Homeward Bound (Arashi, Eliwood, Hiroaki)

(Continued from here: http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t42697-out-searching )

The initial shock was over.

The young man who had opened the farm door was not a dream, he was merely another ghost solidified from the past. As as much as Akihana had wanted to reach out and embrace him, she knew he would fear her just as much as she did him. The blonde wondered if this was how Maku and Den had felt when she appeared out of the woodwork to disrupt their peaceful life in Fang. the vertigo was more of the soul than body, the realization that someone she never expected to see again was very much real and standing in front of her.

Arashi's appearance also made her realize something else entirely. That she had been lied to. The deaths of her sons that the kunoichi had experienced so acutely were more fabrications by the slug elders. Why had they chosen to make her believe that the boys were gone was a secondary question. The only thought dominant in her mind being that is Arashi was here... His little brother was out there too.

"Stand back," she'd cautioned Hiroaki, the young ninja always ready for a fight. He had listened, just barely, giving Arashi time to materialize once more. His chakra was different now, devoid of the blend it had when he had been a Jinchuriki. Not that it surprised Akihana. All the variant creatures were gone from this world, including Arashi's.

At least that was consistent.

"What... How..." the blonde had so many questions but non seem to be making their way to her lips as they trembled. This was Arashi, it was truly the little boy who ahd grown into a young man before ehr eyes. the son she had always been so proud of. Here was here, in the flesh.

And she had no idea what to say to him.

Except

"I missed you so much kiddo," he words left her in a whisper, her arms reaching out to hug the young man. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" With that, the medic would reach out and envelope Arashi in a hug, crying softly into his shoulder as she held him close to remind herself again and again that he was alive, that he was real and he was here.

"Im... impossible...."

The young man stood motionless with only a word able to be uttered as he stared at the group assembled at the door, with his mother front at center, still looking like the person she was when she died.  The key point being 'died'.  A flood a memories over the last few years came through: his last weeks in Hoshi, the funeral for Akihana, the search for her son and his brother, and finally the failed fight.  And instead of coming back, he kept searching, both for his family, and for Arata.  It took him two years to accept that he might not ever be able to find him again... or might not be able to beat the erratic rogue ninja.  

Just as he turned his head away she was on him, hugging him.  She sounded real.  She looked real.  She felt real.  But he saw her dead.  He watched it happen.  Even if he wasn't there, he saw it.  And now here she was, chastising him for what she did... left.  

Arashi wasn't the teenager that she knew; he was a full adult now.  But still, she was able to incite dormant feelings in him that he had long since locked away, and it took everything for the man to not break down right there.  He dropped his kunai in the hug; the sound of the metal on wood clattering speak for him.  Shaking, the cloud-man reached up and hugged her back, shaking his head in disbelief.

"This... this isn't real.. it can't be." he said, even though his own body was betraying him by accepting her as real.  "I saw you... I..." he started, but found he couldn't finish it.

Eliwood was expecting a friendly farmer to open the door. They would go in and get their supplies before heading home. Easy. Except it werent that simple. The monk didnt recognize the man on the other side of the door, but Akihana did.

Eli didnt know what to make of the situation unfolding in front of him, the two were flooding the room with emotions good and bad. He wasnt sure whether Akihana was devastated or overjoyed. What he was sure of was Hiroaki's mood. The boy looked flustered by the situation. When he finally moved and headed to the desk Eliwood would politely follow to the desk and make sure the swordsman wasn't rude to the man. He stayed quiet, unusual for him but he wanted to be as considerate as possible.

The monk would carry as many of the goods as he could so as to lighten Akihana's load. She should be focused on more important things than keeping the restaurant stocked right now. He would also try his best to keep Hiro from doing anything rash. Eli knew that too was a responsibility Aki had recently taken upon herself. She was reunited with someone she thought was lost. He didnt have any family to find out in the world, but in a way a family had found him. He would do whatever it takes to be helpful to them.

(WC 232)

Despite the number of others currently there with her, Arashi’s eyes could not and would not leave Akihana.  His mind was screaming that it was a trick, or that it wasn’t real… but at the same time, he knew in his heart that this was her… it was really her.  It was hard to explain, but the very air around her was familiar, and the latent chakra he felt from her was also hers.  There was just no reason why it would be a trick, and no reason why it would be real.

She answered his vocal thoughts with an assurance that sank into his soul.  Not a push to believe her, but the same kind of “I understand, I’ll explain soon” that he remembered so well from his past.  Would he have to stay on guard?  Absolutely.  But… seeing her here, it was hard not to just jump into her arms.  

He was hesitant at first, when she asked from him to come with her.  It could be a trap, it could be a set up, but worst of all, it could be facing the village he left when he promised he would have stayed.  He was still having trouble speaking, and barely shook his head.  “I… I can’t… I left Hoshi because of- “, he started, but she clarified what she meant by home, and it was not the nation of Haven.

“Fang?  Why Fang?” he asked, but the farmer who lived there spoke up.

“Go home son… go with your family.” 

Arashi wanted to protest, but he couldn’t.  Instead, he sighed and gave a small smile.  

“Alright… let’s go.” He said, leaving with them.

(EXIT)

Eliwood wasn't sure what to make of the day as a whole. One minute he's tuning his strings and the next hes teleported off to run a job. Now at the end of the day it appeared he was in the midst of a family reunion. Akihana and the new person walking with them, both seemed excited but oddly nervous. The monk didnt want to pry, but if Eli had run into a long lost friend of family member he would be overjoyed. Though in reality, there was no family for him to be reunited with, and he doubted a visit to the monastery would end in smiles. The people at the chuunin were the only people he could call family. Who knows, maybe this new stranger would also become a member of their mish mashed little group.

Eliwood shifted the bags of supplies over his shoulder and walked alongside Hiro. "It's been a long day. I could really use some sleep when we get back." He'd say to the swordsman. He wondered if Hiro had any family out there that might be looking for him.

Either way the money he had made would go to good use for sure. Eliwood had plans for a new instrument. ' Something lighter and easier to carry,' he thought as the weight of the bags made his knees ache. Once back at the restaurant he would place the bags in the kitchen. "If that's all, I think I will head to bed for the night." He would say to anyone still in the kitchen before scurrying to his room and immediately crashing on the bed.

(EXIT)
(WC 271)
(TWC 503)

Claiming 2 chakra

+500 words to completely master Air Pistol (A) half handseals

(2100+500=2600/2600)

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