The Witch and the Cat [Riku & Satori]

As she thought over the decision, Satori remained patient as ever. Resting his hands lightly on his hips while he watched her think until she came up with the answer of leaving. Laughing softly as her stomach growled, he nodded a bit.

“Sure, let’s go grab it. I only got to eat half my food too.” As he stated this, his head tilted slowly as he contemplated where he wanted to go afterward. He hadn’t really thought that far ahead, but he supposed first he should find out what her preferences were when it came to combat, so he could figure out exactly what to help her with.

“What do you usually use in combat? Your Taijutsu seemed pretty weak. Are you a Ninjutsuist?” Glancing down at her, he idly shifted his hands up to his back-- before realizing his blade, also, was still in the lunchroom. His eyes narrowed a bit, if anyone touched it he’d be taking fingers. Grumbling under his breath at his own idiocy, he would shake his head to clear it and focus on the small blue haired girls response, while offering his own clarification first.

“I can’t use Genjutsu. I'm not good at it yet, most of my clan can't, our chakra is too volatile. So I use Bukijutsu, Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu.” As he explained this, he would raise a large hand, extending his claws so that the long, feline-like claws caught the light, their blade-like tips making it clear he was no stranger to using them in combat.

Riku shrugged. “I know enough Taijutsu not to get beat up too much in class. I like bukijutsu, genjutsu, and poison better. My opponents usually find out it was a mistake to bother me after the fact. That's why they call me a witch. People who bully me or take my things tend to get sick. They think I curse them.”

After that Riku looked away from her new friend, a slight frown on her face. Even though she really enjoyed studying at the Academy, her reputation made it difficult. Not a lot of other kids liked the witch. Riku didn't need them to be her friends, but that didn't mean she wanted to be hated either.

The blue haired girl picked up the pace once she saw her bento sitting where she'd left it. She grabbed her lunch, a smile crossing her face. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably, but Riku was already unwrapping her food. She grabbed an onigiri and shoved half of it into her mouth.

“Mmmm….” Her cheeks puffed up as the girl shoved the rest of the rice ball past her lips. The relief she felt was almost instant. Chewing was a bit difficult, but Riku powered through until she'd swallowed enough rice to be able to talk again.

“Shhryy, wshh real hnmgry,” the girl said a bit bashfully. Once the rice was in her tummy, she sighed in relief.

Riku closed the bento and asked, “where were you sitting at lunch?”

He contemplated the information she provided him with, if she prefered to utilize Bukijutsu and Genjutsu, then they would make a surprisingly potent team. Covering for one another's weaknesses, it was interesting really. Shifting himself slightly from one foot to another he watched her skitter toward her food, and eagerly begin to shove it into her mouth before even properly addressing anything else. Blinking once, slowly, he found that odd sensation in his chest again watching her cheeks puff out, over-burdened by the rice.

“Cute,” he commented simply, head tilting as a grin formed on his lips, before he would idly move forward and past her, his hand lowering to pet her head as he did so before he glanced around the room. Spotting his seat, still empty with the long ivory blade resting against the wall, and his half-eaten meal still sitting atop the table. Probably because they saw the Ryuutei clan symbol on it and knew better than touch anything. Meandering forward, his hand removing itself from her (surprisingly soft and fluffy) head, he would reach down and grasp the sheathed blade first.

Sliding it into the belt on his back once more, silently chiding himself for leaving it, even in the heat of the moment before he would gather up the box that was laden with fresh vegetables that had been diced and grilled, along with what looked like hand-carved chunks of meat. The cuts weren’t from a market, cut into pretty little slices. They were natural as if a hunter or butcher had purposely cut to get the best out of the meat, and as he turned with the venison already between two ivory chopsticks, he would toss the chunk of meat between his lips.

Moving back toward Riku, it would become plainly apparent that most of what Satori owned was ivory, his piercings, chopsticks, weapons, the buttons on his clothing, and even his bento box appeared to be made of wood and ivory polished and crafted together. Halting beside her, his fangs shredded through the meat with ease before he would chew his bite and nod toward the door, figuring they could eat in peace away from the room as he meandered forward, slowing his steps to ensure the much smaller girl could properly keep up with him.

Riku’s face turned red when Satori called her cute again. She pouted, swatting at the taller boy’s hand in her hair. “I’m not a pet!” the blue haired girl protested. Riku smoothed down her hair, shooting the boy an offended look.

She was quickly distracted by her lunch once Satori moved away, pulling out a pickled plum and popping it in her mouth. She chewed enthusiastically enjoying the sour and salty flavors splashing across her tongue. Riku licked her teeth and cheeks, seeking out the last bits of the taste while watching Satori gather his things. She licked her lips, too, to make sure she hadn’t missed any umeboshi. “Mmm.”

Riku noticed that most of Satori’s things were made of ivory and something about his food, roughly cut chunks of meat, seemed different than what she was used to. Idly, she wondered what it would taste like. Deciding to ask for a piece later, she followed Satori’s cue and walked out of the lunch hall with him.

The two continued through the school’s winding hallways and to the exit in relative quiet in part because Riku kept sneaking out tidbits of her lunch and eating them. Once they cleared the threshold, however, she thought of an important question. “Where should we eat?” the blue haired girl asked, keeping pace with her tall friend. “If we found a place outside, it could be like a picnic.”

Riku fished out another umeboshi to eat while waiting for Satori’s answer. Her own bento, made mostly of thin wood unlike the taller boy’s ivory and wooden box, tucked safely under her arm. The girl licked her fingers, sucking off the salty and sour flavor.

As Riku commented that she “wasn’t a pet”, he grinned wider, “Are you sure? Because you remind me of a cute little bunny,” he stated casually, smiling down at her to make it clear he was just teasing her. Of course, once he’d retrieved his bento, he noticed her eying the meat inside and would wait until she turned to face him. She would find a chunk of meat, dabbled in a bit of the sauce hovering in front of her lips instead between the ivory chopsticks.

Of course, whenever she accepted it, he continued to enjoy the shredding meat, Satori glanced down at her as she inquired about a place outside to eat and contemplated that for a moment. “There’s a nice place on the way to my clans compound,” he commented idly, shifting on his heels idly as he contemplated it. “About ten minutes away I’d say, it’s a small corner of a park. It’s not as misty there, because of the low-hanging tree limbs stop it.” As he explained this he glanced down at her, making sure that it was fine before stepping forward and leading the way. Idly tucking his box closed and locking it, hanging it from his belt and interlacing his fingers behind his head as they walked.

“Do you like animals?” he inquired suddenly, his crimson gaze lowering to look at her own as they walked, an obvious curiosity gleaming within them. The best way to find out more about her, after all, was to simply inquire and dig for information. Animals seemed like a good start since they were something he greatly enjoyed as they held such an intricate bond with his clan as both prey and assistant.

Continuing along with their walk as they talked, Satori led the way easily through the grounds until they hit the road instead. From there, they would continue to head east, toward the edge of the village, however long before hitting it they would find themselves nearing a small park just as he said. The low trees clearly dogwoods, though they'd been there so long they were far too large at a glance to be such. A single small bench rested underneath them, worn but well maintained as Satori grinned. The air was moist, but not heavy with fog like much of the rest of the village was.

"How's this?" he inquired, glancing down at her curiously for her approval on the decision, if she didn't like it then they could always go somewhere else, though, she was definitely hungry and didn't give him the vibe of someone that had ever gone hungry before. Her tolerance was probably fairly low for such things.

Riku stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at Satori’s bunny comment. The meat held out in front of her face changed her face to one of hunger. The girl took the cube of meat with her teeth and set to work chewing on it. It was savory and well flavored, as expected, and a bit more rare than what her mother would serve. She managed to shred the food with her molars and a little bit of effort while Satori described a potential place to eat.

“That sounds like a good place to eat lunch.”

They walked a bit longer in relative silence, heading towards Satori’s clan compound until the taller boy looked down at her and asked if she liked animals. “Animals?” she repeated. Riku blinked and tapped her chin. “Some of them.” The girl shrugged. “Do you like them?”

The blue haired girl watched the mist fade as they neared their destination. She looked around, taking note of the trees. They looked familiar, probably dogwoods based on the bark. Next, Riku noticed the bench. “This looks good!” she chirped.

The girl skipped over to the bench and plopped down. Within seconds, her bento was unwrapped and a pair of wooden chopsticks held firmly between her slightly chubby fingers. There were a few onigiri, umeboshi, grilled fish, and sliced vegetables inside. They only looked a little worse for wear, which was a miracle given the harsh treatment the bento had faced earlier that day.

“So good,” Riku moaned, stuffing more food into her mouth.

Her accepting the bite of food would cause a low laugh to pass from his lips, “So cute,” he repeated his statement, now with far firmer proof that the girl was indeed some form of chipmunk, squirrel, rabbit, or raccoon with how she behaved. Smirking, he would tuck the chopsticks into the slim leather sheath bound to the outside of the bento box. Allowing himself to reach down and help her straighten her hair with a few more pets, before moving forward with her quietly.

As she commented on liking animals, Satori grinned a bit, “Yeah, animals are a big part of my life,” he explained simply as he meandered forward, tilting his head a bit. “I like cats the most though,” he clarified idly before he would lower his hand down and brush off the bench idly before she fell into the seat. Of course, as she would fall into place and begin eagerly eating, he grinned a bit.

“You really were hungry,” he stated with an amused tone, before falling into the seat beside her as he briefly examined the food within, making a mental note of the contents as his own far simpler meal of meat and vegetables was reopened. Using the sticks to pluck out the sliced meat and popping the large chunks into his mouth easily along with several vegetables. Unlike others that used rice so constantly for filler, due to his clan's metabolism carbohydrates were practically useless, they burned them so quickly.

Instead, they used heartier foods, it was why so much of their diets were meat. His strong, razor-like teeth would shred through everything with casual ease before lifting his gaze upward toward the surroundings. “I like this place, I come here to train a lot since it’s closer to my home than the Academy,” he murmured with a slight smile. It was peaceful here, and it reminded him of the things he wanted to protect.

Curiously, he glanced down at her, thinking about what he knew so far and asking a question with a slight grin. “What’s your favorite plant, Riku?”

Riku narrowed her eyes at Satori when he touched her hair again, but he helped her smooth it out so she tolerated the contact. Her expression intensified into a pout and a glare when he called her cute yet again. Her face pinkened at the compliment.

“You don’t have to keep saying it!” the girl protested. He was lucky she was too hungry to make him stop grinning at her like an idiot every time she got flustered.

The blue haired girl calmed as she listened to Satori describe his feelings about animals. After that, Riku nodded and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Riku watched Satori eat, fascinated by the way his sharp teeth ripped into the meat cubes he ate so easily. Her own hand continued to guide her chopsticks to supply herself with more food every time her mouth emptied.

The tall boy’s next comments brought Riku’s gaze back up to his eyes instead of his mouth. “Mmm,” she hummed in response. This was a nice area to rest or train. She glanced over the clearing again, reaffirming her assessment of the space and her agreement with Satori’s sentiments. He asked her another question. Riku blinked.

He’s very straightforward and curious, she thought.

“My favorite plant?” she repeated. A contemplative frown made its way across her face. After a lengthy pause, she answered, “Sakura trees.”

Satori tilted his head a bit as she protested, that smile remaining on his lip-- clearly not perturbed at all by the expressions of the girl. Instead, he simply settled back afterward, enjoying his food while the girl answered him, and her response surprised him. A slight grin formed on his lips, “I should bring you to my clans compound sometime then,” he stated idly, shifting his grip on the chopsticks to toss in another chunk of meat, slicing through it like hot knives through butter before continuing.

“I like peach trees, or fruit trees in general really. They’re really pretty as well as useful. Plus, peaches are great.” Grinning a bit he leaned back and stretched as he continued his little dialogue, apparently finding the topic as interesting as anything else they could talk about.

“We have several of those around the grounds, lots of fruit trees in the orchard as well.” There was also, of course, the entire forest that was at the edge of their land, full of a variety of plants and animals, but that was nothing special. Forestry could be found anywhere, after all. Lowering his hands down he would grab one of the shrimp from his pile of meat, and offer it to her with a slight grin.

“Lemme have a bite in return, the fish looks good,” he explained simply, grinning slightly as he wondered about the next question. As he exchanged food with the girl, he would pause a moment to chew and think, as soon as he was done he leaned back in his seat to cross his ankles idly. “What’s your favorite color, and why?” his gaze trailed downward, grinning a bit. If she found the questions annoying, he had no issue asking, but this was definitely the easiest way to learn about her.

“Really?” Riku’s face lit up at the prospect of examining the plants in Satori’s clan compound. She could record what grew there, how many, the height, when they flowered, and maybe --if she asked nicely enough-- take samples for experiments and to add to her collection. The blue haired girl imagined pressing the flowers and looking up what sorts of mixtures she could make using parts of the trees in the Ryuutei clan grounds. If she caught some rats, she could even test the effects of new extracts and combinations.

The sight of more food brought Riku’s attention back to the situation at hand. She closed her lips around the shrimp and Satori’s chopsticks. “Mmm,” Riku moaned happily. She sat back and slurped the rest of the shrimp into her mouth, tail and all. The girl offered up a piece of grilled fish with her own chopsticks while she chewed.

“My favorite color? I mean… I guess I like dead leaf yellow. It’s a nice, warm color.” She shrugged. “It reminds me of sunshine and the way plants look when you dry them.”

Riku tilted her head back to look up at the leaves of the dogwood tree behind the bench. She examined them while she thought. Then, she turned to look at Satori.

“Yeah, it reminds me of plants when kaa-san dries them. Do you have a favorite color?”

Satori grinned, glad that she seemed excited to examine the plants decorating his clans grounds, “One of my mothers will probably be willing to teach you stuff too, they’re big on medical jutsu and everything connected to it,” as he commented on this he would watch as she eagerly chomped on the shrimp with a soft chuckle, before leaning down and taking the bite of fish happily with a smile. It was good, nothing extensive, the spicing was minimal to ensure that the flavor of the fish came out first. It was about as good as his dads, and that was an achievement on its own all things considered. Grinning, he leaned back and listened as she explained her favorite color, and the reasoning behind it.

Contemplating this he would rock idly in his spot, it made sense. Her personality seemed surprisingly cheerful, not like what she appeared initially. It was just her being shy, and perhaps a bit socially awkward. She had a vicious streak to her as well, of course, but all living things did when provoked enough. He liked the different sides of her. The idea that it reminded her of sunlight and warmth, as well as something she was clearly passionate about, made him smile.

Though her next question caused him to stop, contemplating that question. He’d asked her, but he hadn’t actually thought about it much in detail himself. He didn’t really care much about fashion so a favorite color for him would need a more serious meaning than just clothing he tended to wear.

After a few moments of thought he would finally smile a bit, “Blue,” he finally commented, glancing down at her. “I love the ocean and the sky. They remind me of freedom and the beauty that the world can offer. Though green would be a close second,” contemplating a final moment and then nodding he stated it again. “Blue.”

Then, blinking and giving a grin he raised a hand and ran his fingertips through the fluffy tufts of blue hair decorating her head gently, “Besides your hair is blue and that makes it even better. It’s funny though. Usually, bright colors in nature mean danger and poison.” His grin formed wider as his hand lowered from her hair, “Oddly fitting that it’s so pretty at the same time, huh?” He didn’t comment on if he was saying she was pretty, instead he reclined back and went to take another bite of food, humming softly as he debated his next question.

“One of your mothers?” Riku asked, head tilting. There was no judgement in her face or voice, just genuine curiosity. “I didn't know people could have more than one.” The girl had, for the most part been content to let Satori get a feel for who she was and learn about him through observation. The way he talked, behaved, and the questions he asked told her things she might not think to ask. Now, though, he presented an oddity, he might have grown up in a way she knew nothing about.

“How many kaa-sans do you have, Satori-san?”

She leaned in unconsciously as he talked about his favorite color. It was blue, something that heated her cheeks a little. Listening to him describe blue things that he liked in a way that sounded poetic to the nine year old girl made her seriously think about how much she liked this boy. Her face continued to darken when he commented on her hair. Part of her mind was distracted by the possibility of poisoning her hair. It would be interesting to see how opponents who grabbed it learned the foolishness of assuming they'd found an easy weakness to exploit. On top of that there would be an element of poetic justice --after all they really should have known better than to be unwary of such a bright and unusual hue. Of course, she would need to build up an immunity. She would need to work on Satori's as well.

Satori mentioned his mothers knowing medicine. Maybe they could help if her own mom wasn't able to. Satori was quickly becoming a valuable ally in addition to a potential friend in Riku's mind. Together, they'd be unstoppable.

“Yes, it does fit,” Riku murmured, looking contemplative. “How good is your immune system, Satori-san?” She squinted up at him, brown eyes narrowing in a measuring expression. It was quite clear that she was up to something. Her food sat in her lap, temporarily forgotten until the tall boy beside her took a bite. Her eyes trailed to her mostly empty bento and the girl took another bite to occupy herself while Satori thought.

Satori blinked at the question, ah, right. Most people only had one. Without issue with the question, Satori simply offered a smile and relaxed back to answer her inquiry.

“I have four, including my birth mother. It’s common in my clan for men to have three to six wives due to how often our children are stillborn,” as he explained this in shorthand, Satori would continue chewing his food idly. Of course, as the crimson hue began to decorate her face, Satori smiled even wider, “It’s cute when you do that,” he stated simply, blunt as ever before he blinked a bit at her other inquiry. Leaning back in thought before shrugging slightly.

“I grew up in the forest, and I’ve eaten things that are toxic before,” he began slowly, obviously uncertain exactly how to answer her question. “Males in my clan are strong. We usually have potent chakra and strong bodies, so I guess it’s above average?” Idly tapping his fingertip against the side of his box for a few moments he would allow his gaze to trail back toward her curiously.

“Why do you ask?” As he asked such, he would offer her another bite of meat, before noting that she was about done. Without a word, he would tilt the bento box and casually scarf what remained of the food, pouring it with a bit of encouragement from his chopsticks directly into his mouth. Easily devouring it all, showing he’d been purposely going slow to eat alongside her. With the meal gone he would carefully wipe off the chopsticks, before tucking them away along with the bento box back in his bag as he glanced down at her.

“Hm, what do you want to do? I could bring you back to my clans compound,” as he stated this curiously, he would idly tap his chin in thought, before glancing down at her. “We could just stay here and keep up the question games too though,” a grin decorated his lips at this thought, clearly not concerned which way they decided to go about it.

Riku nodded, satisfied with Satori’s answer. It was a clan thing. She frowned a bit when he mentioned stillborns, that sounded a bit concerning. The fact that Satori’s mothers knew medicine made sense in that light. Then he switched to calling her cute again. The blush was fainter this time --the blue haired girl was getting used to Satori’s straightforward compliments-- but it drew another pouty glare nonetheless. She ate the last bites of her lunch in an attempt to calm down.

Satori’s answer about his immune system made Riku grin. His background meant he should be pretty sturdy. Adjusting him to her poisons would be an easy process, if the tall boy wasn’t outright to most substances she had access to, he would be able to build up tolerance quite easily.

“Perfect,” Riku responded, grinning. She softened her face a moment after, it would be a shame if she scared Satori away before she could turn him into her guinea pig. “I was thinking about poisoning my hair. You said bright colors usually mean danger and it gave me the idea. But if I poison my hair, I have to make sure I build up immunity and you too, since you like to touch it so much.”

“Mmm.” The girl’s eyes lit up at the sight of more food. She took the bite of meat, chewing it excitedly. She would have to be nice to this guinea pig. He was cute and he gave her food.

After polishing off the meat cube, Riku put her empty bento box back together and tied a white cloth around it to secure it. Then, she looked up at the sky. It was hard to tell what time it was, but the sun filtering through the clouds seemed weaker than it had been before.

“Let’s stay here. My kaa-san will worry if I’m late getting home,” Riku answered.

Satori blinked, tilting his head curiously as the girl explained she intended to poison her hair, raising a hand and touching his chin lightly in thought. “I see. It could be interesting, though usually, the hair isn’t something that is targeted in a real fight with Shinobi,” idly he would debate the pros and cons of such a decision, though in the end, he would shrug a bit.

“Either way it's your choice. I’ll get used to the poison eventually, so it’s fine,” grinning a bit he would then nod as the girl stated she wished to stay in the area. Turning and falling to sit in the grass instead of the bench, sprawling out his long limbs as he raised his gaze upward to the tree’s branches as he contemplated another question, and fell back on her previous explanation.

“So you specialize in poisons too-- is that how you want to learn to fight?” Satori’s gaze slid to the side as he examined the young woman curiously, his hands idly reaching up and interlacing his fingers behind his neck and skull. The sun couldn’t quite make it out of the cover of the tree limbs, but it was still nice to look up at the white blossoms as the brilliant sunlight shone through their canopy. It made them almost glow, it was pretty.

“Ah,” he blinked, straightening up suddenly. “Should we go to your house instead? That way you can’t get in trouble, and I can see what your mom does with herbs,” a grin spread over his lips, the idea obviously having just occurred to him as he rested his hands in his lap. “I can come and go as I please at home, so I won’t get in trouble. That’s the fun of living in your own house.” Idly shifting his body left and right, he contemplated if he should bring a gift.

It was only polite. Perhaps he should stop somewhere on the way, and get a gift of some sort for her mother? Food, or maybe ingredients for a meal, spices perhaps since they were herbalists, they’d likely have no need for herbs or anything similar.

“Not usually, no, but I shouldn't leave it easy to grab if I let it grow. I want people to regret it if they think it's that easy to exploit my weaknesses,” Riku explained. She threaded her fingers through her short, blue hair. They got caught on some tangles, but the girl wiggled her fingers to get the strands to slip past each other.

Fortunately, the boy didn't seem to oppose her desire to build his immunity to poison.

She watched Satori flop onto the grass. A moment after she stood near his head, and peered at his face from above. Looking down to see the tall boy felt odd, but somewhat pleasant. Being higher up appealed to the pettier side of Riku. But Satori was her friend and she didn't need to top him. The blue haired girl sat and tucked her legs to one side.

“Yeah, I want to specialize in poisons. It can give me an edge that will bring even faster and stronger opponents to their knees.”

She played with a few errant strands of Satori's hair afterwards, face a bit flushed. It wasn't often that she voiced her desire to dominate others in battle so often. Maybe it was softly fueled by the kids that bullied her, but the hardness in her voice implied this desire wouldn't fade, even when she had far outgrown petty schoolyard brawls.

“Let's go to my house, then,” Riku agreed cheerfully. She hopped to her feet. “Kaa-san might have patients but she usually lets me watch, but first I have chores. I have to tend the greenhouses and see what medicines Kaa-san needs. I harvest and prepare ingredients for her.”

The girl dug her toe into the dirt a bit.

“Kaa-san might let us watch her before I do my chores cause you're a guest.” She grinned. Observing her mother with her patients was always interesting for Riku. She learned something new about the human body, plants and herbs, or her mother every time.

[//Thread Exit]

Satori contemplated her preferences in poison, and blinked as she sat down behind him, idly lifting his head and plopping it in her lap while she talked so she could play with the wild curls that flowed out over the grass, even darker than the shadows around them from the dancing light of the sun, passing through the leaves and tree branches. The feeling of her fingers in his hair was nice, it was like when his mothers would brush it for him. A low rumbled formed from the boys chest, one of contentment at the feeling.

Idly, Satori would contemplate her comment regarding putting others on their knees, and grinned up at her from his position.

“I like seeing other people beaten too, I think that’s normal for anyone that has any drive.” Large crimson eyes stared up into her own honey brown orbs, not uncertain at all by her statement. Instead, he would simply yawn, large teeth flashing in the light and shadows and idly closed his eyes while they relaxed.

Of course, once he’d sat up and made the realization it changed things quite a bit but he was still smiling while he nodded at her statement. Stretching, he would watch the tip of her foot grind a bit into the dirt and grinned even wider at her statement. Using him as an excuse to see more may have seemed “dirty” to others, but to him it was a legitimate strategy and he simply nodded in agreement.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s go then.” With that he would step forward, ruffling her hair gently once more as his fingertips traveled through the fluffy locks fondly, before scooping up both their lunch boxes and his blade, carrying it and anything else for her over his shoulder and walking alongside her, pondering what he could offer her mother as a thank you and greeting present.

// Thread Exit