[Utsuki Yurako]

It had been about three days since Yurako came out of the hospital, her friend Maharu helped her get back to her home, teasing and scolding Yurako for working herself too hard. During the to some extent, the rare moment that Yurako would be able to see Maharu she asked the older Utsuki if she would train with her when she has gotten better and could work out again. She hated the idea of slacking off.

However, the older girl would tell her she had a mission and wouldn't be able to do so until she returned a couple of days from now. She would train her, but Yurako would have to have shown that she was rested and well. So, for once, she did so, respecting her "big sister" wishes and took the last three days off. Near the area where the Utsuki clan resided there was a large park near a small lake where one could relax or train.

The Utsuki were happy with their secluded area of the village, as they had a bad habit of not often trusting those who were outsiders, just like they often did with her father for being a Namikaze and not an Utsuki. She laid down on the grass, dressed in a simple white crop top and regular blue shorts. The only thing worn that was from her kunoichi gear was her headband and the leg weights she'd grown accustomed to wearing.

She made sure to start taking hot baths and even going to the bathhouse a lot more often to warm her muscles, as Miho instructed. As she sat down and relaxed, hoping Maharu would show up soon so they could hang out, she found herself lost in her thoughts, remembering back to when she was nine, when she heard rumors about her parents before their death on the top-ranked mission they had.

She found out with little information about it (due to it being rather high ranked) that what ultimately happened was the mission was a failure, due to her father trying to save her mother, only for both to be killed by the crossfire. The Utsuki wasn't happy, it was just an example among many that reinforced their ideas that one shouldn't trust those outside of their clan, let alone have a child with them.

Yurako's slightly spiky blonde hair was only a reminder of that, as she inherited her hair color form her father. Luckily, now she had an adoptive mother that took her in, had a long terms goal and was making friends all over the place. She was happy just to have that now. She didn't feel as alone anymore. She thought about this while she was bored looking at the clouds.

Sitting up, she picked up a rock, sipping it across the pond and watched it bounce a few times before sinking into the depths. 'Maharu is late... I hope she just didn't go on another mission...' She thought, wanting to see her older friend to keep her mind off of things. It was why she hated relaxing alone at times.

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Tag: @ailove

[Deleted]

it's useless trying to fight the truth is I'd rather be blind Maharu would be late. She usually wasn't, but Yurako was sure to forgive her when she showed up with treats. Maharu had stopped at one of the noodle stands and placed two to-go orders. Yurako would be in the park about now, and if she hadn't had lunch yet it would be such a treat to share it together. Her only real concern was whether or not her friend had actually taken her advice and let herself rest for a few days. Yurako landing herself in the hospital just because she'd pushed herself too hard training? Reckless. But every injury was a chance to learn: and Yurako would have plenty of opportunities if she was really going to stick to her goal of being the fastest person throughout the shinobi nations. At least she was shooting for the stars! Maharu arrived at the park after waiting a small eternity at the noodle stand. The chef had taken his sweet time but she'd been patient, only gritting her teeth when not one but two people had cut in front of her in line. Dressed in gray capris and an orange tunic top, she approached Yurako with a smile and a bag containing two to-go containers of noodle bowls, still piping hot. "Hey hey!" she greeted, flashing a grin and kneeling down next to Yurako. She'd noticed the teen had been watching the clouds when she'd first gotten there. Probably day-dreaming. Or thinking too much. "See anything interesting up there?" Yurako wouldn't have to tell her what was on her mind if she didn't have to. Maharu already had an idea of what it'd be, anyhow. "I brought lunch," she would tell her, taking one of the containers out and handing it over with a set of wooden chopsticks and spoon. "Hope you're hungry." She wanted to ask whether or not the other girl had actually spent enough time resting, but...she'd get to it later. Food first. ⚔ Tag: Utsuki Yurako | ❖ Hex: #af0808 | ✎ Notes: None!

[Utsuki Yurako]

By the time Maharu arrived, Yurako had her needs up to her chest as she kept staring at the clouds. Her ears perked up and twitched as she finally arrived, dressing just as casual as she was. She gave a big smile, nearly jumping in joy as the older Utsuki sat down next to her, but then her nose picked up a treat. "Big sister Maharu you- ..." She started, getting on her hands and looking past the Utsuki.

She was smelling what was inside the bowl, her mouth drolling, it dripping slightly from the corners of her mouth and onto the brown-haired woman as her stomach growled slightly. She could smell the broth and such, only making her more eager to eat. Her mind almost didn't catch what she was asked before being asked if she was ready to eat if it wasn't obvious, she was very much ready to eat something.

"Yes! I've pretty hungry, maybe we can go somewhere later to eat, it's been a long while since we've both had days off, hasn't it?" She commented on as she took the container, taking a slurp of some noodles, her body giving a visible shiver due to the extraordinarily delicious taste and ate a little more before answering Maharu's question, with a slight look of solemn.

"Oh, I was just thinking about my parents. Being wanting to ask, do you think my dad did the right thing when he risked their lives and failed the mission?" She asked in her unusually quieter and calmer voice. She didn't usually talk this way when she brought up her parents. However, Maharu was there and knew them. It was how they became close in the first place.

Yurako felt more at ease when talking to her older sister about them, as that was the reason she called her a sister in the first place. Usually, she'd have to defend her parents from more by the book type shinobi as well as her clansmen on occasion. Maharu wasn't like that, however. She looked at her ramen bowl for a moment after bringing them up before she went back to eating, slightly slower than her usual gusto.

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Tag: @ailove

[Deleted]

it's useless trying to fight the truth is I'd rather be blind Even with fresh food in front of her, Yurako was already planning when their next meal would be. Maharu smiled down at her, noticing the younger woman's obvious hunger. "One thing at a time," she reminded. Maharu took a seat beside her in the grass, opening her own to-go bowl and stirring it as Yurako asked her opinion on her parents' decisions. It figured that's what was on her mind. Maharu sighed, looking skyward. "I think everyone follows their own code of what's 'right' and 'wrong.' And there's always gonna be people who think they did otherwise." She took a first sip of broth, giving the other's question more thought and trying to figure out how to phrase it so that Yurako didn't dwell on it so much and just got to enjoy their afternoon together. "If I could protect who I loved, failing a mission wouldn't matter so much to me. Maybe your dad did what he thought was right at the time. We can't take a ghost to trial, know what I mean?" They'd had similar discussions before. She couldn't blame Yurako for fixating on what had happened, but dwelling on her parents' deaths in her spare time--what was supposed to be her happy time--would only weigh her down. Maharu didn't want to see her friend suffer that way. ⚔ Tag: Utsuki Yurako | ❖ Hex: #af0808 | ✎ Notes: None!

[Utsuki Yurako]

Yurako simply listened to Maharu explain her thoughts on the matter, slurping up noodles absentmindedly and quite loudly as well, not even chewing her food. Despite displaying quite terrible table manners, she was actually taking in what Maharu said. She thought about it for a moment as she patiently waited for the older Utsuki to finish her thoughts. She paused after Maharu was done and thought about it a little more.

"I think he did the right thing too. It's why I want to be the fastest, so I can help people at a speed my father and mother couldn't and then some! I don't want anything like that to happen to anyone else! Why I need your help and the help of my friends in the village!" She said happily, deciding to not too deep into the topic. She didn't want to sour their day together. She did have some feelings and things she wanted to get off her mind though, so she wanted to express it before moving onto other topics.

"I just wish our clan would be more friendly towards outsiders. We don't trust people enough and I feel it only holds us back and hurts us in the long run. I know why but it's bothersome. Especially with how they would treat us... do you think we can eventually change our clan's ways?" She stated and asked before going back to eating her ramen, finishing the rest of the noodles, other meats, and veggies, leaving only the soup left. "On another note, do you have any awesome things you can tell me you've done on your missions lately?" She asked happily before drinking some of her broth.

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Tag: @ailove

[Deleted]

it's useless trying to fight the truth is I'd rather be blind Yurako didn't want to be the quickest thing alive to shove it into other people's faces. No, she wanted to help people. It was a roundabout application but she admired the younger woman's spunk. She had energy to spare and at least would be able to keep picking herself back up when she hit roadblocks in her goal. "Just remember others won't move as quick as you want them to sometimes. Whip lash is a thing." Yurako's heart was in the right place but if she was too eager or impatient, it'd just hurt her goal of wanting to help people and only make others look down on someone who already hailed from a clan that wasn't as accessible as others. The red-haired woman would shrug at her friend's question. "Anything's possible." She'd just sat down to eat and jumping right into the philosophical was only going to tire her. She was patient but she also wanted to enjoy her noodles. "I went through a civilian village during a trip the other week," she said. "One of the families we were helping was a dog breeder. So. Many. Puppies." She made more progress on her bowl and turned to Yurako. "What about you?" ⚔ Tag: Utsuki Yurako | ❖ Hex: #af0808 | ✎ Notes: None!

[Utsuki Yurako]

Yurako drank some more of her soup as she listened to her explain that she should basically try to not move too fast. Making her almost side-eye her a little. "Says the girl who's one of the best our clan has to offer and only so much older than I am." She teased. She wasn't jealous, Maharu worked hard and was exceptional for her age. Why the younger Utsuki looked up to her so much. "But I get it, try not to be like aunt Bebe basically. Don't worry! I should be fine, just you wait!" She said finishing the rest of her soup in short order before stifling a tiny burp.

When Maharu didn't answer her bigger question, Yurako just took the hint and decided to wait until later. "Sorry about that, just had it on my mind for a while. Why I don't like being alone sometimes y'know? My mind goes to places. But I had to do what the doctor says or else Nomi would ground me. Wait. Can she still do that?" She asked, wondering in all honesty, as she never heard of a genin being grounded. Especially since a genin could technically live on their own and support themselves, granted they did enough missions.

When she heard about the puppies her eyes nearly twinkled. "Awww~ That sounds nice! Did you get to name one? I wish I had a mission like that. Can't wait to become a chuunin! That way I can go on all of the fun missions like you do!" She said before cleaning her mess up, glad to have her stomach partially full for today.

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Tag: @ailove

[Deleted]

it's useless trying to fight the truth is I'd rather be blind One of the best their clan had to offer? Maharu smiled a bit awkwardly and waved her hand at the other. "Pssh, stop it." Had she done well for herself? Yeah. But saying she was one of "the best" out of all of them? That just felt like too much. At least Yurako had understood her point. They weren't too far off from one another with their ages but if Yurako let her enthusiasm get ahead of her feet, she'd only slow herself down. As for Nomi grounding the girl? "She could probably ground me too," she joked with a chuckle, taking another sip of broth. It wasn't something that'd be legally binding of course, but the authority the woman held would give her enough influence to at least make their lives harder if they didn't listen to instructions. Yurako seemed to light up at the mention of the dog breeder. Maharu slurped up a few noodles and shook her head at first to the question. Had she gotten to name one? She wished! That would've been so fun. But their trip had been so brief, and it wasn't as though the team had known the family well enough to make that kind of influence on them. Breeders were usually pretty laid back with choosing names, though. They cared for so many dogs that eventually the new litters became a challenge in assigning unique names. "Nah, I didn't get to name any. And I mean, you already do fun missions. You're not missing out on a whole lot. You're a little safer, but that's about it." She shrugged. Being a special jounin wasn't nearly as glamorous as Yurako made it sound--but she'd find that out for herself when she got there. Maharu was only halfway through her own bowl but her friend had downed hers like she hadn't eaten in a week. "What're your goals in prepping for the exams?" she asked. "Anything you're working toward the most? Anything I can help with?" She'd help her any way she could between her own assignments if it meant it'd ensure Yurako's next promotion--or at least give her the best odds. Maharu had spent countless hours in the past helping the younger rabbit study and she'd continue doing so--that's what a best friend was for. ⚔ Tag: Utsuki Yurako | ❖ Hex: #af0808 | ✎ Notes: None!

[Utsuki Yurako]

Yurako knew Maharu was being humble, as usual. She was skilled in her areas. In fact, she would probably become a jonin in no time. It was why she looked up to her as a kunoichi, she was probably going to at some point even surpass Nomi and Bebe. She probably could if she wanted to in her opinion. When she said Nomi could probably ground even her she rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, you're probably right about that. Never mind. Haha!" She said giving a chuckle.

When she said she didn't get to name any puppies, it made her kind of sad. Then again, if she could name a puppy, what would she name it anyways? She wasn't the best at picking out names. When she said she was already doing the fun missions, she shook her head slightly. "I guess so. But walking dogs, delivering scrolls and killing rabid animals aren't really fun or exciting. I want to go on bigger adventures! Explore more lands, as you do! I like Konoha but I wanna go to an allied village or something! Learn some new things, try some new foods, meet even more new friends!" She explained.

Then as Maharu was almost done with her food, asking what she was going to do for the Chuunin Exams, the big thing she's been prepping for about almost a year or so by now. She thought to herself for a moment before replying, placing a hand on her chin as she thought. "Weellll. I mainly need to train my speed. Though later at some point I will need to train some more ninjutsu and our clan's taijutsu." She said happily with a smile.

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Tag: @ailove

[Deleted]

it's useless trying to fight the truth is I'd rather be blind Yurako was excited to move on to bigger and better things. Maharu couldn't blame her for it. But she hoped her friend was keeping in mind that everything took time. She'd told her before and she was sure she'd be reminding her again in the future that patience was just as important as strength. "You'll get there," she assured, smiling in particular at the mention of "making new friends." Yurako had such a warm spirit. The other's focus for the chuunin exams were--surprise!--speed, taijutsu, and ninjutsu. Maharu chuckled. "Should've guessed. I've got a little bit of everything under my belt as a generalist, so I can help you out between my assignments when the exams get closer if you want a partner or just some refreshers on stuff." Yurako keeping her skills sharp until then wasn't the issue. The issue would be the girl not pushing herself and ending up bedridden again from overdoing it so close to something so important. The exams were major, and Maharu hoped Yurako would keep in mind that she needed to be cautious in readying herself for them. She couldn't participate if she was in the hospital. Again. "You planning on spending all afternoon in the park or is there anything you want to do while I'm free?" she asked. "I know we don't get to see each other as often as you'd like..." She smiled, but it was sort of a sad smile. Maharu regretted that her work kept her so busy from one of her friends that would benefit the most from her company. But from what she could tell, Yurako was doing well for herself. Still learning and growing in spite of the hardships she'd faced with her family. ⚔ Tag: Utsuki Yurako | ❖ Hex: #af0808 | ✎ Notes: None!