what was, happened. what is, is. (addy)

[minakami masaki]

"Tch," murmured the boy to himself as he stood to his feet. All that would leave him was a sigh as he left his room and exited his home. He had just been contemplating what he would do that day, but all that was in his mind was how bleak things seemed. Things just seemed to lose purpose to him, and he wasn't enjoying the feeling.

Stepping out into the fresh, albeit dusty, air, he would trudge forth to his favorite spot. Trully a dune above all dunes, the pile of sand was rather large, and from it one could see all of the village. A rather lovely view, if one appreciated deserts. But it wasn't unique in the fact that it was sort of a look out point over the village, as just about all the pillars of sand surrounding the village could serve such a purpose. It was unique because anyone close enough to Kaiiro knew it was his spot for thinking.

"Yeah, I think I should just drown my thoughts in training...," he'd mutter to himself before selecting a rock from the ground and casting it over the village. It would probably land on someone's roof. Or head. Either way, Kaiiro was in his own world and didn't care to think about it.

[addy-hime ♥]

"You know, Kaii-cchi, you really shouldn't throw rocks like that. You could hurt someone!" Tsked a quiet--but confident--voice from behind him. In her usual manner of travel Youka had masked her chakra trail with the Kagura Kinzu, leaving the only means of detection a keen ear or eye. Considering how swept up Kaiiro seemed to be in his own thoughts, she rather assumed her sudden appearance behind him would be quite the surprise. Sneaking was her forte; even the ANBU that were supposed to be guarding her didn't seem to be able to pin her down for more than a few minutes at a time.

Pink-fringed blue eyes widened down at her pseudo-sibling, studying him regardless of whether he turned to face her or not. This was a boy she had known for quite a while; although he was not of her actual bloodline, she could not imagine her family without him. Shiro, Soratsu, Kaiiro.. these were the only shinobi she held true alliance with. If Shiro had not asked her to run Sunagakure no Sato for him, it could be destroyed by the Shukaku for all she cared. Heaven forbid the elders heard her thinking like that, though. Part of her new persona required acting benevolent and tactful to the citizens she now controlled.

Her left hand flicked up lightly, holding out a small rose to the boy across from her. "Are you okay? You look a little down." Lips quirked into what seemed to be a genuine smile, although her body seemed a little tense, unnatural beneath the heavy cloak that guarded her from the sun. "Any way I can help you nii-san?"

[minakami masaki]

Kaiiro winced in his coat as he heard the voice of none-other-than the current Kazekage, his supposed sister, address him by a nickname he had grown used to but still detested all the same. The girl had once again ducked away from her post to tend to her own interests. However, he knew of her feelings towards her position and understood them. As such, she would hear no scolding from him about her rather childish actions in disregarding her responsibilities as the new leader of Sunagakure. After all, the village had yet to go up in flames.

"Oh, it's you," he would mutter coldly, as if he weren't elated to have her around. Turning to face her, he would find himself looking at the rose she held in her hand and find his eyes trail up to her face. The smile was a bit more than he could take, so he would furrow his eyebrows and pull the faux-fur lined hood of his coat over his head. It was almost mystifying how anyone who resided in a desert could bear to wear such a garment. Even so, anyone who knew Kaiiro knew very well how much he treasured the strange clothing.

At any rate, he would sigh once the hood covered his visage as he couldn't let the girl see his face. Her presence and her smile gave him a sense of warmth, and the last thing he wanted to do was show affection to anyone; even his siblings. Not blatantly, at least. They generally understood he cared, though. For whatever reason. "I'm fine. And I hate flowers. What're you up to, anyways?" he would mutter in a sharp tone, as if he were in a bad mood. Then again, the boy always seemed to be in a bad mood.

[addy-hime ♥]

Shiro had not chosen her out of the trio for no reason. Those crystalline occuli narrowed a fraction, followed up shortly by a rather catlike curl of the lips. It was nothing like the smile of moments prior--more teasing, her pale face overshadowed by an innate knowledge. It was hard not to know that Kaiiro cared. He was so horrible at hiding his feelings that someone less astute would have known within seconds! Instead of pointing out that his attempt at grumpiness was a failure Youka simply withdrew the flower, clutching it up against her chest protectively.

"Well, then I suppose it's a good thing we live in the desert. Flowers are pretty hard to come by; you don't have to put up with them often." Unless you count the one I carry around on a daily basis, she added mentally, tongue sliding out to moisten her bottom lip. They were already glossed with a strawberry balm to keep from cracking in the unforgiving sun. "I'm just taking a walk, checking out the status of the village. I wanted to take stock of how much damage is left to fix from the war, assuming that Shukaku does not cause more."

Lashes fluttered. Oh, this had the potential for a bit of fun, did it not? Without another second if hesitation she was daintily skipping forward, closing the meager distance between them. Her free arm was slipped through the crook of his arm, a vice-grip that he would have trouble dislodging without much squirming. "I was also thinking about taking a trip out of the village to the capital! I heard from my sources that a new item shop opened up, and I was hoping to see if they had a different weapon I could use. A rapier is well and good for show, but it would not do me any good in a fight."

Instead of waiting for a reply like a normal person might have, the youngest Etsuko leaned up and planted a kiss on his chin. It was the only part of his face that she could still get to, under that fluffy hood. Did she think him silly for wearing such an outfit in this heat? No.. How could she, when she herself preferred to cover up as much as possible when going outside? "What are you up to?"

[minakami masaki]

"Tch, was all Kaiiro would manage to let out in response to Youka's comment. Why did she have to be so bright and cheery? Surely this cruel act was on purpose. She was obviously trying to kill him with kindness! But he wouldn't lay down and die. No, he could resist such treatment. Then again, perhaps she was simply doing it to show her own affection. Nah, Kaiiro wouldn't even consider such. She just enjoyed making him squirm.

Not even a minute after thinking such, he would find the girl moving closer to him and locking her arm with his. His body froze as his muscles tightened and a shiver flew down his spine. Sweet Jesus, she had locked him in her vice and he was oh-so vulnerable to whatever punishment she wanted to deal. "W-whatever! A weapon's as good as its wielder. If you trained more instead of dicking around, maybe it'd actually do you some good." Ah, a quick scolding to push her away. Surely she would storm off from his harsh words.

Nope. He would find her invading his comfort zone even further than before, but he wouldn't stop it. He never did appreciate it, her ability to crawl through his guard that is. And the kiss to the chin would be taken, though not as reluctantly as he would've lead anyone else to believe. Turning his head to face the opposite direction of the girl, he would sigh. So much for clearing his mind, as now his head had become flustered with other thoughts.

"Just getting some fresh air while clearing my damn mind. Let me guess, you want me to go to the shop with you?" he would let out as if he were going through torture.

[addy-hime ♥]

Her reasons were kind of a mixture of his two ideas. Sure, it was nice to be able to show some affection to her dear 'brother,' but at the same time she had a reputation to uphold. Naturally she knew Kaiiro was not very fond of kindness and attention, so that was exactly what he was going to get from her. Though he turned his head away after the kiss she was not deterred, instead tightening her grip on his arm and pulling him closer.

"Don't be silly!" She scoffed happily, eyes closing in a very stark attempt to avoid the subject of her shopping trip. "My rapier is not a battle weapon. It's suitable for show, maybe a spar at best; the elders agreed that I needed an item more suitable to my fuuton prowess. That's why I plan to get a Kyodai Sensu!" The giant fan had caught her eye many times over, as it was frequently used by some of the jounin in the village. None of the ANBU preferred it, though.. probably because of how easy it would be to pick them out of a crowd. The masks were for a reason, after all.

Honestly, the tortured attitude Kaiiro was trying to play off only spurred her to continue the act. He had to know that; she could only assume he actually liked the attention. Were his cheeks flushed from embarrassment or from the heat..~? You can come shopping with me if you want. I was going to go alone, kind of like a vacation. Maybe even stop at the coast to see the ocean and the castle! Shiro-sama told me about it, but I've never seen it for myself. Have youuu seen the ocean, nii-san?" Those bright eyes widened again, glinting with excitement and curiosity. It was truly hard to tell if she was serious now or not. Youka still had her moments of childish innocence, but they were few and far between.

Like that one! It was gone quickly, hidden with a shake of her head. Those fringed pink locks bounced s she released his arm. The rose was dropped and forgotten on the ground in favor of freeing up her own appendage. Both of them moved to encircle him by the waist, assuming he hadn't been given enough time to escape. "I miss you, Kaii-cchi. You're never around anymore.."

[minakami masaki]

He would find his temperature regulating coat to be malfunctioning as his sibling tightened her hold on his arm. Finding himself technically imprisoned, he would sigh. There was no getting away from her love though he would refuse to drop his facade of bitterness towards the world. Without many options aside from staying put, he would listen to her reasoning for the intended purchase before laughing a bit.

"The hell kinda weapon is that? You better hope your winds can stop steel and whatever else comes your way," he would scoff in a mocking tone. He, too, remembered seeing countless Sunagakure kunoichi and shinobi alike wield the over-sized fan. Deep down, he actually thought Youka had potential to turn such a tool into a great weapon. Outside, however, he wouldn't let her know that. He would just chuckle at his comment to add insult to injury, though his mean words never seemed to affect those in his adoptive family.

Of course, he had pretty much been the same since his childhood. They would have to grow used to it eventually. His attitude wasn't far off from most of the males in the family, anyways. At any rate, he would reach his free arm into his hood and idly scratch his cheek at her suggestion. It didn't sound half bad, spending some quality time with Youka. Wait a minute! "A-as if I'd waste my time with you or pointless shit like oceans!" he would reply dryly before pausing with a sigh.

"Then again, I guess I'm bored enough." Of course she'd believe that. Although he would prefer to seem ever-so distant, he had to admit that he would like to go on the little trip with her. Glancing at her without much though, he would take in the sight of her innocent look. Though he wasn't too sure how real it was, he couldn't take it, immediately looking away once more. How dare she look at him with those eyes!

Then she would release his arm. Had his tactics finally succeeded? Just as he was about to distance himself from the girl, he found himself seized by her once more, this time by the waist and this time in a manner that would be a lot harder to escape if he had it in him to attempt. "Nngh! I...," he would begin in an angry tone. But with a sigh of defeat, he decided to call it quits for now. He would humor her by finally opening up a bit. As much as one with his personality could anyways.

"I've just been preoccupied with my training. I won't allow myself to be so weak that I lose all I care for. But I guess I'll make more time for you, so don't cry. Dammit, you're gonna give me diabetes...," he would complain with a groan, sliding a hand into his hair to ruffle it a bit under his hood. It was a habit of his that somewhat soothed him. His free arm would move to the back of the girl's hair as he gently pet her in a comforting manner.

"I'll never understand why that idiot dumped his duties on you out of all of us..."

[addy-hime ♥]

Kaiiro's immediate reaction was to be angry; she heard it in the grunt he had produced. But she was betting he couldn't put up that front for more than a few seconds under the power of her affection--and, what do you know it, she was right! Youka proceeded to bury her face in the front of his jacket, a quick nuzzle given to disguise her face as she regained her composure. As it was, a Cheshire grin marred the projection of sweet, caring sibling that she was going for at the moment.

Oh, this worked well though, did it not? Apparently he thought she was very upset, and that was easily played off with their current position. She gave a little sniffle and then pulled back (not releasing her hold, of course) to look up at his face. "S-sorry. I won't cry. I have to be strong for Kaii-cchi and Sora-cchi!" She paused, her now stoic expression fading into one of muted joy. "I would be happy though, if you could spend more time with me. What if you get hurt? What if you die, despite your training? I don't want to have my last memory of my brother be 'I should have tried to get to know him better.' That would be heartbreaking."

The indirect mention of Shiro and his Kazekage duties was like an electric shock to her. She flinched, releasing him and taking a quick step back to give her some distance. This reaction was entirely genuine. Her voice dropped some of the kindness in it, jumping down an octave as she tried to hide her displeasure. "Shiro-sama has more important things to do than run a village. Soratsu is too consumed with his freedom. You.. I don't know why he didn't pick you. I just know that he trusted me to carry on his position with the pride that becomes the Etsuko family. I will do just that. If that means destroying Shukaku, I will do that too.."

Youka turned away from him, slender arms swaying from back to front as she took a leisurely step forward. The view of Sunagakure no Sato was wonderful from here, but not quite as good as on top of her new residence. "Would you truly have wanted to run a village.. instead of participating in shinobi-like activity? There's no time to train.. you can't be on a team with your friends.." not that she had any. "I have the least to lose in this situation."

[minakami masaki]

She was just way too cute. Kaiiro couldn't help but fashion a smile in response to her reaction, the sweet little thing trying to be strong for her family. Though he couldn't help but look away and scratch his cheek at the small lecture. "Alright already, I already said I'd make more time for you," he would gripe while rolling his eyes. This was actually more of a childish reaction than him pretending to be a douche. He found it strange, though, how he was pretty much the closest person to her in spite of being the only sibling not related by blood.

Either way, he would raise an eyebrow at how she had reacted to his comment about their brother. Interesting, to say the least. Perhaps now he knew the right nerve to hit to get her off of him. Then again, she actually seemed a bit pained in the reaction, immediately making him want to avoid going down that road in conversation again.

"He probably didn't pick me because he knew I'd hate the position. It's nice that you feel that way but don't think I was taking a shot at you. I just figured that bastard would give Sora somethin' to make him grow up. You should be enjoying your freedom as the youngest...," he would let out in the form of a small rant. Oh, how some of Shiro's decisions irritated him. And they would often have the occassional arguement. Even so, he felt oddly close to the tool.

Sighing, he would turn and quickly step up to his sister, something she should've been used to. Out of all the siblings, he seemed most fond of high speed movement. The quickly closed distance was to make way for an embrace as he held her from behind. Leaning his chin on her head, he would adjust himself so that it was his cheek resting on her instead to avoid jabbing her while speaking.

"Like hell I'd want to do all that pointless shit. But if you ever need the help, I'm around. Don't go shouldering more than you need to for Shiro's sake. I'm still around to ease whatever burdens ya have." Ew, he couldn't believe he just said that. He would have to kick a puppy after this just to feel like himself again, for sure.

[addy-hime ♥]

It is often said that blood is thicker than water, but Youka had always wondered if that could be true. Yes, the two liquids themselves followed that rule, but in relation to family ... ? Kaiiro was the closest brother to her, although she fully respected Shiro and loved Soratsu. The former was always busy and the latter was a bit too serious to put up with her idea of a game on a daily basis. That was probably why she couldn't help but smile when he said he would make more time for her. "Good! But we'll have to start after my trip ... I think it would be a good idea if I went alone. I want to enjoy some things, think about some things. You know?"

The Etsuko girl shrugged her shoulders slowly, almost like she wanted to avoid the topic of her Kageship all together. Kaiiro was ranting on about Shiro; it was quite obvious the youngest male didn't approve of every decision made amongst family members. "Perhaps that was his reason for me, too? To make me grow up?" She mused, fully prepared to walk away and continue on the little stroll of Sunagakure that had been her original intent today. Fortunately, her brother was quite quick--his arms were around her before she could budge, and Youka was relaxing into the touch before she could think it through. When it finally did hit her those pale cheeks flushed pink, uncertain about herself now that the tables were turned.

Yet, it was ... nice. Honestly, although the sun was blisteringly hot, it was comforting to have the heat of another body. So instead of breaking away she listened to his attempt at soothing her, blue eyes closed and lips tugged into a thankful smile. "I might take you up on that, Kaii-cchi. I don't think I can handle everything by myself. I'm not strong enough to protect anyone! Sure, I can think up some amazing tactic, but I can't perform them myself. Why would anyone want a kage like me, anyway?" She lifted a hand, patting his arm gently, as if to say but I am not really complaining.

[minakami masaki]

Kaiiro narrowed his eyes, forcing stress lines to line his forehead as he wondered just how accepting she could be of fate. Though, he supposed, it was better than having her mope about just because she had a shit load of responsibilities dumped on her. He felt a little proud of her, as she was certainly more mature than him in that sense. Her enthusiasm was almost scary, actually. But he wouldn't ruin the moment by dwelling on such thoughts.

His thoughts were soon interrupted by her words, anyways, so not much was lost. His eyes would broaden a bit as if in slight awe as he brought one eyebrow above the other. "Sora could actually use it though. You're well enough into maturity for your age...," he would murmur in response though thinking of what he said forced him to add a laugh. "More often than not, at least," came a quick and almost inaudible add on.

As she began to down play herself, Kaiiro would mentally chuckle at her before he finally did something to silence her. A familiar gesture that he hadn't done in awhile, he would move his teeth to the lobe of her ear and gently tug at it. Of course, he would release the nibble to speak as to not render his words incoherent. "Shaddap already. You're awesome enough, the people love you. Besides all that other shit can be handled if I drag you through a bit of my hell training." His words came with an added smirk, as he was a bit proud of his self-destructive training methods. Then again, no pain no gain.

"C'mon sport, let's go getcha that whatever the hell it is you wanted." He would quickly release her from the embrace and step ahead of her, as if the moment lasted long enough to him.

[addy-hime ♥]

Without another word--as if disappointed by Kaiiro's lack of affection--Youka trailed after him. It wasn't worth the fight it would take to get him to notice her thoughts. They might have been the closest of the siblings, but that didn't seem to mean much at all.


E X I T

---

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[minakami masaki]

Kaiiro found himself a bit bothered by the sudden departure. She had a habit of getting that way whenever he suddenly switched over to covering his feelings. Had it really hurt her that much? Then why not say something? He would scratch his head a bit as such thoughts littered his mind. Shaking his head, he would sigh in frustration before sliding his hands into his pockets.

"She's just my sister. She'll get over it. I shouldn't be getting so god damn worked up over nothing...," he would murmur in a slight scolding of himself. Breathing out in relief, as if forcing himself to let the subject go, he would lean his body forward an shunshin away, departing from the area rather swiftly.

[/b][/ul][/blockquote]

[Comatose]

+55 EXP to both