Koukan yakata (Facing the winter mansion) - NF

[tsukiai0163]

”He is in a better place now, he would not have wanted you to grieve like this.

Mika looked silently at the boy who kneeled down beside her, tears slowing and her shaking body calming somewhat. “Though you may still grieve don’t let it take hold of you Mika, it will lead to madness, but not expressing it will do the same. You need to find time to grieve but also not let it consume you Mika; It’s my belief that in death we find peace no matter our situation in life.”

Mika looked to the ground for a moment, then kept Yuichi’s gaze and smiled weekly. He was right, and Zen was probably reunited with his mother and father right now... happier than he’d ever been on Earth since their death. She smiled, closed her eyes and shed one last tear; a tear that symbolized the beginning of her recovery and release. “Thank you… Yuichi.”

The Hyuuga stood then, moved over to the cutting bench and turned to her. “Besides you owe me lunch” He smiled and she could see it was an attempt to cheer her up. Nice try.
"Mika, I'm home! I brought a guest. Is Yuichi here as well? I hope you don't mind."

Mika’s heart jolted as Aclime’s voice spoke from the front room, Yuichi turning to the door of the kitchen. Mika bit her lip as she could only imagin how she looked right now; red eyes, pale completion… she had better get herself cleaned up before he found her.

“We’re in here, you might want to come quickly; I think Mika could use a hand.” She could have slapped him. He didn’t know any better… she reasoned with herself. She took a breath and wiped her eyes dry on her sleeve; let's just hope he doesn’t notice.

She was about to lift herself up off the ground when the door to the kitchen opened with haste and a boy of 15 or 16 entered; purple cape flying, armour glinting. Mika got only a quick glance at him as he knelt down beside her, took her hand, kissed it and looked directly into her eyes. "I'm Rastin Kabala I'll be your knight in shining armour shall we get to know on a personal level."Mika blinked at the sudden entrance and proposition, she was left speechless for a moment. The boy had brilliant silver irises and deep blue hair, and she blushed as she noticed he wore no shirt under his cape. Before she could summon up an answer, a deep voice announced the entrance of a familiar. "Cut it out Romeo. That is not what you are here for."

Mika looked over Rastin’s shoulder as Aclime came into view, she smiled at his return. He moved forward and pulled Rastin back, taking his place down beside her. "You are a guest here, and should act as such.” he spoke to him, then turned his gaze to her. “Now, what is wrong Mika?" She noticed the change in his tone, soft and inquiring… worried even. Her smile faded as she knew she would not evade the subject today, not now as she still sat with tear stricken eyes.

She took a deep breath, making sure she was still in control of her emotions before she answered. “Zen… Zen passed away… while you were at Chuunins.” She found his hands and held them while she gently went through. “Once you had left me with Hasami Ryu, Zen had found us in the village… and attacked us and all that surrounded. He took out a good forth of the village… and villagers.” She took another deep breath and squeezed Aclime’s hands. “Mizukage Uchiha Shin, unknown to us at that point he was Mizukage, found him as he was about to hurt Hasami further. I didn’t see much… but Zen seemed to stop what he was doing… then… then,” deep breath, “…a blade from the trees cut him in half.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, and then looked to her hands that held Aclime’s. Her voice and expression darkened suddenly, unnaturally. “I saw the owner of the blade… but I know not his name. His weapon returned, and then he carried Zen off… over his shoulder.”

She sighed, and her mood changed to slight exhaustion. She was hesitated to tell all that had happened, for fear of all in company, but Yuichi was here and had a right to know… and she might as well let all know now than to explain it twice later. She took a deep breath and placed on a smile. “But I’m ok now, and like Yuichi said; Zen’s in a better place... probably with his mother and father.”

She released his hands and went to stand up, looking over to Yuichi and smiling. “I owe you lunch, don’t I?”

[Falorein]

OOC: nothing much to say, Short post.It will pick up soon XD


"I'm Rastin Kabala I'll be your knight in shining armour shall we get to know on a personal level."
Yuichi chuckled as this stranger made an appearance, but before Yuichi could register the new arrival; Aclime walked in. He smiled as he thought the scene would erupt as He had when Kurai tried something with Mika, but he was kind and shrugged it off with a comment indicating he was being an idiot. Puzzled Yuichi stared as Aclime tended to Mika, he could see the change in nature; there was kindness and tenderness within his voice. Looking around at the group he realised they all must know each other and he probably was intruding on their normal house hold routine. He thought it would be best to leave, but remembered something that Aclime had said; he had asked whether himself was here with Mika. So using reason he decided that Aclime probably expected him to be here and decided against leaving.

Staring at Aclime now crouched, he spotted something his vest, spotting this something dawned on him; Aclime was a chuunin. He smiled this guy was tough then, but he was a friend and could probably learn from as he had implied earlier. Smiling now to himself he watched Mika get up and she seemed to be happier. “I owe you lunch, don’t I?” Yuichi could not help but grin, he knew she was trying to get herself motivated since there was a group around her now.

“Yeah actually you do!” he grinned for a moment before turning to the still crouched Aclime and his friend or relation. He then opened his mouth and spoke “Ummm So do you all live here? or are you just friends? Cause I had no idea it would be a gathering for lunch” Still smiling he spoke once more “But I suppose more the merrier right

[Runeska]

[Skipping Lerix]


Aclime listened to Mika, giving her his full attention. There didn't seem to be anything the least bit more important to him at the moment. The he heard shocked him. When he'd talked with Mika earlier this day, he'd simply assumed her cousin Zen was at the mansion or out and about on his own. But dead, and after having flipped and attacked Mika and the village? Aclime was never quite as close to the young boy as he was with the lovely female before him, but he knew enough about young and deceased Zen to know that that was uncharacteristic for him. To be quite honest, it sounded as if he'd slipped, lost his mind, and unleashed some inner demon. However, this was only speculation, as he could never truly understand .


Mika's expression darkened for a moment as she began to finish up. Aclime twinged a bit mentally. He was not used to seeing Mika with such a nature about her. He remained calm and intent listening though, and noted it for future reference. When she stood and lightened, he felt as though that was that for her greiving. At least, that's the kind of aire she put about it.


Yuichi asked a question, one Aclime decided to answer. "Mika and I live here at the moment." Aclime paused to stand back up. "Rastin here is my guest for the evening. I met him a few months ago before the Chuunin Exams." When he finished the rise, he realized he'd dropped his chuunin vest. He quickly bent over to pick it up, then began to talk again. "Well, the cat's out of the bag now. Yuichi, Rastin, I'm an official chuunin of Kirigakure, as Mika already knows. I guess it's time I bring up my busisness for the night so that you can all think it over lunch."


Aclime turned and began walking toward the kitchen. While he was still within earshot, he said, "I've chosen a team of genin to lead and help in their developement as shinobi. Those three are you. That is all for now. Let's get lunch started, eh Mika?" Rather sudden, he knew, but he was sure everything would dawn and settle in on them. Lunch would help ease the tension in the air and he would help prepare that lunch. A few seconds later, he'd be in the kitchen ready to help move the meal along

[tsukiai0163]

"Rastin here is my guest for the evening. I met him a few months ago before the Chuunin Exams."

Mika took a look at Rastin, observing his movements, but quickly looked away to avoid notice. She moved to the pantry and took out the a handful of spices, a packet of noodles and a jar of sauce, placing it on the bench then moving over to the fridge for the rest.

Aclime bent down to retrieve his Chuunin vest that he had dropped, standing straight once again and addressing the entire room. “Yuichi, Rastin, I'm an official chuunin of Kirigakure, as Mika already knows. I guess it's time I bring up my busisness for the night so that you can all think it over lunch."

Mika looked over her shoulder to the Chuunin, her body in the doorway of the open fridge as she awaited further information from him. He walked further into the kitchen. "I've chosen a team of genin to lead and help in their developement as shinobi.” He said. The medic blinked; he’d taken on the role of Jounin? He continued. “Those three are you.” Mika smiled in excitement. She looked to Yuichi and Rastin; her official team mates. Then she looked back to Aclime; sensei? She giggled as she realized she didn’t mind the idea.

Aclime spoke once again. “That is all for now. Let's get lunch started, eh Mika?" Mika smiled again and nodded enthusiastically, remembering she was still in the fridge and turned back to her original task. She pulled a large red capsicum, a bunch of broccoli, and an onion, placing them on the bench along with the spices and going back for the rump steak and punnet of baby corn. She filled a saucepan half-full of water, placed it over a medium heat on the stove and placed the noodles within, and then placed the opened packet of almonds onto a tray and flicked the oven to pre-heat.

She noticed Aclime moved further into the kitchen, and looked as if he wanted to help with lunch. She smiled. “Aclime, could you please slice the steak into thin slices for me? I’m making ‘Chinese beef and broccoli stir-fry’” her tone was an offer, not a demand, and she hoped he wouldn’t take it otherwise. She grinned playfully. “Don’t cut yourself.”

Mika laughed at his expression as she took a sharp knife and began to cut the onion, capsicum broccoli and baby corn. As she prepared them she had a thought. “Hey Yuichi, Rastin; you should move into the mansion! We’re all a team now, right? And it would make things so much easier! And there are plenty of rooms in the mansion!” She put down the knife and looked up, smiling. Then she hesitated. “Unless that’d be … weird…” she smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “Well, the offers there.” She looked to Aclime. “If it’s ok with you too.”

She smiled and moved off, taking the boiled water and noodles off the stove and placed them into a strainer and set them aside. Then she placed the tray of almonds into the pre-heated oven and set a timer, then took a large Wok and placed it onto the stove on medium heat; adding oil and the onions. “Aclime, when you’re done could you please put the diced steak into this pan? Thanks.”

She looked up as she grabbed stirred the darkening onions in the Wok. “Yuichi, Rastin, could one of you please set the table? The cutlery is in the draw out by the table, the cups are in the cupboard just above it.”

[tsukiai0163]

Milamber skipped, he gave me permission, kk?
Runeska's turn.
Hope ur better lerix!!

[Runeska]

"Sure thing Mika." Aclime opened up a draw near the sink picked a single knife. He quickly went to cutting the steak into fine cut thin pieces. When Mika through the comment about cutting himself, he replied with "I'll be fine" The next minute or so of time would pass by, filled with the rhythmic dull click of the knife on the cutting board things were going quite smoothly, though both of the 'guest' were awfully quiet. What were they thinking? Did they not like the idea of being on a team. He would probably never tell them so himself, but if they so chose to embark on this journey as shinobi with him as their guide, it would be an unwritten, but biding contract, one that would make him accountable for everything they did and failed to do. It would be quite an adventure.

It excited him and filled him with a purpose. But nothing lasted forever. He could only hope that when this chapter came to a close, everyone would be better for the experience they had. What twist and turns would Fate give them? There was so much potential here that had yet to be tapped to its fullest. And yet, he couldn't ponder over such things forever. His thoughts were broken by something Mika said. It must have been the first thing said in a minute or two.


She was talking to them about staying at the mansion. "It's fine with me. It would be easier to organize and work as a team. But it's only an offer. We will not force either of you to live here. And if you chose not to, this mansion can still act as a base of operations." He nodded once and then went back to cutting the meat. He was almost done. He finished his cutting as he glanced about the assorted group of genin. What would their first order of business be. Perhaps a mission... no. That wasn't the wisest choice. Perhaps they should train a bit and spar, as a means to know each others abilities before moving on to potentially dangerous activities.


About the time Aclime finished cutting the steak, Mika asked him to put it in a pan she had. He complied quietly, though when she asked them to set the table, Aclime added, "There is iced cider in the fridge too. There is also orange juiced, tea, and if you prefer it, water. Help yourself."

[bandnerd]

“Yuichi, Rastin, I'm an official chuunin of Kirigakure, as Mika already knows. I guess it's time I bring up my busisness for the night so that you can all think it over lunch. "I've chosen a team of genin to lead and help in their developement as shinobi. Those three are you.” The guy said. Who did this chuunin this he was he didn't even tell me his name rastin thought.

There wasn't much rastin could do as the others cooked he was more of a hunter. He was use to making due with what he found in the woods. Thinking about being a part of a team with people he didn't know. " Hey yeah you the chuunin since your pulling me into your team you mind telling me your name. With a bit out yourself i like to know who i'm working with well.

[tsukiai0163]

Aclime added the meat and Mika continued to prepare the meal. It had been a fair 10 minutes and the meal was about ready to be served. The medic stirred the meat and transparent onion, then added the spices, soy sauce and vegies she had prepared earlier. She cooked them for a minute, strained the noodles from their pot and added them into the mix and kept on a low heat. She smiled as she took in a lungful of the delicious scent; it was ready. She grabbed 4 bowls and served the meal fairly, then, turning the stove off, she placed the bowls at the table, quickly grabbed a pair of chopsticks for each, then smiled and stood back. “Lunch is served!”

Mika took a seat at the table and looked to the others to sit. “Don’t let it get cold!” she smiled.

After a moment, Mika attempted conversation. “So Yuichi, Rastin: would you like to live in the mansion? Like I said, there’s plenty of room.” Her tone was not demanding, and she hoped it would not be taken so.

[Falorein]

“Don’t let it get cold!”

Yuichi’s face erupted into a wide grin, as the steaming bowl was placed on the table. Breathing in he inhaled the rich aroma of a freshly cooked meal, it felt like home; good meals and friends to share them with. His stomach growled, now that he thought about he was kinder hungry and his surroundings were familiar to him, perfect for eating. He quickly ran to the fridge and grabbed some orange juice and began to pour himself a glass, it was cold and looked perfect. Now with a glass in one hand, he quickly raced back to the table and grabbed a seat, a bowl and began to dig in. The food was delicious, nothing was over cooked or under cooked; just perfect.

“So Yuichi, Rastin: would you like to live in the mansion? Like I said, there’s plenty of room.”

His heart beat quickened as he heard Mika’s offer and it reminded him of what aclime had said earlier, they were going to be a team. This would be there base of operations among other things and as Yuichi was looking for a permanent residence why would he say no? Yuichi still with food in his mouth now spoke to the bubbly girl who sat across from him. “Yeah, I will take you up on your offer though I’m a tad quirky and if you guys don’t mind living with me and…….” He stopped not finishing his sentence remembering his other self. He finished his mouthful before moving on to ask his own question. “So if are to be a team then when are we going to start, the hard stuff like… training and missions?” letting the words roll of his tongue he glanced around at his fellow shinobi; Aclime his leader, Mika his closest friend and accomplished medic and there was Rastin a newly meet shinobi but he knew they would be a friends, these were his comrades.

[Runeska]

Aclime twilddled the chopsticks in his hand for a moment. The food smelled so good that he had to sit down and savor it for a moment. It had definitely been a good while since he'd had what qualified as a good meal. However, he had chuunin status now, which made it worth it. A moment passed by, and he silently set his chopsticks down to say a short prayer. He said this silently under his breath then lifted his head to glance about the table.


It seemed the meal was being thoroughly enjoyed. He himself had been muncing for a full minute and already eaten half of his bowl. Suddenly, Mika brought up the mansion again. Yuichi's response insured that he was all in for the offer, but he'd yet to hear anything from Rastin. Was that a good sign or a bad sign. Well, he could always go along as if he'd agreed unless he said otherwise.

"Yuichi, I've already figured what my plans are, and it's quite simple. You may know eachother individually, but not as a team. I want you all to get better aquainted with eachother as shinobi. For this, the three of you will spar against me. Now, I don't want any arguments about how a three on one is unfair. I only want to test what the three of you are capable of right now. When I think it's gone on enough, I'll call it to a halt. After that, you'll train amongst yourselves for a bit. But before that, I need to return to the village to grab a few things."

He paused for a moment and nodded his head, as if he were deciding whether or not he was right. "Hm... after I feel satisfied in what I've seen, I'll tell you what mission we'll be going on as a team. Any questions now?" He continued eating, but would answer any other questions asked between mouthfulls of lunch. He still had to get used to calling the shots, but he felt as though he sounded authoritative enough. All in due time.


In the meantime though, he finished eating, poured himself some juice, then cleared the table of the dishes he'd used. He made a short bow to those present, then walked toward the doorway. Before existing, he removed the Tenkyo Buryoko as well as the scrool with its techniques from his back and set it by the door. Within seconds, he'd left the mansion and the capital, being sure to close the gate and door behind him. Hopefully, he wouldn't be gone for too long.


(OOC:Off to handle some business. Be back soon, hopefully. Feel free to rp while I'm gone.)

[tsukiai0163]

OOC- skipping Lerix. XP

Everyone was seated at the table, enjoying their meal. It made Mika glow to see the pleasure upon each of their faces as they sampled her cooking; there was more where that came from.
She’d noticed Runeska bow his head and mutter quietly a prayer before he began eating. Mika was surprised; she didn’t know he was a religious man. The clean chopsticks burnt in her hand as she felt rude that she had not said anything before eating. She wasn’t sure wether to do it now, though she’d never prayed before in her life.

Luckily, before the panic could settle further, Yuichi perked up replied to her earlier question. “Yeah, I will take you up on your offer though I’m a tad quirky and if you guys don’t mind living with me and…….” He stopped and seemed to rethink his sentence. He finished his mouthful before changing the subject. “So if are to be a team then when are we going to start, the hard stuff like… training and missions?”

Mika looked quietly at Yuichi, piecing together his missing sentence. She realized without movement that he was referring to Kurai, his alter-ego. She took a respectable mouthful and stayed quiet; he’d wanted to change the subject, so she would not bring it up again.

Runeska spoke then. "Yuichi, I've already figured what my plans are, and it's quite simple. You may know eachother individually, but not as a team. I want you all to get better aquainted with eachother as shinobi. For this, the three of you will spar against me. Now, I don't want any arguments about how a three on one is unfair. I only want to test what the three of you are capable of right now. When I think it's gone on enough, I'll call it to halt. After that, you'll train amongst yourselves for a bit."

Mika, food swallowed, stared at him with her mouth open for a moment before she collected herself and placed her chopsticks on the table. She wanted to protest, but he had already explained it wasn’t going to work. She bit her lip and slumped over slightly; she really didn’t want to go against him, not for the fear of losing but for the fear of hurting him or any of the others. She tried to reason with herself with the notion that she probably couldn’t get close enough to him anyhow; that seemed to work… for now.

Runeska spoke again. "Hm... after I feel satisfied in what I've seen, I'll tell you what mission we'll be going on as a team. Any questions now?"

Mika bit her lip on her personal opinion, smiled and shook her head gently. Hopefully this would not go pear-shaped. Her eyes ran over the green vest upon his shoulders and she was once again reminded of his status of ninja; it was going to take some getting used to.

She had almost finished her bowl when Runeska finished eating, poured and finished a drink then cleared his things from the table. He bowed without words then began towards the doorway. Mika put her chopsticks down and stared after him. “Runeska, where are you going…?”

The front door shutting was the reply.

She bit her lip as she began to worry; what was that all about? She stared at her bowl for a moment, then finished her meal and began to clear the table of her things. She placed them in the dishwasher and came back to the table. “So, Yuichi, Rastin; you guys want a tour of the mansion?”

With a suggested reply, Mika began to show the boys around the home; from the kitchen and lounge room, to the bedrooms and bathrooms, until it finally lead them outside. She showed them the gardens, the pool, the training ground and open spaces, smiling as she did.

Her eyes then came across the greenhouse, and she had a stroke of memory; she opened the door to the little hut and gasped as she saw the caged cheetah still inside. She went in and knelt down by the cage, looking in on the little creature that growled at her presence. “Oh, you poor little thing! You’ve been in there for quite a while haven’t you?”

From the looks of the creature he had been fed by one of the housemaids, but he did look quite unhappy in his little cage. She dared not reach her hand out but she had the urge to stroke his fur. “Poor thing.”

[bandnerd]

exit

[Runeska]

He would be swift, picking up the one Item of major value that he'd left here before up and leaving once more. As the Tenkyou Buryoku and scroll was simply by the door, he wouldn't even be around quite long enough for his shadow to show. There was work to do if one would go about protecting thier home, the hidden mist

[enter/exit, Tenkyo Buryoku and scroll back in posseion]

[tsukiai0163]

exit

[tsukiai0163]

[Enter]


It had been many months before Mika had returned here… the mansion stood empty and abandoned, as quiet as the grave. Mika stood unsurely at the gate, then pushed heavily at the rusting iron gates and took a step inside the grounds. The grass was overgrown, the flowers had wilted and died off and the trees presented a bare skeletal structure to their growth; death was all that remained.

Mika took out her key and slid it into the key hole-- twisting gears that had been left stationary for too long. She turned the handle, patted her hands free of the cobwebs and dust and entered the large hall. It was amazing what a few months of no attention could do to a house, she mused as she took a look at the gloomy limestone of the interior. An eerie chill hung about in the air.

Little paw prints and crumbs gave evidence to creatures that now inhabited the house; Mika was on edge and cautious for creepy-crawlers and spiders-- she hated spiders!

The medic moved silently and quickly up the dust-coated staircase and onto the second floor; entering her room that remained as she had left it months ago. She stood in the doorway for what seemed like hours, staring at the room with far off indifference. She felt numb entering this house-- it held so many forgotten memories. She strained to keep her eyes from Zen’s closed door…

She moved mechanically, reaching for her small suitcase and grabbing a warm supply of clothes and necessities. She was done in only a matter of minutes… for she knew she wouldn’t need half of what resided in her room on her trip. It meant nothing to her now. Her paintings, her teddies-- all material objects that refused to move with time as it took everything away from her. She frowned, and fought back tears as she thought bitterly, that time could take the things that mattered so much to us… and yet these meaningless things were left behind instead. Her hand clenched.

Up until now she had found other places to rest-- taverns, hotels and sometimes out under the stars. But tonight she felt she must spend one last time under the carved marble roof… as if it were the first step of a budding plan she had yet to fully grasp.

So, that night, the first in many; Mika changed the sheets of her bed, slid into her night dress and slipped into the cold covers of her double bed. Silence met her ears, numbing cold enveloped her body and darkness surrendered her eyes to the cruelties of the unknown. Mika bade the house to do its worst, for it was the very last time she would allow herself to be subjected to this gloomy atmosphere; the very last time she might fear this taunting fact of life and death being closer than she’d ever known before. Here she lay among the dying thoughts of her cousin Zen, living peacefully in another life with no regret or contamination; her foster parents Yukio and Momoko Hitomi, who had retired to a life of solitude and haven; and finally her birth parents, Tomio and Mauyumi Momiji, whom she always felt their watchful gaze following her every move and raising her though not in flesh. She had not thought deeply of her deceased family in some time, and she surrendered now to the numb memories she shared with their living memories; times long since passed, and no longer touchable. Though time may have taken them from her, she knew that time had no power over her memories; that as long as she kept her memories untainted and fresh, she could forever see the innocent face of Zen, the encouraging guidance of Yukio and Momoko Hitomi, and the protective and smiling faces of her mother Mauyumi and father Tomio.

To these thoughts, Mika surrendered into a dreamless sleep.

[tsukiai0163]

The faraway chirp was what she could hear at first; Mika slowly blinked her eyes open to the gloom of her quarters in the abandoned mansion. The sun wasn’t even up yet-- she stared into the gloom of the room. Mika dared not open the curtains, in fear of the creatures that may have built their microscopic nests there and attack her for disturbing her.

Mika slid out of the bed, the sheets still as cold as when she had slipped in, bundled her clothes and stepped bare-footed to the bathroom. She was surprised to see that the water still ran, thank god for their rainwater tank, but it was stone cold. Her body numb by touch and spirit, Mika showered, dried and dressed in a slow and heavy routine. She left her wet hair as it was, not in the mood to tame it back into her usual two pigtails.

She went to leave, but stood in the frame of the door for a whole ten minutes, just staring back into the dull-white of the tiled room. Nothing went through her mind for a while; she only stood, breathed and blinked out of habit. Finally, her eyes re-focused, and she found her body again. She left the room and went to the kitchen.

No food was left-- the creatures of the house had taken care of that. The once gleaming kitchen stared bluntly back at her; this is what it had become. Mika sighed and moved out to the dark back yard, finding the few fruit trees planted therein. She was once again surprised to find that the trees had survived the gloom-- they still bore their fruits, though they were not the ripest of fruits available. However, Mika took one of the apples from the tree for morning nourishment; she took a tender bite of its green skin. It tasted strange. She could not quite pick what was out of place, but it had lost the sweet and bitter taste apples usually offered. It was just a soggy crunch, then on its way down her throat. No taste at all. After a moment she wondered if this was the case, or if she had just lost her taste buds upon this land. Her hand grasped the apple, clenching tight.

She knew what she was to do before her mind had a chance to voice it.

The medic moved among the locked rooms of the house, her rusty key in hand. She opened each door and searched blankly for anything valuable, memorable—anything worth saving from its decay. She entered her room and looked over all her things. After she had picked up her black bag and luggage for today, she rendered the rest of the room worthless. She looked to the empty kitty basket at the end of her bed, sighing. Wonder where Bofu was? She shut the door behind her.

She moved onto the next room, Zen’s. She hovered at the lock, then lowered her hand and moved on—there was no reason to look.

Runeska’s room had been cleared out ages ago, when he’d moved into the Kage tower. It was merely an empty room now, door wide open and offered to the little creatures that now habited the home. Mika searched the house from top to bottom, gathering only a select few things from their to-be-permanent placing. There was no sign of Bofu, and she concluded that he had found a better place.

She moved out to the green house- the last place to search. It took a bit to unlock the door- it had been eaten by the weather. The first thing she saw was that the cheetah cage was gone—again, removed with all of Runeska’s things. Other than the skeletons of plants and life, the room was empty. She shut the door behind her, not bothering to lock it.

The medic placed all her saved belongings at the front gate, leaving it there to enter the homestead kitchen. She rummaged through the pantry, careful of spiders and other creepy creatures now living there, and pulled out two 4-litre bottles of cooking oil—highly flammable.

She moved then all through the house, pouring the liquid in each room, upon the floors, carpets and walls—her numb mind only echoed the thick splash of the flammable liquid.

She then took some of the matches from the kitchen, shrieking as a spider escaped the little box and frightened her; the shock pulled her from her numb state momentarily. But soon, when looking back to the matches, slipped back to silence.

Mika stood in the entrance hall, the stairs straight ahead of her—the memories of the home and its inhabitants playing before her as a last short feature-film. She raised her hand and dropped the flame to the thick pool of cooking oil-- the flame running across the river as fast as thunder to the ground. Wall of heat rose and the fire started crackling as it spread all through the house and licked at the wood walls of the home. The whole place would be submerged in a matter of minutes.

Mika threw her keys into the fire and moved outside to watch the damage, shutting the large wooden doors behind herself. She looked about the boarders of the grounds, gathering her chakra into her fists and plunging them into the turf to create a fifteen feet long and ten feet high wave of rock that created a rock wall between the inside and outside of the boarder—she wished to remove this land and its memories, not the whole of mist.

She repeated this Rolling thunder wave until a distinct wall blocked the land from the outside. Satisfied, she stood watching the raging fire and black smoke. The mansion raged and screamed in protest, until finally, gave way to its frame’s weakness and collapsed into a burning pile of rubble. Mika took a deep breath, tears sliding down her cheeks as she watched the house double over. It was a cremation; she watched the troubled thoughts of Zen, her family and the gloom the mansion had held upon her, melt and sizzle in the hell-hot flame. Silently, the burden of loss, pain and loneliness rolled off her shoulders and sifted to ash at her feet. She pulled her shoulders back and brought her chin up. Goodbye, Zen, Yukio, Momoko… Mum… Dad…

A smile reached her lips, and she wiped the tears from her lavender eyes. Head held high and spirits returning with the slow rising of the sun, the medic picked up her things and turned her back upon Koukan yakata forever.



[Exit]

SPOILER: Click to show

Rolling Thunder
Rank: B
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: By focusing and sustaining chakra in your hands, you reach down and grab the ground beneath you. Using your immense strength, you then forcefully rip the ground upwards and cause a ripple effect of terrain to sail towards your opponent at high speeds.
Special: None
Drawback: Can only be fired in the direction the user is facing.
Description: The user bends over and forcefully plunges their hands into the ground. The user then firmly grips the terrain with both hands and once they are ready they violently lift the ground upwards, sending a wave of terrain towards their opponent. It looks similar to a tidal wave, only with rock and soil. The range of this attack is fifteen feet and the height is ten.
Limit: Must be atleast Champion level and know all C-rank techniques.