W-Who Are You? (Hikari, Hato)

When Saln looked up at Hikari once more, he saw that she was staring at him... eyes as wide as his... shocked... He had no idea what she was seeing right now, but from the look on her face, it was as if she had seen a ghost! Little did the child know... Hikari had, the child resembling the form of the hyuuga's little brother, the one who loved her above all others in Konoha. Saln could only stare back, wide-eyed and fearful, as if this girl were the demon haunting the shadows of every child's dream, the assurance of the parent who warned their offspring not to venture out at this time of night.

Whatever trance Hikari was in, her wolf snapped her out of it, a companion the boy had neglected to notice up until now. It's motion caught his sanguine eye, a small flicker of a smile fluttering across his face as he spotted the creature... instantly soothed by the presence of such an animal. He knew for a fact that a wolf could be a vicious creature... but it was still adorable in it's own way... Perhaps it was some gene deep inside him that soothed the child when he saw the wolf... but nevertheless, it granted him comfort.

Hato seemed to sense Saln's fear, remarking how Hikari would NEVER harm him, given they were from the same village, but he wasn't so sure... Strangers were strangers after all and it wasn't exactly uncommon for one village ninja to kill another.... Saln knew this to be true because Salzem was dead...

Hikari would then approach and, instinctively, the boy would step back, alarmed by the sudden movement. Saln's fidgeting only seemed to increase as the mysterious girl's presence drew closer and closer, feeling even more uncomfortable now than he had before alone in the dark...

However, what she had said in response to Hato's request for a fight gave him the strength to look her in the eye again, his big red eyes cautiously locking onto Hikari's... She spoke gently, soothingly, as smooth as a stone as she moved within arm's reach. While he was still more than cautious... he found himself a little more at ease now... the intensity in the grounds diminishing somewhat.

"H-hi..." He greeted softly, glancing away once more as he pulled his scarf a little over his face. "...I'm Saln..."

Hato witnessed the expression of Hikari change suddenly, it was one of shock. The white haired konochi gazed at the boy. She'd find this odd that Hikari gave this look upon glance of the boy, not even a name given. The stare down seemed impossible to break. Alas, the wolf that was by her side had snapped her out of the trance.

After that awkward stare down that Hato witnessed, the konochi would give her name as Hikari Hyuuga and her rank as jonin. Things were starting to get interesting around her, and she wasn't about to miss it. This was the first time Hato had heard the clan of Hyuuga so there wasn't much to expect yet. Sal had only given his name, who knows if he comes from something powerful. And for god sake, the wolf was just bad ass and Hikari was able to tame it.

Sal was on frightened again as the women drew closer. Hato knew better than to boss a jonin around. Most of them had a fragile ego and she wanted to stay one everyone's good side. So she stood off to the side and sat on top of a wooden pole, not speaking a word. The best way to learn was to observe.

WC: 211
TWC: 946

With every move she made, the young child seemed to become more weary and scared of her, something she didn’t particularly like given the kid’s uncanny resemblance to her brother. It made her mind trick her into believing that Salzem was fearful of her, his crimson eyes wide with fright. Hikari would’ve never wanted Sal to feel this way towards her, so after Kuro brought her back to reality she softened her expression and smiled a tiny bit just to ease his nerves about her. She didn’t have any ill intentions towards him nor did she want to hurt him, if anything she felt drawn to protect him as if he were the same person she wished she could bring back.

It might’ve been just his looks that pulled at her heart strings, or it could’ve been how innocent and young he was, as if Salzem had been given a second chance at life by becoming reincarnated as a child. Yet of course she knew deep down the latter couldn’t happen even if she hoped for it more than almost anything, without any kind of medical or space-time jutsu having been used on him the idea of reincarnation or being sent back in time was preposterous. It was a small flicker of hope she couldn’t afford to grasp at, her heart unable to handle the pain of disappointment at the end of that road.

However, the idea of him being a hidden son of her brother swelled in the back of her mind as he shyly introduced himself as Saln, a name so similar to Salzem’s it was hard to think the god’s above would make such a coincidence. Same village, same looks, and almost the same name. Yet, she wondered, why was she being cursed with this information so suddenly? First she had to witness the life leave him, then stand helplessly as another innocent child was cut down, thirdly for the nightmares to plague her slumber (or what little she attempted to get anyways), and now this? An unknown child of his that’s been a secret their entire relationship?

The only problem, she came to the conclusion of, was how could she ask him about his father, especially if Sal really was his dad? The heartache he could’ve been feeling...it would’ve been similar to her own, and she knew better than anyone else how even the smallest reminder of him could shatter her already broken heart into smaller pieces. Hikari knew she had learned how to shield herself from more hurt, but a child like him couldn’t possible be able to do the same. So she bit back the words dying to be released to spare him, although maybe she wanted to spare herself in case it was true that the closest person to her felt she was unworthy to know about the most important things in his life. Betrayal such as that was on par with the kind of immeasurable damage watching him fade away had done to her.

Instead she continued to smile softly as she said, “Hello Saln, it’s nice to meet you.” Hikari didn’t know what else could be said, working with children had never been her strong suit, and now that she was lacking in her empathy department a bit, it was even harder to communicate with someone as timid and shy as he.

As Hikari spoke to the young boy, the wolven creature, having noticed the child’s expression earlier when they made eye contact, moved gently towards him, his posture calm and relaxed to show he meant no harm to Saln. Kuro was better than most animals at reading the situation and could tell Saln needed comfort and to feel safe, both things the darkened animal knew he could provide for the boy. If he were allowed to be right next to Saln, he would nuzzle his leg or hand, whatever was closest, and would permit the raven haired person to pet him if they so desired. If Saln backed up in fear to crid out for Kuro to stop, the wolf would do so immediately and sit down where he stood, thus giving Saln the chance to approach him instead.

On the further side of the training area Hikari then noticed that the Kumo woman had distanced herself a little, sitting atop a pole and apparently wishing to remain out of their interaction, although she wasn’t so sure she understood why. Thus she called out to the woman as she looked her way, wanting the golden haired kunoichi to rejoin them since their introductions had finished, “What do you think of Konoha so far? Is it similar to Kumogakure?” It was a fairly easy question, and one she hoped would help break the ice between the trio a bit more from their initially chilly encounter.

(WC: 1,745)

"N-n-nice to m-meet you too..." He responded timidly. It was from this timidness, the wolf that accompanied Hikari would approach the child, it's movements slow... gentle, it's head not at all bowed in aggression nor it's posture displaying any aggressive behaviors. The child's gaze turned on it how that the wolf had been moving... the child growing MORE anxious with each step! He didn't dare move, however... No, he was afraid that if he made any moves, he might spark some hidden aggression in the wolf! No... he stood there and waited, allowed the animal to make the first move... and it's first move was to... nuzzle his fingers...?

Saln blinked in surprise, staring down at the wolf, his look of fear and caution... turning to one of curiosity...? He gently reached out for the canine, his fingers running through Kuro's coat, smoothing down the fur as his hand passed down the side of his face... He was surprisingly soft, despite the feral appearance... He had thought he learned in school that wild dogs often had tougher, more rugged coats to act as some minor defensive measure but it seemed that not everything you learned was true...

Still, Saln could sense that this wolf had significant intelligence about him even without the creature saying a word... It was as if he could sense Saln's distress and came to calm him without a command from his master... The boy couldn't help but smile, his natural inclinations calming him as he slowly and cautiously stroked the wolf along the top of his head. He wished not to make Kuro regret his kindness by going to hard... nor reject it by barely petting him at all... He... He wanted to show that he trusted him...

As best he could, anyway....

They were all doing some intense thinking. Hikari was thinking the similarities between a recently lost friend that she still struggled to get over. Sal was anxious, his fear of the unknown drove his actions. And Hato was thinking of the people that destiny had laid in front of her. Of course, The blonde vampire didn't know what they were thinking, only able to read their body language. If Hato was given the chance to have any super power, it would be to read minds. She pleaded for insight into their lives, their stories, their ambitious, just so she could make those for her own good.

The wolf, that had been staying behind Hikari the whole time, started to approach the boy. There was no growling or any kind of intimidation towards Sal, he just approached him and nudged his fingers. The boy, however, was terrified of what was going to do to him. Thankfully, nothing happened and the boy seemed more relax of the idea of petting the dog. Hato just wondered how this boy was going to survive the shinobi world. It was wimpy but Hato knew better than most that fear can drive someone if given a direction, and for a kid with a lot of fear, it was almost too easy.

The blonde konochi was soon snapped out of her thoughts went the jonin directed a question at her. Hikari asked Hato if she enjoyed Kono so far and if it was a lot like Kumo. Hato crossed her legs and rested her hand behind her on the pole while sticking her chest up in the air, looking up as if she was pondering the question as she answered. "It's nothing like Kumokagure. The weather, buildings, and surroundings are all different. I'm loving Kono, especially the food shops." Their food was a lot more fresh than Kumo's due to a lot of Kumo's food being imported. Kumo wasn't known for their farms. However, Kumo's sea food was really good. "However, my favorite thing about Kono is the people."

Now it was Hato's turn to ask the questions. She looked down at the three of them as she addressed them. "Now I'm curious. What drives you two as shinobi of your village? Money? Power?" Hato's reason was power but she couldn't tell anyone about those, at least not yet.

WC: 345
TWC: 1341

The wolf’s tail wagged as the child ran his fingers through his dark coat, happy both because he was able to help calm down Saln’s nerves a bit and because he enjoyed being petted just like his canine cousins. Despite Kuro being unable to verbally communicate, he was proud to know that his unspoken actions were still just as, or even more, effective.

Hikari, on the other hand, had turned her full attention to Hato, curious as to how the blonde would answer. She took her time, readjusting herself atop the pole and puffing out her chest in a haughty manner. The Hyuuga refrained from commenting on her posture, deciding the information she had was far more important than some silly qualm about superiority.

However she was wrong, the Kumo shinobi did not enlighten her on what it was like there, dodging the question by simply saying it wasn’t anything like Konoha and that everything between the two of them was completely different. She didn’t delve deeper or give specific examples, something the snowy haired woman felt was unnecessary even if Hato was just trying to protect her home.

The only thing she divulged a little further on was that she enjoyed the people of Konoha the most out of everything it had to offer, and it took everything in Hikari to not scoff at such a remark. The people were anything but amazing, the only ones who were exceptions were academy students or recently promoted genin, for they most likely didn’t participate in the horror of the war nor did they choose to aid in the killing of her brother.

She was about to speak up and ask further questions about Hato’s brief response when the woman in question piped up, asking what drove them as shinobi of Konoha. It momentarily caught her off guard at how blunt it was. Usually upon meeting someone for the first time you don’t hit them with such a personal question unless you had ulterior motives.

Yet the woman didn’t seem like she had any tricks up her sleeve. Her chakra signature didn’t seem to be altered nor did she try to be covert about it. If she truly was trying to figure things out about them or their village, she wasn’t keeping it a secret. Hikari was still weary of her even as she gave a reply, her voice calm with a hint of curiosity underneath, “Being able to protect and save others. I am a medic so becoming a shinobi of Konoha was the obvious thing to do.” Her eyes made contact with the chocolate orbs of the woman above as she continued answering, unless Saln beat her to the punch in speaking next, “What drives you as a shinobi for your village?”

(WC: 2,209)

It would seem the snowy haired Hyuuga was required quite a lot these days, for yet another carrier hawk circled above before diving down to deliver its message to the purple wearing shinobi. This time the note tied to its leg wasn’t from the hospital or Hokage, but from one of the members of the Hyuuga clan, informing her that they needed all Hyuuga hands on deck to make the district look impeccable and to escort some officials through the spotless rooms as they explored the visitor friendly parts of the house.

“My apologies, it seems I am needed at the moment.” Her voice was full of disappointment at having to leave, and even Kuro’s ears drooped at the news. He also wanted to spend more time with his new friend, yet it just wasn’t meant to be. “Good luck in the Chuunin exams, and I hope to see the both of you around again sometime.” Were her polite words of farewell before she dashed off to the Hyuuga district, with Kuro right on her heels as they ran out of sight from the mixed match pair in the training grounds.

(Exit)
(TWC: 2,400)
(Will make claims later)

(Claims w/max stat:
all wc towards Mind Reading, putting it at 2598/3000, previous wc from here
and 12 stats for Kuro)

Approved.

Oh! Also claiming their chakra signatures memorized