Air Drill Practice (Privite, Invite only)

Mezurashii ran her hand through her shoulder length hair, she hadn't noticed it had come out. Her goggles were around her neck and she felt quiet content to leave it there.

"Well lets see. When you reach a certain stage of meditation you can create a mind barrier, which are these walls you create to protect the 'heart' of your mind, such as memories and pain receptors. Mind invaders, that's what I call them, are people with special abilities that allow them to enter the realm of your mind, like the Sharingan or the Yamanaka clan. I've managed to create one wall of protection, the idea is to make it so it's not straight forward, for example: In my first barrier there are various paths in a forest, but instead of to confuse the invader of which path to choose it distracts them since you meant to go into the trees, that's as much as I'll say about my barrier though" Mezurashii finished with a sip of tea.

"And yeah, there are plenty of other methods to gain meditation, some people just need a quiet place where they feel safe" she added leaning back in her chair and looking out the window.

"But despite the village and forest being to vast, there are few places that allow you that so that's why the secret places I find remain as such" she said in a quieter voice. She turned to him and smiled gently. "Does that help at all?" she asked.

Blinking slowly, Itami put his chin in his hands, as was his habit when thinking things over. He was very intrigued by what Mezurashii was saying. The mind barrier was a clever thing to think of and he made a mental note to meditate more and create such barriers in his mind, to prevent any intrusions. "This is very interesting." he said to Mezurashii as he took another rice ball, stuffing it whole in his mouth. A second later he realized how impolite that was and almost choked, trying to apologize. He swallowed fast and started coughing hard. When he felt better he drank a bit of tea and with cheeks red from embarrasment, looked at Mezurashii and mumbled a quiet 'sorry'.
He took another sip of tea but for some time steered clear of the rice balls.
He thought back at Mezurashii's words and said: "That helps a lot, thank you!. I think I need to meditate more. Only now am I realizing how important it is."
He remembered all the stories he heard from his father when he wasn't as bad as he was nowadays. There were tales of comrades being tortured for information and trapped in genjutsu but many were able to whitstand such things without reveiling the secrets. Itami though they probably worked hard on such things as mind barriers and their will power was probably amazing.
Hi sighed, his throat still a bit ticklish from the rice ball.

Mezurashii laughed openly when Itami tried to apologize, he looked so embarrassed that it was kind of endearing, it seemed as though her opinion of him was important to him.

"It's no problem at all, I'm actually glad you like my onigiri so much, normally I add something but this day didn't exactly go as planned" she smiled happily at him as she rested her arms on the table. When he thanked her on the information she smiled a bit more gently.

"From the strength of many can one grow strong, but only if they listen" she recited one of her papa's many motto's. She picked up the empty plate and tea set and began washing them.

"There's a garden at the back where you can practice meditating if you want" she added with an encouraging smile shot in his direction, before turning back to the dishes and scrubbing them before placing them on the drying rack.

Itami nodded, thankful she dismissed this so easily. She seemed to do that a lot, put up with his strange behaviour and actions. He was really lucky to have met Mezurashii.
And he really did like the onigiri. He reched for another. Now that his throat didn't hurt anymore, he started to feel the hunger again. He ate it slowly this time, one bite after the other.
Mezurashii spoke and Itami couldn't help but admire her father from how respectfully she spoke of him. He must be a pleasant person. And quite smart too, from the looks of all the quotes and advice Mez picked up from him.
He felt a small tinge of regret that his own father hadn't been like that. He would have traided for a better one instantly.
He didn't want Mezurashii to notice his sudden sadness so as she offered him to meditate in the garden, he accepted without a second thought. As he walked to the door, he turned around and thanked her with a small smile, and then left through the door.
The view before him was amazing. The garden was so beautiful and perfect for meditation. He sat down a little further from the door and crossed his legs. Then, closing his eyes, he started meditating and trying to clear all thoughts from his head.

In the time Itami had thanked her and moved to the garden Mezurashii had begun to dry the dishes. When that was finished she took a peak out the window and smiled at the site of the white haired boy meditating, instead of going outside she headed upstairs and changed.

Wearing a plan turquoise kimono with a lush green obi tied around her waist, leaving her hair down she put her goggles away and went barefoot. Mezurashii took her time walking down the stairs and quietly slid open the back door that led to the garden.

She looked down to her guest to see him quiet and seemingly calm.

Calm of Thoughts. Ruler of Actions. Light of Domains. Mezurashii mentally recited to herself. Smiling slightly she closed the door again and began to do some cleaning, by the time she believed she was done dusk was setting in.

"Time flies" she muttered to herself before going down the stairs and entering the garden. She smiled at Itami who was deep in his trance, she wouldn't pull him out immediately because he could be making a mind barrier and a half done barrier can be pretty dodgy so she would ease him out of it the best way she knew how.

Mezurashii walked into the kitchen and made a plate of hot onigiri with a sweet plum in the back. They tasted nice and it helped to create the aroma, she added some more of the lilac tea and walked out to the veranda Itami was seated on.

Placing the plate between them she sat in the seiza style with her hands in her lap as she waited for her friend to come about. In the meanwhile she enjoyed the view of the garden, which consisted of a large pond in the centre, a stone path going around it with various bushes and flowers planted on the outer side.

On the other side of the garden an old cherry blossom tree sat happily with vines of various honeysuckle and morning glory crawling up it's old wood and spreading amongst the other plants. The myriad of colour the flowers offered was quite stunning, there was a stone seat that sat under the cherry blossom that stood out proudly in the sunlight, but in the shade it became a pleasant grey colour.

She smiled as she pointed out the little hiding places and small clearings that she used to hide or nap in, she couldn't see them all but there were many. Taking a deep breath she could identify almost every scent, this scent brought birds and other such animals.

She noticed that Itami was awake and smiled at him, she felt peaceful like this.

"I'm sorry it's late but it's best to have long bouts of meditation instead of many short ones, so I didn't want to disturb you. Also it's not a good idea to be abruptly brought out of meditation, it can cause problems in the long run" she said, looking back to the garden.

"You can stay the night if you want, we have a guestroom that papa complains needs to be used" Mezurashii giggled a little at the memory of another argument about her social life.

Itami was breathing slow and steady, trying to keep all thoughts at bay. This wasn’t the usual meditation he did, he instead preferred to climb a very high tree or a mountain and then stand still, either watching the view or having closed eyes, letting the wind do it’s part of calming his thoughts and mind.
This time, there was no wind. However the beautiful garden offered intoxicating scents and the warm sun rays that hit his skin sunk Itami into a state of complete mental peace. His breathing got shallow and his heart rate slowed down. His mind seemed empty and when he was satisfied by the blankness of it all, he decided to try building a mind barrier, as Mezurashii explained it. Not knowing how to get the process started, he decided to go with a labyrinth, as Mez said, and then go from there on his own. He imagined green hedges, swirling and long, running into the horizon, making the labyrinth seem endless. He imagined walking along the stone path, kicking the pebbles and exploring, getting slowly lost in the corners of the labyrinth and his mind. He felt peaceful as he stepped slowly, watching the green barriers forming along as he walked. He heard distant music and a swish of wind blew past him. He smiled and breathed in and out watching the skies above, imagining the shapes they took. He felt happy and good.
But as he stepped deeper and deeper into the greenery, his thoughts went deeper into his subconscious. The wind got sharper and colder. The clouds in the sky went gray and big, hiding the blue sky and making the atmosphere dark and dreary. The leaves on the hedges turned brown and the wind blew the ones that fell off , past Itami’s feet. He blinked, suddenly scared, forgetting this was all in his head. He was so deep in his subconscious he felt as everything around him was real. He was still walking slowly but this time simply because he was afraid to go on.
He arrived at a dead end then, and his father was standing there, his face red with rage, spit hanging from the corners of his mouth. Itami started to shake and turned around, running away, along a different path. He saw the storm in the distance, gray clouds, that traveled his way.
He came to a halt again. Another dead end. His aunt and uncle stood there, shielding his cousin away from him, looking at him angrily. They were the ones that disallowed his cousin to be his friend any longer. They thought Itami was like his father and hated him for it. Itami felt pain in his chest as an anxiety attack threatened to overcome him, but he turned around again, running as fast as he could. He looked to the left and right and saw nothing but dead ends with other terrible memories screaming his name, calling him. He kept turning and all he saw was darkness. And then suddenly, a small ray of light appeared in the distance and a path opened up in front of him. Panicking with tears welling in his eyes, Itami ran after the light and the labyrinth turned into a sunlit clearing. His mother stood in the middle of it, smiling at him.
He stopped, still shaking and tears spilled out of his eyes as he saw his mother. His lips shook and he ran towards her, stepping on the beautiful flowers covering every inch of the grass.
As he wanted to hug her though, she disappeared, as she was just another image in his head.

Itami stood in the middle of the clearing, alone and longing for another glimpse of his mother, but with a sudden sense of peace and calmness overcoming him. The bad thoughts were gone, and he only felt sweet sorrow mixed with sour happiness, which was a strange combination but was one that usually appeared when he thought of his mother. He sat down, his head spinning and that was when he realized these were only fragments of his imagination and he was safe, sitting on Mezurashii’s terrace, meditating. It was then he remembered he was supposed to build a barrier, and shield thoughts like these from outside intruders. Still in his dreamland, he sat down on the soft grass and thought of how he was going to do this. He looked around and suddenly the labyrinth appeared in the distance, but it was far away. Itami imagined all his memories were in it and he stood up, deciding he was going to build an actual barrier within his mind. He imagined a wall so hard and unpassable that even the strongest weapons couldn’t breach it. He imagined it solid and high, shielding the labyrinth away from any visitors. As he imagined the wall, it rose in front of him, huge and scary, made of stone and earth, spikes and thorns. He stood, not in awe anymore, but accepting the barrier as something natural, protecting his memories and thoughts, keeping them away from anyone who would wish to use them for any means that could hurt him.
After that, Itami sunk into blackness, focusing solely on his breathing. He was done with the first barrier, and his mind needed a rest. He stayed in the darkness for a long time. It seemed like years and he felt nothing but indifference and the warm breath hitting his lips and then traveling inside his lungs.

A long time later, a smell mixed in. A smell of rice and plums. And suddenly his senses awoke and he also smelled flowers and the earth and then his eyes slowly opened and he was back in reality, back in Mez’s garden and Mezurashii was sitting next to him, watching him, smiling. Itami looked back at her, still a bit dazed and not yet escaping the indifferent state. He heard the words forming on her lips but he failed to understand anything. He blinked slowly, watching Mez as a questioning look appeared on her face.
Slowly realizing she asked him something, he nodded, but didn’t know what he was agreeing to. He felt deaf even though his ears worked perfectly well.
He sat there, staring at her, until he fully returned to reality and in a sudden embarrassment looked away and mumbled a short and quiet ‘sorry’. He blushed a bit and stood up. His legs felt like jello and his arms shook as he pulled down the corners of his shirt that rose up as he moved. He felt weak and hungry. “What time is it?” he asked reluctantly, hoping he didn’t intrude for too long.

Mezurashii laughed in a playful manner as Itami stared in a daze.

"Dusk, so roughly six. I know that your first deep meditation can be something very... dazing so to say" she smiled and rose slowly.

"Help yourself to the tea and onigiri" she paused when she reached the door "um... you do know you agreed to sleeping over right?" she asked.

When she had spoken he had a dazed look in his eyes, and it took her quiet a while to wake from her trance. So she wasn't really sure if he heard her, she glanced at the darkening sky and smiled.

"Your first step was well done, even I could feel the peace that washed over you" she commented. She smiled at him gently before walking into the house to prepare his room, god only knew how stale those sheets were.

Itami was amazed at how much time passed as he was exploring his mind. He sat down again, the evening chill waking him up a bit more. He picked up one onigiri and bit into it, the sweet taste flooding his mouth. Upon hearing Mezurashii's words however, he swallowed too quickly in an attempt at a hasty reply, and he coughed, his eyes watering. He blinked twice, and then looked at Mezurashii's already retreating form.
So that was what she asked him earlier. And he said yes; he couldn't quite believe it. He felt a bit weird that he was going to sleep over here, since he didn't live far, but when he thought about it more, he was relieved he didn't have to return home and see his father. He would never sanely agree to sleeping over but what was done, was done and the decision was already made.
He picked up the plate of onigiri and his tea, and walked inside, sliding the door to prevent the evening cold from entering. He sat down at a table, and ate.
When he didn't feel hungry anymore, he went to look for Mezurashii.

He found her in a room that looked like no one has slept in it for some time. He assumed this was where he was going to stay for the night. Mezurashii was managing the sheets and Itami leaned on the door frame, seeing she didn't need any help. "Wouldn't you dad be mad that I'm just randomly staying over?" he asked a bit concerned.

Mezurashii jumped a bit at Itami's voice, she turned as she folded the stale sheets. Smiling she shook her head.

"Nah, he'll probably look to the heavens and yell 'finally' at the top of his lungs. My papa loves meeting new people, but don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't smother you with questions" she said as she replaced the old and stale blankets with the new fresh ones.

"And if anything happens when I'm not there you can run, he's still got a cast on his leg" she giggled a little before placing the pillow at the top, thus finishing the bed. Mezurashii moved to open the window and sighed at the breeze.

"We don't use this room often so it smells a little weird, just leave the window open for a while. I have some incense if you want" she smiled before walking over to him.

"By the way, you probably want to get out of those clothes, so I can wash them, I'll grab you a spare" she smiled as she passed him and went outside to the clothesline. Picking out a simple blue male yukata she smiled and handed it to the white haired boy.

"The bathroom is just down the hall on the left, if need anything I'll be in the kitchen" Mezurashii smiled kindly before walking to the kitchen. After all she had two males to feed.

Itami giggled at Mezurashii's light scare. He smiled as she spoke and replied: "I'm glad. I really don't want to be a bother."

He moved forward and into the room, looking around. He liked it. It was simple enough but he could see it hasn't been used much. "Some incense would be great if it's not too much trouble." he said with a hesitant smile.

He leaned down and touched the sheets and decided he liked the soft material. He turned back to her then, just as she headed for the door.
As she walked out, he quickly followed but shook his head as she offered to lend him some clothes.
"I'd rather not, mine aren't much messed up yet and I'd really prefere to just keep them on."
He went back to being awkward Itami and he felt a little bad for turning her offer down but borrowing someone else's clothes was really so far out of his comfort zone, plus he never ever wore yukata's, even the ones his father brought him home.
He supposed sleeping just in his black long pants would be fine, as the room was warm and he wouldn't get cold. He nodded politely at Mezurashii and thanked her, turning towards the bathroom to clean up a bit.