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With he now standing at his full height, It wasn't long until he responded to what I had to say. I couldn't blame him for wanting to take a break in the gardens of Kusagakure, of course. But -- I was merely watching out for him just in case he'd wake up within a couple of hours only to find that he'd been caught in torrential rain. Whilst we as shinobi had good reflexes, in the past I'd found myself easily being able to go to sleep in even the most complicated of situations. Under loud sound, or bright lights – after the second shinobi war had left me homeless due to the fact that Kusagakure had been destroyed, I was lucky to find sleep anywhere that I didn’t have to pay for. Of course, I’d slept rough for the majority of my time given that for the first half of my journeys money wasn’t something that was easy to come by, and in contrast to how I lived now, the plush Kikkawa manor being my home, it was, truly, a difference to what I was used to. It was also quite a difference to the compound that I’d been living in for the time prior to moving back in to the manor. With slightly stale air, no sunlight and a single bed that had long since outlived its purpose, it was, nonetheless, better than anywhere else I’d been sleeping at the time, so I’d had no problems with it. I was sure that some would find it strange, really, how I was content with the simplest of things given the fact that I was made out to be such an extreme character in the media. Moreso with the latest news that was given to the village in regards to the child’s paternity – None other than Kouketsu Uchiha bearing the title of father, I was sure that there were several rumors currently circulating the village.

But now as he spoke, listing all of the things that he enjoyed about the village – our home, I lowered my gaze slightly so that my eyes were now focused on the grass below our feet as I took in the purpose of his words. The place, despite the changeable weather that we tended to have at this time of year, was a paradise, or at least it was to me, and as Kusakage, even as I was at the moment I was still intent on keeping the place just that – a paradise. But again, my mind reflecting back on the ill-fated forum that had happened a while ago, I was believed to have begun destroying the village internally through my personal decisions – a comment that I felt was unjust and ignorant. But, there were a few people who supported us, and that was more than what I could ask for. I merely hoped that the rest would soon fall in line once they realized how harmless the unity between myself and Kouketsu truly was. I wanted nothing more than to protect my village; but how could I do so when I had people waging war on me from within the village itself? ”..I’m glad that even after all that it’s been through it’s managed to stay this beautiful.” A soft sigh momentarily left my lips as I turned to face the young boy again as he soon finhed reciting, his dedication bringing the same soft smile back to my face. If I was, contrary to popular belief, able to feel warmth, then I was through his words. I didn’t want our children running blindly in to fights in the name of Kusagakure, but the vigor and belief that he showed was comforting to see.

”The best of the best?”

I spoke with a grin.

Personally, I hadn’t ever imagined that I’d become Kusakage.

Kusakage had always been something I believed my brother to be more suited towards.

Not me.

However, the boy’s attitude was refreshing, and despite being a little bit too headstrong, it seemed as if his heart was in the right place, and so what right did I have to strike him down for having such a dream? Whilst I wasn’t a sappy person, it was nice to have goals and aspirations. ”Good luck – but it sounds as if you’re planning on running me out of a job.” I spoke playfully. Whilst my own position at the moment as Kusakage was compromised slightly by my own personal circumstance – the child that was due to be born soon and my future with him and Kouketsu – I had no intention on leaving my post. Leading the village was something that I’d become so acquainted with doing day in and day out, and I truly couldn’t imagine myself with a different lifestyle. I wasn’t sure what I’d do. But, from all that he’d said – it seemed as if he didn’t recognize me, which was quite entertaining, however I hoped that he’d take the information given from my last sentence to piece the puzzle together. ”..This village has come a long way since I tried to reinstate it into the shinobi world a few years ago.” I spoke, suggesting the work that went in to restoring it to the condition that it was in now. ”It’s up to your generation to take the role of protecting this village once the time comes.” I detailed, commenting on the strong attitude he’d shown in regards to his dedication and hope for the village. Perhaps, in many, many years to come, my child would join the ranks of Kusagakure and help lead it to the glory that I tried to move it towards now. Perhaps then he'd be viewed as a hero and not as the scum that he was perceived to be even now. The same soft smile heading towards Wave, despite the fact that perhaps his outburst was the product of pent up teenage thoughts, he seemed to truly care about the village - which was a trait that I enjoyed seeing in my people.

"I'm sure you'll all do a good job."

Thankfully, it wasn’t long until the door would be answered, although the person who had answered it had come at somewhat of a surprise. Not that I hadn’t expected one of the children of the family to come to the door, but I’d assumed that it would be one of the parents. However, as I now stared down at the young boy, I simply smiled in response to his greeting, allowing both of my arms to lower to either side as I looked inside at the home and the decorated walls that it bore. Turning my attention back to the boy who had answered the door, I was given the name Rukei, the exact name of the person who I’d come here to see. Of course, I was sure that I’d be conversing with his parents too, but they’d requested an audience between myself and the boy, and so that was my main purpose for coming here today. As he then moved aside to allow myself room to enter, I’d do so after being invited in, stepping across the doorframe and in to the stately home. Given that I’d as of late found it hard not to want to obsessively clean the manor, the place seemed nicely cared for, although I was sure that his parents had placed effort in to cleaning the place for my arrival. Of course, I wouldn’t have really mattered whether or not the place was clean from all traces of dust, but it was always a nice sight to see that a house was as pristine on the inside as it was on the outside. I spent a moment or so to simply look around me at the surrounding walls, before looking back to the Rukei as he sped off after explaining that I could make myself at home in the room that he’d motioned towards. With a soft, soundless nod of my head I then stepped across the fine wooden flooring of the manor, and entered the grand living room that the house bore. I was sure that due to its size it surely boasted another, but the room was large and spacious, with plenty of light pouring through its windows and on to the carpet. As he was elsewhere, I hung in the middle of the room, just looking around. Seeing him in his home at that age merely reminded me of my own childhood growing up in the Kikkawa manor. Where this place was large by even my standards, to him, a child, it was surely a palace. My own home had been mine; myself being the only female Kikkawa child who’d lived there, I’d been treated like a princess, and even now as I walked its halls it gave me memories of days long gone. The place was to be Yuuchiro’s palace, now.

However, I wasn’t left alone with my thoughts for too long as I heard the rush of footsteps on the wooden flooring in the hallway give way to a more casual step, before the white-haired boy emerged from outside of the room, making his way in and more than comfortably then lunging himself on to one of the few sofas in the room. I studied him for a moment as he lounged, before also opting to sit down, moving out of the center of the room and moving on to the opposite end of the sofa that Rukei was sat upon, lowering myself in to the plush seat, my hands joining before me as I now sat, listening to him as he then began to engage conversation.

“Sooo, umm, I’m Rukei, do you have any other names besides Kusakage?”

I couldn’t help but smile – the innocence behind his words was all-too entertaining.



”I’m Blanche.”
"..Although you're to call me Lady Kusakage."

I wasn’t trying to be harsh – I was being playful, if anything, although I expected him to call me by my title. My tone reflected on this playful intent, and I grinned too as I looked at him. I was more than aware of his name, and come to think about it now, I was sure that I’d seen him in the past during my visits to academy. ”I’m sure that I’ve seen you before – you haven’t changed too much from what I can remember. Your hair..” I paused, eyeing the pure white threads of hair that sprouted from his head. ”..Is quite recognizable.” I was sure that the majority of people knew him for that trait; just as I was known for the long blonde hair that so fluidly grew from my own head. Leaning back in to the chair and gazing towards the door, I took in the scent of the food that was cooking elsewhere in the house. I’d been told that his mother was more than happy to cook a meal, and given that it was roughly dinner time that I was visiting, I wasn’t going to miss out on the offer. The hunger for chakra had long since passed, but I was looking forwards to having whatever she was preparing. ”..But I can see now that you’ve been promoted to genin.” I spoke, my eyes momentarily flickering towards the shinobi headband that he proudly wore. ”Congratulations.” I spoke with the same grin as before. Although I’d never put myself down as the sappy kind, it felt good to know that he’d passed, and to know that my own shinobi were succeeding. Whilst I was sure that the life of a shinobi would bring many disadvantages as there were advantages, I was sure that he’d be able to face any adversity that might come his way.

"..Whatever your mother is cooking smells delicious."
"Your father told me that she was quite the cook."

I commented as the same scent returned to my senses, the sound of pans and plates echoing from the kitchen. Having since made myself comfortable on the sofa that I was sat upon, my body tilted slightly to the side so that I could look down back towards the young boy, my hand having now found itself calmly resting to the side of my stomach. Waiting for his response, I kept my gentle gaze on him.

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1 Infuin pack stored.

"Uhh!.. Uhm I'm fine.. I just got wrapped up in the moment ya' know."

It seemed as if the boy was responsive from the tap on the shoulder that I'd given him, and that made it much easier for me as I didn't exactly want to be stumbling upon corpses in my own village. His tone suggested that his words were true and he had been caught up, but then again I'd assumed that initially as I'd seen him slumped on the floor as if in some kind of deep sleep. Retracting my hand so that it now pressed against my knee as I continued to lean over, I smirked in response to his words, and moved back slightly to allow him room as I saw him begin to change his position. The warmth of the sun shone down on us both, but it held some amount of coolness and the air seemed.. damp, in a way. Perhaps there was a storm on the way -- I wasn't sure, but my safest bet was that it would begin to rain in the next few hours. Living in the village and often spending time about its confides, I'd become quite adapt to noticing the weather patterns that it submit to. Not only was it nice to be able to guess what the weather would be like in hours to come, but also it was useful. Pushing back a long strand of blonde hair with my other hand, I then moved to my full height myself as the boy withdrew from his previously lazy position, now standing. I was usually known to wear heels that made me tower above people even more than I already did, but given circumstances I'd decided to revert back to more mundane flat shoes. And on this note, as I looked back at the boy, I came to notice that the both of us were of similar height - which suggested that he was unnaturally tall for his age. But, then again, I knew giants; specifically one by the name of Akira, and it only made me wonder just how tall he was in his youth. Having watched him tear a variety of flowers in one quick sweep from the ground, his offer was, admittedly, sweet. There were many moments in the village wherein I'd been handed flowers by villagers, but none as.. abrupt as this, and in response, I could only, again, smirk as I took the stems in to my hands, gazing down at the mismatched arrangement I'd been given by him.

"..It seems like you abandoned your name, too."

I said, although my words hadn't meant to be malicious or unkind in any way, moreso a simple comment.
Albeit with a tone that suggested that I was somewhat entertained by his declaration.

"If I was you, I'd keep a close eye on the weather and try not to doze off."

Given that it was quite a nice day and I sought to give myself some amount of fresh air from my usual duties in the Atrium, I found myself wandering around the village, a thing that I found myself doing quite often now that the weather had seemed to perk up somewhat. Despite the sun that shone down on our home - my home, I didn't doubt that the rain would come soon just as it had for the past few days. Kusagakure being one of the more tropical nations out of the rest, our weather was mostly sunny and warm, but there were always a few times a year where it would become the victim of a downpour, the rainfall easing the thirsty of the many different kinds of plants that lingered within its borders. Fully aware of this, I wasn't all that concerned as for now it seemed as if the heavens would remain closed, but you could never tell. Damp beads of sweat generated by the sheer warmth of the land could sometimes be mistaken for the moisture in the air, and perhaps also the soft spray of rain that sometimes fell on the village like some kind of mist. But for now, it remained fine, and I moved myself about the village, my eyes picking up on every little detail that came to my eyes. With my current thirst for chakra subdued, I gazed around at my surroundings with so much more clarity, sky-blue eyes drinking in the sights of Kusagakure and disregarding the looks I received from villagers who were either still unsure about the news in regards to Kouketsu, or those who were interested in seeing me. Wherein my appearance was concerned, it was clear that the child was due to be born within the next few weeks, and my usual quick pace had been dulled considerably.

I soon broke my way in to one of the many gardens in the village that harbored beautiful plantlife. Despite the fact that nature was prominent everywhere in the village, the gardens were especially preened and grown for their visual appeal, tended to by one of the many nature-orientated clans within the village - the Hanakora family. The village had entrusted such people with this duty for generations, and I was quite intent on keeping it that way for the sake of tradition, and because honestly, they did a good job. Clean air spread through my lungs and I breathed in the sweet floral scents around me, my eyes closing momentarily as I basked in this haven. However, as I moved deeper and deeper in to the area, I soon came to realize that there, upon the floor, was one of my own shinobi, his head bearing large headphones, the music of which I could faintly hear from my somewhat distant position. He was sleeping - or dead. Curious on what he was doing, I soon approached the silent shinobi, bending down slightly before him in order for me to try and form eye contact -- if he was to awake or open his eyes, that is. Attempting to gain his attention by speaking seemed like it would have no success given the volume of his music, and so peeling a single hand away from his side, I then gently tapped the boy's shoulder. Blonde hair swung down softly as I leaned over, the silken, almost water-like fabric of my dress following suit in a combination that could only be described a captivating cascade of color and elegance.

If he chose to remove his headphones or stop the music that was booming in to his ears, I'd begin to speak;



"..Are you alright?"

I was sure that he was merely resting - taking a few hours away from the rest of the world in the beauty of the garden, but it never hurt to ask, of course. Despite the infamy that surrounded me and my reputation, I cared for my people, and it was clear in the way that I spoke -- even the ones that had shown to be against me in the infamous forum that had occurred a month or two ago.