Just Chillin, Rakki Edition (No Kill, Character development preferred, Open to anybody)

Rakki yawned as he leaned back a bit onto his hands while staring over the river that the Great Naruto Bridge allowed access over. Today was his first day off in quite a while, though "off" was a relative term. He didn't have his trench coat on today and instead wore his usual attire as well as his sword. He didn't have any weapon pouches though, but today was the first day he had managed to get up early and smack out his training. He didn't have any missions to go on either, so he decided a tour of the Great Naruto Bridge would be a great way to spend the day. So far, he hadn't toured at all. He had just sat there and stared at the water.

Scratching his head and then popping his neck, Rakki decided to sit up and lift his knee up to his chin so he could rest his arm on top of it. His other foot dangled off the edge of the bridge while mist sprayed up and made his feet a little damp. He didn't mind though, water was the element he had grown up around being a member of Kirigakure. Sighing, Rakki watched two fish dart around each other near the surface of the water in a playful manner. Or maybe that was a mating dance. He didn't know to be honest.

Shikazuka stood hidden in the trees, watching the young man sit on the bridge. She had been wandering around the area, although still alert, deciding about whether or not to ask the Mizu for permission to travel.  She was thinking the Land of Tea or Otogakure, she had always wanted to meet the Sound Daiymo. In all honesty, had this been someone other than a Kiri ninja, because honestly, what other ninja from other countries came here to hang. It didn't even seem as though he had weapons on him though. Maybe a battle would be fairly one-sided, if not momentarily fun. She sighed, maybe he had some, at best, corny jokes. She jumped down from the tree, light footsteps hitting the ground and removed her mask. Not like anyone knew she was ANBU, she didn't wear traditional uniform and her mask was also unusual. She sighed once more as she approached the man on the bridge.

WC:157

At the moment, Daisuke was free of missions. He did not have to worry about doing anything, and when such was the case, he typically spent his time training. Or boozing. Or both. Near to the bridge, he was stopped before a tree, relieving himself of the latter consumption of his time.

"Dainamikku Makingu!" he declared, with a bit of mirth and laugh in his tone. Shou, seated upon his shoulder, barked lightly in protest. "Ah, well... I thought it was hilarious..." Daisuke murmured to the pup. When he was done, he slipped away from the tree, and headed towards the bridge once more. He was intending to do some water training, beneath the bridge, though he had yet to receive any instruction with the tree climbing. He did not have an instructor he could rely on, either, so most of his training now was through self-imposed trial and error, and a lot of simply winging it.

As he neared the bridge and river, he saw Rakki. He did not know the guy, but the forehead protector at least marked him as a fellow Kiri-nin. Not that such made him trustworthy in Daisuke's eyes. Daisuke stopped in his tracks, and simply stared off at the other ninja.

WC: 205

It was the sigh of a female that eventually turned Rakki away from his gazing at the water. Stopping to stare up at the woman who was approaching him, Rakki would smile at her.

Spoiler:

Looking her over very quickly, he noted that she was likely a Kirigakure shinobi as well as an ANBU, though why she would have her mask off was unknown to him. Deciding it would also be best to forget her face after this meeting, Rakki would keep his smile up. "Hello there, come to gaze at the river as well?" he would ask tenderly. He didn't wish to... anger somebody as powerful as an ANBU regardless of whether she was of the village or not. Out of the corner of his eye, he would also note that there was another shinobi who appeared to be of Kirigakure origin in the background.

Rakki would slowly stand and await the ANBU's response before bowing and replying with one of his own. "Well, I'm Rakki Kugo Genin of Kirigakure. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Perhaps we could acquaint ourselves with our fellow shinobi standing behind you?" he would ask politely. Should she reply in the positive, Rakki would wave a hand over to the unknown shinobi who also had a dog with him, something Rakki hadn't noticed at first. Rakki also kept a mental note on his sword on his left hip. He didn't want a fight... but he didn't like the look on the ANBU'S face very much.

Zuka saw the boy stand up and quickly survey her features. Good. At least he has basic shinobi training  regardless of who he is or whatever his rank may be. Although her face didn't show it, she saw the approach of the other boy towards the bridge as well. There seemed to be recognition on his face as his eyes passed over the boy. Walking onto the bridge, Zuka kept her face expression-less. She wanted to test him, maybe even teach him a few things, if he could learn and she could teach. Who knows, he might even become ANBU one day.

The boy got up and introduced himself as Rakki Kugo and as suspected, he was a Genin. He had to be young then, no more than 16, unless he was fatally incompetent and just managed to survive somehow. She eyed him, deciding whether or not to actually interact with the boy. After a few seconds mental deliberation, she drew Sisterhood from her back and turned it so that the blade-tip was touching the ground and leaned on the blade. She channeled her chakra through it, causing the katana to give off sparks until Sisterhood's true appearance was revealed.

"What do you like most about this river, boy? And keep your answer quiet, I don't like excessive noise."

WC:217
TWC:374

Despite his drunkard behaviour a moment ago, Daisuke was entirely sober and had full control of his wits and senses. He remained still, silent, and observed. Shou however was not such. Shou barked, more so at Zuka than at the other boy. Daisuke reached up to pat the pup on his head, and gave no verbal rebuke, but a connection between the two existed, as was the case with Inuzuka Clan members and their ninken. Due to such, Shou went quiet, and crawled into the front of Daisuke's shirt.

What was going on was a bit confusing, but he wasn't one that went and jumped to conclusions either. Quietly, he noted what postures the two before him took, and even sniffed at the air a bit. Scent told a lot about someone, not just whether or not they had bathed. The air about them would seem hostile, but at the moment, he wasn't detecting such. At least not an intent to kill, but perhaps this Zuka person was the boy's sensei. He didn't know, so he maintained a vigil, to find out.

He would not mimic Rakki and introduce himself. Even among Kirigakure-nin, he wasn't trusting enough to just come out and tell people who he was. Names held power, more so than many realized.

WC: 213

The shinobi with the dog had chosen not to move after all... though what the lady in front of Rakki did scared him much, MUCH more than what he had anticipated she could do without even attacking. Her blade began to change form into a much more impressive looking one than the one she had stabbed into the ground and started leaning on. Raising his eyebrow he would laugh a bit and take a step back.

"Listen, I don't know what I did wrong but please don't kill me. I swear I won't pee in Mr. Tatsuya's plants again, but man I really had to go!" Rakki would say right after the woman was done speaking. Taking her question into account immediately after, he would answer without even taking a breath. "A-a-and, I just like the way the sun reflects off the water. It's pretty and I like it." he would say in a quieter tone so as not to piss off the ANBU in front of him. The other shinobi was acting quite coldly to Rakki and the woman in front of him and as such now had a negative opinion from Rakki that could be altered quite quickly if he'd stop being so stubborn.

Zuka chuckled slightly as she took in the small boy's reaction. Really, in a rare moment of just having nothing to do, the first thing she does is mess up a child's mind. At least he kept quiet, she had no intentions of killing, maiming or even remotely harming him, it would be a complete waste of potential. Hell, he might even be advanced enough one day to become ANBU.

"Calm down, I have no intentions of killing or doing anything to you really. Just keep your noise to an acceptable level and we'll get along just fine. Now sit down and tell me some things. How about why aren't you here with your squad or squad leader? Or maybe why that obviously obtuse Inuzuka boy keep staring at us with his little mutt on his shoulder? Seriously, because i'm seconds away from throwing a kunai at him or Sisterhood or something." She thought for a minute. "Well, maybe he isn't Inuzuka, but who else would walk around with a dog on their shoulder. Now if it was a wolf, that would be better. Although that would loosely count as a double standard." This was the most she had talked in months.

WC:201
TWC:575

He had no obligation to introduce himself, so her comments merely annoyed him. Especially the threat of violence simply because he had been watching what unfolded before him. How rude. He rolled his eyes, and swung his arms up to fold behind his head. He would move again, this time to get closer to the water. However, he did so keeping himself well away from the others.

"Only a fool looks away with the possibility of violence unfolding before him." He usually would have maintained his silence, but for the moment, he felt like stabbing a fact into someone's face. Perhaps she was looking for such a response, to guage his knowledge. If so, he would be even further annoyed. He was sick and tired of people seeking to find out what he knew. It wasn't like any of them really cared about him.

Of course, in his mind there was the insinuation that he was a fool, even if he hadn't looked away. Speaking to someone who could so easily just attack for minor things such as had been stated. Daisuke should have left, and just let the other poor boy deal with the situation alone. To which, Daisuke was also annoyed, but, with his back turned, he gave no visually discerning sign of such.

WC: 214

Spoiler:

Rakki breathed a *very* audible sigh of relief when the ANBU divulged she didn't plan on killing him. Today was a good day again. He looked up at her when she mentioned a squad as well as the boy behind them who apparently was named Inuzuka. How she knew that, he didn't know, but ANBU had their ways man, they had their ways. Sitting down, however, proved to be difficult from his nerves. He more or less collapsed into a relatively similar position to where the woman had found him. Looking at the boy he would sigh again.

"I don't know what's wrong with him, but he doesn't seem to like people. As to my squad, well, my old squad all advanced really early and I didn't. So I don't have one, mostly because I wanted to focus on getting stronger rather than climbing through the ranks fast. No point in holding a title you can't uphold, you know?" Rakki would explain to her with a little shiver in his voice. He still wasn't comfortable right now. "And now, I think I'm pretty good at what I do but not quite where I want to be at yet."

Rakki would look at the boy after saying this. "And you, there's no need to be rude. She said she wasn't going to kill me and I bet if you'd stop being an ass and came over here to introduce yourself then she wouldn't threaten to hit you." Rakki said loud enough so the boy could hear him. "My name's Rakki, now would we have the honor of knowing yours? Come to think of it," he would say as he turned his attention back to the ANBU, "I never received your name that I can recall."

OOC:

She laughed internally at the way she called the Inuzuka boy out. She was, however surprised to see that he had stayed behind when all of his peers moved on. It was really unheard off, since in the Chunin exams, one only got left behind if he or she progressed to the later stages.

"Good, that you didn't receive my name. You don't need to know it. Although, if you wish to call me something, you may call me by my ANBU moniker, Wolf. As for the Inuzuka over there, only a fool looks away with the possibility of violence unfolding before him. Randomly killing a civilian or one of our own ninja unexpectedly looks bad on us, although I would get away with it. Why didn't you advance, did you not pass the chunin exams?"

WC: 135
TWC: 710

OOC:

His eyes narrowed upon Rakki. Oh he was rude was he? This merely steamed Daisuke up. "I was unaware I was required to give my name to complete strangers just for passing them on the streets." As for the other, though...

"I never accepted any nomination to even participate in the Chunnin Exams." Nevermind that one needed a three-man squad to do so, and he never had a team of his own. Oh but they offered him two random teammates more than once, just to participate. They only cared to look at him when he proved to perhaps be useful to them. There was never a care for him. Or at least, that was how he felt towards the welcome he received.

"But since you're both so eager to have a name, though I fail to see that it matters; Daisuke." Shou leaned out from the front of his jacket and barked. "And this is Shou."

WC: 154

"Wolf, huh?" Rakki said with a nervous chuckle. He still wasn't getting the best vibe from the ANBU, especially since she just assured both Daisuke and he that killing one or both of them and getting away with it wouldn't be too terribly difficult. That made Rakki understandably nervous. Daisuke, as he said his name was, retorted back at Rakki though in an unexpected way. Turning back to Daisuke, Rakki would reply to him before the ANBU.

"On the flip side of that coin, everybody is a stranger unless you introduce yourself. People from your own damned village can be trusted a good majority of the time, whether you think so or not." Turning back to the ANBU, Rakki would take a deep breath and look at her with a more somber expression.

"As to the Exams, I never competed. I never felt ready enough. One of the friends I mentioned before took them and barely passed. Two months later, he got his leg blown off in a higher ranked mission than what he was capable of doing that he received because the Mizukage read that he was a Chuunin. Rank isn't everything for a person, it just depends on how strong you actually are that matters." Rakki would shrug after this. "So, may as well learn everything I can before advancing. I like my legs, after all."

Zuka looked over at Rakki carefully. She still had to remind herself that this happened to be the most non-serious conversation she'd had in years. And she was having it, nonetheless with two teenage boys, one enigma who seemed as though life had left him behind and one boy with a dog and chock full of repressed anger issues and rudeness. However, when he rebuked Daisuke, she couldn't hold it back any longer. It was a sound she hadn't made (at least without ill intent) since her years in the academy: laughter. After taking a minute to collect herself, she schooled her facial features once more, albeit the ghost of a smirk was there. She then addressed Rakki's previous statement.

"I am sorry for your loss. I can't give much more than that, since I typically avoid emotion, as should all other ninja, barring special circumstances. If you ever feel that you need training, I will help when I can, just bring chakra paper and we can see from there. The offer extends to you to Daisuke, unless you already have a squad and don't need my assistance."

WC: 187
TWC: 897

One thing he could agree with Rakki about was that it was a person's personal capabilities that mattered, not rank. In his opinion, rank could more easily be manipulated than chakra, and so that was why he had turned the tests down. However, not because he had wanted to make sure he was stronger by the time he took the test. That was where the similarity ended. Daisuke simply did not care about the village ranks or how the village saw his skill.

He had wanted his revenge against his father, and now, he was unsure what his goal was, other than to find his sister. He wasn't sure where to begin with that, but that was another story to worry about another time.

Zuka's demeanor was quite confusing now, he was not as easily frightened as Rakki, nor would he be so easily relieved when threat was seemingly undone. He had dealt with threats all of his life, it was not as big a deal anymore. More to the point, offers of help were never offered, so when Zuka's tone changed ... entirely ... it was a tad confusing.

Kneeling at the water's edge, Daisuke had scooped Shou out of his jacket and set him on the ground. He was instructing the pup in something he had done on his own, because he never had an instructor. "Gather chakra in your paws, balance it there, and then..." the pup dove out into the water, and splashed around. "...jump right in," he murmured before sighing. Then he turned back to Zuka.

"And why do you offer me aide?" It would never be easy for him to just accept aide. Especially if were unconditional. Not that this offer was, but there had certainly not been any cost mentioned.

WC: 293
TWC: 1079

"There's nothing wrong with help, Daisuke. Gotta learn your limits somehow, you know?" he said with a slight grin and a shrug. However, the woman's chuckle frightened Rakki. She didn't seem like the... laughing type, to be sure. Rakki would turn his attention to her after this though and give a faint smile back to her.

"Well, I wouldn't need the paper myself. I know Ice and Water, working on my Wind manipulation in the future. Though, a few kenjutsu tips would be fantastic." he would say as he patted the sword on his waist. It was at this point that Rakki would push past the ANBU and make his way towards Daisuke since he was too stubborn to approach the two of them by himself. Rakki made it his personal goal to get to know this guy and figure out what his issue with life was. It was like life handed him a barrel of lemons and forced him to shove half up his ass while he squeezed the others into his eyes and nostrils... Rakki kinda wanted to add some sweetener to that, uh, pleasant mixture.

Zuka started out over the water again, seemingly lost in thought. This Daisuke boy had a lot of repressed problems that needed to be solved. Looked like a classic textbook case of tragic childhood. Although, she still considered him and Rakki children, especially compared to her. Not that she was old. She spoke directly to Daisuke, "A ninja without a path is a lost ninja. A ninja who is lost is not a ninja. You look as though you need a sense of purpose, something to anchor or guide you. Without it, life can severely backfire on you. Rakki, are you a member of the Yuki clan? They are the only ones who can learn Ice Release without having first hand knowledge and training in both Wind Release and Water Release. Out of curiosity, if you used chakra papers, how did it react?"

WC: 142
TWC: 1089

Was this person really an ANBU? Rakki he could understand, somewhat, but was it really so hard to see what his issue was? He had a purpose, not that he would ever talk about it, and he had not said anything about help being a bad thing. It made him a tad angry that they continued to just make assumptions. He heaved a sigh and shook his head as he plucked Shou out of the water and set him upon the beach once more.

His question was not answered, but he was not going to point that out. If they refused to answer it the first time why should he bother to ask it a second time?

So, he simply diverted his attention. He gave Shou a pat on the head, and as they spoke of ... paper -- whatever that had to do with chakra -- and thinks like ice and water, he spoke quietly to Shou, trying to get him to focus. He never had an instructor, he had to learn on his own. But he could show Shou. Or at least, he hoped. Ninken were typically smarter than your average dog, but he wasn't seeming to have much success. Perhaps he was just a poor instructor. Either way, he lifted Shou's paw and pointed.

"Right here, on the pad of your paw. Balance one on the water, and then step out, ok?" And out Shou leaped, and began paddling in circles in the water. Daisuke heaved a heavy sigh.

WC: 249
TWC: 1328

The boy hadn't even noticed that Rakki approached him, apparently, though he had made it quite obvious that he was doing just that. The boy had set his puppy onto a task that apparently involved chakra and swimming... was he trying to teach it jutsu? Rakki stifled that amusing thought and stood in front of Daisuke as the ANBU asked him some questions. Turning to her, he would smile faintly.

"My mother is of Yuki descent, though not by name, and I am the first of her branch to receive the kekkei genkai of the Yuki clan. As for the chakra paper, it ripped in half after becoming soaking wet. That was before I discovered my abilities. Once I did, it either did that again or it ripped partially and then froze. I guess it just depends on my mood." he would say with a shrug. Turning back to Daisuke, he would squat.

"You know, maybe teaching him to climb trees first would be easier. It's a solid surface after all, should be much easier to learn on than water." he would offer up, trying to ease his way into a conversation that didn't devolve into pissing the boy with the pisswater attitude off.

1601 TWC

[OOC: Placeholder, I like where this is going. Daisuke, you can go, ill skip this round]

Shou was still too young to learn, truthfully. The pup could probably mould a little chakra, but to expect anything of him along the lines of climbing trees or walking on water was a bit much. However, that in and of itself was why Daisuke tried. Daisuke had not had any instruction when he was younger. His first instruction came at the academy, and because of such, he took a little longer to get through it than most. Other people had their families to instruct as well, and help them with their studies. Daisuke had himself. He had his sister to help, of course, but like him, his sister had to work on her own to get through it all. Here, he simply wanted to give the pup something more.

His glance toward the other boy was brief, and despite how much he did not want to admit it, he had a point, even if it was a bit much to expect from him anyway. Daisuke was simply pushing too hard. It was all he knew, trying all he could, no matter what may or may not have been over his head. He stood up, and patted the side of his leg, to get Shou's attention. He walked over to the nearest tree, and to show instead of teach, he moulded his own chakra at his feet, and began scaling the side of the tree. "See, Shou? Like this..." Shou followed, but wound up merely leaning against the edge of the tree trunk, and barking up at Daisuke.

With a sigh, he glanced back at the other boy, and tucked his hands into his pockets. However, not being one to reach out, for help or companionship, or anything really, he merely stared.

WC: 290
TWC: 1618