| The East Forest | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 5 2018, 02:56 PM (52 Views) | |
| Little Hitomi | Jun 5 2018, 02:56 PM Post #1 |
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![]() (Ignore the dinosaurs) The East Forest of Iwa was a closely guarded secret; to get to it, one had to cross over a small ravine and descend into a valley beyond it, following a short cave through a mountain. The East Forest was a medium sized grove, sheltered from foreigners by a bowl formation of mountain peaks, which kept the wind in the forest to a minimum. It contained both a large variety of plants and animals. The climate was quite warm, due to Iwa's natural state, but the peaks above provided the grove with a good amount of moisture, through run-off from the snow-capped mountains, which could be inferred by the lush vegetation as well as the fairly frequent and dense mist. There was also a river in the forest, though it was largely reserved for Happy and Natsu as a favorite fishing spot, and it was used by other Dragon Slayers to train in private; people rarely bothered to make the trek here for no reason. Many different animals took residence here. There are both minute creatures like bats, lizards, turtles and fish as well as more dangerous animals like bobcats, while plants could grow so dense and reach such extremely large sizes that some trees could be used as a comfortable home. |
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| Little Hitomi | Jun 5 2018, 03:19 PM Post #2 |
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Crash! A black-clad blur slashed through the thick forest, far off the beaten path and trail that had been tread and carved into the forest over the years. It was the part of the forest where the animals ruled, with nature undisturbed by the humans. Trees crowded together, fighting for space as birds flitted amongst their branches, warring for the smallest little scraps, and squirrels leaped from trunk to trunk in search of nuts and caches. On the ground, serpents and mice played a deadly game of predator and prey, with the occasional larger animal lurking in hiding, waiting for its own prey to wander within reach for its deadly ambush - jaguars and vipers, most commonly. Usually, it was left alone by people, letting the animals have their way and their domain, safe from the destructive tendencies of the Iwa-nin who made their home within and near the forest. However, the younger Hitomi Raikou didn't quite see it that way; she had always viewed the entire area, this isolated, uncharted domain as a challenge. A place to explore, fight, and struggle against...an exercise in patience, reflex, agility, and bravery. So that was why she was running through it as fast as she could. She was dressed in a new outfit, one she had taken to wearing after finally changing out of the "painted on" pants she had become famous for. Her long lilac-colored hair had changed in style, with bangs that reached down to her collar bone. She wore black hair-clips in the shape of a blocky cross, and around her neck was a choker that has a light blue cross symbol on it. Discarding her old tight pants and short cape aside from the most formal and serious of occasions, she now dressed in a mostly black one-piece parka dress that had a purple hood, strings that look like electrical plugs, and two huge black and purple pockets with blue circles on them. The sleeves had two light blue stripes going all the way down while the front of the parka only contained the one. The ends of the sleeves and the bottom of the parka had black and purple stripes. The zipper emblem and the back of the parka bore a purple letter "N" to represent the brand of her new favorite clothing line, and she completed the outfit with black and purple shoes, and a tool holster on her left thigh. Hitomi had always loved to run....it had been the one thing she took to naturally, running. The feeling of the earth trembling under every footfall, the wind crashing into her face, the burn in her muscles....it was a rush quite like no other. Other misadventures could sometimes provide one with a bigger adrenaline charge, a more potent high....but nothing was quite so pure as a mad dash. The feeling of her heart pounding in her chest spurred Hitomi in, her footfalls timed with the beating of her own heart. Her lungs heaved as she breathed in, desperate to supply the blood in her chest with the oxygen....and her heart in turn strained to make sure her body received it. She could feel her own blood rushing through her head, her arms and legs....she could feel her own life. It was even more pronounced since her mother had been able to give life to the sleeping blood inside of her...since her dragon traits had awakened. Hitomi felt lightning throbbing inside of her, running through her veins, her every heartbeat like a peal of thunder. Her entire body was power, an engine, aching for release....running was the best way to release some of it, or she might burst! As much as it was an exercise and hobby, it was also...like a therapy. I was something she could do by herself, and under her own power. She could go in any direction, fast or slow as she wanted, fighting the wind if she felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of her feet and the courage of her lungs and heart. And she could leave everything else behind her; her shame, her fears, her responsibilities and obligations, her anger....none of it could catch her, as long as she was running. Hitomi let out a breath as the lightning crackling at her heels intensified. Rivers of energy bled down her hair, cast off from her shoulders like streamers. Her muscles contracted and expanded with extra energy at every step, her fooftalls getting heavier as her body heated up. The lightning began to wrap around her, creating a slipstream effect, the current not just falling off of her....it was inside her, bleeding out of her, her new Lightning Drive emitting an audible, throbbing hum like the sound of an engine.... Fire it up and let the horses sing....! The young Raikou pumped her arms frantically, doubling her pace. The wind whistled against her ears, her hair flapping in the wind....and she jumped. She came up high, grabbing onto an outstretched branch, and swung herself up, back flipping as she let go. Her legs snapped out, catching another branch in the bend of her knee, careening herself through the forest. Hitomi landed hands-first against another tree, pushing off the trunk to fly towards another one, leaping off of that one with her feet, and finally finding a fallen, suspended trunk to run along, sprinting along the tall tree out of the thicket, into a clearing. Daylight added a glistening sheen to her sweat-drenched skin, her chest and body heaving....and still she kept going, running as if Death itself was at her back. The Once and Future Kage kept going, not even slowing down as a minor ravine opened up in front of her. She narrowed her eyes, putting on one more burst of speed, running to the very, very edge, her foot actually pressing down on the loose soil at the top of the outcrop.... Boom! With a thundering brontide, Hitomi took to the air, her arms spread like a bird as she flew high, dipping into a low arc like a diving swallow, the cry of her Ouja-Ho sounding like the call of a storm. She soared into the air, leaping almost as well as a young Highwind; she broke the tree cover, arching her back to face the sun for a moment, almost like a dolphin or whale leaping out of the water. Her hands were out to either side, her legs tucked together for aerodynamic purposes. Hitomi leaned forward, front-flipping as her momentum carried her over the gap, landing with a perfect three-point landing, her right hand crashing into the ground as a fist, with her feet taking the impact squarely, clearing the gap with a good two or three meters to spare, her body heaving and glistening with sweat - she had to be miles outside of the village at this point...... "Hah...hah....not quite the same as flying....but I guess it's pretty close...for a runner....hah...ohhhhh I forgot water again....aah..." |
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| Tsubaki Raikou | Jun 10 2018, 12:32 PM Post #3 |
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"You really are just as hopeless as ever, aren't you?" The familiar voice of Tsubaki Raikou echoed across the relatively quiet forest, her sharp tongue carrying her unmistakable voice as she approached the exhausted Dragon Slayer. It was something that always caught others by surprise, the depth of her sharp voice that was paired perfectly with her even tone, perfectly emphasizing exactly the right word to convey her more scathing or adoring implications... and with it came her commanding, or perhaps even demanding presence, with the young woman exuding an overwhelming aura that forced others to give her the attention she always seemed to so desperately crave. Though listening now it would be easy to realize there was something missing from the way she spoke, with her voice missing either warm adoration or cold disinterest, going as far as to refuse to emphasize any particular word with her arrival to further conceal her intentions. As always, the most recognizable feature of the energetic and eccentric woman was her sheer midnight black hair kept in a simple twintail style, which ran perfectly counter to the usually vibrant and colorful hair so proudly possessed by her fellow Raikou. Her hair seemed meant to emphasize her vibrant blue eyes, which always had a peculiar glow to them, as if they were just barely able to contain the electrical storm housed within them. For the time being she seemed to have changed from her preferred attire, though the style was remarkably similar; she wore a sleeveless red shirt with a white trident-like design on the chest, as well as a short black skirt and thigh-high boots that were held in place by a black garter. Finally, she was carrying an ornate red spear with her, which she carried across her shoulders while relaxing her hands on either end, bracing it against her body while relaxing her arms - an odd habit developed during her unexpectedly long trip to the reclusive Ishgard. "Just so you know, the point of training this far out in the middle of nowhere is to avoid people. If I wanted people to just come flying in like they own the place I would have stayed in Ishgard. Honestly, you Dragon Slayers can be completely inconsiderate... what's even the point of having those senses of yours if you can't smell or hear where people are, anyway?" Tsubaki spoke with an irritated huff while rolling her shoulder to shift the spear she was carrying, gripping it one hand and laying it over that shoulder while reaching down to the brown pouch on the back of her waist. She quickly produced a clear water bottle and tossed it toward Hitomi, not entirely concerned with whether she caught it as she should or let it bounce off her hard skull, flicking one of her twintails over her shoulder before planting her hand on her hip. "And before you even think about trying, I'm sorry to say you just won't be able to convince me you came out all this way for my company. But now that I think about it..." Tsubaki twisted her wrist and rolled her fingers, deftly swinging the spear carried over her shoulder about until the blade was aimed downward, at which point she grabbed the shaft and drove it down into the soil. She folded her arms under her modest bust while narrowing her gaze, leaning to the side to press her weight against the crimson spear, her eyes glowing with curiosity and poorly-concealed frustration, while her finger was impatiently tapping against her arm. "There really isn't any excuse for you to get this close to someone without noticing them now, so that means... Hitomi Raikou, don't tell me you've been neglecting your new senses, they're supposed to be your new basics. And so soon after being chosen as the Tsuchikage Candidate, too! You shouldn't get so comfortable, you know. Being given a title like that is an honor for sure, but it doesn't mean you're as far ahead of me as you might think. Don't let that new 'dragon pride' get to your head." |
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| Little Hitomi | Jun 11 2018, 10:26 AM Post #4 |
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"'Hopeless,' huh...? I'll say..." Seems like I can never run far enough to get away from your voice, Tsubaki. What are you doing all the way out here anyway? Hitomi flinched - ow, that hurt - at the sound of her cousin's voice. Hitomi was always scolding her, it seemed....and it didn't help that Tsubaki's natural tone just always seemed to be the kind that merited you pay attention to her. She wasn't whiny exactly, and Hitomi wasn't inclined to flatter her by calling her regal or royal either. Maybe just "haughty." Tsubaki always seemed to want something, and expected it - at least she talked that way. Hitomi wasn't going to say with a straight face that Tsubaki wasn't selfless or inconsiderate - she very much was, to the point that it hurt her.....and Hitomi envied her for it. By comparison, she made Hitomi feel selfish, and that pricked her own pride. Maybe that was why they had been at odds lately. There had been a time where Tsubaki's presence would have filled Hitomi with jubilation, and she would have greeted her cousin with a smile and hug. Now, there was only a wary tilt of her head, her eyes on Tsubaki the way a stray cat watched an approaching stranger. There weren't any hints as to what she wanted....though, Hitomi couldn't help but be put off by Tsubaki getting so close to her these days.... Come to think of it, it hardly looked like Tsubaki. Oh certainly it was her - her hair was the same, her eyes still had that envy-inducing glow that showed off the purity of her bloodline. But aside from being dressed differently, Tsubaki walked differently. The posture was similar to how she'd seen Sankaku Highwind walk, though Tsubaki managed to add a little bit of class to the stance that the free-spirited Highwind just wasn't suited for. She was as stylish as ever...much more so than Hitomi's parka-dress. She made Hitomi feel downright underdressed in comparison, the Dragon Slayer's cheeks starting to turn red in embarrassment just looking at Tsubaki's stylish outfit and put-together appearance.... "Ah!" Hitomi had been so caught up in her own analytical nonsense that she hadn't been ready for Tsubaki's toss until the bottle was almost upon her. Hitomii comically fumbled it, knocking the bottle up with one hand...then again, and again, and an impressive third time before she fell over, landing with a mild impact on her chest and belly. She did manage to catch the water bottle, klutzy as she had been during the whole thing, scowling and gritting her teeth as Tsubaki just kept on jabbing her. Hitomi sat up properly, adjusting herself to sit on the grass. She let Tsubaki ramble on, tilting the water bottle towards Tsubaki in thanks....and rather than twist the cap off, Hitomi simply yanked it off with her teeth outright; they had gotten a bit stronger since her bloodline was awakened, and she was dying of thirst. She tilted her head back and let the cold, almost frigid liquid flow into her mouth and down her parched throat, swallowing and gulping thrice. She held the bottle up over her head, pouring it out over her long hair and the top of her head, letting out a "Whoo!" as the cold contrasted with the heat of her run. All told, she probably used up half the bottle just displaying her delight with it..... Well, she was out of ways not to talk to Tsubaki now, wasn't she? "Hello, good to see you too, Tsubaki. I'm not neglecting anything, I just...wasn't paying attention. It's not like I expected to run into anyone so far from the village, that's why I run out here. You look into things too much. Like always." Hitomi huffed, sitting with almost cavalier disregard for propriety; her legs were raised up and bent at the knee, with her elbows resting atop her knees. She weakly held up what was left of the water in case Tsubaki wanted it back, handing it over if so; if not, she'd take another swallow of it, her hair clinging to her back as she continued to sweat, her entire body glistening, even letting off a little bit of steam from all the Raiton energy she'd been generating; even in today's climate, the stark contrast in her resting temperature and how hot she'd been in the mad sprint was enough to have her steaming. Hitomi considered whether to address Tsubaki's comment about being ahead of her, but decided to let it go.....she wasn't looking to pick a fight, and she couldn't come up with a way to retort without being overly tart anyway. Though, Hitomi did bare her teeth, the young fangs almost evident, feeling a little prick at her heart from the unusual emphasis Tsubaki put on the words 'dragon pride.' "Getting new abilities doesn't change who I am, Tsubaki. I'm the same Hitomi as before. I just have sharper teeth. I don't have any claim to any kind of 'dragon pride.' Besides, aren't you just going to say that you went and learned how to fight dragons from the best anyway? Doesn't seem like I should lean on my dragon genes too much now that you've got a spear to throw at me." |
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| Tsubaki Raikou | Jun 18 2018, 01:55 PM Post #5 |
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"This is supposed to be the part where I say that you don't look into things enough, but it isn't like you listen to me anyway." Tsubaki huffed in frustration as she spoke, resisting the urge to roll her eyes so she could keep the comically distracted woman in her vision at all times. It was the sort of thing that was just small enough that someone might not notice, and that was exactly why Hitomi would be well aware of it. Tsubaki had never been comfortable around her ever since the night Shiki died, though her unease had gotten better in recent months; before she could hardly be in the same village as Hitomi without feeling troubled, but now she could at least share a room with her. Everything changed if they had to stand too close to one another, or were actually forced to interact - 'forced', because they would rarely speak to each other unless it was to trade barbs or if they heard the other say something they just had to comment on. "Don't flatter yourself, by the way. I was already in Ishgard by the time you did... whatever it is you did to get that power." Tsubaki replied slowly, her tone broken and uneven while she spoke, as if she were offended or bothered. Her blue eyes darted over Hitomi's body while the other woman relaxed, as if to inspect her from top to bottom... and only once she was satisfied with what she saw did she relax, lifting away from the spear and taking a step away from it. She folded her arms under her chest while turning to the side, standing in profile to Hitomi without looking at her, head tilted up to look toward the sky. "You only need to make wings if you want to fly, by the way. You're not just a runner now that you went and got your mother's power. I've seen enough dragons lately to know they all have wings, so you shouldn't have any trouble getting your own." The Black Regality turned her back to Hitomi after speaking, flicking one of her twintails over her shoulder while starting to walk back toward the clearing she had come from. From where the two stood it was just barely visible through a line of trees, less than two dozen feet from where Hitomi had landed. She raised her arm over her head and held her hand out, motioning with one finger... and her spear shuddered as it turned to golden lightning, firing itself towards her hand for her to catch before snapping back to normal, allowing her to twirl it around before laying it over her shoulder casually. "You should stop worrying about things - people - that aren't important anymore. The Tsuchikage has more to concern herself with than chasing her old childish dream of surpassing someone who stopped caring about the competition." Tsubaki spoke almost casually, her tone raised just so Hitomi could hear without turning to face her. She shrugged her shoulder, idly adjusting the spear she was balancing over it, as if she were sore or uncomfortable for some other reason, her other hand resting on her hip while she walked. "For the last eight years I've always worried about meeting your standards while I tried to share the life meant for you. The one that was meant for me isn't mine to live anymore, and... that's fine. So you've won. Whatever competition you think there was, or there still is, you win. So hold your head high like you're supposed to already. I'm tired of watching you act like you still have to prove something after being named Erza's successor." |
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| Little Hitomi | Jun 23 2018, 12:08 PM Post #6 |
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Tsubaki's words hit Hitomi like a javelin, as surely as if she had cast the lance in her very hand. It wasn't out of the ordinary, at first; Tsubaki was always the skeptic, always looking into things with a suspicious eye, making something of anything.....and Hitomi was the relaxed, free spirit that rarely saw cause to investigate past the surface, to take things and people at their word was more than not, plenty. They had been good friends, once....sisters. Though slightly older of the two, Hitomi had looked up to Tsubaki in nearly every way. She had admired her, wanted to be like her...and yes, though she hated to give voice to the fact, even envied her. But that was then; now, Tsubaki couldn't even stand to look at Hitomi. Had she really approached just to say....that? To jab at Hitomi's insecurities and walk away? It was less than Hitomi deserved, to be sure, but it seemed so unlike Tsubaki. And perhaps it was just in Hitomi's head.....but there seemed to be something final about Tsubaki's words, the way she moved, as if this were the last time they would meet quite like this. Hitomi had the sensation of unshakable pressure on her shoulders. Somehow she just felt as if she had to speak.....she had to. If she didn't, she might never do it. They were miles from the village, far away from everyone. There was no Amaigetsu and no Aizou to shield them, no Yahiko or Miryoku to coach them, no mothers to console them, and no friends or brothers to protect them. Just Hitomi and Tsubaki...... "Tsubaki....wait...!" Hitomi scrambled to her feet, ignoring the burning in her limbs; her panicked, frantic sprinting through the forest had left her exhausted. There was the nagging sense of danger in the back of her head, the inclination that perhaps this was a bad idea; she and Tsubaki had fought once already, and Hitomi not exactly walked away from it. If she provoked the Black Regality to ire, it would not be a fight; it would be a thrashing. But that same instinct only spurred Hitomi on - she was tired of that. Tired of fighting Tsubaki, of bad blood because of things unsaid. If they couldn't fix things - and why should Tsubaki want to - then they should at least have this distance for the rght reasons, after all confessions were made, and nothing was hidden anymore. Hitomi leaned over with her hands on her knees, panting softly, forcing her excited state to calm down......and pushing down the growing fear that was bubbling up in her chest, locking it up again. She could never just spit it out, and she could hear Miryoku's scolding already......but if she was ever going to just speak her mind without abash, there was no better time than here. "......you said....you were trying to meet my standards? Are you serious?" That did the trick. Hitomi straightened up, tossing her hair back over her shoulder as she huffed. Her temper was flaring, but not at Tsubaki in particular....no, if anything Hitomi was made at herself, again. Tsubaki thought she had to catch up to Hitomi? She would have burst out laughing if she wasn't so worked up over the idea, so flustered by what Tsubaki had already said! It was the most ridiculous thing Hitomi had ever heard out of Tsubaki's mouth! "There was no competition.....how could there be? Not when one of us never even had to compete.....but I don't mean me. You are the one who wins.....you always win. You've always been the one I was chasing. When we were little it was silly things - you were the Raikou with beautiful black hair that made me so jealous. You've always been like this - always beyond any challenge, no matter how big it was. Even when this started, you had the purest and greatest eyes....a Denndougan that stepped into the Arashgan's territory. Your eyes were unquestionably stronger than your mother's even then....and I was nothing compared to either of my parents, or my brother. You possessed control I could only dream of, and you had the black lightning besides, and so much chakra. You were my ideal." "Then you did it - you got the Arashigan. Your powers increased so dramatically that it made me look like I was standing still. You accomplish so easily things that I've tried my whole life to achieve.....but at last, after spending every day trying to catch up to you, I caught a break. I was able to reach into the depths of my eyes, and pull on my bloodline. I could use the Kikaki blood to fulfill everyone's expectations of me, to live up to what was required. But no matter how strong I became, you were still better. I thought that maybe it was our loved ones - Kirigakure, Iwagakure, even Konohagakure are all filled with people who love you. Maybe their support and your drive to please and protect them was what spurred you on. Throwing myself into that same approach came easy.....I took joy in helping them, in being their friend, in trying to lead them. But it didn't make me any stronger at all. In Iwagakure, we fight for the sheer pleasure of it; for the thrill of battle, for the adrenaline rush that comes with narrowly avoiding defeat, and grasping victory. When we had a chance to win, we took it, showing no mercy to even our family members, all just to see who was the strongest." "But you didn't have to. You knew you were the strongest......and everyone else believed it too, even the egomaniac Minori. When you did fight it was to show the product of your hard work, to show everyone what the daughter of Shinrai Raikou was like. You were the woman who stole the heart of Shiki Dragneel. You have the admiration of kings and the love of warlords. You have the respect of the common people, and everyone holds you in esteem. Even the Highwind in Ishgard have heard your name and shower you in their favor, just look at yourself! Even with Asura and Indra stepping in, and choosing us....all I've been able to do is copy others. My powers are Asura's powers - you took what Indra could teach you and made it your own. You even unlocked the Utakata.....and made it even stronger than it ever was. Everything I can do is a borrowed power and a pale imitation of what the others can do.....even my new Dragon Slayer skills are nothing compared to what you can do." "How could I possibly hold my head high in front of you? I'm bronze, and you're gold. Everything that has ever happened, everything that's ever gone wrong, is because of me. It's my fault that you lost Shiki, and I'm to blame for the way you feel. Everyone knows it's my fault that we aren't how they used to be, but I don't know how to fix it. So I'll keep chasing you, whether you go to Ishgard or Konoha or Tanshu or anywhere else. Because it isn't childish.....not to me. It's the only reason I'm here. Because you're better than me, Tsubaki. You're the best. And I won't stop running after you. If I don't, I'll just be a mutt who's dismissed by the one person who's acknowledgement matters the most to me!" |
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| Tsubaki Raikou | Jun 27 2018, 04:06 PM Post #7 |
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"This has to be some sort of joke, Hitomi Raikou. I refuse to believe you can be this clueless." Tsubaki Raikou had paused the moment she first heard Hitomi speak up, lifting and turning her head slightly to listen to the woman she once considered to be her sister while she spoke. Even now that she had heard her entire speech, even after hearing everything the now-younger Raikou had to say, now that she knew what Hitomi thought of... of everything, how she had viewed the last several years, as well as her opinion on what everyone else had thought... even with all of that, she still wasn't sure why she had decided to listen. Could it really matter to her that much? Did she really care about what Hitomi thought or felt after all this time? After all of the insults, all of the sharp glares, all of the uncomfortable silences, and all of the pain? It didn't make any sense to her, she should have just kept walking as if it didn't matter... because it shouldn't matter, not to her. Yet not only had she listened, she had actually spoken up... she had already responded. "Yeah, I get it. I really do. Gods, do I wish I didn't... but I understand exactly what you're saying. All of this power in my eyes, though... all of this talent all the others like to praise me over... I hate it, all of it. I hate everything about these eyes and this body, I despise every last ounce of power I was born with and all of the things I worked so hard to learn over these years. What's the point of it all, Hitomi? For all of my strength, for all of my power, for everything you think I have, what will I amount to? You can surpass your mother, where I never will. Who in Kirigakure would believe someone could ever really usurp Shinrai Raikou? Their Godslayer is untouchable, and even with my eyes... she's as talented as I am, with Choumei besides. I'll be one of the rare few Raikou to forever live in the shadow of their mother, and I won't even succeed her as the Raikou Matriarch... I'm a disgrace. What good is power if you have nothing to show for it? Why should I be proud of eyes that could only watch my Shiki die?" She paused after speaking, gritting her teeth while exhaling sharply, fists clenching tightly in frustration. Just mentioning his name was enough to bring back the memory of his last moments, reinforcing just how thoroughly she had failed him... and everyone else, for that matter. Shiki was the closest thing they had to a hero at the time, he was the last person truly holding their group together. Without him they fell apart, their friendships were stressed to the breaking point and some seemed as if they would never recover. It was her fault, all of it. His death was due to her selfishness, her misplaced pride and her insufferable ego. She could feel her emotions welling in her eyes, which were slowly becoming watery... only for a soft white mist to rise from them instead as golden lightning bled from her topaz irises. "I thought you had realized it long ago, that you were just pretending to be clueless to spare me... not that you really could, no matter how hard you tried. How could you not see that the life we had was your life? There was nothing for me in Iwagakure. Every day I would wake up in your home and I would watch your mother dote on you... I would follow you to visit your friends, and jealously watched while your hane doted on you all the time. Where was my Amaigetsu, Hitomi? How often did I see her? What about my father? How much time passed between visits from Eito and Minori? Iwagakure was... Iwagakure is your village, and its people are your family. The life you're living now, the life I lived in the shadow of for those seven years, it was always your life. Mine was in Kirigakure, but it died in Amegakure with my mother... and it doesn't matter how much strength I can wring out of my eyes, I'll never get that life back." Tsubaki flicked her wrist and rolled her thumb after speaking, moving her arm to the side while twirling her crimson spear about. She stabbed it into the ground with a frustrated huff before raising her arms up, wrapping them around her torso just below her waist, her head ducked low with her black hair covering her face. "What contest is there, really? You focus on strength because that's the only thing I have over you, for however much longer that lasts. You should choose a rival fitting for the Tsuchikage, you don't need someone like me dragging your name down. Find your Kana Chiyemi, because I hardly deserve that sort of comparison." |
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| Little Hitomi | Jun 30 2018, 09:51 PM Post #8 |
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".......you really thought you weren't one of us, all this time....?" Hitomi felt her heart drop to the bottom of her feet at Tsubaki's words. She had sort of fumbled on her words, just rambled and kept on talking.....once she had started, she couldn't stop. She almost felt foolish, pouring out everything she'd been holding up for so long, seemingly with just a little provocation. Hitomi had been holding back her shame, embarrassment, and anger at herself for a long time; for over a year now, she had been cold and bitter, snide and stand-offish with Tsubaki.....only to turn and get wounded, running away when she was snapped at. She had never been able to make the apology her cousin deserved.....there was no way to apologize. How did you say "sorry" to someone you almost killed with your own hands? How did you take the blame that was rightfully yours after you forced it on to someone else? A year of judgmental looks from Ryuuko, of cold indifference from Amaigetsu, of self-pitying regret.....and resentment from Tsubaki herself. It was almost comical; even now Hitomi hated herself, for being so selfish; she was wallowing in her own self-resentment, desperate for Tsubaki's acknowledgement, and hardly able to conceive the idea that Tsubaki was jealous of her[/]. To think that Tsubaki thought she was.... "....I'm not perfect!" It was the same thing she had often said to her mother. She had always meant it as an apology; Hitomi had always been sorry she wasn't the dream daughter that her mother deserved.....that she hadn't been born like Tsubaki. Jinkou had never once complained, or treated Hitomi with anything less than kindness and love.....but Hitomi had always believed that inwardly, her mother had hoped for a true Raikou daughter. One born with two, beautiful proper eyes - her mother's eyes - who could be raised to be a model Raikou, to take a good and right place in the clan's annals. Instead Jinkou had gotten.....Hitomi. A mutt with altered mutated eyes, one of which only worked half the time. Until recently she had been completely lacking in both her mother's bloodlines, unable to emulate her in any way that mattered. She had made so many mistakes; she had alienated Ryuuko, hurt Tsubaki, scarred Lenhart, and even had earned chastisement from Miryoku and Yahiko for her misconduct. She had been selfish, stupid, foolish, weak willed....a poor friend, and even worse a family member. But this time, those three words were not an apology: they were an objection. Hitomi stepped forward, rounding around to Tsubaki's front....and she shoved her. It wasn't a hard push, barely more than a school girl could have managed on the playground. But it steeled Hitomi's nerves, and she did it again. And once more. And finally one more time, one good and proper push, each shove making her own eyes water up and tear up, her voice rising several octaves as she stood in front of Tsubaki.....and in that moment, she saw herself. She was standing in front of Tsubaki; in front of a mirror. "Have I got it? You've always told me who I am. Well, sorry - you won't define me. Not at your expense. Who are you? Who are you to say you're less than what you should be? The only one saying you can't be better than your mother, that you can't have a dream....is you! You are family, and I should never have tried to push you out! To me - to all of us - you are wonderful! Don't you get it....?" Before she could even get going, HItomi seemed to run out of gas. She hiccuped softly, shaking her head as she looked at her hands; the same hands she had laid on her sister. The hands she had tried to kill her sister with. They were shaking. Everything in her blurry field of vision was trembling - her knees were shaking so hard tat her entire body was quaking with them. In a flash, it hit Hitomi.....for all her sharp words and scorn, Tsubaki hadn't walked away. Not once. She had faced every disappointment with her head up, even as it crushed her heart. The one who had run away.....had been Hitomi. Was that why she had resented Tsubaki? Because Tsubaki was braver and stronger of heart? And then.....that would make far more sense, for Tsubaki to resent the woman who just kept getting second chances. Hitomi sighed, and like water poured from a cup, she sank to her knees, hugging Tsubaki's legs, her tears staining her sister's boots and garter. "........just tell me why. Why are you still here, then? Why are you here with me? After what I've done, I can't look at you without wanting to run away and hide. This is my truth Tsubaki: I don't deserve you. I have wasted so much time and caused so much trouble pushing you away......after I attacked you, I thought there was no way you could ever cherish me again. But the truth is, I still want you. You're not my hane like Aizou....but you're my friend - you're my sister. I could forget what I've been.....you make me see what I could really be. I don't want a Kana Chiyemi - I need a Tsubaki Raikou. If we're going to be selfish and stupid, this is what I'm going to pick for my battle: I don't want to keep anything from you - not my heart, not your dream, not your ambitions. You want to be seen as a Raikou who can surpass her mother, as a hero worthy of her name? You want a life, a family, friends and loved ones? Then stop pretending you can deserve what you already have. I need you to. Because I need you. I love my brother, and Miryoku is like a sister to me....but you're my Raikou sister. I can't be what people want without you. I don't deserve it. But I'll do whatever it takes....I'm tired of this. Even if you hate me...I need you to love me." |
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6:59 PM Jul 10