[Travel Post] Lightning, Rain, Family, Friends

[kininata]

[[OOC: From POI thread Home away from home ]]

The lands of rain were, as always, sodden with damp; the air moist and cooling; the woodlands inviting and intimidating at times. It was all familiar, but since it had been some time since he'd been here, it was nostalgic. The memories of his training, his missions, his close encounters with death... and there was the sadness. Too many memories came to his mind when he thought of here, and his mood soured somewhat from that.

'So, when was the last time you were back here, Hikari-san? I'm trying to remember myself and I'm struggling. It must be a few years now.' He asked, trying to use the conversation to help distract him from the sadness Ame no Kuni brought to him, and he was aware that his feelings would be as much on his face as in his heart.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Drops of rain felt down from the heavens above. It made the female feel a bit nostalgic. Even though she had lived in Kaminari no Kuni for nearly thirty years, Ame no Kuni was still her home.
A scent of fresh grass mixed with soil replayed memories of the gardens back in Amegakure. People used to grow their own food for money or feeding their families.

"So, when was the last time you were back here, Hikari-san?" inquired the male. She noticed the somber look at his face that matched his voice.
"I visited them last month. They needed some help with refurbishing their bathroom" informed Hikari. The duo walked past a teahouse that was bustling with life.

She knew that this trip would probably bring bad memories for him. The woman felt a pang of pain inside her. It could not be an easy task to travel back to the village where your now deceased family used to live.
'How ironic. He's a 27-year old orphan while I'm a 53-year old woman who still have both of my parents alive' observed the Chuunin.

The female gave him a smile. "Hey...I know it can't be easy. But feel free to talk if you need to.
I'm sure you remember the saying from the Academy. The one that the rain can mute out quite many things" told the blonde in an attempt to cheer him up.

It was a saying that a majority of Amegakure shinobis had heard from their parents or Academy teachers. Constant rain plus a dense forest created a great environment for shinobis that specialized in suiton or genjutsus.
The woman had picked both of these fields as her speciality alongside herbalism. It had been a great choice due to the diversity it offered.

[kininata]

"I visited them last month. They needed some help with refurbishing their bathroom" informed Hikari. The duo walked past a teahouse that was bustling with life. He had walked past that place so many times, and yet he couldn't remember ever stepping inside. His mother used to go there, though...

His mind wandered for a brief moment, a few broken fragments where he saw his brother laughing, his mother grinning as she handed them rice cakes, his father giving a stern look at his brother for breaking a bowl. They mixed with the darker memories that came later... but he managed to bottle it up. To keep things where they belonged, in the past.

Hikari gave him a smile. "Hey...I know it can't be easy. But feel free to talk if you need to. I'm sure you remember the saying from the Academy. The one that the rain can mute out quite many things" told the blonde in an attempt to cheer him up.

It was a saying that a majority of Amegakure shinobis had heard from their parents or Academy teachers. Constant rain plus a dense forest created a great environment for shinobis that specialized in suiton or genjutsus. He was never good with genjutsu, though, always struggling with chakra control. Swords, though... he had a talent there. And water... for reasons that still gave him shivers at times.

'I think the worst part is that when I think of my family, I can never shake the bad memories that come with it. It's like... tears, in a torrent; I can glimpse one now and a again, then the rain clouds it all with the heavier, less pleasant moments.' He said in reply, his hand touching the katana that once belong to his brother. 'I can still remember when dad gave us our swords and gave us training. He was always better at fighting, and I was always trying to out think him. Ever the strategist, the tactician. Dad said that it would make me better than him one day. Wasn't soon enough, unfortunately.'

His mind sank bank to the day the tower was attacked when he was Amekage, the assassin that brought lava through the building, killing so many innocents as the tower fell. He flashed to the memories of his injuries, he failure. That day was caused by his brother. 'Well, at least I still have friends of the family. That's good enough for me.' He said as the moved past the small town and he started to recognise the markers for Rain ninja to divert towards the village. They had moved from where they used to be, as expected, but he still had a good eye for them. He took the lead and started following the hidden trail. 'This way.'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

((OOC: I suggest we move on to the gates now. Seems reasonable since we both know the way))

"I think the worst part is that when I think of my family. I can never shake the bad memories that come with it. It's like... tears, in a torrent.
I can glimpse one now and a again, then the rain clouds it all with the heavier, less pleasant moments" replied the male. The female noticed that his hand touched the katana on his right side.

"I can still remember when dad gave us our swords and gave us training. He was always better at fighting, and I was always trying to out think him. Ever the strategist, the tactician.
Dad said that it would make me better than him one day. Wasn't soon enough, unfortunately" told Kininata in a grave voice.

Hikari could not help but to wince slightly. "Well, at least I still have friends of the family. That's good enough for me" finished the younger man.
He took the lead and started following the hidden trail. "This way" muttered the Chuunin.

The woman nodded while making sure there was nobody around. What he had said about surpassing his parents made her think. The Chuunin and her sister had both become better shinobis than their parents.
Ritsuko worked as a Chuunin-ranked medic nin in Yukigakure while she had worked as a Chuunin instructor in Kumogakure. In addition to this, they were both mothers.

'I hope his life takes a turn for the better. Kininata must have done something horrific in his previous life to deserve the life he's living. I hope he and Marii-chan can keep up their-'.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw the gates in front of them. "Here we go again" muttered the blonde while she pulled out her documents.

[Exit Hikari]

[kininata]

((OOC: Agreed))

The gates of the village were coming into sight now. Another round of documents and ID checks. He got his own ID and scroll out again, but something felt odd. He knew the regular guards at the gates, they almost seemed to live there a few years ago. He didn't see them at all. Well, lets see who the new guys are he mused to himself as the gate came ever close.

[Exit Kininata]

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

[Enter]

The small family had now gotten out of the thick forest. "I swear I saw a gorilla back there. And it looked very hungry" stated Satoru.
"I'm glad we are not alone. Do you have the map Hikari-chan?" inquired the older woman after she adjusted her bag.

"Yes. Just give me a second" replied the younger woman. She put her backpacker on the ground and pulled out a plastic sheet from the back.
"We're going to use the main route that goes to the north-east. This is a typical trader's route with a lot of traffic" started the Chuunin.

"The hotel is within walking distance to the harbour right here. We'll take the morning ferry tomorrow to Kaminari no Kuni and walk to Kumogakure from there. There is a supermarket along the way in case we need some food or rest. Any questions?" finished the female. She laid the map back in her backpacker while she let the information sink in.

[kininata]

[[Enter]]

He heard the worries of the elder Kino's as he looked around, searching for trouble. They almost reminded him of what he was like back when he was still a young Genin. The simpler days. Then his thoughts moved to those darker memories, and he shook them off with a quick glance down at the map Hikari had out.

"We're going to use the main route that goes to the north-east. This is a typical trader's route with a lot of traffic" started the Chuunin.

"The hotel is within walking distance to the harbour right here. We'll take the morning ferry tomorrow to Kaminari no Kuni and walk to Kumogakure from there. There is a supermarket along the way in case we need some food or rest. Any questions?"

Kininata looked down at the map and nodded. 'I've traveled that route a few times, pretty safe these days. Looking to be a nice, easy walk.' He said confidently, even allowing his guard to drop a little. At least to the eyes of someone less trained. He could never be truly sure if no one was watching, so it was always best to feign relaxed to lure enemies in.

Kininata, having been down the trader's route a couple of times before, started to lead the way. 'The first time I took this route was the first Chuunin exam I attended. Back when me and Marii reunited for the first time in years. That was a tough trip... especially when they made me Amekage after getting back home.'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"I've traveled that route a few times, pretty safe these days. Looking to be a nice, easy walk" replied the male in a confident voice.
"Exactly. Should be perfect for a group like us" replied the female. She adjusted her backpacker as they started walking.

Lead gray skies covered the skies while a light drizzle rained down. Hikari was in the back while her parents were between them.
"The first time I took this route was the first Chuunin exam I attended. Back when me and Marii reunited for the first time in years. That was a tough trip...especially when they made me Amekage after getting back home" told Kininata.

'That's almost ten years ago. I remember how thrilled Marii-chan was when she came home with her uniform. And now she's a Sannin while my sons are Chuunin or Jounin.
Time really flies by' mused the woman as they walked past a farm. She was happy being a Chuunin since she could do solo missions or teach at the Academy.

"How're our grandsons doing by the way?" inquired the older female. "They're doing great. My youngest son advanced last year and has completed his trainee time" started the Chuunin.
"That's really good to hear. How's my little twin doing?" asked the older male.

'Little twin' was a nickname his son Shuichi had suggested. Makoto had quite a physical resemblance to his grandfather apart from his longer limbs. The man had called his nephew 'dad's little twin' as a joke, but the nickname had stuck.
"He took a year off so he could advance. Got the promotion this summer" continued the female with a proud smile.

"My...that's really something. Especially due to the risks" muttered Satoru. The family noticed that the rain had subsided while the vegetation was a bit more dense.
"We should be at the border soon. Have your ID's ready" informed the blonde as they walked further down the road.

[kininata]

It clicked in his mind after he mentioned the exam. Ten years... Kininata was glad they couldn't see his face now as he realised just how long so much of his life had passed since that exam. How much had happened.

He listened to the family talking about how everyone was doing. He hadn't heard much about them since the last time he was with Marii in Kumogakure. It brought up some of the few good memories of his own family; when his father was made Jonin and became a guard for the council; when his brother made Chunin. As tainted as his past was, there were a few good moments. The more he thought about them, the more those good memories had one person in particular framed in them.

"We should be at the border soon. Have your ID's ready" informed the blonde as they walked further down the road. Kininata got his documents ready as the border crossing came into view. These kinds of posts were never too fancy - a simple question or two, show the papers, and it was done. A few minutes taken up, usually a nice rest before carrying on.

He led the party up to the border post, putting his papers out first for them to inspect. The others would be showing theirs within a few moments, and while the guards would do their examination Kininata would check the surroundings, seeing if that ANBU was trying to follow them or not - or at least tried to send someone else.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The female showed the falcon ANBU her papers. "Looks good to me Kino-san. Could I have a look at your papers as well?" inquired the male.
Satoru and Kumeko both showed the guard their ID while another agent checked their luggage. "Looks fine to me...welcome to Hi no Kuni" told the shinobi.

"Thanks" replied Hikari in a semi-polite voice. Her parents gave the guards a polite nod to show their gratitude. The trio then crossed the border into the new country.
"How're you feeling? Do you want some rest?" inquired the woman when they approached an urban area.

"I think we need to rest our legs a little Hikari-chan. Aren't you hungry by the way?" asked the older female. Almost on cue, a rumbling sound could be heard.
"Heh. I guess I didn't realize just how hungry I was" laughed the Chuunin.

Satoru used a sensor jutsu first to scan the area. "We're good to go. There are some shinobis in there, but none that are Jounin level or higher" informed the man.
"Good then. Let's get inside then" said the female as they entered the small tea house.

(Move to Hi no Kuni/Land of Fire please)

[Madame Loki]

-moved-

[kininata]

"How're you feeling? Do you want some rest?" inquired the woman when they approached an urban area.

"I think we need to rest our legs a little Hikari-chan. Aren't you hungry by the way?" asked the older female. Almost on cue, a rumbling sound could be heard.
"Heh. I guess I didn't realize just how hungry I was" laughed the Chuunin.

Satoru Kino seemed to focus for a few moments, likely using one of his sensory jutsu's. "We're good to go. There are some shinobis in there, but none that are Jounin level or higher" informed the man.
"Good then. Let's get inside then" said the female as they entered the small tea house. Kininata stepped in after them.

He saw the shinobis that were mentioned, and started to strategise in case they caused any trouble. This was once a skill he had a lot of talent in, back when he stretched his calculating mind more. It was how he survived for so long against so many stronger opponents. He hadn't used those skills for a long time, and this was a nice easy place to do that.

What he noted was that there was no one of Jounin level or higher - which meant at best it was a Chuunin with some Gennin, and at worst all three were Chuunin. He would wait for the Kino's to find a table to settle down at, and then took a table nearby that was between them and the shinobi. 'Before you ask, I don't need any tea.' He said, focusing his senses on his surroundings.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Before you ask, I don't need any tea" told the male. The female nodded while her parents sat down across the table. Hikari lined up in a queue at the counter since she wanted some black tea.
She came back moments later with her tea and started to eat on some nori wraps straight away. Kumeko was eating one as well while Satoru had brought some soup on a thermos.

It took about half an hour until the trio had finished their food and used the restroom. The woman removed the map plus the Compass from her backpacker to make sure they were going the right way.
"We have to walk down here according to the map. We should be at the hotel in three hours if nothing happens" told the Chuunin as she laid the map back in place.

"Sounds good to me" told Satoru in a satisfied voice. The family kept going down the road in the same formation as earlier. "I have booked three rooms by the way. The two of you have to share while we will have separate rooms" informed the female as they walked past a small lake. The older duo nodded in agreement.

The sun had started to set when they reached the urban area where the hotel was. It was a medium-sized chain hotel with medium standard. A small 'ding' could be heard when they entered the lobby.
"Hello. I've booked four rooms for Kino" told the woman while looking at the clerk.

"Sure...Two single rooms and one double room?" inquired the male. Hikari nodded after she had showed him her ID.
"Yes - here they are. Breakfast is served from 06:30 AM to 09:00 AM. Enjoy your stay" told the receptionist.

"Thank you" said Hikari as she received the keys. She then returned to the group. "Here are your keys. I'll take this one. We need to leave at nine tomorrow if we want to catch the speed boat" informed the female after she had handed out the keys.

[kininata]

For thirty minutes kept watching the group and taking the odd glance at the other shinobis in the room. In a brief moment where no one was looking he took a rice ball from his coat and ate it. He saw Hikari bring out the map and plan the next leg to the hotel.

The family kept going down the road in the same formation as earlier. "I have booked three rooms by the way. The two of you have to share while we will have separate rooms" Hikari said as they walked past a small lake. The older duo nodded in agreement, and Kininata gave a hand signal to agree as well. He wasn't in the mood for talking right now. At least not until they crossed the next border. He had lived in the land for the while, but he never felt safe when traveling here.

The sun had started to set when they reached the urban area where the hotel was. It was a medium-sized chain hotel with medium standard. A small 'ding' could be heard when they entered the lobby. "Hello. I've booked four rooms for Kino" told the woman while looking at the clerk.

"Sure...Two single rooms and one double room?" inquired the male. Hikari nodded after she had showed him her ID. "Yes - here they are. Breakfast is served from 06:30 AM to 09:00 AM. Enjoy your stay" told the receptionist.

"Thank you" said Hikari as she received the keys. She then returned to the group. "Here are your keys. I'll take this one. We need to leave at nine tomorrow if we want to catch the speed boat" informed the female after she had handed out the keys. Kininata took his key and nodded. 'I'll be up earlier, doing a quick sweep. Better safe than sorry.'

Kininata headed to the room he had been assigned and went in. Simple enough room, really - a single bed with a end table, a small desk with a chair. There was a small room connected with basic bathroom facilities. Kininata placed all of his gear on the ground and pulled out his shaving kit. He went to the bathroom and shaved off his beard - he was getting used to the long hair, and it had a lot of uses out in the field, but he couldn't arrive looking like a vagrant.

Once he shaved, he changed into a simple blue gi with a black coat, tucked his hair under the coat, and did a quick sweep of the hotel area to see if he recognised anyone from the village, or anything out of place. After ten or so minutes, he returned to the room satisfied, and pulled out an alarm for 6am. Once this was set, Kininata lay down on the bed and rested. He was thinking about what he was going to say to Marii, what he was going to do once he got there. Whether he would be coming back or not. Those thoughts ran through his head through the night until he fell asleep.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

A small 'clank' could be heard as the female opened up the door to her room. It was at the second floor with a decent view of the grounds. Hikari smiled when she entered the bathroom.
A traditional wooden tub stood right underneath the window. She filled up some water after she had done some stretching.

'Aich. I better be a little more careful next time' concluded the Chuunin after she had stretched her arms. She moved on to her legs after making sure none of her arm muscles had been pulled.
The woman then sat down in the wooden tub after making herself some tea. A smile formed at her face while she leaned back.

'Hm...life has been good to me so far. I have a man who loves me plus three adorable children. Not to mention that my parents are still alive despite that I'm in my fifties.
But I can't lie that I still miss Shuichi-kun at times. Especially at times like these' pondered the blonde.

She got up from her tub after twenty minutes. The female ate a light meal before she went to bed. Hikari then sat the alarm clock to 7:40 AM so she did not have to stress the next day.
Her eyes closed as she fell asleep. Hopefully, their travels tomorrow would go just as planned.


The next morning.

A low ringing noise could be heard as the alarm clock went off. The woman smacked the device before she got out of bed. After doing some light yoga, she went down to eat breakfast.
Both of her parents were already there. "Good morning" greeted the Chuunin after she had chosen her breakfast.

"Good morning Hikari-chan" greeted the older female. The trio ate their breakfast in silence. The male was reading the newspaper while the women were reading a magazine.
Teal eyes looked at the watch that hung at the wall. It was 08:15 AM already.

She finished her scrambled eggs and returned to her bedroom. The woman went down to the lobby once she had packed down her items. Satoru had already checked out while his wife was putting on her jacket.
'Kininata should be here any minute now. It's 08:45 AM' observed the blonde after checking the watch on her wrist.

[kininata]

[ 6.45 am ]
Kininata woke up, stretching out and taking a brief shower. He got the razor blades out from his pack and shaved off the beard. The hair he decided he was keeping. Once cleaned, he took a few basic weapons, a simple coat, and did a quick patrol of the grounds from the rooftops.

[ 7.45 am ]
Kininata returned to his room, and packed up his belongings, then changed into the same travel gear he had been using so far, checking the weapons were all in their right places. Once he was set, he took some food rations from his pack and took a few bites. He knew he could get breakfast from the hotel itself, but he was had been enjoying the rations he sorted himself, living that simpler life.

[ 8.30 am ]
Kininata headed out from the room, making one last quick check. Perhaps he was getting paranoid in his years, but he was on guard duty. He needed to take this seriously, especially if he was going to return to Rain and try to make the changes needed to bring the village back to good order. He made his way to the meting point with the Kino family, and saw them waiting for him.

'Morning everyone.' He said to them, clean shaven and wearing a slim grin on his face. 'We all ready to head out?'

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

"Morning everyone. We all ready to head out?" inquired the male. "We are. Let's get going" replied the female. The small family exited the hotel moments later after they had checked out.

"We're taking that route there. It should lead us straight to the harbor" told Hikari after checking her map. They kept walking east while the sun started to rise.
It did not take long until the sun started to rise - especially due to the lack of clouds. Kumeko and Satoru seemed to be enjoying this in particular if one were to judge by their faces.

They passed a couple of farms on their way. "I can't wait to see Ma-kun again. He's been gone for quite a while" muttered the woman after they had passed a fork in the road.
"I can't blame you. I bet he's busy nowadays" replied the older woman in a neutral voice.

'Ma-kun' was the nickname the Chuunin had given her husband Masao. He had been quite busy overseeing interrogation plus the work involved with those the last couple months. It had taken a toll at him as well; he was a bit snappy while his skin looked more pallid.
'I just hope he doesn't work himself to death. He needs to take care of himself too' thought the woman.

She was glad the men in their travel group could not see her face. The worry in her turquoise eyes was rather evident.
"Hey, Hikari-chan. Shouldn't we go to the left here?" inquired the older man. Her comment made her look up.

"Yeah - the harbor should be right down this hill" replied the blonde. They walked down the slightly steep hill with short steps. It took about ten minutes until they had reached the harbor.
Several ferries were lined up at the three piers. One pier had ferries bound to Kaminari no Kuni, one travelled to Yuki no Kuni while the last pier were for the Mizu no Kuni ferries.

"I have the ticket to the speed ferries right here. We're taking the Shirohoshi one at pier two" informed the female. She went to the middle pier where a white ferry with a somewhat modern design was located.
"Two adults and two seniors to Kaminari no Kuni" greeted Hikari when she saw the sailor. "Looks legit...welcome aboard" greeted the man after checking their tickets.

[kininata]

They continued their journey towards the ferry, Kininata keeping a respectful distance from his wards. He could hear them talking about personal family issues, and was trying to prevent himself from hearing the details by focusing on his job... and what comes after. He was still at conflict with what he should be doing. Maybe he should attempt assert himself back as Amekage; maybe he should just become an advisor; push for the role of ambassador to Lightning to try and fix issues - there were alot of decisions to consider, and he was uncertain which was the right option. And who it would be right for.

Before long the harbour was in sight. Several ferries were lined up at the three piers. One pier had ferries bound to Kaminari no Kuni, one travelled to Yuki no Kuni while the last pier were for the Mizu no Kuni ferries.

"I have the ticket to the speed ferries right here. We're taking the Shirohoshi one at pier two" informed the female. She went to the middle pier where a white ferry with a somewhat modern design was located.
"Two adults and two seniors to Kaminari no Kuni" greeted Hikari when she saw the sailor. "Looks legit...welcome aboard" greeted the man after checking their tickets. Kininata followed the family on board the ferry, and moved towards the front of the boat.

He seated himself near the prow, and carefully gathered chakra - only a trickle. With his mastery of water, he would gently manipulate the water ahead of the boat to let the ferry glide with a little more efficiency. It wouldn't make the journey much faster, but it would make for a smoother ride for everyone. It was also a meditative technique he used to refine chakra and water manipulation. Anyone who was able to sense chakra would feel his exertions, and tell how fine tuned his control was.

So Kininata sat at the prow, in a meditative position, letting trickles of chakra ebb and flow the currents around the ferry. He didn't need to focus that much, his eyes open and still watching the world pass by as the ferry journey began.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The female decided to get outside. She had a tendency to get sea sick if she could not see the ocean clearly. A chilly wind whipped through her ashy blonde locks while the vehicle moved.
The nauseous feeling in her stomach subsided when they had been driving for an hour. Hikari decided to walk back inside to check on her parents.

She stifled a laughter when she saw that they had pulled out their word puzzles books. 'Some things never changes I guess' mused the woman as she sat down. She pulled up the music player from her back and put on her headphones.
It did not take long until they had reached their destination. The trio stood up and the Chuunin gestured the younger male to come with them.

"Here we are! Welcome to Kaminari no Kuni everyone" informed the sailor when the vehicle had stopped completely. Everyone disembarked from the ship in ten minutes.
The female laid back the music player before she picked up her map. Teal optics scanned the travelling routes there.

"I think this route should be the quickest. Otou-san, make sure you keep your eyes open. You know what your job is Kininata-san" told the blonde while she looked at the trio.
Things were getting dangerous now since they were on non-allied grounds. Especially since all four of them were so dear to the current Raikage.

The family started on their walk. Leading them was the younger woman while the elderly couple were in the middle. There was nothing odd with that position given that they were the oldest.
The younger man would probably be in the back. She prayed that nothing bad would happen until they reached their destination.

(Move to Kaminari no Kuni/Land of Lightning please)

[Nekomata Minh]

-moved-