Chapter 1: So it Begins

The wooden wall took the burden of Akihiko's weight. Akihiko himself was staring grimly out the window that was almost entirely covered with a thin layer of sand. It was a wonder to Akihiko why the villagers of the desert ever bothered to construct windows in their homes in the first place. He looked at enough useless windows for a lifetime.

Akihiko brought his attention to the doorway that his father stood in front of. Clink. His father, Hikomaru locked the door that stood between them and the chaos that they hoped would stay outdoors. "There are fights that do not have a purpose, and thus we stay in here." His father took a look at Akihiko, trying to size him up. It was clear that his father worried what effect the environment was having on Akihiko. Akihiko turned his head away from his father's gaze refusing to play his little mind game that would lead to a conversation that was not needed.

Hikomaru gave up at the motivational speech he was about to commit to. Kicking his feet in on the sand filled rug that was placed over the floorboards in half anger - half boredom, a volley of sand was shot upwards. With that, Hikomaru walked to the stool that was set before the bar. There was already a bottle of sake placed on the counter waiting for Hikomaru's return. He took the Sake and poured himself a drink with the cup that was next to it. "Share a bottle?", asked Hikomaru. He hovered the bottle of Sake over a second cup.

Akihiko moved from his position taking a quick glance back at the window expecting something to change. Of course, nothing did. He went around the counter to the serving side, leaning a toned arm on the top of the counter to support his weight. His father, Hikomaru began to pour the second cup of Sake for him. Hikomaru placed the Sake bottle back on the counter. Both father and son picked up their cups and locked arms, drinking their Sake in love and respect for each other. "I taught you right, I did", said Hikomaru. Akihiko nodded once firmly.


 (WC: 359)

Two hours passed.

The sound of the sand thudding against the building was prevalent. Akihiko moved from the counter that both his father and himself have been keeping to. He moved towards the door that had been locked and undid the metal piece that was keeping it closed. The door swung wide open without Akihiko placing a hand onto it. Akihiko shook his head at the sight of it all, not believing how aggressive both the people and environment were here in the country of the wind. At least it made sense why everyone here is angry or depressed.

At the sound of the door swinging wide open, Hikomaru got up from his seat. He loosened his Bo staff that was attached to his back through a leather belt that wrapped around his chest. He kept his hand on the Bo Staff on his back, moving towards the now open doorway. Akihiko exited through the door first, then Hikomaru followed suit, keeping his eyes open and searching. "There's nothing left", said Hikomaru in disgust. The two looked out at the rubble surrounding them. The surrounding buildings were charred, half collapsed, or simply gone -- the sand giving it a proper burial.

Akihiko looked behind the two of them at the only intact building left in the village. Hikomaru did not follow Akihiko's gaze. "Good thing I paid them...", said Hikomaru with hidden shame, "Not that they really wanted to burn the only nearby tavern." Hikomaru started a pace towards a direction of his personal choosing. After staring at the tavern for another minute, Akihiko turned to follow his father's steps. "Too bad they did not keep the barkeep", muttered Akihiko. It hurt Akihiko to his core, of the senseless violence that had occurred, but it did not break through his shell. He was taught to not let his emotion crush him. To survive the tragedies of men, you must not appear weak.

From the distance two men can be seen crossing the desert in the country of wind. One man, Hikomaru, was in the lead marching through the sand and it's perilous winds. The second man was a distance behind following the first. This second man, was Akihiko who appeared to be struggling against the winds. His left hand was covering the front of his face while his right hand held onto the collar of his shirt for dear life. "WE'LL FIND AN INN THIS WAY", shouted Hikomaru. Hikomaru was never quite sure if Akihiko could hear him when they were traveling in weather such as this, but he thought he would give it a try anyway. Akihiko made no changes in movement that would indicate that he had heard his father; though Akihiko would keep his march steady with the positive news of a place of rest or not.

(WC: 465 | Total WC: 824)

On the horizon a few buildings can be seen scattered a distance from each other as if they did not favor each other’s company. These buildings were not made of wood and were of the typical fashion the people of sand favored which was a type of sandstone that is better at withstanding the environment. The sandstone was more accessible than wood, as there were no trees in the vicinity for miles. If you were to see any wooden buildings in the desert, they were usually pedaled by merchants and did not last long.

The two men head towards the small settlement in hopes of a warm bed and a roof over their heads, if not a blanket to help keep the oncoming sand off of them. It was still a good distance away through the sandstorm to reach the settlement. Hikomaru, despite the advice he had always given to keep a steady pace, began to increase the speed he was moving towards the settlement. It was clear to Akihiko that his father was tired of being out under the deadly sun. Akihiko sprinted towards his father, trying to decrease the distance between the two of them.

The two arrived in the middle of the spread-out buildings of the settlement. They searched, looking for the building that was the most apparent to be the Inn. Akihiko found the sign that read “Inn”, hanging off the building. The two headed inside the building seeking shelter from the elements. “I’ll check us in”, said Hikomaru. His father headed to the front desk where a woman lazily thumbed through a book, obviously not getting many new customers.

Akihiko took a look around the room gathering the details of the place. It was a spacious enough room for what he was familiar with. There were benches on either side of the room, a walkway that led straight from the entrance to the front desk, posters hanging off the wall with pictures of people resting on hawks, and two staircases on either side of the front desk with one leading up and another down. Akihiko read the poster with the woman and man sleeping on the hawk. The poster read, “Welcome to The Sleeping Hawk Inn!” Akihiko put a hand on the hawk of the poster trying to imagine what it would be like to sleep on a hawk.

At the front desk, the woman was discussing the matter of payment for the Inn with Hikomaru. There was a bit of haggling going on between the two of them. It was clear that the lack of visitors had caused the woman to try to raise her prices. “500 ryo. This is not a negotiation.”, declared the woman. Hikomaru put a finger and swiped it across the desk. “500!? Look at this dust. No one would pay such an outrageous price.” The woman scoffed at the man. “It’s SAND! Everything around here is Sand!”, she exclaimed. The two went back and forth until the woman noticed Akihiko touching the poster from the corner of her eye. “HEY! No touching.”, she scolded Akihiko.

Akihiko took his hand off the poster slowly to show he was in control. He stared at the woman giving her that glare that said relax. He walked over to the left bench that was on the other side from where he was. He took a seat on the bench and stretched his legs out in front of him. He pressed down on one leg, then the other. He was walking for so long that he no longer felt the pain from his feet until that moment where he sat down. The fatigue hit Akihiko hard, making him slightly irritated and potentially bad company to be around at the moment.

Hikomaru went up to Akihiko with a slip in his hand that was clearly a receipt. “Got a discount”, said Hikomaru with a smirk. He beckoned Akihiko to follow him as he went up the stairs on the left side of the front desk. Akihiko followed in pursuit of his father, eager to have a bed to lay on. Their room was 2C which meant their room resided on the second floor, third room. Akihiko wondered who could possibly be occupying the first two rooms of this Inn.  Maybe they were fellow wanderers or even Sunagakure shinobi, thought Akihiko. One thing for sure, he hoped they weren’t criminals trying to start problems with them.

Hikomaru opened the door to the room that they would be staying in. He let his son, Akihiko enter the room first. Hikomaru followed in after his son. The room was rich in simplicity. There was a bed, a mirror, another useless window. Akihiko jumped back first onto the bed that was in the center of the room against the wall. A pillar of sand rose up into the air until it settled back down all across the bed that they were going to sleep in. “Oops”, said Akihiko. Hikomaru stared at the mess that his son had created. He turned one eighty, walking back out the room trying to erase what he had just seen occur. Akihiko got up to clean the mess, looking for a broom.

(WC: 867 | Total WC: 1,691)

During the early morning, Akihiko was awoken by a blast of sand that pushed it’s way through the open window. He blinked his eyes several times in shock before deciding to lean up from the bed he was laying in. He turned his face towards the direction of the blast noticing the window wide open smacking back against the wall. It was one of those side windows with a latch on it. They were known to not hold up well against the wind.

Akihiko shivered from the stream of cold air that had flown through the room following the sand that had busted through window. With little to no sun up, there was no heat being held in the sand making it an especially cold time. He wrapped himself up in the blanket, using it as a cloak that went around his body without losing mobility. At this action he had noticed that his father, who was sleeping on the bed next to him had gone missing.

Akihiko placed his two feet on the ground and cringed at the cold feeling that it brought. He quickly went in search of his sandals that had been placed by the door to their room. He had discovered them where he had left them, nice and neat in two rows. He slipped his feet into the two sandals and wiggled his toes to test that they were still good. He turned back to his foe, that damn window of his that caused the window to howl against the frame. He went up to it, pushing the window shut. He turned the latch back into it’s lock to make sure the window stayed shut.

The room he stood in was dark, with no source of light. They had a torch up on one of the walls for in the evening when the sun was down; however the torch was no longer lit. They had extinguished the torches flame to get a good rest. It would not have mattered either way with how the wind had attacked him in his sleep. The wind would have surely knocked the flame right off the torch bringing about sudden darkness.

Turning towards the door, he made his way into the hallway of the second floor that he was in. The hallway’s torches were extinguished for the most part. Only the one by the stairs had remained lit in-case someone had to quickly navigate up or down the stairs. Akihiko followed the hallway to the stairs, going down them. He made sure he did not lean too far back so that the blanket he was wearing over his clothes had not caught on fire. He took it one step at a time, not in a rush to get to any particular place. He had been simply searching for his father that had made a disappearance.

(WC: 475 | Total WC: 2,166)

Upon reaching the lobby on the main floor where they had originally checked themselves in, Akihiko had noticed there was no one at the desk. He had expected the desk to be empty with how little traffic seemed to pass by the Inn they were staying at. It still was however, considered unprofessional to leave no one on duty in-case an emergency erupted, or a passerby needed a place to stay during the night. Akihiko went down the room reaching his one hand out to the left, brushing his hand along the poster he was told not to touch as he walked by it. He reached the main entrance to the building and walked out of it into the cold air.

Once outside, Akihiko’s blanket threatened to fly away, willing to let the wind take it across the desert to whatever may lie beyond. He tugged the blanket closer around him, pinning it with the hand that he had just held free. He did not dare to lose the only comfort he had with him there outdoors. In fact, he was sure the lady working the desk when they had arrived would not supply them with a new blanket. The lady working the desk was more likely to charge them for the blanket when she would discover that the blanket had escaped his grasp.

Searching around for his father, Akihiko had discovered there to be a bit of movement outside. Three men a good distance away, appearing no more than shadows, stood in front of a building. He had wondered that they were up to so late, but he was sure that they had the same thoughts when it came to him. Akihiko was after all the stranger in their town as he was a guest at the Inn, only stopping by for a short time while he was sure those men, if not standing in front of their home, had their own nearby.

 Going around the back of the Inn, Akihiko spotted his father. His father was performing a series of stances, setting himself up and then striking at an invisible foe. It was obvious to Akihiko that his father had been spending his time training here outback. He must have come outside to not disturb Akihiko as he slept. “Couldn’t get any sleep either?”, asked Hikomaru. Akihiko shook his head in response to his father. “The window had busted open, spilling sand all over me”, replied Akihiko. His father had a smirk creep along his face. It almost was enough to convince Akihiko that he had a hand in loosening the latch that had kept the window shut.

(WC: 439 | Total WC: 2,605)

Continuing the routine that his father had practiced many times before, the conversation between father and son went on. Hikomaru side eyed Akihiko standing beside him. “We still need to get you that Bo staff so you can continue your training.” Akihiko shuffled his feet back and forth uncomfortably recalling the events that occurred with his last one. He had broken his Bo staff while fighting off a thug that was trying to rob him. The Bo staff was nothing special nor even particularly interesting to look at, but it was entrusted to him by his father, so that he could get stronger. Akihiko felt he should not have broken it that fast, as he was only just given it recently.

Crossing his arms, Akihiko looked back at his father with determination. “I will work towards paying for a new one.”, he stated. His father laughed in pride for his son. Hikomaru had the intention of buying his son a new one, no questions asked, but if his son insisted on paying for it himself, then the matter was considered closed. “You have grown quite a bit, you know?”, he told his son. Akihiko stared out into the distance recalling all the experiences they have gone through together. The two of them remained like this for a time, one recalling their experiences and the other training.

Sweat dripped from Hikomaru’s face sinking into the sand. He finally loosened from his stance and let his arms hang along side him, his Bo staff still in his right hand. Air was struggling to get into his lungs from the heavy workout, however he eventually gained control over his breathing. “This is where we will part ways.”, said Hikomaru. Akihiko looked at his father in shock. They have always been together through the thick and thin. They have never once separated from each other, them being the only family they had, besides his father’s friends of mercenaries that they had traveled with ever so often.
Facing his son, Hikomaru crossed his arms, folding his Bo staff under his armpit, and shared a great big smile.

“You have showed me so much maturity of late. It is apparent that you are able to travel on your own. It is best for us to part ways – if only for a bit. I have received a hawk from Makoto requesting my hand. It is something only I can do. And it is time for you to find your own way. You cannot do that with me constantly at your side. I – I will miss you my son..”, said Hikomaru.

Akihiko’s eyes watered, but he did not let a single tear fall down his cheek. He put his arms around his father and tugged him close. “I understand, father.”, said Akihiko. The two of them shared a moment until Akihiko released his father. The two bowed to each other in respect for each other as warriors, friends, and family. “Here, take this.”, said Hikomaru. His father handed him a few ration bars for him to carry with him. “Thank you.”, replied Akihiko, bowing one last time before he turned away from his father. The two of them went their separate ways.

Crossing the desert once more, Akihiko kept his blanket surrounded around his body. He insisted on keeping his makeshift hood up to help protect him from the elements, but it kept blowing off. Life in the desert seemed like non-stop training to Akihiko. He finally understood why so many people out in the desert were strong and agitated quickly. There was always something blowing in their face, pushing against them. Akihiko took out one of his ration bars, biting into it as he headed closer in the direction of Sunagakure. He had hopes of finding his own way in this world, discovering what it meant to be the warrior he wished to become, and hopefully making friends along the way such as his father had done.

(WC: 656 | Total WC: 3,261)

Claiming: Breaking Throw WC 1,500, Metal Crusher WC 1,750,  3,261/100 = 32 stats. 16 to speed, 16 to strength.
Free D-Rank Jutsu:
Substitution Technique
Clone Technique
Transformation Technique
Surface Walking


[EXIT]

Howdy,

Per Stat/Justu System rules, please state where you will be placing the 32 stats.

Keep in mind that in order to use C-rank Space/Time jutsu, you will need to have 20 chakra and 10 vigor, as stated in Specialty System rules.

Thank you

Approved