reunion. [closed/private]

[Gentlemanne]

''Ach, she better turn up, she better turn up, she better turn up.."

Anxiety, nervousness. These were two things that were very foreign to Gentle, yet they were the only two feelings that filled his mind. It had been a week since he had let his sibling go without any protection, he couldn't do anything more than speculate on whether or not she was safe. Was it a mistake to let her be alone for so long?

''Nein, nein. She is perfectly fine, she's not a baby anymore. ACH, NEIN, NEIN. SHE IS DEAD, VHY DID I LET HER STAY ZHERE?"

Waiting at the predesignated spot he had assigned her, he'd tap his claymore on the ground anxiously, his gloved hands clutching onto the hilt for dear life. Agreeing to let her stay in a nearby town, Gentle had finally removed some of his control over her life, yet only time would tell if this sacrifice would be worth it in the long run. ''Be well, mein sonnenblume."

[Aleina]

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap tap...

The sound of light footsteps echoed faintly around the mountainside, betraying the approach of the girl long before she rounded a corner and came into view. In such a high and otherwise quiet place as this, even the sound of her feet, devoid of shoes as they were, managed to make some noticeable noise. As usual, the rest of her body was clad in that typical black and green 'schoolgirl uniform', the only oddity about her outfit being the rather plain-looking hilt that poked up from over her left shoulder, the only part of the longsword the girl wore on her back that was actually visible, with the exception of where the bottom six inches of the scabbard poked down beneath the veil of blonde hair that otherwise covered the plain brown leather casing for her blade.

"Brother."

As soon as she caught sight of the familiar (and rather large) sight of her sibling, Aleina called out a greeting to him. One of her brows quirked upwards, slightest of grins tugging at a single corner of her lips as she studied him. "Don't go killing me off in your head just yet." Just an educated guess on what was running through his mind as she continued her approach. Then, upon stopping once she'd placed the typical modest distance of a meter or so between them, Aleina folded her arms across her chest and let a smile flow more freely across her face. "It's only been a week..."

Though she didn't actively voice it, her expression was more than enough to say what she was thinking. It hadn't been often that they'd been separated for such a long time, at least not in a full absence kind of way. Even the little blonde girl, her own meager height standing in direct contrast with her brother's, had to admit that she'd missed him. Not that she'd ever actually say that.

[Gentlemanne]

''Vhat is zha--"

''MEIN SONNENBLUME!" Was all Gentle exclaimed as he immediately moved from his leaning position, his hands quickly re sheathing his blade into the holster on his back, arms opening wide after the satisfying click it made. ''You had me vorried sick, I can't believe I let you go and stay zhere. Ugh. You weren't accosted, vere you? If somebody touched you, nein, nein. I'd rip their head off and feed it to zheir family."


''..Ahaha-haha-ha, speaking of family.. How is mother? And vhat about that old man, surely he has kicked the bucket by now, ja?"

Brushing the wrinkles out of his suit, Gentle quickly readjusted his stance, his body leaning over to get a better look at the blade on her back. ''Ja, I see you're still carrying around zhat BUTTERKNIFE of yours, sister." He mused with a mocking grin, his hand motioning to the blade he carried on his back.

''It's a pity you weren't born with me and fazhers strength, zhey wouldn't expect such a short, pretty girl to jump out of the bushes and SLAUGHTER ZHEIR ENTIRE GROUP. AHAHA-HAHA-AHA-AHA..Aha..ha. Oh my, zhat is great. Speaking of corpses, have you killed anyone lately, darlink sister?"

[Aleina]

And there it was. The telltale cry of 'sunflower' to let her know he'd seen her. Her lips deepened their smile as the familiar ridiculous accent reached her ears. Why he still used it was beyond her, though she figured it had something to do with adding some style to his words. And, obviously, that it was damn amusing to listen to. At least when you hadn't heard it for a while. One of her hands rose from where it was folded across her chest to wave off his worries. "No one tried anything of the sort. I stayed with mother most of the time. And she's doing well enough. Father, on the other hand, is bed-ridden, but still somehow alive. Any day now though." For some reason, speaking of the possible death of her father didn't seem to bother the girl too much.

At his teasing her head turned toward the worn grip of the longsword poking over her shoulder. It was a single-hander, the short hilt making that quite clear. She wasn't particularly good with it, but weapons like that were something of a family tradition. They were usually much, much bigger though... her brother's giant claymore being a good example of that. Why didn't Aleina wield one too? Simple, her longsword was already almost as tall as she was. Anything more would have been... well, excessive. Not to mention how she probably couldn't even lift it... Aleina didn't like being reminded of that though. At all. An indignant flush lit up her cheeks, eyes narrowing a bit as her lips formed a small pout. Height was clearly a touchy subject with her... but, luckily for her brother, he was the only person she halfway tolerated it from.

The mention of killing someone brought her out of her very, very short pouting session to stare back with a bit more seriousness. "Sadly, no. I didn't get any practice at all. So, train me later." She wasn't asking, and though he had every right to reject her wishes, he'd most certainly be in for his fair share of whining and complaining if he did.

[Gentlemanne]

''He's..close?"

Taking just a couple moments to reflect on what his dear sister had said, Gentle cupped the bottom of his jaw in deep throat, his second hand granting his elbow support. ''So zhat old bastard is nearly dead..hm. Oh vell, vhat are zhey doing with zhe corpse?" Shining another sick grin towards his kin, Gentle would only offer her a shrug, the tough front he put on likely familiar to her. ''I should visit zhat asshole soon." Spacing out like usual, the masked man simply stared off into the distance, his fingers tapping on his cheek in an odd rhythm as he considered all the possible conclusions to his fathers death.

''I really should pay my respects, but vhat has zhat asshole ever done for me? He taught me to hunt, zhat's it. He really shouldn't expect anyzhing from me..but, do I really need to let him know? Ach, nein, nein, emotions are for zhe weak; vhat sort of brother would I be if I didn't drill zhat into mein siblings head?"

''..Ohoh, man. I'm SUCH a good guardian." Snapping back to reality, Gentle quickly shook his head and brushed off his suit, spacing to the point that he only heard the very end of what she said. ''Nein, sonnenblume. I have no chance of teaching you. You're much too veak." Gentle spoke with a saddened smile, his hand moving out and ruffling her hair. ''Feel free to teach yourself some stuff, zhough. I'm sure Mommy gave you some tips.

[Aleina]

For a brief moment there, Aleina actually began to suspect her brother cared about their father. She sure as hell didn't, but then she'd always been her mother's child, quite the opposite of her brother though. Each had taken almost exclusively after one or the other parent. Still though, it was confusing to her to even consider the possibility that Gentle cared. Aleina wouldn't have payed it any mind other than to say 'Pity' if mother had died, after all.

His words brought relief to her mind when her brother spoke his simple question. It still brought a slightly disgusted frown to her her lips, but she contained her complaints this time, instead just staying quiet. Her brother's... 'odd' cooking habits didn't bother her too much, as long as he didn't try to make her eat it, but the thought of chowing down on their father? Gross. The random comment about being a good guardian brought a curious raise of her brow, but again she didn't actually comment on it. Probably some weird inner thought process he was commenting aloud on. It happened.

His refusal of her question caused her eyes to narrow immediately, lips pursing in an obvious pout once again. "Then we'll find something else and make it train me. I haven't been able to hit anything since mother set her eyes on me. The old hag just kept spouting nonsense about 'being one with the storm'. Stupid." the last word was almost spat out by the girl, pout reaffirmed by the way she stamped her sock-clad foot indignantly against the dirt. Her gaze slid off to the side to glare daggers at the barren rocks, almost looking as though she was about to walk over and start kicking them.

She briefly returned to seriousness, though only somewhat as shown by how her eyes shifted back to normal and returned to her brother, but the pout on her lips persisted. "Where are we going?" That was always the question. It never really mattered, but she frequently asked anyway just to seem interested.

[Gentlemanne]

''Tsk, tsk, tsk, she really is growing up just like her brozher."

His little sister couldn't help but bring a smile to his face each time she spoke, the only person he really cared for being her and all. ''Yes, I really should get somezhing to train you, darlink. It's just..vhere would I find somebody?" Scratching his masked chin curiously, Gentle looked behind him and in the sky, as if hoping to find somebody miraculously standing near him. ''No one here, at least." Taking a couple long strides towards a nearby tree, Gentle extended a gloved hand and knocked on it, investigating the integrity of the wood. ''Yes, zhis vil do nicely."

''Okay, sister. Zhis is vhy I cannot teach you, ja?"

Balancing the tip of his sword at the very base of the tree, Gentle would only pull his arms back for a second before he unleashed the full force of his swing against the tree. With a loud crack, his blade would absolutely demolish the large figure, the end result living the nearby area covered in splinters and leaves. With a satisfied huff, he began to angrily stab the tree on the ground, the anguish he felt about his father's condition mutating itself into a form of insatiable anger. He had to kill, he had to feed. ''NEIN, NEIN. ZHAT BASTARD NEVER DID ANYTHING, VHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT HIM DYING? NEIN."

''STUPID. FUCKING. FAZHER."

Digging his heels in, he finally got a hold of himself and glanced at his sister, his hands twisting their grip on his claymore. ''Sister..I need to feed, I cannot handle zhis. Zhere is no vay..I, I ca--..kill me an animal. Hone your skills, child. And try and bake zhem REALLY good, I vant a five star meal, okay?"

[Aleina]

SPOILER: Click to show

Training posts for Eshaku Raikou (found at the bottom of the page here) begin now.

"It's just..vhere would I find somebody?"

Aleina couldn't help but immediately feel pity for that 'somebody'. Since those that had the same powers she did were few and far between (not to mention how they were scattered from their home village to across the Five Great Nations like flies from the now-barren carcass of a dead cow), the odds of finding someone who could actually train her seemed small. Very small. So, in all likely-hood that 'somebody' would be an extremely unfortunate ninja whom she could practice her jutsu in actual combat. The unfortunate part came with how her brother would no doubt execute them if they managed to get lucky and score a hit on her. It was a lose-lose situation for them.

But that was just the possibility that ran through Aleina's mind. Such a thing likely wouldn't come to pass. Such thoughts were banished when her brother walked over to a nearby tree though, causing her to arch her brows and stare curiously. His words to her caused her interest to pique even more, eyes narrowing to allow her to watch intently. But, when he set up his sword, it immediately all became clear. The tree was soon, for lack of a better word, mutilated by her brother's claymore, and by the way he kept assailing it, he wasn't quite content to let it end there.

That wasn't what the cause of the surprised expression that flowed across her face was though. Perhaps to someone else it would have deemed such a reaction, but she'd seen it enough before to both expect it and accept the point he was making. They simply had a fundamental difference in style. No, it was the words she heard while he was attacking the unfortunate tree that caught her attention. Curiosity gripped her as she tried to grasp what the meaning of what he'd said could possibly be, body tensing up with the strain of her trying to control her question, suppress it until a more appropriate time, which probably would have happened within a minute after he'd finished whatever it was he was doing.

But, her brother's next words banished all thoughts of her questioning him. There was nothing to do while he was in this state but nod. Not that she felt threatened, but she did have some degree of empathy towards her brother. If he was uncomfortable, then it was her job to do what she could to fix it, within reason. And what he asked was perfectly reasonable; a way to accomplish both their goals at the exact same time. "Yes, brother." was Aleina's only reply as her eyes narrowed cruelly, lips splitting into a dark grin before she spun on her heels and set off in search of suitable game.

---

"Dammit, Aleina! Girl, I can't teach you if you insist on only learning the Ranton techniques. Listen to your mother, child! We are more than our bloodline. We are more than the Ranton. More than the Weathering Eye! We are the harmony water, wind and lightning. Within us rests the unification of those three elements. You need to learn to respect each one. Treat it as you would your precious Ranton, and one day you will learn that which you seek. Harmony between the three extensions of your power is key, my daughter. For now, you are too immature to wield the Ranton. Ask me again when you've learned the meaning of what I've told you."

"Oh yeah!?" Aleina randomly yelled out within the fringes of the sparse forest she'd just entered in search of her prey, her longsword sliding free of its sheath with a long metallic Sshhiiiiing! "Well go to hell, mother!" Screaming out in frustration, the blade of Aleina's sword slammed into the trunk of the nearest tree, an obvious attempt to emulate the previous frustration-releasing actions of her brother. The forty-eight inch length of the blade bit deep into the bark, but ended up getting stuck there, much to Aleina's disgust. Which only served to worsen her mood. Being reunited with her brother had been only a temporary thing to soothe her sour disposition. She'd gone home expecting her mother to marvel at how much her daughter had grown, especially after showing the old bat her new acquisition of the Weathering Eye, but it had all been useless. She's just brushed her daughter aside as condescendingly as possible.

"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP ANYWAY"

This last scream echoed throughout the forest, causing it to momentarily fall deathly silent. With a grunt and tug, Aleina managed to yank her sword free of the tree, but lose her balance in the process and end up sprawling backwards, landing hard on her butt. Aleina just sat there for a moment, face still flushed with the tinges of anger, breath coming in long, heavy pants. "WEATHERING EYE!!!" This final scream came with a long blink followed by her eyes snapping wide, teeth bared in anger as her once-black pupils shifted to an ocean blue color, swirling like a small whirlpool.

Then, Aleina seemed to calm in an instant. All traces of the previous flush faded from her cheeks, breath coming under control soon after, and her expression shifted from the agitated fury it had previously been to more of a placid calm, the whirlpool pupils now being the only thing that was out of place about her features.

She slowly stood up, resheathing her sword as she did, to stand silently and cast her gaze around. The Weathering Eye detected nothing, of course, but for some reason Aleina chose to keep it on anyway.

"Very well, mother..." came fer eventual bitter voice. "I'll heed your advice this time... and learn that Raiton you showed me... but, if I see no improvement, I will have your head in exchange for my lost time.

[Aleina]

Resolution in mind, Aleina set off once again, keeping her Weathering Eye active. Why not give it a bit of training too? Maybe one day she'd be able to ascend to its next level. Then her mother would be forced to recognize her, or so Aleina assumed. But that wasn't the cause of her training this time... for now, she was working on something she really could have cared less about.

It could have been worse though. Her mother had shown her a total of three jutsu; one Suiton, one Fuuton, and one Raiton. To her, none of those were worth bothering with... with the sole exception of Raiton. Fuuton? Useless. It's power was too petty to be worth noting when there were more direct ways to get the same results. Suiton? Too limited. It wasn't often that Aleina fought near a water source. But Raiton... it had inherent power. Few could deny the pure destructive power held within the element of lightning. It was by far her favorite aspect of the Storm.

And now, it was time to show a helpless animal the fury of lightning. That was the only element over which she had some degree of individual control outside of Ranton... but it was the fact that she could wield it within Ranton that she was so confident about her assured success with it.

"Raiton Release: Eshaku Raikou."

Aleina assumed a sideways stance, staring straight ahead and keeping track of the chakra that enveloped her hands with her peripheral vision. Normally watching that chakra would be impossible, but with her Weathering Eye's innate ability to pierce and see the very nature of Raiton, manipulating the release was child's play. Aleina's fight foot slid forward, the corresponding hand rising high in the air with her palm facing the sky. Her dominant left hand crossed over her body, stretched out to be in front of her sideways position.

Then, the release began. Moving in simultaneous, fluid union, Aleina's right hand began arcing down, fully extended at all times, leaving behind a trail of shimmering, flowing lightning chakra, while her left hand followed suit, drawing back from its position crossed over her body to trace to her chest, the same flowing yet specifically shaped lightning appearing.

The chakra flashed just after she'd finished with half of it, releasing with a small, harmless burst. Leaving Aleina with an annoyed expression, but not looking too surprised by her failure. It was her first attempt, after all. Besides, that was just practice to make sure she understood the motions. With a sigh and a shrug, she resumed her quiet walk through the forest, whirlpool pupils piercing the otherwise green shade of her eyes scanning for any source of life.

[addy-hime ♥]

Gentle: 35 EXP.

Aleina: 27 EXP

[Aleina]

Scarcely five minutes after her irritating yet expected failure to perform the release properly, Aleina chanced upon that which she sough, though only after shifting from her attention-drawing careless walk to a more predatorially silent movement. A small boar... a strange sight in a mountainous area, but then again Aleina was hardly one for knowing what animals did and didn't exist in certain areas. It was a good distance off, snorting and nuzzling around in the dirt for some reason, though seemed just distracted enough for Aleina to be willing to approach without care for excessive caution.

A quick leap up into the branch of the nearest tree was the preparation she needed, though it took her two more relatively silent leaps to position herself within what she felt would be optimal range above the target; a branch that placed roughly eight meters of distance between her and the target. She assumed the same sideways standing position as before, keeping the gaze of her Weathering Eye down on the boar below as her hands moved into position. This time, after performing her handseals in a rapid blur of her hands, when she drew her chakra-laden palms in their downward arc and backwards pull, the desired lightning-shaped forms did appear. And all it had taken was to try it more slowly, more cautiously... using the piercing gaze of her Weathering Eye to ensure each and every strand of chakra was within the minimal margin of error needed to successfully form her jutsu.

The result was a shaping of lightning oddly resembling that of a bow... in fact, the more one looked the more they'd notice that it looked EXACTLY like a bow. The flickering lightning in her hands caused shadows to dance across her features, and even vaguely down onto the ground below, though the boar seemed oblivious. Aleina's hands were gripping the lightning shaping as though it was a real weapon, attention of her Weathering Eye off her jutsu to rivet on the target below. She lowered herself into a crouch on the branch, her back left foot sliding to stretch out along the bark below her while she lowered herself down over her bend right knee, the 'string' of her 'bow' drawn by her left hand allowing her to pull the 'arrow's' nock back to her shoulder, the forward right hand aiming the 'point' down towards the boar.

Then came the preparation to release... to let her enmity fly forward with a streak of lightning to attack the unwitting prey below. But fate had other things in mind... just when she was about to release her shaped arrow, mind's eye following the form with which she'd seen her mother perform the entire technique, the jutsu... failed. Again. The same flash of light and harmless dispersal of her chakra symbolizing it with perfect clarity.

[Aleina]

Somehow... the boar still failed to notice her. Though that didn't mean it wasn't startled by the faint flash of light, but all it ended up doing was looking around in surprise. After a few moments of nothing happening, the boar eventually ended up going back to... whatever the hell that was it was doing to the ground.

But that lack of knowing about its hunter only just barely happened... Aleina had to take one hell of a conscious effort to keep from stamping her foot on the wood below her in utter rage. Hell, she probably would have if it hadn't been for the fact that the repeated performance of this jutsu, even if it had only been twice, was taking a hell of a toll on her chakra... Aleina knew full well she couldn't keep this up, even with the brief break (and only partial completion) of the first usage.

Taking a break was out of the question though. Every moment she waited was another moment during which the boar could escape, whether by noticing her or by merely wandering off. So, Aleina bit back her frustration and forced her mind to calm itself as she stood up and - once again - performed the handseals for her technique. The attention of her Weathering Eye was unwavering this time, though it proved to be largely unnecessary. Already she was beginning to get the hang of it. The chakra bow was reshaped in no time flat, leaving Aleina with nothing left to do but assume the same crouched position as before and aim her 'arrow'.

This time, there was no mistake. Her jutsu delivered exactly that it promised... all it took was a bit more time and care, though this time when her arrow trained in on the unfortunate boar below, it actually worked as intended. The lightning-shaped arrow streaked downward towards the animal, the bow from which that bolt of lightning had been launched fading away as soon as the arrow had been released. The boar never even saw it coming, the Raiton arrow impaling it and dispersing its chakra throughout the unfortunate victim's body with merciless efficiency. The animal stood there for a moment, body wracked with spasms as the lightning chakra did its work, before finally falling over. Not dead, but stunned.

Aleina straightened up after seeing the glorious effects of her attack, hands slowly lowering to her sides as a grin began sweeping its way across her features. Then, those arms rose to cross over her chest, the silence of the forest being slit by her uproarious and uncontrollable laughter. All that was left was to seal the fate of the animal with a swift executionary blow of the longsword sheathed on her back...

[Aleina]

Aleina's celebration lasted for far longer than it should have. While she did draw her sword to finish off the kill, she was immediately distracted by the strong desire to wave the weapon around in a fanfare of joy, slicing through a few of the weaker branches of the tree around her without a care in the world, that combined with the cheerful stamping of her feet and bright laughter still leaving her lips causing quite the commotion.

She did seem to finally get control over herself... and not a moment too soon before she learned, with devastating clarity, that the paralyzing effects of her Raiton arrow were temporary. Very temporary. Already the boar was beginning to shake off its influence, slowly stumbling back up to its feet while releasing several frightened squeals. Aleina's happy disposition shifted into a deathly calm almost immediately. Her Weathering Eye returned to the boar, easily confirming her suspicion that her Raiton chakra was flowing out of its body.

Sheathing her sword would have taken far too long for her liking. Instead, she merely gave it a quick flick down towards the ground near the boar, only aiming enough to ensure that it wouldn't impale the beast in the wrong way and ruin some of the meat. The rapid blur of her hands forming their seals followed quickly, motions far more frantic than before, though now with far more precision born from her practice. Seals complete, her hands moved up and forward yet again, tracing her bow and arrow yet again, this time flawlessly and much more quickly. Necessity and fear of losing her kill driving her, Aleina's form and focus was nearly perfect, allowing her jutsu to be ready just as the boar got up off the ground.

That didn't mean that she could complete her crouch and her aim before it started running though... but, in the end Aleina's eyes proved to be more than capable of tracking it as it tried to stumble off, the last traces of the blue infestation in the boar's body shining clear. The arrow was released soon after, Aleina's practice throwing her senbon allowing her to lead the shot at the fleeing boar and hit it with pinpoint precision. The satisfying feeling when the boar once again spasmed and collapsed to the ground gripped Aleina once again, though this time she suppressed it to instead drop off her branch and to the ground herself, small leap causing to land in a crouch right beside her sword in a flowing cascade of golden hair. The weapon was drawn from the dirt by her eager left hand in a mere matter of moments, the girl racing toward the fallen boar with merciless intent.

The weapon went plunging deep into the back of the victim's neck, again being struck with nearly flawless precision, severing the spinal column and piercing the throat in one fluid motion, blade rushing in horizontally rather than vertically, ensuring the death of the animal. A cruel grin spread across the girl's lips as she lifted the beast up on her sword and let the blade rest flat across her shoulder, holding it parallel to the ground to keep the body of the boar (and more specifically its blood) from sliding towards her, or off the blade. The beast was still alive... but, the expert strike of its hunter rendered it incapable of actually doing anything, whether that be squeal or wiggle around. Instead, blood merely leaked from its open jaw as its wide eyes rolled around piteously, seeming to be begging for an aid that would never come.

Aleina didn't seem to care at all. In fact, the knowledge that it was still alive yet utterly at her mercy seemed to fill her with some degree of sadistic glee, shown in the way her grin persisted as she released the Weathering Eye and began making her way back to where Gentle was waiting. The chakra drain she'd undergone was certainly making her limbs feel heavy... but through the ecstasy of the successful training and hunt coupled with sheer force of will rendered her easily able to ignore and overcome it.

[addy-hime ♥]

Technique learned~ Add it.

[Gentlemanne]

''Clever girl."

Watching with a sick, sadistic smirk, Gentle couldn't help but be impressed at his kins willingness to train. She had the urge to kill, main, but most importantly, she was willing to serve. ''Very good, darlink sister." Gentle would think as he slowly approached the proud girl, her marksmanship and lethality causing him to release an impressed huff. ''Vunderbar." Was all he exclaimed as he snatched the persistent creature off of her, his gloved hands digging into the open wound with a cold disregard for it's condition.

''Do not look away, sonnenblume."

With a loud crunch, Gentle began ripping a massive hole in the downed beast, his clothed fingers ripping into the flesh like a tiger, his eyes looking on in utter ecstasy as he quickly ripped his meal apart. ''..Ahaha-ahaha-AHAHAHA-AHAHAHAHAHA, YES, PERFECT!" Screaming out in utter joy, Gentle finally ripped a lump of the boars flesh out, his hands stuffing it into his mouth with obvious desperation. ''Mm, mm, so vunderbar." He near on moaned as he savored the taste of the game, his lips licking the refuse that had been left on his mask.

''Zhat is delicious, danke."

Wiping his hands off on the boar, Gentle quickly strutted away from the quickly diminishing creature, his body quickly turning on his heel to slam his claymore, blunt side forwards, down on the beast, the sheer wait behind the blow crushing its skull. ''Ve do not leave zhem zhere to suffer, ja?" He mused with a mocking tone, the last of the boars life twitching away. ''Keep on training, darlink. Ve can't have any weakness in our new team, ja?" Gentle mused as he wandered away from his sister, his hand giving her a quick wave. ''I'll be back soon, sister. Don't talk to strangers."

/exit