sunshineverse | Island Tour Vacation! [Closed]

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Island Tour Vacation! [Closed]

Who: Hotohori, Adela, and Yamato
Where: A grand tour of Noodle Island!
When: The last two weeks of September.
What: The daimyo inspects his lands while escorted by two hired shinobi. It's a land whose biggest concern is noodles. Very little could possibly go wrong.

Originally he'd wanted to leave early in the month, and as it turned out there was enough of a delay that it was possible he could have arranged missions with other countries in the interim. Impatient though he was, it felt wrong to do so once he'd already sent one request...and aside from that, he respected the ninja he'd requested before. On a mission where most of their time would be spent simply interacting, it was wise to choose companions whose company he would enjoy.

Thus, he'd postponed traveling the island: the inspection wasn't exactly an urgent matter, after all. And though he'd willingly post-poned it, it didn't mean he wasn't antsy to depart for it once the time finally did come that the (two!) nin arrived.

He arrived at the gates of the Daimyo's Palace before his counselors did, once he got word that the ninja had arrived in the city, and smiled kindly in greeting once he spotted them. "I trust that the trip here was a pleasant one?"

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The dust had settled, and all was said and done. Maybe... Just maybe... She'd been unfair. And through all of her pride and her value in her career, she'd been blinded to just how Hotohori felt about it. He... Wasn't really in the way, after all. His sword play was good enough for him to not be a total hazard, and she still didn't know how but he managed to break her out of a genjutsu at some point. As much as she didn't want to admit it... He'd been helpful.

It was while they were camping out by the shoreline that she approached him around their fire, glancing briefly at Yamato before her gaze focused on the subject on her mind, "Hotohori-Sama... May I have a word with you, please?"

Her words were still formal, but there was something different in the way she spoke - rather than the matter of fact strict business tone she had used before, her voice was soft and more genuinely polite than before. It was then that she finally used his requested name, even if it still sounded so strange to her. Why would he want to be called by anything other than his true name...? She didn't understand it. Not fully.

He'd been surprised by the bandit attack. It cleared up the mystery of who had been tampering with the Land of Noodles' supplies, however, so as inconvenient as it had been to encounter them while assuring his travel-mates of the relative safety of the island, it was good that they'd been able to deal with the matter before the Land of Noodles' reputation had been irreparably damaged. Or before the bumbling fools had managed to get many people under their grip. The situation could have been greatly different had they made this same trip a month later.

Still, much as he was fulfilled knowing that he'd helped to protect the nation, and satisfied in being able to fight alongside other shinobi (rather than need to deal with the many attempts to 'protect' or 'shield' him that some shinobi ended up primarily concerning themselves with), it was something of a relief that this night was quiet. Technically, the borders of the Land of Noodles extended somewhat into the water, both out of a need for a certain amount of safety and the ambition of previous Daimyo, but this shore was close enough to the far edge (in this direction) of his lands to count for him. From what he could see of the water in the distance, that much was also calm anyway.

He hadn't asked where Adela had gone: there were only certain times in which he intentionally riled her up, and invading her privacy if she'd gone somewhere to be alone wasn't one he felt like doing at the moment. Thus, he was neither surprised nor expecting her to appear when she arrived at the fire. He'd already glanced up at her when she'd gotten close to the fire, but his expression brightened to that of a happily surprised smile.

'Sama' was of course unnecessary, but she'd used his name! Had he finally managed to earn her respect in their journey then? "...Here, or another place?" Her phrasing made it seem apparent to him she must have wanted to speak to him privately, after all, so it seemed a matter of whether she expected him to move away from the fire to speak to her (not unreasonable, as the night was warm anyway) or Yamato.

"... Further down the beach," So that Yamato could overhear if he really wanted to, but she at least wanted the illusion of privacy. Again she glanced to Yamato, nodding silently so that she could try and converse her meaning before she made to walk away, closer to the high-tide line of the shore and not bothering to wait for him to follow suit. She wouldn't wait, assuming that he'd come -- if he didn't... Well, she'd deserve that, wouldn't she?

Sigh.

He gave a slight nod at that. It did take a moment to put away his sword, as he'd been meticulously cleaning and oiling it since they'd finished setting up camp, but...despite whatever misgivings she might have on the subject, he really wasn't that far behind her, though he followed her without offering any words until she made it to whatever arbitrary (or perhaps not arbitrary at all) point at the shoreline she meant.

Rather than wait for her to speak first, he spoke just about as soon as they stopped moving. It might have been because he expected her to waver and silently mull over whatever it was she wanted to say if he left her to it...or he might simply have been too curious to wait for her to speak first. "What did you need to discuss with me?"

That was about when she stopped -- still within sight of the camp and the fire where Yamato was, but far enough that she was satisfied that she wouldn't be easily overheard. She finally looked over her shoulder at him, clearly flushed even in the minimal light the moon and stars gave. Damn, this was... Hard. She didn't want to hear his arrogance, but... More for herself than for him, she had to say it.

"... You're not as useless as I thought you were. I guess... If it weren't for you breaking me out of that genjutsu, I dunno what would've happened."

She looked away again, her back still turned as a hand raised to scratch at her cheek. This was too damn awkward... "... Thanks."

...Did she really think he was arrogant? Arrogance was a man overestimating his abilities and lording it over people. Even if she (wrongly) disagreed with his beauty, he wasn't in the practice of lording how beautiful he was over the less fortunate. Compliments (that had nothing to do with his attractiveness) would not necessarily warrant displays of narcissism.

He did, after all, have feelings as well.

Although he was aware his expression might have been missed while she was attempting to hide hers, he offered her an honest and open smile anyway. She'd given him a genuine compliment despite her own discomfort and pride, he wouldn't disrespect that with an insincere smile or response. They were, after all, comrades who'd fought alongside each other in battle.

...He did attempt to keep some of the amusement he felt at 'not as useless' out of his smile, however. If only to keep her from believing he was mocking her. "...From you, that means a great deal. I am overjoyed to know that I've proven that much to you of myself." He gathered his hands at his waist, loosely, and offered her a slight bow. Not inappropriately deep, given they were equals as they stood currently, but a small bow just the same. "...Thank you. As well."

When she did see the smile an bow out of the corner of his eye, and when she did she visibly jumped a little. Wait a minute what was he -- she immediately flushed darker and stepped back a few paces, frazzled by the display as she shook her head, "O-Oiy, you don't need to do that!"

Ah--alright, he couldn't help laughing, just a little. A rich, deeper laugh than his usual one. He was nothing more than amused, truly. At times, he wondered exactly what sort of relationship she thought they had--too personal for a moniker, yet too formal to use it without an honorific. If not for her blushing, he wouldn't be sure if she thought he was being too formal or too personal.

...In truth, he still wasn't completely certain. But it was much warmer interaction than her forced stiffness when they'd set out, and therefore it was welcome.

"You drew me aside for the purpose of telling me just that, at great difficulty, isn't it true? I should give nothing less in return."

"It's not just that!" She blurted the words out, no longer making eye contact as she just tried (and failed) to properly regain composure. Right, there was something else -- something odd about what had happened.

"I-If you could use chakra and fight like that, why'd you never use it before? It could've helped a lot sooner."

His mirth faded gracefully back into a serious demeanor when she shifted subjects. As much as he would likely enjoy pressing the advantage he currently had over the flustered kunoichi, her question piqued his curiosity. Or, at least, his confusion.

"What makes you believe that I can use chakra?" Perhaps it was natural to assume, as most full-fledged ninja (but not all) used chakra...but that was a gap in his training. Regrettably, due to his inability to take formal training, he was not so advanced in skill as to properly harness his chakra...

"When you snapped me out of the genjutsu. You put your hand on my shoulder and funnelled your chakra into me to disrupt it, right?" Less flustered and more scrutinizing, Adela frowned at him to try and figure him out. He couldn't be serious, there was literally no other way he could have snapped her out of it. Not whens he was uninjured.

"I did no such thing." If he did, it was certainly on accident. He did remember what she meant, but there was no conscious chakra use involved, only...a kinder word for panic, and shaking her in an attempt to prevent either one of them from harming the other. "That wouldn't be possible...as I have no idea how to do that."

He wasn't always forthcoming about the extent of his abilities, but in this case it was better to be clear, as they might yet encounter more danger. If not now, then on a later mission. If she counted on him controlling chakra, they would have very different plans.

"Well, whatever you did, it involved a burst of chakra interrupting the flow of my own. That's how you can dispell a basic genjutsu for someone else. You did that."

She frowned at him, disbelieving as she shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest, "But if you're serious about having no idea... Then you should get someone to teach you how to really use it. Even if you're not planning on using it, you should at least know how."

What she said did sound vaguely familiar of techniques he'd heard from other shinobi before. Although he was certain he had no idea how to manipulate chakra, he also had no reason to believe she would lie. Therefore...it seemed likely that, perhaps in his desperation, he had accidentally accessed chakra he already had?

Regardless, he offered her a kind smile. "Eventually I intend to. As my teaching can only be piecemeal, however...there are still many things I should perfect before I begin to learn to control chakra."

"That's stupid. You don't have to be perfect at everything else to start learning chakra control."

She sighed, rubbing the back of her head at what she was hearing. Seriously? "If you can use it, you should learn to control it as soon as you learn it and learn everything in moderation. If you wait to perfect something before learning something else if it isn't required to learn that something else... It's just gonna take you until you're an old man to finally start learning chakra control, by that logic."

He didn't believe that he was simply being modest with his abilities, what would cause him to become an 'old man' before reaching an acceptable level to graduate to chakra...but he wasn't humble enough to make that argument, either. Certainly not if he'd managed to win her respect enough to have her use his proper name.

...It would be something of a shame if her belief that he used chakra was the one and only thing to determine that, however.

Rather than display either thought however, he simply canted his head to the side and offered her a faintly amused smile. "Finding teachers is a difficult order, you know. Unless...you're offering to be my tutor on the subject of chakra?"

He was, of course, teasing. To fluster her.

"What?" That got her staring again, her jaw dropping a bit before she shook her head, "No, I'd be a crappy teacher. You can find someone else in Konoha, just... It can't be me, I'm not that good to teach someone else."

Wait, that just reminded her... "Why'd you want me so badly for this anyway? Hell, you even put it off until after I was out of the hospital... You could've asked for someone else."

He laughed lightly, good-naturedly. Her response was, of course, as expected. Although he doubted she was so terrible of a teacher as she claimed, she also didn't have the temperament of most teachers he knew. Not that he'd have minded if she'd talked herself into helping him. Familiar faces were the best tutors.

Rather than push that, however, he turned to her other question. It was more important, anyway.

He was silent a moment, determining whether to give her a longer or a shorter answer. Both were legitimate answers. It was simply a matter of whether he wanted to tell the whole truth or not.

"Because..." Ultimately he settled on giving her another soft, warm smile. "I like you."

What!? She felt her face getting red, heated, as he said that. Liked her? No, that couldn't mean -- no she was being stupid there was no way he meant that! No, that just wasn't... Who the hell even would anyway!?

She swallowed thickly then, barely managing to prevent herself from swaying on the spot as she shook her head, "The hell do you have to like me over, there's not a lot to like me over."

...Was it something he said? She was getting awfully bright for him only saying he liked her. Perhaps it made him cruel to be too amused by it to correct whatever incorrect assumptions she must have made.

He blinked at her question, though. Did she really think her abrasiveness would disguise her true nature so effectively? "You...are honest. You are a genuine and warm girl, and kind enough to humor a man who dreams of things he cannot have. No matter what you may feel on the matter, you've gone out of your way to protect the pride and feelings of someone you know nothing about...and that makes you kind and considerate, as well as warm and genuine." So, again. The smile. "I see nothing not to like."

Edited 2014-10-13 23:39 (UTC)

"... You weren't supposed to see any of that."

She still wasn't looking at him, though she felt more ashamed of herself as she held her arms close to her body in a show of self-comfort that she strongly felt she needed then. Damn, she had just about forgotten about it too...

"It's probably on my part, that I ended up not hiding from you well enough, but your performance says otherwise. Who knows what you could do if you were properly trained, and if you don't try you don't know if you can do it or not. Even if you still have political meetings and all that stuff, you should still have time to try. It's better than the idiots who just sit on their asses and don't know a damn thing about it."

Edited (Wrong icon) 2014-10-13 23:43 (UTC)

He gave her a faintly amused smile at her initial comment. He was an enthusiastic man, and he did not accept the impossibility of a self-made shinobi...but he was not delusional, no matter what other daimyo might say of him. Her interventions on his way home from Konoha had been obvious to him because he knew his own limits. Spotting her eventually only meant he knew who to direct his gratitude toward.

"So then...could it be that you're encouraging my deviant behavior after all?" Teasing again, yes. But she left herself open to it. And he was genuinely touched and flattered that she would say such. Often, he was quite certain the encouragement he received from teachers was only for political reasons, or for payment. He didn't believe either of her.

"...I think that you underestimate your qualifications as a teacher."

"Look, I'm not that great with chakra control. I'm still underqualified. I know several other chuunin in the village who'd be better suited for it than me," She shook her head once more, her eye twitching as she tried to ignore the fact that she was getting incredibly red again. Why did he insist on doing that anyway? It wasn't like she was that great, not yet.

"And if you were good in combat for yourself, you wouldn't have to use so much money just to hire ninja to be your guards if it wasn't really needed. If you wanna help people then fine, but learn properly and learn your limits. You can't do everything yourself."

Edited 2014-10-13 23:54 (UTC)

"The quality of a teacher isn't their ability to perform what they teach, but impart the knowledge they have about the subject." As a daimyo, he knew that quite well. Many exceptionally talented experts might sell their knowledge for the right price, in any field. It was important to be able to separate the ones who could teach their knowledge from the ones who ad no idea how.

Anyway, she simply earned another small, kind smile. "Does Konoha allow your Hokage to travel long distances or engage in dangerous missions on his own?" His ability (or lack of) to fight and defend himself may have been a part of hiring 'escorts' or 'aid' on missions such as this one, but he held no illusions about his counselors allowing him out on his own on any mission they considered 'dangerous' regardless of his skill level.

He would always push them to allow it, of course, but he understood their reasons for fearing for his safety too well to believe they would ever capitulate. As Yamato had said when they first departed. A daimyo (particularly one without any sort of heir) traveling on his own was almost always likely invite trouble. If it didn't, his counselors would still insist that it might, and 'might' was enough to demand escorts.

"... As far as I know, no. The Hokage's too valuable, the council would insist on giving him escorts and for him to not leave the village for long periods of time," She frowned at Hotohori with that, because--

Wait, did he seriously think he could get the Hokage to teach him chakra control?

Island Tour Vacation! [Closed]

September 27th - Adela and Hotohori

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