RT| Encounters of the Past | R:C {Toshi/Ryoga}

Ryoga pulled a hand through his hair as he walked the busy streets of Iwagakure. He looked to the sky above to see it as clear blue as could be, save a few white clouds floating above. The sun shine permeated the sky making it the most beautiful day to walk about. The sun was so bright it blinded Ryoga. Ryoga dropped his gaze away from he blinding sun so he could look where he was going. People were moving with such gusto he was sure he would bump into someone if he didn't pay attention. He knew that all the people in the village were bustling about because of the chuunin exams, but he didn't really see the importance. He thought it might have something to do with him being only 12 years old. So he wasn't to worried about the importance of the exams.

Ryoga walked around the village laughing as people stumbled over each other, set things up wrong, or dropping things quite comically. After having a few laughs at the villagers expense Ryoga retired to his home for lunch. He opened the door to his house and burst through. As always his entrance was loud as he yelled for his father and brother. Shin ran to the kitchen with his usual vigor, but his father was much more solemn in his entrance. Ryoga knew by now that his father was not going to get over the death of Ryoga's mother, but Ryoga wasn't going to let it ruin his life. He shook the thoughts of their misfortune from his mind as he prepared some lunch for the family. He worked quickly knowing his brother would soon start whining if the food wasn't on the table in a matter of minutes.

Ryoga flew through the food preparations, making three sandwiches before Shin could say, "I wanted ham on that." Once he was done he set the sandwiches in front of their respective consumers so they could eat them. As soon as Ryoga set one of them in front of Shin he picked it up and started eating. The sandwich was almost finished by the time Ryoga sat down. However their father ate only half before pushing it away and returning to his quarters. Ryoga took his time to eat silently as Shin hopped off his chair and left. He didn't know what to do, but he figured he could take his mind off of everything by seeing more villagers make fools of themselves. After Ryoga finished his food and cleaned the dishes he left his house to roam the village streets once again.

Ryoga took to the streets looking for something to capture his attention. He searched far and wide, like ten feet before he gave up. Nothing catching his attention he decided to sit down on a nearby bench. He was near the center of the city so he knew that if he waited here long enough something interesting would happen, maybe. Ryoga waited on the bench for twenty or so minutes before he was completely bored. He was amazed that not a single thing happened, even during these busy time, for him to amuse himself with. Saddened at the fact that nothing interesting happened Ryoga set off for home. He kicked a few stones and looked at his feet as he did.

Disregarding his own common knowledge Ryoga kept his gaze on the ground as he walked. As he had foreseen earlier while staring at the sky he bumped into someone. His shoulder collided with a part of an unknown person and he fell. His butt his the ground with a thump and his head with a thwack. Ryoga picked his head off of the ground and rubbed the spot that smacked the hard path. He spoke up instantly without looking at the person he bumped into. "Why don't you watch where you're going!" He yelled irritated, even though he knew it was most likely all his own fault.

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Word Count: 664
Chakra Points: 13
Total Topic Chakra Points: 13

It was with a stretch and a yawn that Toshi stirred himself from his rather restful sleep. Being a guest of Iwa certainly didn't seem too bad in the scheme of things he figured as he looked around. The accommodations were better than he had expected: each member of his team had been allowed a separate room at a rather upscale hotel. Muted sandy shades surrounded him both in the shade of the walls and the impressionistic paintings that livened things up somewhat. He had awoken in the provided canopy bed which boasted enough room to fit his whole team, silky soft sheets, and one of the fluffiest pillows he had ever encountered. Idly, he wondered if every nation's teams were being treated to accommodations of such a caliber, or if this was an offhand way of Iwa reinforcing their desire to smooth things over with Konoha after their bitter war. Any which way about it he wasn't complaining, even if it made his current task of getting out of bed a rather difficult one. With another drawn out yawn, he tugged the covers off of himself and threw his feet over the side of the bed. Maybe the wonderful bed was all part of an insidious plan to make him too comfortable to leave in time for the exams when the day came? Absentmindedly biting at his lower lip, his expression faltered for a moment. Could that really be true...?

Giving a small chuckle at his own paranoia, he finally stepped out of bed and made to gather his things. The first order of the day would be to meet his team down at the baths. As nicely renovated as the hotel was, it was quite ancient if what his Sensei had said was true. Bringing the rooms up to a luxurious standard for the present wasn't so difficult a task as compared as retrofitting the entire structure with modern plumbing. All of the hygiene accommodations were to be found in a separate building that had been added on after the fact. Again, that didn't mean that there weren't private showers, but there was just something to be said about a dip in natural hot springs in the morning. Apparently the baths located on the property were said to be the 'finest in all of Iwa', having some sort of complexion-clearing blend of naturally occurring minerals that made it a famous destination for female tourists. Toshi had always been a little on the vain side, much to his secret shame, so he was secretly looking forward to taking a dip in the waters and seeing if he noticed any difference.

Exiting the room and making sure that the door was locked behind him, he walked across the empty hall and tapped on the door of Tsai's room. He was sure that the hyperactive boy was already up and rearing to go, but it didn't hurt to double check. After all, he had been dreading the moment that he had to leave his impossibly comfortable bed himself. Whichever one had left first was supposed to pick up the other, so the absence of a pounding at his door could only mean that the other was still lagging behind. Moments after he knocked, a yell came from beyond the door.

"Come on in, I'm just grabbing my stuff!"

Testing the door and finding it unlocked, he entered the room and immediately grew red in the face. Jeez, he really should have known better than to take Tsai's offer. After getting to know one's teammates, one naturally begins to pick up on traits and habits. If Toshi had been thinking, he would have remembered that Tsai happened to lack any sense of modesty whatsoever. For goodness sakes, even when he was clothed it still seemed to be a halfhearted effort. And so he found himself face to face with a smiling, completely nude Tsai who stopped just long enough to wish him a "Good morning!" before placing a few more things in a pile on his unmade bed. The boy's fiery red hair was already standing straight up in it's usual short spikes, but that was just the nature of his hair; no gel needed. Coughing rather unconvincingly as an excuse to raise a hand to his face, Toshi gave a halfhearted reply before averting his gaze. For Kami's sake, he was in a very confusing time of his life and he had recently been thinking that he kinda... sorta... maybe in a way... liked Tsai a whole lot. So why did the idiot have to be a nudist!? It was beyond him.

"Could you, like, warn me if you're not wearing anything? And why aren't you dressed yet?"

"Why should I bother? We're both guys. Besides, we're heading to the baths right now, right? What's the point of throwing on a bunch of clothes if I just have to take them all off again? A towel will do me just fine for now."

To emphasize his point, Toshi's red-headed teammate wrapped a towel around his waist, grabbed his stuff, and started for the door. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Toshi shook his head and followed behind him. How could a person that was so full of energy all the time have such a lazy attitude? Or was it some very basic form of practicality? Admittedly, Toshi found himself greatly admiring how Tsai was able to throw himself at any situation without fear or sweating the small stuff. It was that primal energy that was so mysteriously alluring: he just couldn't understand it at all. All his life he had been raised to uphold social graces. What it must be like to just be able to cut loose, to say and do whatever the heck you want like Tsai did. The thought brought a small smile to his lips.

Lost in thought, Toshi trailed behind his red-headed-complicated-whatever until they found themselves in front of the entrances of the baths. He could tell from a distance that Akita and his Sensei were already waiting for them. The two figures weren't all that hard to pick out: one shorter girl with bright white hair in streaming braids, and a tall, well endowed woman who's shoulder length brown hair swung flowed naturally around her. Calling out to the two with a shout that drew attention to himself, Tsai ran forwards with a hand supporting the towel that was now clinging to him by the skin of its teeth. By the time Toshi had joined them, there was already an animated conversation going on.

"So let's get some serious training in while we can, okay!?"

Sighing quietly, Toshi allowed himself a giggle into a balled fist at the volume of his teammate's voice. The concept of an indoor voice, much like the virtues of being clothed, was just something that was lost on him. It was cute in an annoying-endearing kind of way. Sliding out from beside their Sensei, Akita drew in close so she could use a more appropriate tone of voice.

"Morning Toshi, did you sleep alright? ... He's just ready to fly off of the handle like usual, isn't he? You know, we could always sneak in while they're going at it, just the two of us."

Her magnificently blue eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief at the comment, and Toshi was momentarily taken aback. She had flirted with him in the past, but this...? He was spared giving a response as the two that had been talking suddenly materialized. Tsai had thrown a hand around each of their shoulders while their Sensei was left standing over the three of them with a look to match Akita's from earlier.

"Aww, you wouldn't dream of leaving little ol' us behind, would ya'?"

"I know right? I'm wounded that my students that I love... so... much... would even consider such a thing."

Around the time that their Sensei said "love", she had reached down to draw her three students into a crushing hug. One that just so happened to sandwich their faces quite snugly in her cleavage. Two crimson-faced, nearly-fourteen boys and an unamused girl were the immediate and intended result. Feeling as though his cheeks were on fire, (damn his hormones!) Toshi began to feel a bit faint as he repeated his mantra in his head.

'Whyyyy meeee? I am not a pervert, I am not a pervert, I am not a pervert...'

Soon the suffocation was over, and the mild mannered boy was left to make a sound somewhere between a spit-take and a laugh as Tsai suddenly seemed to be gripping his towel rather awkwardly as he looked anywhere but their busty mentor. Served the dummy right for his less than adequate covering. Looking towards the source of the laugh, Tsai scowled.

"Shut up, Toshi" He mumbled, unamused.

"Didn't quite catch that." He chirped, Did you say something about something being "up", Tsai?

With a growl, the red-head gave up. It wasn't any use trying to win a battle of words with his witty teammate. It was at that moment that their Sensei spoke up.

"That's a wonderful idea though, Tsai. Let's all have a bath together as a team. It might be one of the last times we get to do anything together like this if you guys do as well as I'm thinking you will. See you all in there... meet me in bath number four."

The laugh that issued from the woman afterward might have been perceived as malevolent by the passers by. Slightly misty in the eyes, Toshi obediently shuffled after the woman. What was this, "Torture the Newcomers To the Disturbing Land of Puberty Day"?


It was after their... interesting bonding time as a team that they agreed to go their separate ways and explore the parts of Iwa that they were personally interested in. While Sensei and Akita were headed to the famed bazaar, Tsai was supposedly going to be seeking out the museum of ancient war artifacts that was somewhere in the village. That left Toshi to find something to do on his own. His immediate thought was to see if he couldn't find out anything about the Genin that he would be facing in the exams, but he didn't know where the others could be found. Feeling his stomach gurgle, inspiration struck him. It would be about this time that other Genin would be seeking something to eat, no? All he had to do was keep a low profile and satisfy his own urges and he could potentially kill two birds with one stone.

Now wearing a simple purple top with a pair of cargo shorts, he carefully tucked his headband into his pocket and made his way into the village. The scent of something delicious eventually caught his attention, and he started to make a beeline towards the stand selling it when he made rather solid contact with someone. Immediately flustered at his lack of attention, Toshi turned a pair of steely-blue eyes that somehow managed to sparkle with genuine concern towards whoever he had just walked full on into. His victim hadn't sounded to... pleased, so he immediately tried to diffuse the situation with the graces he had been taught since childhood.

"Oh my goodness! Excuse me for my lack of attention. I sincerely apologize!" He said, bowing so low that his ponytail swung over his head for a moment, "Let me help you up!"

Offering a hand to his victim, he noticed that he was around his own age. That would explain how he was able to floor the poor guy.

---

Words: 1956
CP: 39
Total CP: 39

Ryoga looked up to see a hand in front of his face. He grabbed onto the hand and hoisted himself up using the stranger's strength along with his own. Once standing he released the person’s hand, patted the dirt off his butt, and brushed the rest of the dirt off of his shorts. He lifted his view from his shorts to look at the person he bumped into and was shocked. At first glance he thought the person was a cute girl, but once Ryoga looked closer he could see the person was a boy. A little confused by this Ryoga stumbled over a few words that were trying to find their way out of his mouth. When he finally found his voice all he could say was, "Why do you look like a girl?"

Instantly Ryoga covered his mouth. He wasn't a rude kid, most of the time, and he had no idea what made him ask such an incredibly stupid question. He lowered his hand and instantly started apologizing. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to ask such a question. My names Ryoga, I'm sorry for bumping into you." Ryoga lowered his head and stuck his hand out towards the boy, who admittedly looked close to his own age.

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Word Count: 211
Chakra Points: 4
TTCP: 17

Glad to see that the stranger didn't seem too mad at him, Toshi pulled as the boy took his hand and helped him to his feet. Getting a look at his victim, he came to the conclusion that he was very... white. His hair, and even his irises were all a snowy white, which led the curious blonde to wonder if this stranger perhaps had a connection to a certain haughty clan back in Konoha. His thoughts didn't have the chance to wander very much further, because the white haired boy opened his mouth again, and the words that came out stopped him momentarily in his tracks. 

"Why do you look like a girl?"

His lips pursed as he tried to formulate a response, but no words would do him the favor of coming to his lips. It wouldn't do for him to upset the boy again by saying something defensive. It wasn't as if he had't heard comments of the sort before, but they were usually directed at him as an insult rather than a statement (or in this case a question) of fact. Jabs he could he could handle, be it through grace or a counterattack with his superior wit. But this... it left him with no truly graceful exits. At least, not after he had visibly frozen up. 

Again, before he could address the stranger, the white haired boy spoke again. This time, at least, it was an apparently sincere apology for his tactless comment along with an introduction. Well, forgive and forget he reasoned. There was no reason to hold it against the boy; he'd just been making a very accurate observation. So with as much dignity as he could muster, he found his voice and shook it off. 

"It's okay, people tell me all the time that I take after my mother. Ryoga, huh? My name's..."

His own introduction trailed off as his eyes caught a metallic gleam a foot or so away. Instantly recognizing it as his forehead protector, he mentally swore. It must have dislodged itself from his pocket when he had run into Ryoga. He couldn't just leave it lying there, and yet he didn't want to blow his cover right off of the bat. Besides, how likely was it that the item had just been left there? Anybody with two brain cells to rub together would realize that he must have been the one to drop it. Deciding to cut his loses before people started to notice the fallen object, he gave a mental sigh and quickly scooped the item up in as rapid a motion as possible. Replacing it in his pocket and shoving it down further than he had last time, he continued his introduction. Maybe he'd been fast enough to prevent the other boy from seeing the emblem engraved on it? He could only pray that the best case scenario he'd imagined was true, or at least Ryoga wouldn't blurt it out loud even if he caught on. Considering his earlier comment, the blonde Genin didn't like his chances.

"...Toshi. My name is Toshi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ryoga. I'm actually headed to grab a bite to eat. You have any recommendations? I'm always up for trying something new."

Mentally flinching, he could only cross his fingers and wait to see what the white haired boy would do next.



Word Count: 563
Post CP: 11
Total CP: 50 (39+11)