Mother's Return [P]

Mission

Yurei’s pale eyes upon to a familiar sight. The standard ceiling in his room stared back at him. Never before did it feel so empty – so barren. It was like staring into a white abyss – avoid that sucked away the young man’s motivation. Too often did he look up, too often did he see this absence. It was painful to look at – this image with each passing day. This house carried with it too much sorrow. This village did. Nothing felt as it had before. Instead, there was a fog that wrapped around the village, tainting it in an oppressive, somber layer.

The alabaster Uchiha’s expression was neutral. His sentimentality towards the village was fading. With each passing day, Hoshigakure disgusted him more and more. Each day was living out the same lie, pretending to be a loyal instrument of the Hogokage and his will, a shinobi designed to serve a village that had betrayed him. There was a pain in his chest, a tightness that intensified with the passage of time. There was no relief, only an increased pressure. Yurei felt as if he were being choked, as if the life was draining from his body.

Hatred was difficult to keep at bay. It blinded Yurei. It boiled his blood, and often times the Uchiha forgot was his true goal was. The desire for revenge was always there, however. It was always looming over him like a malevolent cloud. Each impulse he had was directed by that desire, but, for his better judgement, he strove to ignore it. Revenge would solve nothing – Yurei knew that. Nor vengeance. Vengeance was simply glorified revenge construed to mean something else. Justice. That’s what vengeance was said to be. But what would be justice for Yurei? He knew of the world’s effect on people, their effect on others. But what objective punishment was there for such a crime? Killing? Was death the answer? The same pain reciprocated to the inflictor? No, there had to be justice that did not transfer the rage this world felt – the Yurei felt. His hate could only be quelled by one thing – a new world. I new shinobi world forged from the concept of objective justice, one that sought peace rather than war for the sake of it. What this world needed…
was order.

But what was the greatest form of order? How could a world such as this come to know it? Yurei thought for a moment, his eyes half-open. The drifted off into space, as if he were not there. His mind occupied him for now.

Order… Human being could never hope to achieve order on their own. It simply was not within their nature. But forcing them? Was that moral? Was that any different than the genjutsu Yurei had wanted to perform? No. It wasn’t. Human beings could not understand each other. Peace had to be achieved by force, but in the shadows. An oppressive regime would be retaliated against, but…

Yes, a puppetmaster working in the shadows. His influence would be unheard of. There would be no one to fight against, no ruler to rally with others in opposition. Peace had to be achieved through calculation and adjustments to the world around humanity. Those who would perpetuate violence would have to be changed or silenced. The tolerance of intolerance was a deadly thing, and too often did it bring down empires. No, intolerance, hatred, pursuit of wealth, mischievous desires of the heart, inclination to sin, that could not be tolerated. And it would have to be trained out of the human conscious, eradicated through decades, centuries of evolution. Working in shadow would assure that.

But this was talk of the future – of things far from reach. Yurei widened his eyes, returning to his own body. He swallowed, rubbing his finger tips against his sheets. His comforter stretched over his collarbone, nearly meeting his neck. That was the only warm thing in this village, and, yet, still he felt cold. Empty. Like this ceiling, its blank void.

Yurei sighed, rising from his bed. He squinted his eyes, looking to the rising sun. For a moment, its rays blinded him, but they soon adjusted. The Uchiha took up his hands and wiped them, rubbing away the soreness in a circular massage. He sighed, looking up from his bed. Esu lay at the foot of it, sound asleep. The alabaster Uchiha’s eyes narrowed. I’ll do this for you, Akio. No shinobi will ever run away from home. I’ll rid the world of the people that killed you. I fix this entire reality.


The pale Uchiha’s hands clenched into fists. They ached from the repeated action, but Yurei had been too often marred by hatred, now. It obsessed him. There was not a moment that went by that he did not think of the future and what had lead him to think of it. It disgusted Yurei to his core. It appalled him. It shattered him and rebuilt him time and time again. This was pain, pain greater than he had ever felt before. Everything now was an amalgamation of his previous torment. It echoed, a crescendo too often deafening.

Yurei’s pursed his lips, tightening his mouth. Tears began to swell in his eyes. “Akio…” he muttered. Esu perked up, looking at the Uchiha. He gazed around the room in search of his old friend, but there was no one there. Water ran down Yurei’s cheeks, dropping onto his blankets with a thud. Esu picked himself up, crawling over to the boy. He licked the pale Uchiha’s porcelain skin, wiping away his tears. Yurei clenched his teeth even harder, burying his head into Esu’s fur. Just let it out.


The alabaster Uchiha sobbed, gasping for hair. He hugged Esu, his sobs echoing within himself and within his room, but, to him, it was silence. His emotions ruptured like a volcano, flowing outward like super-heated lava. His hands trembled, and his body shook. Akio… Tears rolled off of Yurei’s face and into Esu’s coat, matting his fur. He, in turn, placed his head on Yurei’s shoulder and whined in a sigh.

The alabaster Chuunin wiped his eyes. His breath shook. He pursed his lips and swallowed, and he could not bear to look at Esu, not right now. Yurei took in a deep breath, patting the dog on his back. Despite his loneliness, he had Esu with him, here now. And with Esu here, it felt as though Akio was as well.

Yurei patted Esu on the head, shifting his legs from his sheets. His white, skeletal legs stretched off of the bed and onto the cold and bitter floor. Still it stung his feet with its frigid temperature. Yurei walked forward, stepping into the ray of sunlight – where there was warmth. He stood there for a moment, relieving his body of the cold chill in the air. The sun was like a mother’s embrace, wrapping around him in warmth. Water still dripped from his face, meeting at the bottom of his chin and rolling off of his porcelain skin onto the floorboards below.

The Uchiha wiped his eyes, swallowing his spit. He sighed and cleared his throat, closing his eyes in order to allow them to adjust. They were know doubt red from the emotional barrage. Going out in such a condition would be a mistake, especially with the pestering of others afoot. No one need know how he felt right now. Only Damon would understand. Well, perhaps he and someone else.

No. He could not afford to tell anyone. As much as he wanted the entire village to know, doing so would be foolish. It was the reason Akio could neither have the burial he deserved nor his parents the closure of knowing their son was gone – forever. Yurei lowered his eyes in anger, if only briefly. He sighed, walking off from his bedside. The Uchiha met his clothing rack, Esu trailing behind him. The wooden structure stood tall, about a foot taller than Yurei at seven feet. He had grown a lot. Earning the rank of genin seemed like so long ago. That was a happier time, one he longed for. But the world was not for happy moment. Not this one, at least. But he’d create one where it was possible – a new world. The Uchiha reached up, grasping his kimono from the rack. Yurei sighed, gripping the coarse silk. He weaved it around his body, sending his arms through the sleeves. The kimono hugged him tightly as he folded the opening in a layer. This kimono was new, one of the many he had. The other smelled of smoke and was too damaged by soot for use.

Yurei grasped his belt, wrapping it tightly around his thin waist. It seemed that as he grew taller, he also grew thinner, giving a tall, skeletal appearance despite being a health weight. Yurei was strong as well, but his body did not seem to reciprocate that strength in appearance. His robe fell over his broad shoulders, tightly pulling to. He sighed, lifting Shinigami from the wall next to the rack. He made sure that the sword was completely sheathed, its dark blade concealed, and then he nestled it comfortably within his belt, securing it to his body. One never knew when one would need such a weapon, but Yurei liked to be prepared, especially with the seemingly growing tensions between shinobi and villager.

Despite dedicating his life to the cause, Yurei noticed little change. Perhaps only the worsening of it. It was not just the religious, but the villagers themselves. Many of them openly despised shinobi. It showed in simple passing, in treatment in the marketplace, and in the looks they gave. Shinobi died as a result of their cruelty and vice versa. The Shinobi here were not the heroes Yurei wanted them to be. They were fakes, too caught up in personal power and opportunity rather than strengthening the village as a whole – uniting it. Even Damon, whom Yurei regarded as a brother, desired fame over peace. That was his true goal, and Yurei felt anger within himself for it.

But that anger was misplaced. Damon was someone he could trust, and, despite his ambitions, Yurei could tell that he cared for peace – that he wanted this to end. The only difference was that this quest for peace enveloped Yurei whereas Damon could have other goals.

The albino Uchiha felt as if he were destined to be this way. The circumstances in his life were simply too coincidental for him to desire something other than peace for the world – a new world. Painting, creating music, personal fame, the possibilities were endless, but Yurei was fixated on this, his mission. He could not break from it, and the only real goals he had tied directly back to it. That was his duty, and, unlike Kenshin, his had purpose, a reason. Yurei sighed, shaking his head. This was the reality of the world, of his path. He had to fix it, one way or another.

The Uchiha patted his leg, stepping into the hallway. Almost immediately, he was once again greeted with the smell of tea, albeit this smelled more of peppermint rather than his mother’s typical honey. The Uchiha strode through the long, wooden hallway, warm incandescent light shining upon him. The smell intensified as he walked, the boy finally stopping in the kitchen.

“Oh!” Takia said, grasping her chest. She smiled in laughter. “Don’t do that, you scared me!”

Yurei cracked a thin smile, Esu walking in front of him.

Takia’s eyebrows raised. “Who’s this?” she asked. Yurei had forgotten that his mother had never greeted the dog. He was either within the Uchiha’s room or out with Yurei, and with the albino’s current sleep schedule, a meeting between the two had been difficult.

“Esu. He’s a friend’s.”

Takia nodded, rubbing the back of her head as she stirred her tea. “Uh-huh… how long has he been here?”

“A week or so. Maybe more. I, uh, I haven’t really been able to keep up with the days, lately. It feels like a blur.”

“Well, I’m glad to have him here,” she’d say, nodding as she turned to face her teacup, the brown mixture swirling on the counter. “I don’t guess I’ve seen him because I haven’t seen you,” she laughed. “It gets pretty lonely around here without you, you know.”

Yurei fell silent, nodding. He knew how that felt, and he knew he had deprived his mother of her partner. Deserving of it was another issue entirely, however, and Yurei felt the grief slipping from him with each passing day. His father was part of the problem, after all, but he had granted Yurei a gift in his passing – the Sharingan. And despite everything, Yurei still loved him.

“You ought to leave him here to keep me company, sometimes. I always wanted a cat, but your father would never allow it.”

Yurei blew hot air from his nose, nodding with a thin smile. Roshi hated cats. “Maybe I will. He could use a little less excitement.”

“So, where’s his owner?”

Yurei paused, joining Takia at her side. He reached for a teacup in the cabinet just above the teapot, and the albino began adding his sugar to it. The urge to speak the truth was intense. It rose from the pit of his stomach, begging to be released to the entire world. Yurei wanted desperately to release the information. Surely his mom could know, right? How could that possible mark him as treasonous? Did he even care?

The Uchiha’s loyalty to this village was weakening with each passing day. He knew he hated it. That was a simple introspection that a blind man could see. But betraying it was another matter entirely. Although, if the village turned its back on him, should he not do the same? How just could he be in service to Hoshigakure? Was he really a force for good if he called himself a shinobi of this village?

No. Willingly serving this village was no great need. He aided those who had betrayed him, a world the created misery and pain. If he wanted to be a true force for good, he’d have to serve his own purpose – peace for the entire world. That peace was impossible so long as he called himself a shinobi of this corrupt system, this unjust village and the world it had been created in.

Yurei swallowed, pouring the brown liquid into his teacup. It swirled around the sugar, dissolving it. Cream bubbled to the surface, blending into the tea with a nice shade of light brown as Yurei delved his spoon into the concoction. “He’s gone,” the young man said, simply.

“Gone? He die-“

“No. He left the village.”

“Huh. I wonder why…” Takia said, raising her cup of tea to her lips.

“Who knows,” Yurei said simply. He knew the answer. This village – its people, his own parents, failed Akio. This world failed him and twisted him into something else as it did Kenshin. It made him do the unthinkable. It took him away.

“Well, if he left without Esu, he most not have been-“

Yurei winced in anger, but suppressed it. “Could we change the subject?”

Takia paused, almost confused. “Oh. Well, alright… Do you like the tea? I did something other than honey, for once.”

Yurei brought his cup to lips and sipped. He allowed the tea to marinate on his tongue, so he could appreciate the entirety of its flavor. It almost burned him. “It’s nice,” Yurei said. The peppermint was refreshing, but he hated it. The taste was pleasant, perhaps even better than the honey, but it wasn’t the same. Yurei longed for something familiar. This was simply too different – too new. Yurei needed something he knew about, something definite in his life. Uncertainty plagued him, and fears for the future at what would come from it permeated within his thoughts.
But he stayed true, confident in his new goal. He nodded, mostly to himself, but then opened his mouth to respond. “It’s very refreshing,” he said, smacking his pale lips.
“Ah! I’m glad you like it,” Takia said, erupting into a giggle. “I was kinda nervous. We’ve been drinking the same thing for so long, so I figured I’d try something new. Might have to do it from now on, hm?” Takia laughed, taking her cup to the nearby table. She sat on her knees and sipped from it, patting the area next to her. “Won’t you sit down? Talk for a bit?”

Yurei did miss his conversations with his mother. It was not often the two could speak given his busy schedule. Usually, it was but a brief conversation and then a goodbye in the mornings.

“What do you want to talk about?” Yurei said, now repeating what his mother had said early, but in a more confident, playful tone.

“Well, how are things going? You planning on making Jounin soon?”

“Yes. The Tournament starts soon. I’ll be competing against the other Chuunin for a rank up.”

“Ooh! Isn’t that exciting! You must be so proud.”

“Well, I haven’t won anything yet,” Yurei chuckled. “Well, I am excited though. Nervous – really. But I’m trying my hardest to be prepared for it. I won’t let you or Dad down.”

Takia smiled thinly, looking at her son with almost blank eyes. “How sweet,” she said, sipping her tea. “Well, I’ll be rooting for you!”

Yurei smiled. He hoped that he would win. Chuunin was too restrictive. It did not quench his thirst for more, for change. No one respected a mere Chuunin, but a jounin? They had influence. They were feared. They were respected.

Yurei wanted that respect. He wanted the ability to change the world, and he’d influence it with or without winning this tournament. However, the tournament provided the quickest route. He need only beat the other chuunin and claim his position as Jounin. But not of Hoshigakure. A Jounin for himself, his ambition. For now, he would adhere to the principles of this village, of those he thought just or sensible. He could not afford to end up like Akio. This village, no, this world spared no one. The slightest recklessness, the smallest of error, the most minimal mistake would silence him. Forever. And that he could not allow. His ambition, his mission, his goal was too great – too important. To give it all away in a weak desire for revenge would tarnish what he sat out to do. That could not be allowed. He wouldn’t allow it. No, this village, these people, they desired death. Pain. They fell victim to the world and embraced its evil whether they knew it or not. But Yurei saw something – an opportunity. An opportunity to save everyone. To unite them not under love, but in fear of justice. No, respect for it. That was the only way to achieve peace. People were too difficult to tame, their ideologies too different to change. And those who would not change would simply have to be silenced. That was the reality of this world, for accepting intolerance out of tolerance is the death of freedom. If those in this world who were intolerant of peace, who instead sought personal gain were to not change, they would destroy everything. That could not come to fruition.

“Thank you,” Yurei replied. He hadn’t the slightest idea of how long it took him to respond. His thoughts were too often occupied, often to the point of pain. It was a difficult thing to manage, but the future, the psychology of humanity, it was all too interesting. He could think of it al day. His aspirations, his dreams, ideals, nature – it was too easy. But thinking and doing were separate things. He had to act. He had to win.

Yurei finished his tea, setting the cup to the side. “I have a friend staying here, if that’s fine. It’s the same situation with Esu really,” Yurei chuckled. “I haven’t really had the opportunity to ask.”

“Is it a girl?”

“No.”

“Then you’re fine.”

Yurei nodded with a smile. The pair erupted into a light chuckle. This was nice. Nicer than Yurei had ever been with his mother. Despite the tea, he felt at home. Like he was visiting memories long since passed. The two stood to place their cups in the sink, but Yurei extended his arms, hugging his mother. Tears began to form in his eyes, but he was able to suppress them. He’d missed her. More than he realized. "I love you, Mom."

A knock erupted from the door, echoing throughout the house. Yurei’s eyes shifted to the bamboo construction. “I’ll get it,” he said, breaking off from his mother. The pale boy walked to the door and slid it open, the warm heat of day rushing into the cold house. Standing before him was a genin carrying a scroll.

“Yurei?” the boy asked, raising his eyebrow. He was about Yurei’s age when he had become a genin. He was widely built with light brown hair and a rather ugly orange jacket.

The Uchiha nodded, not saying a word.

“I have an assignment for you. It’s a B-Rank mission. Nothing complicated, but the assigner requested that you take on the mission.”

“Thank you,” Yurei said, trying to stay polite. “Anything else?”

“No. Nothing,” the genin responded, bowing.

Yurei returned the gesture, shutting the door in an attempt to keep the cool air indoors. The scroll in hand, Yurei unraveled it, revealing the details of the mission.

Yurei – Chuunin,

The Hoshigakure Botanical Society has discovered a white rose that contains a natural cure to most common poisons. Naturally this rose was harvested to make antidotes, until they ran out. A team was dispatched to find more of these pale white desert roses but they had no success. To this day, no one knows where these roses grow or how, nor the conditions that lead to their blossoming in the desert. All anyone can really say is that a few of these roses can be found after it has recently rained. Due to the lack of rain in Haven country, further research has been stunted.
Your task for this mission is to attempt to locate one or more of these roses and if possible, provide insight on how/where they grow for future use. These roses are to be handled with considerable care due to their value so if any harm were to come to the plant, your mission will be considered unsuccessful.
                                                                                                                                             Mission Assignment Department

Yurei pursed his lips, nodding. The task was simple. A simple search and retrieve mission, he had done more difficult missions of a lower rank.

“What is it?” Takia asked.

“Mission assignment. I have to get going.”

“Oh. Well, alright. Do you need anything?”

“I’ll grab what I need, don’t worry,” Yurei said, patting his thigh as he walked back through the hallway. The Chuunin reentered his room, sliding the door open. Within it, he retrieved his weapons pouch, attaching it to his silk belt. He shifted his eyes to the window just above his head and then to the spot on the ground where Damon had been staying. He sighed. Damon would be good to have around right now.
“Come on, Esu,” Yurei said, allowing the dog through the door. He quickly shut it behind him and made his way for the kitchen. Rummaging through it, he quickly gathered some supplies, mostly water. He hooked several containers to Esu’s collar, asking the dog to carry it.

“You don’t want to take anything else? How long is this going to take?”

“I can’t say. But it’s whenever I find that flower. Afterwards, I’ll be set to come back. Don’t worry about me, I’m covered. I’ve slept outside without a tent before. And with my Sharingan, this mission should be even easier.”

“So you’re going to the borders?”

“Can’t say, but stop worrying,” Yurei chuckled. “I’ll be fine.”

“Oh, and you’re taking my new friend too?” Takia smirked, looking at Esu.
Yurei laughed. “Someone’s got to carry to water.” He turned to face Esu, winking with a smirk on his face. “Later, Mom,” he said, leaving the room.

Yurei stepped out into the sun, shutting the door behind him. He groaned softly. What exactly was Hoshigakure planning on doing with this flower? Antidotes for poisons… that seemed like something for wartime. Or careless people. And why’d he have to go get it?

“I shouldn’t complain,” Yurei said, facing Esu. “It’s simple, and I could put the Ryo to good use. Besides, it’s better than some of the other stuff, I’ve done.” Yurei sighed, stepping onto the sidewalk. Heat rushed to his feet, and the alabaster boy recoiled, stepping back. He turned to face his sandals, and, putting them on, set out for the borders.

Yurei’s hand-crafted shoes clanked across the sidewalk with each step. It developed a rhythm of sorts. Were he in the mood, Yurei would break into song. But serving this village simply sapped away his energy. He needed something else. He could not in good conscious serve the Hogokage. That was impossible. He represented the wrong-doings of the world – its injustices. Yurei had to follow himself – his own ambitions. And right now he had to view this as he once had, a step closer to his real dream.
The alabaster Uchiha continued on his path, Esu behind him, as he passed the numerous sand-colored buildings that littered this area. Within each was a family, large or small. And there was likely a shinobi within them. These people, good or bad, were the people Yurei intended to fight for. To right. To correct. One day.

Eventually, the pair made it to the gates, and, with the paper in hand, managed to pass into Haven, outside of Hoshigakure. Yurei had only done it in a few times in the past. It felt odd now, to venture beyond the village. There was a temptation to it, a desire to be free of it. But Yurei held on to his mission, pressing forward.

The sun was unbearable. Even with his white skin, Yurei felt its heat. He was determined to see this mission through, however. Despite his doubts, the Uchiha hoped the flowers would be used to help heal. There needed to be a kindness in this village – something. And, after thinking about it, the alabaster Uchiha decided he was in the wrong to doubt such a thing. Or was he. Conflict ran rampant within his mind. It was a consistent debate taking place inside his head. He wanted to think the village would use the flowers well, but, at the same time, he had his doubts. That could just be wishful thinking.

Despite it all, Yurei wanted, deep down, to be hopeful. But faith in humanity had not been kind to him. Instead, he found hope within himself, his own goals and ambitions, his friends. That’s where his faith was rooted. That was the only thing he had left.

Yurei trudged across the sandy plains, moving his tongue around his mouth. Already, it was dry. The Uchiha bent down, stopping Esu, and grasped a canister of water. He drank from it, satiating himself. He took it from his mouth and poured it over Esu, the dog clicking his tongue in massive slurps to catch the water.
The Uchiha bent down, activating his Sharingan. All around him, there was nothing. No signs of flowers, nor people, nor any of the conditions the botanists had suggested where they would be found.

So, instead, Yurei walked onward alongside Esu trudging through the snow as he went. He had to find this white rose, and, with his Sharingan, he would.
Hours passed by, and the alabaster Uchiha’s knees began to ache. Still, he had been through worse, and it would take more than simple heat to quell him. The sun had reached the halfway point in the sky – it was soon. And Yurei knew that it would soon grow in its intensity. “Come on, Esu,” Yurei said. “Let’s see if we can’t find some shade.”

The pair continued, the sand resisting and pulling their feet. As Yurei continued, it only seemed to get harder. However, just up ahead, the porcelain chuunin could see it. A tree surrounded by numerous rocks and hardened sand. The Yurei smiled, rushing forward. “Come on Esu!” he shouted, running. The dog responded with a bark.

Upon reaching the tree, Yurei stepped into the shade, allowing enough room for Esu. Once more, he unhooked the water canister from the dog’s collar and wrapped his lips around it, drinking from it. Again, he repeated the process for Esu. The dog panted in the shade, whining. “Me too, Esu,” Yurei said, sighing. “In hindsight, we probably should have waited until dark,” he said with a thin smile. He sighed once more, laying back in the shade.

For a moment, there was only silence, but then something broke it. Something Yurei had not noticed before. It was water. Yurei sat up, staring at the canisters around Esu’s neck. They hadn’t been ruptured. No, this was coming from elsewhere. Yurei said, kicking around the sand as he did so. He listened in, trying to get a feel for where the water was. The alabaster Chuunin paused, silent. “Wait…” he said. “It’s coming from below us!”

Yurei climbed over the rocks, trying to get to a high point. Esu struggled to follow him, but instead persisted. He scanned the area with his sharingan, looking for some sign of water. Before him lay an opening. It was dark, like some sort of cave. Yurei climbed down, keeping his eyes trained on that rock. “I see,” he said. “Esu, stay here,” the alabaster Chuunin commanded, sticking his legs into the cavern. He lowered himself in and dropped, landing about three more feet from where his legs were.

The Uchiha stood, looking around. “It’s really dark down here,” he said, walking forward. The Uchiha channeled his chakra into his hands, shooting away but up. Lightning sparked from his fingertips, crackling and illuminating the area around him in a blue tint. Light quickly peered through his new opening, illuminating the cave below. Water ran across Yurei’s feet, just before them. The cave was made up of numerous small streams, all interconnecting throughout with the slight sound of trickling water. However, most notably, were the roses. Yurei’s eyes lit him, and he quickly smiled in success. The Uchiha recalled his previous orders and nodded to himself.

The Uchiha dug his hands into the soil around a white rose, picking it up while preserving the roots. These flowers were too rare to destroy. The Uchiha rose from the cave, leaping out of it with his strength channeled to his legs. Esu loyally stood by, sitting. He was no doubt hot.

“Here,” Yurei said, setting the flower aside. He quickly unscrewed another canister from Esu neck, emptying the bottle into the dog’s mouth. He slopped his tongue around, catching the container’s contents.

For a moment, Yurei didn’t want to turn back. But he knew he had to. Damon was still there, as was his mother. He couldn’t let them down. For now, his future resided in Hoshigakure. “Come on, Esu,” he said smiling as he pet the dog. “Let’s go home.”
Yurei stepped out from the rocky area and back onto the endless dunes. It was taxing, but for now he felt certainty. There was closure in knowing where he was going, even if the later future was uncertain. He kept true, however, Esu behind him.
As the pair continued through the sands, the sun began its descent. Night would have been ideal, but Yurei felt a calling, a need to see his mother. He longed for the relationship they had today. It had been too absent for too long. He felt he could finally reconnect with her and not be seen as some creature called her son. He wanted that more than anything from her, now. To be her son again.

Yurei recalled his childhood. For so long, he had aspired to be a shinobi. He saw them how he wanted to see them now. Heroes, protectors, guardians. Those with access to chakra and those willing to use it in defense of others.

That view had been challenged, and not only by recent events. Both his mother and his father condemned shinobi, so much so that the Uchiha had to hide what he was doing with each passing day. So much so that his father died because of it. But before that, Yurei remembered the good times. The moments he spent with Mother and Father were valued. He could still remember crafting his own armor alongside his father or preparing his first pot of tea for his mother. Breakfast in bed was a common practice between the two. He had recently tried to do so again, to no avail. He longed for moments such as those. He longed for the past. The past was definite. Certain. The future was terrifying and unknown. There was comfort in knowing what he had done, no matter the grievousness of his actions or the actions of others. Waiting quietly for the future, however, that was truly terrifying. But mixed in with that dread was also hope. Hope for a better tomorrow as the saying goes. Hope that he’d one day allow others to live in such a way as him. To grow before their parents, to raise a child and see them take their path. There was beauty in such simple things.

But Yurei had no time for them. They were taken from him, but he did not respond with revenge. He wanted to give everyone the experience he had been deprived of. No one should have to go through what he had. No one should have to experience such pain. This goal was for everyone. Damon’s lost father, Kenshin’s past, Takia’s husband and Yurei’s father… It was too late for them. But for everyone else, it wasn’t. He had to strive for a world that would maintain such things. Lives without pain. Life without sin, without temptation, without the misuse of chakra.

Too often were shinobi victims of the world rather than champions of it. Yurei would no longer be a victim. His power was his own, and the power of the Uchiha would be used to help this world. He would champion this world and make it his own as well. That was his will, his ambition, his goal.

Shinobi had to be what he imagined them as when he was a boy. They had to be guardians, protectors, keepers of the peace. And be that they would, no matter how it came to be.

Yurei could see the gate in view now. Hoshigakure was just before him. Evening was upon them, and the orange glow of the sun resonated behind the pair. Esu and Yurei continued, passing through the gates with a nod to the guards. The Uchiha took a deep breath, sighing. It was harder than he anticipated, but easy in comparison to other tasks he had been assigned.

Making his way to the center of the village, Yurei passed through the crowds of people, carefully keeping the flower safe. He maneuvered through the consuming crowd, prices and shouts cascading through the air around him. It was overbearing, but nothing he couldn’t manage. Once he was free from the tide of people, Yurei continued onward, wandering through the shinobi district. Just in the distance was the academy. They’d be able to take the flower in, as well as provide what was necessary for Yurei to continue on his quest for peace.

Upon entering, Yurei provided the academy with the flower, and he was provided with the rewards of the assignment just afterwards. The Uchiha smiled brightly, closing his eyes as he left the academy. Though he had been reluctant, his view had proven true. He had to view it in this way. He had to see this as another step to the future. A future that righted all the wrongs of this village – of the world.

Yurei continued, Esu behind him. His sandals, the ones he had learned to craft alongside his late father, clanking against the ground. They carried him home. A place that, after these grueling years, actually felt like what it was called. It would be nice to say hello to his mother once more. She had been returned. Yurei could feel it.


WC: 6110

[Exit] 

Claims:
Nayami (6000/6000 with discount) 
3, 000 Ryo, 7 AP

Approved.