B a l a n c e | i c

[Karces]

"Oh yeah, lots of fun!" Yaa said to Gendo. Seems like more people were worried about Yaa taking on all of those ruffians than just him. Kaen was there and so was Faust, Gendo didn’t want to interrupt him from fighting those ruffians, he was just there as back-up. Apparently Yaa wanted some help and since Faust was the closest of them, he had to join. Both of them gave worth for their money even though ruffians were no match to the soon to be Avatars. A few jutsu later and a kick to the nuts that Gendo could almost feel himself, the ruffians were downed. By the end of the battle Arina joined them, the only one missing was Mela-Sensei.

After the short battle the group broke up once again to attend to whatever needed attention. Arina and Kaen headed of somewhere, probably somewhere to put out some fires. Yaa followed quickly in their footsteps and left the scene as well. All that was left were Faust and Gendo. He looked at the white haired boy and wondered if they should go and find the next problem together or if they could better split up and hopefully do more for Konohagakure. After a few second he stood up and shouted to Faust: ”We better split up and cover more ground, see you later.”, with that he ran over the rooftop and used his Blast Jutsu to jump from rooftop to rooftop. Seemingly most of the ruffians were downed, or at least in this part of town. Gendo knew that his jutsu wouldn’t do much against fire, maybe he should learn a Water jutsu soon, so he decided to just keep covering ground and take down any ruffian he could find so that the villagers could attend to fire fighting themselves.

While jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Gendo heard some shouting from a nearby alley. He jumped to a nearby rooftop and looked down into the alley to see what was going on. Apparently some of the ruffians noticed that things were going wrong and decided that taking hostages was a smart thing to do. As he looked down he saw one ruffian desperately looking down the alley to see if someone was coming their way, while an unknown number of them were inside a building. A few moments later a ruffian came out of the building holding a small boy, behind him a desperate mother, she looked pretty rough. Gendo decided that now would be a good time to do something, he knew how much ruffian there were and he wanted to save the boy before there would be more.

He jumped of the rooftop onto the ruffian not holding the kid, which was enough to knock that one out. Gendo grabbed his sword and pointed it at the ruffian holding the child, whom had now turned and was facing Gendo, who in turn grabbed a kunai and held it to the boy’s throat. “Let go of the boy and we can work this out.” Gendo said to the ruffian. “Sure, just like you did to my partner.” He said in turn, looking over his shoulder to see if his exit wasn’t blocked. “I don’t want to hurt you, but you are holding a boy hostage, I can’t allow that. Just let him go.” Gendo said taking a step toward the ruffian. “One more step, mister, and I will cut his throat.” The ruffian said while pressing the kunai against the boy’s throat. Gendo didn’t know what to do, he stated to become pretty desperate, he started to wish there was someone to help him, to give him advise. “Why not kill him?” a voice whispered inside him, ”he is not going to release the boy, so you’ll kill him either before or after he has killed the boy.” It continued, Gendo knew that voice, he didn’t want it to be right, but desperate times ask for desperate measures. Gendo took a step back and the ruffian in turn slacked his hold on the boy. “What is your name boy?” Gendo asked, “Ebisu” a silent voice said. “Ebisu, I want you to do something for me, I want you to close your eyes, can you do that for me?” Gendo said to the boy, who looked confused but did what he was told. Gendo folded his hands once more in a boar seal, knowing that he would once more take a person’s life. He was told that the first time would be the worst, he disagreed with that, in fact every time he had to kill it felt worse, like a wound someone kept stabbing in. But there was another life at stake so he had to do it, he closed his eyes and once he opened them his sword cleave trough the ruffians throat. Gendo grabbed the ruffian’s body and helped the boy get out of the lifeless arm, returning the boy to his mother. Both of them shell-shocked by the sudden death of the ruffian.

Once they were back inside Gendo walked outside the alley, he couldn’t get his hands to stop shaking. He tried to light another kretek cigarette and soon it was lit, Gendo inhaled the aroma deeply and started to feel better. From behind Gendo started to hear a rumbling, he turned around just in time to see a huge wave heading his way. All he could say before he was hit was: “Damn and blast.”. After which he was swept away by the current and ended up somewhere against someone’s front door. Gendo looked up and decided to just sit there for a moment, catching his breath. After a while he got up and grabbed his kunai, one more ceremony to go, he rolled up his sleeve and looked at the fresh wound on his arm, next to which he made another cut, clenching his teeth.

After a few moments he found the rest of the group, apparently they were all hit by the wave, but at least they were all in good spirits. And so they should Gendo thought, they did save a village and they did it without casualties. Kean volunteered his parents as mentors for them while they were in Konohagakure, which sounded good enough for Gendo. There was just one more thing he had to do and so Gendo walked over to Yaa. “Yaa,” he stated, “ just so we are clear. You did one hell of a job against those ruffians. It was good to see you holding your own against them. I might have overreacted when I heard you shout that you could take them all on. Apparently you know what you are doing and what you are capable of.”

[ruler710]

Finally the fighting was over and everyone gathered but Mela. Luckily everyone looked to be in peak condition. Their reunion had to wait as Kaen and Arina quickly ran off to try and put out the fires. Yaa followed shortly after and Gendo thought it was best if they split up to try and cover as much ground as possible. Faust headed off in the opposite direction not even sure how he'd manage to fight a fire. He walked down the road stomping on every pathetic fire he saw and just glared at the larger ones he was powerless to do anything about. He tried to find a source of water to at least throw on them but he was lost in a town he'd never been in before. Finally he gave up and just decided to watch the town burn. It wasn't the first time he'd seen such a thing and it wouldn't be the last so for now he'd stop in his useless struggle. The only thing to be gained would be burns if he continued without any helpful skills. 'Maybe we'll finally get taught some bending after this. We don't even have anyone that can use water bending to my knowledge.

It was only a minute before his rest was interrupted by a change of wind sending smoke in his face. Faust ran quickly coughing from the cloud. He stood rubbing his eyes to regain vision. He somewhat wish he hadn't because his next sight was not a happy one. He saw Mela atop the water tower about to do something drastic. Without a second Faust turned tail and ran. Soon he heard the crash and the rumble behind him. Facing forward to scared of what might be behind him. As he was running a migraine came over him and his vision became blurry. "Boy," Faust was shocked the growling voice he heard. "Punch it..." Faust decided to listen knowing that outrunning the wave was futile but it was almost as if his body did it on his own. Quickly he planted his feet and used his Rock Knuckle jutsu and punched his left arm into the earth to give him more traction. "I hope your right about this!" Faust yelled despite not knowing who he was talking too. The wave was just a few feet away when he started his swing. His fist met the torrent with equal force and the water broke and began to flow around him. But try as he might the pressure was too great and he began to crumble. He couldn't keep his arm straight and soon the water began to overtake him. "Boy, you are still far to week for my power. Maybe a bigger disappointment than the last host " The same voice went through his head just as he was overtaken by the current.

When Faust came too he struggled to left the debris off himself. Being so close to the tower meant he took a lot of force, and after pulling a stunt like he did left his arms numb and his body battered. As he patted himself down he took notice of a few scratches and cuts. The only notable wound was when a metal roof struck his leg leaving a fairly deep cut. He slowly rose to his feet to test putting his weight on it. It burned when he did but it was manageable, he had other things on his mind. 'I wonder of any of the other took a brunt of the blast like I did. Well, I'll take a look around for them. As he took his first glance he saw where he once stood, a couple hundred meters from where he was now. Looking at where he stood he wondered what had happened just moments before. "Hello?" He yelled expecting the mysterious voice to reply but it never came. Either way he'd have to look into it later, now he had to find the group. He turned his back and began limping down the road, starting his Igniter jutsu to begin drying himself off.

Faust limped around for a good while until he heard Arina's voice. He quickly clenched his fist and walked into the scene covering his wound so no one could see it. He had a makeshift bandage around it for the moment and he'd have to change it later but it would probably fix itself in time. He smiled as the others talked cheerfully as if nothing had happened to them. They probably thought he was fine too now that he was the second driest, right behind Mela. "Glad to see you're all still kicking." He laughed. Kaen went on to talk about getting his parents to help them train and Faust just nodded along. Arina was at Kaen's side and then Gendo was too busy complimenting Yaa. Finally Mela stood watching over her pupils as always. "M-Mela..." Faust blurted out. "I need to ask you something later. Don't let me forget." Faust put a fake smile on his face to cover up any pain he might be showing. "Also want to at least give a heads up before you hit us with a tsunami next time?" Faust laughed collapsing onto his butt to take a rest.

[Genkai]

Now that everyone had gathered, Arina felt herself relax a little but she could tell some of her teammates were injured. She was about to say something when Kaen approached her. "Hmm oh?" She wasn't sure what he would want to talk to her about but a few reasons fluttered into her mind. "S-sure." She put on a smile and turned to the others. "And Kaen's parents are really nice, I totally envy him." She said softly. Her parents were farmers and didn't seem to even be involved in the attack on the village. Still, she would make an effort to visit them before they left the area. If she had space, she would have offered her humble home but knew it might not be nearly as impressive as Kaen's place. She turned to see Yaa getting some praise which made her quite happy, the wounds of the day before quickly healing without worry. Soon Mela joined them all and looked pretty pleased with herself. "That was so awesome." Arina said happily and looked around. "Kaen-san offered his place for us...is that okay?" She asked. Mela-Sensei didn't seem to mind so everyone headed off toward Kaen's home while many of the villagers were already quick to begin reconstruction. Mela was sure she would send the young Avatars out to help later on but for now she could tell they needed some patching up. Mela knocked on the door and soon let herself in. She was an old friend of Hirako and Sajin who were still well respected in Konohagakure. "Is this okay-" She was cut off by Mela-Sensei.

"Hey, sorry about the mess!" Mela exclaimed. "We tried to get here as soon as we could." She looked behind her and shrugged slightly.

Sajin and Hirako once aided Mela when she was with her Avatar comrades. They ended up getting along whenever they were in town helping out. Mela even used Sajin for tips about the area if something came up. While she primarily used her own people or spies, sometimes Sajin did help with information gathering. It seemed there was room for everyone but some would have to share. "Uhh...I can share with Yaa-san." Arina quickly spoke up and linked arms with the green haired earth bender. Mela quirked a brow and just shrugged and said if Yaa didn't mind, it would cut down how many boys were stuck together as well. Since things seemed to be settled, those who were injured were taken off to get patched up which left Arina with some time on her hands. When she found Kaen, she pulled him off to the side in one of the bedrooms. "Hey you wanted to talk?" Arina asked him. "And thanks again for lending your place to everyone, it's so nice being in a house, let alone a home inside Konohagakure." She smiled. "I owe your parents so much but I do intend to visit mine today, you're free to come along if you want." She wasn't sure what sort of things Mela would have them do but she still wanted to see her own family and possibly help give their friends a little tour of the village, even if it had recently been on fire, and now was a bit waterlogged. "So um...is everything okay?" Arina asked Kaen, her eyes wide with more curiosity than anything else, though there was a minor hint of concern too.

Yaa looked around at the home they were in. It was warm and inviting, almost the opposite of Omashu.

The green haired girl was glad Arina stuck up for her so she wouldn't have to room with Faust, Gendo and Kaen. Though Yaa assumed Kaen would be off in his old room or something. As she walked down the stairs after having dropped her things in her room with Arina, she spotted Arina and Kaen talking intimately. Yaa would have to poke at that later on. For now, she headed off to explore the village. She stepped outside and saw Gendo. "Oh hey..." She walked over to him. "Thanks for earlier...I um...I mean the compliment." She told him softly. "So you're hurt huh?" She looked down at the bandage now around the guy's arm. "And...well...um..." Yaa wanted to get back to her point. "I think we should all be able to rely on one another, we kind of have to." She shrugged. "I was surprise Faust joined in to be honest...but I'm glad he helped me and hopefully we can all help each other." Yaa told Gendo. "So if you're feeling up to it, why don't we look around and see what kind of place this is? Kaen-san mentioned he might want to show me around...I'm sure he and Arina-san would be wonderful guides but since it's just us, why not show ourselves around?" She suggested to him. Partly thanks to the help she had from Arina and surprisingly enough, Faust and Gendo and even Kaen, Yaa was starting to feel a lot more comfortable. Hopefully it would result in a positive incident, rather than a negative one.

After Mela-Sensei and Hirako-san tended to the wounds of the group, Mela got up and headed up to her own room where she would be staying. As she unloaded her things, she reminded herself that Faust had wished to talk to her. So she headed back downstairs and smelled dinner already in the process of cooking. 'Wonderful.' She smirked and found Faust sitting at a lower level table. She took a seat next to him and poured herself some hot tea and then handed Faust a cup as well. "So you wished to speak to me?" Mela asked him, not really sure what to expect out of his mouth. "I do intend to gather everyone after dinner for some night training." Mela mentioned in case he was curious about that. "I also intend for us to do some spiritual training tomorrow in regards to our beasts, clearly they're sensing change in their human counterparts and this will need to be addressed sooner rather than later." Mela nodded and then took a sip of her drink, wishing it was sake. "I know you helped Yaa-san back there, I'm impressed." Mela sighed thoughtfully and closed her eyes for a moment. She wasn't sure how long they would stay in Konohagakure, hopefully they would all buckle down, learn some new jutsu and get in touch with their own beast inside of them. Mela knew this was an omen of what may come later on. They would face bigger trouble and to her, this was nothing, but the Avatars were lucky to get back with only some wounds. "The bandits were the least of our trouble..." Mela-Sensei commented.

[FoxSVK]

Kaen was glad that his invitation was accepted by the rest of the group, and as they headed towards it, he noticed the damage done to the village. It was too severe to be caused by an attack of some petty bandits, and besides, Konohagakure resisted these raids frequently, but something was different this time. Something was wrong here, and they were here to find out what - and deal with it. Though it will be difficult with their level of skill, and that´s why he hoped his parents together with Mela-sensei could help them out. As they passed the streets, the villagers greeted him and he greeted everybody back, while giving short introductions of them to his friends. His home was located a few minutes of walk from the center of the city, so they reached it in no time. A huge smile appeared on his lips upon seeing his home was unharmed from the recent events, and all signs showed his parents were at home, though he wondered if they helped in the defense of the village. He will find out soon.

Their teacher was the first one to knock and she entered the house, greeting his parents as her old friends. Kaen was surprised by the fact, but he decided to ask questions later. Upon Mela greeted them, he was the next one. He hugged both of his parents, and after exchanging some words, Kaen took the lead in talking. " Mom, Dad, those are my friends. I see that you know Mela - Sensei good enough. Also, you know Arina as well. As for the rest of the group, this is Yaa." He introduced the boy to his parents, then continued. " Then, this is Faust, and he is Gendo. " he finished. " Guys, they are my parents, Sajin and Hirako. I hope you all get along well. I´ll leave you for now. " he finished, smiling. He knew his parents will be friendly to his friends and will make their best to make them feel comfortable. He left the group down and went straight to his room, finding it just as he left it when he headed into Republic City. The carving on his table was the first thing he tended to - another fox statue.

He took awhile while in his room, lying on his ebed, enjoying how it felt being back home, despite his trip being a short one. He always felt a strong connection to his village, especially now since it was troubled by the recent events. That´s why he wanted to get stronger. To protect his home village. His family, his friends. He no longer felt like needing protection - he felt like the one that is going to protect. But at first, he needed to protect himself from Rokujou´s negative influence. The forest incident a clean example. What could have happened if there was nobody around to help him ? Was there a chance of the beast consuming him ? Taking over his mind, making Kaen´s body nothing more than a mere skeleton for it powers ? All of these questions were swirling in his mind, but the most important being - Why me ? Why did the Nine Tailed Fox, Rokujou, appear inside of me ? A being of unimaginable powers appearing in a ordinary Firebender. That´s why he have to get in touch with the Beast. Hopefully, their Sensei had a solution for it. Realizing he had guests, he stood up and went back to tend to them.

He opened a window and headed back downstairs, but he was pulled of by Arina, remembering the thing he wanted to talk about earlier." Yes, yes I ... I wanted to talk with you Arina. " he responded, but was cut off by her expressions of gratitude. He smiled at them. It was natural for him to do things like this, knowing his parents would agree to it. But it still felt good. " You´re - you´re most welcome, Arina. All of you. I am happy you accepted it. " he continued, then she mentioned visiting her parents. " Of course, I would be glad to do so. If you don´t mind, of course. " was his response, followed by a shy smile. He remembered his parents were kind as well, and he liked them much. But then she asked if everything is alright. " Well, that´s ... that´s the matter here, Arina. Back in the forest. You know, when Rokujou got mad at me ... I was lost in the beasts rage. My mind was darkened, I was unable to think clearly. I felt like being torn apart from the inside. But ... " he paused, turning away his sight. He took a few deep breaths and grasped Arina´s hands in between his. " But when I looked at you ... it was gone. I don´t ... I don´t know what you did. But .... I am indebted to you. Thank you. " he finished, letting go of her hands. " S-s-sorry. " he apologized quickly. " We ... I guess, we should get back to the others. What do you think ? "

[Karces]

After Mela-Sensei had joind the group once again, Kaen told her his plan. She didn’t seem to mind. As they walked through the water-logged streets a lot of the town people recognized Kaen and short introductions were made, this made the few minute journey a lot longer but also more interesting, at least for Gendo. As soon as they had reached Kaen’s home they understood why Mela-Sensei didn’t mind. Mela-Sensei and Kaen’s parents were old friends. " Mom, Dad, those are my friends. I see that you know Mela-Sensei good enough. Also, you know Arina as well. As for the rest of the group, this is Yaa. Then, this is Faust, and he is Gendo. Guys, they are my parents, Sajin and Hirako. I hope you all get along well. I´ll leave you for now. " Gendo stood there aghast, where were those guys manners. Gendo hoped that’s how things happen in this town. Next on the list was room distribution, there was enough space for all of them but some people had to share a room. Gendo thought it would be the girls in one room and the boys in another, but Arina had different plans, she quickly asked Yaa to join her. Mela-Sensei seemed confused about this but quickly said that if Yaa didn’t mind it was no problem, whom didn’t mind.

When they returned from putting their backpacks in their rooms, Gendo was taken aside by Mela and Hirako to tend to his wounds, apparently the growing red stain in his shirt was a give away from his wounds. He wondered if they would see that the wounds were self-inflicted, the scars next to it should have been a dead giveaway, but they didn’t ask about it. Truth be told the bandage and herbs would probably help the wounds to heal a lot cleaner and better so Gendo was glad with the help.

Once he had returned from the room with Mela and Hirako, he saw Arina and Kaen talking. It seemed to be a talk with up’s and downs of two people not knowing how to say what they want to say. But he shouldn’t be eavesdropping on a conversation like that and he decided to walk outside and smoke another kretek. After some time he was approached by Yaa whom walked out of the door, heading off to explore town it seemed. "Oh hey. Thanks for earlier...I um...I mean the compliment. So you're hurt huh?" She looked down at the bandage now around Gendo’s arm. ”Just a little wound, I might be a Bukijutsu user but I still shouldn’t get cocky.” He said laughing off the fictional events. "And...well...um. I think we should all be able to rely on one another, we kind of have to. I was surprise Faust joined in to be honest...but I'm glad he helped me and hopefully we can all help each other." Gendo nodded in agreement. "So if you're feeling up to it, why don't we look around and see what kind of place this is? Kaen-san mentioned he might want to show me around...I'm sure he and Arina-san would be wonderful guides but since it's just us, why not show ourselves around?" “Arina-san promised me to show me around as well, especially the local spicy pig buns.” He said licking his lips “But you’re right, we probably should look around ourselves first. Lead the way” He said making a wave with his arm in the general direction of town.