Lost to Time [Private]

Riku knew where the Hozuki district was, though she hadn't been there in years. The first few years following her father's death had been too painful to go back. Afterwards, the blue-haired girl had become too wrapped up in her immediate goals to spend time on her past. Now that some of her most immediate worries had been addressed and the dust had settled so to speak, the past haunted her in ways she couldn't ignore. It had started with the additional income. The clan's prosperity extended to her because she bore their bloodline. Someone knew of her and recognized Riku as a legitimate member of the Hozuki clan.

The fact that the clan knew of her was not surprising. Once she became a genin and went on the records, finding her would be child's play for a family with powerful connections. They, at the very least, would want to be aware of people carrying their precious secrets. Riku, for better or for worse, was intrinsically tangled with the Hozuki's famed abilities. That they cared enough to establish that connection and share wealth with her was more surprising. That this income had come without any strings or requests that she do something to prove herself was shocking.

Her aunt and mother's decision to leave the clan had put some distance between what remained of the Mizushima family and the Hozuki despite the Mizushima being one of their vassals. Riku wondered why they had waited so long to reach out, to acknowledge her. Perhaps her status as genin and legal adult was enough for them to look past her elders' actions. Now that Riku was a genin, she could be considered distinct from them.

More questions nagged. What had become of her cousins? Were there any immediate relatives from her father's side that she simply hadn't seen due to her mother's desire to live apart from the Hozuki?

Riku didn't tell her mother she planned to visit the Hozuki compound. Taji hadn't suspected anything unusual from her; the blue-haired teen had been coming and going as she pleased for a while now. Taji felt little need to supervise Riku as she already knew the usual scope of her daughter's activities: missions, training, and spending time with the Ryuutei clan. Riku did little else, save for the occasional trip to buy supplies from the market or go on early morning excursions to observe various flora and fauna for her field guide. Normally, Riku told her mother and aunt almost everything.

This step away from the norm wasn't out of the blue, the female genin had been contemplating these questions for weeks. However, she had discussed it little, preferring to mull it over in the privacy of her own thoughts.

Entering the clan district, despite all her mental preparation, was still a shock to the system.

Despite their decline in wealth from the war against the Inazuma, the Hozuki Clan District still had more ornate and elaborate architecture than most of Kiri. There were a lot of people, most of which had hair in some shade of blue, white, or silver. Their clothes were of fine quality and embellished to demonstrate their power and prestige. They walked with heads held high and a kind of grace that came from nobility and high breeding. The carefully manicured landscaping was something Riku couldn't help but envy.

Even in her new yellow yukata, Riku felt as though she were dressed like a beggar compared to the people that lived here. She had once been one of them; there were worn kimonos that had been high quality before overuse nearly ruined them tucked away in her house to prove it. Trying not to gawk, Riku kept walking, unsure of where to go first.

For the time being, Riku was content to wander, following flows of foot traffic and observing the layout of the clan compound. Despite her clothes being plain compared to that of the average clan member, she was similar enough to them in looks not to seem too out of place. Most of these people were civilians as far as the blue-haired genin could tell. Kyoji had told her that it had been a long time since anyone had seen a Hozuki ninja, after all. Had something happened with their bloodline?

Upon closer inspection, Riku was able to surmise that few of the people here had the bloodline despite being Hozuki in name. Small clues gave it away. Most didn't have sharp teeth like Riku and her younger sister. They didn't carry water with them as Riku had taken to doing to stay hydrated. They also didn't seem to have the same quirks Riku did, like turning slightly blue or translucent in response to certain emotions. Taking the water bottle that she now kept strapped to her hip, Riku sipped at it while observing the people around her. She caught sight of a man who looked a lot like her father.

The water bottle fell from her hands.

Her whole body felt like jelly. Riku was sure that she was turning a sickly pale shade of blue as her body partially liquefied. She glanced downward. Her feet were definitely oozing.

By the time the teen gathered herself, she was getting odd looks and people were murmuring to one another about her. The man had caught sight of her too.

Great, the young ninja thought.

The man approached her after staring at her as if he'd seen a ghost. He was tall, with a medium frame and oval face. His hair was short, wildly spiky and curly like her father's, and a deep shade of navy that was nearly black. Riku would have thought he was her father except that this man's shoulder's were a touch too broad and his demeanor wasn't the same in some way Riku couldn't quite put her finger on.

He stopped in front of her. "Are you Lee's girl?" the man asked.

Riku nodded once, too stunned to speak.

"Riku, I'm your uncle, Kishi."

The teen bowed. "Pleased to meet you, uncle."

"Stand up girl," Kishi told her. "Come here, let me see you."

Riku stepped forward and allowed her father's brother to inspect her. Kishi rubbed a few strands of her hair between his fingers briefly and then circled her. "You are definitely her. Where's your sister?"

Riku flushed lightly. "I came alone, the rest of my family don't know I'm here."

Her uncle merely nodded. "Well, come along. Let's catch up, shall we?" Kishi turned on his heel and began to walk further into the Hozuki District.

The blue-haired genin picked up her water bottle and followed. She liquefied a hand to wipe the dust from her bottle and then resealed it before putting the bottle back were it belonged, in a holster attached to a belt. As she trailed her uncle through the compound, Riku noticed a gourd strapped to Kishi's back. It likely contained water.

The two entered a modest (in comparison with the other buildings in the area) house. Despite the lack of ornate decorations, the cleanliness, spaciousness, and quality of the few pieces of furniture in the sitting room belied Kishi's wealth. A low coffee table sat in the middle of the room with several cushions around it. A few bookshelves lined the walls, filled with books and scrolls, another indicator that Kishi was well off.

"Have a seat, I'll make tea," her uncle instructed.

Riku obeyed, settling on a cushion and observing the room closely to entertain herself.

Kishi returned a few moments later with a cast iron teapot held with pot holders. He set it on a trivet in the center of the coffee table. The man left once more and returned with a few teacups, sugar, and cream balanced in his arms. His arms liquefied partially, allowing tendrils of water to extend from his limbs and take hold of each dish and set them down.

Riku liquefied one of her hands fully and held it up to show her uncle.

Kishi nodded once and sat across from her. He began to prepare the tea, doing so in a methodical and unhurried fashion.

The teen, for her part, solidified her hand and set it on the table, resting the other one atop it.

Only once tea had been served and modified to each of their personal tastes would conversation begin in earnest.

"I've been hoping you would return," Kishi told her, settling his hands around his mug.

Riku fiddled with her sleeve cuffs awkwardly before replying, "I'm taking the advice of someone dear to me and trying to... to reconnect with family and keep the memories of," her throat tightened painfully. She took a sip of tea, the warm liquid soothing it a little.

Her uncle merely nodded in understanding. "Losing a parent is never an easy thing, it's only more difficult when you're so young."

They both sipped at their drinks for a while, tasting the strange space between them with each drop.

Kishi spoke again, "We all mourned Lee's loss, and it's a shame we weren't able to support you further. I'm afraid I must apologize for not reaching out." He bowed his head.

"It... it's okay," Riku said, almost automatically.

"No, it isn't. I was an adult then, even compared to your mother. She was a young woman who lost her husband and had no one to turn to within the clan. After the customary well wishes, we did not continue to offer meaningful support as a clan. As her brother-in-law, I failed to even grieve with her. Worse, I let my nieces suffer."

The blue-haired teen flinched at the mention of the neglect she had suffered right after her father's death. "So you know."

"Yes, I know. It was a topic of gossip for quite some time when Anzu collected you and your mother and left. I knew you two were in a sorry state and that I could have helped prevent that. It was too late, by then because you had gone."

Riku's hands tightened around her teacup as Kishi spoke, fingers paling with the force. She didn't like to think about how weak and sick she and her sister had become after locking themselves away in their room with no food or water. Didn't want to acknowledge how much it hurt that no one came to console them.

She bit her lower lip, no words coming to mind other than meaningless reassurances that it was okay. Even hearing about that time was painful.

"You must understand that is why I ensured the clan did not neglect to claim you once you were legally independent and why I am so glad you decided to come here. This is a second chance I didn't deserve and knew not to ask for."

"Oji-san," Riku tested out the word. She hadn't had reason to call someone this in earnest in six years. "Thank you for letting me come home."

Kishi nodded and they both fell silent.

The difficult part of honesty was not relying on fake apologies or forgiveness to bridge gaps or smooth things over. They would both have to work through pain, guilt, and discomfort to build a new relationship. Moving forward didn't mean forgetting the past, but acknowledging it and addressing the present as it was.

The teapot was half empty when Riku broke the silence. "What was Otou-san like? It's... it's hard to remember."

Kishi smiled, though there was a tightness to it. Even after all this time, the loss of his brother pained him. Still, he began to describe Lee. He owed it to his niece to help her heal and to strengthen her memories of her father. He owed it to Lee to ensure his daughters would remember him and cherish him in their hearts.

[//Exit]