Memories

Kitsuki walked into the empty Academy classroom. It was Room 115. Where it had all began. Began was a bit of a strange word to use in this context. Technically, she did not start her shinobi career in this room. She had attended private school in lieu of the public academy system that Kiri has provided. The institution was known as the Sukimori School for War, Art, Science, and Philosophy, aka S.S. WASP or more affectionately known by its alumni as "The WASP." Kit had allowed them to fill her head with all sorts of ideas and high minded goals. It was there that she first learned how to be a ninja. Not just a ninja, a good one. However, her ideals were never challenged until she arrived in this very room.

It was the room in which she was assigned to for the First Round of the Chuunin Exams. It was here that Kituski had met Irui. She had seen how all the ninja in the room had resorted to cheating and low-cunning to achieve their objectives. Kitsuki had attempted to rely on her prodigious musical knowledge to pass and although she hadn't given the answers the Professor was looking for she was permitted to pass. The lesson was that no matter how difficult things seemed, a true ninja never gave up. They found a way to complete their objective even when it was unreasonable. Kit had learned that if she stuck to her values and showed determination, she could overcome any obstacle. That didn't mean she wouldn't ever lose. She had ended up being knocked out in the Quarter-Finals against Rini Nakamura. It was a stinging loss made worse by the fact that it was at the hands of someone that used a flute as a weapon. But she had swallowed that bitterness and resolved to be a shining ray of hope in a world consumed by darkness. She wouldn't have to burn bright alone either. A guardian Angel from another world had been sent to guide her. It was in Room 115 where her boundless optimism and hope for the future had started.

It was the War that had shattered that optimism.

Older, wiser, and more realistic. That is who she was now. But the road to getting there was painful. She had seen things. Things that had turned her stomach and kept her up at night. Headmaster Sukimori had warned her that ninja had cruel appetites but seeing it firsthand was difficult. She had moments of valor and glory during the War, but they all felt hollow and insignificant. The moments of goodness and charity too few and the moments of cruelty to grand and numerous. If it weren't for Zizz, Kit feared that she would have lost heart. It would have been so easy to take her instruments and retreat to the far side of the world. Playing and recording without a car. It would have been a simple and pleasant life. She had the money and the means to do it, but she knew her spirit wouldn't allow it. And if her inner spirit said no, Zizz would amplify that voice. In the end, she was thankful for the Angel but that didn't make the memories any less painful.

Nowadays, she was Headmistress of Kirigakure and loyal servant to the Mizukage. She had grown more beautiful despite the ugliness she had seen from the world. A bit taller, mature face, beautiful brown eyes, and her bunched hair was permitted to grow out au naturale. She was currently wearing an instructor's uniform, not unlike what she wore as a genin but a bit more form fitting. She had a great career as a fashionista, musician, and shinobi. She was successful by every measure and yet when she looked at the empty desks all she could think about is the generation of genin that would never get to see their dreams come true. How many had been slaughtered on the battlefields? Children crying out all across the world for a savior and the best the Gods could deliver was her. She had done good during the War, but good wasn't good enough.

She touched one of the desks. She imagined the child setting their. She could feel Time rewinding in her mind's eye. The story of a young boy who had lofty goals of being Mizukage only to be torn to pieces by a technique whose complexity he'd never be able to comprehend. The vision was painful but she needed to see it. It brought tears to her eyes and a rage in her heart.

No. Never again....NEVER AGAIN!

Kitsuki gripped the desk with both hands and threw it against the wall with Godlike strength. The desk slammed into a nearby window but instead of just shattering the glass it took a chunk of the wall out with it. The objects crashed onto the grounds of the academy, revealing the misty outdoors. The level of power that she had just exercised was monstrous but it represented a fraction of what she was truly capable of. Kitsuki felt tears streaming down her cheek. Someone would probably come soon to see what the commotion was about. She had to stop crying. She had to be strong.

Ryosei had been hanging around the academy recently. There were plenty of people to help. Plenty of jobs to take. Things to do.

Plenty of ways to avoid responsibility while still doing something useful.

Right now, however, was not one of those times. Ryosei was sitting against a wall, tossing a baseball up into the air and catching it. Not very high up, but enough. There was someone making noise on the other side of the wall. A bit odd, since Ryosei thought that room was not in active use right now, but not anything to be worried about, after all it could just be janitorial staff.

The slightly more alarming part was when a chunk of the wall shoved its way through Ryosei's arm, liquefying it and making collection and reassembly jump higher in Ryosei's consciousness than catching the recently thrown ball, which landed to the ground with a light thud.

After taking a moment to finish recollecting, literally, Ryosei peaked through the brand new hole into the building. The sight to behold was someone perhaps crying, but obviously upset.

"Hey, um..." Ryosei would begin.

Kitsuki retrieved a hankerchief from her inner jacket pocket and quickly dabbed her eyes. Almost right after someone peeked into the open classroom. Kit would return the hankerchief to her jacket pocket but even with the tears dried, it'd be relativley obvious that she'd been crying. The red in her eyes and the tenor of her voice betrayed her emotions. Kitsuki didn't recognize the girl which meant that she probably wasn't a Jounin of any kind. Kitsuki looked at the Genin (or Chuunin) and gave a half-hearted smile. She didn't really have an excuse for why she had just thrown a desk through the wall with her monstrous strength. It'd have been wrong to lie and so she opted for the truth:

"I'm sorry....I've been dealing with a lot lately. I'll ensure this is all cleaned up right away. I must have startled you Ms....?"

She was desperate to cover up the fact that she had been crying. Changing the subject was easier than spilling her guts to a complete stranger. If this mystery girl was in fact a genin than showing emotional instability wasn't a good look. The post-war shinobi world was an uncertain place and it was up to leaders like her to put on a brave face.

Ryosei would stand up fully at this point, having heard the woman's explanation, and seen her reaction to being noticed. Raising one leg up, Ryosei's body would tilt forward. The woman, if she was watching, would notice that the leg was not high enough to clear the hole in the wall. However, when the colission and likely loss of balance would have been inevitable, the leg liquidized and began to flow over the edges of the broken wall, collecting into a new leg on the other side. At this same time, Ryosei would say "Ryosei. Or Ryu or Ryo for short, either worked." Once a leg was firmly material and planted on the other side, Ryosei would lift the other leg and do the same process of liquidation and solidification to practically glide over the hole in the wall, before finally taking a step into the building, turning slightly to really examine the damage to the building.

Ryosei would not step too-too close to the person, and would instead jump up onto one of the desks, sitting on the table part, such that legs pointed towards the front of the room, with Kitsuki on one side and the hole in the wall on the other side. With a quick head and torso turn, Ryosei would be looking at Kitsuki with a slight, friendly smile.

"I think a lot of people are dealing with a lot. And ignoring it only makes shit grow and grow and grow."

Kit watched as Ryosei melted her leg and reformed it so that she could step inside the busted building. A Hozuki.... the ability reminded her of her friend Chigetsu. It was such a simple ability yet so powerful in its application. It was pretty much the bane of her own existence considering most of her attacks were blunt force trauma. Not that she was about to box this new acquaintance. The Hozuki's name was Ryosei or just Ryo for short. The shorthand made Kit smile. The Clan was known for being skilled with money. She knew her way around finance as well given that she was a Kurahasa, but even her merchant household couldn't hold a candle to the vast wealth of the Hozuki. It was rather fitting that a daughter of their Clan had a nickname that was essentially currency.

It was a rather lame joke but it cheered her up a bit.

"Pretty fitting name for a Hozuki...I'm Kitsuki Kurahasa, you can call me Kit though" She was rather certain that this girl was a genin. With any luck she was newly minted and had not experienced the horrors of the War. It was also possible that the girl had fought in the War, in fact, it was possible that she had served under Kit. The girl had vowed to never forget a subordinate but she had seen so many scores of dead genin that her mind began forgetting their names in order to protect itself. You could only hurt so much before you became institutionalized. Kit wasn't sure this girl was a War veteran though. She seemed so happy. Kitsuki had noticed a vibrant exuberance from the Post-War generation of genin. There had been many celebrations once hostilities had ceased across the planet. Some believed that this was a sign of God. That the Era of Bloodshed would usher in a new Era of Peace. Many of the genin had taken that to heart and had begun training in earnest to preserve the peace that had been bought with oceans of blood.

Kit couldn't tell if this girl subscribed to such naive philosophies, but if she did, she wouldn't disabuse the girl of her delusions. Hope was a dangerous, beautiful, and stupid thing. It could be killed with a word but survive death. Kit still had it. It didn't burn as bright as it once did, but it was there. It was her job to nourish the hope of this new generation and in doing so she'd fuel her own.

The girl hopped up on the table and gave a friendly smile. Kit couldn't help but agree with her. The entire nation was either sick with trauma or mad with jubilee. Many had learned to suppress their emotions in battle and now that the War was over they couldn't effectively express all the pain they had been storing. Some had become criminals, others drunkards and opium addicts. Kitsuki had her own coping mechanisms: talking things through with Zizz, making music, designing clothes, and keeping up with her duties as Headmistress of Kirigakure and Royal House Representative. And if all else failed, she always had her trusty cigarettes. Kit grinned at the girl and rubbed her newly dried cheeks. There was no use pretending. Genin or no, the kunoichi was perceptive enough to tell that she had been crying.

"You're right Ryo...you're so right. Everyone has their own way of dealing with things. What I just did isn't a good coping mechanism" the last part was said with a little laugh.

Normally Kit would chastise the Ryosei for sitting on a desk like that. She didn't like it when people disrespected Academy property. But if she so much as remarked about what Ryo was doing, she'd look like the world's biggest hypocrite. She had just destroyed an actual wall and desk with her super-human strength and thus had no room to talk. All who knew her would be rather surprised that she'd done it, but trauma was a frightful thing. It was possible Ryo would recognize her and her status but if she was relatively new to the military then maybe she wouldn't. Either way, Kit appreciated her down to Earth approach to the situation.

"Speaking of coping mechanisms...."

Kit would ordinarily never do this but this was a rare situation and so she saw no harm in being real with the genin. Kit reached into her uniform's inner jacket pocket and pulled out a golden case. She flipped it open to reveal a row of hand rolled cigarettes. She placed one between her lips and handed the case to Ryo offering her one.

How scandalous! How provocative! The Headmistress of Kiri was vandalizing school property and smoking ciggies with village genin! The Emperor would not stand for such delinquency!

Pre-War Kit would have thrown a fit if she could see her future self. It was very much unlike her, but the truth was that she had changed. Decorum and social grace were tools but that's all they were: tools. They were not a way of life or a personality. If Kit felt like breaking the rules a bit to hang out with a cool genin then she'd do it. She could trust herself to walk the line between disciplined Lady of the WASP and just a regular 20 year old girl with her own wants and desires.

Whether Ryo refused the cigarette or not wasn't really the point.The offer was to show that despite their difference in rank and experience they were equals. If the cigarette was refused, she'd tuck the case back in her jacket pocket. If it was accepted, Kit would walk over to Ryo and light her cigarette with a lighter. Once that was done and the smoking implements put away, she'd hop up on a desk next to Ryo and sit similar to how her new companion was.

She took a deep drag from the cigarette and exhaled.

"The whole country is dealing with a lot....half are mad with grief....the other half can't wait to see what the future holds...."

She seemed to get a kick at Ryosei's nickname. "Gotta admit, when people started using it as a nickname, it didn't really click. I caught on eventually, but by that point I was used to it." Ryosei gave a shrugging smile towards Kitsuki.

When Kit laughed at her own remark, Ryosei would follow suit. It was a good way to break the tension. Or perhaps it is better to say prevent tension from going. It seemed most of it had melted away already, when the figure on the other side of the wall was not some angry berserker, but rather a crying shinobi. Emotions could be a literal hell, at times. Ryosei had some time in the war. Nothing extreme, no front line assignments. Ryosei was lucky for that, all things considered. There were missions that went south, one mission that only Ryosei made it out alive from. But there was a difference. Ryosei had been forced to leave them behind, to return with intel. It was only later they were confirmed dead.

If Kit served on the front line, she would have seen the death right in front of her. Might have nearly died herself.

They say to never compare your suffering to that of another person. So Ryosei would say none of this aloud. But considering being involved in the war at all brought suffering, Ryosei could be considered one of the lucky ones. And Ryosei had done nothing to deserve that. Simply the luck of being born with the ability to turn into water.

The edges of Ryosei's mouth turned down a little, and the whole face turned a bit away from Kit. Who was now reaching towards Ryosei with a pack of cigarettes. A raised hand and a head shake would signal denial while a dull smile returned to the face of the Hozuki lost in thought.

"Feels weird enough, inhaling smoke from a fire, and feels weirded to go liquid. Kinda a big turn off from the idea of cigarettes, to me."

Then, as Kit sat down on a nearby table, Ryosei would look towards the front of the class.

"And half are somewhere in between."

Kit smiled at Ryo's reaction to the nickname. She felt the same way when it came to people calling her "Kit." She had never thought of herself as being a "Kit" and when people outside of her family started calling herself that she had found it a bit vexing. Kit sounded like "kitty" or "kitten" or "medical kit" which wasn't what she was going for at all. Back then, she was trying to be as tough and intimidating as her older sister. To call her Kit was to essentially retard her progress as a total badass. Of course, when Kitsuki got to the WASP her whole outlook changed. A woman could become a badass not by being uncouth and violent but by being the pinnacle of grace and charity. The violence came only to defend the weak, not to project a false image of confidence. After that lesson, the nickname "Kit" didn't seem so bad.

The laughter that they shared was wholesome. It reminded Kit of a simpler time. A time when all things were possible and the days were still sunny despite them living in Hidden Mists. It only served to increase Kit's suspicion that Ryo had never served in the War. In that moment, Ryosei's own assessment of Kitsuki was correct. She did indeed serve on the frontlines and the experience had changed her. There had been wars before in the past. There had been battles and fights between the various factions and governments of Kishin. But this was something else entirely. The World War had brought out the worst of all the previous conflicts. The level of carnage that she had witnessed was orders of magnitude greater than what her predecessors had dealt with. It was a never-ending slaughterhouse that was so intense that it felt like the ground was constantly shaking due to the torrent of S-Rank techniques being launched.

When Ryosei turned away and refused a cigarette Kitsuki was not offended. However, what she said next made Kit feel shameful. Apparently her Hozuki bloodline made inhaling smoke weird. That probably extended to second-hand smoke. If that was the case then Kitsuki lighting up around her would probably bother her. How selfish of me... The Headmistress would curse herself. She was fine being lax with the rules for the moment but not if her laxness made her shinobi uncomfortable. As the Jounin in charge of the village's curriculum it would reflect poorly on her character if she chose to poison her genin with second-hand smoke.

"I completely understand. No worries at all!" she took a few puffs from her cigarette (enough to calm her nerves) before smoldering it in her palm. Kitsuki's constitution was the stuff of legends and so the contact didn't even damage her skin. The ashes and the spent cigarette were then tossed in the trash. She didn't apologize for lighting up, it'd probably only make things more awkward.

Ryo's response to her evaluation of national mood was interesting. Kit turned to look at the young woman. She wanted to ask if she was a veteran of the War but she felt as though it'd be wrong to do so. It'd be as if she was pre-judging her opinion based on whether or not she'd been apart of the international tragedy. Regardless of her experiences, Ryo was entitled to her opinion and it wasn't a wrong one. Many were caught between boundless optimism and crushing pessimism. Kit was probably one of those people.

"Yeah....in-between.....Ryo is it okay if I ask you something?"

She'd wait for an affirmative response before continuing:

"Where do you lie on the spectrum? More towards optimism or more towards pessimism?"

A quick "Sure" was the answer to Katsumi's first question.

The second (and third) question led to a rather poignant pause, as Ryosei's gaze drifted upwards.

"Somewhere in between," was finally managed, lifting one foot up onto the desk. Ryosei wrapped an arm around the leg, drawing it close, and resting a head where it would rest. "I lost some good friends, in the war. Only some of them died. It's weird. I'm lucky, in some ways. I was not qualified for anything in that war. But I can turn into water. Which means there are some things I can do that just cannot be replicated or replaced." Ryosei let out a deep sigh. "An incredibly bloody battle. For a mining location, I think. There was a three pronged assault: naval, ground, and my squad. I don't think more than 20 people knew we even existed. Five people. Comms. Observer. Assault. Defend. Escape."

Ryosei's voice broke on the last word. As the pause in speech lingered on, Ryosei's face turned a bit away from Kit.

"Have you ever seen a Hozuki cry?"

Ryosei was just like Kitsuki it seemed. Stuck between the pain of grief and the hope of a brighter tomorrow. She had lost friend in the war but had managed to live through it. From what she was saying, it sounded like at least part of the reason why she lived was because she wasn't on the frontlines. Kitsuki nodded in understanding. Hozuki were in high demand in certain Theaters. Their ability to melt their bodies down and slip into enemy locations made them valuable to the Renaissance mission. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't recalled hearing of a Hozuki with enough offensive power to make a big dent on the battlefield. Besides of course Chigetsu. Kitsuki listened as Ryo told her story. It was in fragments but she could piece together what the girl was saying. The battle for the mines rang a bell in her mind. The casualties had been so high that the higher-ups had debated sending her in to assist, unfortunately, the losses were deemed "acceptable" and so the Empire had placed her elsewhere. As strong as she was, Kit could not be everywhere at once.

Kit reached out and put her arm around the adjacent kunoichi. She gripped her shoulder and leaned against her showing her support for the war veteran. Even as she turned away from Kit, the Headmistress embraced her. It was shameful for a ninja to cry, but right here and now, it was just them. Kit knew the question she had posed was rhetorical but she saw fit to respond anyways.

"No....I haven't...but its okay...its okay to cry....for a Hozuki....for anyone. You've been through a lot and I know surviving can make you feel guilty sometimes but you're here for a reason. We all are. Your friends sacrifices weren't in vain and by marching on we honor their memory"

It was a small pep talk but she hoped it was meaningful. She wasn't prepared to let Ryo suffer in silence, holding the weight of her trauma on her shoulders. They had met by accident but perhaps they could use this moment to grieve together.

Ryosei smiled at her response, and turned towards Kitsuki. The crying question had been an attempt to distract, not... to self shame. Ryosei's crying was pretty odd after all. Not all Hozuki cried like this, but enough that it was not that big a deal.

Still odd and somewhat funny. Kitsuki would see pools of water under Ryosei's eyes, which dripped down and shrunk as they did, disappearing long before they fell off the face and to the ground, and leaving no trail.

"Thanks," Ryosei would say, and then follow up by hugging Kitsuki "tightly". It would be tight if they were both civilians, at least. For Kitsuki, it might feel a little weak, though Ryosei did not really know that.

After a short moment (or sooner if Kitsuki backed out of it), Ryosei released the hug and looked towards the front of the room again, resting chin upon shin.

"I'm optimistic. I think people are scared as fuck of letting the world get like that again. I worry that some day, we might reach a point that is that volatile again, but frankly? I kind of doubt it. That was awful. Horrible. Doing it again.. I just can't see it happening. So I guess I'm optimistic. I've got my demons, and maybe they follow me forever. Or maybe I make peace with them, let them go. But the people after me, I don't think they'll have those same demons to worry about. So I'm optimistic."

Kitsuki was intrigued by the odd manner in which Ryosei cried. She did her best not to stare but she couldn't help but find the biological idiosyncrasy mesmerizing. Ryosei mentioned that she was optimistic about the village's future. The war had scarred people in deep and personal ways. There was no desire to go through that again and while Kit wanted to agree, she wasn't so sure. During the war she had done a fair bit of reading. A lot of people had said that the Era of Warrings Clans had been so chaotic and violent that with the advent of the ninja village system, no one would have any appetite for future conflicts. The idea was that centralized military institutions would decrease conflicts and limit them drastically compared to where every Clan was a free agent. The world war had proved that thinking fallacious. Then again, the Era of Warring Clans had been nothing compared to the world war. So many lives had been lost in such a short period of time. It would indeed have a permanent mark on the people of Kishin in a way that past events had not.

Ryosei's comment contained a lot of truth. If they worked hard and built up the village, then the next generation would not need to know the trauma they had experienced. But to do that, they had to be strong. Both mentally and physically. And with Ryo's optimism and sense of vision for the future, Kitsuki decided that that this girl was strong. Probably much stronger than she gave herself credit for. With that in mind, Kit resolved to help her out with that.

"I think you're right Ryo...and I don't know what path you'll choose but I can say this....the best way to rid yourself of personal demons is by being someone else's Angel" she gave the Hozuki a bright smile. Kitsuki's eternal celestial companion was nesting in her hair. The Angel grew to about the size of a tick as she sensed Ryosei's resolve, hope, and drive for a better future. Kitsuki didn't hide Zizz from others but she never made a habit of introducing the Angel either. Most people wouldn't understand. They saw her as a summon, a technique, or even worse some kind of pet. Rather than let Zizz be offended by such misunderstandings, Kit kept the Angel close to her vest. But after hearing what Ryosei was struggling with and sensing her desire to change the world for the better Kit decided to show her something that might brighten her day.

"I want to show you something.....or rather someone who is near and dear to me. I know you've heard a lot in the news about aliens and invaders and all that...some of its true and some of it is exaggerated. I want you to know that we're not alone in this fight. There are others looking out for us."

Kit hopped off the desk and stood in front of Ryosei. Once she was squarely facing the Hozuki, a small golden glimmer would appear in her hair. The glimmer rose into the airspace above her head and grew until a brilliant light flashed around the entire room. The glow would soon fade and in center of where the light had once been, there'd be a small naked angel. The angel covered its shame with a set of shifting wings of which there were many. It was about the size of an fairy or small bird, its black skin and white hair seemed to shimmer as nothing but goodness and charity radiated from it.

"I want you to meet Zizz. She's my guardian Angel and she's here for you just as much as she is for me. I think with her help, humanity can enter a new golden age."

Kitsuki was experienced enough in war and in literature to know that hope could be snuffed out just as quickly as it could be grown. She had reason to believe that times would not necessarily get better for Kishin, but she would not trouble this genin with that kind of talk. She'd nurture Ryosei's optimism and she'd do it by giving her the once in a lifetime opportunity to meet a being from another world.

The Angel floated until it was directly in front of Ryosei's face. She extended out a minuscule hand as if to shake the girl's hand. It had taken Kit awhile to teach Zizz the conventions of human interaction and she was proud that her lessons had not been in vain. The Angel's facial features were small but at this range Ryo could tell that she was smiling.

"I could see that helping," Ryosei would respond to Kitsuki mentioning "being someone else's angel". It was a nice thought. Be there for someone else. Especially for the demons Ryosei was carrying. Could I have saved them? What if I had done something differently? An eye for an eye makes the world go bling, but maybe a life for a life is a fair trade.

Maybe, though, this wasn't really the line of thinking to go down. Just being a good person was worth it. No need to think about conversion rates, or whatever else that thought was.

Ryosei wiped away the remaining tears, which there then promptly reabsorbed into the arm that had wiped them. Kitsuki was offering an introduction, and stood from her desk. Ryosei was about to follow suit, until Kitsuki settled herself in front of the table before jumping off was really an option, so there Ryosei sat as the small glowing being emerged.

She was an amazingly beautiful creature. Ryosei would raise a hand towards the angel, giving one or two fingers, or however many would best fit the situation.

"She's- you're beautiful. What are you?"

(Zizz is ascertaining that Ryosei's general alignment is that of Lawful Good. She will thus be able to establish contact)

Zizz would touch Ryosei's finger and the Hozuki would feel a light glow from the Angel. Feelings of joy, warmth, and charity would be transmitted directly into Ryo's heart. Zizz couldn't quite understand what Ryo was saying to her so Kit offered a quick translation. The communication was mental and in a script that was totally alien to Earth. When Zizz comprehended the nature of the compliment, she visibly blushed and waved a hand at Ryo in an "Oh stop it you" manner. The Angel floated back a hair and showed off its wings. The fact that Ryosei's first words were a genuine compliment made her hopeful that the Hozuki would be able to understand her.

It turned to Kit for permission to make first contact.

ⵎⴰⵢ ⵉ?
You may.

The two had learned that it was best if Zizz asked permission before communicating with unknown persons. The ability to understand Mende was usually a product of the mind or the heart. Those with superhuman intelligence could decipher the complex patterns of speech and visual association that accompanied the language. Those with a genuine willingness to do good could open their hearts to the script and in turn receive knowledge of their meaning. The two camps didn't often overlap and those who fell into the former category occasionally had hostile intentions. If they knew Zizz could speak their curiosities and appetites might not end there. It was a pandora's box that the pair had learned not to open without first vetting the candidate. Zizz closed her eyes and reached out to Ryosei.

A series of images, ideas, and strange characters would fill the Hozuki's soul. Communication with an Angel on the basis of goodness was a odd thing. It wasn't so much that Zizz was "speaking" so much as "feeling" out to Ryosei. By following her heart, Ryosei would be able to "feel back." The process would only take a few seconds and afterwards, Ryosei would be able to intuitively understand the alien.

ⵉ'ⵎ ⴰⵏ ⴰⵏⴳⴻⵍ ⴼⵔoⵎ ⴰⵏoⵜⵀⴻⵔ ⵡoⵔⵍⴷ, ⵎⵢ ⵏⴰⵎⴻ ⵉⵙ ⵣⵉⵣⵣ ⵜⵀⴻ ⵛⵀⵔoⵏoⴽⵉⵏⴻⵜⵉⵛ ⵓⵏⵉⵠⴻⵔⵙⴰⵍ ⴱⵓⵉⵍⴷⴻⵔ ⴱⵓⵜ ⵢoⵓ ⵛⴰⵏ ⵊⵓⵙⵜ ⵛⴰⵍⵍ ⵎⴻ "ⵣⵉⵣⵣ" ⴼoⵔ ⵙⵀoⵔⵜ. ⵜⵀⴰⵏⴽ ⵢoⵓ ⴼoⵔ ⵜⵀⴻ ⵛoⵎpⵍⵉⵎⴻⵏⵜ....ⵉ ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴽ ⵢoⵓⵔ ⵙpⵍⴻⵏⴷⵉⴷ ⴰⵙ ⵡⴻⵍⵍ....ⵡⴰⵉⵜ ⵓⵏⵜⵉⵍ ⴽⵉⵜⵙⵓⴽⵉ ⴷⴻⵙⵉⴳⵏⵙ ⵙoⵎⴻ ⵏⴻⵡ ⵛⵍoⵜⵀⴻⵙ ⴼoⵔ ⵢoⵓ! ⵢoⵓ ⵡⵉⵍⵍ ⵙⵀⵉⵏⴻ ⴱⵔⵉⴳⵀⵜⴻⵔ ⵜⵀⴰⵏ ⵎⴻ!

The words were enthusiastic and bubbly. It was like a child meeting a friendly stranger for the first time. Kit scratched the back of her head and laughed as Zizz began to float back and forth, hoping that her message would be received and understood. Despite having witnessed the horrors of war, the Angel was as chipper as when they had first met. She had told Zizz that it was rude to offer people her tailoring services without them first giving her an indication that they wanted a new wardrobe. It could come off as pompous. But the ever innocent cherub had no use for human social conventions. Zizz was helpful to a fault. She saw someone beautiful and wanted to make her even more stunning. She knew Kit's fashion sense was impeccable and so the Angel immediately put two and two together.

Translation: I'm an angel from another world, my name is Zizz the Chronokinetic Universal Builder but you can just call me "Zizz" for short. Thank you for the compliment....I think your splendid as well! Wait until Kitsuki designs some new clothes for you! You will shine brighter than me!

Ryosei's reaction to being touched by the angel was shock. The way the interaction worked was... weird. Ryosei nearly recoiled from the touch, but the happy emotions delayed that reaction long enough to cut if off. Ryosei's face loosened as the contact continued, until Zizz and Kitsuki had their brief discussion.

The experience of being filled with images was not something Ryosei had expected. It was like things were swimming through vision, and yet there were no obstructions. Ryosei could SEE what Zizz was sending. Pictures, memories, characters. Thoughts and ideas swirled through Ryosei, and yet there was no extra effort to parse them. Well, not after a few moments.

The combinations made sense.

Ryosei caught up with what Zizz was saying at "name is". A smile spread across Ryosei's face as the little creature kept...

Talking is too benign a word for this.

Zizz was the conductor of a grand orchestra of ideas.

"I would-" Ryosei started, before struck with the realization that this just... would not work the way that was intended.

Instead, Ryosei took a moment. A deep breath, and an idea formed.

A memory, mixed with a different emotion. A memory of Ryosei's parents hugging their child who had fallen overboard on a fishing trip.

The new emotion was sadness, and perhaps some anger. Ryosei was not sure why, but a gut feeling said... adding these together in a specific way would... cancel out the sadness and anger.

And the memory would be left with feelings of relief. Joy.

Love.

Ryosei first sent a self portrait, or at least, tried to, in the way that felt right. Then was the memory, with the negative emotions interspersed.

The last bit was harder. More abstract.

Ryosei sent surface thoughts. Things that had been thought through recently, but never in any depth. The was thought was one Ryosei had caught onto, explored more.

I love the idea.

Ryosei likely needed a new wardrobe. This one had served well, but it had served a long time.

"Thank you," Ryosei said aloud, not sure who exactly it was truly intended for.

Kit smiled as Ryosei took in the uniqueness of this moment. Communicating with an Angel was an experience like none other and she wanted Ryosei to enjoy every minute of it. She watched silently as the girl learned to speak Zizz's language. Unlike Kitsuki, the Angel couldn't contain her excitement as the words were formed and transmitted. She floated from side to side during the impromptu conversation. When she thanked them, they both answered in unison:

ⵢoⵓⵔ ⵡⴻⵍⵛoⵎⴻ
"Your welcome"

Kitsuki was glad that Zizz had not accidentally offended the genin. Telling someone you wanted to update their wardrobe could be taken the wrong way but Ryosei didn't see it that way. Kit could already tell this young Hozuki tended to see the good and charity in people. Despite all the loss and pain she had been through, she was willing to forge ahead and make connections with the new and unknown. Kitsuki held out her hand for Ryosei to take. She was offering it to help her off the table.

"You should stop by my clothing store at some point. We'll get you kitted up." The phrase was a cheeky pun that she had used at her boutique. At first, she thought it was a bit lame but it had caught on among the fashion community and so she had learned to embrace it wholeheartedly. Kitsuki could tell that the experience of communicating with Zizz had been a lot for Ryosei. It was for most people and in time she'd learn more about the Angel. But for now, it was time for them to talk Nin to Nin.

Kit looked at Zizz and raised an eyebrow. The Angel gave Ryosei a wave and then settled into Kitsuki's hair slowly shrinking in size until she was no longer visible. Kit looked Ryo in the eye and said:

"Not just anyone can communicate with Zizz the way you did. You may not know it Ryosei but you have a pure heart and I want to help you. I'm a Jounin and I've been looking for new students. I'd like to be your sensei.....if you'll have me I'm sure we can accomplish great things together"

Ryosei becan reaching for Kitsuki's outstretched hand.

Then Kit spoke, and the arm jolted to a stop. "That's horrible" was said in a voice that was... Serious and yet playful, as if said by someone trying to suppress laughter, because they actually thought it was horrible, but there was still enjoyment from it.

Ryosei resumed reaching for Kit's hand, and used the... support? Momentum? Encouragement? Yes, used the encouragement to jump down.

Ryosei watched the fairy/angel beauty flee into Kitsuki's hair, and gave a slight wave of good bye to Zizz. This left Ryosei looking directly at kit's head, so it was very much impossible to notice Kit become a bit more serious. Ryosei responded in turn, with the slightest shifts in posture. Most, perhaps even all of these, went unnoticed to Ryosei, they were that much of a habit.

Arm pulled in as feet drew closer. Shoulders were raised ever so slightly, and facial expression dulled.

These relaxed a bit when Kit began speaking, but not enough to return to the previous state.

As Kit continued, a look of confusion began to rest upon Ryosei's face, growing slowly. Then confusion began to be replaced by surprise, eyebrows raising as Kit started her last sentence, before the brief pause.

"I feel I'd be a fool to turn it down. I will gladly accept the offer," Ryosei lilted.

Ryosei's comment regarding Kit's pun was well-received. The girl had a sense of humor which was more important than you might think. Their work was dreary and at times extremely violent. Being able to find laughter and beauty in the darkest of moments is what kept many a Nin sane. She also noticed the way Ryosei appeared to be mirroring her posture and expression. She seemed empathetic and observant to her surroundings. When Kit was at Ryo's rank she acted in much the same way. It was a perfect match. She was taken aback but was also grateful for the invitation. Kitsuki smiled warmly when Ryosei accepted her offer of mentorship.

"Excellent! Now for your first lesson....I'm not sure what you've heard about Kirigakure in the past but I imagine it wasn't all good. This village has had a bad reputation for destroying lives and taking things from others without mercy. Even before the war we were probably the most belligerent Major Nation in the world. As members of the new Kirigakure, we're keeping those tendencies in the past where they belong. From now on we build rather than destroy. We always leave a place better than we found it."

Kitsuki dramatically shot out her hand and focused on the gaping hole in the wall. The Headmistress's eyes shone a brilliant gold and the rubble began to twitch. Suddenly the pieces of wall began to fly back into place. The debris quickly reconstructing itself back into a wall, and in doing so it pushed the table that had been thrown outside back inside. The object was knocked upright and skidded back closer to its original position but not quite there. Kit summoned her cane into her other hand. It appeared in a golden flash. The cane was an elegant polished black with a golden bulbous head. Kit used the cane to push the desk right back where it was before she had flung it.

Not an inch out of place.

She rested the cane on her shoulder and gave Ryosei a warm smile. The display was nothing short of miraculous. The wall was fixed as though time had reversed itself, a feat that was impossible by all the laws of reality. Fortunately for K-Zizz, the concept of cause and effect were putty in her hands. Playdough to be manipulated and re-shaped at will. Kit didn't use Collateral Rescue just to show off. She wanted Ryosei to see firsthand that she had chosen right when it came to picking her sensei. Kitsuki wasn't some talker who just idly spoke about fixing the world. She had the power and determination to see her vision through. With the room brought back into its normal order, the metaphor of leaving the world better than you found it should not be lost on the young Hozuki. There was no need to say anything else, and so, satisfied with her lesson, Kit turned around and began to walk out the door. She assumed her student would dutifully follow.

Exit

Learned/Used: Collateral Rescue

Ryosei listened intently as Kitsuki began talking, and talking... and talking. Not that that was a bad thing. It was almost certainly fine and everything. It just kept going on, is all. It was certainly an interesting listen. Though it did seem weird, considering she had just destroyed the building. Can't really leave it off better than you found it if-

WELL IF YOU CAN DO THAT THEN YOU CAN!

Ryosei was frankly amazed by the ability just displayed by Kitsuki. "How did- Look I get chakra can "do anything" but that did not seem like just... repairing the wall. That was... that was like time reversing. Like you unwove space and time in that specific area so that you could pull the "time" strands backwards and... WHAT??"

Ryosei's hands shot in every which direction, emphasizing the spoken works, and ended up above either ear, in a look of confusion.

Then Ryosei took a deep breath, the erratic hands dropped down and laid still, and Ryosei continued. "Am I just over reacting? Is this nothing special and I am reading way too far into it? Or are you special, in some way?"

It was at this point that Ryosei realized... Kitsuki had already left.

Apparently, in the time Ryosei had stared at the wall, unable to express the thoughts building up, the other person had walked out, and Ryosei had been talking to empty air. Perhaps Kitsuki had heard, perhaps not, but Ryosei ran out the door to catch up, making sure lights were off and the door was closed.

[exit]