Kon'nichiwa

Shien huffed with a smile at Hakai’s bellowing laughter, nodding as he knew how ridiculous the situation must have sounded. Thirteen-year-old boy with no parents living all alone is some forgotten cave rather than a warm cottage or house. Truthfully, he didn’t mind, however. It was cozy. He was good at adapting to places such as caves, any terrain, really. Really good, like some sort of nomad. He’d grown so accustomed to it.

The offer of a new bedroom was too alluring, however. Something soft to sleep on, someplace dry to put his things. Someplace quiet, free from the toads, frogs, and crickets, whose calls so often erupted the shinobi from sleep. He needed rest. Badly.

Hakai’s call to know more of the situation came almost as a shock to Shien. He scanned his brain, lowering his eyes in thought. Just how much did he need to know? Doku business was just that, Doku alone. Ikigai, Hakai, or the Kage himself didn’t need to know anything about the clan. At least not for now. After all, he had only just met Hakai.

“My family and I were separated a while back. I lived on my own, have been living on my own for a long time now. A year or so, maybe two. I don’t really remember, it all bleeds together.” There were half-truths mixed in, but ultimately the tale was general. The specifics were irrelevant. Hakai didn’t need to know about the Netsugan, its implications, or the state of the clan. “I ended up here, passed the genin exam without a hitch, and here I am, cave and all. Well, it’s not with me, but you get the point.”

Grounding himself made it a lot easier on Shien. Hakai knew how to talk to him, it just so happened that teasing took priority. The Doku could respect that, to a degree. He was something of a prankster himself, and he rarely took things seriously, for better or for worse.

Shien shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “That’s it, really. That all you need to know? Any papers left to go over? I’m not gonna lose a limb, am I?” he chuckled, intentionally cracking a joke now. His laugh was a tad bellow, still marred by a pinch of nervousness. He didn’t really know what he could get away with or what Hakai’s sense of humor really was.

WC: 6425

approved my guy

R
Shien perked up, fluttering his eyes at Hakai’s decree. His eyes glistened slightly, flickering with joy. Finally, he had a home. The headmaster briefly explained the requirements for housing. It was to be expected, work for housing. Perhaps Boru already let Hakai know that Shien wanted to work with food. Or perhaps it was mere coincidence. Either way, the circumstances were in the Doku’s favor.

The reptile stood from his chair, granting Hakai a low bow. “Thank you, Hakai, uh, Sensei,” he smirked, standing up straight. “Honored to be accepted!” Shien would say, squinting his eyes and baring his jagged teeth in a large grin that stretched across his face. Glee was plastered all over his visage with a slight hint of worry. It was a mix of emotions really. He needed to train, to hone his skills so that he could take charge of the Doku Clan. But then again, he just wanted to have fun - to look at the world with fresh, young eyes and to enjoy each day in his own way. Perhaps that was selfish of him, running away from that responsibility. He couldn’t deny that it made him happy, though. It was his most tedious and persistent temptation. Somehow, though, it always left a corrosive guilt that ate at his stomach.

Shien would scratch the back of his head, backing out of the office with squinted eyes and his toothy smile. “I’ll be seeing you then, Hakai-Sensei,” the Doku spoke through clenched teeth, chortles resonating with every other word.

He slid the door closed behind him, taking a deep breath. He had done it and with little effort. Frankly, he thought that there would be more to it. Some sort of test to see if he was worthy or something of that nature. Then again, Kiyo did make it into the academy…

Shien shrugged, mostly to himself, as he made his way back to the academy. The sun had seeped more than halfway into the horizon, leaving the faint orange glow on one side of the sky where stars had begun to take the other.

The stars were beautiful in Kumogakure. He was closer to them than he ever had been. It was like he could reach out and touch them. Shien stopped halfway to the academy, standing in the middle of the pasture. He needed to hear them one last time, at least for now.

The moon rose, and the crickets took control of the night air. The frogs and toads were as if vocals to the crickets’ violins, leaving the shinobi with a symphony of music as he opened the doors to the academy once more. He sighed, shutting them behind him. There was silence, a sound he hadn’t heard in some time. It was blissful, really.

When he had reached his room, he found it just as it had been. Only now, there were several books on the desk beside his bed. Shien closed the door behind him, sliding it into place as he made his way to the bed. It bounced as he sat on it, cushioning him. He sighed, smiling with one tooth sticking out from the corner of his mouth. It felt good to be here. It was like he belonged here. He bobbed up and down, running his hands over the sheets. They were soft to the touch. Shien reached into his bag, placing his makeshift flute on the nightstand beside his bed. He reached in further, drawing his mother’s blanket from the bag. It was starting to tatter, but the stitching was firm, strong, like the scales on his back. He folded it, placing it at the foot of his cot. There. Now it’s home.

The reading, though, would have to wait for tomorrow.

WC: 7052

[EXIT]

Claiming 35 stats, 30 to Chakra = 50, 5 to Stamina = 15

Chakra Scalpel [4000/4000] Mind Eye of OP [3052/4000]