra coursing through every facet of his body in a violent storm, Satomi took on a striking resemblance to a creepy murderous little girl from a scary movie he once had the misfortune of seeing as he carefully knelt on the ground. Closing his eyes he began to take more slow breaths to help calm his body as he worked hard to focus his thoughts around his chakra, the roaring inferno wouldn't be taken so easily this time as he tried to contain it without the little imaginary ball he had concocted to help train him in suppressing his chakra. While being able to conceal yourself was nice for hiding, the crafty little genin wanted something more. Satomi wanted to be able to mask even his intentions—to be able to suppress his chakra even when performing more than a basic jutsu.

Wrestling his chakra for what felt like hours, but really only amounted to a few minutes, Satomi managed to work himself through his thoughts. The thoughts of his mother still stung, but he reasoned that his father may have had reasons for hiding things from him. Not good reasons, but reasons. For now it was enough to help the boy calm himself down enough to allow him to push his chakra deep under the surface with his feelings. When he opened his eyes again his vision was much clearer as he quickly clapped his hands together as he tried to keep his chakra suppressed, which may have worked too well as he planted his hands palms flat and firm on the ground.

“Moving Earth Core!” His knuckles turned white as the tip of his nails dug into the earth under his fingers. Satomi waited expectantly as he watched the soil a few dozen centimeters in front of him, biting his lip as he waited even long before realizing his jutsu just wasn't happening. On the bright side he managed to keep his chakra masked, the downside was he couldn't keep it hidden and draw from it simultaneously. “Tonight's not a good night for failure, Satomi...” The emotionally raw child grumbled, his toes curling as he tensed and repeated the steps to perform the first jutsu he managed to teach himself. This time, however, his chakra would flare in anticipation of performing the technique. Of course the ground still suffered the affects of the jutsu as a small platform broke away and rose nearly a meter before with the chakra he had managed to summon. Each attempt to follow followed one or the other faults as he would only grow frustrated again as the pillar of dirt and stone would be raised and lowered throughout his attempts as he used it to practice. Using just the one section of earth would thankfully limit the amount of new topography the training ground would receive, or else it might look a lot like what he did out near the border of the wildlife reserve.

“D-Dammit!” Satomi's fist would slam into the ground with a frustrated growl. Tonight was suppose to be fun and relaxing, not just another stressful night where he's also reminded of hurtful things he'd rather forget. “Why do I always have to do this alone!?” The question wasn't pitched at anyone in particular, though it wasn't as if there was anyone near to answer him. It would appear that his chakra wasn't the only thing the young child had been suppressing as he tried hard to swallow his emotions with his chakra, the destructively determined genin prepared to make yet another attempt. He wasn't even sure how true his words were as he again clapped and planted his palms down, his chakra breaking free in a blaze as the earthen spire shot skyward fueled by the boy's frustrations. His father has always been there when he needed him, he also had Miyamoto to offer him training and guidance, Hikari even offered him what she could... there was even that one mysterious boy he met who helped him for his genin exam. Yet he still spent most of his time alone, training by himself or studying. Picked on in the academy he really didn't make any friends and his shinobi duties and all the self imposed training really hasn't help rectify that.

More failed attempts to keep his chakra suppressed wasn't helping matters either as he leaned over to brace himself on his hands, the frustration simmering his blood. Satomi tried to focus on the people who did exist in his life and what they meant to him as he tried to grasp to something good in his life, something to ground himself. Every game of Shogi or every movie night with his father, all the laughs and good times that they brought. Or how inspiring Miyamoto was and how proud his sensei appeared to be of him. The more he looked the more he good he could find in what he already had, even Proctor Namikaze had turned out to be pretty alright despite her apathetic first impression at his genin exam. While he may have had few people in his life they have had a positive impact on him and he was still just a kid after all, he had plenty of time ahead of him to meet others.

Wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his kimono, Satomi worked up a weak smile as he concentrated on what he did have. His chakra would simmer under the surface, shrouded from the world as he managed and suppressed it once more. One day he was going to be a greatest ninja, he would be able to protect his father, Miyamoto, Hikari, the whole village... perhaps even the world from danger. Suddenly there was a brief spark as he clapped his hands, not of chakra but of a returning fire in the boys eyes. The flames of pride and determination dried his tears as he placed his hands to the ground like he had before, his chakra surged from 0 to 100 in less time than it took to blink. The need to build his chakra head of time as his chakra charged and infused the earth under his hands, the pillar he had practiced with rumbling to life as the top slowly descended towards the ground.

One time was easy to chalk up to luck and he needed to know that he could keep his chakra suppressed reliably when performing jutsu if he needed to. One success however was what he truly needed to kick his butt into gear and stroke the fires of determination that already burned in him, Satomi putting his chakra hard to work as he practiced again and again. Unfortunately he really only had the one jutsu he could use without feeling like he would trash the training ground, but he could always rely on his shadow clones to be there for him too. They however would appear a little off as they appeared, it was almost as if they reflected the emotions that Satomi himself was trying hard to shrug off as he focused on his chakra and jutsu. Even so, Satomi's would light up as his chakra quickly return to hide its presence again as he moved to stand up. He wouldn't have the chance however as he would nearly jump out of his skin as he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder. He dared not move at first for fear of who would be ought in the middle of the training ground so late during a festival—besides himself.

What am I scared for? I'm the greatest ninja! The lowly genin would of course talk himself up when nobody could hear him. But what if they're like a jounin from another village trying to invade!? The child sure had an imagination, that's for sure. He had to risk a look though, hopefully his curiosity wouldn't send him the way of the cat. Satomi slowly turned his head to try to catch a more subtle look only to catch a rather tall and imposing figure out of the corner of his eye, but being the foolishly brave... or stupidly curious ninja that he was he gradually turned his body until he managed to get a full look at his would-be assailant only to see the glistening eyes of his father as he stared down at his child.

“A-- Sato...” Satomi didn't know how long his father had been watching, but Takatoshi was a little more than choked up as even his usual greeting failed to materialize. No words needed to be shared between the father and son as he helped his boy to his feet before the pair embraced in a hug of mutual understanding. “I'm sorry...” Takatoshi took a deep breath of his own as he gave one of the ugliest smiles Satomi had ever seen from the man as the two stepped back from one another. “I'm proud of you and your mother would be too... if-- if she was here with us.” Unable to cope with with his father's attempts to hold off his own tears Satomi quickly wrapped his arms around the man's waist to give him a comforting hug.

“It's a lovely night, father, but-- but lets go home.” The pair's eyes shimmered with the stars as they both lifted their heads and turned their gazes skyward. The sky would be filled with streaks of lights as a shower of meteorites raced across the cloudless sky, the faint sound of the Hoshi's archive's clock ringing in the distance meant that the star shower was right on time for the festival. It was a shame that it only came once a year and that Hoshi was only like this for one night, come tomorrow night all the lights would be back on and the stars would again be hidden behind a veil of light and Satomi and his father would both be back at living their lives the best they could.

Denied/ Approver. Most skills approved by Nomo need re-approval by a current mod. So, AP is good and if you'd like a Wc refund that would be okay too. 

Otherwise, I can see if the skill can be reapproved.

Hrm. That sucks. Could I apply the WC towards learning something else instead?

Yup all 3028 of it. Approved on wc refund.

I guess that works then. I'll take my refund and use it for something later~ Thanks!