[Shirai Tetsumaki]

Shirai was one of those more sociable types. The kind of woman who was good with people, empathetic, and generally an all around great person to be around. That, and due to taking the duties of a Jounin Sensei, she had quite a bit more time on her hands in comparison to other ninja in her rank. Someone that had more time and dedication to focus on training the newer generation. So low and behold, when she heard there was a wolf boy that had been living out in the wilderness for a few years and was getting back into the ninja life? Who better to get him trained and up to speed than the Black Liger herself? Deciding to meet him along a public training ground, she stood there in her voluptuous form and somewhat revealing outfit. 

She was going to be going over some standards. Preparing him some training. Making sure he had been getting along well with living back with a large sum of people. Solitude changed people, especially out in the wilderness of those mountains. You could take a boy out of the forest, but you couldn't take the forest out of the boy. If that made any sense. Upon the arrival of the wolf boy before her, she'd proceed to give him a mock salute. Tying her headband along her neck, she proceeds to give him double peace signs as she flashes him a grin.

"Good morning! The name is Tetsumaki Shirai. Make sure to remember it. But you can call me Raiga if you'd like. Do you know the reason why I've been assigned to you today?!" She says out loud with a boistrous and fiery tone of excitement. 

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Yamatsu rushed through the village running late for his meeting. He had had his first real nights sleep since being back in Kumo. Lady Kizumi had seen to it that is old has was repaired and brought back to standard living conditions. Even though his house was empty the space of his old room had brought a sense of safety he had not had in a long time. The day before he had received a message to meet a Jounin teacher at the training grounds. He woke with the sun already risen jumping out of bed to start his day. It had been three years since he had been to the training grounds and was happily surprised he remembered his way there. He saw a figure waiting already cursing himself for being late. As he approached he could see her shapely form and felt his face turn red. Being sixteen brought alot of "feelings" being around all the beautiful women of Kumogakure. She smiled and held up twin peace signs, she was a lot more bubbly than he had assumed she would be. His lowered his head still not able to meet the gaze of anyone yet. He was used to being the lowest member of the pack and kept his head low bowing lower. "Hello Shirai-Sensei, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Ikinokoru Yamatsu, No ma'am i was not told the reason for this meeting from Lady Raikage or Kaede-Sama." He spoke with a voice soft and shy but clear.

Shirai -- 254

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shirai Tetsumaki]

Looking the tan skinned boy over, she took every measure of him, and was rather pleased to find him flush with a level of embarrassment when she scanned him with her eyes. However, he found himself clueless to their meeting? "Easy. To help you get settled into life in the village. To give you someone who can mentor and train you in things that you might be lacking in." That said, she smiled brightly when coming closer, just a smidgen as she leans inwards towards him.

"In other words. Consider me a private...tutor for a little bit. Until you get reintegrated." When somebody lived alone for as long as Yamatsu did with the wolves, it could elave somebody socially awkward, feeling alone, or just unable to connect with people in the way one might imagine. "That said. I'm here to help. So I hope we get along. Even if I'm a black cat." Throwing in a little bit of a joke on the situation, Shirai steps away and finds herself interested in the fellow, what kind of skills and talents he must have developed.

"This is what we're going to do." She says, firmly cracking her neck abruptly to the side as she straightens her back. "Combat training. Your goal will be to try to land a single good blow on me. The day you can do that? I'll consider you a skilled ninja." Giving a thumbs up, she steps back around thirty feet before calling to him. "Feel free to use anything and everything you got Ya-mat-su!~ Weapons and jutsu alike. You're going to need it!"

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

The woman made him nervous, she was so friendly and seemingly charming. Was it all a ruse or was this just how she was. She spoke about being here to teach him how to return to society. The idea was a good one the young man was nervous and awkward around the villagers. He had not gone feral exactly but he did feel more comfortable away from the busy city streets. She seemed true in her intentions and it made Yamatsu relax standing a little straighter. He was starting to get hopeful maybe this meeting would be a chance to add to his "pack" of friends. His hopes were dashed aside as she cracked her neck and told him it would be combat training. He needed to land a single blow, he had not fought in years and even then he was severely limited in his abilities. "Wait wait wait I don't think that that's such a great idea." He stepped back hunching over again as a sign of submission. It was what he had learned quickly with the wolves, he was weak and had much to learn. "I'm sorry Shirai-Sensei I think you have the wrong idea of what I am capable of." He was not lying, he thought of himself as a genin who had missed three years of training.

--

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shirai Tetsumaki]

She tilted her head curiously in this sudden shift in demeanor. In which case, she looks him from head to toe when he voices his reluctance. "Don't worry...I won't be going hard on you. Besides. You want to be a ninja don't you?" She says, questioning if she'd perhaps misinterpreted his reintegration into the Shinobi system. Three years training missed or no, to a woman like Shirai, it was all the more reason to get back into training and in a harsh and dangerous career where people tended to die young.

"Well...Then why don't we start off with a lil' something more social? Tell me a little about what you can do. Dreams for the future. And what exactly it is you want to be capable of." Smiling and flashing her pearly whites, she hoped to get a decisive answer that could really tell her more about the wolf boy's character. After all, when one lived out there as long as they did, there might be a hard time figuring out what to live for long term. Survival out there had to be day to day. Smaller term goals.

Isolation was something that truly did change people, and so in a way, she was kind of excited to see how this guy turned out. "I'm a font of knowledge and experience kid. More than happy to talk things out a bit. If you really want."

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Her first question hit Yamatsu like a giant boulder, did he want to be a ninja. When Kaede had found him he was scared of the man from Kumogakure. It was the connection they both shared with the wolves that made Yamatsu trust him. It was the promise of a home, a pack, that made Yamatsu follow him back to the cloud village. Did he really want this life, did he want to go back to the mountains. "I don't know if it's a want or more of a need." Ever since his meeting with Kizumi he had felt welcomed but alone. To him joining the ranks of the shinobi of Kumogakure he would find a place in this "pack". He sat down thinking of a response to her other questions. They were easier to answer but harder to put into words for the boy. He decided to start with his dreams, those he thought about everyday. "I want to fix up my parents house, it is in shambles at the moment and the garden over grown. I want to find my place here in the village..." He got quiet for a moment before opening his mouth again. "I feel out of place, an outsider, I hear the whispers 'Thats the wolf boy'.. I have a name." He was not angry or even upset, he looked sad that the place he used to call his home felt so foreign. "I can use a few katon jutsu, not a lot but the ones I know have gotten me by. Uh I guess I want to be capable of protecting the people here. I don't want anyone to feel scared like I used to." He was not sure if he had answered her questions but he had tried to the best of his abilities. Suddenly his eyes widened in excitement as a jumble of words fell from his lips. "OH! I can call my siblings too, its my favorite thing." The boy quickly brought both thumbs to his mouth biting them enough to draw blood. With a huge smile on his face he slapped his hands against the ground. Two plumes of smoke appeared on ether side of Yamatsu before dissipating with the wind. Standing next to him now were two wolves, on his right Oki the larger of the two wolves. On his left Ino, the slightly smaller twin sister of Oki. "These are my siblings Oki and Ino, they are twins and my best friends." He threw his arms over both beasts his smile ear to ear.

--

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shirai Tetsumaki]

In those moments, it became rather clear to Shirai the situation. He didn't have much of anything to return to. He was a soldier now because he was trying to figure the rest of that shit out. Taking the liberty to really listen and try to understand him, she found herself thinking about that. How he wanted to find his place. Fix his parent's house. She thought of her own parents, and with it, how he wanted to belong. Feel a sense of identity. She seemed to deeply muse; even more so when he brought out his siblings in poofs of smoke.

Two wolves. Ino and Oki.

Some might call it sad and pitiful. Though Shirai didn't. If anything, she held a great sense of admiration that this Genin found something to cling onto. To treasure and really cherish. "Yamatsu." She says the name, and with it, she slowly steps forth. Before leaning atop his head. "I can tell you got a lot to think about. And it's clear you feel kind of lost. Surrounded by tons of people, but feeling like nobody gets you. Yeah?" She runs her hand along his scalp, and with it, she gives a soft huff, before shuffling around in her suit, before handing him a slip of paper. Rising up, she crouches down to get on eye level. Ultimately, Shirai could feel for the youth.

A blank check. "Find out how much it costs to fix your folk's place. And write any number you need to take care of it. I'll cover it." She says, with a softness to her tone. "Nobody was meant to be alone in this world. And if you ever need someone to talk to? Work with? I'm here." Because in a way, she supposed that he could have been her son in a way. As she thought about the children that she'd lost in the plague. Her brothers since come and gone.

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Some might have felt embarrassed or ashamed having someone offer them the type of financial help Shirai was offering. With a smile he gently pushed the slip of paper back to her. "I honestly appreciate the gesture but I plan to do it myself. It might help me work through the loss in a way I wasn't able to in the mountains." She was standing very close to him leaning on his head. He looked down at his feet as to not have an eyeful of something he was not supposed to. "Uh Shirai Sensei I did want to ask about one thing. Kaede-Sama told me I was special, that I was to be a sage apprentice. What does that mean as far as who I will be in the village?" His question seemed simple but he did not know if the answer he would receive could satisfy his need for acceptance. Would he be a hermit learning alone or would he be able to grow bonds and friendships. The two wolves had taken up sleeping positions on either side of him. Normally he would have sat between them resting his head on one but he was in to position to move with the very friendly woman's position. Oki growled, Yamatsu knew it was his way of laughing, "Brother why the red face?"

--

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shirai Tetsumaki]

She wasn't really sure how to answer him. "I admire your sense to work to completing it yourself." She says, before looking at the slip of paper, and with a simple charge of electricity in her hand, causes it to light and burst into flames as she tosses it into the air, letting the embers scatter. Before she takes the liberty to look up at the ceiling. "I don't really know too much of this sage thing. What it really entails. Or what that means your place in this village will be. But if I were you, I wouldn't let that identity define me. Not a single bit."

"Instead, I'd say, I'm Yamatsu. A proud citizen of of Kaminari no Kuni. A ninja of Kumogakure no Sato. The greatest village in the world!" She says boldly, throwing her arms up into the sky. "That I don't know quite what's going on with my life right now, but I'll figure it out. That I've got plenty of people to help me on that path!" She didn't want him to feel like his position, whatever it was, was an isolating one. So hopefully, his fears were dissuaded in those moments. Though, she did find herself wondering. Wondering when she looked upon him how he wanted to live?

"Seems like today isn't a good day to train...But, I guess it's not a bad spot to talk. Get questions answered. If you have any." She says, promptly getting off his head and looking him over. "Like I said. I'm here to listen."

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

"I am Yamatsu. A proud citizen of Kaminari no Kuni." His voice was low as his fingers ran through the fur of the two wolves. He repeated the line again in his head letting the words reverberate in his mind. Her words made him feel better, his shoulders relaxing. He liked this woman, she seemed like a good person who genuinely wanted to help. He was happy that the few people he had met so far had been like that. He nodded in agreement that today was not the best day to train but was ready and willing to talk to someone. He sat there silent for a moment his hands still deep in the fur of the wolves. "Did you lose anyone in the plague..." He knew the question was a bold one and even still painful for others. He was looking for someone who shared his pain. He was looking for someone who could understand how he felt. His eyes closed holding back tears as memories of his parents flashed through his mind. The last time he had seen his genin squad, his sensei, all gone now. He remembered the last words his father told him as he lay dying in his bed "Run". Yamatsu had ran, he fled the village looking to survive. The guilt he had weighed down upon him like a boulder. "I should have stayed..." He knew if he had he would be dead too but still, maybe he could have done something anything.

Shirai Tetsumaki --

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shirai Tetsumaki]

He repeated her words. "That's the spirit!" Though, when he asked his next question? She found herself frowning, and looking up at the sky for a moment. "Yeah." She says. Crossing her hands behind her back, she thought about the laughter of her boy and girls. She thought about siblings lost, and her friends and comrades that she treasured. "Yeah..." Those words probably were everything, but with it, she found herself planting a hand along his back, and then ruffled his head.

"Don't cry too much about the people that aren't around anymore kiddo. They're in a better place. If anything...Live your life for them. They're always with you. Somewhere inside you." She said it consolingly, and with it, she runs her fingers across his head, soothing him as if she were petting a wolf herself. Before taking the liberty to give a bit of a sigh, stepping forward, and looking back towards Yamatsu. So that he might look her in the eyes. "It's the least we can do." Closing her eyes and smiling softly, she found herself not wanting to wallow in all this despair and sorrow.

"It seems like you've been through a lot...So. Let's try to take care of some training at a later time maybe. I'm open any time, and my doors are open to you. You can find me at my personal dojo, or the Tetsumaki Clan compound. But. For now? Let's go grab a bite to eat. I'm thinking some barbecue. My treat. We can get some for your siblings too."