Long Since Past . [P] [Hotaru, Scarlet (Kidate?)]

The mist was strangely thick, and the moist temperatures were quite soothing to those whom were used to it. Children ran through the village, stomping in puddles, and whisking the water in their hands into the air. Their hair soaking with water as they were also rolling in the water and drinking the fresh water. The smiles brightened the area, and lakes weren't as deep as they could have been, long bridges extended over the beautiful lakes, and canoes and rowing boats were gently moving in the lakes, with people in them, and the people either showing affection to eachother, or sightseeing. The sun gently shone in the area, but the mist pretty much covered the sun, only little beams of sunlight showing. Shadows were bouncing lively on the sidewalk, children running with balloons made their parents and the adults smile.

The gates opened, a woman with long blonde hair and beautiful eyes came through, her hair quite thin, and her skin quite tanned, and closing the gates loudly made people point and laugh with happiness. Their hero, who had saved them once, embraced her with a smile, hugging them back and slowly she moved away from the crowds smiling. She had really grown up. It was long since past, a long time since she had heard from her brother, her sister-in-law, or even her nephew. It was about one year since she had heard from them, but three years not seeing their gentle faces.

Her clothing consisted of a stylish black tee shirt, that cut off just above her chest, and denim jeans, with lime green stylish leg warmers and was in her small shoes, the shoes that had been her size for awhile. Her ears twitched, having the same habit as the rest of her close family. Children ran by her and were playing a game where they were ninjas. Such imaginations went wild, and many went dull, but many had stayed the same all along.

Hotaru sat grumpily upon a bench, the wrong way. His feet were on the seat, his ass placed on the edge of the back. Both elbows were placed on his lap, his arms extended upward and his hands cupped to hold up the noble face he had. The face had sharp, elegant, angular features, a chiselled nose, pale thin lips, almond-shaped eyes, and a sharp chin. His crimson eyes, slits of black piercing through a pool of blood set on a white background, scanned the foggy area, falling upon the one he had been waiting for. He was obviously not in a good mood, mostly because of the children splashing near him. Hotaru was a cat, cat's don't like water, the math was irrefutable. It was kind of ironic though, considering the fact that his main combat element was in fact water.

Hotaru sighed, jumping from the bench, his plain back t-shirt not moving an inch. It was a light fabric, and an athletic fit, which meant it hugged his torso just enough to show his outline, without actually revealing too much in the way of his muscle and scars; it wasn't spandex. His worn out black converse tapped against the cobblestone silently, one of the many perks of being a cat. Swishing behind him as he neared his Aunt Scarlet was a bushy tail, the same color as the crimson ears that poked out from his wild and untameable mane of hair; another thing he inherited from his father. The right ear twitched, the second thing that Hotaru had inherited from his father.

The wet splashes made her hiss slightly at the wet feeling against her skin, her tail slowly curling slightly, slowly stroking her hair, her smile lowering to a straight line, her lips firming against eachother. She looked behind her, noticing the children were out of her sight because of the mist, though looking back in front of her, a small boy, looking so much like her brother hopping off of a bench and walking her way, with a smile, she let her tail waver and her ears twitch as if she was going to pounce, but stayed walking as if she was calm, enjoying herself, she wagged her tail, and smiling again, and slowly sighing out of happiness.

Hotaru's thin lips broke into a warm smile as noticed his Aunt's tail wagging slightly behind her. He had kept calm this entire time, but it was beginning to become too much to hold in. Suddenly, he burst into a sprint, throwing himself at his aunt, his arms wrapping around her thin waist and his face burying itself in her chest. "Scarlet-san!" He called out happily, letting out a sigh of relief, he had finally found her. It had been years since he had seen her, he almost didn't recognize her. However, there was no mistaking that scent, the one thing that would assure him that it was her no matter what, the main insurance policy for him when it came to imposters. As if he needed reassurance, he drank in her scent once more, a familiar scent. It reminded him of his father, and therefore was a sacred thing to him.

The feeling that she was going to pass the boy ended once he had ran to her and threw his arms around her and almost making her fall from his pounce. Her purr slightly echoed through the area, her ears lowered, her lips curling into a smile, feeling the boy bury his head to her chest, a strange feeling for a grown woman, but she didn't mind at all, for he was her nephew, and he was a boy. The feeling of the boy's embrace made her smile even more and laying her arms against his shoulders, and wrapping them towards the middle of his back. She purred even more happily from the feeling of his heartbeat against her stomach, and with a simple whiff, she took in his scent, he smelled a lot like her brother, but having a more, spiced scent to him. Hotaru's scent was hard to actually 'remember' for it was far too advanced. With a smile, she kneeled to Hotaru's level with a gentle smile. His scarlet hair matching her name, and his beautiful eyes were alike to hers.

"Where have you been, Hota? I haven't seen you in awhile, sweetheart." she spoke sweetly, and tenderly moving a lock of his hair behind his human ear, while twitching her cat-like ears.

Hotaru purred rather loudly, pulling himself from the embrace, a little embarrassed. Three years ago he had done the same thing, but he viewed himself as a child back then, he was growing up and yet he still felt so childish when around family. Rubbing the back of his head, he gave an awkward smile. "Oh, well, Dad and Mom are still on the island, I'd been finishing up my training. Dad said it was about time I stood on my own two feet, which is why I came here. The only reason I'm in such a... Damp environment is because the Mizukage was the son of a good friend of Dad's, so he figured it would be a good place to stay." Hotaru explained, a slight conviction coming through in his voice everytime he said 'dad'. It happened whenever he talked about his father, it was an emphasis of the pride and love he felt for the man; Kidate was and always would be Hotaru's hero, and role model, despite the terrible things he might have done in the past.

As he spoke about the island, she paused for a moment, only thinking for a moment, not interrupting his speaking, and not sounding like an idiot. "Wait, wait, wait.. what island is this you talk about, Hota?" Scarlet slowly wavered her tail a little, children ran by them as he pulled from the embrace, hissing slightly for the water that was splashed onto her. Slowly standing to her normal height, she smiled, and shivered from the cold. The harsh training Kidate always taught people impressed even Scarlet, which was such effort to do so. "I wish your father was here with us.." she spoke, and crossed her arms, "Anyways, it's getting dark, do you want to head to my house, sweetheart?"

Hota looked at her curiously, shivering a bit himself. His shirt was very light, and the wet wasn't helping. "Dad and Mom are living on an island, they wanted to live in peace for a while. Dad said he might come back soon, though, says something big might happen and he wouldn't want to miss it." Hota explained to her. As he did so, she would stand to full height, children would walk by, and they would hiss simultaneously. Another shiver ran down his spine and he nodded enthusiastically. "That would be wonderful." He said gratefully.

Smiling gently, she walked ahead of him and turned to look at him, and handing him an older sweater she had kept in her travel bag of Kidate's. It was black with a white skull at the chest level. It had been Kidate's when he was around Hota's age. "This should keep you warm when we get home, we'll settle by the television and talk about what happened when you boys have been away. Anyways, why don't you tell me about your mother? How is she?" she spoke gently, the sweater looked appealing, especially for it's old age. "I can't wait until Kidate comes back, I really need to talk to him, about what's happened the last few years."

Hotaru took the sweater with a grateful purr, pulling over his head. As it passed his nose he drank in the mix of scents on it. There was the scent of Scarlet, obviously, but there was also the faint scent of Kidate. It was..different, though. It seemed a bit sweeter, younger, and more innocent. It's so odd...How I can tell these things from a smell.. He thought to himself, constantly impressed by the things that his senses could tell him. He turned his attention to her as she mentioned his mother, always a good subject to him. "She's doing well. It was harder for her to adjust to a rural life than it was for Dad, but she came around to it and she seems happy there. I don't even think she'll be leaving with Dad, someone has to tend to the animals." He said conversationally.

With a pleasing smile on her face, she slowly lead the way to her home down the dirt path of a more 'mainly' used street. Her house was quite large, but not huge, just big enough to still be wealthy and have quite a spacious home. Going up the steps, she opened the door, hopefully with Hotaru following. With a purr, she entered the warm home, and once stepping into the living room, she turned on the space heater, and the lights that warmed the home so much, it would make it feel like no one would ever want to leave. Taking off her shoes, she moved them onto the shoe rack, and quickly got a can of beef soup out of the cupboard, and settling it into a pot on an element of the stove. Turning it to high, so it would cook quickly, Scarlet pulled on a handle, and opened the refrigerator, and decided to not have a beverage, just a nice, hot beefy soup. Turning on the television with a click of the remote.

"Your mother sounds like a nice person, Hota. If you want, you could live with me until your father gets back. It could be anyday now, and I just wanted you to have a nice, warm home to stay in. I'm sure Kidate will know where we are."

"Oh, I'm sure he will figure it out." Came the voice of a stranger, from a far off corner of the Kitchen. Suddenly, as if it were ghost, a figure would appear, leaning against the wall. A fedora rested upon his head, the brow pulled down so that it shadowed over his face. The figure was tall and lean, wearing a black dress shirt, red tie, and pair of black dress pants. One leg was bent, his foot pressed against the wall while the other rested upon the floor. His powerful forearms were crossed over his chest, a mahogany tail swishing back and forth. The figure pushed off of the wall, removing the hat to reveal a tangle of unmanageable mahogany hair, with a pair of cat ears sticking out of the top. He turned his face to the woman, an arm wrapping around her waist in an affectionate gesture. The face was heavily scarred and slightly more tan, but it was still the same noble face that Kidate had worn for years and years. His eyes held somewhat of a troubled glint to them, but not considering this he was the same Kidate that had left. Hanging at his waist were the two blades he always carried, one a bastard sword the other a katana.

The man she had seen that had entered the doorway, made her smile, the voice more matured and masculine last time she had heard it. Her own voice, matured and more cutesy since she had grown as well. Her smile lit up once she recognized his scent, his arm extended around her waist. Scarlet smiled, and looked up to him, being a little shorter then him, by about two inches. She blinked slightly once she saw the blades at his waist, and looking at his eyes, she saw the same troubled look when he had left. Being the only Gyouan for awhile in Kirigakure, she knew she could be at rest with her family when she saw them each time, with a smile, her eyes filling up with tears, quickly wrapping her arms around him in a sisterly way and burying her head to his chest, shaking with happiness, her ears twitching slightly, her tail still as a rock, and her face brightening, and her eyes closing.

"Kidate.. it's you, it's really you.." she spoke calmly, the neverending fountain of tears streaming down her face, and the feeling of his presence only made her happier then she had ever been.

Kidate chuckled as his sister hugged her, shoving her face into his chest and soaking his dress shirt with her tears, possibly of joy, possibly of anger for his leaving her alone in this wretched place. Her patted her on the back once or twice, before pulling away from the embrace, taking in her features all at once. "My how you've grown." He whispered, almost shocked. It was then that he turned his attention to his son, who could only stand there silently and smile to himself. He walked over to his son, getting on one knee and embracing him quickly. Then pulling away, he grabbed his sons shoulders in a fatherly fashion. "You look stronger already, I'm very proud of you. However, it seems your Aunt and I have things to discuss, I promise I will visit with you as soon as possible. For now, could you please find the guest room and get ready for bed? It is late."

Hotaru nearly fell over from excitement at the appearance of his father. He remained quiet, stunned, as his Aunt and Father embraced, sibling love practically pouring off of them in waves. He took in the mixed scent of the two of them, and finally felt at home. More and more his heartbeat grew as his father embraced him, and spoke of his pride for him. In Hotaru's opinion, there was no greater experience than being told his family was proud of him. He was kind of disappointed to be dismissed, but left eagerly, he would do just about anything his family told him to. Especially his father. He turned, calling out a thank you and a good bye to his Aunt Scarlet, and ran off to find the guest room.

Smiling, and wiping the tears away from her beautiful eyes, and watching Hotaru obey his father only made her smile. He was a great brother, and much more of a great father. When Hotaru walked away, it was only generous to turn off the element of the stove, and pour the soup into three bowls and placing a spoon in each one. Scarlet felt the sadness consume her being, and at the same time, joy eating away at her, making her feel like she was going to pounce. Purring gently, Scarlet smiled, turning back to her brother, and whispered something gently to herself, and mewing slightly, she smiled, holding out her hand, to lead him to her room, which only seemed like a bedroom, that wasn't too girly, or too boyish. Just a mix of both. With a smile, she purred even more loudly, and pulled out a comfortable black chair, and a white one on the other side, and slowly sitting on the floor, finding it more comfortable.

"Hotaru tells me you have a love for life, and a paradise you can go to when you want. Kidate, I missed you too much, for three years I haven't seen you, but just one year out of contact. What happened?"

Kidate was pulled toward Scarlet's room, having not answered her question. It had pained him to leave her behind, but it was necessary; Kidate had no doubt that she could handle herself in combat by now, but he was also sure that those that would chase him could give both of them a run for their money. That was, if any of his old enemies still lived. When they arrived at her room, he took a seat on the black chair, his shirt and pants causing him to nearly blend in to the back of his seat. He placed one elbow on his leg, cradling his face in the extended palm as he gazed down at his sister. "I had no choice, I needed to keep Amarante and Hotaru safe. However, it seems that it's come time that I returned to the mainland, I hear whisper of some interesting developments that I have to look into. Amarante sends her greetings, but she couldn't come out with me. She was once a kunoichi, but no longer, and we are afraid that she would not be able to survive for very long, should these rumors be true." He explained to her in a smooth, matter-of-fact tone.

She only let a slight giggle escape from her lips for no such reason, just a plain habit she had been doing since her brother left her. By the smell of him, she could tell he was pained by leaving her, but coming back made him quite happy, and he had things to do back in the ninja nations. Swinging her legs behind her and laying on her stomach, she stretched slightly, placing her elbows on the soft carpet underneath her, tipping her head into the cups of her palms. Scarlet rocked her legs back and forth the opposite of eachother, and listening to her brother. With a calm sigh, she knew he hadn't answered her question, but hadn't minded at all.

"How old is Hotaru now,"- she had spoken, nearly interrupting her brother. "Kidate, it sounds like you have the best woman you could ever have, are you guys married?" slowly loosing the silly questions, she lowered her head, and slowly rose it again, remembering the things that had happened when he was gone. "When you were gone, brother, the Raikage, Saruno Kazura died, and the Akatsuki is on a rage, currently. They say two uncomfirmed members died. Dirty bastards." the bastards she had been talking about, were of course her pet peeve, the Akatsuki, and her smile lit up again once she had seen Kidate's face again, not realizing what she had just said.

Kidate gave a said smile, retrieving a small ring from his pocket. Upon the ring was a purple gem, inscribed with the black kanji for "white". He had taken his ring with him when he abandoned the Akatsuki, expecting that they would just make another one. Despite their rules, they generally did when the Akatsuki ran low on people. "Not everyone can be good, my dear. We need to fight them, yes, for the good of everyone. However, we can't hate them, and we can't rid them completely. Life needs death, light needs dark, peace needs chaos. It's the way things work. He closed the ring within his fist tightly, feeling the cool metal being to cut into his palm. Releasing the grip on the ring, he tossed it to her. [b]"Keep that as a reminder of exactly where I've been. Hopefully you'll learn from that, and keep away from my footsteps." He said rather seriously.

A worried look washed over his face once again, it seemed this night wouldn't be as fun and happy as he thought. "I've heard. What worries me most is that it doesn't seem to be the Akatsuki that killed the Raikage. My men tell me it was a single man; One man took down Saruno, that isn't something I can ignore. Even I harboured respect for the Raikage, he was no slouch in a fight."

She caught the ring in the palm of her hand, and bringing it to the carpet, opening her eyes widely, and climbing onto her bed while picking up the ring again, and storing it in a box that they had carved together as little children. Slowly laying on her bed in a way to face Kidate, she frowned, looked away from him, and sighed. "I'm sorry, but I needed to know. When you get back to your island, your wife will be asking you just as much. Anyways, there has been war between Kumogakure, which is allied with Iwagakure, and both are fighting against Konohagakure. Before I left Amegakure, people told me that Konohagakure is leaded by Kyogi Domo, whom you may know."

Quickly looking back to Kidate, and slowly curling her tail, she watched him as he spoke, and almost forgot about the soup she had made. After he spoke, she quickly held up her index finger, meaning for him to hold on, and jumping off the bed, and taking a bowl of the soup to Hotaru, who was in the guest room, and leaving it on the coffee table, and bringing the other two bowls, for herself and Kidate. Luckily, they were still hot. Holding the bowl to him, and her bowl in her other hand, she smiled. "Would you like to discuss this at the dango shop? It still is open, just I'll have to get you a jacket, unless you don't want to. Of course, you have to finish your soup, that is if you want it."

Kidate held his hand up as she brought him soup. He had grown accustomed to not eating for extended periods of time, and didn't feel all that hungry at the moment. However, the sound of a Dango Shop was far too appealing to pass up. He stood from his chair, and walked over to her, patting her on the head. "Stop fussing, relax. Eat your soup and then we will go to the Dango Shop, on me. As for a jacket, well, I never used one before, and I don't plan on starting." He said in a humoured manner. He didn't chuckle, though he would have liked to. It wasn't often that Kidate smiled anymore, even when he was happy, and yet a smile broke out across his face, revealing the sharp, brilliant white teeth that were hid behind his usually straight mouth.

Even seeing his hand, she put the bowl of soup on a dresser behind him, and grabbing the spoon firmly in her hand, and taking a portion of it within a few minutes. She was a slow eater, and like Kidate, was custom to not eating for long periods of time, but dangos and soup sounded delightful, and she probably wouldn't eat for awhile afterwards. Scarlet finished her bowl of soup, and mewing as she pushed the bowl away from her and onto a table nearby, she scratched her head, as if to think, and slowly smiling.

"I mastered a few techniques and elements when you were gone, Onii-sama." she mewed happily again, and opening a door, finding no jackets that had matched her outfit, and knowing it was beautiful outside, she ignored it, only closing the large door behind her again, and looking at Kidate with a smile. "On you? I was going to pay for it because I missed you and wanted to impress you, but oh well, who really cares." she mewed again, and wagged her tail behind her, and her ears lowering slightly out of happiness.

Kidate raised an eyebrow at the mention of mastering elements. "You would be the first." He commented, in reference to the fact that not even he could master any one element, the downside to having access to ten complex chakra natures at once. He was rather proud, though, last he heard she had obtained three elements. Not many made it past this point, maybe twenty or so in every generation. He would be even more shocked if she obtained another four; it was said that only elders could make it to that point. Well, the elders and Kidate himself. He had no doubt that if it weren't for his becoming a traitor to the clan, he would have been forced into wearing those stuffy robes and debating politics all day. "Keep chipping away at it, maybe one day you'll learn to access the next level of our wonderfully tedious blood." He said, a bit of disdain etching itself into his voice as he spoke of their blood. It wasn't that Kidate hated his kekkei genkei, but more so that he hated who it tied him to. The only two Gyouan he would ever accept as family were Scarlet and Hotaru, any others were a pain in his ass.

Kidate moved past Scarlet, leading the way to the front door. On his way he would pass by the guest room, to find that Hotaru was already asleep, meaning there was no reason to wake him and inform him that they were going out for a while. He smiled warmly, looking upon the sleeping figure of his son, and seconds later turned to walk away.